steve4031

Imho it would be interesting to learn the differences between QM2 and a cruise ship and why there are different logistics to embarkation and its preparation for a transatlantic crossing.

I’ve stayed at that Marriott in Brooklyn. Great property.

Thank you to all who have posted. It's helpful to know that Cunard has a different system than other cruise lines. Since the ship leaves at 5 I am thinking that arriving later than 2 p.m. is taking risk. I can control when I leave the hotel, but it is harder to predict what traffic will be like in NYC. I am staying at the Andaz 5th avenue on points.

In preparation for my transatlantic cruise for July 23 I have been reading reviews for QM2. A common theme is that it is poorly organized and guests are required to stand in lines that sometimes extend outside. Last summer, we had an unpleasant experience with embarkation in Vancouver. I would like to avoid a similar experience in Brooklyn. We are flying in the day before and staying in Manhattan. My thinking now is just to get their as early as allowed and hope to get on board quickly. Even if the cabin is not ready, we can find someplace to sit and wait until it is ready. Are there any suggested proven strategies for working around these issues that are not disruptive to Cunard and other passengers? Thank you.

As a first timer I would definitely enjoy a talk about the differences between the QM2 and a regular cruise ship.

Greetings, I found the my calendar once I logged in. I am on the July 7th EB Transatlantic for 2023. Right now the first Gala on 7/8 is listed as Red and Gold and the second Gala which is on 7/12 is listed as Roaring 20s. This is consistent with the spread sheet that you have completed. I appreciate your assistance. The details of knowing the theme of each Gala night will be helpful to us. My GF enjoys dressing up, and would have been annoyed with me for not catching on to the themes ahead of time. So once again Cruisecritic saves the day.

I appreciate the document listing the different themes. I have looked at my confirmation documents and there is no confirmation of the Gala Night Themes. Is this something that will be made available when we make are final payment? Thank you.

I can access my booking by entering the booking number and details each time. I live in the US. It seems like this is normal for US passengers for the time being. I am assuming that when it is time I will be able to print documents, etc.

This would be in US dollars. My apology. Right now I used miles to secure a for sure free fare for CDG to FRA to Chicago in Economy on Lufthansa and then United. This was 35k miles per passenger. I am hoping to jump on the BC fare when I have more money.

I was discussing options with my TA. He quoted me pretty good fares returning from Paris. I don't think it was Cunard air. BC was 2000 on United. Economy was 900 on United. These were non stops out of Charles de Gaulle.

I appreciate all of the information. It was educational to find out that the ship can vary its course significantly and still stay on schedule.

I'm a first timer for next summer too. When is sunset and sunrise as you cross the Atlantic. I'm thinking the daylight hours are longer because the ship takes a great circle route that goes further north as you leave New York City.

My GF will like the electric kettle in the room. She is a tea drinker.

These issues also occur in dining cars on Amtrak trains. For the most part I stick to train travel and the scenery. Since I have traveled on every route in the system multiple times I usually can give a pretty accurate description of anticipated scenic highlights. On one memorable occasion though, dinner was an adventure. I was traveling with my GF from Chicago to St. Louis and we were seated with a lady. The guy across the aisle was by himself and included himself at our table. Though he sought permission from the crew, this was unusual. We exchanged the usual greetings, and then he sought to control the conversation. I said something, and he aggressively contradicted me. I observed that he was drunk, and decided not to engage. My GF, who is usually pretty mild mannered, engaged in conversation with the other lady at the table to double team the guy. They socially isolated him for the entire meal, and spent most of it asking me questions about train travel because they were both annoyed with the guy. They did this without any verbal agreement. I was just sitting there answer questions, and thinking, holy crap did this guy get more than he planned for. At the end of the dinner the lady told my GF and I were great dinner companions, and then she turned to the guy and told him, "and you are an idiot" though she used profanity which I am not going to type here.

I myself in an international setting would be hesitant to critique any country's policy. It is impossible to know another person's background.

I think conversations about how things work in other countries are fascinating. The line is crossed once someone from one country starts critiquing the way things are done in another country.

I had a similar experience on Carnival. I was traveling solo because my GF had a change in plans and could not go. I went anyway because the cruise left New Orleans and I wanted to go down the Mississippi to the Gulf. We had picked assigned dining when we booked. Then when she canceled I was unable to switch to anytime dining. I decided to ask onboard. The person at the hostess stand stated this was not possible. I decided to give it a go. One person was a drunk male who told me about every cruise he had taken a women on and the arguments he had with them when they were not willing to accommodate him for treating them to a cruise. I decided that I would eat pizza and stay away from the dining room for the rest of that cruise. On the way out the lady who had told me no before asked how it went. I told her and stated I would just eat in the steakhouse or lido deck the rest of the cruise. I was not going to ask a second time. She immediately changed me to anytime dining. The rest of my dining room meals were pleasant.

What is the Bond show about? That sounds kind of interesting.

I intend to write a detailed trip report that should be helpful to first timers.

Fog would be cool.

We are excited about this crossing. I know it is impossible to predict EXACTLY what the weather will be like on a particular crossing. But I am curious about what the temperatures would be once we are at sea. I was thinking 50's or 60's if it was sunny and calm outside.

I didn’t knew there were significant taxes out of Heathrow. We have been to Paris before and GF wanted to return. And I wanted to ride the Eurostar so it’s a win win.

We will actually be flying back from Paris. When we arrive we spend one night in London. Then Eurostar to Paris.

Yes. He’s good. He knows the different parts of the ship and keeps track of details. We were looking at specific cabin numbers and he found one and then realized it would be on the port side and we wanted to be on the starboard side. He remembered my email sent two days earlier mentioning seeing the Statue of Liberty and caught it before I could ask if the cabin was on the starboard side. That’s a stud travel agent imho. He charges 75 per person but that’s been well returned with the steak house dinner and the onboard credit. I tried another for an Alaskan cruise and he charged the fee and initiated the booking and then told me they did not want me to make several smaller payments to pay it off. It was obviously they thought this was too much work. My response was loud and profane. They told me if I was going to be abusive they would didn’t want my business. I told them any competent travel agent accepts the practice of making several payments to pay off the cruise. We went our own way. I booked with HAL directly. No problems. Since this is my first crossing and I would be booking a return flight i knew I needed help in this area. So I’m glad I got this guy.

My Gf is will have no problem following the dress code. She has lots of outfits that would work. I’m willing but I will need to purchase a couple of suits. Not so sure about tuxedos. But if suits will do I’ll be fine.