gracecarmo

A while back someone on this board recommended products that contain

benzalkonium. (sp?) to kill noro? It is different than purell.

I received some from a friend in Canada, as you supposedly could not purchase it in the US.

Wonderful report. It made my morning reading a delight! We took this same trip years ago but never saw some of the beautiful sights you photographed. We were also on the Infinity, that had engine issues and missed the glaciers.

Now my voyage is complete reading your review

Thank You so much.

I agree with everything Janeykul says. The cabins were sub par (regular balcony) and the beds were awful!

Never again MSC.

Keep the reports coming! Sounds like you will have a spectacular cruise.

Not buying it Tracie. The OP was an experienced Neiman Marcus shopper that got up set because they were not given the gold standard treatment when shopping at Macy's during a Red Apple weekend sale.

 

Same reason we know not to sail on Princess out of Houston.

Wallie: what is the reason you would not sail from Houston? I was going to consider a Princess Cruise from Houston, since we can drive there.

(not on spring break though)

This is a truly wonderful article. I had to wipe my eyes from tears several times. I do have faith that miracles happen.

Dogs are great companions…..Chester has the best.

I did that tour a year ago, and getting into and out of the dugout is NOT for those with any sort of balance issue. I am able bodied but am in my 70's and it was a real challenge for me. The guide was there to help out of the canoe, but only after you climbed over the seats with the canoe rocking.

It did not rain, but the spray from the canoe got everyone wet….the canoe is motorized.

However, the Embera Village was very interesting.

Thanks Arno, for your reporting. I love your photos….what type of camera do you use? Your pictures are so clear and crisp!

Your trip reports are my "cruise" this year….sidelined here until the spring.

Queen's Grill is the highest classification of room accommodations, a lovely suite. You eat in a separate dining room, and get dressed formal when eating there.

No picture. I can tell you about it...I found a small vintage hat made of black fabric about the size of a small salad plate. I glued several little half wine bottles along with streamers, noisemakers, and festive cocktail napkins to fill spaces. It took a lot of space in my suitcase so I left it there on the ship.

All stuff except the small wine bottles bought from dollar store.

We really enjoyed the QM2, and now we are tempted to do another voyage. The only issue would be the smoking.

Re the Ascot Ball…..I won the hat competition! Thanks to Cruise Critic I knew in advance about it, and made my "Sail Away Facinator" here at home. Prize was a lovely leather album and bottle of champagne.

The library is outstanding, food comparable to X.

If we do book another cruise on Cunard, we would like the Princess Grill, just for space. But, getting dressed up every night for dinner would not be to our liking. (tux or suit for DH).

Jayhawk….Rock Chalk!

The suite change should come around the middle of April 2015, according to one post.

I am waiting to book though, until I hear some definite info.

I always take the cash option instead of OBC. Once we did not use all OBC, and to get our cash from casino had to give a percentage to X.

Gail: I always enjoy your postings, keep them coming! I plan to take the Summit again this summer to Bermuda. (health permitting).

One of our favorite dining areas was the made to order venue at the sandwich bar aft at dinner. (steak, chops etc). Is this still in operation?

On our voyage this past September it was nice change to be away from hustle and bustle of MDR, and just sit and watch the sunset.

Keep your reports coming…..thanks for posting.

Thanks Arno for starting this thread. So many memories! Our first cruise was on The Song of Norway in 76, and now the rest is history! (54 cruises later) We tried several lines and when we went on the Mercury in 99 we were blown away by the service and overall ambiance. Like low lighting in the MDR and the little cloth placemats on trays in the buffet.

We do notice some of the little things missing, but still think cruising is the way to go.

I agree with jhans24 and gek. Ships are beautiful, but food and entertainment not up to Celebrity, Princess, or RCCL. I would never book again. Some of the staff seemed rude at times. We did a b2b in the Caribbean on the new Orchestra a few years ago. (friends convinced us to go with them). Very smokey casino, and other inside areas as well.

One third of a Zenith ... does that mean you're a Ze? :o

I am a ZeNi…half way. And that's probably where I will stay.

I use (in addition to hand washing) a product called Soapopular. It contains benzaalkonium chloride. Non alcohol. Literature on the web says it may be good for virus, and Noro.

It is not sold in the US, and a friend in Canada sent me some.

Unfortunately, I forgot to pack it on our Summit New England trip, and got Noro! First time in 54 cruises.

We ate in the buffet, Qsine, Normandy, MDR , and Blu on the Summit. The Buffet was very good for dinner, as we usually ate there using the Made to Order steak venue. It was a nice change from the hustle and bustle of the dining rooms. It is fun to try them all. We were on a 14 day Canada/New England last fall. We were in a suite and could eat in Blu, space available. We found Blu a bit awkward, due to the tables so close, so did not eat there more than once.

Luggage Valet: since it was not really a guarantee for our recent voyage, I decided to use Luggage Forward instead. The cost was considerably more but worth it to us. I just added this cost into the total price of the cruise. I will use such a program in the future…..they pick up luggage at your house and also return it to same. The cost depends on variables; size of suitcase, weight, and location.

Thank you so much for "taking me along" with you on this fabulous trip! We did this cruise several years ago, and your pictures bring back memories. Sadly, we won't be traveling this year due to some pending surgery (not life threatening), and your posts provide me with my travel fix!

The buffet has greatly improved, as we ate there frequently on our 14 day Canada/New England voyage in September. There is a made to order section aft (where the sandwich bar is for lunch), serving steak, chicken, pork chop, baked potato vega etc.. Also pasta bar, sushi, and Asian offerings. We only ate in the MDR once, and alternated between the Buffet and Specialty. It was very relaxing to eat at the Buffet, no noise. Bar service is also available, but waiters few. We just got our wine from the aft bar, or the little bar at the entrance.

On our recent Summit Canada/New England voyage we ate at the buffet frequently. The first night, especially, we wanted to be outside during sail-awy. Then the second night we ate in the MDR Select. It was so noisy and cramped, a table really for 6 we had 8. We decided not to eat in the MDR, and eat in the buffet or specialty venues, which worked out fine for us. The steak/chicken/pork to order and pasta bar sufficed, and we had a nice quiet dinner with a table near the windows. A bonus was that on our cruise we had elite drink coupons and could use them for a glass of wine with dinner.

We did eat at Blu twice for dinner, and that experience was not what we had on the Equinox (we had a suite). In the future we will consider the buffet as a major dining choice.

Thanks so much for this report. I enjoyed every minute!

This tragedy hits home here with us: our grandson's fiancé is from the Philippines and she and her mom are worried sick. They have not had any communication with family (grandmother, aunts) on the island. Looking at all the pictures on TV is awful.

We are all supporting them with prayers,, and if they need anything we will surely help with that.

Also, on the Summit a few years ago, we had Rikki as butler from the Philippines. Anyone know if he is still with X? Rikki told us not to miss the crew talent show, as one of the waiters from PI will sing: he sang the most beautiful rendition of "The Lords Prayer". He got a standing ovation.