*Miss G*

Wow.  Talk about a wild ride when booking last minute!  There are far too many moving pieces when trying to coordinate multiple schedules and obligations across three different countries with six different people.  It’s like nailing jello to a tree! 

The main goal is to get to England.  This TA gets us close.  It’s not our first choice in itineraries but it’s a cruise and we are happy.  Today is embarkation day!

1 hour ago, Pushpit said:

Good for you. However I don't think this is an unusual set of events, prices can and do fluctuate, including sharply downwards as you near departure. On other sailings, which are very popular, you may not be able to get on for any fare - all staterooms and suites are allocated. You win some, you lose others. Obviously it's terribly important - once you've got a bargain - not to keep looking at fares......

Oh, for sure.  I am a notorious checker of price fluctuations.  Like you said… you win some; you lose some.  I won this one!  That makes me happy.  🥰

On 4/3/2024 at 7:11 AM, Pushpit said:

So if you are a genuinely price sensitive customer you would be monitoring this daily until your price point is reached, sometimes it will, sometimes it won't. 

When the June 9th westbound TA hit a certain price point, I began monitoring it daily, along with the sailings in late May and June.  When it dropped from my “I’m interested” price by 14% (two weeks ago) I decided to make my move.  But then life got in the way and schedules kept sliding so I hesitated and couldn’t commit.  Last week the price increased by 7% and I was a little unhappy because I have to take the single surcharge into account.  I continued to monitor the same sailings and they remained static.  

Yesterday, I decided to book at that price but ran into a delay as I investigated locations and dealt with other commitments.  This morning, the price hadn’t moved so I got all my ducks in a row to make the call about two hours after looking.  When opening a window to the Cunard site, I couldn’t believe my eyes.  Not only had the price dropped by another 20%… the Balcony was now lower than the price I was going to purchase the Inside for!

I am now booked.  👍

I’m going to take a wander past as I explore.  Will report back!

It will definitely be warm the first few days out of Florida.  Mid-Atlantic will be cooler but still nice.  We did a March TA in 2022 and it was a bit chilly for a couple of days, but once we got away from the storms we had from FLL to Mid-Atlantic it was sunny and warm.  Honestly, you’re not going to need anything more than you’d wear in Chilliwack at this time of year.  I’m on this sailing and am bringing sweaters and a raincoat.  The sweaters are for morning and evening, and during the day in case it gets chilly.  The raincoat is for, well… rain.  I’m leaving tomorrow so I guess I’d better pack.  lol 

Thank you so much, everyone!  Your posts have been very helpful.  I was thinking it must be okay since there are suites right there.  I had been leaning towards an Inside but then I noticed the free upgrade from OV to balcony.  Now I’m thinking I might do that instead.  (I am sailing solo.)  Which means I now have to study which balconies would be my best choice.  I’d better get a move on since I have to book it today.

19 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

The holiday K'dam cruise as well as the one after are 2 recent examples

The Koningsdam for me, too.  Alaska.

11 minutes ago, Pushpit said:

In your shoes I'd probably want to be 9015 or higher. There are some indoor cabins that look like they are on Starboard, but actually have a dog-leg corridor from the port side. I think they would be OK. There again, the balcony should give easy access to fresh air on that deck.

Oh, I see what you mean!  Thank you.  That is very helpful!

Thank you, @Pushpit.  The room I am looking at opens onto the starboard corridor.  I was hoping the lounge would be enclosed with a smoke mediation unit to keep it contained.  For some reason, cigar smoke triggers migraines and I’d like to avoid that.  😄

I couldn’t find an answer to this question.  Does anyone know if the smoke from the cigar lounge drifts out to public spaces and, specifically, the rooms on Deck 9 of the Queen Mary 2?  Thank you.

2 minutes ago, 1of4 said:

If you are looking to be entertained in a different lounge or bar on a river cruise you will be disappointed. Space is the limiting factor. Dare I say the focus is more on the itinerary and where you are and the excursions you choose and not the ship itself. I interpreted the excursions as our entertainment and was quite tired after dinner so an hour or two talking with new acquaintances worked well. But that’s just me. 

I think this is why I loved our Avalon river cruise.  We were up at dawn and it was go go go from morning till evening.  But that was our choice as there were so many great included excursions mornings, afternoons, and full day that we wanted to take advantage of.  

Returning from one full day, we were welcomed back with warm brownies, wash cloths, and a shot of something… with just enough time throw it back then dress for dinner!  I found out that on river cruises it’s important to attend the pre-dinner port talk/happy hour gathering (with hot and cold hors d’oeuvres) before you head off to dinner.  It was a wonderful experience and proved to me why I don’t care if HAL has a production show or not.  I am more interested in the ports and being on the water than I am in a show at sea.  By the time we dropped into bed we were out like a light.  It was almost like running a marathon!  And I loved every minute.

49 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

I think the next one is off Iceland in August 2026.     Should be another cruise opportunity 

Here’s the schedule.  The South Pacific sounds good to me!

Thanks for the reports, @CruiserBruce!  I am hoping someone will post pics from the ship.  I enjoyed watching the eclipse across North America and seeing 90% totality here.  The birds all went to bed!

Funny, it just dawned on me that you are traveling with Lynn Crawford and Lora Kirk!  (Sometimes I am pretty oblivious.) We spent a lot of time at their restaurant and private parties.  Amazing chefs and very lovely.  Enjoy!

Glad you made it to Amsterdam.  Love your view!  It looks like you were on a Dreamliner.  Love that plane.

1 hour ago, Daisi said:

I am looking at Swiss Air for next year, hope they are OK. Glad to hear you made it through quickly.

 

Swiss Air is amazing.  I would choose them over any other airline in a heartbeat.

14 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

Good luck!

I’m going to need it if I call HAL!  😂

I’ve sent an email to Intercruises.  If they don’t respond, I’ll try calling.

35 minutes ago, SnowshoeCat said:

 

Good to know, thank you. Did you take any of the bike tours? What were they like? If I'm staying in town, I prefer a walking tour. I'd like to use the bike to get out and enjoy the countryside.

Although I didn’t take a bike tour (couldn’t fit it in with all the other great tours!) the people who did, loved them.  I never heard anyone complain about the condition of their bikes.  The Adventure Host, who took them out on their tours, got a standing ovation on the last night by those who did.  Here is a pic of the bikes.  They looked in great condition.

7 minutes ago, shipshapegirl said:

We also like being able to give them our luggage and not having to worry about it anymore until we see it in our stateroom.  We have taken this transfer a lot.  If you get there early, you will get out on one of the first transfers which is early but they do not tell you an exact time.

Thanks.  I’ll be dropping family at the port and will check my luggage there.  The problem is timing.  The last time I did this, the wait to enter the port was a really long uncertainty at 20 minutes, and then there’s the shuttle from the rental facility to the airport to factor in.  I’ll be FaceTiming with them tomorrow so I’ll ask what time they’d like to be at the port.  Thanks for the agenda item!

6 minutes ago, julia said:

Honestly, the cab drivers from FLL to the port (and back) are the shadiest I've ever encountered. I would take this cruise transfer any day!

You are so right!!!  I just hate taking a cab in Fort Lauderdale.

2 minutes ago, 0106 said:

Cab will be cheaper and quicker.

Yeah, only by $4.00, though.  I just hate having to assert myself with the driver and sit awkwardly alone with them.  Uber/Lyft are out due to past experience so I was hoping the HAL shuttle would be a good option.

Thanks, again, @shipshapegirl.  The info they gave you is as vague as the info in the online shopping cart.  😂  I’ll probably just hop a cab.  I don’t do well with uncertainties.

6 minutes ago, shipshapegirl said:

If you book a Holland America transfer, you meet them in baggage claim.  There will be people with Holland America vests on and a clip board.  You just give them your name, they check you off and put you on the next bus to the cruise port.  We have left the airport early, around 9:30 to the cruise port but we have also left around 10:30 - 11:00, when we have gotten there later.  

Thank you, @shipshapegirl!  Do they send additional information post-purchase with timeframes and last bus?  It’s super-hard to plan without any details.  

Has anyone taken the HAL transfer from FLL to PEV?  I’ve attached the screenshot of the only information they give you.  I’ll be dropping some of my party off at PEV then returning the rental to the airport and was thinking this might be a good option to avoid the lines at the entry kiosks..  Except there are no details to base my decision on!  Hoping someone on the board has done it and can give a brief rundown; most notably, departure time and place.  Thank you!

1 hour ago, Ready2go11 said:

Mystery fruit- does anyone know what this is?

Those are gooseberries!  Although @colbe could be right.  Were they the size of grapes or larger?

You were very brave to arrive on the day of the cruise.  Especially on a TA!  We did that.  Once.  First and last flight out of the day as the rest of the flights were cancelled due to weather.  

One time our flight was delayed and there was a family sitting behind us whose cruise was leaving that day.  At 4:00pm we had just landed and were taxiing to our gate.  I doubt they made it but I hope they did.  We got to our hotel and the bellhop asked if we had missed our cruise.  He said they’d had a lot of walk-ins that day (from missed cruises) and that it happens a lot.

Anyway, thanks for the trip report and I hope you have a wonderful time!

Oh!  The safety video thing happened to us too!  Watched the whole thing before checking in at our muster station.  When we got back to the room we had to watch it all over again!  I’m guessing they ran into a glitch when they switched from shore power to ship power and it reset something.

What a great picture!  Have a fantastic time and safe travels, @1of4!  Looking forward to reading along.

On 4/3/2024 at 3:39 PM, kelliebiz said:

That’s exactly my settings! Maybe it will work this trip. I just now changed Banner style Temporary to Persistent, Fingers crossed that will help

I was just thinking… try uninstalling the Navigator app, and then reinstalling.  When you open it to log in, it will ask if you want to allow notifications.  It might be that it just needs a boot up the backside and this will help.

6 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

I don't think I ever knew this. Thanks for that tidbit. I like a good espresso drink (though I stubbornly refuse to call it a martini....). And I like Tamarind bar.

 

I never knew that either!

@POA1, do you happen to know what time the Tamarind Bar opens?  For the life of me, I can’t find that information.  Thank you!