TheOldBear

6 hours ago, Ricardo_S said:

With apologies in advance for possibly hi-jacking this thread (and double apologies as my questions must have been asked before; but I have searched and not found the answers).

 

I am considering a solo back-to-back TA on QM2, probably in the autumn/winter months (I like bad weather at sea!), and most likely Southampton - New York - Southampton. It's likely to be my first trip with Cunard (I do have a cruise booked on Queen Anne but have to cancel that due to a change in plans). 

 

1. What are the merits of a back-to-back booking vs two one-ways? I'm assuming that the b2b may be slightly cheaper, and perhaps more convenient re. US Immigration, luggage arrangements, etc?

We have done three round trip transatlantic sailings so far, with a fourth booked for this October.

It looks like most crossings only have one NYC 'turn around' day for in transit passengers (except for fourth of July and early autumn Canada side trips, and the november & new year's Caribbean side trips]. Sailing from NY we have had side trips to Hamburg, Norway, Normandy & Belgium [and have considered a western Med side trip] all as a single booking.

A round trip means a single 'voyage' - same booking number, stateroom [only unpack once, only pack once]. For World Club loyalty it only counts as a single booking. 

Two separate bookings would jump your WC tier - with some benefits [e.g. internet time] available on your *next* sailing. [your westbound cruise card will be 'red' indicating first timer, your westbound card will be 'silver' indicating at least one sailing]

Only Cunard's 'dynamic pricing engine' [and the upgrade fairy] would know if two bookings back to back or a single round trip booking would be cheaper [and today's prices might not be the same as next week's prices]. With 2 bookings you would have the option of two different room assignments [reports of assistance available for room changes vary]

The US DHS folks require the ship to be zeroed out before any eastbound passengers can embark - it does not matter if you are in transit [a rather spartan lounge space is set up in the terminal for passengers not wanting to venture into the city] but all passengers need to show a passport for 'arrival' paperwork [part of the 'zero out' tally].

6 hours ago, Ricardo_S said:

2. On a back-to-back booking, is it ever possible to change cabins at the turn-around point? I'm thinking about a sheltered cabin, but trying to optimise for whatever sunshine might be available en-route!

 

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this board - it really is a wealth of knowledge and expertise!

 

We've used the 'radio taxi' a few times [and Uber other times] - apparently multiple passenger vans are available - see https://radiotaxisonline.co.uk/our-vehicles/

You will likely want to book in advance [once you know your arrival time at the station] They have both an app and online reservations.

With a 21 day sailing, we will stretch our 'plantium' allowance with alternate day purchases [use afternoon on first day, morning of second day - then repeat] using up both credits.

I really preferred the old minute by minute billing - particularly when the internet credit was refreshed for each segment of a longer voyage.

From what I saw [October & November 2022] Britannia anytime dining meant that you got a chance to stand in a long line to be shown to a different table and service staff every night.

Perhaps things have improved since then, but according to some recent reviews / YT videos there are still some unresolved issues.

We have no problems with getting a suitable table for our party - we will visit the table assigned on our stateroom card and might ask for a different table if the original proved to be unsuitable. We tend to plan on late seating, at a table for 6 as we enjoy conversation with other passengers.

It is not available to NY residents

44 minutes ago, Pushpit said:

Which month of the year was that?

September - it was the 2017 NSO crossing

26 minutes ago, Pushpit said:

As far as I can tell the Boardwalk Café on deck 12 goes via that rectangular hatch on the right of the first photo above. The menus are displayed on the left of that, and it's burgers and hot dogs essentially. I don't think I've ever seen it open on a Crossing, and usually the combination of the ship's progress and the wind makes it impractical on Crossings. But it is open on things like Caribbean and Mediterranean jaunts between ports, when the ship is typically just ambling along and the weather more congenial.

On our 2017 eastbound crossing, on the last sea day they were preparing to open it [scant wind over deck, tables chairs and umbrellas rigged] then a line of thunderstorms popped up and we headed down to the Golden Lion as the crew began striking the umbrellas.

The apparent concern is about if the blade can be locked [like on my 1968 vintage 'Official Cub Scout' pocketknife]

I had a small [1 inch blade - but locking] knife taken to the naughty room when returning from a shore excursion - Cunard insisted on returning it on disembarkation [I said it was only a 99 cent knife - keep it]

Since then my 'new tinker' swiss army knife [philips screwdriver in place of the corkscrew] has been on six QM2 crossings.

You may want to check in the 'cruise air' forum about one way flights and how to get reasonable deals.

Some lines may have special airfare deals available.

We have sidestepped the entire 'one way air' issue - back in 2017 after pricing airfare, ground transportation and a couple of nights lodging - we decided it would be easier just to book a QM2 round trip sailing [I had the vacation days available]

2 hours ago, Jgarriso said:

Hello,    First off we have just always been carnival people (Caribbean only) but found this combination of cheap airfare to London along with the price of this Northern Europe Cruise on MSC departing March 14th 2025.   Thought we'd try something new and interesting (and fairly cheap)

Background and Context, we are a 55+ couple that likes the laid back no-frills structure of Carnival so we aren't expecting much  and generally go with the flow.  Don't need fine dining or someone waiting on us at every moment,  we will pick an upscale cruise for fall of 2025 for our anniversary where i will need those things,  not this cruise.

 

1. We are looking at an interior room since we will be in ports most of the time as well as figure odds are the weather might be questionable.  any advice on what floor is best or what room we should look at?  what to avoid on the interior rooms.  didn't see along online for the interiors.

These are questions best answered on the MSC section of the forums

2 hours ago, Jgarriso said:

2.   Never done one of these cruises where people disembark and embark at each stop.   On the day of our embarkation in South Hampton,  can we check in,  put our luggage in the room and then leave the ship and go back out to walk around until departure time?  Planning our day from London with luggage and just working out the details in my head?

After check in, you will need to fulfill the muster requirements [e.g. watch a video, have your card scanned at a muster station]. 

There should be a posted 'all aboard' time and if you have not returned by then you get to watch the ship sail away.

Over in the 'western Europe/UK' forum there are multiple posts about transport from London to Southampton, and check in procedures at Southampton terminals [and some nearby things to do in Southampton]

2 hours ago, Jgarriso said:

3.   Understand that you can see anything from snow to sun,  was just looking for weather experiences for this trip from any past cruisers.

4.   Any advice for any of the stops,  we love just walking through old city's.   (we have been to Ireland and German Bavaria a few times, Hungary and Romania and just walking through an old city is the best.  don't mind short trains or something to get us to an old medieval picturesque town.

I have not checked your cruise's details, I would suggest searching in this forum by port name to see previously shared information.

If any of your ports are in Norway, there seems to be a common pattern for tourist office web site names - e.g. the Tromso tourist office is visittromso.no 

2 hours ago, Jgarriso said:

Thank you  in advance for taking the time to read and offer any suggestions you have.

 

49 minutes ago, tarrenel said:

I see Fenway Park does tours and we were thinking about going there. From the port what is the easiest way for 7 people to get there? 

The MBTA web site has a trip planner feature

The 'most direct' route starts with the silver SL2 line, changing to the green B or D trollies. There are other options, possibly with less walking. Base fare is $4.80 round trip.

I was comparing the near vertical rows of cabins common on many cruise ships with [as a counter example ] QM2 relatively wide deck 6 and 8 terraces [aft of the 'D' staircase]. 

1 hour ago, chengkp75 said:

The "duck tail" is, as you say, to lengthen the waterline length and improve the hull speed of the ship, and also to provide additional buoyancy when pitching, to reduce the pitching, the way that flaring bows reduce pitching.  If you added superstructure above this, it adds weight, which would put the hull further into the water, creating more drag and weight to move (more power), and weight at the extreme end of the ship doesn't help with the pitching.

I one of his talks, Steve Payne said this is why the aft of traditional ocean liners [e.g. the original Queen Mary] were terraced - and the QM2 copied that design feature.

The QV originally had a terraced stern profile - I don't know if the QV handled pitching movement better with the original stern.

There are tours in Boston that I would consider - for example the 'duck' tours. [and no shortage of museums]

There is also a ferry to Provincetown on Cape Cod - multiple possibilities in P Town including whale watching.

3 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Wow.  Okay.  Now I get it.  On last week’s sailing there was no interactive tv, no on-demand, no statement, etc.  It drove me crazy and I wondered why it was so limited.  I thought they were behind the times until I saw your post.  So they can do it but they just haven’t done it.  Thank you.

I think it was more that their original implementation was a flop. The current “my voyage “ intranet site fills some of the missing functionality.

1 hour ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Thanks.  I wondered what that RJ45 port was for!

For the first couple of years (gone by our first QM2 sailing in 2008) the tv was an interactive unit, for video on demand and viewing your onboard account. 

Solo cabins were added to the Queen Mary 2 during her 2016 refit - and curiously the recently commissioned Queen Anne does not have solo rooms.

I think for most daytime meal venues - the dress code is something similar to 'No wet swimwear' but is otherwise relaxed.

On embarkation day [unless it is brutally hot] I like to wear for boarding a jacket that would be presentable at a non gala night dinner, then hang the jacket up until dinner time.

The 'Silver Line' SL2 goes right by the Black Falcon terminal

See the MBTA web site at https://www.mbta.com/schedules/742/line?facets=&from=global-search&query=sl2

I would recommend a westbound sailing, starting with some time near your port of departure to try to get over jet lag from the flight. On the westbound sailing you will get at least 5 25 hour days depending on the time zone of your departure port.

Out of curiosity, why avoid a Cunard QM2 crossing? Personal experience or reputation?

4 hours ago, napria said:

I know this is a very specific question, but just to say, like many in the US, I can’t get a nonstop flight from the US to Europe. I’ll have to fly to New York, Atlanta, etc and change planes.  Then I’ll have to get transportation from Heathrow or Gatwick to the cruise terminal (actually to a hotel in Southampton the night before), or fly into Amsterdam or Dublin to get a flight to Southampton.

 

What is the easiest way to get from my point A to point B? I know there’s lots of options but I’m looking for the easiest.

Easiest, but not the quickest, way would be Savannah to NY, then board the QM2 for a sailing to Southampton 😉

The LM2500 turbine housings are designed to allow for rapid replacement - if replacement was needed I also would have expected that to have been in scope for the last 'availability'.

With assigned time dining, after the first evening you just go directly to your table - no lining up to see just were your table will be that night.

If you have a partial bottle of wine, it will be waiting for you.

You will have the same wait staff every dinner [on longer sailings there may be a change]

It's a courtesy to tell wait staff or your table mates if your dinner plans change - we had two evening excursions in Tromso Norway back in 2022, so we told our table mates not to wait.

The folks paying higher prices for Britannia Club and the 'Grills' all have assigned seating - but their table is waiting anytime their restaurant is serving [breakfast, lunch & dinner]

For alternative dining - the Veranda and the King's Court pop ups [rotating themes] take reservations, The Kings Court buffet also has a small Chef's Gallery section with table service. There is also room service as a choice [the Grills offers the dining room menu for room service dinner]

What I recall from my last time taking a tender in Newport [2010] the ride was 20 minutes or so.

Back then, there was no way to check the ship's card against the shipboard security - so a ship's card and a government issued ID was needed to access the tender dock. Security checked you in boarding from the tender.

Be aware of any posted last tender time - and be on the dock waiting before that time.

If you use WC credit to purchase 'whole voyage' internet [instead of day by day] only one passenger's credit is applied. The other passengers credit is unused.