Mickb

If you are not worried about money then I wouldn’t even consider the train with the amount of luggage you have.  Your hotel concierge should be able to arrange a car for you if you don’t want to try the suggestions above.

The trains do not have large spaces for luggage and you would  need a taxi at both ends anyway! Waterloo is quite a confusing station at the best of times!

When we cruised on QM2 last year - the short 3 day start up cruise - no one asked to see our insurance. We have now completed 18 cruises with various lines and we have never been asked to produce any insurance  documentation. Sadly though we have had to make a couple of claims!

No -I didn’t -  that answers my question.

Woke up to seeArcadia moored in Torbay today. Not sure why she is there. No sign of boats bringing people ashore.

Another vote for the Southampton Harbour - start your cruise in style!

I think that as HAL is to all intents and purposes a US owned line, Carnival Corp would not want to put its assets any where near any danger. Unfortunately I think Russia will eventually overcome Ukraine and buoyed by this success, there may well be trouble in the Baltic area. Discretion maybe the better part of valour and these areas may be best avoided for the foreseeable future?

17 hours ago, zhuangcorp said:

alright, what does one choose to said on HAL for?

That’s a good question. We have sailed HAL 5 times. The ships are beautiful, well decorated and the crew are generally very welcoming although sometimes it can be difficult to understand them. Their itineraries are quite imaginative however the food is much less interesting these days and the entertainment is dire. However HAL has a legion of supporters who won’t hear anything bad about the line. If it is nightlife you seek, I would choose another line. We have.

Cleared out the shed this weekend and came across menus from our first QG experience on the QE2 in 1985.  I would say that the choice on the menus of today is much wider particularly if one likes fish. I do recall we ordered off menu on one evening but can’t recall what we had . The table next to us ordered meatloaf which did surprise us - but one of the joys of the QG is  one can order what one wants!

This cannot be a surprise. There has been much speculation for nearly 2 years about the Venetians reluctance  to welcome large cruise ships. There are at the present time unsatisfactory alternative berthing arrangements, so it’s no surprise that Venice is being replaced as a port

Totally agree with Solent Richard about the Steak Tartare - it’s better than any Of the great Parisian restaurants. The special flambéed strawberry dessert is also very moreish!

Thank you Solent Richard - it was I who asked the question on your blog!

we are very tempted by the yacht club - however the ship does seem very large  - and we really like the intimacy of the smaller Queens - on the other hand you do seem to get more ‘goodies’ on MSC

We are great fans of the the Cunard Grills but hear continuing good reports of The MSC Yacht Club. If any reader have experience of both can they compare them for us please? I have looked at the menus posted on this site and think that Cunard offer a wider choice if one includes the A La Carte section. Standard Yacht Club cabins seem to be equivalent to PG on Cunard? Would be interested in opinions please?

I was in the TA today and whilst there the phone rang 3 times with people wanting to cancel their cruises because of the treatment of the crew. The agent very patiently explained that they were different companies but one caller still insisted on cancelling ( presumably lost their deposit). On the news nobody ever differentiates between ‘Ferries’ and ‘Cruises’. I think P&O cruises may have to rebrand?

We did a winter cruise to Copenhagen and Hamburg on QV a few years ago. It took 2 days before the ship warmed up. The restaurant was warm but the other public rooms were v chilly! Hope they sort it!

We had this cabin on a 7 night cruise. It’s only drawback is that the balcony is smaller and rounded off. There is not quite so much privacy . It was a winter cruise to northern waters so it didn’t matter to us and we were otherwise very pleased. You are doing the North Cape so the weather could go either way . Princess  Grill was amazing - they could not do enough for us, I much prefer it to the QG

Enjoy your trip!

3 hours ago, majortom10 said:

But also possibly the dearest and way out of budget for most just for one night pre cruise.

You get what you pay for and what you are used to!

The OP is in QG so may well think that is acceptable.I am certainly happy to do for a quality experience 

I heartily endorse the Southampton Harbour   - way the best in Southampton!

We have done this crossing each way at about the same time of the year.

The first year it was virtually flat calm the whole way across and we were sunning on the balcony ( albeit with blankets).

The second year was cold and miserable as  we hit depression after depression which meant spending most of the voyage indoors.

 - you just can’t tell!

Enjoy your crossing whatever the weather - it’s a great travel experience!

The extra decks over the bridge really make the New Statendam look like a block of flats. I believe the new Queen Anne has the same block of cabins. What a shame as I have always the though the other Queens looked ‘right’ - 

We crossed from NY to S’ton in May in a portside (north facing) cabin.

we also crossed a year later from S’ton to NY in a portside (south facing).

I would only cross with south facing cabin in future - the north facing got very little sun light and was darker and generally less welcoming.

Whilst I am a great fan of the Cunard Grills experience and in particularly the dining, it is absolutely true that other lines offer more perks ( whether or not one choses to use them). The wifi on Cunard annoys me more than anything - I run my business single handed mostly through email and I’m afraid it simply isn’t good enough to sit on the stairs of a lift lobby to get a good service, even though I am obviously missing the social hub of the ship! It’s for this reason that we are tending to confine ourselves to shorter cruises, which is a shame for us and ( small) loss of potential revenue for Cunard.

I agree with Kohl1957. We used to cruise HAL and saw the line gradually lose its focus (imo). They tried for a young demographic - understandable - we are all aging and frequently hear of long term posters on these boards passing on - their rationale was understandable. The problem is that they ended up pleasing no one - younger or older. I sincerely hope that Cunard do not try the same approach - encouraged by the Carnival beancounters. The long term effects of COVID have left Carnival in a far weaker position and sacrifices may have to be made. I just hope it’s not Cunard!

It is perhaps worth remembering that without the acquisition by Carnival Corp, there would not have been a QM2- or for that matter a QV/QE either. Cunard were not in a good financial position prior to Carnival taking over. I don’t believe that Carnival are any worse than than Royal Caribbean or Norwegian. These guys are in business to make money for their shareholders - we live in a capitalist world whether we like it or not. Personally I love cruising,  think the Cunard product suits me better than any other line and yes the drinks are expensive - but if that bothered me too much I wouldn’t cruise!

Wasn’t Eurodam  sailing in Greece for most of last summer/fall?

Welcome back Bill and MaryAnn from a Omecron ridden UK. Thank you for keeping our spirits up through what promises to be a long winter. We shall follow your voyage with anticipation and interest. Given the travails of your journey to Ft Lauderdale - it can only get better!

Bon Voyage!