agathasmum

There are also board games and jigsaws in the crows nest area, and a nice library if that is your sort of thing.

Lunch in the dining room on sea days is a nice way to pass an hour too 🙂

Just off Oosterdam South America cruise. We did the laundry bag at $35 (I think ) per bag. The bag is fabric and you can cram an awful lot of clothes in it! Large items come back on hangers, smaller items are folded, wrapped in tissue and presented in a basket. It usually came back the next day.

Our next cruise we will bring fewer clothes and make better use of the laundry service 🙂

 

38 minutes ago, 0106 said:

@agathasmum Tender tickets were distributed in The Rolling Stones Lounge on deck 2.  We have been meeting for our tours in the Ocean Bar on deck 3.

Thank you. That is very helpful

Could you tell me where they are handing out tender tickets for passengers who aren't booked on a HAL tour? We are on Oosterdam's next sailing and trying to pick a good spot for our private tour to meet onboard so we can all disembark and tender together in Puerto Montt.

Thanks!

Thank you! I just submitted it too the cruise reviews section 🙂

A quick review of our Southampton to New York QM2 crossing, 19-26 Nov.

I booked this trip last minute in October when I spotted a “too good to miss” deal on a sheltered verandah cabin. Only after booking did I realise that it was a literary crossing, which was a bonus!

The ship was just out of dry dock after a refit, that included new carpets, reupholstered chairs and a beautiful new floor in the Queens Room. She looked stunning.

Our cabin 5189 was very comfortable, and kept clean by our excellent steward who managed to slip in and out unobtrusively whenever we left the cabin.

We ate lunches and dinners primarily in the Britannia Restaurant. We had open seating and would make a reservation for dinner, but most people seemed to just walk in. We prefer eating alone and sometimes were able to get a true table for two, otherwise we had a table for two which was one of three tables for two that were really a table for six with 2” between tables. We thought the food was delicious and perfectly portioned so you could enjoy 3 or 4 courses. We mainly drank the Cunard brand wines which were pretty decent and inexpensive. Service in the restaurant was excellent.

We never ate at the buffet in Kings Court, but did try both pop up specialty restaurants, the indian and the asian, with table service in a separate section of the Kings Court. The food at both meals was really good. The Golden Lion had a much smaller menu than previously so we didn’t eat there. We enjoyed croissants and coffee in Sir Samuels in the morning.

We tend to amuse ourselves with puzzles and reading, but we did attend quite a few of the literary talks in the theatre which were very enjoyable. We didn’t go to any stage productions but listened to live music in various locations, with the party band being our favourites.

The new Starlink internet was very fast. We paid for the higher tier that allowed streaming for 2 devices. I was able to steam Netflix in the cabin mid-Atlantic with no issues.

I can now cross “sailing in the Atlantic during a force 10 gale with 18’ waves” off my bucket list. I can’t think of any better way to do that than on this ocean going liner! QM2 handled the conditions beautifully.

We loved our spur of the moment trip and can’t wait to sail on QM2 again!

1 hour ago, Dunvectrin' said:

We are sailing on her on November 19th...looking forward to that "new ship smell" 🙂🙂

Us too!

Problem solved. We bought new tuxedo pants in a larger size from Macy's. The jacket still fits.

He now looks spiffing 🤣

9 hours ago, Pushpit said:

Since this will only be the first of many Cunard trips, it's time to buy! But also have a look on eBay and charity shops too. The cost of an excellent tux is often almost at give-away prices.

LOL, this is our 3rd QM2 cruise, and husband has a tux but it appears to have "shrunk" 🙂

Does anyone know if Cunard does tuxedo rentals? We will be on QM2 in Nov. 

thanks!

Susan

2 hours ago, Charmaineluvsu said:

Hi Agathasmum,

did you book through a TA or direct through Cunard to be able to do this?

Thanks,

Charmaine

Charmaine,

I booked directly with Cunard as the offer popped up on a Saturday and my TA doesn't work weekends. I'm glad I did as the offer had disappeared by Monday morning! Usually I use a TA.

I made a guarantee booking in early Oct for a Nov sailing. I got the confirmation email and had already been assigned a cabin. I called Cunard and changed the cabin to one with a better location in the same category.

4 hours ago, Brighton Line said:

Why go to NJ to rent a car?

2 Miles away in "Downtown Brooklyn" all the major car rentals have local offices. Hertz has three HLE's, closest one is on Atlantic Ave another near the Barclay Center and one closer to Prospect Park. Avis is across the street on Atlantic Ave and I'm sure National has one nearby.

 

From Atlantic Ave you can get right on the I278 and over the Verrazano Bridge (hah seeing it from the other angle) to points south. 

Thank you! I'll look into that 🙂

7 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

If you take the Amtrak Acela high speed train there is all assigned seating which you can choose in advance so you wouldn't have that issue again. And you can use Red Cap service in Penn Station to board the train early and have them carry your luggage. Will still be a lot less expensive than the car service.

 

Of course if price isn't a concern it is less hassle to just get in a car and go. 

I guess I should have mentioned that it's the Sunday after Thanksgiving and the Acela prices are as eye wateringly high as the car services, LOL

Moving on to "Plan D" .... car service to EWR and then get a one way rental car from there...

7 minutes ago, princeton123211 said:

It can be done but it is going to cost you an arm and a leg. For example its outside of the operating zone of Carmel/Dial7 which are often mentioned on this board. Some of the higher end companies that own their own cars will quote you on it but they are going to be "garage out to garage in" meaning you are going to be charged from the moment they leave the garage to get you in Brooklyn until they return to that garage in New York-- so you'll be charged for the ride in both directions. 

 

Even UberX on a good day is going to be $650 and UberBlack is $830. Another app I use called Blacklane is going to be $640. There is a huge jump in price once you get below Philadelphia-- we often take an Uber up to JFK and its only about $200-250ish but thats a long way off $650 to Baltimore (I don't know where you are in Maryland so thats what I used for these numbers). 

 

Personally I would take Amtrak to Baltimore or BWI and then have a car service pick me up from there. Dramatically less expensive. 

 

Yes-- car services can pick you up right outside of the terminal. 

Thank you for the info. We did Amtrak before but it was a hassle as there were no preallocated seats and we had to find space for cruise luggage, LOL.

To be honest two one-way flights are looking about the same as your estimates for a car service, so it isn't THAT bad, LOL.

We will disembark QM2 in Nov and are wondering if anyone has used a car service from Brooklyn to Maryland? Any any companies you would recommend / avoid?

Are car services allowed into the terminal area or is there a better place where we can arrange to meet the driver?

Thanks!

Does Azamara still provide a free tote bag?

On 8/24/2023 at 9:56 AM, beatnix said:

Yes they did in June.

The bus stops at Euskadi place and it took arround 30 minutes.

Thank you! I think we will make Bilbao a DIY day 🙂

17 hours ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

DW and I generally do not like modern art, but for some reason the large rusty-steel sculpture The Matter of Time by Richard Serra really spoke to both of us:

https://www.guggenheim-bilbao.eus/en/the-collection/works/the-matter-of-time

I'm looking forward to seeing Maman the giant spider there.

Does anyone know if Azamara provides shuttle buses from the port of Getxo into Bilbao?

14 hours ago, ghstudio said:

I asked on the Onward cruise last month and to my surprise, they had Fre white, rose and red....and it was included in the base package.  It's not on the printed menus but just ask at any bar or in the dining rooms.  As pointed out, they do have a couple of non alcoholic beers.  Hopefully this is fleet wide.

 

Thank you! That's helpful to know.

Does anyone know if Azamara has non-alcoholic wine on their ships?

I thought the movie was dreadful, but thoroughly enjoyed seeing the QM2 again!

18 hours ago, cruisewiththekids said:

Has anyone reported if HAL is giving refunds (not FCC) for cancellations made on the Alaska sailings after the significant protocol changes?  

I cancelled a couple of weeks ago for the Aug 28th sailing. It was the last day I was eligible for a 25% refund. I was willing to lose the other 75% as the whole testing business was stressing me out. I had specifically chosen HAL because at the time of booking they were planning to sail 100% vaccinated and didn't require testing as well or masking on board.

Long story short, I was offered the opportunity to book another cruise at the prevailing rate, or a future cruise credit, or a full refund. I opted for the full refund. I think it was a very nice gesture on HAL's part, and would make me consider them again when I feel ready to cruise.

4 hours ago, zelker said:

Just heard from TA - HAL agreed to give us a full refund rather than part in FCCs.  So glad I happened to read that you and others were getting full refunds.  Just one more reason I ❤️ CC!

Glad I could help. I was so surprised when they offered 100% refund at such short notice I wanted to share for other people who might be in the same situation. Hope to be able to try and do this cruise next year instead , fingers crossed 🙂