North West Newbie

1 hour ago, Colin_Cameron said:

Our 1st cruise with her was in 1997. Long before she became captain.😄

36 minutes ago, sogne said:

As captain

Taken from the daily programme on 08 June 2014.

31 minutes ago, Essiesmom said:

Some credit card issuers charge a foreign transaction fee if the bank used or purchase is in a different country than the country of issue.  Check the terms of your card, whether they charge this fee.  I make sure my cards do not.  MSC banks through Paris or Geneva.  I have been charged a fee by AMEX for an item purchased in Central America, even though it was charged in US$.  EM

I can vouch for that. Was on Euribia last month where the onboard currency is Euro and I purposely used a Euro MasterCard issued by a Portuguese bank thinking I would escape foreign charges. To my horror, I later discovered that I was charged a 3% fee plus 4% stamp duty making a total fee 3.12%. When I queried it, my bank told that the charge originated in Geneva and because Switzerland is not an EU member state a foreign transaction fee applies. It would have been cheaper to use my GBP MasterCard. Lesson learnt!!

30 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

Gibraltar?

I agree, it looks like Catalan Bay.

Just received this in today's post.

37 minutes ago, George C said:

I thought my status expired but I see I have diamond status on MSc , don’t understand why wife is just good. I also received a ten percent discount on our yacht club because I am a veteran. What are the perks if any, thanks.

https://www.msccruises.co.uk/manage-booking/msc-voyagers-club/members-benefits

22 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I hope you get two welcome bottles of champagne, one for each sector.

We didn't, they only provided the chocolates.😕

1 hour ago, Bettyboop66 said:

Does anyone know if there is any way to bid on an upgrade if your DH deleted the email from MSC? And he also emptied the “deleted” folder in our email………he’s nothing if not thorough.

If the email was deleted from your mail client on a local machine then it may still be available on your mail server that you should be able to retrieve using webmail access.

35 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

 

I was able to open your attachment. Is there a link to it online? Just wondering if they've posted the Winter one yet and a link to the Summer one might help find the Winter one if they have posted it.

Here's the link https://www.cunard.com/content/dam/cunard/marketing-assets/pdf/cunarder/0893CNM_CUNARD_WINTER_2023_Single_pages.pdf

Just popped through my letterbox.

2 hours ago, bones774 said:

No. Day 1 could be interpreted to be the day you get on ship. It could also be the first full day of sail, as when you read  a ship itinerary it lists the day after embarkation as day 1.

I'll ask questions on board and figure it out.

Not sure where you have seen that, maybe another cruise line perhaps? The itineraries on the MSC website all seem to refer to "Day 1" as being embarkation day.

5 hours ago, gizfish said:

One month ago on Meraviglia our experience was it was only on embarkation day.  It was $10 off EVERY $50, and was taken off the bill, not given back as OBC.  We happened to spend $100 in one store and the cashier rang it up as two purchases.  I don't know what would happen if you spent $50 distributed over more than one store though.  I also don't know if it was different because we were in the USA, and I don't remember the specific American terms.  I do know only my husband's key card was used for both purchases.

You wouldn't receive any discount. Given that the discount is applied at the point of sale, the 50$/€ would need to be spent in a single transaction in order to trigger the 10 $/€ discount.

Your experience of the cashier splitting the $100 transaction into two is interesting and I wonder if you would have still received $20 discount had the transaction not been split. After all the T&C's do state for "each" 50 $/€ spent a discount of 10 $/€ is applied.

According to the Voyagers Club T&C's effective 28 April 2022 https://www.msccruises.co.uk/-/media/uk/documents/42967_02_voyagers_club_terms_and_conditions_eng.pdf, the discount is for "each" 50 $/€ spent and the discount is applied at the point of sale.

• MSC SHOPS DISCOUNT: for each 50 $/€ spent in any onboard shops you will

benefit of 10 $/€ discount. It applies to Classic, Silver, Gold and Diamond card

holders.Discount will be applied at the point of sale. Non-cumulative to other

promotions available on board. Valid only the first day of your cruise (tobacco and

electronics excluded). Not available to members under 18 years of age.

11 minutes ago, Millieloulou said:

Thankyou so much.You always have the answers!

I am going to ask on board if there is anyway we can see New York before we leave.I do remember someone writing that there is a tour pre flight.

Ask at the Tour Office to check what transfer options they will be offering. On my two previous Westbound TA's, the first was a tour pre flight that drove us around for a while, then dropped us off near one of the piers in Manhattan where we had some free time. An hour or two later, the coach returned for our onward transfer to JFK. The second time was a transfer to The Crown Plaza at JFK where we had a day room before our flight back to the UK.

4 minutes ago, Millieloulou said:

When I go into my Cunard and most popular shore excursions and select New York Highlights ,put the date in and our names appear.It’s just a case of ticking the boxes and paying.

Sometime ago I did ask on the forum if there was such an excursion , I am sure the answer was yes.

 

That is not an Airport transfer. The New York Highlights was a tour available on my last B2B a few years ago and that tour drops guests back at the pier.

16 minutes ago, Winifred 22 said:

Have a check you are allowed to book if you are not staying on board usually the tours are for guests who are just there for the day. When I did it in the summer the 4 hour round New York was for round trip voyages only . We had our tour then everybody back onboard. Perhaps some airport transfers include a tour? 

Certainly in the past they have. But you make a good point and I very much doubt the OP will be permitted to book a roundtrip tour post cruise which as you say is intended for those passengers in transit.

2 minutes ago, Millieloulou said:

Another question for another answer?

We want to book the New York excursion on January 3rd when our cruise finishes and before we fly back to the UK.It commences at 8.30 and is for four hours.

I cannot find out if our luggage stays on the coach whilst we are on the tour.?  Do we go back to the cruise terminal to get on another coach to go to the airport? If we do not take our luggage where is it stored.? That’s a worry as new passengers will be queuing to get on board.

I have asked Cunard but up to now no one can find the answer.

I am sure that someone will come up with the answer, you always do !

Your luggage goes on the coach for the tour and the same coach drops you off at the airport.

22 minutes ago, oakridger said:

Hi Roy. @rafinmd I'm reading and enjoying following along with your cruises but wanted to ask if you are aware that the same pictures that you are posting on Cruise Critic, which are clear, are very blurry on your blog?  Maybe you can clear up the blog pictures?  That hasn't happened in the past so it's odd.

 

I'm hoping you get some sunny weather soon!

 

~Nancy

@oakridger, have you tried a different browser because the pictures on @rafinmd's blog are just as clear as those on cruise critic, at least for me?

11 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Goodie... I hope it is the same next door in 9052.    Wondering if they install access points in all Queen's Grill Room.

 

We are new to Cunard and wondering if they have Installed Starlink on their ships?

Just as you know, the cabins are not adjacent. 9051 is a Q4 Penthouse on the starboard side of the ship and 9052 which is a Q5 on the port side, 4 cabins further forward.

Adobe scan is also available as a free download from the Android Play Store. It uses the phone’s camera and can auto detect a document to save as a PDF. Multiple pages are possible and there are useful tools to crop, rotate and more.

30 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I think two of those front QG cabins do in fact have balconies at the side. It is only the two Q3s in the middle that are without.

Correct.

Just now, USC Adventurer said:

actually bumpershoot is american slang for umbrella   the british use the term brelly for umbrella so there you i go.  i learned something today.

I use brolly.

12 minutes ago, BigMac1953 said:

Obviously I enjoy the mediocre food in QG, because we keep going back.

A glutton for punishment! 😋

2 hours ago, Solent Richard said:

 

 

I would add the late great Ray Rouse to your nomination @sfred though I believe he had Queen Mary 2 in his DNA.

 

You'd certainly have been aware of Ray @exlondoner , a true Cunard character.

Ray was certainly Mr Cunard. He was the Entertainment Director on our first QM2 voyage in 2011.

Here's an extract from the Daily Programme.

1 hour ago, BigMac1953 said:

Where are the monitors?

 

I was on the bridge of the QM2 last month and didn't see any monitors.

I would have thought that CCTV surveillance was the responsibility of security and therefore the monitors would be in their base.

19 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Do the staff help facilitate a change of cabins for two separately booked cruises on a b2b which involves the change?

The short answer is yes.