IDB37

Fingers crossed we'll all get the type of Bacon we variously like !

(The debate over Bacon might be a useful distraction from two very risky subjects, namely Mr Trump & Brexit !!!).

As the destination is the UK, I'm hoping there may be a chance of English Bacon being served. 

Each to his own taste, but personally I can't stand the American version - lol !

A 'Kings Court' which isn't a zoo.

Looks like next week may bring some 'interesting' weather:

http://www.surf-forecast.com/weather_maps/North-Atlantic?type=htsgw&&over=none&

Never used EZair before & not having any luck with our upcoming trip from Calgary to Singapore next February.

No 'Flexible' fairs have ever appeared as being available & the cheapest 'Restricted' Business Class (Air Canada + Singapore Airlines) is CAD$3710, but slightly less (CAD$3,675) if booked direct with Singapore Airlines.

Perhaps it's still too early (just over six months ahead) ? Anyone have any thoughts on when some more attractive fares might start appearing on EZair ?

Sorry to say our experience on the Westbound crossing last week (13/7 to 20/7) was not as positive.

We are in our mid 50's & young in outlook. We have three children and five grandchildren aged 1-5. This was our third QM2 crossing and there were many more children than we had seen previously.

The problem is not so much the children, as parents who completely abdicate any responsibility for what their offspring are doing. We personally witnessed:

(i) Reckless running on many occasions, including a group of three kids aged approx. 11-12 near the 'Illuminations' theatre. No parents in sight.

(ii) Teenage girls running & shrieking whilst eating soft scoop ice creams in the passageways outside cabins on decks 10 & 11. Again, no parents to be seen.

(iii) Brother & Sister - aged approx 6 & 4 - sprawling at full length, whilst lying on adjoining chairs (shoes on & all over the upholstery of course) for an extended period of time on seats in the main lobby. This went on for around 30 minutes, interspersed only by brief runs up & down the main lobby steps whilst playing 'chase' & narrowly avoiding a couple of elderly passengers making their way down. All witnessed also by the Father (presumably), who did absolutely nothing to control his kids.

(iv) Multiple examples of kids shrieking & yelling in the Britannia Dining Room.

It was still an enjoyable crossing, but we were left wondering at what stage did the above behaviour become acceptable at home, let alone in such a public place ?

That kids display such complete lack of awareness or consideration for those around them is dispiriting. Moreso, given that their parents allow them to do so with utter indifference.

Still, given that some of the parents/grandparents were the same ones who treated the formal night dress code with utter contempt (e.g. orange checked & untucked shirt with a beige crumpled jacket (rapidly removed at the dining table), spotted 'clown like' bow tie & blue & white deck shoes), I guess we shouldn't have been surprised.

Basic manners no longer seem to be in fashion & few seem to care.

Which is a very great shame.

Extract from Cunard (UK) web site:

"We are in the process of changing our satellite internet service across the fleet so during this time, you are able to purchase satellite 'Internet Credit' before you sail. Once on board, your internet credit can be used to purchase a satellite internet package - your ship will confirm which type of internet package is available. You can also buy internet packages at any time during your voyage. Our satellite internet packages are compatible with all devices and are also available on our computer stations located in the Internet Centre."

We are on the QM2 transatlantic sailing this coming Friday.

Is the above information new ? I thought the Internet had been update a couple of years ago upon the QM2 refit, albeit the service still seemed patchy at very best.

Can anyone who has sailed recently shed any light on this ?

Many thanks.

JFK is a rat hole.

We taxied there from Brooklyn after arriving on the QM2 last year, to catch a flight to Calgary.

Arrived at JFK around noon, but flight not until 5.30 p.m., (no direct flights before that time), but there was simply nowhere to sit in the departures area, as there were no seats until you pass through security. (Note - not a case of the seats there being full, there were simply no seats there, which is obviously a deliberate - & nonsensical - design decision). As we couldn't check in until around 3 p.m., we had three hours to kill & had no option but to transfer ourselves & luggage to arrivals to get a couple of the sparse seats there at a grotty 'diner'/cafe.

It is simply insane that there were no seats in the departures area (I assume this is still the same today ?). People were sitting/lying on the floor & it just felt so grubby & unwelcoming. None of the staff seemed to want to be there either !

The whole experience left a very bad taste in the mouth.

We've been cruising for 11 years and generally like 9-14 days, (albeit a 7 day Cunard crossing is always preferable to flying !).

Longest cruise to date has been 23 days b2b with RCL - Aus/NZ/Vanuatu etc., over Christmas & New Years 2010. The 14 day Aus/NZ was great, but the second 9 day leg was completely different & overrun by children. Lesson learned - don't cruise in school holidays !

Have now taken the plunge & booked 47 days by way of b2b on Sapphire Princess next Feb/March, from Singapore to Bali/Malaysia & then from Singapore to Southampton. We're just a little daunted, but looking forward to it !

Many thanks for your excellent explanation Roland 787.

It may not make pleasant reading, but at least it provides a reason for the difficulties !

Regrettably, the above postings are entirely accurate.

QM2 Internet is absolutely appalling & did not improve one scrap after the remastering of the Ship. Meanwhile, the likes of Celebrity now offer a much enhanced service which at least makes it possible to easily download & deal with e-mails etc..

It is extremely frustrating to put it mildly that the wonderful experience that the QM2 provides is slightly diminished by this.

If Cunard excluded Countries with bad human rights records, those with (recent) histories of violence against others and those who treat their citizens with contempt, the World Cruises would be shortened dramatically.

As for Russia, even as a Brit (now living in Canada), I do find it odd that Russia would choose so brazenly to conduct such an apparent attack on UK soil. The facts are not yet clear and until they are (as history, even across the last 25 years, has taught us), to make dramatic decisions would I feel be a mistake.

Many thanks to everyone for your contributions and input, which I think confirms Princess as the right decision for us.

(With apologies to anyone from Eastbourne !)

Hi

We are UK ex-pats, living in Alberta, Canada for fourteen years now. Aged mid 50's & young(ish !) in outlook.

We've cruised previously mainly with Celebrity, but also Cunard, RCL, & a single time each on Crystal & Princess (Ruby - 2011).

Having just retired, we're looking at the possibility of cruising from Singapore to Southampton in March/April 2019. At the moment, we're booked to travel the 37 night route with Sapphire Princess, but have also noticed that Arcadia is making a similar sailing around the same time, with the additional option of boarding at Hong Kong.

We've never cruised with P & O and would welcome any thoughts as to how the two lines measure up against each other.

We know that P & O will have a heavy British influence, (which is fine, as that is where we come from !), but we're wondering how the demographics, entertainment & food quality etc. compare.

Any input/views would be much appreciated.

Many thanks.

Harry & Deanna

Yes, the offending owner & dog we saw undoubtedly fell into category 2, (albeit the dog vest was more likely from Saks Fifth Avenue !).

We also enjoy looking at the dogs at the kennels, undoubtedly the good side of QM2 canine matters.

The bad side is allowing some dog owners way too much latitude. On a Spring crossing a couple of years ago (before the refit), there was a lady traveller who was allowed to have her small dog with her throughout the trip, apparently on grounds that it was a 'comfort' dog.

Bad enough was that the dog was yappy & generally unpleasant to all who passed by, including in the main dining room. Worse was seeing the woman walk her dog in the main customer service area & watching it urinate all over the carpet, in full view of passengers & crew alike.

No doubt the lady concerned genuinely felt she needed the dog as a comfort blanket, but it was something everyone present could have well done without !

Hi there!

 

We did Southeast Asia (Singapore to Singapore) on Constellation in March 2017 - FABULOUS!

Fell in love with Singapore...

 

Then we did Japan (Tokyo to Shanghai) in October on Millennium - different experience again and AMAZING!

 

In a few weeks we will do Korea and China on Millennium (Hong Kong to Shanghai) - and we are really looking forward to experiencing new things again.

 

BTW: food on the ship is the same. The buffet offers some dishes leaning to the local cuisine but overall it is the same food as on other cruises.

 

We love to try different food in different countries and did so on the cruises mentioned above. Loved it - but we like Asian food in general.

 

If you have any questions, just shoot!

 

Unfortunately, because of little time, I skipped the review on our Southeast Asia cruise. But I am working on the travellogue of our Japan cruise. As soon as I am done I will post a link on CC.

Very many thanks, very helpful.

All gone very quiet on the upcoming SP refit.

Has anyone seen any details ?

Many thanks.

Very many thanks. Much appreciated.

Interesting thread.

Have done 18 cruises, but never yet to Asia. On the one hand we're fascinated by the culture/scenery etc., on the other we're slightly daunted by the heat/humidity & unfamiliarity with Asian cuisine etc.. (Is the on board fare different than you would experience on a Celebrity cruise to 'western' destinations ?).

Just wondering how others found their experiences on their first visits to the region ?

Many thanks for any feedback.

Really appreciate all of your posts, thoughts & comments.

We are booked on Sapphire March 2019 from Singapore to Southampton & I had been getting worried about some of the reviews which have appeared recently, so your blog is providing welcome reassurance !

Trial set for 23/4 in Juneau:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5101241/Prosecutors-wont-seek-death-penalty-Alaska-cruise-death.html

We made a bad choice and had teeth whitening done on a Celebrity cruise a few years ago.

The young lady who did the whitening was pleasant enough and our teeth were indeed brighter when she had finished.

Unfortunately so were out gums, which had been burned quite badly. They recovered in a week or two but it wasn’t a pleasant experience.

We thought about complaining but didn’t want to get the employee in trouble.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

We are mid 50's & have travelled many times with Celebrity, also with RCL, Princess, Crystal & Cunard (QM 2 on a couple of TA's & QV on another TA). Can only speak as we found & whilst the QV is a nice ship, we truthfully found it pretty staid to put it mildly. Daytime entertainment and talks were good, and the buffet was perfectly adequate. As for evenings, we're not massive party animals, but the atmosphere after around 7 p.m. was often pretty dull & we'd certainly had enough after ten days.

Many thanks for the information !