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The baggage situation in Brooklyn is NOT a zoo. Your checked bag will be tagged with a color-coded tag and you will find it with others with the same color code. Easy Peasey. You can ask the Purser's Office for a specific disembarkation time, and the later times are not in great demand. What is a zoo is the immigration process and the lines can be enormous depending on the number of inspectors who are employed and how well their computers work. We have arrived at the Brooklyn terminal many times and sadly it has never been easy because of the immigration issue. The line moves very slowly. You can somewhat bypass the line if you hire a porter to put your luggage on one of their carts and guide you through the a separate immigration line.

I think Lynnewob nailed it as a comparison. I will add only 2 cents. We love the extra space in the big suites on Azamara, and I don't think the space on Cunard QG can compare, except in the penthouses on Cunard. We prefer the food in the specialty restaurants on AZ to the food in QG, but that is personal taste. On Cunard you will find a lot more activities during the day as AZ is set up for port-intensive cruising. Sea days on AZ are relaxing, to be sure, but there is not much going on other than trivia.

I also know that many cruise lines charter their ships. Azamara does this regularly, and we had one crossing on Silversea cancelled 2 years ago because Silversea wanted to use the ship for a private charter. The cancellation was about 30 days before departure with a full refund, but no alternative suggestions. We had to scramble to find a reasonable way to Europe.

If you want to dress very informally, the Colonnade and Earth and Ocean are great options, and the food is usually quite good.

We board the Quest in 2 weeks, so this information is useful. My expectations for Solis are not very high. I was not a big fan of TK, and I prefer the cuisine at Earth and Ocean. In regards to the request for suite numbers at the reception, I was once told that one reason is to check to see if the passenger has registered a food allergy or restriction before boarding.

Internet is much, much improved with Starlink.

And fewer leggy show girls!

As Lynnewob wrote, I can echo the experience on the tables. I spend way too much time at the black jack table and the pit boss has often bought me a drink, probably because I play so much and tip the dealers. Sometimes the pit boss bought drinks for the entire table when there was a lot of activity. No established routine. Free drinks are always welcome, but it is not like Nevada.

The New York Transit Museum is very close to both hotels. Also the Brooklyn Museum is world class. The Esplanade in Brooklyn Heights has the best views of Lower Manhattan and the harbor. Brooklyn used to be very unsafe, but that was 40 years ago before public safety was vastly improved all over New York City, and before waves of gentrification passed over Brooklyn. There are still areas that I would not recommend venturing into due to safety concerns or because they are boring, but those are further out in the borough. The areas around downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope, Williamsburg, and Grand Army Plaza are as safe as Toronto.

We have also stayed at the Aloft Hotel, and that was a good location as well.

We've stayed pre-crossing many times, but always booked on our own since we are picky about where we stay. And we prefer downtown Brooklyn, or thereabouts, because it is close to the Red Hook terminal, close to JFK airport, and because we love Brooklyn. It's also a short subway ride into much of Manhattan. We recently booked a pre-crossing stay at the Nu Hotel in downtown Brooklyn. Nothing fancy, but well-located.

We do the same thing with our vouchers. We go to one of the pop ups, which can be quite good, for some variety and a break from the Grills.

We liked the Adina Apartment Hotel. Good location. And to your original question: My understanding is that Cunard likes to use these short trips as a marketing tool, sort of a test drive for newbies. Hopefully the first timers have a good experience and will return for a longer Cunard trip. I recommend that you see your short trip as your own test drive, see if Cunard, and the QM2, are your cup of tea!

Deck Chair: I do agree with you. We have dined at the Verandah a few times and also found it a dull space with few tables occupied. The up charge is fairly high, so that certainly discourages some potential diners. But compared to the activity in the gorgeous main Britannia dining room, or even the busy QG and PG dining rooms, the Verandah is way too quiet and boring. We have sailed Silversea, and the Silver Note that you mention is one of our favorite spaces on board. The food is good and the cabaret music is perfection. When we dine in another restaurant on board, we often go to the Silver Note after dinner to sit at the bar and listen to the music. Passengers go there to dance! And there is no up charge for dining at the Silver Note.

Shark B8: Thanks for your photos. We had booked this World Cruise, but had to cancel (re-booked one of the Grand Voyages on the Quest) for various reasons. It is fun to see the photos of what we missed.