cougaraz

6 hours ago, Potstech said:

So if a large number of shareholders suddenly started selling their stock you think it will not have any influence?  I wonder if Carnival Corp wants to take the chance you are right.  We shall see.

79.25% of CCL stock is held by institutions and 17.33% is held by those classified as "Insiders"

So, of all the shares of CCL outstanding 96.5% isn't held by individual investors. 

I do not think that the board is particularly worried about the influence of 3.5%, assuming they would all suddenly decide to sell is a big stretch anyway, impacting their stock prices.

gngrbas,

I was actually browsing on my phone and took the time to open up my laptop so I could type more (and do it more quickly).

First, welcome to Cruise Critic.

Second, you are going to have a FANTASTIC time.  The Ruby is absolutely gorgeous ship and a summer time cruise to Alaska is a fantastic adventures.  As for the negative reviews, there are a lot of people who like to complain.  We are loyal Princess cruisers and I am confident in saying you will find the ship to be very well maintained, clean and filled with friendly and helpful staff.  Do not worry much about embarkation or disembarkation, in fact don't worry about much of anything except getting yourself and your luggage to the pier and being ready to have fun.  Everywhere you go, in the terminal and onboard there are staff, lots of them, to help guide you through the process.  Expect to have your embarkation involve security (like the airport, but not as stringent) and a check-in at a desk where they will give you your cruise card (which is your room key and onboard charge card) along with a map and a boarding pass.  When your boarding group is called you will walk onboard and as soon as you enter the ship you are going to realize just how much you worried for nothing.  After that, start exploring, eating, drinking, making new friends and relaxing.

Seriously, you are going to have such a great time and everyone who works on the ship is there to make your cruise fantastic.  Don't hesitate to ask questions, ask for help or ask for directions.

I am envious of you and your first time experience.  My first cruise was over 25 years ago and it started a life-long love of traveling on the ocean.

Have fun and write us about your experiences when you get back!!

Would love to see these too. And/or any hints of things not to miss to eat and do. This is our first time on QM2.

I've uploaded menus from the June Transatlantics to my Google Drive and am in the process of uploading the Daily Programmes.
 
You can find it all here. The folder also has Daily Programmes from the December 2018 12-night Caribbean Celebration.
 
I'll have some other info such as disembarkation information that was handed out and I've retained. The scanning and uploading is taking a few minutes per Programme but it should be up today.

For the cost of a rental, much better to go an buy a tuxedo.  The fit will be better, likely will cost about the same if you are savvy and then you have it forever.

A visit to the landing beaches, in any of the Allied sectors is an amazing, powerful and humbling experience.  The scale and breadth of what happened in Normandy 75 years ago this summer is impossible to grasp from pictures, maps and films.  I have been to many of the great sites and historic locations on this planet, but to stand on Pointe du Hoc and look down was the most moving thing I have experienced in my life.  One would be hard pressed to find any single location with as much gravity as the Normandy landing beaches.

We sailed in 5080 last December and our stateroom was VERY quiet.  Just the pleasant hum of a ship at sea.

On 5/15/2019 at 2:13 PM, lovetotraveltx said:

Melissa and Scott, we very much enjoyed your review. It will be our first time on Cunard. We will be on Queen Mary 2 this August from NY to SOU. We will be in the Britannia Dining Room. Do you always choose late seating? Did you finish too late at night, for shows and if you want to go to a midnight buffet? Are there 2 teas a formal and informal in the buffet? Did you have a drink package of any kind, ie a wine package or the beverage package? On the formal evenings on a non holiday sailing is a suit OK as my husband does not own a Tuxedo.

 

Thank you!

I apologize for the delay in my response, I have been quite busy the past couple of months!

Generally, when we cruise, we always choose late sitting.  For us, the gap between lunch and early sitting just isn't sufficient to enjoy a nice meal at both, have a relaxing afternoon, get ready for dinner and then have the chance for a pre-dinner cocktail.  As for shows, there was always a show available specifically for the late seating so that was never an issue.  The midnight buffet was only offered on New Year's Eve and honestly that was the first midnight buffet I have seen on a cruise ship in the last decade.  For tea, there is a more formal, but still relaxed dress sit down option in the Queen's Room and also the informal option in the buffet (though I am not sure that the program refers to it as tea, I think it says afternoon snack or some such).  We did not have a drink package.  Although we like a cocktail before dinner and some wine with our meals, we rarely have more than two or three drinks across a 24 hour period, so it just isn't a good value for us.  However, we did take advantage of the deal on six bottles of sparkling water for a discounted price in our stateroom.  I think that on all sailings, even at the holidays that a dark suit would be appropriate in the evening. 

Hope you have a great time, QM2 is a fabulous ship!  Please tell us about your trip when you get back.

1 hour ago, twodaywonder said:

You may want to look a few days back on what you said about my post. You were wrong then and you are wrong NOW! Again, where did I ever say anything about untreated anything. You need to stop doing this YOU ARE WRONG on contradicting me. Stop it!!!! You constantly go after me with untruths about what I say. Why do you add your own interpenetration on what I say. What is you problem. Can you read?

Sooo, chengkp75 is pretty much what we would call an expert in these matters.  In fact, I believe it is safe to infer that the "cheng" refers to Chief Engineer and the KP to the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York.  My guess would be that he graduated in 1975 and thus has 40+ years of experience in these matters, but that might be a bridge too far in interpreting the CC handle. 

The reality is that on any internet board you cannot post something that contains factual errors and not expect to be challenged on that post.  Nor can you post an opinion and then feign horror when someone with a different opinion expresses theirs.

In summary, in all matters related to maritime matters such as engineering, polution controls, shiphandling, and regulatory regimes it is probably a safe assumption that what chengkp75 says is accurate, based on vast professional experience and solidly grounded in a deep understanding of the law.

18 hours ago, cruzsnooze said:

What lie? What agenda? Posting a link is fact. Having a different opinion apparently offends you, but it is not an agenda, it's a differing opinion. Some people refuse to believe their favorite cruise line can do anything wrong even when it's reported via reliable news sources.

Posting a link is not a fact.  The internet is full of half-truths, lies and general garbage.  A link is only as good as the content behind it and the one you posted was light on substance, lacked any verifiable or independently derived information and was clearly pushing an agenda without the academic or journalistic rigor necessary to back it up.

 Just because your best friend's sister's boyfriend's brother's girlfriend heard from this guy who knows this kid who's going with the girl who wrote an article saying that they were at 31 Flavors and overheard a lawyer saying that auto-tipping decreases pay does not make it a fact.

2 minutes ago, Scorpio41 said:

 

We didn't try it last time as we were on late sitting, but this time late sitting is 19.15, so may pop along. Do they tell you in the Patters the drink of the day?

We did have the canapes a couple of times but they came really early till I realised you could specify a time, 

Not sure on this one.  I know that they will give you a menu of the food in your stateroom, but I can't recall if it had the drinks as well.

So, having some experience with this (in a US Navy capacity), I can tell you that bananas are one of the most difficult fresh fruits to manage.  Their ripening and storage is finicky, at best, and usually they must be stored separately or their off gassing has substantial impacts on all the other fresh produce.

59 minutes ago, StLouisCruisers said:

 

That's for elites, not platinum.  

You are correct, my bad.

13 hours ago, Scorpio41 said:

On the Sapphire Princess in August. Where do they hold the nightly canapés and drinks? What time too?

 

 

Canapes are available for platinum, elite and suite guests and are delivered to the room.

For platinums and elites there is also usually an evening happy hour with some light appetizers and a drink special every night, you can check the Patter onboard for the details.

So, it is the government of Vietnam imposing the fee?

Makes the whole "Cunard has no right" seem a little melodramatic, doesn't it?

On 3/6/2019 at 7:21 PM, BlueRiband said:

I checked back on the posts from that time where "cougaraz" wrote that it was nothing of great concern:

2018 Caribbean Celebration post #66 

 

If things were anywhere near as bad as the plaintif now claims it would not have taken over two months for this to become a news story.  She sounds like she's a quick student of the American liabilty tort system.  Simply filing a lawsuit will often result in a settlement because litigation is so expensive for the defendant. 

Yep, I was there.  The incident was minor, the Captain made multiple announcements to reassure everyone that things were being handled and that there was nothing to worry about.  No one was ever in danger, maybe a little inconvenience, but life happens, even at sea.

I can say with certainty that there were neither "massive explosions" nor helicopters operating in close proximity to the ship.

Like any weather, it really is impossible to say.  The northern Pacific can generate some terrific storms, even in the summer, but not as likely as the winter.  Alaska, and particularly Southeast, can get very rainy.

As you get closer to your sailing date, I highly recommend https://www.passageweather.com/

You can look at wind, sea and temperature forecasts for the entire world and it is specifically targeted for those using satellite internet at sea, so it isn't terribly bandwidth intensive.

I cannot speak for Canada, but in New York City, Carmel is outstanding.

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New Year's Eve Part 2....is that a ship made of cheese?!?!

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New Year's Eve Part 1.

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Menu and drinks from 30 December.

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1 hour ago, luckymal said:

After all thos greats meals, did the waist line suffer?😉

Of course, but well worth it!

Talked to our tablemates and one of them said he put on about 25 pounds on the world cruise.  

Honestly, just a week after getting home, my pudge is already reducing noticably.

29 December is St. Maarten

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From 28 December, tender recovery from our balcony, dinner in the Verandah Steakhouse.

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27 December dinner menu, beer salad, cold noodle salad, salt beef hash, butternut squash salad and the apple and apricot tart.

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