jimdee3636

It's one thing when, say, your next door neighbor makes a careless mistake about some geographic fact, but when a cruise line makes that mistake it calls into question their competence and their attention to detail. I've seen cruise line brochures state that Portugal is on the Mediterranean (it's not), that Bermuda is in the Caribbean (it's about a thousand miles away from the closest part), and that the ship will travel east from Iceland to reach Greenland (just look at the damn map!). When a cruise brochure or website is wrong about one thing, it makes you wonder what else they're wrong about. And that's not what you want potential customers to be wondering about. Jim

Yes, and doing the B2B eliminates the need to fly to Quebec City, which for most Americans is very expensive and involves inconvenient flight times. The money you save on air would pay for the entire NYC-Quebec part of the B2B. Jim

https://www.seabourn.com/en/us/find-a-cruise/e5m09a/5513-9-day-morocco-the-straight-of-gibraltar Seabourn also spelled it "Straight" (not Strait) of Gibraltar in a print brochure. This does not inspire confidence in a cruise line. Jim

I don't know if anyone else has had this experience, but about eight months ago I applied for the HAL card and was immediately approved. However, my initial credit limit was only $2,000. I have a very high credit score, and my other credit cards have limits of up to $30,000. I specifically applied for the card because I had a $9,000 HAL final payment coming up in two weeks and I wanted to put it on the card and get the benefits, as well as getting benefits for future HAL bookings (I'm four-star with HAL and sail at least once a year with them). I couldn't get the customer service agent to increase the limit, at least not without filing all sorts of special exemptions forms and such. I couldn't be bothered, and I cancelled the account before I ever got the card in the mail. In my opinion, it was short-sighted on their part.

Although this thread is about QG service, and I've only sailed in Britannia class (on both the QM2 and QE), I agree 100% with Victoria2. On our 21 night QM2 sailing in 2019, we had pre-dinner cocktails every single night in the Chart Room, and always sat at the bar. By the third night, our favorite bartender would smile at us as we walked in and would lift a bottle of Tanqueray, in effect asking "Two of your usual martinis tonight?" I did indeed feel like we had joined a club.

@Stumblefoot You sure as hell did a lot of work on this! Thanks! jim

@ClipperinSFO I'm looking forward to your review of the Europa 2. Have a fun time! Jim P.S.---We've been on Cunard's QM2 and QE, and are booked on the still-being-built Queen Anne for a 14-night Baltic/ Scandinavia cruise next June and July. It will be our first time in Britanna Club. The Club dining room on QA looks much nicer than on the other Cunard ships, and the cabins are in better locations.

@reedprincess What you say makes sense, except for one thing. Princess requires the medallion. They---not you, not me, not anyone reading this---came up with the idea. They should bear the cost of their business decision. (And yes, I know that if they don't charge for it directly, they'll charge for it indirectly---burying it in the cruise fare or whatever. But what they're doing is to clearly shift the (unwanted) cost to the consumer, which I think is poor practice in every respect).

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/three-year-cruise-life-at-sea/index.html It turns out that the woman featured in the original cnn.com story (see April 23 post, above) has cancelled, as have a lot of others, amid turmoil and employee defections at the cruise line.

@RyanJCanada I'm wondering what currency you used when you made small purchases in Greenland (such as the ice cream cones for your kids) Greenland is some sort of an administrative "district" of Denmark, but Denmark doesn't use the Euro (I think the krone is their currency). An ice cream stand in Greenland wouldn't take credit cards, would it? Jim

@flhokie You say that the "speed of service" in Sabatini's was a problem. But do you mean it was too fast or too slow? Jim

@cruiser3775 Not only did you get a good deal, you're getting the dreaded long flight out of the way at the beginning of your trip. It's much easier to enjoy a cruise when you don't have an eleven or twelve hour flight facing you on disembarkation day. Jim

@Btimmer A few years ago, my wife and I did a 30-night round-trip from San Diego to Lima on the Volendam that had a stop in Salaverry. On that cruise, there was a free shuttle from the ship to Trujillo, which we took both ways. There's nothing particularly scenic about the drive (maybe 20-25 minutes each way), and, to be honest, nothing particularly scenic about Trujillo, but it was still a fun trip. But I wouldn't pay good money to go there. If there's no free shuttle on your cruise, and if you have an excursion at a reasonable price that leaves from Salaverry, take it.

@RyanJCanada I've been following your accounts. I just want to say that you're an uncommonly good observer and an uncommonly good writer. My only question is: how do you find time to write so much when you do so much? Jim

I've seen this before. People book a cruise on a particular ship on a particular line (not just Princess), and then ask afterward if they did the right thing. Why not ask these questions ahead of time?

@At7Seas They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Those pictures---if representative of how MSC cabins are maintained---tell me all I need to know about the line. Jim

I just don't see who would pay good money to buy Vantage. Unless I misunderstand the situation, they don't own any of the ships---they just lease or charter them. So what are their tangible assets---office furniture and phones? A prospective buyer would be looking at the so-called goodwill: the name, reputation, customer list, etc. Given the current state of affairs, that can't be of much value. I hate to be a pessimist, and fortunately I'm not among the potential creditors, but this does not look promising.

@Crafty Cruiser B You don't say which NCL ship it is or what the itinerary is, but it appears to be an outstanding deal. Having once been in a studio (on the Bliss), I personally wouldn't do it again, but it was certainly an interesting experience and I know that many NCL solo cruises swear by the studios. The 99 sq. ft. cabin was simply too small for me, and---except for the espresso machine in the morning---I didn't get much value out of the solo lounge. But as I say, my experience may not be typical. For the price you're paying, just take a chance and see if you like it. You can't go wrong. Jim

Good question! The answer is that I still have a small amount of credit with Princess that will expire if I don't book another cruise by the end of the year. (I actually let a larger amount expire this past December 31). I keep hoping I'll find a reason to book one, but I can't seem to pull the trigger. My Princess cruises have all been on the Crown, Ruby, and Emerald and I prefer that class of ship to the newer, bigger classes. but the Cruise Critic reviews and threads about those older ships have pretty much been dismal of late.

A Friends of Bill meeting on an alcohol-included line like Silversea must be, for them, like going into the lion's den---an expensive trip to the lion's den, given that in effect they're subsidizing everyone else's alcohol consumption. It's certainly a test of their will power. Having said that, though, I admire them for recognizing their problem and doing something about it. There are few things worse than being an alcoholic.

@mandymay Is that a solo rate or are you and your friend sharing a cabin? If it's a solo rate it's an excellent price for a 23-night cruise on Silversea. And you're right: it's a great itinerary. I've transited the Panama Canal twice, once on Silversea, and it's a memorable experience. If you have time after such a long cruise, stay a couple of days in Vancouver. It's an attractive, walkable city and the weather should be nice that time of year. Have fun! Jim

You're "shocked" that someone would be "stunned" at what someone was wearing in a (supposedly) fine-dining venue? And your "mental resources" are insufficient to process this? I guess, then, you wouldn't mind sitting at the table next to the guy I once saw in Key West whose cut-off t-shirt said "Show Me Your Boobs Babe." Or the guy on the front page of the New York Times at a white supremacist rally wearing a shirt with a big swastika emblazoned on it. I could cite many other examples, but I'll just leave it that you're evidently a lot more non-judgmental than I am.

@Dreamscaper Assuming you're correct about the "mid-ship guarantee," I'd cancel, get my deposit back, and say "bye-bye" to Princess. There are other (and better) cruise lines out there. You don't need the hassle. Jim

@Mountain Traveler Although for non-monetary reasons I've cancelled the cruise, I had booked a Door-to-Door on the Cloud for a cruise this September which definitely included both pre- and post-cruise hotels. I remember it distinctly because I looked long and hard at the D2D inclusions before deciding to book. I can't tell you what to do, but if it was me I would tell SS in no uncertain terms that I'm not making the final payment until the hotel charge is wiped out. I'd rather cancel than feel taken advantage of. Jim

@bones774 Although I sometimes cruise solo, I took the QE cruise (and a previous Cunard cruise, on the Queen Mary 2) with my wife. But on both ships I saw a fair number of solo guests in almost every public venue. The pre-dinner cocktail scene on Cunard tends to be very sociable. On the QE, I particularly liked the Midship Bar on deck 3, but the Commodore Club on deck 10 was also popular. Also on 10 is the Yacht Club, more of a late-night disco venue. As you probably know, Cunard is dressier (in the evening) than most other cruise lines, which I think adds to the sociable atmosphere. If you direct your questions to those on the Cunard board, you'll get even more knowledgeable opinions and information. Jim