NeedPeace

Thank you GerScot, that maybe explains the photos!

Apologies if this has been asked before.  We have never cruised with Celebrity before., and were looking at online photos of 2B (deck 7 Verandah) cabins as we are going soon.  None of the photos show tea & coffee making facilities, which seems very unusual.  Are there any please?  Surely room service first thing every morning for everyone would be crazy?

Thank you. Yes indeed I did get seasick and as I never have before my first trip across the Bay of Biscay last September, I actually wasn't expecting to. I was given Stugeron once before, for dizziness caused by an inner ear infection, didn't help much and gave me an almost permanent nose bleed! True enough that everyone could react differently. Maybe I'm just an awkward one...?

I'm really sorry, I know it's been answered before but I can't find it. I have searched & searched and all I am finding on this subject are the US medications named and compared. I have a pack of both Dramamine & a pack of Cyclizine. Both say they'll cause drowsiness. Both appear to work in the same way. Has anyone tried both of these and found that one is better than the other please?

Neither do we!

Ah. It worked then, thank you for doing that - it seriously wasn't in evidence in September!

We did our first cruise on QE last year and immediately booked for this year on our return. The pillows are too soft for my liking and the shower curtain is a nuisance but everything else was lovely. If you are big on entertainment QE's probably isn't the best but (as already stated) this is subjective. kohl57 is right - the decor is a bit 'beige' but we didn't have the open deck problem he experienced. We were a month later travelling than kohl57 - so maybe someone had already complained and it had been fixed?

Thank you Alan. With that, and the deck plan, this makes much more sense now.

Please is anyone able to offer me some insight into how Saga's cabin grades work? I've looked into it as best I can but am learning very little. I know I could ring them and ask but they are a little bit pushy once they find someone who's got half an interest and I'm not really up for being hassled just yet.

Sorry if I've hijacked a thread about something else, it's the Discovery I've seen an interesting itinerary on.

Hi, Having found some Saga customers - please is anyone able to offer me some insight into how their cabin grades work? I've looked into it as best I can but am learning very little. I know I could ring them and ask but they are a little bit pushy once they find someone who's got half an interest and I'm not really up for being hassled just yet.

Sorry if I've hijacked a thread about something else but (as stated) there s little to find on here re: Saga cruises.

On my last cruise (not Cunard), I totally burst out laughing when I walked into our room and saw our bed.

 

 

Someone must have left a note on our preference records from out previous cruises.

 

 

 

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Wow! Were they all different?

Cruiseluvva is right Hattie, at least you don't need to worry about bringing your own/hiding it/explaining it/disguising it/buying a luminous pillowcase for it! I'm just impressed that nobody said it was a stupid question.

I find the pillows horribly soft and offering absolutely no neck support. Somebody - it might have been BigMac - suggested asking the steward(ess) to double fill the pillowslip, and that does help.

Thank you Cruiseluvva (and possibly BigMac) that does sound like a possible solution as well; because you are right they are too soft and there's no support at all.

Thank you.

I just noticed something curious regarding the dress code designations in voyage personaliser for our upcoming voyages on QM2. We are booked on three consecutive voyages M821 (eastbound crossing), M822 (Norwegian Fjords), and M823 (westbound crossing).

 

The dress code for our first crossing was posted in voyage personaliser a little over a month ago and is what I was expecting.

 

Voyage M821

10 June - New York Embark - Dress: Informal (Jacket Required)

11 June - Sea Day - Dress: Formal (Royal Cunard Ball)

12 June - Sea Day - Dress: Informal (Jacket Required)

13 June - Sea Day - Dress: Formal

14 June - Sea Day - Dress: Informal (Jacket Required)

15 June - Sea Day - Dress: Formal (Roaring Twenties Ball)

16 June - Sea Day - Dress: Informal (Jacket Required)

17 June- Southampton Disembark

 

The dress codes for our next two voyages were just posted today in voyage personaliser and are not exactly what I was expecting. Here is what is listed within the itineraries for those two voyages.

 

Voyage M822

17 June - Southampton Embark - Dress: Informal (Jacket Required)

18 June - Sea Day - Dress: Gala Evening (Black & White Ball)

19 June - Bergen - Dress: Smart Attire

20 June - Alesund - Dress: Smart Attire

21 June - Flaam - Dress: Smart Attire

22 June - Stavanger - Dress: Gala Evening (Masquerade Ball)

23 June - Sea Day - Dress: Smart Attire

24 June - Southampton Disembark

 

Voyage M823

24 June - Southampton Embark - Dress: Smart Attire

25 June - Sea Day - Dress: Gala Evening (Black & White Ball)

26 June - Sea Day - Dress: Smart Attire

27 June - Sea Day - Dress: Gala Evening

28 June - Sea Day - Dress: Smart Attire

29 June - Sea Day - Dress: Gala Evening (Masquerade Ball)

30 June - Sea Day - Dress: Smart Attire

01 July - New York Disembark

 

The best I can make of this is that Cunard is starting to call the "Formal" dress code "Gala Evening" instead and is starting to call the "Informal" dress code "Smart Attire" instead. I hope that's all there is to it. I can find no definition of the "Gala Evening" and "Smart Attire" dress codes. I fact, the "What to Wear" page within voyager personaliser still refers to the dress codes as "Formal" and "Informal", so I'm not sure what to make of this.

 

Just wanted to bring this up in case anyone else has any other ideas about what Cunard may be up to with these new "Gala Evening" and "Smart Attire" dress code designations shown in our voyage personaliser itineraries.

 

John

Hi Bluemarble,

I had noticed that and my first thought was that it was a 'dumbing down' - I do hope not, but it does read like that, doesn't it?

Hope I'm wrong.

I always take my own pillow, a silk one, because the pillows in almost every place I stay are awful.

 

On the last night of our most recent transatlantic we returned to our room to find my pillow missing. It was about 11pm and too late, in our opinion, to disturb our steward but we did report the fact that it was missing to the purser's office.

 

They obviously contacted our steward because, despite our Do Not Disturb notice on the door, he knocked with my pillow in his hand at about 7 am the following morning.

 

Why he had felt he could take it I had no idea since I had placed it, as I do every morning wherever I am, in the wardrobe and all Cunard pillows were present and correct in the cabin.

 

I was not best pleased since I had a terrible night's sleep on their pillows and my pillow would be expensive (around £75) to replace.

 

To try and avoid this in the future I have also bought a coloured pillowcase but I still think he was wrong to take my pillow from the wardrobe.

 

Just like Camgirl I do not fly so the weight is not an issue.

Hi Cabinet,

That's amazing, that he would take something from the wardrobe. Having said that, if there are so many Cunard options for pillows, perhaps he thought it was one of theirs and that it was in the wardrobe because it was in the way in the cabin? Who knows?

I think you are right that a brightly coloured pillowcase might be the answer, especially for an expensive one to lose. Perhaps alerting the steward to the fact that you've brought your own (as Camgirl said) might also be a good move.

I think my memory foam one might be going on holiday!

Many thanks.

Hi,

 

I have frequently asked for different pillows in a Britannia cabin and have always been given one. However, I have never found one I like, in fact some have been like bricks, so I now take my own pillow from home. I don't fly so there is not a problem with the weight. I put a bright pillowcase on it and I mention it to the steward. It has never been a problem and I now sleep much better on board.

Hi Camgirl,

Thank you for your reply. That's a worry though - if you've never found one you like there's a good chance I won't either! I'm so glad it's not just me and I'm grateful not to have been told that it was a stupid question as well. No flying for us either so I'm seriously considering taking mine now. Thanks for the bright pillowcase tip.

Best wishes,

Hi NeedPeace

 

Technically no; I believe you need to be booked in the Grills or Britannia Club cabins for pillow choice.

However, I once asked my cabin steward politely for a change as the pillow was too soft. He swapped it later the same day. I didn't ask on embarkation day, I "gave it a go", and he was far less busy the following day.

It may come down to the individual crew member. A "newbie" may not, following newly-learnt rules. An "old hand" may know how to get a change for you.

 

As for taking your own, a "memory foam" pillow is heavy; I'd think twice if any flying to/from the ship is involved.

 

Good luck!

 

Bon Voyage!

Hi Pepperrn,

Thank you for this, sensible to wait the day and probably right about the 'Newbie' and rules.

We should have booked the same cabin as last year, it was available when we booked, maybe the same steward would still be on that area. He was lovely, so helpful!

No flights involved - that's how we got into cruising, my absolute phobia of flying!

Many thanks,

This is probably a stupid question but I could be wrong because on our first ever cruise last year we found that Cunard fall over themselves to help where they can. This is one of the reasons we've booked again.

I know that if we booked a 'Grill' package we could choose which type of pillows we have but is it possible to just request a change in a normal balcony room? Last year we found that the pillows were too 'bouncy' and although you squashed them into shape by putting your head down, they still ran off when you moved. I'm used to a memory foam one, which is pretty firm and immovable so the problem is maybe just me! (Perhaps I should take my own?)

Thank you all for the reassurances on this. I'm sure it wasn't ever designed to stress anyone - but it was headed that way in my case. I'm feeling much happier about it now.

Phew. Thank you all very much for this - with the possible exception of Summergee, who wasn't so much help (but did make me smile)

Please could someone advise me regarding the 'themed' formal night dress code?

One of the themed nights on the upcoming Q.E. 50th Anniversary cruise is "Roaring Twenties", no problem for women to be in evening AND 20's dress in one outfit but for men it's not so straightforward is it? If he's in a tuxedo/DJ he's not in 20's style and vice versa. I am probably panicking over nothing but this is our first cruise and we are anxious not to upset or offend anyone who is used to the system (or for that matter to look like a pair of idiots!)

Thank you Harold, this is really helpful, we are going on our first cruise in September on the QE. The trouble you have taken to write this review has possibly saved us the embarrassment of doing something silly and has certainly saved us wasting time in unnecessary queues.

We've just completed our first cruise on QE- we had cabin 7148, last one aft before the suites on the stern. We loved it. Deck 7 so cabins above and below. The only annoying thing was we had inside cabins opposite so they kept leaving their door to slam when they went in and out, next time will pick a cabin with no cabins opposite. Having said that, mostly lovely and quiet, didn't see many people in the corridors and very quiet at night.

It was two decks up to the buffet so easy to walk up and down, and used the lifts for deck 2 MDR.

Thank you Vera123. This is a point worth bearing in mind. I hope I can assume that these particularly thoughtless people probably won't be back and become neighbours of mine as well! There may be others with the same attitude though I imagine - cabins opposite are steering clear of too.

Thank you LadyL1, this is interesting news about the balcony size, especially as we are likely to spend a lot of time there!

I've had a look at the deck plan, unfortunately the cabin on offer is on the port side, above one of those ominous looking, white expanses of nothing. As it's right next to the restaurant seating, I'm guessing it's a kitchen area. Will that be all noisy extractor fans and rattling pots and pans do you think?

Thank you cruiseluvva, that sounds like really good advise, and now that you've said it, I'm wondering why I hadn't realised that?