CruisinNJ

I returned from QM2 yesterday. Walk-off started at about 7AM (when we walked off at 7:10 and it took about 14 minutes to make it through to the parking lot - most of the time was due to the distance walked, and the need to wait for the elevator as the escalator was still out of service in the terminal).

This however was not our first choice, but we were advised our only choice given my need to be back to work on time that morning. Otherwise, those residing on decks 4,3 and 2 were scheduled for 10:45 AM, which was to late for us. We were advised that we could disembark at an earlier time if we had booked transport with Cunard (which didn't apply to us anyway as our car was in the parking lot).

For the record (as we might receive some "hate-mail" replies for being honest), I asked several different people if there was any other option / chance to receive an earlier disembarkation, including our stateroom attendant, the answer was politely no, there is no other option - either wait until your deck is called or carry off your own bags.

Yes they can. However, in speaking to them, I had the impression that their inventory for reservations was the same / similar to online. The Concierge that I spoke with told me that only a portion (I think she said 20%) are available in advance - the balance is available to book once on the ship.

Gem depart Barbados (at 6:04 AM NYC time) with a destination of NYC (11/21 at 4:00AM).

Currently cruising at 21.8 knots!

Just received the revised 12/23 itinerary this evening - same as reported earlier - glad to be going a little further south than originally planned...

Has anyone been able to confirm the earlier post about the 12/23/17 sailing - I have not yet received anything and I have not found a second person that has received the revised itinerary either.

Thanks all!

The email today related to Gem cruises that depart 10/31 to 12/23 according to the email. I would guess that they are going to wait for a later date to see how the Islands come back - I guess when we see where we are going the later cruises will have some idea of what is definitely on vs. still questionable.

I received an email from NCL today - they promise to advise the itinerary for Gem between 10/31 and 12/23 cruises within a week,

Why do people answer questions on this site when they are not informed - as some have said JFK to Manhattan is a flat rate - $52 plus tolls and a couple of minor taxes and fees - and nobody in NY tips the "standard 20%" - that guy is out of his mind.

My preference is UBER - order a Suburban SUV, plenty of room to stretch out in the back and tons of room for luggage (the driver doesn't have to try cramming you two bags into the trunk around the always loose spare tire) and if you have certain types of Amex Cards you get $15 off UBER per month as a benefit.

I have sailed out of the NYC area several times in the winter (QM2 and RCCL). Our experience is that day one off the coast of the Carolinas it is usually around 55 or so for the high. Coming from the north were it is colder, it starts to feel enjoyable, sweat shirt to supplement the optimistic shorts. However, on the way back, it feels like winter after coming back from the 80 degree temps! Everyone seems to overdress for the cold - lol.

My understanding is if you're booked with NCL, the final payment has been moved to Tuesday, the 12th.

This is correct per an email that NCL distributed.

Me too, would be illogical to do otherwise.

 

It would be a huge mistake to assume that only Crystal ocean cruisers are interested in Crystal river cruises.

 

Similarly it would have been a mistake to leave Viking ocean cruises here just because the majority of Viking customers were already here.

While you may think it is "silly" to market Crystal River Cruises to Ocean passengers, that has not stopped Crystal from marketing these, their little old yacht, the airplane or the residences at sea, etc. to the Ocean passengers. Crystal believes that they are expanding their brand, not creating an entirely new concept. Since the marketing materials are sent to prior Ocean travelers very often, it makes sense to me to discuss all Crystal products in one place.

That being said, at least Cruise Critic has a reason behind what they do - I cant say that I understand what the heck Crystal is doing with its business strategy / plan and it doesn't look they they do either!!

Since the big announcement in the summer of 2015 they have consistently missed the deadlines promised - are the ocean ships now 7 years out from the announcement date????

It looks like the July inaugural Rhine cruises have been pushed back from July to August. I have not seen any announcement but the July dates are gone from the reservation systems and I came across a reference to delays in another discussion.

Anyone heard anything official / an explanation? Didn't they purchase the ship building yard that is building these ships???

There is a place in your booking record for a "Travel With ID" or TWID.

If you provide your friends reservation number to your TA, they can link the two with a TWID code - thus you will be assigned the same table.

Even I would struggle to spend £900 in extras on that length cruise !

One final note - I cannot wait until our next Crystal Cruise (never thought I would be a shill for a line, but if I am going to be, this will be the one) - my bill would be SUBSTANTIALLY less - trust me on that...

Even I would struggle to spend £900 in extras on that length cruise !

My bill was $5,400 (lets not get on a tangent about what is "reasonable") when I go off QM2 for 12 days - while this might be high for your average traveler, it did increase the cost per person (3 adults and 2 teens) by a bit, dont you think.

PS - we enjoyed every dollar spent at the spa, for wine, etc. - but from a comparison point of view, for some, the other more inclusive lines are very compelling and very competitive in terms of all-in price.

I'm surprised you needed to have "heated" discussions

 

Vegan Trip Report

To be further clear - the "heat" was a result of the process - we were asked what we would like - and were told that was not available - after several rounds, we said "instead of playing this game, please tell us what you might have available" - to which the response was "we cannot do that, please tell us what you would like" - this gets very tedious, as they cant just go to the corner store to pick it up - the process seemed pointless!

A shame you were disappointed on QM2, we have had previous good reports from Cunard's dealing with Vegan diets. I'm surprised you needed to have "heated" discussions - who was the PG Maitre D' ?

 

Vegan Trip Report

To be honest, I do not recall his name - he was a very proper Asian gentleman - to be clear, he was very polite. He did what he could, but he was limited to the provisions provided and the knowledge (or lack thereof) of the kitchen team (which we never met - unlike other lines that "parade" a chef out to the table to discuss dietary restrictions and preferences).

I hold not malice towards the team - my point is that Cunard was not as flexible as one might think, even when traveling in the "grills".

the quality in BR less than 5* but have put this down to economics and the need to save money.

 

(Don't get me started on the recent trend for lack of caviar and ice sculptures on our TA Captain and senior officers parties! ;) ... )

To be clear - the main daily courses in the PG are the same as in the BR, thus draw your own conclusion on the quality in PG / QG...

There are special menus beyond modifications of the regular menu. I don't know about diabetics, but there are special vegetarian and vegan menus.

 

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We had one vegan in our party of five. They must have been hiding the "special vegan" menu from us!!! Frankly, they had a hard time understanding how vegan is different from vegetarian!

We traveled in the PG, and the best they could "do for us" after some heated discussions over several days, was provide a copy of the next day lunch and dinner menu and ask us to "modify" the items we would like to have. Very hard to modify a filet steak into a vegan entree. For example, the basic veggies that were "vegan" (forget the daily potatoes) offered were only the basic 4 our so offered with that evenings entrees (which changed little from day to day). Without getting into the details of 12 days and nights, lets just say, that they were less than accommodating and the most difficult to deal with.

Think I've just found a pothole on the QM2!! Exiting the Art Gallery as you approach the stairs leading to the Queens Ballroom there is a definite dip in the floor.

 

Lol.

 

Apart from that she is looking good and in fine condition. Will do a review when we return home.

Confirmed - we stepped into it twice, going down the stairs - slightly towards the small lift.

What is interesting, is that we experienced this on a Celebrity ship once (older class) and thought it was odd - then we read a year later that in the renovation process they "uncovered" several areas in which the poured concrete had broken away leaving a hole. After reading that we were slightly disturbed, as in the case of the Celebrity ship, one of the potholes seemed very large.

On QM2 the Verandah is 49.95 per person for dinner, and $20.00 per person for lunch.

The specialty restaurants in the buffet area are $17.50 for dinner.

We just returned from the 12 N Holiday Voyage - 5 of us in 2 PG Suites.

The assessment of "quality", "quantity", "style" is always going to be subjective - so lets just agree upfront that all will never agree.

A couple of observations from our voyage.

1 - The five choices for entrees provided each night is the same regardless of whether you are Britannia, Britannia Club, Princess or Queens - I compared on a number of occasions, this did not waiver.

2 - Dining in the PG, you get 3 of the 6 special extra choices that need to be arranged in advance (at lunch or breakfast for that evening). While we did not miss the thermodor, the Dover sole or the wellington that was available on the QG list, they did come about on the menu each at least once. We leads me to my real "complaint".

3 - The variety is really lacking. Night to night the choices seemed more derivative of the prior evening or of lunch than original and different. We experienced mushroom soup at least a half dozen ways (mushroom garlic was good), but also had mushroom this and mushroom that on everything else. I have been on cruises in which the original / daily choices are closer to 8 to 10 entrees, with none repeated (or very closely resembling another) over longer periods.

4 - The ingredients used were of lacking quality - particularly with regard to produce, tomatoes, etc. I know you can argue this point, but I have been on some cruises in remote areas, with long stretches at sea, and this area did not suffer - it is really a matter of what the cruise line organizes and is willing to pay for.

These are all choices that the line makes, and we will live with them until it impacts the line- and a lot of time can pass between booking to your sailing date to next booking, so these changes, cutbacks, improvements, however you want to phrase it, and not going to be measurable for a while.

That all being said, it was a fine cruise, but because of the "limp" food choices, I am going to pass on Cunard for the foreseeable future.

Have you received an advanced word from the Captain about whether this weather has compromised the ships ability to make an on-time arrival in NYC? Just curious, as we are boarding on 12/22 for the Christmas / New Year cruise.

If you have not heard anything yet (one way or the other), please let us know if it is mentioned throughout the balance of your journey.

Best,

Henry

The safest bet is to mark the bookings for no upgrade. In either event, link the booking to dine together so you are assigned the same table.

I had a recent assigned P1 with a P2 guarantee second cabin (only one P1 was available for assign at the time we booked). When the guarantee was assigned, I called Cunard to see if it could be moved a little closer - they said that policy as of recent is that they are not permitted to move assigned guarantee rooms. This was not the end of the world, as we were on the same side and same general region - this I did not make a fuss when I was told no.

Has anyone else had a different experience moving an assigned guarantee cabin?