reeves35

APT, and I assume other lines, do this well. We were on 14 day Travelmarvel Vega Amsterdam to Budapest 2 years ago and, due to low water, on Day 8 we were bussed from Nuremberg to Passau. Travelmarvel Polaris was doing reverse itinerary and stopped in Passau and we were bussed the 200km between the two missing the low water near Regensberg. We were told 2 days before that APT Melbourne had made the decision to do a ship swap with bags tags etc issued that night and swap was handled smoothly on the day. The cruise director and entertainers transferred with us whilst the remainder of the crew stayed with their ship. The interesting part was on the next 14 day cruise, there was going to be a ship swap regardless of water levels to get the ships back on their schedule but this was going to be easier with the ships parked near one another rather than being 200km apart.

Correct; the branding of the Cunard Queens is just too strong to go playing with names from the past that mean nothing to most people. What name that could be chosen is unclear. Of course, the next Cunard ship, be it a replacement for QM2 or one of the Vista sisters or, indeed, an additional ship may reuse an existing name. If a new queen's name is added, my best guess would be Queen Catherine especially as it is likely she will be the queen alongside William when the time comes. It would be unlikely Cunard would be interested in going further back in history for a new Queen name though the options then would include Caroline, Jane, Henrietta, Joan, Eleanor, Matilda and Philippa.

It is but it is raised up on a separate deck and quite limited in space on those 2 ships. On QA, the facilities in the Grills area increased with a bigger lounge etc but its location interrupted the general flow of the ship.

Correct but there is no denying the fact that the markets, for whatever reason, see RCI ($90B) as being worth nearly 2.5 times more than Carnival Corp ($37.5B).

Correct. Stephen Payne acknowledged compromises were made for QM2 so it was most comfortable on rougher TA crossings. The most obvious of these is putting the dining rooms midships rather than in the traditional aft position. This obviously led to a number of passenger flow issues. Are they quirky and charming or are they annoying? That all depends on your perspective. Some may criticise "cookie-cutter" designs of theatre forward, MDR aft and buffet on the Lido deck and that is fair enough but there is no question this basic design is most efficient when it comes to passenger flow and that is why, in the Cunard fleet, QE and QV appear the easiest to navigate. QA, in theory, should be just as easy but the decision was made to put the Grills area midships. Most other lines have deliberately put their suites area, Ship within a Ship, call it what you will high and forward so it doesn't interrupt the overall flow. Of course, the by-product of this is that these ships rarely have a point where non-suite passengers can see forward and I can only imagine the brouhaha that would have come from Cunard traditionalists if QA had put the Commodore Club somewhere else other than forward.

It is probably unlikely that Carnival Corp would sign-off for a one-off replacement for QM2. The costs are just too prohibitive. It is more likely that they will look to a modified design from one of their existing cruise ship designs but with strengthened hull, smaller and more centralised superstructure, greater overall available engine power etc. There is no need for a ship that can do the crossing in 5 days any longer so why over-engineer one that can? Even Payne recognised that QM2 was a time when various objectives of Carnival Corp and its newly acquired Cunard division aligned all at once. Now, Arison is no longer driving the show, and Carnival Corp is no longer the largest cruise corporation by value. I'm not saying QM(3?) would be a vanity project but there may be other investments that are more attractive to the Board.

We had no issue with mosquitoes on the Danube. The only real insect pest we came across was the European Wasp which completely ruined a lunchtime rooftop BBQ in Wurzburg on the Main River. Unfortunately, European Wasps aren't put off by normal personal insect repellant.

More likely the technology blocks them from being able to "bend the rules." At 15 drinks, you are blocked and they can't process the order. If they are found supplying a drink without putting it through the system, they risk being dismissed.

We cruised with Travelmarvel 2 years ago and had a ship swap midway through the cruise. Fortunately there was another Travelmarvel ship doing the reverse itinerary so on Day 8 we disembarked from Vega in Nuremberg on Day 8 and after our Nuremberg tour we were bussed to Passau where we boarded Polaris. APT HQ in Melbourne made the decision a couple of days out so we were prepared for the transfer. The ships are identical and the crews are very well drilled in handling this so we just had to have our bags packed after breakfast on Day 8 and we saw them again in our cabin on the new ship that evening. We were also given a packed lunch to eat during the 200km bus ride. The cruise director and entertainment staff came with us on the transfer whilst everyone else remained with their ship. All in all, it was only a minor inconvenience and didn't upset our holiday at all.

My issue with the Cunard drinks package was the price not the amount of drinks offered. I'd have happily accepted a 7 drinks a day package for half the cost. I was on a poor intensive cruise so I can't imagine there would've been many days I'd have got near a 7 drink limit let alone 15. My wife drinks less than me so we chose to just take the soda package and, even then, probably didn't really come out ahead on it. I probably bought an average of 3 drinks a day and my wife one. There is no way the current Cunard alcoholic drinks package would have been any value to us.

It's been a few years since I've been there but Suva is not a great city to visit. It is also on the wet side of Viti Levu so rain is likely. The Pearl Resort at Pacific Harbour is at the eastern end of the Coral Coast and is about 45 minutes drive from Suva and offers a $55 Day Pass which includes a $40 resort food credit.

Only Cunard but, then again, I believe it may be the only cruise line that still requires dinner suits or dark dress suits for formal (Gala) nights and, since COVID, it no longer requires men to wear jackets on other nights in the MDR. Most cruise lines have very much dressed-down their formal nights and neat casual is pretty much accepted everywhere else. Cunard's suit hire is expensive so, unless you are tight for space, it probably makes more sense to buy a reasonably priced dark lounge suit and take it with you. At least, you now also have a suit should you need it for weddings, funerals etc.

Recently boarded QV in Civitavecchia in the new Amerigo Vespucci terminal. We had a 2:15pm boarding time but had no issues getting onboard at 1pm though I guess it depends on how many people are actually boarding on the day. When we got back to Civitavecchia for disembarkation, the Amerigo Vespucci terminal was used by a RC ship and we were consigned to a large tent next door which I assume would not handle crowds so well.

Whilst Carnival's communication strategy has been terrible, I do understand why they are doing it and probably think other cruise lines will also need to eventually change their programs. Carnival claims that since the pandemic, the number of passengers in their premium tiers has doubled and continues to grow every day. This means the premium levels aren't very exclusive at all with premium lounges or events often overcrowded. They either had the choice to massively expand these facilities which isn't particularly exclusive or undertake a controlled cull. They have chosen the latter. For Australia, given the Princess benefits didn't roll over to Carnival, I assume the numbers in premium levels is much smaller though I would guess Princess probably has the same decision to make at some point. Status levels have traditionally been earned on a nights basis but, as have others have pointed out, this doesn't really reflect worth to the cruise line who are more interested in overall spend so they are moving to a spend basis. A number of airlines similarly modified their loyalty schemes over the past decade moving from miles travelled to dollars spent. Finally, there is the whole concept of loyalty programs. Cruise lines and airlines love these schemes because they are great revenue earners particularly from credit cards. In fact, the companies love the revenue they can generate from you and from selling your data to "partners" but aren't really that keen in rewarding your loyalty. Qantas has been the most egregious in this area regularly devaluing points and effectively eliminating Classic rewards in premium classes on just about all international services. Like Carnival, Qantas makes it hard to maintain Gold + status with a significant annual hurdle that means a number of international trips are required each year if you want to stay Gold. If you are only flying in Economy domestically, it is very hard to travel enough to make this level. They do have a Lifetime Gold level available but it is equivalent to being Gold for 20 years. In summary, unless you love wearing a colored pin (which I would never do), chasing loyalty status is a mug's game. Pick your cruises on itinerary and value for money. We are not spoilt for choice in Australia but we do have options particularly over summer. If you happen to stumble on a higher status level, use it whilst you've got it but don't base your future purchase decisions on your status level because that is exactly what the cruise lines want you to do.

My understanding is that Oasis ships cannot tender. Unless Lelepa gets a wharf, which makes it a massively expensive exercise given the volumes that Lelepa will actually receive, I can't see an Oasis class vessel coming down here. I also read somewhere that the OPT in Sydney cannot currently accept Oasis vessels with Brisbane being the only major Australasian port that could turnaround an Oasis vessel. If that is the case, Oasis class ships aren't coming. If Sydney ever gets a new cruise terminal, which could be a long time yet, you would think it would be built capable of handling 200K+ GT ships. Melbourne's Station Pier, decrepit as it is, could accept a ship of that length but the channel is not wide enough which is the same reason the Quantum Class don't go to Melbourne.

I notice Adventure is due in at 2AM tomorrow which makes me think she may have sped up to avoid the worst of the weather inbound at least. This complex east coast low is due to persist until Wednesday night peaking on Tuesday night so I would not be surprised if departure from Sydney tomorrow night is delayed with waves well over 6m forecast.

Carnival Corp are mercenary when it comes to where they direct their capital which is why they are currently directing most capex spend to Carnival Cruises because that is the most profitable division of the entire business by far. Whatever they do to QM2, apart from the necessary midlife engineering updates, will be with an eye towards maximising revenue opportunities and, as has been pointed out, engineering updates will also need to reduce operating costs where possible. Cunard know what areas are well used, generate good revenue and which do not; they also know what has worked well on QA which, despite not necessarily being to the tastes of Cunard traditionalists is obviously a showcase of how Carnival/Cunard see the brand evolving. Additional specialty restaurants are a certainty because these make money for all cruiselines. Likewise, updates to the cabins and bathrooms are pretty much a certainty if Carnival/Cunard seriously plan on QM2 sailing for another 20+ years.

On non-formal nights, I wore a jumper (sweater) one night over a collared shirt without any issue.

Even on a formal night, once you are seated, you are free to remove your jacket. On my recent QV cruise, the MDR was quite warm and many men, including myself, wisely chose to not sit in an uncomfortably warm jacket throughout our meal.

Off topic but fuel burn is not straight line, it is logarithmic. Apparently to go from a 7 day TA on QM2 to 6 days nearly doubles the fuel burn. It just doesn't make economic sense for Cunard/Carnival. Few, if anyone, are actually using QM2 to travel from NY to London in the shortest possible time so there is no value in striving for 6 days anyway particularly as most would expect a fare reduction due to the shorter duration at the same time as one of the prime cost factors for the cruiseline actually increases.

My review of this cruise is now up. https://www.cruisecritic.com.au/cruise/cunard/queen-victoria/reviews/729042

I found that dress code was loosely applied on QV in Med last month which I am fine with. A warm weather cruise is different from a TA voyage and should be treated as such. Most people made an effort and I didn't see any egregious breaches. Overall it is less stressful on both passengers and crew.

If you are limited in luggage, hiring makes sense but the prices Cunard charge are high...not surprising really given, if you are onboard without a suit, you are captive audience.

The ongoing angst about what to dress on Cunard is so unnecessary and it is sad that so many people worry in advance of their cruise that they won't fit in or will commit some sort of fashion howler. From my experience, during the day, what you wear on Cunard is no different from just about every other cruise line in that casual wear of just about any kind is OK as long as you do not wearing swimwear in dining areas. Jeans, shorts,flip-flops (we call them thongs) etc are all OK on deck and around the ship. Apart from gala nights in prescribed venues, evenings are much the same as other premium lines and certainly no different from river cruises. Men are expected to wear long pants, a collared shirt and shoes. Ladies can wear dresses, slacks, skirts etc. Gala nights are slightly different but, from what I saw on QV, as long as it looks like you made a decent effort to comply with the guidelines, you will be OK. You booked Cunard, so you know it will be more traditional than, say Virgin or Carnival but there are not fashion police at every door judging you so relax and enjoy your holiday. Common sense should typically tell you what is OK.

The burgers are not that inspring especially since you can get a made to order burger at the Lido Grill