reeves35

Standard pour is usually 150ml (equivalent of 5 fluid ounces).  For reference a standard metric cup is 250ml.

Whilst a clean-sheet, Princess would have had a fairly clear idea in their head of what they wanted to develop.  They would've been on the newest available similar sized ships at the time, probably things like the Quantum Class, and had a look at what looked like it was working and what were problems.  

Some things have definitely gone wrong such as Park 19 but some of the other things such as the expansion of the Signature zone is more a reflection of how cruise ships have continued to evolve and Princess were a bit later to this party than some other lines.

Princess do have a habit of slightly botching their first of types.  Grand Princess had design issues that eventually meant its shopping trolley handle had to be removed; these issues were partially resolved before Golden and Star Princess were launched and completely changed for later ships.  Likewise, Royal Princess had numerous design SNAFUs that were gradually resolved as latter built siblings were launched.  Even the original Sun class evolved over its life.  What is interesting, as has been mentioned, is Princess is not waiting for later ships to evolve the design but changing Sun Princess itself after only 6 months.  This is either a sign of clear management determination to get things right or dire passenger surveys meaning they have no choice.

14 hours ago, foodsvcmgr said:

Naples today, good Cunard tour to Pompeii.

All the Cunard excursions have been well run with excellent English speaking guides at fair prices, particularly when compared to Celebrity.

We are on QV in Med next year and agree that the pricing of the Cunard excursions is very competitive.  In all ports except Rhodes, we have opted for the Cunard tours which, when what is included is taken into account, the pricing was equal or better than what we could get through independent tour operators. 

In Rhodes, where we did choose an independent tour, bizarrely, the Cunard equivalent was nearly double the price for what seemed to be almost the same tour.

Epic has always been a bit of an orphan and it is not surprising the series stopped at one ship.  Some of her faults such as the strange cabin design and awkward exterior can never be fixed and you can't see NCL holding onto her for 30 years which is the average lifespan of a cruise ship.

Would it put me off sailing on a different NCL ship?  No; some of their newer ships look great though NCL's reputation for sacrificing general space for The Haven as well as being known to relentlessly nickel and dime passengers probably concerns me more.

NCL does send the revitalised Spirit downunder seasonally and she receives rave reviews.  She will probably be my first NCL experience.

15 hours ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

Or indeed, if you wish to make individual choices as a customer.  Carnival, like all lines mired in astonishing debt, will wring the last farthing out of you once aboard and at least if you "pay as you go" you just get a drink.  With these welter of "packages" I feel I am being "gamed" at times by cold calculation to ensure you don't get value out of it.  The more pax on packages, the fewer bar stewards or the $13.50 (let alone $12 (!)) limit doesn't get you want you'd want to drink anyway. 

Cruiselines only offer drinks packages because they have worked out it is a more profitable product for them especially as prepaid drinks packages also induce the "fresh wallet" syndrome where passengers tend to ignore what they have already paid before they board the ship and are more likely to spend more overall when their pre-purchases are added to their onboard spending.

Drinks packages become more profitable for lines the longer the cruise and the more port intensive the cruise.  This is because people are less likely to continue to drink heavily day after day and, on port days, passengers are off the ship for up to 8 hours so are unable to get anywhere near the alleged 15 drink break-even point.  Conversely, cruiselines do not offer drinks packages on shorter cruises as these tend to be party cruises and passengers can tolerate heavy drinking for a few days so it is more profitable for cruiselines to sell alcohol by the glass.

Having said that, Cunard is notoriously expensive for both its internet and drinks packages so, whilst an all-inclusive package is theoretically possible, it is also likely to work out quite expensive unless you know you and your cabin partner are both going to be consistently heavy drinkers.

Great to hear she is being cared for.  We are doing Turkey and Greek Islands on her next May and looking forward to trying Cunard for the firt time.

I am pleased how the dress standards for meals are managed.  We are travelling a long way so have luggage limitations and will bring a black suit for me and a formal black dress for my wife but, other than that, we will have neat casual.wear for the other nights.

I understand why Cunard manages its cruises differently from TA voyages and that makes sense.  The expectations are different and Cunard has to meet the market. 

People enjoy the couple of formal nights each week but are also on holiday and neat casual seems appropriate for the other nights.  Any more formality would probably be a turn-off and drive away first time Cunard customers and any less would mean Cunard would lose differentiation and Carnival may as well just rebrand the fleet as HAL.

6 hours ago, Goofyisme said:

Other than the dining room what are the differences between the Balcony and the Club Balcony.

Seems like a large price difference for just the dining room so I must be missing something.

Any information would be much appreciated.

TIA

It is a steep increase in pricing (around USD1500 per room on a 7 day sailing) for what is actually added.  I guess it depends on how much you value the same table, same waitstaff, all meals but I really can't see that I'd ever go for it and would prefer to just select a Britannia balcony room in a location I liked.

I have previously heard an interview with Stephen Payne on this and my understanding is that, whilst a 6 night crossing is possible, the massively increased fuel burn on the accelerated voyage makes it uneconomic.  

Carnival is unique in that it has 3 brands in the premium sector, Cunard, HAL and Princess.  It competitors RCL and NCL have one and none respectively.  Obviously, some differentiation is required or there may as well just be a single brand.  As it stands, HAL is the most American, Cunard the most traditional and Princess the most international.  Some of the differences the OP noted relate to these historical factors.

It appears the formality of a Cunard cruises does vary depending on the voyage with TA being the most formal and traditional whereas cruises in regions such as Alaska, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Australia are less formal and that obviously reflects customer feedback that Cunard has received over the years.

HAL and Princess have both been more aggressive in revising their food offerings in recent years compared with Cunard.  Only now, with QA, had Cunard started to seriously update its food and it will be interesting to see how many of these changes percolate down to the other ships as they cycle through their next refurbs. The OP does note the "always available" options on HAL; apparently Cunard does also offer these also but, for some reason, does not publish it on their Britannia Room menus.

Cunard, along with P&O UK, do seriously lag in the technology stakes. I do find it somewhat baffling that Carnival Corp even allow their brands to have different technology approaches in this area of passenger apps.  Surely it would be more efficient to identify the best product from their suite (as it stands, that is probably Princess) and develop it as a white-label product with the necessary branding changes as the product is used by each brand.  

Itineraries obviously vary but HAL, with its American focus, probably leans more towards 7 night cruises reflecting the lesser amount of holiday (vacation) time available to US employees. HAL, Princess and Cunard do have the historical advantage of preferential access in Alaska to areas such as Glacier Bay as well as more preferred docking locations.

Passenger mix is an interesting topic and will vary from the individual's perspective.  Some find some Cunard passengers a bit snobby whilst others enjoy listening to Cunard veterans "war stories."  Some find the more American lines full of loud and brash Americans whilst others don't mind.  As has been said upthread, it is often best to not worry about what others are doing and just enjoy yourself as long as it is not interrupting others.

1 hour ago, shellbeachjim said:

I don't pack a tux, but wore a black suit, red shirt, and gold tie (long, not bow).

I'm with you.  I'm planning on a black suit, white shirt and a red and gold tie.  Black & white night will be the same except it will probably just be a black tie.

I wonder if Carnival Adventure and Carnival Encounter will initially wear a hybrid livery keeping the existing Southern Cross design near the bow with the Carnival logo added beside it.  There are only a couple of weeks for the initial rebrand so it is unlikely the 2 Grand class ships will receive a completely new livery until their next drydocks.

Is it expected that, as the older Cunard fleet members cycle through drydocks and updates, they Lido (Vistas) and Kings Court (QM2) buffets will be remodelled and rebranded as Artisan Food Halls?  The traditional buffet as seen on the older ships is pretty old-hat these days with most modern ships being launched with a food-court type arrangement which is both better for passenger flow and more hygienic with minimal touching of utensils by passengers.

I believe QV is due for a remodelling around late 2025 so maybe we will know more then.

On 8/15/2024 at 10:13 AM, springaussie said:

Unsure Geoff!

Miami management and LAX Ports have mentioned it a few times sailing form the West Coast. 
I am sure they will make a few ports Oasis friendly if required.

Unlikely that Alaska is an option either.  Alaskan ports are seeking to limit passenger numbers and, with RC not having the legacy priority rights held by Princess and HAL, they are unlikely to be able to increase their passenger numbers in the region.

We cruised on Vega and Polaris last August and there was an omelet station every day not that I used it.  I rarely eat large breakfasts on cruises just sticking with cereals and toast.  I try not to eat more for breakfast or lunch than I would at home. 

I was kind of proud that after 4 weeks in Europe last year, including 2 weeks on TM, I came home at the same weight I left and that is after drinking at least 2 or 3 wines every day and having a large dinner every night.... lots of walking definitely helps too! 

Dress standard is casual.  Most people do have a shower before dinner as they have been out all day but they do not dress up.  For men, chinos and a polo is fine, for ladies, some chose a dress whilst others were just shirt and slacks.  A jacket or tie are not required just as heels aren't required but you can wear them if you like.  What you wear in the MDR on a normal night on an ocean cruise is fine on Travelmarvel.  Theoretically, shorts were not allowed for dinner on our summer cruise but lots wore shorts and a collared shirt on the warm nights we enjoyed.

We cruised in summer but ship is heated and air conditioned so, whilst you need a coat outside, inside it will be a comfy 20 degrees or so.

It is fundamentally a repositioning cruise so the per diems etc that Princess is earning will typically be less than a normal cruise so, in many respects, they want it over as soon as possible and have no interest in extending its duration any further.  You should probably be grateful that they have chosen to do a cruise than tracks much of the Australian coast when the quicker option would've been Singapore-Bali-Darwin-Airlie Beach-Brisbane.

On 7/12/2024 at 4:10 AM, Jack E Dawson said:

watsonbeau,

I happened to stumble on to this topic and was wondering how your visit to Santorini went. We will be there on May 21st of 2025. Any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Jack

We are on the same cruise as you and have the same concerns about the overcrowding on Santorini.  At this stage, it appears that Cunard have not released details of their own excursions so we will wait to see what they have available.  Ideally, we would take one of their excursions where you bus from the alternative port and then we will walk back down to the ship on the path.  Given we will be sharing Santorini with 5 other ships (VoyagerOTS, Wind Spirit, Celestyal Journey Costa Delizioza, MSC Lirica) on the day, queuing for the cable car is not an attractive option.

Has anyone done the al fresco dining option on QV?  We are doing the Med on her next year and it seems a nice way to dine on a summer evening.  Is it a fixed charge or al-a-carte pricing?

9 hours ago, Lee Jones Jnr said:

WELL...

A factor in why I like and travel with Cunard is that I like the traditional nature including the smarter dress code. 

IMO it does detract from formal nights when people are milling around in casual wear, though I am also perfectly happy with the theme nights being hit over the head and thrown overboard. A ship full of grown adults dressed up for Roaring Twenties is a bit odd.

In many respects, dressing up in penguin suits for no reason other than the Daily Program said to could also be seen as a bit silly but, as a special event, it is a bit of harmless fun.

In a lead-up to her retirement and probable scrapping, Pacific Explorer leaves Sydney Harbour for the final time today.  She now commences an Auckland season followed by short seasons in Melbourne, Adelaide, Melbourne again and Perth before leaving Australian waters permanently in February.   Hopefully Sydney Ports give Dora a bit of a send-off today.

Dressing up for a special night is fun but it is just that, a fun night of dress-up, it is not reality.  We're not living in Downton Abbey so don't pretend it really means much.  It is a fun thing to do as part of your Cunard holiday just likes lots of other things you do on a cruise.

5 hours ago, JT1101 said:

Business units by definition are separated because they have their own internal operations. Carnival Corporation (sorry LLC is my error) is comprised of several such units. One is Carnival Cruise Lines (which causes confusion sometimes). Another is Carnival UK. Costa is another again. Cunard and P&O as Brands jointly compose Carnival UK. P&O Australia despite the name was part of Carnival Cruise Lines. 

Until June 2023, the structure of Carnival Corp was split into 4 divisions, Carnival Cruises, Carnival UK (P&O UK and Cunard), Europe (Aida and Costa), Holland America (HAL, Princess, Seabourn and P&O Australia),

In June 2023 this was revised to 6 divisions.  Carnival, Carnival UK, Aida, Costa, Princess, and HAL.   As part of this restructure Princess CEO became a direct report to the Group CEO and P&O Australia moved under Carnival in what can now be seen as a precursor to the brands "sunsetting." 

As you say, despite both operating as P&O and operating under the same company flag, P&O Australia and P&O UK have been very separate operations since the early 1980s.  P&O Australia has always been a leisure based 3 star operation whilst P&O UK has developed into the multi-layer product it is today.

2 hours ago, Brummel said:

These are not slight  and IMHO they are dangerous.

Dangerous sounds a bit strong.  It is not as if the removal of jackets on casual nights is going to lead to outright debauchery or violence.  It is just changing to what surveys are obviously telling Cunard management want customers want.  As always, if you want to dress up every night, that is fine.  Have a great time particularly if it makes you feel a bit special and make you happy. 

Some people seem to be spending too much time worrying about what other people are doing rather than enjoying their holiday.  As I said way upthread, LIVE AND LET LIVE!

From the Carnival website...this explains the dual listing.

Effective April 17, 2003, Carnival Corporation and Carnival plc (formerly known as P&O Princess Cruises plc) completed a dual listed company transaction. On most matters that affect all shareholders of Carnival Corporation and Carnival plc, each of their shareholders will vote together as a single body. As a mechanism to effect the new voting arrangements resulting from the DLC transaction, shares of Carnival Corporation common stock were paired with trust shares of beneficial interest in the P&O Princess Special Voting Trust (the "Special Voting Trust"). These are referred to as the "trust shares" (or in some literature they are referred to as "paired shares"). The trustee of the Special Voting Trust holds a special voting share which is the means by which the vote of Carnival Corporation shareholders is given effect at the parallel meeting of the shareholders of Carnival plc. Accordingly, each holder of Carnival Corporation common stock is also deemed to be the beneficial owner of an equivalent number of trust shares. The trust shares that are paired with the Carnival Corporation common stock do not give the holder separate voting rights. Separate certificates are not issued to represent these trust shares. Instead, the trust shares are paired with, and evidenced by, certificates representing Carnival Corporation common stock. The trust shares cannot be transferred separately from the Carnival Corporation common stock and have no separate value.

2 hours ago, JT1101 said:

P&O Australia is a completely different animal than Cunard. Also Cunard and P&O comprise Carnival UK - a separate unit within Carnival LLC. P&O Australia is part of the main Carnival Cruise Lines unit. Costa is in its own unit also. 

The Carnival UK business unit is not separate; it is just a reporting line.  The head of Cunard Katie McAlister reports to Carnival UK CEO Paul Ludlow who reports to Carnival Corp CEO Josh Weinstein.  It is no more autonomous than any other business unit.

P&O Australia was not part of the Carnival business unit.  It was actually part of the Holland America Group which includes HAL, Princess and Seabourn.  P&O Australia was a member of Princess Captains Circle rewards program.  Following the announcement of P&O Australia's "sunset", the reporting lines are changing so P&O Australia will report to Carnival USA along with the existing Australian based Carnival ships.