Bedruthen

hi everyone. We will be in Providence, RI and will need to drop off a car hire somewhere, prior to a 3 night stay at The a Westin, Grand Central. We will have 2 large suitcases with us! We are considering various options, but not knowing New York and the traffic implications, we don’t what would be easiest.

1) We could return the car in Providence and take Amtrak to New York, Penn Station then taxi to Grand Central.

2) Drive from Providence and drop off car somewhere like Stamford, then Amtrak again. ( lower drop off fee and train fare)

3) Drop off car at La Guardia, then get from there to hotel somehow!

4) Drive from Providence to our hotel and drop car at nearest drop point- scary option!

As we will have picked up the car in Washington, we know we will have one way drop off fees wherever we leave it.

What would be the easiest do you think?

Actually no. There are several other lines that make one or more transatlantic crossings during the year. Cunard is just the only one that makes regularly scheduled crossings throughout most of the year. That translates to Cunard/QM2 probably being most convenient for Southampton to NY crossings - but hardly the only one.

If you look at Atlantic crossings, as I have done in some depth, the other crossings tend to be repositioning cruises, which means you might be able to get one way, but can’t then get back to your home country without a flight. They also tend to be at the wrong end of the season, if you want to visit the USA. The US cruise lines come over to the UK, or more likely Europe, during Spring and return around late October, so yes QM2 is really the only choice for a non flying holiday to the US.

I also agree.

 

I've never really understood why anyone but a masochist would want to cruise on a line that is so well known for being the most formal of all the lines if they have such a dislike for dressing up. The formality of Cunard is one of the reasons why we much prefer it over the more casual lines.

 

DW always takes along a different long gown for every formal night (and doesn't mind being complemented ;)).

Possibly one reason might be because QM2 is the only way to cross the Atlantic if you don’t like flying.

I went to a wedding where the bride's mother wore a cardigan and flip flops......She wasn't disrespectful, she just didn't have a clue about style. There are women out there who just see clothes as something functional and regard a ball gown in the same way as a blouse and trousers. It's just the way they are. I find this whole thread akin to bullying. Or perhaps women that don't dress like a Vogue fashion plate should be banned from Cunard?

I agree, wear what makes you feel happy and don’t worry about it. I can’t stand clothes snobbery and anyway it’s wasted on me, because I can’t tell my uggs from my wellies 😂

You must do the wrong cruises. We have sailed 6 times on Oriana and I have never found her like a care home. There were lots of folk in their fifties, some a lot younger than that and of course some a lot older. We are in our 70s, but like second dining, the shows, staying up late etc. What a terrible generalised comment.

I have to concur with the original poster. We sailed on Oriana last year and the average on board was nearer 80 than 50. The whole atmosphere changes on an adult only ship and it wasn’t for us. And yes it did feel like a floating care home.

I am reading this thread with increasing unease. I would like gratuities to be built into prices and if so, nobody could escape with not paying so they would not need to be at current or new levels.

However, in this thread, and in many others on the same topic, the real ‘victims’ are not people who have to pay more on top of the price they have paid for their holiday (most can well afford it) but the recipients of the gratuities who continue to give great service and presumably have seen their gratuities gradually reducing because the people they serve and clean for don’t want to pay a little extra. They have no voice on here. I wonder whether any of those who remove gratuities and do not ‘give an envelope with an equivalent amount’ have the nerve to explain why to their steward and/or waiter, the victims of the choice they make.

I am not intimately familiar with the system on P&O, but on Cunard, any deficit in tips is made up by the cruise line, For example, staff are paid say £100 but guaranteed to receive say £1000, which is made up £100 plus the auto gratuities. If the auto gratuities are removed by the passengers, it does not impact the staff as they have a minimum guaranteed pay promise, so they still get £1000. For this reason, the staff prefer passengers to pay them directly in cash, as they no longer have to declare or share such payments.

We will not accept the auto gratuity system, until P&O become transparent about how the gratuities are distributed. We tip our cabin steward and dining room waiters directly, an amount based on the recommended tipping rates issued by the cruise company. Our experience is that this is also what the staff prefer, so I can only conclude that it is financially beneficial for them. I am not an obedient customer!

Let's face it you either like being on a coach with 50 people, or you like doing it yourself. We like the latter, so I spend quite some time sorting it out and we have saved hundreds of pounds and probably had a better time. We have done the odd excursion, but always favour doing it ourselves.

This ^^. I can derive no pleasure from being herded around on a coach, being told what I want I should want to see and having to wait at every stop for that inconsiderate passenger who arrives back to the coach 10 minutes after everyone else. We always enjoy researching the ports and making our arrangements with recommended independent tour operators and generally we get an individually tailored expedition for around the same cost, often less than P&O. We also arrive at any significant attractions before the main bulk of the coaches and get to view what we want in relative tranquility.

I have to agree with the original poster. We were on Queen Victoria before Christmas and the standard of dress was nowhere near as formal as posters on here would claim. Certainly long dresses were in the minority, with most people in what I would call smart comfortable clothing. As for wearing trousers, of course they can be every bit as beautiful and dressy as anything else. We will be on QM2 for a transatlantic crossing in May and I shall be taking one, yes just one, black formal dress, with an assortment of accessories and I bet no one even notices. I am much more interested in hearing about other peoples experiences than checking what they wear. Be confident ladies and wear what makes you feel good.

It really depends on where you’re headed with the car- unless you’re headed to Long Island or upstate NY La Guardia might actually be out of your way.

We would be going up to New England.

Just a comment in case you are inclined to price shop: Airport rental car franchises have facility expenses which are passed along to renters in the form of facility fees charged by the day according to where one begins the rental. Often an off-airport location will have lower facility fees so the rental will be significantly less expensive from an off-airport location even though the daily base rate is the same or similar.

 

Of course, the New York City area is generally a very expensive location from which to rent a car, since urban off-airport locations still have high real estate expenses even without an airport franchise's fees.

 

As an example, I looked up the cost to rent an intermediate sized car (Toyota Corolla or similar, Group C) from LaGuardia airport and from the Park Slope location in Brooklyn near Red Hook for a one week rental in May. The total cost to rent from LaGuardia is $462.52. Renting in Brooklyn the cost would be $403.50, a savings of almost $60, plus whatever you'd save in a lower cab fare.

 

Something to consider...

Thanks that’s very helpful. The reason that we are looking at an airport location is that we don’t particularly want to pick up a hire car and then have to drive it through central New York potentially in the rush hour. Our thought was to get a taxi to take us further out, does that seem sensible.

We did the self disembarkation at the end of the Christmas cruise in Brooklyn on the 3 rd and we were among the first off the ship at about 7:10 am and we got to our car at about 7:30. This was by far our quickest disembarkation we have had, I'm sure this can vary, so I would budget some extra time just in case customs takes longer.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Which trans-Atlantic are you taking?

Out on 10th May,which is no longer showing on their website.....

There is no advantage, however it was my husbands 60th birthday, so I wanted to be sure of a table. However the restaurant was so empty in the evenings that it lacked any ambience and there was never going to be a problem getting a table, so I certainly wouldn’t recommend pre booking.

Whilst onboard Queen Victoria in November, we had to cancel a meal in The Verandah, which we had booked through the voyage personaliser before the cruise commenced. As we had prepaid, the refund had to go back to our credit card, rather than our onboard account. I have checked our statements since returning and no refund has been forthcoming. I telephoned Cunard today who say they have received no notice from the ship that a refund is due, so none has been issued. I have had to raise a complaint, which I am advised may take up to 28 days to respond. Luckily I still have the name of the onboard purser that dealt with the cancellation, but this is the second time now that this has happened to us, having previously been charged incorrectly for minibar usage after we had left the ship. My advice to anyone is to check your bank statements carefully when we you get home.

The amount of time it'll take to clear seems to be widely variable these days. In the past, it was practically a walk-thru, but it took an hour for us last May.

 

Debarking time is by cabin assignment. What cabin will you be occupying?

We are on deck 10, but as we are self disembarking, is that also by deck?

We are taking our first transatlantic this year. On arrival, we will self disembark and then take a taxi to La Guardia to pick up a hire car. Can anyone familiar with the routine advise what time we could reasonably expect to be clear of customs formalities at Red Hook and/or what would be a sensible pick up time for our car hire at La Guardia. Many thanks

This is verbatim from the dining room waiter onboard our recent cruise.

Waiters are paid a basic salary of $50 per month.

Waiter has 18 covers, two sittings,36 per evening.

Staff keep 100% of any gratuities that they receive directly from passengers.

In addition to the above, should a significant number of passengers remove the auto gratuities, CUNARD also guarantee that the monthly pay of the waiter will not be less than $1500 ( $1250 for junior waiter).

Not surprisingly, our waiter said it was better for him to receive gratuities directly from the passengers.

Hopefully it should be warmer more quickly.

Ooh I hope so :)

The OP is sailing on Queen Victoria, taking the southern route not via New York.

Does that make a big difference Hattie?

Just trying to get my head round packing for a Caribbean cruise starting and finishing in Southampton I next week. I am hoping to need summer clothes for the days in the Caribbean, but have no idea what to expect weather wise for the rest of the cruise. I have read that that is is reasonable to expect warm weather once you get past the Azores, but are we talking sitting around the pool warm, or just warm enough not to need a coat!

What has been your experience please?

Just a quick observation, As many of us have noticed, the CUNARD web site often has glitches. Last week we were able to book an early saver and still choose our cabin number. Seems they had forgotten to block the cabin numbers. All confirmed, early saver fare and assigned cabin number, happy days. It’s worth giving Cunard a ring if you’re thinking of booking.

That’s what we had been finding, that airport rental was cheaper, which does seem strange. As we arrive in Red Hook and are going to be travelling straight over Boston Way, pick up at La Guardia looks the most sensible. More research to do.

Thank you for the advice, we will do some more in-depth research and see what other pick up options are available. This is proving to be the most challenging part of our whole trip.

I am hoping that someone can help. We are doing a transatlantic crossing next year, returning the same way three weeks later. In the interim we are planning a road trip, so need to pick up a hire car. On arrival in New York, we plan to self disembark, pick up a hire car and head for Boston. At the end of our trip we will be driving back to New York from Niagara Falls and then staying overnight near Grand Central station. Given these plans, where would be the best location to pick up and return a hire car? We are thinking that an airport might be the best option, as it would avoid driving in the busiest areas of New York, but don’t know which one would the most logical. If anyone has any advice it would be welcome, or if anyone has done something similar. We don’t want to take a train anywher

I also spoke to CUNARD today about the absolute mess that they have made of the dates on their website. It is frankly appalling that they have put this out in the public domain without basic checks. It isn’t just one cruise that is showing the wrong dates, it’s virtually every single one. Whoever put this together and authorised the release should be fired. This has been going on for weeks, errors all over the website and when you report it,the agents don’t work from the same website, so struggle to understand what you are telling them. It seems that QE arrival date in Southampton could be anytime from beginning of August to 16th September, depending on which sector you book. I can only assume she is going via the Bermuda Triangle.