3rdGenCunarder

Making ship's time visible is a good idea. Last fall I sailed to Norway from Southampton. While we were en route, we changed a time zone and at the same time, both UK and Norway went from summer time to standard time. Some people's devices changed and others didn't. Being on the ship's wifi and internet didn't seem to matter. One person's phone changed but her smartwatch didn't. As Bullwinkle says, we were all soooo confused!

Ohhh, she was really something in her day. Sadly, I sailed on her about 6 years after you did. By then, NCL was running her on the cheap and she looked sad. But that lounge with the Neptune statues still ranks high with me for most beautiful room at sea.

You know, sometimes ignorance is bliss.

I think when CO was new, they said it was one step, not top of the meta category, but then it changed. When I did the CO upgrade for a cruise last year, my TA had never been asked to do this. She had something from HAL that said one step. Either HAL or someone at the agency hadn't updated their info. So she called, and I got the move from lowest to highest.

The Nordlys popup on QV Northern Lights cruise was outstanding!

I don't know how easy it is to leave dead areas in a system like that, but I think it would be a great idea. I remember a bar in the Caribbean, Aruba maybe, where they had a sign saying "No, we don't have wifi. Talk to each other!"

The grills are so nice that it does seem kind of a step down to go to one of the specialty restaurants. On QE and QV, I've gone to the Verandah for lunch, which has a nice menu.

No, thank goodness! That was the total price. It does seem expensive, but it's my favorite indulgence on board.

Interesting. I'd love to be a "fly on the wall" for that video conference.

1978 Statendam to Bermuda

I wonder if people paying Cunard Fare get first priority for acceptance of bids over Saver or Sailing Soon. Or is it simply how much you bid? And if I booked a cruise for $5000 during a sale and someone else booked the same Britannia cabin grade for $7000 either before or after the sale, would our starting prices be the same to bid up to Club, or would mine be more to compensate for the lower original price I paid?

The MDR does look stunning. I love those columns! It looks like a set from one of the Fred & Ginger movies. Too bad the curved stair is too narrow to dance down elegantly. The shape of the upper level is different than on Koningsdam, making the lower level look more open. The MDR on K'dam is very noisy. I hope that this design difference will improve that situation.

I'm concerned about the thermal suite. That spa pool looks quite a bit smaller than the ones on QE and QV, despite the fact that there are going to be more passengers. Also, it looks like the heated loungers are in the same area as the pool, so is that the only seating for the thermal suite? The Relaxation Lounge on other ships is an area to relax before a spa treatment. I don't think that's meant for people in wet bathing suits. And no windows! I fear it's going to be dark and dreary like the spa on QM2. Not sure it's going to be worth the money to buy a pass, which is normally my favorite indulgence. The Commodore Club looks like it will be very large, which is nice to see.

Probably true, but it might improve response the next time a diner is in this situation. Alternatively, report the issue on the navigator app. They really do look at it. Again, that won't give an immediate response, but if enough people complain, they might pay attention to the issue.

The therapy pool is not as hot as a typical hot tub. I find hot tubs too hot and prefer the therapy pool, which I to be comfortably warm. Although most people just stand around in the pool or sit on the benches at the side, I like to walk in it. I guess it's about 4 feet deep. There are loungers in the pool area and an adjacent room has the heated loungers. There are also various steam or sauna rooms (others can tell you about those, I don't use them). You can't buy the full-cruise pass online. You need to do that when they board. The spa staff are happy to give a tour before you buy--it's a sales pitch for other services, but it will give you a look at the thermal suite. Last fall on QV, the full pass cost $249 for a 12-night cruise. I have never seen any "deals" or discounts for the pass. There are specials on other services as the cruise goes on, but not for the thermal suite. I always buy the full pass, so I don't know about the single day passes.

It's free advertising. They aren't going to refuse it.

If you're going to the Netherlands in spring, it's much better to order for fall shipping. The bulbs for sale in the spring were harvested the previous spring. If the fields are full of tulips in bloom when you're there, those flowers will be cut and the foliage left to finish nourishing the bulb. When the foliage has died back, perhaps 2 months later, the bulbs are dug up and sorted and packaged for planting that fall. Yes, year-old bulbs will likely grow and bloom, but your best chance for success is to order in the spring for fall shipment. Or buy in person if you're there after the harvest.

Of all the adjectives I've read above, pretentious and condescending hit home for me. On a short cruise, we decided to make our evening at the Verandah a formal night, although it wasn't an official formal night. When we arrived, the snooty maitre d' said, "Now, you do know that this is a formal dining experience, yes?" Hellloooo? Men in tuxes, women in gowns, did he really think we were looking for a McDonald's experience? Service was slow and disorganized. Long waits between courses. Mains arrived at the table one or two at a time over a span of at least 10 minutes. Two of us had meat that was so overcooked it was inedible. And then, after 3 hours and we still hadn't been given dessert menus, we decided we were done. The maitre d' came over and said that surely there must be something on the dessert menu we would like, as if we offended him by being tired of the whole experience. Perhaps staff from QE or QV could spend a few weeks on QM2 teaching that bunch how to run a restaurant.

Just a little more data. I priced airfare from US to London through Cunard and direct with United (same flights), and Cunard was more. Today I booked directly with United for $700 less (first class) than the price Cunard quoted. That will pay for my spa pass and quite a few drinks on board. Interestingly, when I priced out two one-way flights instead of round-trip (with United), the flight to London was something like $2500 in first. But the return from London was over $9000!!!! I didn't think airlines still gouged on one-way flights.

Hey! I think the Hudson Valley is very pretty. The land-based tour you saw would be an unfortunate surprise. We can check to see what other ships may be in port, but I don't know how to find out if there's a large land tour at the same time.

I haven't taken a 7-day winter cruise for a long time. Partly because I like a longer cruise, and partly because of the stories from people who had to change plans when their cruise was chartered out from under them. I avoid the 14-day B2B for the same reason. But this is yet another reason to avoid 7-day cruises. I like to have a winter cruise to get away from the cold, and I've sailed with HAL for a lot of those cruises. But between the same old same old itineraries and the kids sail free and the possibility that the cabin I chose may be given to someone else and the disappointing entertainment, I'm questioning whether I'll keep sailing with HAL.

I have a fridge magnet that says "Life is short, eat dessert first."

Well, there are either a lot of train nuts (I'm one) or a lot of suckers because it's very popular. So you've done this trip, then? And if so, did you take the time to go to the museum about the construction of the railway? That adds to the appreciation of this trip on one of the world's steepest railways to run on regular (not cog) rails.

Following seas, but also following weather systems. I've done EB TAs and had rainy weather travel with us most of the way.

I've seen the "no upgrades" sign on nearly every cruise I've taken. I sometimes wondered if they put that out to stop people asking. I never would have thought to go to voyage sales and ask them. I wonder if upgrade availability will be reduced by the "bid up" option.