stan01

Thank you much, I figured the crew would take care of it and good to hear it does indeed work out.

We are booked on QM2 23 JUN 2024 Southampton-Brooklyn, followed by the 4th of July Brooklyn to Brooklyn cruise. We will be in Queens Grill but this is our first and likely only cruise on Cunard so no other "status". It's basically a bucket list item to do the TA in QG and adding on the 4th of July seemed even more special. Although the full trip can be made as a single booking there wasn't availability of QG suites to do this so we did two bookings that Cunard says are linked. Each segment is a separate booking, and we have to change suites (a few doors down the hall) at the pier in Brooklyn between the segments. We were told by Cunard phone rep that the ship's crew would help move our belongings from the first suite to the second suite, especially since we are in QG. We'd certainly try to make this as easy as possible and would pack most items in suitcases but would rather not pack and wrinkle up our formal wear to move down the hall. Anyone done this before? What else might we expect in this situation? Since we are in Brooklyn I'm guessing we'll have to go through US Customs then reboard. Might staying on the ship be an option? We may not know for sure what will happen until we get on the ship (and the Cunard rep implied this) but hoping this happens often enough that others can help us know what to expect.

Carnival owned ships often use Terminal D, E and F depending upon how many ships are in port, what cruise lines they are from, and what their sizes are. You may not know for sure until you see where the ship actually is. Sometimes the Port Miami Daily Docking report is helpful, but it is not always right, sometimes ships are missing, and any of the data can change: https://wwwx.miamidade.gov/Apps/Seaport/dailydock/Default.aspx

We used it all the time, from checking hours of operation and menus to looking at the event calendar to looking at charges posting to the statement. It's not perfect but once you are familiar with the app it got the job done. We preferred to iMessage over wifi rather than use the embedded message/chat function in Source app, but if we wanted to talk to other passengers it works well and it is easy to find them.

Once you get on board you go to Seabourn Square and ask them to credit back the costs of the shore excursions. It should come back as a refundable credit applied to your card on file within a few days after your cruise is over. Your on board statement in the Source app will show both the refundable credit and any non-refundable on board credit balances. Agree it would be nice if the OBC could be applied when booking before departure but it doesn't work that way.

We had a good experience with FlightEase for US domestic first class fares, and especially liked the ability to select our own flights rather than trying to communicate preferences to an intermediary. We want to make our own choices, and trying to coordinate on the phone or by email with a travel agent or cruiseline call center is tedious. I do understand that others still value this type of service. We booked first class domestic fares about 6 months out in FlightEase which were about 20% less than what the airlines were charging at the time we booked.

I would not assume you'd get an automatic yes to any and all request. Factors that may come into play: Penthouse or higher suite fare, status (# of nights), who the chef is, and what the request is. I would not assume that a first time passenger in a regular balcony suite is going to get the same answer as a passenger with 700 plus nights over the past 30 years including world cruises in Owner's Suite. I would not assume something that happened in 2017 would happen again in 2024. They try their best but they do something say no. We don't make a lot of special requests so its more what we heard from other passengers who do. To be honest often times I side with Seabourn as granting the request would impact other passengers service.

I'm not even sure what this means, is it Big Band and no Taylor Swift allowed?

Yes, but plenty of ways to comply with the dress code on formal night while in the Caribbean. No need to wear a tux/gown and dark business suit or jacket. Sundress and a light colored sport coat with collared shirt for him is fine.

I hope they back off the "for two prepared tableside" theme. Spouse and I often don't want the same thing or in the case of steak want it cooked differently, so several of the featured dishes become unavailable. If ordered for one are they going to say "sure" or "no"? Would be nice if they offered a one person version, even if it is somewhat modified and less theatrically prepared back in the kitchen instead of tableside.

Food is obviously a personal preference, but what we DO NOT prefer is too many specialty restaurants that have to be reserved months in advance at midnight on the opening day of availability when which seems to have become the norm on some cruise lines. Or having seating at specialty restaurants overly tied to status and cabin fare. We'd rather be more spontaneous on our vacations than plan down to the last minute when and where we will eat months in advance. Having most dining choices except TK available without reservations on Seabourn works for us. Again, personal preference and others will disagree I'm sure.

Cruise line IT needs work. Seabourn has had a lot of problems, including sending out spurious emails for our upcoming cruise then quickly sending out an "ooops we didn't mean to send that". Despite that, Cunard is much worse. Seems like Carnival is still letting each name brand run their own websites rather than putting everything on a full featured and reliable platform.

Shortened port days and skipped ports sounds like weather issues (such as not being able to tender or even approach a pier). Every cruise ship line will err on the side of safety when there are rough seas, they do not want to put anyone at risk tendering in rough waters or risk damaging the ship or pier. I would not use weather related issues as a criteria. Sometimes they are able to find an alternate port that is safe to visit, other times it becomes an extra sea day. We have done back to backs when the transition port was San Juan and Monte Carlo where the ship is docked within walking distance of the city/town not in a distant commercial port. It would not be our first choice but we would do it again given the right circumstances.

For those who have used the LAX long term garage that replaced Lot C, how do they handle the abundance of EV charger spots? I would not want to arrive to find that I've paid in advance for a spot and all the spots are taken while there are hundreds of empty EV spots I'm not "allowed" to park in?

I think the issue is the uncertainty. If there was a consistent decision that "MDR" is only open for breakfast and lunch on sea days then people would know that. Maybe a handful of people would vote with their feet and not travel on Seabourn any more. When it is left to each hotel director to decide for each cruise I can see how it would be hard to meet customer expectations. We are fine with well run buffets like Seabourn offers and like to sit outdoors but occasionally we also like the "MDR" as well.

This will be asked many times over the next year but this thread gives details: Cunard lost access to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal at Red Hook to a higher priority ship and had to adjust the schedules on several cruises in 2024. So some cruises became 6 nights and others became 8 nights instead of the typical 7 nights that Cunard has been operating in recent years plus a few more drastic changes. Adjustments were made in July for those already booked.

Pied Piper for one has been doing group cruises for a long time, often using Celebrity and now it looks like some on MSC. Their group sizes can range from tens to hundreds but are not full ship charters. I've been looking at them for a long time but we just go by ourselves: where, when, and cruise line/ship of choice

Have you considered SeaDream Yacht Club which operates the former Cunard Sea Goddess and Seabourn Goddess I/II small ships? 112 pax and 95 crew small ships owned by the original founder of Seabourn (before it was bought by Carnival). Since you like Club Med and casual but classy it might be a fit. Biggest downside of the hard product is the cabins do not have balconies since the ships were built in 1984/1985. They have aged well in our opinion but obviously not new. There is plenty of outdoor deck space to make up for not having balconies, and the service and other soft product features are outstanding along with a higher percentage of non-American passengers especially on European itineraries. Itineraries visit the small ports like Windstar that Seabourn no longer goes to (such as St. Tropez, Korcula, Jost Van Dyke and Virgin Gorda). Cheaper and smaller than the new Ritz Carlton's ships too which is where are at if you want smaller than Seabourn and modern luxury.

I think the V1s and V2s on Deck 5 are pretty good value given that V2s and V6s get about the same service, and on Seabourn even the Suites don't get that much extra service just bigger rooms. The higher cost V3-V6 and then the suites work their way up to 2-3x that typically. Then there's list price vs price paid with incentives added in. I've been comparing some other options and yes I think Seabourn is a "pretty good value" right now like-for-like.

Probably just a matter of time until the finance types at Carnival push Seabourn into a ship within a ship concept (assuming they don't go entirely to expedition). We are casual small ship fans so the five discarded Seabourn ships still operating at Seadream and Windstar will meet our needs for awhile longer even if they don't meet Carnvial's needs.

Quest also had a life insurance/annuity sales group on board last week whose logo appeared on the daily menus. I'm guessing it was a sales bonus for selling a lot of life insurance and annuity policies.

I think that's a great idea especially when there are connecting flights. I hate to say I have trust issues with airlines -- but I do! We have a nonstop from Southern California to Miami in November so less worried about the airline losing the checked bag. However, summer 2024 we have 8 days in London followed by 13 days on QM2 Queens Grill so we'll need attire to support 4 formal nights and 9 coat/suit nights plus variable English and North Atlantic weather (cool, warm, wind, rain). I'm afraid we might have more than 20 lbs just in shoes. We'll see if we can arrange White Star (Cunard title for Luggage Forward) on that cruise.

I'm male -- I have had one of these for maybe seven years now, they have changed them once or twice since I bought mine and they are more expensive now. I did need it for some one carry-on bag work travel to Africa and Middle East and it worked out fine. Helped my carry on bag pass the Lufthansa agent's rigorous tape measure and scale tests in Cairo: https://shop.bluffworks.com/collections/performance-blazers (Just to be clear all other things equal I am a one carry on bag person, not a three steamer trunk with 10 pair of shoes person!)

I'll send you my Venmo if you want to donate to a good cause! There would be zero reason to wear such a thing in our simple and practical lives as retirees in Southern California. To be honest buying the tux still feels wasteful as we know we'll only wear it a few times. Bought it because we have a QM2 Queens Grill crossing next year. I'll freak y'all out when I say I was debating whether to do the 14 day Caribbean cruise as carry on only, but spouse can't do that so you won't see me in my travel-friendly no-iron blue sport coat.

I'm sure we will both enjoy the cruise!