milamber

Yes of course they are, but so are many of the other cruise lines. We've been cruising for 15 years. Up until last year we'd barely ever had an itinerary change before the cruise or a missed port once the cruise started. When we did miss a port, I can think of only one occasion when the reason given was spurious. 

December 2022, we had a major Cunard itinerary change once we embarked for an engine problem they were clearly aware of before the cruise started. June 2023 Princess sold our cruise to Svalbard, where they had apparently been banned from the year before for environmental reasons. They removed the destination after final payment and clearly never had any intention of going. November 2023 we had major itinerary changes on a Holland America cruise, told before final payment, but that's not much help in the UK where the deposit isn't refundable. Plus they missed the key destination once the cruise started. Feb 24, more major changes on another Holland America cruise prior to final payment. 

So in 35 cruises prior to December 2022, we barely had a problem. In 4 out of 5 cruises since then, across 4 different cruise lines, we've only had one sail as sold. Friends are all having the same experience. We were looking to book with NCL again, but reading reports its clearly happening there as well. There's a clear pattern of bait and switch since resuming after Covid. 

Bottom line, we no longer feel confident in booking a cruise with anyone for a destination that really matters. We'd only book if we would be happy with major itinerary changes. 

I just scanned my brokerage statement as usual, uploaded it to the app. Got approved within 48 hours. Now I just need to click on whichever line we go with and give them the booking details. Certainly easier if you go on lots of cruises with the carnival brand. Otherwise its no more or less effort than before 

I've completed the details on the app, but my share certificate hasn't been validated yet. From other discussions about different Carnival brands it seems that the app is now compulsory, but pretty efficient once you've been registered. You aren't giving any other information that we did under the old system, optional nonsense about income etc aside, which we ignored.

Sauna is free on the Infinity. We had a free half day pass to the Persian Gardens as we are Elite a couple of weeks ago. It was so poor, we wouldn't go again free, let alone pay for it. Save your money

On 11/8/2023 at 12:22 PM, keiki40 said:

Did Celebrity offer a shuttle to the city center? If yes: where exactly did it go to and how much did it cost?

It was provided by the port. 10€ each for the round trip. Cash only, which Celebrity don't mention until the night before when it's too late to get any other than from the expensive atm in the lobby

Thinking of trying P&O for the first time, on the Arcadia. We've been with practically everyone else. I saw that P&O have afternoon tea which is a favourite ritual for us on Cunard, but can't find out if it's every day, like Cunard, or just occasionally?

Appreciate any experience of this

13 minutes ago, Petulia said:

Did the website crash shortly after 1pm or was everything already booked? 
 

The messages I saw were ‘Room not available’ or ‘Itinerary no longer available……’ I tried for a number of different grades of cabin. 

 Same here, No idea if it's sold out or just Cunard's usual IT standards.....

Yes, we saw several glaciers from the deck as we did the fjords. Obviously they are some distance, but were visible with the naked eye and would be better with binoculars. Think this was on the way up to Flam though and I've read there might be issues with going to that port. There was definitely a trip from Olden as mentioned above. I don't believe we saw any from the ship in Iceland 

It's worth noting that I was able to connect to the Cunard WiFi and them my wife was able to connect to my phone using my hot-spot to connect as well. This only worked from my Samsung phone to hers which is an iPhone. When we tried it the other way around it didn't work. 

We had no issues with it at all on the December QV cruise. Didn't have to queue or wait at all for a table for 2. Just turned up and we were seated straightaway. 

I was on QV for the pre Christmas cruise which ended yesterday. There were no enforced restrictions on distancing, testing or mask wearing either for crew or passengers. As a result it was up to individuals to choose what to do. Given the choice around 99% of passengers chose not to wear masks or distance. Mask wearing amongst crew was slightly higher, but that appears to more as a safeguard against the possibility of lost income should they test positive than against the risk of illness.

Why then does the tiny vociferous minority still think that they have the right to try to enforce what they want on the rest of us? They accuse Cunard of putting profit over passenger safety, but it's absolutely clear that the vast majority of passengers are totally fed up with mask wearing, isolation and other covid restrictions and are happy to take the risk. This is amongst a passenger group which probably averaged over 70, who are supposed to be more at risk, but we've seen the same sort of percentages amongst younger age groups with both Princess and Royal in recent months. For every person who complains that rigorous pre cruising testing should return, there are a hundred, like us, who breathed a huge sigh of relief when testing became recommended or scrapped altogether. Cunard know this, they ask the question on the post cruise survey. Personally I wouldn't cruise with a line which insisted on rigorous testing beforehand or on mask wearing or distancing on board. After 2 years of Covid I've had enough, as have practically everyone else looking at the evidence in recent months on three different cruise lines

Covid is here to stay along with every other infectious disease. Yes it's unpleasant, but so is flu and norovirus. Nobody is suggesting isolation or mask wearing against the risk of catching those. We still take the same precautions as we ever did against any illness that is possible in a situation where a large group of people gather together in a restricted space. I've had norovirus and don't want it again if possible.

At the end of the day Cunard and every other line are a business. They are going to do what the majority of passengers want. It's absolutely clear that the huge majority want a return to normal. 

I have absolutely no issue with anyone wanting to continue to wear a mask or go on a cruise where they choose to have no interaction with others, but equally those who want covid restrictions to continue need to respect the wishes of the majority and accept that most people want a return to normal and the slight risk that that entails, both on land and at sea. 

If they cannot do that, then a cruise is perhaps not the best choice for them. 

Queen Mary is obviously much more stable. QV behaves more like a normal cruise ship. The other main difference for us is the location of the Queens Room. It's central on the QV so less private for any dancing, zumba or classical recitals. Other than that, there are obviously design differences, but the atmosphere is the same. Calm, refined and lots to do. I'm sure if you like the QM2, you'll like the QV too. We are happy on either of them. On the QV now as it happens. Its lovely, as usual

On 12/7/2022 at 5:32 PM, Minnie29 said:

Our cruise is December 11th to 23rd. Do you think there will be roast goose/turkey on this voyage? 

Yes there is. As you've hopefully found out ( and eaten!)

Boarded QV in Southampton today. Had 14.45 on the boarding pass, but turned up at 12.20 as we had to leave the hotel at 12.00. No problem at all. Lady was very pleasant and not at all concerned we were early after we apologised. Got the priority stamp on the pass as Platinum and were on board by around 13.15 I think.

No health questionnaire to complete, just asked if we were well. Didn't have to show vaccination certificates or insurance.

Ship as lovely as we remember. First time back with Cunard since Covid

Noticed it had gone from ours on 11th Dec this morning too

44 minutes ago, Glenndale said:

That boarding time sounds right for QG. Probably a 3hr journey from Stafford, I’d leave around 9am. On boarding go up to the restaurant to check out your table and enjoy your first lunch.

We’re in Britannia and our boarding time is 14:45, I’m undecided as whether to turn up around 12:30 and board with our priority pass (Diamond) or actually board nearer our assigned time. Any suggestions or advice?

That's what we'll be doing. Have to leave our hotel by 12pm and have a taxi straight to the port as part of a package. So we'll hang around until they let us board!

Our TA sends us the official booking confirmation from Cunard if we ask for it. Don't usually bother, but its there if we need it

2 hours ago, CunarderRon said:

Hmm, I'd like to continue to know how these recent embarkations out of Southampton are turning out. I'm set to embark on the 11th of December, on QV, from the Mayflower Terminal and have a check-in time of 3:45, which is the latest time I have ever been given. I'm a Diamond, although the wife and kids are not. I wonder if we will be permitted to board earlier because of the World Club status.

No logic to that then. We are platinum and have 2.45pm for the same cruise. Like most people we'll need to be out of the hotel by 12pm though so don't have any option, but to arrive earlier. Don't ever recall being given a time later than 12.30pm before

3 hours ago, crazyank said:

How do you know it was Covid?

Lots of pale yellow stickers on quarantined cabins. Our neighbours had it and the sticker. Were an awful lot of them once we started looking

We disembarked at the new terminal yesterday. Worst disembarkation in 30 plus cruises. Absolutely chaotic, Royal blaming immigration, but it was the way the lines and cases were organised, plus absolutely no control over group numbers leaving the ship early that was more to blame. Even worse outside. Chaotic queues for airport transfers, no organisation at all, people just piling onto the wrong buses. Our driver had no clue about where in the airport he was going. Left the airport at one point and had to go back. Plenty of people dropped off at the wrong terminals. Our group was supposed to leave the ship at 8.15am. Finally called at 9.20am, took 90 minutes to get out the terminal, then another 2 hours to get to the correct airport terminal. Must have been a good number of missed flights. Terminal is OK, but lacked even basic common sense and organisation. They can blame it being new, but the problems weren't rocket science. 

All crew still wearing masks on the 14 day that ended in Galveston yesterday and a huge amount of covid on board by the end. More passengers coughing than not. Utterly impossible to stop it, masks or not

15 hours ago, Bell Boy said:

You will receive an Email advising you ........" Online check-in is open for you " ......Just wait for an email  to be sent to you . 

 

Stop fretting about anything ,  Worry more about how many pair of shoes you'll need to pack . 😉

 

By the way,  I'm also on this cruise , you don't dance by the way do you .    

We're on it too. More here than on the roll call!

Great, thanks both of you. We don't drink or use ship excursions so OBC slightly harder to use up!

5 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Are they differentiated?

 

Our obc and stockholder credit appeared as a lump sum on the onboard account.

Ok thanks. Ours just show as a single credit too, but we booked with a TA which makes it a little harder to tell as nothing shows on the manage my booking area on the website. I just read that you can't use the stockholder credit for gratuities, but that, of course, might be wrong.

We have two lots of OBC for our upcoming cruise, some from Cunard themselves when we booked and the rest in stockholder credit. Are spends against these deducted in any particular order? We'd normally put anything left towards the gratuities, but I gather the stockholder credit can't be used for gratuities, so just wondered if we had to spend one before the other or if we can allocate the non stockholder credit to gratuities from the start?