QM2 4-day "January Getaway" FLL to St. Thomas added for 1/6/07

[Commodore Suzy]

Announced yesterday, 4/7/06:

 

New "January Getaway" cruise for four nights Fort Lauderdale to St. Thomas (sea day on each side of the island day) was added in between the last Caribbean cruise and the World Cruise.

 

Just FYI!

 

I'm going! Woo hoo! I was going to do a crossing in the spring of 2007 so I could finally try out QM2, but this sailing fits our schedule better. My husband only gets two total weeks of vacation, so fitting the crossing + time in England into the schedule was TOUGH.

 

This is perfect!

 

Cheers!

[MaryContrary]

Hi SuzyCruisy!

 

My DH and I will also be onboard this cruise. I'm soooo excited! We(I) booked a balcony cabin, catagory B2, I believe- Saw an ad in the paper when I was out-of-town last week on spring break, called & booked with an agency that I have no experience with- sort of a blind booking, was a little nervous. I'm usually one that researches things to death, so this was a very unusual thing for me, but I didn't want to miss out ! I'd love a longer cruise on her, but am THRILLED to be booked! I'm so glad to hear from you!:D

[PH8]

Is pricing available only thru that TA??I cant find prices anywhere,inc the cunard website(doesnt even show this sailing).......I would like to get an idea before I talk to a TA..

[travel-to-go]

Is pricing available only thru that TA??I cant find prices anywhere,inc the cunard website(doesnt even show this sailing).......I would like to get an idea before I talk to a TA..

Right you are. I looked at the US website and even tried doing a search on both Decemeber 06 and January 07. No dice!

 

Maybe they are trying to encourage those taking the world cruise out of Florida to add on 4 days?

 

PH8- B/C me, please (Look at my email addy and you will see why!- I also grew up in your neck of the woods!) <G>

 

parrothead-av8r@mindspring.com

 

Karie,

Who is not the only parrothead on this board!

[Calliope]

No one, yet, has pointed out that both the QE2 and QM2 are scheduled into Port Everglades the day that the QM2's four night trip ends. That's only the second time that the two Cunarders have been together this side of "Cunard's Pond". The first time was in New York at the start of the Tandem Crossing in April 2004.

[frankathy]

That is a very interesting point. We are also on the QM2 on Jan 6, 2007.

AS for pricing 599.00 for interior, 669.00 fpr oceanview, 799.00 shelter balcony, 1099 deluxe balcony and suites start at 2199.00. I hope this helps. Tax and gov't were around 26.00.

[highcbob]

So how do they get around the 'Jones act' here if the Virgin Islands are considered U.S. soil?

[JGR01]

That is a very interesting point. We are also on the QM2 on Jan 6, 2007.

AS for pricing 599.00 for interior, 669.00 fpr oceanview, 799.00 shelter balcony, 1099 deluxe balcony and suites start at 2199.00. I hope this helps. Tax and gov't were around 26.00.

 

P2 (Priness Grill) mini-suite is $2198/pax

Q6 (Queens Grill) suite is $3098/pax

 

Not on the US web site but calling Cunard made it very easy to get information

[Solboys]

No one, yet, has pointed out that both the QE2 and QM2 are scheduled into Port Everglades the day that the QM2's four night trip ends. That's only the second time that the two Cunarders have been together this side of "Cunard's Pond". The first time was in New York at the start of the Tandem Crossing in April 2004.

 

 

Acording to my Cunard brochure QM2 and QE2 are in port together on Saturday 25th of November 2006 in Port Everglades. They are both scheduled to sail at 5.00 pm.

We shall be onboard QM2 and cant wait to see her older sister when we get there.

 

Only 221 days to go.

 

Steve & Mark.

[MaryContrary]

Hi Parrothead!

I live near you, in High Springs, north of Gainesville! I saw the ad in the Daytona Beach News Journal while on spring break, called and booked over the phone. The agency is a big one with an office in Ocala- Initials L.J.-I know I'm not supposed to list TA names on CC, but maybe you can figure it out with those initials...If not, write back and I'll contact you with info.:) Mary

[CruiseShelly]

Saw this posting yesterday and got so excited about a little QM2 adventure in January 2007, I called our agent to have her confirm that it exists (which it does) and my DH and I booked it.

Sat Jan 6 Leave Ft Lauderdale

Sun at sea

Mon St. Thomas

Tues at sea

Wed back to Ft Lauderdale.

 

We booked at $499 pp plus port charges and taxes of course. Good value!!

 

CruiseShelly (who'll also be on the 3 July sailing this year).

[Commodore Suzy]

Took a while for me to get back around to checking in on this one, but it seems like everyone has found any info they needed.

 

I've found "newly announced" itineraries take a while to hit some Websites we might all know and love to search. That's why I did the listing here so you would know about it and could call Cunard / a TA / whatever. :)

 

Shall we do a roll call right here? Or should we start one on the "all other cruises" roll call board? Makes Cunard seem like an unloved sister that she doesn't get her own roll call board. Oh well!

 

My hubby and I are going to Disney World for just a couple of days after the cruise. This makes it doubly-exciting. Couldn't wait to finally sail QM2, and then get to see the animals at Animal Kingdom too....well, that's just going to be SO anticipated for us!

 

If any Florida residents or regulars have any tips for us going from the pier in Fort Lauderdale, renting a car, driving to Disney...I'm all ears! :D (pun intended!)

 

Cheers!

[highcbob]

OK, I still would like to know how they are getting around the 'Jones act' here by sailing from a U.S. Port to a U.S. port and return!

 

 

 

? ? ? ? ?

[Commodore Suzy]

It's the 'Passenger Services Act'.... and they can always come and go from the SAME USA port, as long as they hit any foreign country. Under the rule, USVI must be "foreign" for these purposes.

[travel-to-go]

 

If any Florida residents or regulars have any tips for us going from the pier in Fort Lauderdale, renting a car, driving to Disney...I'm all ears! :D (pun intended!)

 

Cheers!

 

Yes,

No matter what Avis tells you they do NOT pick up at Port Everglades! <G> They stopped about two years ago. Most of the others do. Even when I called them from the port after waiting and waiting, they told me one should be around. Finally called them back and they said, oh! We no longer stop there.

My best advice? Book a transfer through Cunard if you want everything (luggage) taken care of and get your car at the airport. FLL has a new method for all of the car rental agencies. They have their own section of the parking garage! It's actually pretty neat. And you simply take the airport shuttle around to the right location. It's free. Book early. They always run out of smallercars. You'll get upgraded to a larger car at no charge. Florida, having no income tax makes a lot off of add-on fees such as tire and battery disposal fees on rental cars. A lot of add-on fees.

 

Hmm, that's about all I can think of now. What else do you need to know? I don't live there now, but my family lives there (including my little sister in Orlando) and I grew up there BEFORE Disney was there. I was at the very first Grad night. 1972. (High school kids had the park to themselves all night- Only extras were shooting galleries, food, and one other thing. I forget. Included one souvenir picture. I still have mine! This was back when you bought ticket books for the ride. Things like space mountain, which hadn't been built yet, took the highest price ticket, an E- Hence the saying "That was a real E ticket ride" when something was really exciting.)

 

Karie,

who speaks from experience!

[highcbob]

It's the 'Passenger Services Act'.... and they can always come and go from the SAME USA port, as long as they hit any foreign country. Under the rule, USVI must be "foreign" for these purposes.

 

Hello there Suzy: I find this interesting, I am in no way related to 'law' but it's a good topic which comes and goes on this board every now and then. The Jones Act has not changed since the wording below.There is an exemption stated, which specifically mentiones the USVI, but it is only for the transportation of cargo:

 

- - - -

 

The Jones Act was passed by Congress in 1920 to protect the domestic shipping industry. The current law states,

"No merchandise shall be transported by water or by land and water on penalty of forfeiture thereof between points in the United States, including districts, territories and possessions thereof embraced within the coastwise laws, either directly or via a foreign port, in a any other* vessel than a vessel built and documented under the law of the United States. The Jones Act requires vessels engaged in U.S. domestic shipping must be:

U.S. built

U.S. flagged

U.S. owned and operated vessels

or, if rebuilt abroad, be not more than 500 tons*

 

Exemptions

Opinions are divided in Congress over the merits of the Jones Act.* Senate Resolution 32 introduced during the 106th Congress supports the Jones Act in its present form.* By contrast, Senate Bill 1032 ("Freedom to Transport Act of 1999") proposes to change the Jones Act to remove the U.S. built requirement thus allowing foreign built ships to carry bulk cargo--mainly livestock and agricultural commodities-- in domestic trades.

Total Exemption (from Jones Act) applied to American Samoa and Virgin Islands (Cargo only can be carried by foreign-flag carriers)

Partial Exemption applied to Guam (foreign-built U.S. flagged vessels may carry cargo only between these U.S. ports)

 

- - - -

 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Happy cruzin'

 

Bob.

[travel-to-go]

 

The Jones Act requires vessels engaged in U.S. domestic shipping must be:

U.S. built

U.S. flagged

U.S. owned and operated vessels

or, if rebuilt abroad, be not more than 500 tons*

 

Exemptions

Total Exemption (from Jones Act) applied to American Samoa and Virgin Islands (Cargo only can be carried by foreign-flag carriers)

Bob.

 

The passenger related correlary to the Jones Act is the Passenger Services Act.

As stated above, the US Virgin Islands (of which St Thomas is one) are exempt from the Jones Act/PSA, thus making the cruise to St Thomas acceptible, apparently. (I, too, am no expert on maritime, or any other, law)

Didn't someone on this list mention within recent months that there are no U.S. Shipyards actively capable of producing a passenger vessel at this time, and that in fact, one had been started here (If my elderly failing memory serves me, it was NCL's new Hawaiian based ship? Spirit of America or something like that?) but in the end they were not capable of completing the vessel and it had to be brought overseas to be completed?

That's not to say, of course, that our shipyards in say, Groton/New London, Connecticut, Bath Maine, Pascagoula Mississippi or Newport News, Virginia, to name a few, could not GET up to speed, just that they are not currently geared up for passenger ship-building. In fact, I am thinking it was the Pascagoula shipyard that started building the Spirit.

Again, this is from memory, form a single post here, so don't take my word for it as gospel.

 

Karie,

whose memory isn't as good as it once was. It's a lot more fun if you make them up as you go along! <G>

[highcbob]

Hello Ms. Karie:

 

The exemption mentioned for the USVI is for "cargo only", not passengers, for a foreign flagged vessel ( which of course QM2 is ).

 

Bob,

 

who is hopefully thinking that Cunard is not writing off their passengers off as "cargo" on this cruise to get around the law :)

[Commodore Suzy]

who is hopefully thinking that Cunard is not writing off their passengers off as "cargo" on this cruise to get around the law :)

 

LOL! All I can say is that if Cunard planned the itinerary, then I'm not worried about it. ;)

 

They can call me whatever they want, as long as they don't call me late for dinner! :D

 

 

Karie...THANKS for the tip on going to FLL airport to rent a car. I asked one friend who is really 'in the know' about ports, and if he doesn't come back with something spectacular about some care rental agency that is now IN the cruise terminal or something, I'll plan to rent at the airport.

 

As a TA though, I suggest you just take a taxi to the airport VS the cruiseline shuttles. It's pretty close and taxi will save you money if you're not just a single.

 

Cheers!

[CruiseShelly]

Keep posting about transfers from the airport and car rental ideas for after our trip. We too will want to rent a car for the balance of the week upon our return to Ft.Lauderdale.

[travel-to-go]

Keep posting about transfers from the airport and car rental ideas for after our trip. We too will want to rent a car for the balance of the week upon our return to Ft.Lauderdale.

 

Shelly,

I've rented many times out of FLL. Usually at least once a year. I always seem to go back to Alamo for the best prices, good service, good cars, nice people to deal with. I had to do Avis that year as it was a last minute thing and they were about the only ones who had a car. I needed it between xmas and New Years for a one way to Daytona. About twice what I'd pay for Alamo, but Alamo was booked solid.

And booking on the web directly through them is the cheapest. I am actually also a travel agent (I really mostly do it for myself and a few friends and family) and I actually book as a consumer through their web page. even considering commission vs no commission, it's cheaper. (Sorry Travel agents, but I'm a consumer, too!)

Also, fill your tank before your bring it back. There are several cheap gas stations coming over from the beachside. If you can join their "frequent renter program, it will speed you through check in and out. Aivs, that only works if you rent at least once a month from them- like a corporate traveler.

 

Just my observations.

Happy traveling

 

Karie, who has rented plenty from FLL.

[Commodore Suzy]

Is Alamo an on-airport or local, close to pier company?

[cusyl]

Another option is to reserve a car with Budget, they have a rental office 5 minutes from the port on 17th Street at the Quay. They will come to the port and pick you and take you to their office to complete the transaction.

[travel-to-go]

Is Alamo an on-airport or local, close to pier company?

 

Suzym

As far as I know, they have moved all of the majors to the new rental car area of the airport garage, and they are all accessible by free shuttle. This is on-property. They used to be off- property (but it didn't take lone to get there) Now pretty much every body (Budget, too, I'm pretty sure) is right there!

I'll check and post

Karie

 

All of the majors, including Avis, Alamo, Budget, Hertz and National and Thrifty are in the new Rental Car center right on site. The off-site ones are really only local and off-brand name rental companies.

Here is a link:

Very VERY easy to deal with now!

http://www.broward.org/airport/parking_transportation_rentals.htm

 

Karie,

who loves the new set-up there- quicker and easier!

[LETSGOCRUSIN]

just checking in to say:

We are booked on this cruise also - 1/7/07 fm. Ft. Lauderdale

It is myself and DH -

It is exciting to know fellow cruisers before hand

 

We have early sitting

 

We have lots of planning to do

Hi to Everyone..........................