Can Anyone Give Me a Bit of Help Here????

[Aussie Gal]

Boy, am I realizing that. The woman I'm planning this with was checking prices of hotels. She was quoting like $250 and I assumed she meant for the both of us. No ... $250 each for some of them. I can only imagine what food would cost. That's why I'm trying to restrict this to no more than four days on land, even though I realize you can only see so much in four days. But, sometimes we have to make compromises ... and, after all, it is really the cruise I am after ... not the land trip. So, I'll just have to make do ... and see as much as I can in the limited time I have available. There will always be a next time.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

 

Rita,

 

Go into tripadvisor.com and have a read. There are some very reasonable hotels in Rome that are listed there and that have good reviews.

 

I feel that you can get a good hotel for under $300US for a room. Not the top of the range like a 5 star on Via Veneto but a good 4 star within range of everything you want and need to see.

 

It just takes a bit of time to review and double check etc. but well worth it.

 

Jennie

[kryos]

In that case, you have no excuse to go by air :) . Crossing by sea is so much more fun!

Ahhhhh, is RevNeal gonna get a good chuckle out of this one ...

 

Guess I'll be taking a "quick course" on gussying up ... cause your not gonna believe what we finally decided on ... and plan to book this week ...

 

The Veendam, April 1, 2007 ... 18 days ... starts out in Tampa (bearable plane flight for me) and terminates in Venice. Due to time constraints on my part, I simply can't do an extended land tour, coupled with a return crossing on the QM2. I simply don't have enough available vacation time. There is something like a five-day delay between when the Veendam gets to Venice and the QM2 makes her crossing from Southampton to New York. Add that five days, plus another five for the crossing, to the 18 for the Veendam, and I simply don't have enough time. So, it kinda came down to a choice: If I want to spend time touring after getting off the Veendam, I would have to take maybe three days max, and then a flight home. I really don't want to do an international flight in excess of eight hours. It would practically kill me.

 

So ... you're all gonna laugh, but ... we found that the QE2 is doing a crossing commencing on April 21, 2007. It's an eight-dayer, leaving from Southampton, stopping in New York and then continuing on to Fort Lauderdale. I will get off in New York on April 27, making the cruise a six-day one for me. The Veendam repositioning cruise terminates on April 19 in Venice. We will therefore have two days free before boarding the QE2. I realize two days is not a lot of time to see many of the sites. We'll have but a day in Venice, with another day in England. Luckily the Veendam does spend a day in Rome, so I can at least see some of the sights there. Not the best solution to my time problem, but the only workable one that avoids the necessity of a long flight.

 

But, yeah ... I know ... the QE2 is ultra-formal ... so I guess it's gonna be time to go shopping. :)

 

The review alone will probably make the dressing up worthwhile. :)

 

Thank you, everyone, for all your help ... and by the way, does anyone have any suggestions for "must sees" in Venice ... with only one available day? :)

 

Blue skies!

 

--rita

[jimneycrkit]

Last fall we took the QM2 over because we didn't want to fly to Copenhagen for our Baltic cruise as we live on the west coast. We flew to New york for a few days then boarded the QM2. There will be 2 formal nights on the 6 day crossing. You can eat in the Lido and not dress up. I was surprised at the number of people that did that. Each night the Kings court separates into 4 restaurants with one available as informal dining It rotates each night. We also just took an around the horn cruise on the QM2 for 36 days and after the first few weeks we stopped dressing up on some formal nights and just went to the Kings court. If I wanted to venture out on the evenings to other parts of the ship I would dress in a informal not casual attire and no one would really notice(black Chicos pants and a nice top). We probably would do it again instead of flying but the dates don't match up with our Med cruise this summer. It really helped with no jet lag. I would go on the QM2 again but only for a crossing not a regular cruise.

 

Once we got to Southhampton we took the National express bus(they were having a special for only a buck) to get to London. We spent a couple of days in London and then flew to Copenhagen on BA airlines less than 2 hours a day before our cruise on the Star princess and then took their transatlantic home.

[dougnewmanatsea]

So ... you're all gonna laugh, but ... we found that the QE2 is doing a crossing commencing on April 21, 2007.

Not to burst your bubble, but according to this thread the only way to book that crossing is to book the full world cruise, or the full round-trip cruise to Florida from Southampton, unless you can find a travel agent that has a group on the six-day segment.

 

However, if you can do it, do it! We have a wonderful group of members booked already, and quite a few more who will go if they can.

 

(I would, but April is not good for me. I do plan to go in January though; it's just too early for me to do anything yet.)

[kryos]

Not to burst your bubble, but according to this thread the only way to book that crossing is to book the full world cruise, or the full round-trip cruise to Florida from Southampton, unless you can find a travel agent that has a group on the six-day segment.

The individual I'm rooming with is staying on to Florida. I'm the only one getting off in New York.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[venicecruiser]

Doug -

 

I'm the individual whom Rita is doing the Veendam and QE2 with. The agent I used for the QE2 booking does indeed have some group space on the Southampton-NY/FTL portion. We are booked in Caronia class in a C3.

 

To everyone else - I second Rita's thanks for all the help and advice you've offered! I'm quite sure that as this adventure gets closer, we'll be asking more than once for more of your help/advice!

 

Claudia

[dougnewmanatsea]

The individual I'm rooming with is staying on to Florida. I'm the only one getting off in New York.

As far as I know, whether you disembark in NYC or FLL is irrelevant... Your agent must (as Claudia noted below) have group space.

 

The SOU-NYC-FLL segment actually serves two purposes. Mostly, it is to allow full world cruise passengers who boarded in NYC or FLL to disembark in the same port. However, as well as being the last segment of the world cruise, it is also the first segment of a round-trip cruise from Southampton.

 

As far as I am aware, the only way to book this segment unless you are in a group is either to be taking the world cruise round-trip from NYC or FLL, or the later cruise round-trip from SOU.

 

Whether your one-way segment is SOU-NYC or SOU-NYC-FLL seems to make no difference.

 

Note that this situation could change at any time.

 

We are booked in Caronia class in a C3.

Are you on a guarantee basis or can you choose your cabin?

 

I expect that you are on a guarantee, but if you can choose your cabin and would like help choosing one, just ask on the Cunard board.

 

The good news is that really there are no bad C3 cabins. Of course some of them are nicer than others but they are all really quite nice.

 

In general, C3 cabins were the most expensive tourist-class doubles aboard QE2 when she was built. (The next category up, C2, is comprised of what were once the least expensive first-class doubles.)

 

The majority of them are between 186 sq ft and 212 sq ft though there are three or four that are smaller (as small as 151 sq ft). They all have bathtubs and are all in quite good locations.

 

The decor is not as stylish or elegant as former first-class cabins (C2 and above) and some C3s do have "quirky" layouts but nonetheless I would be quite happy with any C3 cabin and for that matter just about any cabin in a grade higher than that (should you be lucky and get upgraded).

 

As I believe it will be your first time aboard QE2 there will be a bit of a "learning curve" but I hope you fall in love with her as I have.

 

My very overdue QE2 review is now almost ready for posting (OK, it's been almost finished for a while, but "almost" doesn't mean much does it!) and hopefully that will give you a good introduction to the ship, especially from the perspective of someone who is familiar with HAL ships.

 

QE2 is my very favorite ship in the world today and while she is something of a "love it or hate it" ship, I do hope you fall on the "love" side of the divide. And even if you don't, just about any ship has got to be better than flying :) !

[venicecruiser]

Doug -

 

The agent I used for the QE2 booking is quite knowledgeable about Cunard and the QE2 as she has sailed her numerous times. She also has some contacts at Cunard and this allowed us to choose a cabin number rather than just take a gty. We are booked into cabin 4063 which is 205 sq ft. Biggest thing about Caronia class that appeals to me is open-seating dining in Caronia Restaurant. I find it somewhat strange that in this restaurant you are still assigned a table but allowed to dine anytime within certain hours. That, to me, is NOT open-seating, but at least its better than having to go to dinner at a "set time".

 

Whether I end up loving or hating the QE2 experience, I have always dreamed of sailing on her. There may be aspects of the QE2 that I don't care for, but I think the "wonderful" will outweigh the "not so wonderful"!

 

I hate to fly and have avoided it for many years, so I'd come back to the States on a rustbucket if I had to rather than attempt an 8+ hour flight! As it stands, I will have no choice but to do a flight between Venice and London. Thankfully, flight is only about 2 hours..........

 

I look forward to reading your review, Doug. As a Cunard newbie, any help/tips/secrets about the QE2 that you can share will be much appreciated!

 

Claudia

[kryos]

I hate to fly and have avoided it for many years, so I'd come back to the States on a rustbucket if I had to rather than attempt an 8+ hour flight! As it stands, I will have no choice but to do a flight between Venice and London. Thankfully, flight is only about 2 hours..........

 

I look forward to reading your review, Doug. As a Cunard newbie, any help/tips/secrets about the QE2 that you can share will be much appreciated!

I also hate to fly ... and because I had such trouble on my last cruise flying to/from San Diego, I sadly don't know when I'm gonna be able to do a Hawaii sailing again. That's why this cruise is so appealing. Don't have it quite as good as you ... I have to fly to Tampa to board the HAL cruise on the Veedam ... but at least Tampa is not a long flight, nor is the one we will be sharing together ... Venice to London. Believe me, the ability to avoid a long international flight back to the states from Venice makes it worth it for me to "gussy up" even though I normally abhor formal dressing.

 

I, too, can't wait to read Doug's review of the QE2. I've got a lot to learn in the ensuing months and will be scouring the net for anything I can read on the subject. Doug's review, I am sure, will be one of the more enlightening pieces I'll probably come across about the QE2.

 

Blue skies ...

 

--rita

[venicecruiser]

Don't know about you, Rita, but I am already so excited about this trip I can hardly stand it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Claudia

[mim100]

Hi Rita & Claudia...your trip sounds awesome !! my brother's in Europe now and bought a EuroPass for the trains which he is thoroughly enjoying....I was in England last year and used the BritRail Pass...went first class, not much extra money and well worth it ....did not see any porters at any of the train stations we were in....Heathrow has a train station right at the airport...very convenient and easy to find....a bit of a walk though...make sure everything you have is on wheels and easy to move around...I had a knapsack as well as my wheeled suitcase and that knapsack felt like it weighed a hundred pounds by the time we got to the train station ( Heathrow Express)...we realized that $ 250 gets you a very ordinary hotel room....and $ 50 is not unusual for a very ordinary meal....we put our own lunches together from the grocery stores and that helped a lot....have a great trip !! cheers Mim

[Vic The Parrot]

Hi Claudia and Rita ....

 

 

You made an EXCELLENT choice!!

 

:)

 

 

 

Drop me an email ... have to ask you something

 

 

 

;)

[Vic The Parrot]

 

 

Actually, it seems that this still exists, but it is now run by Orient Express and is excruciatingly expensive. However, if anyone (with deep pockets) is interested, I think it can be booked through Cunard.

 

On a totally unrelated note... Either you're away from home in a different time zone, or I'm not the only one who can't sleep tonight :) !

 

I had the window open, but it was too noisy. Closed the window, but then it was too warm. You get the idea :rolleyes: !

 

I always sleep so much better at sea - I wonder if I could get someone to build a bed that approximates a ship's motion (preferably QE2's, which is especially pleasant)?

 

 

 

You hit the nail on the head. But with me, it was a combo of insomnia and medications. At least the fresh spring air, and CC helped me doze off back to dreamland ......

 

 

;)

[dougnewmanatsea]

We are booked into cabin 4063

Good - that is a good cabin.

 

You will have two single beds in the main part of the cabin, and then down a corridor lined with closets there is a sitting area with sofa which is also where the porthole is.

 

I had a cabin like this last January, 4143... Though 4143 is a C5, not a C3. This layout is very rare for a C5 (very few have sofas).

 

The difference between a C5 and a C3 is that the C3 has a tub.

 

Biggest thing about Caronia class that appeals to me is open-seating dining in Caronia Restaurant.

It is single seating, not open seating.

 

Open seating would be a disaster! It may work well for small ships on port-intensive cruises but I would never want it for a crossing.

 

The only reason I would bother with Caronia personally is for this benefit - the cabins are bigger than Mauretania cabins but that makes no difference to me, and the food and service is basically the same. The difference is single seating which makes a big deal. It is not so important for me at dinner - standard late seating time is fine for me - but at breakfast and lunch it is important. On a port-intensive cruise I will normally eat breakfast in the Lido and often will not even be aboard for lunch, but on a crossing I like to do it in the dining room, and to me it is ever so much nicer to do it at my own table with my own steward rather than in the usual "open seating" mayhem which on the occasions that I go against my better judgement and try it, usually results in winding up at a big table with people I don't like and poor service (even if the service is otherwise good).

 

I can certainly see the benefit of open seating for port-intensive cruises, and it seems to me that it would be perfectly natural aboard a small ship, but I would never want to take a crossing with open seating. On the other hand, single seating is a big benefit.

 

I might add that if I were to take a cruise in QE2 I would probably go Mauretania as with lots of ports I usually eat breakfast and (if I'm aboard) lunch in the Lido anyway and, as I said, late sitting dinner is fine with me. On a crossing it is a bonus,; while I would not pay that much more for it, it is definitely something I would like to have.

 

And the idea of having an assigned table but no assigned time may seem silly, but it works far better than you might expect. At least for dinner, in my experience it is normal to set a time with the other people at your table at which everyone will arrive, so that you do not have some people on appetizers and others on dessert!

 

QE2's Lido is really quite good too; I much prefer the dining room but nonetheless as buffets go it is the best I have seen except for HAL's.

 

There will be a lot more about all this stuff in my review when I finally post it... Normally I try to write my reviews in such a way as to help someone who has never sailed in a particular ship, as it seems to me that those are the people who tend to read reviews in the first place! At least I don't usually read reviews of ships I've already sailed in (or even visited); if I like the ship I just go ahead and book!

 

I also hate to fly ...

I am lucky in that it really does not bother me. Actually, I rather like the act of flying itself, especially on flights where the scenery is good. (I love going over the Rockies on the way to the West Coast!) Unfortunately, flying today has become one continuous hassle, especially US domestic flights. I really do dread domestic US flying more than the long international flights!

 

The length of the flight really doesn't bother me; I really don't care whether I am flying for an hour or for twelve hours. For me, it is the stuff on the ground that is all the hassle these days.

 

I've got a lot to learn in the ensuing months and will be scouring the net for anything I can read on the subject.

You will be scouring for a long time! You might also want to consider reading some books about QE2, to give you an overview of her history.

[venicecruiser]

Doug - You're right. Caronia Restaurant is single-seating, not open seating. I've done open seating on Seabourn and Radisson/Regent and there's a big difference...However, I do like not having an "assigned" time to "report" to the dining room!

 

Thanks for the info on 4063. Have to give the agent who did the QE2 booking full credit for that choice.

 

Claudia

[kryos]

[quote name='venicecruiser']Don't know about you, Rita, but I am already so excited about this trip I can hardly stand it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Claudia[/QUOTE]
You and me both, Claudia ... you and me both.

I even spent quite a bit of time yesterday updating my sig line. Somehow it makes it seem all the more real!

Blue skies ...

--rita