theTom&Carol

I hope this works!

 

http://butarewethereyet.blogspot.com

SG...

Yes, it worked! Thanks for the familiar link; I had lost track of Roscoe's URL. His yesterday's Investiture Ceremony post, with the Governor-General of NZ, and various subsequent dressed-to-the-nines partying fun was all-Roscoe. Reminded me of his descriptive blog account from a previous WC-er gala party, where our man shed his clothes and slipped in a brief dip into the elegant hotel dinner event venue pool. Certainly, he will be proudly brandishing his newly minted, polished NZ chest medal in the officer's cocktail parties, halls and bars of the QV. That's quite an honor for him. Bravo to Roscoe! I so enjoy his photo narratives.

BTW.... I've made is through your April posts. So interesting. Curious, how much time do you spend roughly writing and preparing the daily account? Thank you for your effort.

T&C

March isn't the best time in Japan weather wise - but we had no choice as we were catching QE, and we did get to see the cherry blossoms!

 

Roscoe is quite a character, and with luck will be on the QV WV next year :). I love his blog!

I believe he is boarding the 'Vic" in SF to passage 'down under'. Drats.... we get off in that port as he boards. I've lost track of his blog. Every time the Mac craps, I lose much followed Safari tabs. Do you know his current URL?

Cordelia is the perfect social hostess, and no one would have known that my friend was not one of the chosen few to sit with Captain Wells. I of course was relegated to watch from above.

 

No chair aerobics on this crossing alas, but I am totally determined to take ballroom dancing lessons before our next cruise. I have been having such fun in the Queens Room each night, but totally exasperating the long suffering gentlemen hosts!

Hi, Safarigal.....

Been slowly catching up on your March 2018 Japan photo blogs. Now beginning your 2018 April posts. You wrote that you are from ID; We live near Spokane, across the border.

Getting back to Japan..... Would you rather have chosen to travel there at a warmer time of the year? We've never been to Japan.

Like your Brian, Carol and I do our daily gym time. Must compensate for the ever-present shipboard food intake. But, we do burn some calories dancing nightly. Also, we enjoy adding to our dance notes by taking the once daily (in the past, some ships twice daily) dance classes. Big turnout for these Queen's Room dance classes.

Like you, we enjoy Cunard, but not for as long as you two.

BTW, have you ever ran across memorable, unforgettable single-traveling Cunard passenger "Roscoe"? He knows everything Cunard; the 'Vic' is his fav Queen.

T&C

Cordelia is currently the Social Hostess on QM2.

Hi, Safarigal......

Thanks for the answer. We went to your web blog and have enjoyed reading your current crossing post. Excellent writing. Yes, do take ballroom dance lesson. Carol and I so enjoy Queen's Room dancing. That's our number one shipboard activity beside the lectures, gym, food, etc. Was your friend welcomed at the captain's table when she pulled up a chair?

Tom & Carol

A couple years ago aboard the Queen Victoria on the SF to Sydney WC segment, I so enjoyed the daily chair workout half-hour sessions, held up on the circular dance floor (now called the Yacht Club). Cordelia was the workout instructor.

Curious if anyone knows whether Cordelia is still teaching these sessions on any of the Cunard ships.

Carol

Hi, AH030.....

 

Let's say your new "Cruise Stateroom sharing" app (or, website) could become successful.

 

Monetize the plan either by working with certain travel agencies who do the actual booking of the two individuals sharing a stateroom (and give you a kickback)... or, develop the platform kinda like a dating site where potential single cruising clients can learn about the other individual who they might choose to book with. You monetize the process by charging the two individual (only if they eventually sign up to share a stateroom) a flat fee (or small percentage of the overall cruise cost).

 

Here's your first job..... find out how other existing sites/apps work.

 

Be sure to protect your client identities on the site throughout the process until they each commit to the stateroom sharing.

 

I would love to follow your investigation and app plan development.

 

BTW, my wife and I do hostel travel, have shared bunk room space, shared bathrooms, etc. Always an interesting experience, and meeting very interesting people.... first as strangers, but then full-blown friendships.

 

T&C

 

PS.... AH030, continue with this discussion to get more valid inputs from other interested CC individuals to further define what additional features you may want to make part of your 'free' single cruisers finding their perfect stateroom 'Firstmate'.

AH030...

Forgot to mention, if 'Roscoe' is still lurking around this blog, I would love to hear his commentary on this shared stateroom app development idea. The guy's smart.... and, hope he's on this 2019 QV WC.

Hello, Roscoe? Stop feeding your cat and settle down to the keyboard?

I think it can work, because there are websites for similar purposes, and they work very well! :)

 

There are websites for couchsurfing, where people offer to host travellers in their homes for free. I have been a member for 8 years and have used it over a dozen times as a traveler and more often, as a host!

There is a version for long-distance cyclists, where people open their homes for cyclists to find a warm shower.

There are websites for workaway, where accommodation is offered in exchange for some hours of daily work. The workers often are young people on gap years, and share rooms.

There are websites for car sharing, where someone who is planning a trip from, say, London to Berlin, offers available seats in their car on the trip in exchange for fuel money.

 

It works because on all of these platforms, after each interaction, both parties give each other references.

 

I think it also works because the people who are interested in these arrangements are generally pretty flexible, accommodating and considerate. And if someone isn't, then their references will reflect that!

 

I think all these things could be unpleasant for folks who have very specific needs or who are unable to be flexible... often through no fault of their own. And, they can also be unpleasant for people who are uncomfortable sharing space with strangers, which is perfectly understandable.

 

During my holiday in England this month, I spent part of it in a youth hostel, and another part in a workaway arrangement in a hotel. At various times during the month, I've shared a bedroom with a total of 4 female roommates: all of whom were strangers to me when I met them! Have shared bathroom facilities with a total of 3 more women and 3 men.

 

Every one of those experiences was perfectly fine and there were no problems.

 

For the elderly ladies above, I could understand if someone would be kept awake by a snorer, and isn't comfortable sleeping in earplugs. But a snorer wouldn't bother me at all, so it could work!

 

I think it's a great idea. I'm learning web design and app development. I'll have some free time while on the Queen Elizabeth for the next week, so maybe I'll start building a prototype :)

Hi, AH030.....

Let's say your new "Cruise Stateroom sharing" app (or, website) could become successful.

Monetize the plan either by working with certain travel agencies who do the actual booking of the two individuals sharing a stateroom (and give you a kickback)... or, develop the platform kinda like a dating site where potential single cruising clients can learn about the other individual who they might choose to book with. You monetize the process by charging the two individual (only if they eventually sign up to share a stateroom) a flat fee (or small percentage of the overall cruise cost).

Here's your first job..... find out how other existing sites/apps work.

Be sure to protect your client identities on the site throughout the process until they each commit to the stateroom sharing.

I would love to follow your investigation and app plan development.

BTW, my wife and I do hostel travel, have shared bunk room space, shared bathrooms, etc. Always an interesting experience, and meeting very interesting people.... first as strangers, but then full-blown friendships.

T&C

PS.... AH030, continue with this discussion to get more valid inputs from other interested CC individuals to further define what additional features you may want to make part of your 'free' single cruisers finding their perfect stateroom 'Firstmate'.

Do cruise lines (Cunard) offer stateroom roommate matchup services? Likely not, but asking.

For us its the Cha cha cha.

 

Keep your heads down folks. :D:D

Guess that means......no more doing 'the-cha' extending your arms in any fashion ( e.g. "flailing" 'em) into the next passenger's puss.... guess we keep our limbs down, and dance in a locked-in little one square meter 'box' (in the middle the ballroom floor, away from the line of dance).

Oftentimes, the following happens on the dance floor.... the 'to-be-seen-and-revered' polished dancers have diligently practiced their routines all year, and now it's Queen's Room "show-time"!

These folks are attempting to fly around the floor doing their 'silver' routines. But don't much care that there are 60-year-married old duffers in-the-way on the floor trudging along the line of dance obviously in love.... and here comes the showy 'roadster-speed' dance couple strutting their stuff. It doesn't mix well; not!

And, then there are excellent dancers from certain parts of the world who arrive for 24/7 fun of dancing. They love to dance! They love the QR! And, they love to dance with graceful wide sweeping expressive arm moves. You know who and what I mean. I'm not putting them in the same category as Curley's Bar arm flailers....... but, one could say that they are just as troublesome. Are they arm flailers? Objectively, it's all in the eye of the next couple on the floor.

But, who cares.... they're having immense fun, and they are beautiful to watch.

Conclusion..... do you own thing..... whatever it might be.

However, what just came to mind in the QR's one formal night, arrived a most-nice, young, good-looking off-the-pages-of-GQ, gal wearing obviously stylist fashion-jeans with intentional frayed tears here and there to draw one's attention. Her mate was a dressed 'stud', but definitely not to Cunard's formal dress codes. Unfortunately, they didn't last long. I suspect the Cunard dance floor formal night bobbies made the arrest and dragged her (and her mate) to the brig. She, not necessarily a good dancer, but had the necessary eye-candy movements, and all the old duffers aboard were certainly checking out her "footwork".

Yes, dancing is always fun. Who cares about the tempo, when there's so much fun stuff to see.

Bye

Foxy, if we assume corporate services to be American, it's possible to interpret her post as having no sympathy for competitors who only know The Routine, with no idea of floorcraft, she just didn't express herself well. The inherent contradiction of "learn basic steps" with "husband extremely high standard" makes some sense if she's talking about American style arm flailing and breaking apart, which are of course quite inappropriate for any social dancing in a crowded room. Although the word pompous doesn't get things off to a good start.

If the OP is still monitoring this thread, don't worry, these are worst-case scenarios, it's the host's job to work around it, not yours; If there are a lot of fashionistas on the trip, it may not be busy anyway.

Come-on folks..... get off your judgmental 'high-horse' and enjoy the fact that all the QR's dancers, including the "arm flailing" low-lifes, are having a great time. Was I judgmental when I saw the two dancers on the floor wearing costume "horse-heads" for the ball?... Certainly Sir Samuel would not have allowed. No, simply laughed, danced closer for a good gawk, and shared in their humor. As we all know..... 'there is no dance police' to impose certain dance ideology.

DB.... were you the one a couple years ago on one of these CC dance postings.... you kept complaining about the orchestra's tempo, and I suggested you take your metronome down front and then file a violation report to the Capt'n?

Roscoe, definitely there's a humorous dance story here for P-news. BTW, is your NZ crowd a bunch of dancing 'arm-flailers', if given sufficient drinks? Definitely, your grill-class are more polished?

Maybe you serious dances should suggest to CC that you have the ability to post your dancing prowess history on the 'signature line' just like listing many cruises they have taken. In this way, the reader will know with certain your dance expertise. In this way, anyone listing 'Curley's Pub' is assumed to be a bar-fly 'arm-flailer'.

Keep on a-dancing, folks! Always enjoy!

But, be leery of that CC judgmental dance policeman sitting by himself off to stage-right: the one who cannot find a dance partner because no one measures up to his (or her) professional dance prowess. Remember too, all hosts are shufflers, at best.

And, so the story goes..... maybe it's best to skip the QR and head for a stiff 'shooter' in the closest bar. The bar-keeps will always listen to your story. After three rounds, head back to the QR, and all the floor-craft will be different.

Bye......

......

I hope to see Roscoe to bid him farewell before he disembarks. He certainly adds a bit of flair to the cruise.

That quote by one of Roscoe's many fans leads me to say…

Social butterfly that he is, certainly loved by all, adding a grand amount of Cunard flair and intrigue ...... Roscoe should to be on the 2018 WC.

That said, one of you with Internet crowdfunding prowess might pursue setting up the official "Roscoe commemorative 2018 world cruise fund".

Establish the funding link, donate, and make Our Roscoe "Float" again in high Q1 style. See if we can drag him back aboard, up the gangplank, kicking and screaming all the way.

All done for your good, Roscoe. But you must promise to dance at least one dance nightly with one of your benefactors. You can do it!

Now, see if we can do it?

T&C

Hey, Roscoe…

Sad that you have to leave the Grand Lady. I assume you disembark in San Francisco and when you do, what do you have planned on terra firma?

In your last "are we there yet" post, we recognize the gal you took a selfie with. She was on last year's world cruise, but can't remember her name. Shame on me because I danced with her, and she was a good dancer a fun gal!

So, Roscoe, somehow by hook or by crook, how are you going to finagle your way back onto the QV? Got a wild idea.... go on the Internet and invite your Cunard blog followers to "crowd fund" your 2018 world cruise. Who knows, may work. It would be a great by-line for your P- news, too.

Comments?

T&C

Roscoe.....

You appreciate good writing. Check this out about RLS and the 'Casco'. It's your caliber of writing.

http://www.rosslaird.com/blog/casco-the-ship-of-robert-louis-stevenson/

T&C

Hi, Roscoe.....

So happy to see that you're back floating around shipboard. At sea, you definitely are in your element!

Haven't seen you since the QV days of visiting "Doris Dukes" dive on Oahu.

As a complement, this CC thread should be renamed, "Roscoe's Adventures".

What camera and telephoto lens are you using now to get that excellent close up?

Any sign of the infamous "QM" lady on board? You know the one… her fame proceeds her, and the crew has to nail down the table cloths and secure the hatches.

And, now that Mum's ashore, keep yourself a bit reigned in, but definitely continue being Roscoe.

Have Mucho fun!

T&C

Hi BlueRiBand...

I contacted Cunard about their 'White Star' luggage service. I was told that they cannot pick up the luggage 3+ weeks before the ship's departure as they do not store baggage. They can only pick up the bags in London 2 to 3 days before the ship sails.

T&C

Need help......

Arriving in London by air, how do we go about shipping our luggage to Southampton cruise terminal to be delivered 3+ weeks later. This is necessary because from London we will be on a 3+ week cross-country long-distance backpacking walk prior to arriving in Southampton to meet up with the QM2.

Can anyone recommend a good baggage forwarding service.

Thanks a bunch.

T&C

.............. this concept sounds more appealing in the abstract than in the reality.

Suspect there's allot of truth to your comment.

We would never want to attempt such a full time stunt. Cunard has so much to offer (dancing, entertainment, 'Insight speakers', food, etc), but to have a stateroom home year-round is not appealing.

Such a shipboard retirement experience might cost $100,000/year (more if you're a drinker, Grills-rat, or need to pay a single-supplement) which includes a few shore excursions. Of course, when your walker and motorized chair comes into the equation, good luck boarding the tenders. We all know the recent horror stories.

Medical issues would necessitate doctoring off-ship, lay-overs in certain ports that have medical facilities, or flying to your doctor/hospital. Also, shipboard noro virus might bring on more serious health problems for the elderly.

Suspect on-board retirement would require a unique personality individual. Not sure exactly what traits..... but will continue to ponder that point.

Yes, definitely unappealing!

Nothing. I've just done it. Going back on 23rd June. What would you like to know?

I was hoping to find someone presently retired aboard..... so here goes....

What ship are you retired on?

How long have you been retired aboard?

Are you living aboard alone? Partner? Are you a Lady or a Gentleman?

Does the cruise line cut you a deal (lower price)?

Do you change your daily shipboard routine... sorta be on the 'slow-bell', sleeping in, fewer meals daily, eat less, exercise more, less late night entertainment, etc?

How old are you?

What do you best enjoy about being retired on board?

What do you miss from your shore-bound life?

Have you sold your land home, apartment, car, etc? Sorta, pulled-the-plug entirely

Are you ever bored or restless aboard ship?

Do you miss your shore-bound family?

When porting near your former home (family), can relatives visit you aboard?

How long do you plan to live on your floating home?

If you are currently retired on board, why are you returning on June 23rd. How long have you been off your ship 'home'?

Many questions, but actually only a few?

Without a doubt, you definitely are a permanent "World Cruiser" with all the perks and trinkets bestowed on your pillow.

With all these questions, I think of the political telephone pollsters who sometimes call with endless queries.

Here's the reason I started this thread. While aboard one of the Cunard ships recently, I took a cue number to chat with one of the (2) on-board Cunard travel assist gals. Since my cue number was #1, I was first to enter their office when the door was first opened for business. Rather surprised, there was already a passenger inside who had apparently been talking with the senior Cunard travel/booking gal. While I was being helped by the second Cunard gal, I picked up on the other passengers dialogue. She was talking about selling her home and car, and living aboard ship. I thought, what a lifestyle decision.

Wonder how all this ended?

One hears stories about individuals living aboard a cruise ship full time (12 months a year)

Can this be true?

An unbearable thought?

On last month's QV San Francisco to Sydney segment, there was sequence dancing during some of the 9 am dance (lesson) sessions, during some of the evening band breaks, and also up in Hemispheres many nights. Maybe 6 or 8 couples were enjoying their sequence dancing.

Don and Olena had sea-days 12:15 pm dance instruction free classes, and then would repeat the same lesson for more practice at 5 pm. The repeated class was great to pick up on what what missed during the earlier session. Classes were Cha-Cha, Quick Step, Tango, Waltz, Rhumba, Fox Trop.

Overall, there were many more opportunities to dance aboard the QV as compared to a year earlier. This came as a welcomed surprise.

Roscoe....

Back home and decompressing after our most fun SF to SYD segment.

It was a pleasure meeting you aboard, and having our paths cross every few days to be caught up on all the latest. You certainly are tuned into shipboard happenings, always a wealth of information to include the latest gossip. Yep, that's what makes the ship go-round. Proud of you... walking right up to get a photo with our gal. Did any silverware 'rattle' or loose tea bags or glassware tumble to the floor? Still trying to digest all the incidents. Certainly makes for lively shipboard banter. Do you think this person relishes in the hubbub and fall-out she creates? Or, maybe totally unaware... simply, acting before thinking?

For us.... we are happy to be back to the real world. Don't get us wrong. We totally enjoyed our 6 table-mates, nightly QR dancing, all the twice-daily dance lessons, RCT entertainment, many of the 'insights' lectures, daily gym & chairobics, shore excursions, and for several weeks the great food.

Actually, even with exercise one's food intake has to be restricted, most often choosing the Spa meal and skipping all desserts. After about 3 weeks, the food is too much. It's hard to continually say 'no'.

No complaints with our experience, other than the rough seas, and having to miss Apia, probably a couple too-few South Pacific ports-of-call.

Oh Roscoe, I was going to ask you while aboard if you have the where-withall how Cunard stashes (hides) the Lido cookies? Most passengers do not know. We learned a couple of Cunard cruises ago. Just testing your Cunard dessert prowess on this shipboard food trivia point.

Keep up the great blogs and CC posting. You are good!

Enjoy the remainder of your WC. I suspect of all passengers aboard, you might be having the most interesting fun.

Still have faith that you can write the most humorous chapter or two about you-know-who. If you ever do, we'd love to read the 'beta-chapters'. It'd be a hoot.

T&C

PS..... BTW, are you on next year's QV Amazon river run? The Zika thing is developing bad, and one doesn't have to be a pregnant female. Suspect there will be cancellations?

Roscoe....

Wow! I didn't think about the bridge clearances. Unfortunate that the QM2 would never be able to do the canal passage route.

I see the Q.Vic is doing the canal passage presently. It's a fascinating route; enjoyed it a year ago.

OK, Roscoe, here's your next investigative question. When ported and sailing outta SF, will your fav on-board bar be converted to a sports-bar to cover the Super Bowl? Hopefully, the game will be on the Winter Garden monitors...in lieu of soccer uncertain what season that's played?

BTW... your photo blogging is much appreciated, even when you stir up opposing posters who like to cut-&-paste their narrative. I was somewhat amazed to read what Roy wrote, that the fellow sold his cello.

Have fun; don't eat too much. How's the calorie intake progressing? You still walking laps and/or doing religious gym-time? Heaven forbid!

T&C

Roscoe.....

(Re the Panama Canal expansion)..... Inquire what the QV tour office says about when the QM2 will be passing through the new canal. Maybe WC 2018?

When that passage happens, it'll be an inaugural trip for the grand lady with mucho fanfare.

I would have liked to listen to JLW perform on the QV as well as the RCT interview Q&A session.

Possibly, he is not everyone's 'cup-of-tea'.

Recently, I enjoyed his father's appearance on the TV "Late Show" (with Stephen Colbert). The father certainly has decades of exceptional talent. Wonder if this the first time JLW has performed on a cruise ship? Cunard booked a recognized-name performer for the first segment of the WC. Of course, most non-musical folk would likely think of his 'father-first'. Wonder if the father has ever been booked by Cunard? One thing's for certain.... Cunard books some great talent. A year ago we enjoyed the 'Crosby, Stills, & Nash' themed cruise aboard the QV. These guys were well received and are very good, each with their own interesting music history/abilities.

Reading Roscoe's separate blog, I'm curious why Cunard was paging JLW and a couple other passengers if it was not for locating straggling passengers to 'empty-out' the ship due to US shore customs. Who knows, maybe JLW was burdened down hauling off his instrument cases. Who knows? But if the delay happen, it likely perturbed some.

Shipboard, how many performances did JLW do? Maybe like the CS&N themed cruise, the passengers were ticketed for a specific JLW stage performance.

Thanks to all for posting what's up aboard the QV.

Seems like the January Atlantic crossing is a bit rough in places. That being said, any opinions whether one should begin a WC, say in Florida and go forward from there? Or, does one simply accept the cold, wind, rain, & rough seas as part of doing the full-enchalata WC.

Guess what I'm asking.... if any of you would simply have flown to FL and embarked there.... knowing what you know now?

Roy, will miss your DP and menu postings. Thanks.

T&C