JuniorCruisers

13 minutes ago, JuniorCruisers said:

Encouraging to see some more Australians receive their refunds; will give it a couple more weeks for ours, seems as though things are progressing.

Haha, well shut my mouth, I just checked my credit card balance and the money was there! Refunded 12 June - not one word from Cunard yet though, but that's okay. We used a different card to pay the deposit to the balance so the two amounts were refunded separately to the two different cards but it's the full amount together. I guess everyone will just need to continue exercising their well-used patience... the money is coming!

Encouraging to see some more Australians receive their refunds; will give it a couple more weeks for ours, seems as though things are progressing.

Whilst we have not received the official notification/email concerning the further cancellations (for which we are again affected with QE in Alaska), we feel extremely fortunate and grateful that for us at least, the process to get our money back appears to be, through self-guidance, rather straightforward and we will not be out of pocket. We are supposed to be aboard QM2 right now on the eastbound transatlantic and have decided to take a refund on that voyage but cop the FCC for the Alaska voyage, for which we have until November to change our mind to refund if it becomes obvious that it will be impossible to sail again next year.

We were so looking forward to introducing our one-year-old daughter to Cunard for the first time, and to experience QE for the first time in June (the only Queen we've yet to sail), but we can only be disappointed along with the hundreds of thousands of others who were looking forward to a Cunard voyage this year. As long as the opportunity returns as soon as possible we will be satisfied to sail again when we can, except that we will now have to pay for our daughter as she will be two-years-old by then and no longer free. 😱

Today we can only sit at home safely and be grateful for the memories of our previous voyages and look even more forward to the next (FCC might get us into the Grills this time!).

We've only tried Verandah on QV but certainly intend to return and patronage the restaurant on the other ships; it was a fabulous meal and is now one of my fiance's favourite venues anywhere in the world.

For the cover charge you don't just get the three courses either; there are appetizers, breads, petit fours, tea & coffee, etc. A very substantial offering.

Thanks for the advice but as I explained originally, if there appears to be any issues on the day we simply won't go. We will turn around and come back. We have recently returned from Somerset/Devon with driving in and out of London and Southampton and had absolutely no problems whatsoever with the roads or traffic, and made superb time everywhere we went. My only concern at this stage is being "permitted" to go by Cunard, and that has been kindly addressed in the replies so that's all folks. Please don't worry.

I notice nobody has asked the obvious question, so just for the record, where is it you intend to go to from Southampton?

Somerset. We'll leave with plenty of time to get back. If the ship is able to stick to the current port schedule in August T/A weather there'll be loads of time to play with.

Many thanks for the replies, all. If everything runs on schedule on the days then we'll be off on some nice adventures!

Hi all,

My fiance and I will be travelling on the QM2 in August/September for our honeymoon, and I'd like to know if there is a "limit" on distance you can travel away from the ship on your own while in port? I am planning on taking her to see some friends while docked in Southampton and Hamburg and they live several hours away - all perfectly manageable between the scheduled port times should the ship meet these, etc. etc. etc. This is not a "what if this happens, that happens" to cause us being late back and so on, merely a what is permissible with Cunard? As long as we are back with plenty of time to embark before sail-away can we theoretically go wherever we want?

Of course we will be mindful of times, circumstances, factors, etc. If there is any cause for concern later we will not go. But the opportunity would be very welcomed. Many thanks for your help as always.

Thank you Juniorcruisers for your comprehensive review, I am taking a cruise from Melbourne to Hong King on QV in March, just wondering do you need to book and pay extra for the boxes in the theatre? Thanks V

Thanks V, you only need to book/pay for a theatre box on the big production nights, which is only once or twice a week - these are the in-house Cunard shows with their own singers/dancers, and not any of the "special guest" shows (e.g. comedians, musicians, etc.). The price was $50 plus 15% service charge and can be booked at the Purser's Desk. Information on what nights this is required is printed in the Daily Programme the day before.

Of course they do, people wear whatever they are comfortable in. Many men (myself included) will also wear a tie on informal nights. Still a fairly formal ship on these evenings.

If I may ask, were you in the Grills, JuniorCruisers? That may make a difference. Or perhaps they have recently revived the practice of automatically distributing the menus in the Britannia restaurant.

Nope, Britannia all the way. Can't say we saw anyone else get them (not that we looked), but we certainly didn't ask/mention the menus so not sure why the waiters would have singled us out for them if it's not normal practice, however we were pleased to receive them.

Thank you for the excellent and comprehensive review!

You're very welcome, thanks for your comments. It seems like a hundred years ago now since we sailed.

On our recent QV voyage our waiters gave us the preceding week's menus each weekend, without us asking for them. Presented with a nice little cover and note from both of them - presumably this was done for most other passengers as well.

We never personally had nor saw anyone having any difficulties on the decks nor noticed any noise. Lots of kids running around without issue. Perhaps it was due to the extreme heat...

Monte Carlo is an easy walk, if you're happy to do it. Approximately 20 mins from the ship to casino around the marina and perhaps 10 up to the Palace. And of course only a few steps from the dock into the town itself.

Thanks for sharing your information. Flights are no problem, we have 30kg allowance but it's only 20kg on the ship according to the information I have read.

Ah, now I see your concern... but don't worry! :) A 30kg bag would not be an issue, they are not weighed. 40-50kg on the other hand... ;)

Hello

 

Thanks for taking the time to write such a review. I have sailed on the Queen Victoria twice and have enjoyed each voyage tremendously.....one reason I like the QV over the QE is that the QE has no chart room which means there is less seating in the various lounges which leads to crowding..

 

I am wondering about one of your photos.....I last sailed on the QV around South America in 2014. Unless something has changed there are no TEAK DECKS on the ship but the photo indicated to be careful as the teak decks were being cleaned or something to that effect. are there now teak decks on the ship? I recall just these horrible vinyl/rubber fake teak looking decks that could be VERY slippery. Please let us know. Thanks again.

Hi Deck Chair,

Thanks for your comments. The QV is indeed a marvellous ship. Regarding the photo, that was for the railing on our balcony, which had a new finish applied to it during the voyage. The balcony deck itself was also pressure-cleaned on another night but was practically dry when we arose the next morning... rest assured there was no slip hazard on the balcony.

We did however have a problem on deck...

Just kidding! :) That's one of my little "fun" photos. ;)

I must admit that I'm a little worried about the dress code. We've sailed on Holland America many times but this is our first Cunard cruise. I don't want to pack half my wardrobe, travelling from Australia and visiting other places as well as this cruise may cause problems with weight allowance as we try to restrict our luggage to one large suitcase each rather than cart multiple ones in and out of hotels and airports. Can someone give me an idea 1-10 of how stiff it really is?

Mil, the dress code is nothing to worry about. We sailed two weeks on QV in July and flew to Rome from Brisbane - fiancé and I also only had one large suitcase each which, while both full, only weighed 20kg a piece with 10kg of allowance to spare. What airline are you flying with? As far as I know everything now from Australia to Europe is 30kg on the major carries. My fiancé wore dresses nearly every day and mixed and matched some other items... easily fit.

We also tipped $1 each time given previous advice. Again, it did not appear expected but was received with much gratitude. The stewards were lovely to my other half when bringing the trays in, so why not?

Have a great time! I'm sure it will be a wonderful voyage.

What is it about rules and regulations, no matter how well they are publicised, that some people seem determined to see just how far they can flout them, or what boundaries they can push?

 

It's not confined to dress codes, but endemic wherever you look.

 

There is a presumption, that these rules/laws apply to everyone else, but not me. The dress code is for the wimps, I'll wear what I want. I can park my car wherever I want. I can talk during concerts. The towel rule doesn't apply to me, etc.etc..

 

The bottom line is that there are rules and if you want to participate, then you follow the rules.

 

If you would rather try to push the boundaries, then don't bother, just push off somewhere else.

 

Interestingly, you never hear of those who actually adhere to the dress codes trying to bring the standards higher and pushing for even higher dress standards. It seems to be only those who believe in the LCD who are determined to do their utmost to upset tradition.

 

Well, the vast majority of us are happy with the traditions and respect them. Those who don't like them have a choice.

 

That is not to say that there is a monopoly on standards, there's not, just different ones, and if they don't suit. then please just go away and find something more suitable. The tail will never wag the dog.

 

Tonight's rant over.

THIS! Have truer words ever been spoken? Thank you for articulating what most of us are thinking!

FYI to all cruisers:

Current prices (including 15% auto service charge) are $4.03 for Coca-Cola (in bottles) and $3.16 for Pepsi (in cans).

Coke is still there, you just need to ask for it if you don't see it. As mentioned, it's on the bar menus, etc., just not in the bar fridge in your stateroom. It's in a (larger) bottle compared to the small cans of the Pepsi varieties, thus part-cause of the higher price.

We tried The Verandah for the first time last month; wonderful in every respect - although it was practically empty every day!

DF with her escargot in The Verandah; you must try this restaurant when you sail QV: