Jack E Dawson

Wow, great review, really liked the way you approached it. Jack

Except for perhaps the shop/restaurant owners, the people who work at the shops, the city that taxes what's sold at the shops, the cruise lines that are asking passengers to wait outside the building or jam into the building and that rare passenger who likes to shop (could Dee be the only one😃). I just can't imagine passengers sitting in a beautiful terminal, well lit, with restaurants, shops and nice facilities saying, "gosh, I really miss the old Mayflower terminal experience, now that was a building you could stand outside of." Cruising is booming right now, the number and size of ships is growing as are the pressures on boarding. It seems like delayed boardings, for whatever the reason, are happening more frequently. The terminal facilities in Southampton have not kept up.

I'm curious Winifred, when did you sail? My experience with boarding in SH is that it is less of a "policy" then it is the discretion of whoever is in charge that day. Very inconsistent. Cunard does so many thing very well but embarkation, website and onboard wifi are not in that group. I find this odd because 2 of those 3 are "first impression" items. If we are taking the Cunard bus service from London, which we have done twice (and find it very satisfactory), we really have little control as to when we arrive the port terminal. However, in Cunard's defense, they can only work with what they are given by the Southampton port authority. The terminals facilities are really lacking. They've got a captive audience of thousands, you think they would offer some restaurants, club rooms and shops and make some revenue. It's a win/win opportunity. As much as I dislike airports, at least there are restaurants, shops and bathroom facilities near the gates and I've never been asked to wait outside the building. These are huge revenue generators for the airports. We are embarking the QE in August from Los Angles. I'm curious as to what the terminal situation will be like here. Jack

So I'm a bit confused, when/where is the maiden voyage? When I go on the Cunard web site the first offering I see is a cruise to the Canary Islands departing SH on May 10th, 2024. I thought there was a short 3 or 4 day voyage before that to Spain I think. Did that get cancelled or is it not showing because it is already filled. Thanks, Jack

oskidunker We are booked on the reverse cruise, Ft Lauderdale to Los Angles in August on the QE. That is probably too late to provide any useful information in helping make your decision but I will be posting a review. While there are few stops, the ones that the ship will make do sound interesting to us. We have already booked the Rainforest In the Clouds tour in Costa Rica. It is a 6.5 hour excursion and the description sounds interesting. We also have friends who have a place in Cabo and they have given us ideas for places and things to see and do. We looked at doing this cruise on Viking in January of 2024 as it has 3 additional stops and is 16 days vs 14 days. However, when we got into the details we noticed that the Viking ship has shorter (much shorter in some cases) port times and one of the stops is Cozumel which is not a big interest point for us. The other issue was the cost. We are spending ~ $5,000 for the Cunard trip vs ~ $13,000 for the Viking, same type cabin. With the savings we will do a QM2 Crossing next year plus possibly the NYC to Quebec cruise on the QM2 this Fall. I do agree with Host Hattie that you have to let YOUR goals, concerns and issues be the decision drivers not somebody else's. Jack

Thank D&N but even with the 15% service charge wouldn't still only be $55.20? Of course I'm drinking some wine as I write this so I could be wrong. Also, thanks for the updated wine list. Mine was out of date. Jack

May math may be wrong here but wouldn't a 20% discount on a $60 bottle of wine bring it down to $48 since the service charge is included in the package? Jack

We are booked on the August 22nd LA to Ft. Lauderdale Panama Canal cruise that stops in Puntarenas Costa Rica. Does anyone have any experience with either the Walk In the Clouds excursion or the Forest Sky Walk excursion? We are looking for the one that offers the best rainforest experience. Fitness is not an issue. Thanks Jack

Just a follow-up here. We moved our cabin from 8132 to 8170 which is in the port-stern location. We've never been in this type of location but think it might be very interesting. Thanks again to everyone for their input. We will be sure to post a review when we return. Jack

Thanks all. Jack

Thanks lindylooellalouise. Jack

Does anyone have any experience cabin 3032 on the Mars. We are looking at Panama Canal cruise. Thanks Jack

Does anyone have any experience with cabin 8132 on the Queen Elizabeth? I notice that it is above the back of the Lido. We are looking at the Panama Canal cruise. Thanks Jack

NancyDrew1953, We sailed as A2's but ate in the more private section. Jack

D&N, You are correct, we do like the tube because it is directly across the street from the Conrad St. James and of course we have our Oyster cards but I don't think we can get to Waterloo directly. So I think we will take a London Cab to Waterloo then the 10:35 train to SH. Thanks all for the usual excellent advice and Host Hattie for the link. Jack

I know this has been discussed in detail before, in fact I have participated in those discussions, but I can't seem to find the threads through the Search option. I'm sure it's my fault so I apologize. We are looking for options for getting from London (Conrad Hilton St. James Park) to Southampton. In the past we have used the train out of Victoria Station (25 stops and 4 hours) and the Cunard Bus. Would appreciate any suggestions on car service or better train options. Thanks Jack

PurpleMoonlight, Just a small point here. The actual balcony of a sheltered balcony cabin is about 1 foot deeper than the balcony of a glass front balcony. The width is the same. There is no difference in the cabins (living space) themselves. We have sailed in a sheltered cabin, non-bulkhead, and did not notice any noise from the neighboring cabins. Hope this helps, Jack

The actual balcony of a sheltered balcony cabin is slightly larger that the balcony of an obstructed view cabin. The balconies are all the same width but the sheltered balcony is about a foot or so deeper. This does not take away from any cabin space. The cabins are all identical in size and layout. We have found that less natural light gets into the room of a sheltered balcony cabin. There is also a distinct difference in the view from a sheltered balcony cabin. Being below the promenade deck means that you can look directly down to the sea plus you are a lot closer to the water. We liked that experience. The major drawback, for us, of a sheltered balcony cabin is that because of the height of the balcony opening, you cannot see the water when you are sitting down either on the balcony or in the cabin. All you see is sky. You have to be standing in order to see the ocean and horizon. Hope this helps Jack

Yes, you can bring your own mixes, wines and spirits as desired.

We stayed in Southampton overnight before departing on our TransAtlantic last year. We took 4 cabs, train station to hotel, hotel to dinner, dinner back to the hotel and hotel to the ship. In all cases we paid with a credit card and never had a bit of trouble. For what its worth, we found the fares very reasonable. Hope this helps, Jack

I spoke with Sealy U.S. customer service directly and was told that the Cunarder model mattress is not available here. However, the agent did look at the mattress' components and said that the Posturepedic Plus Hybrid Firm would be the closest match here in the States. The "Hybrid" means that it is a combination of foam and (individually pocketed) springs. He also said that the only component that mattress didn't have that the Cunarded had was the hand tufted top. Jack

I second Cruise NH's recommendation about economy bulkhead seats on long-haul flights. Also, is there a possibility of buying a economy ticket and then using points to upgrade to business? Most of the major airlines have significantly upgraded their premium economy in the past 2 years. On some airlines Premium Economy today is almost equal to what Business Class was 10 years ago before that class got lay-flat beds. If Business Class is out, Premium Economy is a very good compromise. See the flight as a chance to indulge yourself. Bring that book you have been trying to get through or a stack of magazines, maybe there are some letters you would like to write. This is also a good time to organize your pictures and chronicle the trip while it is still fresh. Hope this helps, Jack

We have sailed BC on the QM2 on a Crossing and very much liked it. The anytime dining with a dedicated table and staff was nice. Although a form of anytime dining is now available in the MDR, the upgraded dining experience in BC was worth the additional cost for us. There are also other subtle enhancements to BC. Yes, the BC cabins are on decks 12 & 13 towards the front but we didn't notice significant movement even in rough weather. While the BC cabins are on the small size (exact same size and layout as Britannia class), the sitting area is perfect for two and the glass front balcony provides for a lot of light and an open feeling. We think BC is a good value proposition. Hope this helps Jack

These are the candied ginger that we take. Important to note that the first ingredient listed is ginger, not sugar. Jack

I checked with Dee on this one and she says that she was very glad she had brought the appropriate dresses for the color theme galas. Said she would have felt more disappointed rather than uncomfortable had she not. Dee also said that a "40's" era dress for the Roaring 20's would be fine as that seems to be the least followed gala theme. The Roaring 20's was also the theme that caused her the most pre-cruise stress but she did participate and said it turned out to be a lot of fun. We have also had gala themes change prior to sailing during COVID. The Masquerade Gala is the easiest. Dee used a hand held mask and I have always chosen not to mask. However, in the Queens Room there will be some very extravagant masks. Hope this helps. Jack