Elephant1151

I did not enquire but I am sure if you contacted them they would inform you.

Sorted - booked parking with Parking4cruises who state they will have EV Charger when they move to new premises.  Booked hotel near the port with parking for the one night,.

We are looking to book a hotel in Southampton area for a pre cruise stay. Some state they have EV charging but in fact are in a car park away from the hotel.

This is a back up as we are hoping to book cruise parking with an EV charge.  Has anyone had experience please?

Something to aim for. Time to get in shape and bring out the evening dresses.

We are booked on that voyage which sold so fast, I understand not all the cabins have been released. 

Looking forward to being back onboard, we were on QV  Around South America when Covid 19 put the end to future trips for the moment. Two World Cruises 2 trips to Japan/Australia and Barcelona to Melbourne, cancelled, everything crossed this wil go ahead.

We have managed to get a Grill stateroom but not our first 4 choices of cabin. The system always seems to go down on launch day, such is the joy of technology.

On non formal nights a nice silk top and trousers or cocktail/smart dress is OK.  I am from the UK so loook at Jacques Vert and Phase Eight for inspiration. Ebay and Facebook Marketplace are great for new clothes as sellers remorse is very evident, so many for sale with tags still on.

Yes they do put the pull downs back into the ceiling during the day.

Some  cabins have a sofa bed which is great for a third person. Others a bed which will come from the ceiling over the sofa.  So the king size bed is not affected and there is still plenty of room.  These are great cabins but sell out quickly especially on the longer trips.

We have used National Express in both directions. We sometimes leave the car at Heathrow and then go on the coach to Southampton to join the ship, easier on the return for driving home.

Check if they call at different terminals on the way from Southampton they certainly do call at all terminals on the way to Southampton.  A reserved seat and booking additional luggage is best.

The Pursers will exchange US $ into local currencies.  Please note I stated US $, So any other currencies are converted into US $ then into local currencies.  We usualy take a small amount of those we require on board with us and loads of US $. Credit cards which do not make a charge for foreign transactions ar ehandy as well.

We are booked Vancouver to Barcelona and our son (30 years old) is considering this trip, A few days in Vancouver pre cruise is planned. so that is 3 from England.

Fort Lauderdale is a great pre/post cruise stay.  Many years ago we stayed on Miami Beach several times pre/post cruise but not as much to do if you are not a beach bum.  

No to Alaska as our son is travelling with us and also has work to factor in

We are doing Vancouver to Barcelona.  It is very easy to get from Miami to Fort Lauderdale, last time we did it we had a taxi and it was easy and took around 30 minutes.

I belive the Tri rail also runs but it is some time since we used that when staying near Miami Airport pre  and post cruise.

You can take wine onboard and also bring it on in ports.  We were on the South America cruise last year and so bought local wines as we went round. Corkage is $25.  There will be the opportunity whilst  onboard to buy some spirits  duty free for cabin consumption.

The Captain and Commodore wine packages are good value when you consider the corkage fee above, 

We take a few  mixers and soft drinks for our cabin as do many passengers, and replenish as required.

I cannot believe this small's  matter would get past you Roscoe.  Anyway I thought you loved the gossip and fun of the laundry???

This matter has been addressed before on the previous Around South America board and I have taken it up on several occasions with Southampton.   However a lot will have to change with Covid rules so fingers crossed this could be one of the better ones.

This may have be reconsidered to be Covid compliant.  Surely the better idea if the ship is not going to be sailing at full capacity is to make the offer 20 items for $40 once a week,  On the world cruises it usually is once per sector unless you book in the USA when it is a free bag per week.

We were booked on 2021 QV World Cruise and also booked 2022. The only one which does  a World Cruise is QV.  A beautiful friendly ship with excellent staff.  The QM2 is also a beautiful ship with excellent staff and also a planetarium/cinema.

It all comes down to the ports of call, as we love all 3 Queens.  We are booking QV for 2023.

Some years ago we had booked a Cunard cruise with a reputable TA.  They telephoned several times requesting the final payment earlier than previously stated. We paid by credit card and a week later they had closed. No problem Cunard stated our booking was protected.

We have always paid part or all of the deposit by credit card and now as there are no fees pay the balance by credit card as well. If Cunard went under you would be refunded by theprovider.

In 1990 we sailed on Vistafjord and received this as a gift. As I stated earlier we loved that ship and sailed on her from 1982 to 2003.

Yes  as each sector/segment has its own voyage number.

You will have to settle your account at the end of each segment as they will have separate voyage numbers. Any OBC will be credited to each segment so be sure to spend it all as you sail as it cannot be carried over to the next segment.

The same way people exempt from Yellow Fever get a form from their doctor. Onboard QV last year around South America we had to show our Yellow Fever vaccination record  at check in at Southampton and again onboard when they took a photocopy. They were very diligent at check in.

I completed a survey from Cunard yesterday regarding future cruising, Covid and vaccinations. So I am sure they are testing past passengers views. I would be happy to cruise again once vaccinated as long as all passengers (except those medically exempt) and the crew were vaccinated. Life has to go on at some stage, this is not about taking any risks but living life with certain restrictions onboard and on ship excursions.

My first Cunard cruise was in June 1971 - a 10 night sailing ariund the Med on Carmania. She was a beautiful ship. the cabins were smaller than we are used to now. There was a deck steward who booked a lounger for the day - your name placed in the little holder - and after lunch it would have been turned to follow the sun.

A glass covered part of promenade allowed you to sit out at night.  The midnight buffets were great.

In rough seas there was a brass bar around the dining table which could be raised to stop soup ending up in your lap.

It was such an experience and we are still sailing 50 years later and still with Cunard.  We love all the ships and have fond memories of the QE2 and  our family cruises on Vistafjord/Caronia. Queen Mary 2 is fantastic across the Atlantic but we still have a slight favourite in Queen Victoria over Queen Elizabeth but have cruises bookd on both. 

Each sailing is special due to the ship, staff,  friends we make and port experiences. We looked forward to being back onboard soon.