D&N

Is that not for the pop-ups? US fares often have visit(s) to them included.

They weren't usually dreary. It was a big church without a P.A. system. While not quite fire and brimstone, my Dad's delivery from the pulpit was very forceful. There were times it was reported that an old lady in the congregation was upset because she thought he was shouting at her. 🙂 I was getting near the stage of deciding to just stay at home on Sunday mornings so it was all a bit long for me.

When aged about eleven I would sit on the balcony with a chocolate bar unwrapped and broken in pieces so I wouldn't make any noise. I'd start a countdown when the sermon went over twenty minutes.

Toulon is a fairly big station and unlike many around the region these days should have a manned ticket counter and several machines. However these days many tickets are bought online and displayed in an app. It might save time at the station if you buy on the app. If you buy on the app you obviously can't use the machines. Here's a link to the site associated with the app: https://www.sncf-connect.com/ This doesn't apply in the South Region (PACA) at present, but due to the reduction in paper ticket use SNCF have started removing the yellow machines. This article (in French) tells you about it. You may need to translate in a browser if you don't read French. https://www.quechoisir.org/actualite-sncf-ce-qui-change-avec-la-disparition-des-bornes-de-compostage-n105698/

There is a painting on QM2 that resembles a spilt tin of baked beans. Not sure how retro that is or how it relates to historic ships. Personally although I quite like some of the paintings, they don't really have a functional use and I'd be happy without any of them. We'd dress to the nines every night no matter what ship we sailed on, just as we would any time we go out to dinner. But on QM2 we can dance all of every evening. But the most important thing is waking up at 3:30 am in a force 9 and sensing the QM2's keel flexing under the immense pressures of the ocean while feeling virtually no roll and hardly any pitch. No element of fantasy about it. If the ship had an ultra modern theme we'd still be happy to sail on it.

These aren't the best of photos, but I think they make the situation clear... Coco-Canel is now about nine months old and is very good at jumping and climbing. We'd prefer that she didn't go on top of our main aircon/heating unit. We've now been gathering the curtains to hang a few feet to the right. Unusual for someone sign up to CC and make a first post to wish HH a Happy Birthday. I wondered if it was a wind up, but I see it was this time last year. Ursel and Coco join us in wishing you a Happy Birthday!

If you need or want to find a good travel agent, I would suggest that you contact a few. Start by phoning them and having a discussion about your future needs rather than something you want to book at that time. Make sure that you are always going to be dealing with the same person, although it might be reassuring to know that they have some sort of backup if they were to take ill or not be available for some other reason. Decide from initial calls if you like them, at least from the point of being comfortable talking to them. If you don't like them look elsewhere. Ideally you want to know that if you send them an email, SMS, WhatsApp or Messenger message that it is answered within a few hours. If you call and get an answering machine, that might not be a bad sign. It could mean they have plenty of business, which you would expect from a good agent. Leave a message and then judge them on how quickly they respond to your message. By coincidence I'd left a message for our agent having found their site online and was talking to a frequent cruising friend in Scotland when they called back, just as the friend was recommending that agent as the best they'd ever encountered. But I doubt you'll find one by making online bookings through an agent then hoping they'll be proactive if anything goes wrong or needs changed. If you're not going to do some work to identify a good agent you are as well sticking to direct bookings.

The licence appears to permit posting this:

Not been on the network since July 2022. Here's the current link to the South Brooklyn Route timetable: https://www.ferry.nyc/routes-and-schedules/south-brooklyn/ Timetables change periodically so best check nearer the time. Routes can change as well. For a while that route called at Governors Island (between Red Hook and Bay Ridge) but that isn't the case at present, but perhaps they might resume that during summer. If you can install the app you can buy tickets on that and see timetables etc. And the fare is now $4 per journey including one ferry connection in 2 hours.

Is there a source for obstructed views on HAL Pinnacles? Sometimes deck plans are fairly accurate for life boat/tender positions.

One 10-year old boy was far too busy following all the news articles about the brand new ship that was being welded together less than 8 miles away.

A Direct transfer should take between two and a half and three hours. Train would involve a taxi/transfer to station and at least two changes in Paris. That's likely to take up to four hours. The 10:03 departure is probably earliest you could catch, arriving Gare Saint Lazare at 12:23. If you then make the fastest connections you could be at Charles de Gaulle around 1:15pm. I'd say that's a best case scenario and booking an overnight stay would be far safer.

A friend was on her in May and posted lots of photos. It all looked stunning. Just not what we're looking for.

There are several examples shown in videos of dancing from Queens Room on QE in Alaska. I wore one in July 1998 on Sun Princess and certainly wasn't alone. I didn't know of the Mason–Dixon line or Summer Seasons etc until two years ago.

We don't normally eat or drink in pubs, I prefer restaurants. However if we did and came across a table where one person was sitting as described and there were no other suitable tables, we would just sit down beside them and slurp our drinks, eat messily and chat. I would defend the right of someone to sit drinking in a pub, I thought that was what pubs were for, but occupying a seat while not drinking seems very inconsiderate.

QM2 programmes posted on a thread here in December only showed it serving lunch. I have read that it is open on at least one of QE & QV. Don't know about QA.

The Rioja hasn't been priced within the drinks package since at least 2018. I first looked in 2018 when booking for 2020 and limit was $11 per drink, Rioja was $11.95. By the time we got to sail in 2022, limit was $12, Rioja was $12.20. I don't have a copy of list when limit increased to $13, but I think that's when Rioja increased to $13.50. There was a recent YouTube video where a lady scanned all the pages of various menus and the Rioja was clearly $14.40. I took screenshots at time but think I deleted them. Unless you plan to lobby Cunard to reduce the price you are going to be very disappointed. If you try and succeed I'm sure you'd make lots of folk happy. It is quite silly of them anyway. The Sancerre was always just within limit, and it's bottle price at one point was only $3 less than Rioja. The 20% isn't worthless to us because we will be buying several bottles at around $80 whether on the package or not, so we would pay $92 for the bottle anyway and would save $18.40 each time if we have the package.

Sorry I don't. They haven't specified anything other than "some bottles of wine" in all the versions of T&Cs I've seen. I have read elsewhere, unconfirmed, that the limit was $150. That was from a blog making reference to an interview around January 2023.

Sadly I think you will be disappointed. Any menu that shows wine in 150ml small glasses or spirits in 1oz (29.574ml) or 2oz (59.147ml) measures is out of date. Cunard now serve most small glasses of wine in 175ml and spirits in 25ml & 50ml measures. It clearly tells you that in the current terms and conditions for the drinks package: https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/my-cunard-tcs The most recent prices for wines that I would like to see included in the package are: Chablis $15.40, Whispering Angel Rosé $15.40, Rioja $14.40, Chianti $14.20.

I find the whole concept bizarre. As far as I can ascertain the original didn't have a ballroom. Therefore we would have no interest in it whatsoever 💃 I would welcome someone commencing a study of what might replace QM2. Looking into what could be improved on the current offering?; could it have a higher maximum speed in case it was needed?; what propulsion could be used?, and could that be designed so that it might be easily swapped out if a better option was found? QM2 probably has no more than 25 years left and leaving thoughts of a replacement until close to that risks not having one in time.

@rakkor I think they have been updated. There is a Chart Room menu somewhere with 25ml & 50ml measures for spirits, and I saw a Commodore Club on YouTube with 175ml small wines. Unless the measures are currently varying between ships! The Sancerre in 175ml was $13.40. They normally keep that within the limit. unlike Chablis. Chianti & Rioja.

Some of the plans and photos of Oceanview cabins show the beds and bedside cabinets against the hull wall under the window or porthole. In those cabins it will be a much greater distance to the desktop sockets. Probably the 2 metre length of the bed plus the length of a sofa. For anyone that doesn't know the exact layout of their cabin it might be sensible to follow Cunard's advice.

I'm afraid that was a very long time ago. Either early 1970s or briefly around 1980. That would make a trip on QM2 extremely good value for money!

Some of us Brits simply take the view that the various members of staff that contribute to our trip deserve to receive these sums, whether they are paid out as a share of gratuities, or as I have read in the last few years, guaranteed in their salaries whether we pay them or not. We will then give cash to any individuals that we feel have been particularly nice or helpful to us. As someone living permanently in France who receives all their revenues in GBP, I don't recognise that the exchange rate to EUR or USD is awful.

You can only view photos by typing your cabin number and some other detail on one of the screens at Images Photo Gallery. There are lots of examples of cruise photos online that can give some idea of what poses might suit you. Simply try them out in front of a full length mirror or take selfies with phone on a stand or propped up so you get a full height photo. On Android putting your palm up towards the camera should activate a shot with a three second delay. I assume iOS will have a similar facility.