fionaanne1

Happy to tell you full refund, including flights received this afternoon for May 9th Sydney to Vancouver QE cruise.

I applied for the refund around second week April so within the 60 days.

I didn't otherwise contact Cunard and only knew about the refund when I checked my CC statement just now, so no accompanying email.

All I have to do now is get the hefty amounts off three CCs and back into my 'fun fund'.

I am in UK.

Thank you.

I now cannot get my head around why I am reading articles about loo 

rolls at breakfast. 🙈😂😂

Fiona

27 minutes ago, frankp01 said:

 

I just read an editorial on this. Folks *are* hoarding, but in addition, we're now being asked to use our own supply. Prior to this, people might have been at work, school, restaurants, etc. for a good part of the day, where we would have been using their facilities. That does stand to reason.

Thank you. 😁

I suppose there is some logic to that. In which case, it's the first bit of logic I have seen in this whole sorry mess.

Fiona 

Well, goodness me!  Einstein's theory is beginning to make sense now; time goes relatively slowly when I am catching up with some of the more unpalatable jobs around the house and relatively quickly when I realise that a whole week has passed since my last note to this thread. 🤣

A busy week on the whole, still able to get out and about to do bits of essential shopping for my household and others. The supplies in the supermarkets seem to be almost back to normal, apart from loo rolls 🤷‍♀️ Why???

Had a polite discussion with the manager of my local supermarket as they had imposed (using handy yellow tape markers on the floor) the advised 2m distance rules at the checkouts. All well and good but, because there were only two of the six available checkouts open, the queues stretched back along the aisles where other shoppers were trying to select items from the shelves. To his credit he opened all the checkouts.

My daughter's friend's online quiz happened again last night. He had a lot of publicity from last weeks and even more people joined in. He has also raised over £45,000 for NHS charity through his efforts. 

I found a really interesting youtube piece on how to fold bags-for-life into neat little triangles for easy and compact storage so, I spent a strangely compelling half hour doing plastic bag origami🙄😵😵😵 

Which brings me neatly to my next bit of news...

A week and a half ago, in order to try and fill my days and stave off boredom, I applied to be one of the new NHS volunteers and found out on Tuesday that I have been accepted. Yay!!!

Since then.... nothing... I have been like a coiled spring ready to leap into action. 😁 

My working life was spent within the NHS so I ought to have realised that these things take time. I imagine that in the cities there will be more call on volunteers than up here in smaller towns. I even gave my car, which was full of general detritus, a cursory wash and vac out in case I was refused permission to carry anything important, on the grounds of infection control. 🙄

Friends have been (laughingly) asking what sort of 'important stuff' I expect to do. As my bedside manner is less Florence Nightingale and more Hattie Jacques (Carry on Matron for our non UK members), I expect to be deployed ferrying equipment, supplies or food around.

Whatever, I will be happy to be involved. I turned down the opportunity to be a telephone chat person because with my hearing, the vulnerable person on the other end of the line doesn't need adding to their troubles by me saying 'eh? say again', and 'I heard that, pardon.'

The weather here has cooled down a bit so not much going on in the garden apart from the gardener turning up with a van full of plants which need nursing back to health. That I am good at.

Stay safe and well all.

Fiona x

18 minutes ago, lissie said:

30 Nov 2020 is the limit - its on the refund form https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/request 

Thank you Lissie. You are a star. 🤩

No excuses on my part, just didn't read the blurb on the online form.

Stay well .

Having read through the latest missive finally confirming what we all expected, I cannot see any information as to time limits for claiming the 100% 'cash' refund via the online form.

I would assume up until the date of the sailing but, I wonder if any forum members know differently? Thanks

Well Edward was most fascinated with the ISS. Lots of intelligent questions (for a 5 year old), about life inside the station. Of course the conversation veered towards the lavatorial but that was only to be expected. 🙄

He was also very interested in the bats flying around in the night sky so the next days topic was bats. And yes, mainly vampire bats and dracula.🦇 😁

A friend of my youngest daughter held an online pub quiz last night. It was supposed to be just for friends and family in the town but word got out and it went viral, attracting interest from all over the world. About 300,000 people joined in and apparently it might be considered by the Guinness book of Records as the largest online thing of it's type. I was there! 😁

Collected the various shopping lists this morning. No mention of tarragon 😜. However, I did read in the DT that apparently there is no shortage of staples such as tarragon, toasted pine nuts and black truffles in London. So that's ok then. The same article was extolling the virtues of a kitchen gadget called a Thermomix. At £1000 I can probably do without one.

In order to complete my community shop I tried three supermarkets this morning. By tried, I mean I drove on to the carpark, drove round the carpark and exited the carpark. I either couldn't park at all or the queue of shoppers, suitably masked and gloved, standing the regulation 2m apart snaked around the building. Life, at the moment, is definitely too short! 

Back home for a restorative coffee and plan B.

Plan B soon went out of the window.

BC (before corona), as part of my grand plan to stave off vegetating in early retirement, I volunteered at a food share cafe for the vulnerable and disadvantaged in my town. I love the work and it was a great excuse to cook and bake all the stodgy old favourites of my school days. Local restaurants pledged food and we had a great network of homecooks and bakers who kept us well supplied with dishes. Two weeks ago we trimmed the service down to the handing out of 'takeaway' bags and last Monday we had to stop even doing that for the safety of volunteers and service users alike. Besides, Boris basically told us to stop.

 It felt so sad; the people who used the service did so because they had no alternative and some looked so bereft when we told them it was to close until further notice.

I got a call from one of the organisers whilst drinking my coffee, asking if I could rustle up a food parcel and deliver it to a lady in great need. That spurred me on to getting back out into the shopping queue. She was delighted to see me when I knocked on her door, so much so I had to swiftly reverse back down her pathway as she seemed determined to give me a great bearhug! 😲 It felt a bit like the naughty children's game of tiplatch or ring and run. 🤣

The weather seems to be unseasonably warm here in Lancashire so, this afternoon we sat in the garden and had an 'over the wall' party with my daughter Cara, Oliver and grandaughter Marcie who happen to live next door.

They are in a similar postion to ourselves with her holiday arrangements; waiting for the holiday company to make a decision about whether they will be travelling or not. The general concensus was, it will be what it will be. 

I couldn't think of a single reason why I shouldn't, so I cracked open a bottle of Prosecco.

A happy afternoon filled with chatter and laughter, trying to remotely teach Marcie how to use a skipping rope. Making the best of what we have while we have it. 

Fiona 

These ramblings are going to keep me sane. If you don't want to read them, hurry along but, if they raise a smile for someone then I am happy. Almost for certain I won't be reliving the Grills experience in May but it is what it is.

Shopping (for three families now 😔) completed. Still no tarragon. 🙄 Must remember to write to Dieter Schwarz and let my feelings be known.🤣

The sun is shining and it is warm up here in Lancashire however, not much worth eating as yet in the garden, apart from the😂 wild garlic which is rampant so I had to buy the ingredients for my famous carrot and courgette cake.

A couple of the people I am keeping an eye on are undergoing chemo and if I can do nothing else, I can tickle their tastebuds.

Home schooling is a frequent topic of video conversation with my grandchildren. Edward, 5 is desperate to do some science experiments. I think it might be time to wow him with the cola and mentos trick. 😜

We have been chatting about the International Space Station and what the space engineers up there are doing. It is pleasing testament to my family and, makes my heart glad that he hasn't commented on the fact that one of them is female. Hoping for a clear-ish evening today because we ought to be able to see a good pass.

My husband has just read out a list of spirits recommended in the DT to stock one's bar during these difficult times. Whisky at over £100 a bottle features high on the list.. Planet tarragon, I think. 😂

Fiona

Sitting here with a smile on my face and as my children would say 'raising my eyes to heaven'. 🙄

Being the youngest and fittest of the oldies in my family I offered to do 'essential' shopping etc. for those unable to get out.

I have just received an 'esential' shopping list via text. Among other things it includes fresh parsley, curly mind, not flat! and fresh basil and tarragon. 😲

Not sure that those items are high priority on the restocking programme of the local supermarket in my small Northwest UK town. 😁

Never mind, it gave me a good laugh whilst figuring out how to make a nutritious and acceptable meal out of a potato, an onion and the heel of a small cheese... 🤣

Copy of email just received from my TA....

52 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

Sorry, I don't quite understand your post, did the TA charge your Credit card with more than the quote and invoice ?

Did you pay in full at the time of booking ?

That sounds like a TA error rather than Cunard's. 

No, as I said, I paid what I was quoted (full amount) and what is shown on the paper invoice I received from the TA. The revised, slightly larger amount shown on my credit card statement is payable to Cunard not the TA.

The TA are working on my behalf with Cunard to resolve the matter.

I booked a cruise with flights through a UK TA in February and, upon checking my credit card statement  two days ago I saw that the amount owing differed from the amount quoted and paid in full to the TA.

It would seem that 1.5% has been added by Cunard 😲 despite stating on their website that CC fees are not added, nor according to the legal position in the UK, should they be.

When I booked it was mentioned that a small amount would be added but not to worry as this was a card fee and it would be removed.

I have referred the matter back to my TA (who were very surprised and apologetic) with documentary evidence of the overpayment and, I am confident that all will be resolved, eventually.🙄

In the scheme of things it isn't a huge amount but I would rather spend it on a few cocktails on board.🍹

4 hours ago, bazzaw said:

I guess that , from my experience, I would prefer to NOT dine amongst other couples who prefer to dine alone at a table for two. So I will ask the Matre'D for a larger table if at all possible.  My "theory" is that only other reasonably sociable people would also ask for this 🙂  

Not strictly true  We always ask for a table for two because I am as deaf as a very deaf thing and although my husband is well used to me ignoring him 🙄, I am conscious that I can sometimes appear standoffish or rude if I do not respond when other people speak to me. I get weary of having to always explain myself and frankly I often feel left out of the animated conversations on a larger table.

That said, in the past we have had delightful next table companions.