pepperrn

14 hours ago, AzureGreen23 said:

Hihilo, 

I think you're on our TA (depart 28 April)?

Have you got any must-see tips for Winchester?

We're planning two days in Canterbury and then train via London to Winchester.  We're looking forward to both towns.

Here's a few things to look out for in Winchester:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperrn/albums/72157625054775644

With luggage, I'd go by taxi from your hotel direct to the terminal.

For those planning a day-trip to Winchester from Southampton, I'd go by rail. Trains are every 15 minutes approx and take 15 fifteen minutes.

Winchester is very "walkable"; print a map prior to your visit to save time wandering and maybe missing things.

Have a great time.

I agree with all that Lakesregion has said.

Oscar Wilde's line that a cynic "knows the price of everything and the value of nothing" applies equally to bean-counters.

Not only with Cunard's own "Audit of Accountants"; you see the results of their actions everywhere, often they destroy all they touch over time.

I hope the sheer pleasure of being onboard QM2, esp. when crossing the Atlantic, never leaves me.

This is a printed plastic sheet sellotaped to a cabin door on QE earlier this year. Fine? Not fine?

4 minutes ago, Lakesregion said:

You should see the fabulous collection of door magnets I have assembled over the years. Something to do on those long inside walks on dreary days. 

😂 🤣

I've been on two pre-Christmas crossings, and two pre-Christmas Caribbean cruises.

On a couple of these there have been notes in the Daily Programme on one or two days asking passengers to remove all door decorations for "safety reasons".

I gathered that some had "got out of hand", although I never saw any that were too "over the top" myself.

Not something I like to see because of the fire hazard. Those passageways are escape routes.

Two of the three meals a day, breakfast & lunch, I will enjoy on the lower level, so it is great to have contrast by dining "upstairs" in the evening. Makes for a nice change, less routine.

I much prefer the upper levels of the Britannia Restaurant for dinner, less of the noisy "canteen" atmosphere of the huge, very wide lower deck.

There are intimate corners, privacy, a feeling of it being a smaller restaurant than it really is.

Views of the lower level from tables near the well, views of the sea from tables near the windows.

Upper level for dinner every time for me.

Twice in Queens Grill; both times found full sized bottles of champagne, and Pol Acker, awaiting me 😋

3 hours ago, deck chair said:

Hi Pepperrm

Thanks for the photos.  It is such a shame  that Cunard has diminished the Queen Victoria.  

Deck Chair

No problem Deck Chair, I read above that you were looking for photos of the old Chart Room and knew I had some 😊

Best wishes,

Pepper

21 minutes ago, naturelovergirl said:

Are there any interesting pubs or restaurants that our fellow Cruise Critic folks love visiting in Southampton?

 

The White Star (pub/restaurant) has long been one of my favourites, in Oxford St Southampton, under five minutes walk from dock gate 4 (walkable from the Ocean Terminal in around ten minutes), look it up online.

Oxford St has a number of restaurants on it (check streetview).

Hi Deck Chair,

Here are some photos of the old Chart Room on Queen Victoria, taken in 2009:

1.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperrn/44708863075/in/album-72157624021704776/

2.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperrn/44708862015/in/album-72157624021704776/

3.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperrn/41807328154/in/album-72157624021704776/

4.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperrn/43804788850/in/album-72157624021704776/

5.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperrn/43804786950/in/album-72157624021704776/

6.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperrn/45571825962/in/album-72157624021704776/

7.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperrn/30681420657/in/album-72157624021704776/

8.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperrn/30681418127/in/album-72157624021704776/

Hope these bring back some happy memories 😊

6 hours ago, ToadOfToadHall said:

... In the UK, for some reason which I don't really see why, people think only drug dealers etc use £50 notes and for that reason there is a reluctance of shops/bars/etc to take them.   

I understand it is not just that issue.

£50 notes are seen so very rarely in shops, bars etc that knowing that the one offered is genuine (and not a clever fake) can be an uncertain business (unlike £20, £10 or £5 notes which are seen daily and therefore an "odd" one is more likely to stand out).

So, armed with a fake £50 note, your fraudster buys a low value item (under £5) and, if the shop takes the note without question, gives him what he most needs; £45+ in real, genuine money. He goes in with a scrap of coloured paper, and comes out with almost £50. Easy money.

To an attempt to prevent this, some shops won't take £50 notes unless the purchase is £25 or more. Far more simply won't accept them to prevent taking the occasional fake.

The same issue happens in England with Scottish or Northern Ireland notes; they are seen so very rarely in England that many people in shops, restaurants etc cannot tell a genuine one from a fake so, rightly or wrongly, use great caution and refuse to take them.

There are plans to replace the paper £50 note with a plastic version in a few years (the £20 note will be replaced far sooner) in order to give people confidence in the large value note (plastic notes are much more difficult to fake successfully).

2 minutes ago, Bell Boy said:

Stick to the Sheltered Balcony , they were designed for transatlantic crossings in all types of weather.

You will still be able to enjoy some fresh air and also see the ocean ( when standing or walking around in your cabin ) Hardly anyone sits out on an open balcony when crossing the Atlantic,  I've given up on them, and not forgetting  if you are on a much higher deck  (eg 11/12 etc) you'll even have difficulty trying to open the balcony door. On a warm/sunny day  the promenade  deck is the place to sit, relaxing on a traditional steamer recliner reading a good book or, if you are like me I never get past the first page , too busy just gazing out to the ocean.  

 

 

Excellent advice from Bell Boy

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperrn/4660512697/in/album-72157623936817859/

I agree with tv24 above; only to add that there are two "outside" pools (decks 8 and 6) , an "indoor" pool under a sliding glass roof (deck 12) and the indoor spa pool (deck 7).

The deck 12 pool's glass roof is almost never opened, certainly not on a transatlantic crossing.

Here are photos of the pools:

Spa Pool on Deck 7

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperrn/6075985696/in/album-72157627503155752/

Pavilion Pool on Deck 12

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperrn/6075471043/in/album-72157627503155752/

Terrace Pool on Deck 8

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperrn/32807093945/in/album-72157676774009275/

Pool on Deck 6

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperrn/6078477207/in/album-72157627503155752/

The Pavilion Pool area under the glass roof on Deck 12 is always warm for lounging about, reading a book etc. There is a bar in one corner, and besides the pool, there are two "hot" tubs.

Hope this helps.

17 hours ago, Mudhen said:

Your photos (all of them!) are absolutely glorious....they're from post cards, right? (giggle!!). Thanks for sharing them!

Thank you Mudhen 😊 . Very kind of you, glad you liked them 😊

I was onboard QM2 for the late November Caribbean Cruise in 2016 and most of the decorations were in place (more added during the voyage).

Many of the decorated rooms can been seen here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperrn/albums/72157627503155752

Photos from the cruise can be seen here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperrn/albums/72157676774009275

18 minutes ago, Bell Boy said:

Quiet correct, as others have pointed out, just because a TA has told you that the ship is full, that does not necessarily mean that all the tables/seating in the Britannia are occupied too.

Please don't fret about this any longer.  With all due respect to your brother he will have no idea/overview of what tables/seating are available (in the evenings) in the Britannia restaurant. This is the responsibility of the restaurant Maitre d' on the day, who I believe will accommodate you.

We are talking here of four guests ( your other family members)  they  will already have their own table in the Britannia restaurant.  'Quite often these tables are large enough to accommodate one or two additional guests' . Many of us on this board are seasoned Cunard guests, quite often we experience sitting at a six table were only four guests have been allocated to it, or tables that could easily accommodate eight/ten when only six guests have been allocated to it. 

Please don't worry about this any longer, just make your arrangements 'once onboard' ( don't expect to be accommodated on the first evening,  embarkation days can be quite hectic.)     

Wise words from Bell Boy.

I agree with LadyL1 above; if late seating, even with the ship "full", there are usually still some places available in the Britannia Restaurant.

I remember one crossing where QM2 was said to be sailing "full", yet upstairs in the Britannia Restaurant (late seating) there were many tables (for four or six) unoccupied each and every night of the voyage.

As I can travel to/from Southampton without flying (and therefore without weight/bag restrictions), on the Southampton-Hamburg-Southampton trips I've packed formal wear just in case there is an "optional" formal night.

Indeed on quite a few short Cunard cruises I've noted several people on each trip dressed formally regardless of there being no scheduled "official" formal night during the cruise.

I with some others above; whilst one could immediately disembark, go shopping, and then join the ship once more, I don't quite understand the need to do so.

Passenger ships are packed full of food and drinks (no-one ever went hungry or thirsty on a normal cruise!). People can eat/drink twenty-four hours a day if they so wished.

Surely one of the many pleasures of travelling is discovering new/different food and drinks? So what if I can't get my favourite brand of crisps (chips)/nuts/etc, or my usual type of drink.

A short time without them, whilst trying something new (and maybe discovering a couple of new favourites?), will make me appreciate the usual/boring/routine stuff when I get home.

How did I acquire these long-time favourites anyway? Because, a long time ago, I tried them somewhere.

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

Looking at deck plan it's not 25% smaller 

I don't think the plans are to scale (and have several errors).

I've been in both rooms, PG appeared smaller, esp near the entrance.

Having eaten three meals a day for nearly two weeks in the Queens Grill Restaurant, I can confirm it does not feel crowded or cramped in the slightest.

Princess Grill:

Queens Grill:

I hope this helps.

Excuse my attempt at humour above, in actual fact, the PG dining room is smaller than the QG one from memory as quite a siginficant portion of the floorspace in PG is taken up by the stairs from Deck 7 to Deck 8, whereas the equivalent space in QG is used as dining area.

1 hour ago, Windsurfboy said:

Given QG dining room is similiar size to PG, with 101 staterooms vs 76 PG, must be more crowded, a design fault?

Wouldn't you expect more room in QG?

On which deck can I find steamer chairs on the QM2? Do the waiters still come around with blankets and hot chocolate /drinks or is this a thing of the past.

Seen here:

And here:

"Tour" of QM2 here:

Hope this helps, have a wonderful time on board.

I also agree with Underwatr and TV24; involve Cunard and it becomes a "meeting" and where are meetings held? In one of the (windowless, bar less, soulless) meeting rooms in "Connexions" under the planetarium.

Arrange this yourself with fellow passengers and you'll have a far better venue and a more memorable time.

As Underwatr says, the traditional venue and time over the years has become the Commodore Club, near the piano (ie Port Side), 2pm, first day at sea.

Not only have you a magnificent view, in a far more comfortable room, plus the bar will be open!

Here is the venue and piano (the CC has been revamped since the photo):

Have a wonderful time!