Canuker

As long as you are on board the ship at least 30 minutes prior to its departure time, you will be fine. In fact, the later you check in, the fewer the people in front of you to make you wait in line. We've shown up around 45 minutes before departure to find the check-in hall empty except for a few bored staff. "We've been expecting you!", said the check-in clerk. We were on board within about 5 minutes of arriving. A good rule of thumb to make best use of your time on land is: Get off the ship as soon as you are allowed to in the mornings* Get on the ship as late as you can in the afternoons (including check-in). Don't be concerned about the last shuttle bus or the last tender back to the ship being full. They are quite the opposite by that time! * After a 6:30 am arrival in Southampton, we took the train and were on the ground in London before 9:00 am, for a great shore day up in Town.

He who hesitates...

After 29 days aboard, we too disembarked in FLL. There is still a fair bit of 'flying-by-the-seat-of-the-pants' by Cunard at least on this vessel. The typical howlers in the daily program were more prevalent. Roger McGuinn of the Byrds was a 3-session celebrity guest but we knew nothing about this until it was mentioned in the 'daily' of his first session. I'd be shouting this from the rooftops if I was Cunard! He was brilliant. They are clearly both short-staffed and many of the customer services staff are learning on the job. We had occasions when the waiter either didn't know what we were talking about of brought the wrong thing. Lots of little things like this but too many to be acceptable. Internet and satellite TV reception was terrible. Their continued excuse about being unable to make satellite contact became a running joke. Best gaff was when the cruise director Michael Harvey announced on his morning show that the clocks had gone back one hour at 2:00 am. They had in fact gone forward one hour. Lots of examples of management just not paying sufficient attention - except in the dining room, where the dark suits were always in evidence and things ran extremely well. Food top-notch. Although we witnessed no less than three different start times for the evening meal. Our cabin steward was excellent - he clearly knew his job. Entertainment: the house production shows ranged from very good to superb. The guest artists ranged from very good down to what were you thinking? I suspect it might be a case of you get what you pay for ("you" being Cunard). House musicians were good to exceptional. Over all we had a great cruise at a very good booking price. We were not impacted by on board Covid; my estimation was that around 2% of the ship's complement were in isolation at any one time.

With tongue in cheek, what are some of the things that should not be taken on a cruise? Here's one or two to get the list started: 1. Bathroom weigh scales 2. Food! 3. Your GP.

1. Is Cunard's complimentary internet time per person or per cabin, please? 2. Does intranet time (e.g. making reservations for a meal while on board) count as internet time? Thanks, Canuker.

The National Express bus terminal is about a 5 minute cab ride from the ship. It operates direct service to Heathrow for around £25 (US$30) or less, per adult. Buses leave at 7:00, 9:00, 11:00 etc. through the day. https://www.nationalexpress.com

OP: no mention of reason for car rental. Driving on that tiny, crowded island can be a challenge, to both your well being and your watch. I learned to drive in Britain but I would never rent a car there now. The UK has an incredible rail network; frequent services to all parts of the country from Southampton Central station, 5 minutes cab ride from the dock. Try www.nationalrail.co.uk to find a train to your destination. Pre-booking often gets you a better ticket price. To be fair, rail travel to/from Heathrow is tricky from/to Southampton. A direct bus service is better for that route (bus terminal near the rail station).

Agreed, HH. If afternoon tea ends at, say 4:30 pm, go a little after 4:00 pm and folk will have already left, so seating is swift, as is the tea service by then. Relax, take your time; you're on vacation!

OP: strictly my own opinion, based on experience: 1. In one word: Elegant. 2. In a few more words: Elegance and understatement at competitive mainstream cruise line prices. 3. Nothing like the other UK mainstream cruise line, P&O. It would be like comparing a stay at Claridge's with one at Butlins. It's OK if you like Butlins. 4. Extras like port area experts (e.g. wildlife) and speakers on a variety of themes. 5. What I dislike like about Cunard is my experience of their land side operations, eptimomized by a chronically bad website and an unimaginative marketing department. Newcomers to Cunard: do not judge the excellent onboard navigation and service based on your experience of Cunard's website; it's paradoxically like night and day. If you want land side answers, their telephone customer service people are generally on the ball, however. Best, Canuker