TouchstoneFeste

1 hour ago, ExArkie said:

I got a similar one, but with stops only in Canada. Seemed focused on making the baseline an eastbound crossing. 

I also got the "transatlantic focus" one, which had an interesting component: in the section where it asked about direct transatlantics (with no stops in Canada; Iceland never came up) it asked about preference for an eight day crossing versus a seven day.

On 11/3/2015 at 10:45 PM, MarkBearSF said:

It seems, depending on the person reporting and the time involved, either no problem at all, or a long wait.

Apparently true. When we were departing on May 1, 2022, this was the taxi line. It was the day of the famous Five Borough Bike Tour, so maybe this was unusually bad. The driver of our incoming taxi couldn't figure out how to reach the terminal.

52 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

With the timings being rescheduled backwards, it appears first sitting has now become High Tea.

One’s late Grandmother would have made comment on the perceived breach of protocol with “Oh my - It’s so wrong” .

Or the Early Bird Special.

10 hours ago, naturelovergirl said:

@bluemarble

My cruise planner (Manage Your Booking- My Cunard) updated today with dress codes on the nights of my summer Alaska 2023 voyage.

Let me know when you are ready for the list in order to create a Dress Codes/Themes discussion for 2023 cruises.

Well spotted. I happened to look two days ago and they weren't updated for my April 30-May 7 TA. Today they have been. I'll post again in December, @bluemarble, but they are exactly what you would expect for an eastbound transatlantic - Red and Gold on the second night, Roaring 20s on the sixth one, otherwise "Smart attire".

15 hours ago, Underwatr said:

Good to know. I wasn't sure it would be possible to get a prescription for it "just in case."

I had a mild case in May (fever broke within 12 hours of me testing positive) but still rebounded after having taken Paxlovid, so don't be surprised if that happens. I'd expect it to recur 10-14 days after your first positive test.

Possible but not certain. For a recent overseas trip, I asked my doctor for a "just in case" prescription and he informed me he couldn't - he can prescribe only in the case of an actual COVID case. (This is in the US, a major health care organization.) If your own doctor can't do it, perhaps you can shop around, though.

1 hour ago, buchanan101 said:

Fair enough. A higher collar than I imagined… 

I agree. The ones I've seen displayed as "grandfather shirts" have had essentially no collar.

10 hours ago, techteach said:

Grand dad collar. Never heard that term before

They are often known as Henley shirts. 

This is a common problem with the US version of the web site; I hadn't noticed anyone complaining that the Australian version had it too, but it's no surprise.

In any case, it's a known problem. A phone agent should be familiar with it and can fix it promptly.

Can't help with the brochure problem.

8 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Have you been to the Geffrye Museum in Shoreditch? Actually I think it has changed it’s name to something easier to spell but less memorable. Museum of interior or furnishing or something like that.

Museum of the Home, I think. Looks interesting.

17 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

Sorry, no, I don't have any information yet about QE's 2023 dress code schedule. I am dependent on those actually booked on cruises telling me what they are seeing for the schedules in their daily calendars for their bookings within My Cunard. So far I haven't heard any news about QE's 2023 dress code schedules being posted within My Cunard yet. If anyone is seeing those schedules please let me know.

FYI: Just checked my May 2023 crossing and the calendar stills says "dress code will be announced closer to departure" for each day.

1 minute ago, exlondoner said:

 

How does the library function then?

Good point.

43 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I don't think the Atlases (which were for all QG cabins) ever reappeared after Covid. I can't imagine why not, and I was surprised how much I missed it. I meant to ask, but what with being moved and everything...

Impossible to sanitize?

(Everything else you mentioned was right on the mark.)

16 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

 

Not to get too technical, I wonder what the % of photos accepted are. Maybe we would attempt to and see if we can figure out why they reject.

Ours were accepted. My wife's passport photo - she always looks good. For me, I had to use a slightly older visa photo which looked less like a mug shot than my passport one.

4 hours ago, DanielleFaye said:

Yeah the first and middle name plus title are jammed together in the first name field.

 

So first: Daniellefaye Ms middle: blank

 

That's standard airline/TSA format. Nothing to fret about. 

6 hours ago, DanielleFaye said:

 

 

That's what we were thinking would be nice, too.  I just hate having to nag.  Thank you for your help.  

 

There's some oddities with our flight holds too (the names are showing up weird at the airline side but not my Cunard confirmation) so I'm just anxious about anything else that might be wrong.  I've got a lot of anxiety about a crossing in general so any wrinkles kind of send me a bit spiraling.

If I may ask, how are they weird? Just the same names formatted differently?

47 minutes ago, DanielleFaye said:

 

Thank you for those keywords!

 

Yes, @Mr. B is quite right, that's the phrase. Sorry, I didn't have access to my stored email when I first replied.

More keywords, maybe: My document actually says just "Gifts and Services Summary" at the top, and it's titled "SSGConfirmation-[booking number].PDF". It came in a separate email immediately after my main booking confirmation arrived. The email subject line was "Booking-[booking number] [my name] - Special Service Order Summary". So I suppose any variation on that would work.

I would not feel at all uncomfortable about pursuing this. Neither my wife nor I consume much alcohol, but it meant we never had to think twice about getting a coffee, a soft drink, or a house wine. Our final statement was remarkably uncluttered.

For our two bookings, I never saw this on the website (US version), but did receive separate booking confirmation emails listing only the added perk.

We did a transatlantic in May and enjoyed it so much we decided to do it again next May. I booked last Friday using the phone number on the US web site. I found I had made a minor error in the booking and called again on Monday to correct it.

Yesterday, five days later, I was surprised to receive a phone message and an email from a California-based Cunard Cruise Vacation Planner, giving me a direct phone number and extension and an email address for the planner (not a generalized customer service email address).

We didn't get such a contact last time. Is this the norm for repeat passengers? Could it be related to our having "issues" that needed to be corrected?

6 hours ago, techteach said:

@TouchstoneFeste Thanks for your post. I really do know what to match and not to match. I guess I didn’t ask my question clearly enough. Does anyone on QM2, TA, wear a waist coat? The pictures I’m seeing haven’t indicated that.

Sorry, didn't mean to get all "teachy" on you, @techteach. Obviously, you hit my "finally I can help someone" button. :) and I didn't read carefully.

I just looked through some QM2 formal night pictures, and I guess you're right ... it appears that cummerbunds (or nothing at all at the waist!) are the norm.

My personal take would be to get the waistcoat made now so you can be certain the fabrics match; cummerbunds are relatively easy (and cheap-ish) to come by later. I find the waistcoat option more flattering in any case - it's what I wear on formal occasions.

You'd also asked about shirt fronts. I'd guess that pleated shirts are the norm, but I prefer pique/marcella, so he wouldn't be totally alone if he did as well :)

I'm sure the regulars will have better answers ...

3 hours ago, techteach said:

@Jack E Dawson DH is having a custom tuxedo made next month, so decisions need to be made. Do men wear cummerbunds? Waist coats? Pin tuck shirts - soft front? 

Either a vest or a cummerbund is acceptable in modern wear (some traditionalists would insist on a cummerbund but the vest has a legitimate black tie history at least back to the 30s; further for white tie).

(May as well say it up front - in modern formal wear, almost anything goes ...)

With the vest, normally wear a standard-collar shirt with a long black silk necktie. A bowtie is fine, too; I've seen many wear a vest with a wing-collar shirt and bowtie, as well. (Never a cummerbund with a long necktie, though.)

Either a pleated (= pintuck?) shirt or a pique (also called "marcella") is acceptable with either option. Severe traditionalists may call for the pique, but the pleated shirt is more common. A plain front is not usually worn. In either case, ensure the pleated/pique section is long enough to reach the vest or cummerbund comfortably. Normally they are cut for this purpose, but you never know. And all men are shaped differently in that area ...

It gets VERY complicated :)

https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/tuxedo-black-tie-guide

30 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

 

My morning walk was about 5 laps around the promenade deck, a bit windy but not bad.  I noticed that a couple of the “Commodore’s cufflinks (spare propellor blades) were missing from their mounts, don’t know if it’s routine maintenance or recent damage.  At 5AM we were headed East, almost due South of Boston.

 

 

Roy

 

 

So this is what it looks like on formal nights?

12 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

Actually, if you book Grill Suites from the U.S. they are all inclusive.   Drinks, Gratuities, and Internet are included.    Obviously you can’t have a high priced drink but most drinks at all bars except for the Champagne Bar are included.

Internet is included in new bookings? That was not my recent experience, but the original booking was done years ago, delayed and rescheduled due to COVID.

21 hours ago, WorkforBeerGuy said:

We will be on a WB crossing later this summer and have a few questions about the disembarkation procedures.  Hopefully people arriving on 1 July or one of the May cruises can provide their experience.

What are the Group Transfer call-off times to LGA, and what time does the bus actually leave for the airport?  Cost?  The Cunard "web site" shows 10 possible transfer option prices, without any descrptions!

What is the latest time to be off the ship?

Are taxis readily available throughout the morning, or mostly at the start?

I'll be interested to see what @tv24 has to say, but when we boarded on May 1, the line of people waiting for taxis was the entire length of the waiting area (a hundred yards?), and it appeared to be moving very slowly. This was complicated by unusual citywide traffic issues, though ...

They did deliver a four-page (A4 size) news sheet every day. Other than that, you may have to rely on wi-fi.

On 6/18/2022 at 12:35 PM, Victoria2 said:

and you know they haven't tried?

Sorry if I sounded contentious @Victoria2. I didn't mean to be. But it does sound like it's a persistent problem involving multiple lines (mostly or all Carnival at this terminal, yes?). They ought to be able to bring enough pressure to bear to get some action.