TouchstoneFeste

Yes. Not the best coffee ever, but perfectly acceptable morning fuel.

Apparently we had the first "backstage tour" they've managed to give since the pandemic shutdown. VERY enjoyable. We were able visit the bridge, and got the chief engineer's take on the engine control room. The room has been completely refitted with new electronics. Speaking of which, I was amazed (after going through the bridge - which is heavily electronic and where the ship is normally driven by a joystick) to see the workings of the mooring deck, which is nearly completely driven by men with bulging muscles, heaving ropes and calling out "more slack" / "pull harder".

We belong to a group that has large multi-course feasts, and one tradition is a "Polite Food Fight". One table will send a bit of food of food to another table with a (verbal) message, like "Whatever celery they're giving you, it's too much." (Not always a rude comment, just a food pun.) The second table is obliged to respond. I've seen them go on for hours.

Oh, Joy! A new IT snarl to complain about! (Actually, I had to reset my password, but that was easy enough. I'm getting 404 errors for the details page, but I'll give 'em a day and try again.)

There is an entire "sticky" thread on transfers between the airports and Southampton here in the British Isles/Western Europe Cruise Ports forum: As you can see, a predecessor thread was 34 pages long, so they just restarted it (but link to the original thread). There is a poster there who goes by "John Bull" who is particularly reliable.

I can't tease out from the advertising I've seen, but I suspect not. Illy ("our new pods") is claiming compatibility with Nespresso machines, but that doesn't mean it works the other way around. It isn't just a question of size and shape, with Nespresso at least. My home machine "reads" the capsule to determine how much water to process. I understand being hooked on your own brew, but maybe try to find Illy capsules in similar flavors?

While at first glance it appears that Sir Samuel is wearing a turtleneck, I believe that is a cravat over a wing collar.

Since what really made your first voyage marvelous was largely your delightful attitude, I suspect it would be a good choice.

Good idea. Regarding the "login" link, I may have been remembering excursions to the GB-en site.

Sheesh. Weird, of course, not wierd.

Ah, yes, I see. If you click "Account", then "My Cunard", then "Visit My Cunard", you arrive at a page where you can enter booking number, names and birthdate. This used to be a single click at the top of the page, along with "Login", which would take you directly to the account login, as I recall. So, yes, the functionality is all there as I said before ("Manage my booking" is still available on the menu at the bottom of the page)... it's just harder to get to.

Nope, that's the part that's missing. (I don't need to get to my account per se, just noticed that "login" was gone. Can still get to "manage my voyages" through the link at the bottom of the page.)

The main Cunard web page (Cunard.com/en-us for me) seems to have changed design. Just checked in Chrome, Edge and my default browser Brave. The banner of choices (including "login" and "manage my booking") at the top of the page has disappeared. "Manage My Booking" is still among the choices at the very bottom of the page in Brave (down where the "Contact Us", "Contact Our Company" stuff normally resides); also in Chrome and Edge, when I manage to get past the first page (but the first page isn't fully loading at all in these browsers).

Thanks. We're actually staying at the Pig!

Our plans have changed slightly and now instead of dinner, we're looking for an afternoon tea. Any recommendations?

I would bet that in the right kind of hobby shop (not a big chain, in other words) you would find an enthusiast who would love the challenge (perhaps for a small remuneration).

Forgive the ignorant question, but the other side of the Pond has adopted the contactless technology so much quicker than here in the US ... and this old fogy has lost his sense of direction. (Especially with the confusion over 7-day passes, the complicated Oyster card, etc.) Is the "contactless bank card" any credit card with the expanding waves symbol on it? How does it work on transit? Do you tap once to get on then tap again to get off (and the transit system figures out how much to charge)?

I'm afraid any skiing would be many hours away :) Have a great time. It's a great city. (And like so many others, with only a few hours you'll just get a peek.)

@Pear Carr is right about the Central Park skating; not a skater so I forgot about that. Expect crowds at either location, though, on December 22. Where to shop is difficult without knowing what kind of thing you're looking for or how much time you have. I know some fun kitchy places on the Upper West Side, but you probably wouldn't have time to get there if you're starting on the east side or midtown and you're leaving that afternoon. Cunard is offering some excursions that might help ...?

There's a roll call for that crossing but no answers to your specific questions. Do you have a long stay between the transatlantic and the cruise, or is it just an excursion day? Weather's a big of a "who knows?", but to be safe you should anticipate freezing temperatures and possible snow or sleet. As for heading south afterwards, I haven't any idea :) The traditional "best place for ice skating" would be the rink in front of Rockefeller Center, Fifth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets. Saks Fifth Avenue is directly across the street, for some pricey shopping, A walk down Fifth will also get you through some of the most over-the-top window displays in the city, and you'll probably pass multiple Salvation Army donation kettles. I think they hire out of work actors to fill the attendant roles (that's a joke, but who knows. There are some VERY talented Santas our there.) The sidewalks will likely be very crowded. Pretty much any store you can imagine along that strip, but the prices are high, given the real estate and the holiday.

One note about this. Disembarking in Southampton, we put our luggage out in the corridor in two batches. Wanting to be helpful to the crew, we packed two bags early and set them outside the door (and they disappeared). We set two more bags out later with more last minute stuff. These two sets were not near each other in the color-coded areas (well, it makes sense; how much sorting can you expect?) For some reason one pair was fairly difficult to find. We'll be using tracking tags this time :)

Indeed, what we in the US call "sport coats" and "blazers", which I think are explicitly ok'd for smart attire nights, evolved from hunting and yachting jackets. I think it's a little early in their evolution for polo shirts to qualify, personally. Give them a hundred years. (But like others, I wouldn't be offended to see them.)

The guidance in the U.S. seems to be that you may wear a hat indoors if it is a public space, such as an airport, public transportation, or a hotel, office building, or theater lobby. Even in an elevator, if no lady is present. https://www.gentlemansgazette.com/mens-hat-etiquette-guide/ https://www.levinehat.com/pages/hat-etiquette (etc.) The U.K. guidance - which would rule on a British ship - appears to be different, so forgive those ignorant of British practice. In no case, I agree, would it be appropriate at a black tie event, which is by definition indoors and private. Indeed, there is no specification for "which hat to wear with black tie", only for what you might wear with an evening overcoat to get to the event.

To close the loop: Each time I contacted the Ponant rep, the response was very quick, but not always helpful. I'd misunderstood the most recent response (after I'd sent in the screenshot) - the rep didn't explicitly ask for more information, so I let it ride for a few weeks. I decided to try again, sending a screenshot that included my name, Bonvoy member number, and the phrase "Valid through xx/xx/xx". I think it was that last thing that turned the trick. I got an approval message within 24 hours and it now shows up on my Ponant welcome page. (Bonvoy Gold Elite = Admiral status.) Unfortunately, from the messages here, it appears I won't be able to use it on my currently booked trip, so we'll have to see how it works out in the future.

Sounds plausible for a fast overnight to catch an early morning flight. Thanks for this.