WantedOnVoyage

Actually, who is Captain makes a big difference to us. Always has. I can still name most of the captains I've sailed with and back in the good old days (and they were, too!) on P&O and B.I. you were invited to so many private cocktail parties by the officers you seldom had to buy a drink. The famous CANBERRA morgue party held the evening leaving Gib into the Med was the best. Captains Wacher, Gibb, Scott Masson, Biddick of UGANDA etc. Lots of happy personal memories and moments with some wonderful characters and seamen. We have our favourite Cunard captains and knowing they are aboard on which cruises would frankly influence our decision as to cruise especially in the Med where the itineraries are SO repetitive, we don't even care anymore about that. Modern cruising can be... and seemingly wants to be faceless and souless. But if you make an effort, it can be personable and almost family like. We prefer the latter and always will.

True. When we sailed in QM2 last, on her first long post covid cruise (Southampton direct to the West Indies and return) she was a mess at the beginning but 26 days of generally superb weather (it of course rained only in the West Indies!) let the deck crew carry out the sort of underway maintenance that we passengers notice: chipping, priming and painting. And having done it myself, there is nothing quite so satisfying as painting ship on a hot afternoon at sea. QM2 looked a lot better at the end then the beginning. I doubt that they get as favourable conditions on a North Atlantic crossing.

Either way, it presents an appalling prospect....

Yikes. It almost makes one pine for Mrs. Olsen's "art collection" we all had to contemplate on BLACK PRINCE for all those years.... It was apparenty worth a fortune which made it even worse.... Artwork has always been controversial on Cunarders... there was a huge hue and cry when the Bates Bros. took one look at the "progressive" artwork offered for QUEEN MARY and refused to accept any of it, saying it should be donated to a school for the blind! Hence, the appeal of a nice tranquil portrait of R.M.S. PANNONIA anchored off Fiume, c. 1911.

True.... and the good thing is that we stick to QV and QM2 and you to QA, and our food smells, spatterings and sputterings will be like ships that pass in the night. I wonder if they can even do scrapple in QG... in six plus weeks I can find out.... or, demurring to my better instincts, save that for Sunday mornings at home.

Yuck.

Thoughtful consideration of others should not be an "elective" in Queen's Grill or anywhere else. The ability or means to pay for the best does not purchase a pass to be inconsiderate. Indeed, the reverse used to be case... what did they call it "noblesse oblige". Maybe I should have my special order of scrapple (which I adore) prepared tableside at breakfast and prove the point...

Tableside preparation is part of the experience, yes. But it never even occurred to me that one would want or need most Indian dishes prepared that way. I adore Indian food and would never wish that, either. CANBERRA in Pacific Restaurant would make you the most wonderful Indian feasts, as a treat, but would never dream of preparing it tableside. And I don't want it spattered on my white d/j, either, thanks very much. I do miss French service... though... you never, ever had a full plate of food "plopped" down in front of you, with preordained number and variety of vegetables etc. on liners 15 years ago. Even in Tourist Class. They even do that in Princess Grill now.

We always know were are "almost home" when we we pass this painting on QV between 5-4 Deck! My favourite Card painting is a rare vertical format one of R.M.S. CARINTHIA sailing from a wintry New York that is off the Chart Room. Just beautiful. Without its history, to me Cunard is just another generic cruise line. And we have plenty of those as it is. And yes, I think the majority of "cruisers" are fine with that, too. As Ethel Mertz said about Europe... "it's so old...."

But QUEEN ANNE IS "generic".... she is decorated inside by the same team that did all of her sister ships of the Pinnacle class sailing for Holland America. A few Stephen Card paintings and photos of Roger Moore at the piano of CARONIA isn't going to really alter that essential. And yes, Moore was a fashion model who posed for a series of publicity photos of the new CARONIA of 1949. He was, in the words of present Cunard nonsense, "channeling his inner James Bond" long before anyone else!

Well not quite... I suspect they are referring to R.M.S. SERVIA of 1881 which was the first CUNARDER built of steel and with electricity. But she was not the first passenger ship with electric lighting, that was Inman's CITY OF BERLIN of 1879 and the American coastal liner COLUMBIA of 1880. History is fun and "firsts" are more amusing still, but tread with caution.....

On North Atlantic crossings... there is no season, just North Atlantic weather in all its glorious unpredicability. Think layers: a sweatshirt and a wooly-pully heavy sweater seldom go unused. And whilst it's warmer in August-September, it's often foggier and you'll feel the dampness more than a chill. And yes... it can be breezy on deck, too. It never feels as warm as the air temperature. Now, you have me hankering for a crossing and a reserved deck chair, tucked up in one of Dennis Dawson's QUEEN MARY steamer rugs and a cup of beef tea...

Well not to worry: that is NOT a photo of QUEEN MARY's Observation Lounge when she was a Cunarder... it's a very recent one taken in Long Beach, California. BTW, Cunard turned over the Observation Lounge on both QUEEN MARY and QUEEN ELIZABETH to Tourist Class. c. 1965. The Look Out Bar on QE2 was turned into the galley for the Britannia Restaurant under the misbegotten first of many outrages perpetrated under Trafalgar House ownership post 1971.

In the U.S., at least, every time a booking is in any way altered, Cunard sends a new confirmation to the agent who then should forward it to you. I am not sure if you can get these direct from Cunard if using an agent. But Cunard certainly leaves a paper trail for what they do... either in response to you or your agent. Back in the old days, you could get a surprise collecting your ticket and Boat Train ticket at Cunard's old Berkeley Sq. office in London. Like being downgraded from First Class to Tourist Class and winding up being in both on the way across. But things are rather more easily communicated in 2024 than 1977. And sadly, no more Boat Train direct to the ship's side, either.

Well everyone is entitled to their opinions, even second hand but having had an article on the early days of QE2 published in "Ships Monthly", researched her extensively, and vividly recalling, as an 11-year-old when she came out (boys in class brought in the famous "Ships Have Been Boring Long Enough" brochure), we thought she was "neat" and downright groovy. Summer 1969 was a pretty wonderful time all around and QE2 was part of it. Every design and architecture publication of the era, on both sides of the Atlantic, had lavish features on her interiors. A real icon of an age of pure British design and craftsmanship. And having sailed in her in 1977 and 1979 when most of her original interiors were intact, I thought they were superb. And so did a lot of others.

Says who? QE2 interiors were tremendously admired when she came out as a symbol of "Swinging Britain". Not sure where you get the idea her interiors were considered "disgusting" by anyone...

Nice to see they finally painted the 'ol QV which was looking rather woebegone in May and should be tickety-boo when we return end of September.

Nice to know there will be another S.S. FRANCE devotee aboard....

Nothing like a relaxing swim in the middle of Wembley Stadium, eh?

Princess Grill Did you get the revised confirmation issued by CUNARD showing the balance fully paid? And on the date you paid the agency? That is the key... it's not what you paid the agency, it's what Cunard received... and when. That will be reflected in the revised confirmation which is auto generated when the agency pays Cunard the final balance.

Really? How bizarre. I have used my credit card to purchase travel via British agencies and it always shows the actual supplier.

All very curious... the credit card statement would never show "ABC Travel"... ever. It would always shows the vendor i.e. Cunard or British Airways. A travel agent is just that... an agent for steamship lines, airlines, hotels.... not the provider of the service or the vendor. I would go straight to Cunard on this one. They should be able to tell you in 23 secs. what was received by them (which is all that matters) and when. Do be aware that if you use an agent, all the nagging "we want your money" e-mails will still go to the agent. Not you. And neither would "your booking has been cancelled" as we did not get final payment in time. It's the responsibility of the agent to forward this to you.

BTW... did your agent send you the Client Copy of your reservation confirmation when final payment was received by them from you? This is automatically sent to the agent and will show the total amount paid in and 0.00 owed.

Distressing. I put in four plus decades in the "travel business" and never heard of anyone getting "bumped" from a confirmed, paid for cabin or even guarantee... either in the days of berthing books or computers. What is odd is that you could access the booking after final payment, too... had that not been paid in for whatever reason, the booking would have been cancelled the and presumably not show in "My Cunard" Personally, I would reach out directly to Cunard on this... I appreciate there will be "you have to speak to your agent" reflex action... but ask to speak to the supervisor. He or she can at least offer some explanation as how this happened and what THEY intend to do about it. In the end, Cunard has your money (we presume) and the ultimate provider of what you paid for. It sounds like the payment may not have been posted by Cunard properly.

Oh dear... does QUEEN ANNE have "pickleball" too.... I think henceforth I will make the sign of the cross everytime I see or hear of this vessel and run in the opposite direction. As for Cunard children, I have seldom encountered any who were not at least as well behaved (and often better dressed) than some of their adult counterparts. Then again, you lot have probably never sailed Tourist Class on LEONARDO DA VINCI and RAFFAELLO and not have the slightest idea of bambini ferali italiani so my bar is set very low. But I was aged 16-17 when I sailed in these ships so I guess I was a demi bambino myself. You don't often see young gentlemen and young ladies in evening attire anywhere in the world except on a Cunarder. So may they continue to be welcomed aboard.