MrsPeel55

Thank you all for the info, which we had read before making the booking and are aware of, now, be patient and hear me out: I think those rules make sense for people who are 24/7 impaired mobility and would need to use it INSIDE de cabin, in this case the rule makes perfect sense, obviously, those non accessible cabins have no space for one to use it inside the cabin. This is not my case, though. When we booked on the phone, direct with Cunard, the request for assistance came into the conversation (we are getting flights with Cunard, wanted to make sure the assistance we normally get will be in place) she asked if I am able to walk inside the cabin, explain about the steps, the balcony, etc. When I explained it is only long distances I am unable to walk, she asked if we preferred an accessible cabin, we said no problem, no need. I can move around the cabin and at least one of my legs always work to take a step or two, then she asked (also question in the On Boards questionnaire that we filled in with thanks to @Victoria2 !!!) we had to give the measurements of my wheelchair again, we gave it, all measurements of it open and also the sizes when folded. She explained that wheelchair has to stay in the cabin. even if folded, all was fine. Great, We booked. The measurements of my scooter when closed are exactly the measurements we gave for my manual wheelchair , so, legally, they should not force a passenger to pay more for an accessible cabin when in the non accessible ones the measurements they accept are those of my mobility aid/scooter. It perfectly fits their own limits for non accessible staterooms. I would like to make crystal clear (maybe because despite of 35 years in the country, my husband and my daughter both are British and I have been speaking English since I was 4, sometimes my almost 65 years old brain which is heavily medicated, cannot make the perfect grammatical composition and may lead to misunderstandings, especially online where you can't see my facial expressions or the ton of voice) that I would NEVER intend to book the cabin and turn up see if I "can just get away with it" I would, of course, call them in advance and have a reasonable conversation, and again, they will decide, if is ok and they allow it, great, is ok If their answer still will be a NO, if they still refuse (even though I reckon is lack of common sense and a bit discriminatory, they may loosing more passengers) is ok too, is not like Cunard is my one and only option. And this all was about going SOLO As a matter of fact, We still have a few weeks to embarkation day, as I explained in previous threads, we are 85% sure Cunard is for us, have a list of 5 cruises we would like to do, and, as booking on board comes with perks, would be great to do so, but wont book anything until the last couple of days on board when we know we would definitely wanna come back . We need to sail in QueenVictoria, experience by ourselves first 🙂 have a great weekend!

@3rdGenCunarder thanks!!!! will go have a read!!!

@Winifred 22 thanks again 🙂 yes, I don't do pubs or bars at home either LOL I do like meeting people but also love time on my own, more and more these days as my body refuses to cooperate much, so I'm sure I can find balance...but wow with 175%... I found some offers with no solo extra pay, but in ships that I am totally sure are not a fit for me, will have my options ready for when we are on board, so we can book before with disembark 🙂

@Winifred 22 thanks!!! Yes, indeed, that's why I said until is almost done.... it was part of the info you guys gave us when I first came to the boards asking about the cabin, I honestly couldn't be more grateful to many of you here, I got to know things that will make the trip more enjoyable 🙂 We have a few options we want to go for, first two are Queen Mary TA crossing and then Bruges, we are finalising some enquiries about dates, if my daughter can't fit the TA because of work, I may venture on my own... am I right on thinking I have seen you posting about traveling solo? I'm assuming you are female but my sister in law tells me they a male relative called Winifred... would love to hear your experience, if so! I would need to think it through as doing solo would mean going with my mobility scooter. It does fold with remote control to the size of a big suitcase, so I may just get away with not needing an accessible cabin.... it would also be the first trip on my own in almost 35 years, so need to think things through properly. As I said, we are almost sure Cunard is the perfect choice for us, so very excited, not too long to do now 🙂

LOL (@ being smug) not too long to go now, 3 weeks minus a day, 19 days, I think my daughter is counting in hours.... We are 85% sure Cunard is for us and that we will enjoy the week, but will wait until the trip is done or almost done to make a decision, we already have selected 5 Cunard's trips we would like to book, Really looking forward to our sailing ... first time in my life, since I was no longer a child) I have been excited about my birthday!

I was going to mention something along those lines.... I know cruise ships have their own system and maybe different lines have different ways, my experience is on flying, both on boarding and arrival, economy or business, in all airports we have had experiences (quite a lot), we are the first to board, but on arrival we have to wait until all passengers who are able body left to make our way out, this sometimes means a long wait as the airport assistance not always is there with the wheelchair, even when I travel with my own transit wheelchair and my daughter is the one pushing it, the assistance people will help us to get our luggage and out the gates to either someone coming to pick us up or getting to a cab. The way I am, not sure I would be able to keep my mouth shut if I heard someone actually boasting about tricking the system!!! The feeling of frustrating, borderline anger with people who abuse the system is very well known to us, starting with the parking system in London..... people who have no Blue Badge parking in disabled bays, in supermarkets and in roads in general... I always think how I would give anything to have the proper use of my legs back (and general body movement) whoever thinks abusing the system is clever.... actually are ignorant, so in a way I feel sad for them, but the frustration and anger are stronger. I'm glad Cunard is keeping this in check through the questionnaire, also, @nightfires Hi 🙂 it was actually @Victoria2 who gave me the links to the on Boards Needs info and questionnaire, I would have never found it if she didn't! She has been of great help, far (very very far) from any negative tone, I'm sure you would feel the same way, when we need assistance and people trick the system, it is, as I said, frustrating and annoying!

thanks 🙂 this reminds me of something that has been in my mind I remember when I first joined the boards, someone suggested buying shares... when you buy shares, do you buy exclusively Cunard or would that be Carnival shares?

why is red top or red card?

it is indeed a beautiful photo, those smiles make me smile (and that is a hard task as am having one of those bad days!) Same feeling of gratitude for us in general, regarding cabin grades... we are also not in the grills, booked a balcony with some perks added, will be our first Cunard, looking forward now with just 3 weeks to go. We have friends and family who have sailed ocean view, others balcony, all had marvellous experiences, all of them a few years back, but judging by the experiences of some people here in the boards, I think we can have also a great experience outside the Grills. all the best to you guys ❤️

so glad to hear!!! eco everyone's words, have a wonderful time, looking forward to more posts!

thanks @Brummijam * @dronnygirl 🙂

LOL she does already!!! we travel often and she is a doll, because I am in the wheelchair and get airport assistance and we get our taxi guy to take us to the check in desk, she kinda has a point, but we'll see. I will have an idea of how much each case will weight in a couple of days, we are waiting for some shopping delivery, if we do ship anything, more than likely will be with Luggage Forward. I'm not sure if DHL sends to the ship, I had cases delivered to hotels, they work well, but in this case I reckon I would trust Luggage Forward a bit more.... The screen name.... 😉 I remember being 10 years old and the program was on at 22:00 on a Tuesday, my parents wouldn't let me stay to watch, so I would fake illness to be able to watch and skip school the day after.... ❤️

just wanted to confirm that the one you copied and pasted was not yours. I thought it sounded pretentious and I had some to say, but it was not your opinion so ...no worries 🙂

@Brummijam ...do I understand well and that is not your review? you just copied and pasted from somewhere in the site?

is this a norm for all sailings ? not leaving a UK Port, having to fly to another city to board and only one sea day per week? say we are cruising a 7 days... will it stop every day for tours on shore? Hi @Presto2 (and everyone else!) thanks for this post and the answers, we were trying to find out more about the line but wasn't sure how to go about it, reading lots of reviews doesn't do for my tired old brain....this thread answers many questions we have! Have been seeing lots of offers that seem so appealing as they are advertising as standards included drinks pack, net connection, flights and tips, all included, was going to read through some reviews but then I saw this thread...so thanks! We had a really bad experience with P&O long, very long time ago, haven't cruised in years but for what we are reading, P&O isn't doing much to appeal to us now, Marella prices and the almost all included thing is more than appealing, my daughter asked for a cruise as a birthday present... Would love to have an answer for the flying and sea days.....

@alibabacruisers OK, my bad, I just realised I didn't think last night the quotation could have been in AU$... which would make them still more expensive, but just 25 US$ more, that could be because we are closer to our date now. If we want to send both our suitcases for us (Luggage Forward) would be close to 500 US$, which my daughter passionately argues could pay for a short cruise for one of us (meaning she wants the money for her birthday cruise LOL) We'll see if we are over the 23k per suitcase, sending 1 lighter case would be a bit cheaper, but again, in that case we can pay the airline for extra weight (we do it for overseas, not sure how it works within Europe) I looked it up because we are on the fence on a decision, thing is, the closer it gets to the date, it keeps getting more expensive... with Luggage Forward we were given two dates for pick up, the cheapest was the earlier date. I have to confess, the idea of having the 2 suitcases delivered directly to the ship is more than appealing, but, again, my daughter insists with many ideas , like "why don't we leave shoes behind, buy them in Rome", or "muhhhum..... I rather spend the money on board!!!" LOL I'll have to make a decision before the end of this week. I know 800 AU$ is a lot of money, have you looked into DHL? they are also trustable, the quote they gave us is more or less same, a little bit cheaper than LForward. If I was in your shoes, unless you find a few who have previously used for Luggage Free and had a good experience, I would lean to go for Luggage Forward or DHL, in the first case, not only they are advertised in the Cunard's website but many people here have used them, I myself have had really good experiences with DHL too. Hope it all works well!!!

funny, I just went to their site (Luggage Free) their prices are (to us- London- Civitavecchia/Rome) more than double of what Luggage Forward charges.... 1x 22kg suitcase with Luggage Forward is $219- same with Luggage Free is $469!!!!

add hospitals to that!!! LOL 🤣 (at least in London ones!)

thanks so much for the thread @Victoria2 , so glad you had a marvellous sailing! Can't wait for our time, exactly in a month....we started last week with our shopping list, booked the salon on board already... really looking forward since we booked, and more and more with every post telling us about the ship, thanks again!!!!

thanks so much @Pushpit !!!!! Will talk to my daughter and see what we do!!!

@Se1lad Terminal 5 🙂 @Pushpit thanks so much!!! the phone editing thing ius a genius idea, will try that!!! we already tried the +44 (0) and number, which is the way is written in the insurance documents, tried without the + , without parenthesis , without 0 and every other combo you can imagine, nothing worked, will try your idea! We booked with the company Cunard send us to (not sure if one can mention here?) When we booked, on the phone, we asked to boom with them direct (when they told us the amount we needed covered~) and they said they no longer book it themselves but gave us the same of the company, which is the one that is in the Cunard website if` you click Travel Extras > Holiday Insurance, so yes, they will most definitely know who to call 🙂 Thank you so much for the details about lounges.... If I am getting this right.... Aspire is better if I booked BA assistance? Then that is where we will book and yes, I am booking in advance most definitely. We are flying to Rome, not Barcelona (which h I assume is the BCN you mention?) If we were on a land trip, I probably wouldn't bother much, Europe is generally up to 5 hours flight, there is no rush to recover, but we ll be in Rome for a couple of days, then the trip to the port and embarkation process, I rather be sure we ll have a relaxed time from the start 🙂 @Millieloulou thanks! yes, it seems Aspire will be the choice!!!! 🙂

Hi guys, in need of a bit of advice again 🙂 We have BA access to their lounges when travelling overseas, but we travel economy when around Europe. I remember here (a few weeks ago, maybe 6 to 8 weeks?) someone gave me a link for lounges but can't find the thread. The ones I can see on the Cunard Travel Extras link are Club Aspire & Plaza Premium, wondering if any of you have experience with either of them? another (completely un-related) question: I am unable to complete the telephone number they ask in the personal details for the Insurance "Assistance Company" - we got insurance with the company Cunard suggest, but no matter what we try, keeps going red and telling us is an invalid number? anyone has this issue? Thanks so much for any input in advance!

@david,Mississauga sorry, should have looked to the side and realized you are in Canada! Yes, friends of mine who have sailed with Cunard (some of them with relatively serious mobility I impairments) never had to complete it. I think something must have happened and they want to make sure all works well, which yes, is a good thing 🙂

@david,Mississauga the questionnaire I gave you the link to, I only was able to find because Victoria gave to me a few weeks ago, every time I tried to find it through the "before You Sail" `I got lost in the site.... Now, my questionnaire says clearly to fill it in, download and send an email with the attachment to accessibility@carnivalukgroup.com not sure if yours would be the same being in the US? maybe it changes slightly from one content to another? What we did was, brought it up on the Cunard site, filled it in there, then saved it as pdf and then sent it to them as an attachment...in the signature place, I just put my name. Did you find anything that said you have to send it physically? printed? what it clearly says in the Cunard page which has the links to the questionnaire is to read the On Boards Needs Notes then fill it in and email it to them...... When it comes to the tender part, they give you precise measurements of what a person should be able to do, and says also they would call us for the assessment/safety thing you mention your wife does, also states very clearly that if they judge that one cannot make it, the person has to stay on board.... Anyway, glad you are finding your way!!!