maggielou362

OMG I just saw your post, @Clewgarnet I gasped in horror, now I am speechless.

That's SO ugly! I just googled a front view of Azura, i see what you mean about the struts. I think somebody welded a block of flats onto a barge and soldered on a hospital walkway/airbridge crosswise to the front to serve as the bridge.

Queen Anne doesn't have a very elegant rear view with Hugh Jarse on board. Not as pretty as her sisters, is she?

What a lucky young lady! I'm sure she will have an unforgettable time like her Mum/Dad? did as a child. She will be enchanted with sailing and as @Sue-B said there is also Starlink for movies. What a wonderful family tradition! I am taking my two adult daughters for a five-night sailing on QE from Sydney to Hobart before Cunard makes their last hurrah in Australia in 2024. I doubt they will ever get the opportunity in the future, so I want them to savour the beautiful Cunard traditions. I hope their behaviour will be "Cunardish" and they don't embarrass me!

Spare a thought for your Colonial Cousins in Australia and New Zealand: we are being sold "Bon Voyage" cruises before Cunard deserts us next year. Should be called "Goodbye, nice knowing you" cruises!

Yes, @Jim_P, I'm an Aussie too, and I also keep to the left normally, but find it a bit hard on board to know what is expected. It's tricky because Cunard is owned by an American corporation, but is a British-based line, so I don't know whether to follow the Brits or the Yanks. It's pretty clear which way to go around the promenade deck, though. Don't ask me how I found out.

Not quite bilges, but I am happy to travel in steerage. You will find that you are not treated as mere ballast, wherever your cabin is! It's all lovely.

Yes, that's exactly the case, @NE John Two Cunard voyages completed, and guess what? I have another FOUR Cunard voyages booked, one of which is of course a Transatlantic on QM2 in 2026 🛳️🙂

@buchanan101, certainly, I understand. If you do the arithmetic the World of Drinks beer, wine spirits package is definitely NOT a bargain, paying as you go is economically rational unless you can put away an inordinate amount of alcohol (cheers to you if you can!) Liz Truss seems to have had a disproportionate influence for the time she was in charge. For us the drinks package was good for the relaxation and pre-budgeting. Everyone should do their own sums and work out what they are prepared to pay for in material and psychological terms.

Take heed of what @D&N, @Pushpit, @mahasamatman, @BklynBoy8 et al have said. This is YOUR holiday, dance to your heart's content, smile graciously and apologise quietly if you accidentally collide. Good dancers know how to avoid us amateurs, just have a lovely time and enjoy the music, the moment and the movement.

@Liao, you have come to the right place. This forum is the headquarters for a wealth of Cunard information and opinions. I am a new disciple, having only two sailings under my belt, but I have booked another FOUR voyages with Cunard! There are many well-travelled and knowledgeable Cunarders on this site, just keep asking and you will get accurate answers. Please book a Transatlantic on Cunard, I have booked mine for 2026 and I am pretty sure it will be a once in a lifetime experience.

@Surprise50th, you will NOT be disappointed with Cunard. Re the drinks package: we enjoyed a recent jaunt on QM2 and found the drinks package very suitable for our purposes. Our aim was not to save money, but more to fully enjoy our Cunard experience. I did not bother to do the arithmetic. For us, the prepaid drinks package was about relaxing. Tasting different cocktails (if you don't like it, no problem, just leave it and get another one!), having a fancy coffee or two, fresh smoothies or premium Fever-tree soft drinks and pretty much unlimited glasses of acceptable wine with meals. Then also knowing that we don't have to worry about another big bill at the end of our cruise and didn't need to cart bottles of wine on embarkation. Just my opinion. I hope you and your husband have an absolutely beautiful voyage, and happy half century to him.

Do it. I have booked my Transatlantic for 2026. Will cost a bomb to get there from Sydney, but as my Mum says, "there are no pockets in shrouds".

@vistaman, long after her passing, thank you. It has always been a small source of irritation for this colonial girl when people used HRH for the late Queen Elizabeth II, or indeed for any reigning monarch. Your sentiments, @knotheadusc however, are respected.

As it should be, Smokeyham.

Yes, that's right, exlondoner.

But I DO really need to sail on Cunard ships! 😁

Ok, @Winifred 22, exlondoner, Victoria2, et al. all you lovely knowledgeable Cunard regulars: I will take your advice and do the same (advice hasn't let me down yet!) If we all stick together and refuse to pay EXTRA for items and services that were previously included in the fare perhaps Cunard will keep providing the experience that makes it so special and unique. I hope so, I truly want to stay loyal to Cunard because I have fallen in love, despite them deserting us in the Southern Hemisphere!

It's very informative and interesting to read all the comments re the food, thank you for the menu examples. I too am happy to have more variety on the menus if that's what passengers desire, but I am also quite satisfied with the current dining offerings on QM2, QV and QE. My concern is more to do with the creeping in of more and more supplementary charges that had previously been included. Extra charge for burgers etc in The Golden Lion, extra charges for some items on the room service menu, extra charge here, extra charge there. The thin end of the wedge. As stated by @BairsAbroad, if there are upcharges everywhere it might make people think twice about Cunard loyalty.

Sorry, I haven't had time to read all the new postings about Queen Anne, but the gist I am getting is that there are more things that are attracting supplementary charges. For example, the Golden Lion menu and the room service menu. I fear that this is not boding well for the other three beauties of the fleet. More chipping away of what makes Cunard so iconic and unique? Carnival Corporation money spinning and homogenising? What do you all think?

The topic heading/question of this thread is "...Are we missing out on something?". Answer: yes. Just book one.

@WorldSchoolFamilyUSA, I don't recall seeing any children's books on QM2, but I wasn't really looking for them! I would suggest bringing a few with you.

Because he's a poseur who wants to channel Noel Coward 😁

We went to the Churchill Cigar Lounge and there was nobody there. Only went so husband could pretend to smoke a pipe in his smoking jacket. Neither of us smoke! (but I think THIS photo was actually in the Commodore)

Sorry, @PORT ROYAL but why is it "a tad tacky"?