Ichabod123

What I normally do on disembarkation morning (as a single independent travellor) is to vacate my cabin at the requested time and then go to the Crows Nest with a good book. Around 9.45 to 10.00 there will be an announcement that it is time for anyone left on the ship to disembark.. I usually leave it a further 10 minutes and then make my way down to the gangway. The advantages (for me) are (a) No crowded stairs, lifts corridors etc, (b) my luggage is usually the last in the hall and (c) my car is the last in the car park and easy to locate. Evan doing the above, I am usually on my way by 10.15-10.30

Thank you!!

In response to post 25 (I don't know how to quote previous posts), I will be cruising with P&O over Christmas (2024) and then, in March, 2025, I have a short (4 night) cruise booked with Cunard. I will then be able to make an informed decision. Thank you all for your comments 🙂

I have a (15th) cruise booked with P&O and I have been reading on these boards and watching videos on YouTube which are reporting a huge fall in standards with P&O as opposed to their pre-covid offering. So many things seem to have disappeared and been significantly reduced - from service to food and everything in between. I'm beginning to regret booking with P&O now and am considering giving Cunard a go.

Been reading this with interest. Just returning to cruising after a few years break (pre-covid). I was told then that passengers had to carry their own cases to the "hole in the wall". Is that still the case or will the porters collect them from the car as they previouslly did?

Many thanks - I really didn't want to spend a week getting there and a week returning to Southampton without being able to visit the 9/11 museum & memorial. It will be a "special" cruise to celebrate my 75th birthday 🙂 Thank you, again - that has put my mind at rest

I'd ideally like to visit the 9/11 museum and memorial - is that likely to be possible - organised tour by the ship?

Hello.I am considering a transatlantic cruise to New York and back. Will that cruise allow time in New York (with tours) or do the ships simply change passengers and set off back to Southampton?

Thank you 🙂

Excuse me butting in, but March 25 will be my first Cunard cruise, although I have cruised with other lines. My question is - on a themed night (red/gold black/white etc) how strictly is the code enforced and how far in advance is the theme known? Many thanks

Oh, and one more - which dining options will be available for lunch on embarkation day?

One more question - well, two really:- Is afternoon tea a formal affair - whirt & tie? Jacket? On a formal night, is a normal tie acceptable, or does it need to be a bow tie? I'm getting myself worked up already - and it's still 9 months away 🙂

Many thanks for all your help & advise

Thank you. It's good to see the advantages of Britannia Club. I assumed that, as a "newby", I'd be bottom of the list as far as boarding is concerned - how "priority" is the priority boarding? Do the bath robes come in different sises or is it a case of "one size fits all"? I'm quite a portly old man so "one size fits all might not "fit all"! I'm on Queen Victoria for a short (4 night) voyage to Hamburg - juat as a taster for me - see if I like Cunard. Would a dark suit be acceptable on formal night - or would I be expected to fork out for a formal dinner suit? On non-formal nights would a shirt & tie without a jacket be OK?

As a solo travellor, I do find it hard if I visit te buffet (rarely) to get a table and have resorted to placing a book, or jumper, on a table before going to get my food. March 2025 will be my first venture with Cunard, and I have boooked Britannia Club which, I gather, will guarantee me a reserved table for all meals throuought the voyage