techteach

Grilled cheese and tomato soup were, and still are, the quintessential winter lunch when there was snow on the ground or hoar frost on the trees. I think there was also a really cold glass of milk alongside it.

Not from a Cunard ship…but sunset on Oct. 3, from Oceania Regatta in Santa Barbara, California.

Booked Q3 6106 this morning. I will finally get to cruise on the Queen Vic.

On board Regatta now. I was able to do the survey on my iPad with no problem.

I think the person cooking makes a big difference @FetaCheese.

@Sthrngary I just reread your original post and see you’re in a Vista Suite. There is NOT a makeup mirror as shown in many YouTube videos. (At least on Regatta 6003) DH commented on how great it was to shave in the front bathroom because you’re so close to the mirror. Make sure you have extra room to take back all of the goodies: 2 water bottles, a 18x24” bag filled with 2 large towels, 2 hats, and sunbathing supplies, not to mention the large box of Bvlgari items. Regarding restaurants: We have interpreted that we would be able to book a second speciality restaurant. We have tried working through our butler and we are not encouraged. The table in the room is large enough for dinner and we may have to do that. Polo Grill last night had lots of empty tables starting around 7:45 or 8:00. Another good thing: 2 dozen long stem red roses on the coffee table. FYI - each night they come and remove the cushions from the chairs and loungers on the veranda. Then they tie up the chairs and loungers so they don’t blow off during the night.

@sunlover12 Well aware there are other items on the menu and I’m sure we’ll try them based upon the recommendations from this board. We have ordered drinks from the servers and it takes forever. Again, there aren’t enough of them. Yesterday they were also serving the card room. If you close the main dining room for lunch on port days and then lots of people don’t get off the ship or return to ship and want something to eat it forces everyone up. We haven’t tried the Terrace Cafe, but it will be our next option.

@Sthrngary I didn’t say enough good things. We are in a Vista Suite, and while we’re definitely feeling the 10 foot swells, but we slept well and the suite is fabulous. The best bathroom (shower) we’ve ever had and of course, a second bath makes for a happy voyage. Bed and pillows and great, lots of lights and controls that are easy. Breakfast room service was on time and hot. Wine tasting was the best we’ve had on a cruise ship. If you want to gamble this is not your ship. Really small and really tight. MDR saga continued at lunch as they gave everyone the wrong menu, corrected it, and then didn’t have the desserts on the new menu. This sounds like a management issue. But, the tuna Niçoise salad was really good. The veal scallopini required a steak knife.

Oh No! Will they ask people for a list of what was in the suitcase? I would have that when I leave home, but when I’m getting off the ship I just put clean in one case and dirty in the other and balance out the weight with shoes. I would be hard pressed to provide a list. I bet this makes it onto the Today show tomorrow!

@Sthrngary We are on board the Regatta now, 1st time Oceania cruisers, and I’ve had to remember your post about having realistic expectations. I don’t want to highjack your thread, but here are some of my unrealistic expectations. #1) The service would be good. #2) The food would be the finest at sea. 😉 IMHO they lack the staff to provide the service I had hoped for. Yesterday was a port day and when we returned from our excursion the only place to eat was the Waves Grill which meant a mediocre hot dog and hamburger. Waves Bar was the only place to get a drink and had one bar tender trying to serve a very long line of people. Polo Grill had wonderful Queen’s Cut, yes 16 oz., Prime Rib, but I sent the crab cake made from smelly canned crab back. DH could smell it as soon as it was placed in front of me. Service in the MDR is slow and forgetful. 3 times asking for tea and coffee this morning. Multiple calls to get ice for our room and finally a trip down to reception, in a Vista Suite. Realistic expectations and it’s not all about me.

Thanks for important information @exlondoner.

I’ve contacted our Cunard TA to reserve QV for France/Italy June 2025. Barcelona to Rome. This is our first time on QV. PH3 or PH4?

@BklynBoy8 Sounds like a real mess. I hope @rafinmd gets to QM2 safely. Have a safe and enjoyable voyage Roy. I hope the voyage brings back your energy.

@NE John There is a good book about Sicilian wine, but I can’t remember the name and I’m on a ship with lots of rolling motion…let me know if you don’t find it and I’ll look when we get home.

@NE John I’m going to be in trouble for doing this but…here’s a book for you….

@bluemarble I’m glad you didn’t get up to take a picture for us. I feel better knowing you enjoyed a little more sleep on your vacation. Enjoy your last 2 days.

It has been great fun to follow you! Many thanks and safe travels.

Flour, and how it is milled makes a huge difference. Some of our favorite bread is from Skagit valley in Washington State. https://breadlab.wsu.edu

It looks like fall is here with sprinkles and leaves changing colors. The paper is read, 2 cups of coffee have been consumed. It is time to go make final choices on clothes and luggage for our cruise as we fly out tomorrow. DH hasn’t begun to pack.😉 We have narrowed it down to 3 possible 2025 Mediterranean cruises and of course QV is one of them. Everyone have a good week.

@sfred That room must feel like home you’ve been in it for so long. It has been great fun to tag along with you. Thanks for your wonderful posts. What was your favorite part?

Looked at a pair of Tom Ford patent leather — $1,750.00. Thought of you @Solent Richard.

I think the idea for mounding is to get a taste of everything in one bite.

Beautiful Lanky Lad.

The term mediocre is relative to past experience and would be on a scale from let’s say horrible to fabulous. There are experts in cooking who help identify the fabulous for us, The Michelin Guide is just one. There is Yelp to help identify the horrible, as well as others. I’ve eaten in many Michelin starred restaurants because that’s something we do when we travel. I’ve also taken 5 cooking classes at Guy Savoy in Las Vegas so I’ve seen what happens behind the scenes at 9:00am to make the stock that will take 3 days before it is ready to be turned into a silky smooth clear broth or sauce. People scouring the world to find the perfect tomatoes, never frozen meat and seafood. No kitchen on a cruise ship has the resources in time, people, or product to produce that level of cooking. We have only had a couple of misses in QG, but for the most part I would call it very good. I think they do amazing fish, especially Dover Sole. I love cavier and I’m a snob about it. The cavier in QG is hit or miss. I’m sure they’re like all restaurants and get the really big tins. But, I doubt they open a tin, taste it, and refuse to serve it if it isn’t up to a high standard. Michelin starred restaurants have their cavier specially prepared for them. I immediately think of Joel Robuchon restaurants and Thomas Keller in the U.S. who sources his from Tsar Nicoulai in California. QG/PG kitchen has a huge menu to cover and over 100 people to feed 3 times per day.

Love QG and DH refuses to even discuss traveling anything other than that on Cunard. Our reality is taking care of 3 grandsons while our daughter works. We can’t be flying from Seattle to London every time we want to cruise and being gone more than 10 days is very difficult. So we need to find cruises that go in and out of west coast ports. For now on Cunard that is only QE and with her we hit the 10 day limit. Looking at the other lines isn’t about dissatisfaction with Cunard, it’s needing additional options. We spent last night looking at some of the lines and for what we get in QG 5 we would pay double on RSS because I don’t want a 322 sqft cabin. DH looked at the inclusive wine list and denounced it as mediocre so we would still be paying hundreds for wine at dinner. Next week on Oceania we’re taking several bottles from our cellar and will just pay corkage. Options are good. Some days I want to play Mozart and other days I want to sing a song from Disney. Looking forward to the day I get to sail on the QV.