Carnival and Cunard are very different, but plenty of passengers enjoy both. Don’t expect them to be alike and you’ll have a nice time. You can avoid the Gala Nights, but they are one of the things that make Cunard distinctive, and one of the things most passengers most enjoy. So you might feel you were missing out if you didn’t participate.
And, if you take that at face value, a Scotsman would be fine for formal nights in a kilt (national dress), but on informal nights would need trousers. Infinite holes can be picked, as with any distinctions of this sort.
I would hate to use the word deliberately of anything perpetrated by Cunard shoreside. 😀 In fact I rather suspect some of their stuff is written by people unaware that UK and US English can differ.
I think that may depend on nationality. US passengers are welcomed home, the rest of us are considered aliens, as if we have come from space, and appear to be considered as dangerous. Mind you, the same happens at Heathrow in reverse, except for being called aliens.
Yes, the Exeter line has been sadly degraded over the years, with much single track past Salisbury. Gone are the days when, as a child, I travelled to Woolacombe on the fabled ACE. Luckily (for us) the Southampton line is rather better.
Yes, it is odd how often people get to the front of the queue and appear astonished to discover they need to remove their outer garments, despite the notices everywhere telling them to do this.
Mind you, on some cruises, by the time they have let in Grills, Diamond, Plats, and possibly BC, there are only a few people left behind. The only reason I can see for keeping people outside is if the terminal itself was very crowded even though the check ins weren’t busy.
You are unlucky. We are still getting two and hour from Bournemouth to Waterloo, so there are probably more from Southampton. They rarely have engineering works on the main line in the holiday season, so between about now and October. That leaves landslides to worry about.
Is it bad manners to mention you admire someone’s dress? Surely not. It is only disapproval one should be wary of expressing, I should have thought? On the other hand, perhaps it is not as simple as that, for, if someone expressed admiration to me, I should assume they were being sarcastic, which isn’t good either. So perhaps it is best not to say anything in any circumstance.😀