3rdGenCunarder

I trimmed the post because I wanted to respond to the comment about the hallway. I love to stand in those hallways on 2 and 3, where you can feel the vibration of the engines and realize that you're traveling in a magnificent machine! Did you find Homer Simpson?

Sometimes, if a tour is on a bus, they can an extra bus and run an additional group. But the excursion you want involves specific tickets and may not be "expandable." Your best bet is to keep checking the website and hope to catch a cancellation. When someone cancels a tour, the tickets do go back into inventory. I've called Cunard to ask if there's a waitlist and been told they don't do that.

This is one of the best reviews EVER! Your writing style is fun to read. After many trips on QM2, I am enjoying seeing the ship anew through fresh eyes. You did well to find the glass elevator so early in your voyage. I wish I'd thought to call it the Tardis!

I sat up there a few times. The loungers that had the cushions were near the rail, and that's where I usually sat. I did notice a lot of people walking through behind where I sat, but they weren't stopping. This happened more on the first few days when people were exploring/finding their way around. I wasn't bothered by them, more curious to see if anyone on staff challenged them, but as there was no staff, it didn't happen.

That's correct. CO is the packagae that includes a cabin upgrade (within the same "meta category") if available. HIA does not include an upgrade. HAL has so many packages and offers that it gets confusing.

I've never seen the Ice White theme on other ships or other itineraries. Although they call it Ice White, glaciers are actually blue, and on board the dress suggestion is white, blue or silver.

I asked for a change on my recent cruise on QA because most of the people at the table (PG) for 8 arrived later than I did, and I don't like to eat late. I asked if I could be moved to a table where people arrived earlier. I know I didn't displace anyone because when I was shown to my new table for 6, one of the people there said "Ah, now we have a complete table." It would be interesting to know how much spare seating there is in the grills restaurants. There did seem to be a fair number of empty seats in PG. One couple were at a table for 6 and it was never set for more than the two of them. Nobody took my place at the table for 8. And I saw other tables not occupied, even on nights when we lingered, chatting, after finishing our dinner.

Happy Anniversary, even if it isn't how you envisioned it. And thank you for coming back to add details. If they can't move you, at least I hope they do something--Pinnacle dinner, some OBC by way of apology.

That was my first thought, too. I agree, it's a fairly large jump in the cost to choose your cabin. First, you are offered nonrefundable deposit/guarantee OR refundable deposit. That second choice used to mean you would get to choose your cabin AT THAT PRICE but now they have a second step where you have to opt to pay more in order to get the cabin of your choice. And the stories of people getting moved around, as happened to the OP, are making me wonder if I should have just gone for a guarantee on my next booking, since it seems that could be my situation anyway. SHAME ON HAL for the way they handled this. Of course they could have sent the steward in to look for stray bags. Or they could have left a phone message or a Navigator message for the occupants of that cabin to ask if they had the bags. And a big SHAME ON THEM to the people who got that cabin and didn't do anything to help the bags get to their new location. Years ago on a Cunard ship we got a last minute upgrade (that really was an upgrade!) and our bags didn't follow us. We went to our original cabin and our bags were still in the hallway outside the door, so we just dragged them to our new room.

How did you know about taking your luggage to the matching pod? I don't recall any instructions about that. When I boarded QA 3 weeks ago, I was early and luggage handling was confused because disembarkation had run late. I was trying to figure out where to go when a porter came along and said he'd take care of my bags. This was the usual process, so I didn't winder where he took them. Perhaps not the matching pod, which explains why my luggage arrived in my room much later than usual. Where in Yorkshire were you? My grandparents were from Yorkshire, and we visited relatives many times--even the ones who defected to the other side of the Pennines.

They're probably made of granola.

About 15 years ago, when open seating was new on HAL, we were waitlisted for early fixed dining. When we asked for a change, the Maitre d' said he could put us at a 2-top in open seating for the first night. Right by the window. When we went back to the dining room, we were not by the window. We were one table away (different number than we had been told). I wondered if the couple who got "our" window table had "paid" for it in some way. Not a big deal. In fact, we liked the waitstaff there so much that we told the Maitre d' we would keep reserving that table.

Buying the spa pass is usually my second stop (lunch first!), so I've never worried about it. Because the spa is an important part of my cruise, I probably will buy it in advance. If I do, I'll ask about the cancel/rebook possibility onboard and report back. The last time I had excess OBC I sent myself flowers and did more than the minimum contribution to On Deck for a Cause.

The tray that held my room service breakfast was a large, heavy wooden one. Too large to maneuver around the buffet. Do they use smaller/lighter trays for snacks? I suppose one could purchase a lightweight plastic tray at Poundland before the cruise.

Cookies?????????? There are cookies on Cunard ships???? I can never find them. Two weeks on QA and not one cookie to be found. Sometimes I just fancy a cookie. Not cheesecake, not apple crumble, not ice cream. Just a simple cookie. I guess I need to upgrade myself to QG to get a butler. Or continue as I have done, smuggling them onboard.

Yes, I know that HAL doesn't allow OBC to be used before the cruise. My "problem" (and talk about a first-world problem!) is that I have OBC and not much to spend it on because of HIA. Many people have said that they book tours before the cruise, then when on board cancel the tours and re-book to use their OBC. I was asking if anyone has done this with the spa. Interesting that HAL is not selling day passes in advance, just the full pass. It says limited availability, but who knows what the limit is...

I have stayed at the Premier Inn at West Quay, which is next to Moxy. Either of those would be good choices for you because it's walking distance to the train station if you're going to Winchester. One of the many things I like about the PI is that they have a phone in the lobby with a direct connection to a taxi service, so you can call and book your taxi that way. I booked my recent cruise rather last-minute and most of the less-expensive hotels were booked. But the Travelodge was available, so I booked it. It was only one night, fortunately. I do not recommend it.

Easiest is a car service. I've used Blackberry Cars between the airport and central London and also London to Southampton. Clean cars, good drivers, and excellent communication. Public transport is less expensive, but you have to consider that you'll have luggage to haul with you. There are times to save money, but IMO going from the airport to your hotel after a long flight is not one of those times.

I'm looking for a Death in Paradise tour for next winter. Has anyone used Low-Key Tours (Get Your Guide)? Or Karukera? Eight years ago we went with Guadeloupe Shuttle. It was good but rushed because it had extra stops.

I just saw that for my cruise next winter, the spa pass is available to buy in advance. That's the first time I've seen that. It always seems to work out that when I have HIA I also have a lot of OBC. Grats will use up some of it. I had planned to use the rest of my OBC to buy the spa pass, but now I'm concerned that it could sell out in advance. Has anyone had that happen? I know for tours you can cancel and rebook onboard to use OBC, but I don't think that will work with the spa because it's run by an outside vendor.

How much is the deposit for this? Can you book HIA items now, or do you have to wait until you're confirmed? And I hope it's refundable if you don't clear the waitlist.

Wow, that is one angry person! Comparing a sea day on a Cunard ship to Riker's Island???? (For those on the other side of The Pond, Riker's is an infamous NYC jail.) When someone spouts hyperbole like that, I find myself questioning everything in the review. And the name "CUNARDinternetAWFUL" tells me that he/she joined CC just to vent about this one thing. That's one reason I don't take bad reviews too seriously. Too often they're "one shot wonders." They come to CC to squawk and never comeback. I'm still working on my review. It won't be all sunshine and rainbows, but it will be better than one star!

On a sunny day, light reflecting off the lifeboats gives the cabin an orange glow. I definitely prefer the sheltered balcony to obstructed.

Somebody listened! There now is a little "cheat sheet" on the wall, identifying the symbols. Oddly, it isn't near the main instructions (I used deck 4 launderette) and the type is small, so it's easy to miss. Given my many years of laundry experience, I was able to decode the machines on my own before the "cheat sheet" appeared. Each time I was there, I saw someone staring helplessly at the controls and took pity on them and gave lessons. The machines are better than those on QV/QE and the room itself has more space. But there are no chairs. I sat in the hallway outside while my clothes were in the dryer, just in case I had to "defend" my possession of a machine.

I wear a lot of cotton and it doesn't shrink because I'm careful in how I use a dryer. Queen Anne's dryers are new and modern. You can use a low heat setting. They have sensor settings in addition to the traditional time settings. You can set it for "less dry" and your clothes will be slightly damp. They will finish drying on the line in the bathroom--leave the shower door open. For tees or polos, take them out of the dryer and immediately put them on hangers--I use the plastic-hangers from my garment bag. If it doesn't all fit on the line, the hangers will go on the closet doorknobs. If you time the dryer right, the clothes will be close enough to dry that they'll be ready to put away in an hour or two. One caution about the dryers. You can walk away from a washer because the door locks during the cycle. But you should hang around while the clothes are in the dryer. People open the dryer door to see if the clothing in it is done and then they don't restart it. Then your clothes sit in a damp heap.