Cruachan

Of course, the poor blighter's now on borrowed time.:D

 

Sir Martin

Well, it looks like he had a happy life while it lasted :cool:

J

Many thanks for your time and effort you've answered my question superbly...the photo being an added bonus..:-)

 

 

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And when I wasn't busy photographing balconies, I finally managed to get my first ever whale photo.

J

Only had the first breakfast no doubt. No-one should post between breakfasts. I don't know if this:

 

 

helps, probably not.

Very interesting photo Pepper. At first glance it appeared to be exactly the same as mine of QV but closer inspection reveals that they have indeed adopted a different approach and restricted each of the balconies to a standard size.

J

Only had the first breakfast no doubt. No-one should post between breakfasts. I don't know if this:

 

 

helps, probably not.

 

Sincere best wishes (November bath :confused: why, did you get especially grubby this year???)

Sadly, Pepper, three breakfasts rapidly become two breakfasts too many when you have to produce them yourself. My annual bath is scheduled as a "birthday treat"! :o)

J

I wasn't suggesting Victoria wasn't as you showed it; I was observing that Elizabeth was shown differently. I couldn't find any photos clearly showing QE from that angle but the ones I did find appeared to show a blocked-off space between those two cabins on Queen Elizabeth. My point is just that no one should conclude the sister ships are necessarily alike in this regard.

Oops! Clearly I shouldn't be permitted to post at 5.30 in the morning while in the throes of post-cruise depression!

Anyway, there's my first research question for next year when I will, much against my better judgement, be jumping ship to QE! :D

J

The deck plan for QE shows the same white space between the two rooms, but it suggests that on QE the two rooms have normal size balconies with some space between them that's not part of either balcony. I wonder whether that's accurate.

Well, if you look at the image (taken by me on 28 Jun as QV was berthed in Akureyri, Iceland) included in post #45 you can clearly see that it manifestly isn't accurate.

J

Hi we're onboard in September. I am wondering if the new Quercus toiletries are in use yet? Have a great cruise.

S

Yes they are - although I can't speak for their efficacy as my next scheduled bath isn't until November.

In the shower you get one round tablet of something that my wife assures me is called "soap" and three little plastic bottles of gunky gloopy stuff Going by what is printed on the bottles, the contents consist of:

a. "Shampoo" (whatever that is)

b. "Conditioner" (ditto)

c. "Body lotion" (purpose unknown).

J

Hello.

I'm just about ready to book my cabins on the Cunard web site, I'm booking two cabins next door to each other,I've noticed cabins 4178/4180 on the deck plan has a large white space between them and the balconies look to be double the size,is there any chance you could ask someone if it's possible to open the divider between them thus creating one big balcony,many thanks and enjoy your cruise..

 

 

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Again, I was unable to gain access to the cabins in question, but I did go and have a look at that stretch of corridor. I’m not a bit surprised that the deck plans show “a large white space” because the layout on that stretch of corridor is very odd indeed (and, unusually for QV the two sides are not symmetrical - only the port side has this layout).

Cabin #4178 is the further forward of the two – adjacent to it on the left (aft) as you look at the door of the cabin is another door which, from the various signs affixed to it, obviously contains an ice machine. To the left of that again there is actually a short “spur” corridor at the end of which is another door marked “Crew only” – what is behind that door remains a mystery to me. So, if the balconies do in fact adjoin one another that would explain why they are twice as long as average. The photo below shows the two balconies (outlined in red) and it's clear that each is exactly twice the length of a standard balcony).

The crew members who periodically clean the balconies all have keys for opening the dividers. I spoke to my cabin steward who assured me that there would be no problem at all about opening the divider to extend the length of the balcony. My starting point, as with almost everything, would be your cabin steward. You are much more likely to get a positive result from him/her than from anyone else on the ship.

J

2 Questions 1 can you see if the jewellery shop has any decent Silver bracelets ( the bangle type} not to chunky as my wife is thinking of getting one

 

When I visited they had a range of about five different styles, four of which were similar and probably “marginal chunky”. The fifth, to my aesthetically challenged eyes, looked quite slim and elegant. The price was in the range $150-200 depending on the item selected. I chatted to the girl in the shop and she said that the real message was that the range of designs in stock was constantly changing and that, by the time you board, they could have a totally different range – but there is always likely to be something available that meets your specification.

 

 

Coffee card is available at Café Carinthia and at any bar on the ship. Currently costs $33.50 for 10 coffees.

Hi J,

 

Don't suppose you take a look at the spa services and see if they do nail extensions and infills please? I had these services on board before but I can't seem to find them on the spa menu. Sometimes there have been additional services on board, like waxing, that haven't been listed so it's worth a shot!

 

Thank you and hope you have a wonderful time!

The lady in the Spa assured me that extensions and infills are both available in the Spa. Current prices are as follows:

Extensions = $87

Infills = $46

Hi J,

 

Thanks for the offer. Together with friends we have booked Staterooms 1111 and 1113 for a Cruise in January, two outside cabins on Deck 1. Any information re the location, size of the cabins, noise from above etc etc. would be helpful - also not too sure from deck plan what is next to 1113 at the end of the corridor. From reviews it appears that these grades on Deck 1 are slightly bigger than same grades on higher decks.

 

Any little information will help, but thanks anyway and have a great time onboard.

 

Best wishes,

 

Dave

Dave, here's what I was able to find out. Sorry for the late reply but the ship's wifi connection was just too flaky for use with CC (even when it was working at all!).

J

I wasn’t able to gain access to the cabins themselves – however, I did visit the area and observed the following.

The cabins are at the aft end of the short stretch of corridor on the starboard side leading aft from the Purser’s Desk. Unusually for an accommodation corridor, there are cabins on the starboard side of the corridor only. The other side appears to be the boundary wall for a machinery space (possibly the engine room). Aft of 1113 is some sort of crew space. Immediately above these cabins is the Two Deck entrance to the Britannia Dining Room and it is very unlikely that noise from above will be an issue. However, I noticed quite a lot of low frequency machinery noise and some vibration in the corridor itself. I would guess, though, that the sound insulation of the cabins will deaden that pretty effectively. The location is pretty isolated and is unlikely to be used as a general thoroughfare so I really don’t think you will be troubled by noise issues. Almost right outside the door of 1113 are the lifts and the stairway that lead up to the entrance to the Britannia Restaurant so that is pretty convenient and you are also very handily paced for the Purser’s Desk and other facilities such as the Internet Center that are in that general area.

Hope this helps

Have you been on QV before and if so, do you see staff that you have met before ?

Yes, this will be our 10th cruise in total and our 5th on QV. We are becoming a little typecast and one of the reasons we keep going back to her time after time is precisely because we know so many of the staff. Some have "been with us" since our very first cruise on QE2 and we now regard them as old friends.

J

Hi Cruachan. I have just booked this cruise today so I am frantically preparing. I hope to see you onboard after reading all your posts. Is there a meet and greet?

Diane

There was a roll call but it seemed to die on 6 May and, as far as I am aware, no meet and greet was organised.

J

I'm pretty sure the UK standard is 50 Hz.

 

There are two US outlets at the desk and an additional US outlet in the corner behind the flatscreen TV.

Oops - my bad. That was a typo. Just for the record it is 50Hz.

J

Just wondering whether there are binoculars in cabins on Queen Elizabeth, we have booked a balcony cabin BC grade. Thank you

I have a feeling that they used to be provided in Queens Grill cabins but I don't know whether that is an accurate recollection and/or whether it is still true. I can tell you with absolute certainty that there aren't any in Britannia grade cabins.

J

1. Shortly after boarding.

2. Disembarkation is usually by deck, if you need to be off at a specific time you should speak to the Tour Desk who organise it.

3. It comes in a pot.

4. UK and European I think. There may be one US outlet

Cap'n thanks for confirming that I got my answers more or less right - I'm hopeless at answering questions from memory (it's an age thing!).

Interested you say cabins are ready shortly after boarding. I've always found mine to be ready as soon as I arrive; but that's probably just because, since I managed to claw my way up the food chain to the dizzying heights of Platinum, I've never yet managed to set foot on the deck earlier than about an hour after my assigned boarding time. :D

J

2 Questions 1 can you see if the jewellery shop has any decent Silver bracelets ( the bangle type} not to chunky as my wife is thinking of getting one,2 Do you get the coffee card in the Café, Carinthia thanks for asking any questions.

I'll do my best for you, Zider.

J

Whilst I have cruised several times before I will be travelling on QV / Cunard for the 1st time in October for 3 nights & have the following questions: -

 

 

1) what time are the cabins normally ready?

 

They are ready before embarkation commences so there will be no problem even if you turn up earlier than your assigned embarkation time.

 

2) how does disembarkation work ~ by that I mean can you select your own time? The reason for asking is that the day we return we're boarding RCI IOTS for 4 nights! So we will literally be 'jumping ship!'

 

Disembarkation depends on a number of factors including, but not limited to, your cabin number, whether you are grills or Britannia, your world club status etc etc. Generally speaking Grill passengers, those on higher decks, and those with Cunard transfers booked, disembark first. However, if you are prepared (and able) to carry all your luggage off the ship in a single lift then you can opt for "self disembarkation" which means you can go as soon as the ship is secure alongside.

 

3) I understand you do not have tea making facilities in your cabin but this can be ordered from room service. Any idea how this comes i.e. one cup or do they bring a pot etc

 

From memory - you get a pot of tea and one, or two cups depending on your requirements. You can also, if you wish and if the distance isn't prohibitive, always obtain fresh tea and coffee in the Lido which you can bring back to the cabin.

 

4) What are the sockets like on board; are they UK, American or a mixture of both.

 

Sockets are a mix of UK 3xPin and US 2xPin. The ship's electrical supply is 220v / 110v / 60Hz. For the sake of comparison the UK standard is 240v(40Hz).

 

Apologies for all the questions but you did very kindly volunteer :)

 

Thank you in advance & I hope you have a wonderful cruise.

 

Joan

Answers in red above.

J

...Hope you have a great time as well cruachan.

 

fraser :)

Thanks Fraser,

stop and have a chat if you see me - you won't have any trouble recognising me. I'm the old fat ugly guy with a moustache and glasses, wandering around festooned with cameras! :D

J

Hi J,

 

Don't suppose you take a look at the spa services and see if they do nail extensions and infills please? I had these services on board before but I can't seem to find them on the spa menu. Sometimes there have been additional services on board, like waxing, that haven't been listed so it's worth a shot!

 

Thank you and hope you have a wonderful time!

No problem - that sounds achievable and at least I don't have to go in the g*m to get an answer :D

J

Hi J,

 

Spot on! North Yorks v East Yorks. Unfortunately we did not survive the cuts and we only have Regimental Associations in our old Recruiting areas. It is a crying shame as we go back to 1688.

 

By the way our travelling companions are from York,

 

Best wishes

 

Dave

 

If you can get an inside photo of the cabin, that would be great.

No problem Dave - I should be embarking pretty early and I'll make a point of trying to get down there to get a photo before the new occupants turn up.

J

Have the most wonderful time :) . I board QM2 (again!) in the morning :) .

 

With all best wishes

 

(will they load extra breakfast stores onto QV on Sunday? ;) )

Thanks Pepper - and I hope you have a fantastic time on QM2.

My agents tell me that a convoy of black pudding trucks is approaching Soton Docks right now.

J

Hi J,

 

Thanks for the offer. Together with friends we have booked Staterooms 1111 and 1113 for a Cruise in January, two outside cabins on Deck 1. Any information re the location, size of the cabins, noise from above etc etc. would be helpful - also not too sure from deck plan what is next to 1113 at the end of the corridor. From reviews it appears that these grades on Deck 1 are slightly bigger than same grades on higher decks.

 

Any little information will help, but thanks anyway and have a great time onboard.

 

Best wishes,

 

Dave

No problem Dave, I'll give it a quick recce for you. Never let it be said that the a former member of 3 PWO wouldn't help out an old Green Howard. :D:D

J

OK, I'm off on QV (again!) on Sunday.

If anyone has any questions - and by that I mean questions that can only be answered by someone who is actually on board the ship - then post them on this thread and I will try to find answers for you.

J

"UK cruise industry adds £2.5bn to the UK economy"

 

Isn't that the cost per person for a world voyage in a QM2 Q1 Grand Duplex? :eek: :D .

Only if it's a reduced price offer! :cool:

J