LadyL1

Very strangely I am having extreme difficulty to connect with Cruisecritic onboard ship.! We are now in Madeira, so reading this should be as if yesterday evening.   Another day at sea; we were told that at 6.00am the sun was shining, but we certainly did not see that! The morning was mostly murky and mizzly, albeit being 18 degrees, as we head for Madeira. Last evening the Wintergarden was heaving with those listening to and enjoying The Cula Folk Duo. To be honest, apart from sailaway parties, have never seen the venue so busy. After a very pleasant evening meal (the gran mariner soufflés are still excellent) I went to the theatre to listen to Roy Lock. I have seen him on the ship before, is a trained opera singer, whose repertoire was a rendition of songs from musicals, gave warmth and a splendid performance to the appreciative audience. Our second speaker, Penny Mallory, is an account polished adventurist and fall driver, also a descendent of George Mallory, who was possibly the first man to reach the summit of Everest in the 1920’s. A terrific lecture with magnificent video clips, and old photographs shown during the presentation. A formal night but the show was cancelled because of technical reasons: replacement entertainment arranged. funchal from the balcony this morning.

A few answers to previous questions. Navaypanda Priority was originally printed on boarding pass. The couple behind us with Kate boarding, might have been priority but certainly not Grills. It seemed a mass rush to security when WG boarding was announced; nothing on documents to prove who is valid at the first call, so abused. Craigrlewis Your question answered above. Glenndale We did not show any docs at checkin, but were asked if vaccines up to date, health and insurance. I gather it is random for fully checking. Staffordcruiser I see you are in QG, but doubt very much if boarding would start any earlier than your time. Perhaps arrive 15 mins or so earlier. When we arrived at 12.30ish, the terminal was quite full already! A beautiful evening sailaway to Madeira with gorgeous sunset, followed by a super meal.

QV in Vigo. Such a pleasant day, but a shame our balcony will be in the shade all day. Another sea day tomorrow with the prospect of good conditions. We hear that we have escaped some miserable weather back home.

Our day at sea across the bay was interesting! The ocean appeared relatively calm but that was an unusual and noticeable movement to the ship. We heard of those requesting the little pill for: reception, and a conspicuous number of empty tables in the restaurant, of what was a “Gala B&W” evening. In the morning we attended a lecture given by Andrew Williams, a retired BBC wildlife programme producer/cameraman who has works with many notable academics in this field, including David Attenborough, Dr George McGovern and Steve Backshall. As you can imagine the presentation was excellent and we will definitely be attending his next session. There has been much written about food recently, and so far, this has been a little hit and miss. Tonight, even our waiter said the lobster was small! However, my husband’s chateaubriand was perfect. Our arrival in Vigo this morning, sees wall to wall blue sky, and hopefully the temperatures will reach the heady figure of 17! An early morning swim alone was delightful!

We boarded QV, on a very cold and murky day, and really hoping to find some warmth. A brief enlightenment about the checking in. QG started boarding at 12.40 and the terminal was quite full. The boarding papers just say “priority”, no mention of Grills cabins, so when the first group were called, some just joined. I saw the couple behind us had a time of 14.00 on the papers they were holding. This is something Cunard perhaps need to address: this would not happen on airlines where premium pax have to queue behind others, and would not be accepted. We were on the ship in October and delighted to be back. The Christmas decorations are looking lovely and I am sure the festive spirit will start to prevail once we sail. The sea is exceedingly calm at present, as we make our way to Vigo.

Well, this a first! Tomorrow we board QV at the Mayflower terminal. This morning I have had text from Cunard reminding to bring up to date Covid pass. Also, there is a stipulation to arrive at one’s given time on the boarding pass. This certainly didn’t happen last month for a short cruise to Amsterdam, when boarding was somewhat shambolic. We have very rarely had texts from Cunard. As I said at the beginning of this thread our time is later than in the past for grade of cabin, and from others who have posted it does rather seem that embarkation is being put back, with some being asked to board much later. Will soon find out how this progresses.

It is run on a rotation system. Pre pandemic it was Chinese, American, Mexican, Indian or Italian (not necessarily in that order). We always found the food excellent, but since resuming these evenings it might be different. When are you going? I am boarding soon, so maybe able to find out.

4095 & 4097 are definitely accessible cabins, and cannot usually be booked by those with full mobility. Avoid 4092 & 4089 with the curved balcony as this reduces its size, other wise deck 4 is fine. We would never book deck 8 PG under the buffet area. Our favourite position is aft facing in QG!

Last month we were on a 4 nighter to Amsterdam and found virtually all enjoyed dressing very well in the evening including the formal night. I have just looked at the thread at the top of this board re dress codes for cruises, and it appears that it is a Black & White Ball on the 27th. Easy to do and looks sophisticated: you will certainly feel very comfortable in evening wear for this formal evening. Other nights, dressy wear will be fine, so get out the shoes and bags and make the most of your time aboard! Have you looked on your “my booking” page that tells you the dress code for each evening and other info? Enjoy, and think you will find the ship ready for Christmas 🎄!

For the rest of this year it appears the Cunard ships are using the Mayflower Terminal. We will be boarding there next week and also returning to the same. I have not used this one post pandemic and cannot remember if there are any facilities there. Perhaps for our own comfort we should arrive as near as possible to given time, after all staggered arrivals makes for more speed and comfort, and probably safety as Covid has not gone away.

No afternoon tea in the Queens Room on boarding day, so don’t worry! From posts on here it does seem later times are becoming the norm. Yesterday, I heard from friends joining QV, that boarding started at 12.40.

The only exception to choosing seats early is with British Airways, paid in full or not. This even applies to premium seats. BA charges a hefty sum to choose seats ahead of the 24 hour check-in time, and one of the few airlines to operate this dismal money grabbing system! Frequent flyers can choose seats slightly before flight, so beware if this is important to you.

You can take a mobility on board, but……(from Cunard site) This is from the UK, but assume this the same worldwide. Mobility scooters. Mobility scooters will only be permitted on board if guests have booked an accessible stateroom, or selected suite. A list of suitable staterooms can be found in the accessible stateroom section. The policy applies to all scooter makes and models to ensure a consistent approach. Mobility scooters must be declared at the time of booking, or as soon as the need is known, otherwise your scooter may be denied boarding. If you are taking a mobility scooter on board in an approved stateroom please ensure you have checked the stateroom door width as the scooter must be able to fit through to enable it to be stored safely so as not to impede a safe evacuation. Details of stateroom door widths can be found in the accessible stateroom section. (There is more to this to read if this concerns you).

Wonky. It would be interesting to know what is going, when you board today. By these posts it seems there is a prospect of more chaos. Very early in October, when we arrived at the terminal (at least in warm sunshine), we had to queue outside and be admitted in groups: no priority at this stage. It seemed to be a late start to boarding, and the wait area was heaving! I do wish they could enhance this process, but with so many early arrivals, I am not sure what can be done. In winter, waiting outside for one’s boarding time is not an option. I will find out later this month how things are.

In QG, and given time is 12.45. I cannot remember ever being this late to board. In the past, has i think it was usually 12.15, But maybe I am mistaken. With these times, it certainly puts the other categories back somewhat. Hence why I can imagine a very full terminal. Providing I am in time for lunch I will be happy!😊

I was surprised at my given boarding time for later this month. Is it that boarding is starting a little later at present (perhaps for deep cleaning)? In October pax were not going through security until at least 12.30-12.45. Interested to what others think who have travelled very recently or to do so in near future. I dislike being in the terminal when it is very crowded.

If you have not got this sorted, would it be worth sending 2 photos( mobility aide standing and collapsed) to either your travel agent or Cunard depending on how you booked? if TA/Cunard knew about this, it really seems very late to advise you cannot travel, especially after full payment.

We were on QE earlier this year in a Q4 and seems we had table 10. No window seat (and we are frequent travellers) but all tables have a view: the position perfect. There is often a different table configuration, I suppose depending on cruise, so recommendations might not be justified. The restaurant is delightful and we feel superior to QM2. I am sure you will not be disappointed.

What was the reason given? if you have it in your possession again, try paying it in online if you have the facility, if not already done so. If “RD (REFER TO DRAWER) is mentioned there is little chance of payment. Hopefully it is a technical glitch, wrong date or missing /out of date signature(s). This could be bad news.

Used this company many times from Heathrow. https://www.travelgozero.com/ Always excellent service.

These are great replies and so useful! As has been asked: we are in a full suite and very much looking forward to cruising on the Royal.

We have never cruised with Princess before but will do so to Mexico in January. Does one book the gratuitous dinner in a specialty restaurant via the app pre boarding or once on ship? We are thinking of trying the Crown Grill. Answers will be appreciated. Thank you.

Lovely photos of Narvik thank you, which reminds us of when we were there in March. It was perishingly cold!

GRORYJM It is lovely to see the theatre with people delightfully attired, but do you realise that you are contravening the Data Protection Act? By using a photo with identifiable persons without their permission, on social media, is a big blooper these days! Sorry to be a killjoy.

For us we certainly enjoy the extra space in The Grill’s cabins. It depends on how much you want to spend; PG or QG, but both are a considerably more upmarket pitch than Britannia. The restaurants are particularly serene on the QV & QG, compared to QM2, and in a wonderful position, being identical but separate. The Grills terrace is a definite bonus on a warm weather cruise on the smaller Queens. All round it is just a lovely experience with first class service, and the freedom with dining times.