lissie

They haven't done dividends since the pandemic - I think it will be a good long while before they do again

Certainly wouldn't be the first to do so

The hairdryer could potentially cause a serious fire. The booze is trivial - and you don't have to sneak you can take what you want on

Anything you can carry/roll or otherwise tote on board is fine. There are no limits on drinks - alcoholic or otherwise - see many threads on the same topic

Leave it at home, its not allowed. I have thick hair - which wa getting far too long on my 2nd cruise this year - the hairdryer worked fine.

Ooops - I naturally just call Brits POMs in casual conversation - is that considered insulting? We generally get called after the green fruit in NZ - perfectly OK with that. And the national chant of Australians is "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie...."

Did it move back to the Golden Lion? I was on the BCN-SIN leg and they moved to the pub for a while - mainly because the Garden Lounge was getting too hot (it either doesn't have air con or it doesn't have air con suitable for hot weather! ) -but it was moved back after a few nights - because it clearly doesn't work with the new evening pub menu being served

Saga won't sell to non-UK residents! I agree that does look like a decent sized floor - but we colonials are not allowed LOL

The Singapore requirements are regardless of how you arrive, bus (from Malaysia), boat or plane. The indonesian requirements are for cruise and I'm not sure about flying in

Can you cancel the tours via 3rd parties? Why not contact the tour operators directly and talk to them? They are far more likely to be flexible if they are not loosing 30% of the fee to an offshore company. If the company doesn't have a website I probably wouldn't deal with them.

You need a smart phone and the ability to use it (or willing to learn ) if your cruise is going to Indonesia or Singapore - both countries require you to fill in an online form - in Singapore's case the app makes it much easier than using the online form. Frankly the days of travelling without a decent phone that you know how to use for these simple functions are long gone.

Which ship is that ? The only ship's clocks I remember on QE was outside on the aft Lido pool deck and the decorative one on the lighted stairs near the Casino?

No - didn't see that. I think it may have been done inconsistently. Our Britannia waiting staff took to telling us!

Some days the clocks will change - we had it happen at 9am (moved to 10am) on our first cruise this year - and then on the same ship the time was changed at 2am on the 2nd cruise. Its detailed in the daily program (though due to very poor proof reading on our second cruise it was needlessly confusing)

That option is disappearing rapidly. Just cruised to Singapore (I believe arriving by Air is the same) - you need to register online in advance - using the app is simpler an involves less repetition than their online form. The cruise line provided a free internet connection for people to do it but there was much angst amongst the "I lock my phone in the safe and that's where it stays " crowd. These post pandemic days I think you need to add some things to your packing list - a modern phone which waorks reliably - the knowledge on how to basic stuff like connect to wifi and download an app and fill in a form

I was really surprised to smell perfume on board - its been years since I've noticed ladies leaving a lingering scent behind them - I thought those types of perfumes had died a welcome death? I'm not allergic - but I don't really want to smell other people !

They used to be - and very hard to put on - proper rashguads are designed for surfing and have to fit tight to prevent them being torn off you by the waves. I now have a long sleeved, hooded 99% UV top which I think was designed for cyclists - its looser than a rash guard - but then I don't surf - so its all good in a pool or most beaches! I was surprised that it didn't feel that hot on - when worn in the tropics.

@cruisemom42 we just did something like that 2 long cruises on Cunard with 6 weeks of land travel in between. Both cruises were in/out of Barcelona so we left a cruise gear in storage there. But I did find some multifunctional stuff. This was a formal evening - the black pants - are merino wool and were also my cold weather trousers in the Slovenian mountains and on the flight home. The top was chiffon and literally weighted nothing (I couldn't get my scales to register it - it also rolled into a tiny ball )

The best money on clothes I ever didn't spend was to hire a personal stylist to come to my home and go through my wardrobe. Her honest advice of what suited me and what didn't was invaluable. She then took me shopping (to cheap chain stores) and some of those items I have still - but the style was the important thing I know to narrow down some key things that suit me and go with those.

What my partner wears - he has a couple of different ties to coordinate with me - we couldn't find the bowtie he thought he owned otherwise he'd have taken that - the shirt is designed to be worn with a bow tie (the buttons are black not white)

I wasn't addressing you particularly - I too am just genuinely confused as to where else you could ballroom dance at sea - which is my definition of dancing - not shaking your body while standing in one spot 🙂 Ballroom (and to a lesser extent Latin) - needs a fair amount of space - and anything smaller than the Queens Room isn't big enough

Sure finally got some formal photos taken - didn't pay for the digital versions though so apologies for the quality. The trousers are black merino - which saved me from freezing in San Francisco in summer and on the flight home. The Hawaiian top is a $!5 cheapie which surprisingly has not lost a rhinestone yet. I also wear it over a long straight sheath sometimes. The black & gold dress I made - because I'm fat, don't' want to hide in a dress and don't want to spend a fortune on a dress. The B&W outfit dresses down for day wear too. We are both wearing suede soled dance shoes - they are lighter than regular shoes - my partners are about to fall apart fortunately you can't see that under a trouser LOL. i've also got a light weight shrug made out of a spectacular cheap sari - I wear it with the skirt and black t-shirt.

Absolutely - we've done 2 long cruises this year on QE - and I'd say the tuxes/dinner suits were maybe 50/50 or 60/40

Haha - I've thought the same thing! Basically, I think its people being keyboard warriors. You can certainly pay more and get a more exclusive experience - but none of those lines e.g. Oceania, Windstar do formal as far as I know. And smaller ships don't have dance floors and orchestras/bands. I don't really understand the argument - if you want to dress up above and beyond the dress code you'll not going to get told off!

No a WC has no interest to me - it would be too much repetition of places I've been -and it would be too long without enough time on land