Solent Richard

Wow. Sounds like our famous 'MaggieMou' has some competition at last. 😁

Good morning Barbara. You aren't restricted to Cunard's excursions though of course there is that 'peace of mind' that you know you will get back in time and 'not miss the boat'. There are many operators that provided excursions from Safaga to Luxor... ******* We opted for a private tour with the aspiration of seeing a little more. It was a good choice particularly as, at the time, all excursions, private and ship's, departed Safaga at the same time under police escort. I wrote a review of our day on my cruise blog, here's the link... https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2013/12/03/one-way-to-do-luxor-from-safaga/ There is a link on the blog to the company we used. On arrival at Luxor the local guide, an Egyptologist, joined us and he was excellent. A couple of photographs... ******* ******

Today's update includes a photographic odyssey from the collection of JD Schwartz... https://www.theworldvoyageqm2.com/post/day-16-at-sea?utm_campaign=18e5a83f-a9e5-43c9-a2d8-b60aaff1ceb1&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&cid=132abae4-d5b0-4112-8258-e11f1a1652ae

Wonderful to hear and thank you @Crofters for taking the time to keep us informed. Queen Mary 2 World Cruises are always something special.

My wife would always prefer Port Side for arrival. I arise and bring her coffee, open the curtains then leg it off with my camera to be out in the action while she observes the statue in comfort 😂 ***** ******

Queen Mary 2's next stop on her World Cruise is Salalah, which can be a good day out and a chance to see the longest tomb in the world, the tomb of Nabi Umran: 41 feet long..... https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2014/04/06/salalah-dont-write-it-off/

Good morning @NE John . I would guess that a lot would depend on which of the 'Grills' you are planning on booking. Having myself done a substantial - wouldn't dream of putting a figure to it - number of nights in both Princess and Queens Grills I can offer you my experiences which are that you would be far more likely to expect a 'settled' and more convivial 'larger' table in Princess Grill. With regard to size, then I'd also say that opting for a 'six' is by far the better choice in both Grills. Again, that size tends to promote conviviality. My choices would be similar on all three Queens which I do have experience on.

Day 14 World Cruise Blog by Ellen and some interesting facts and figures regarding 'Loyal' Sailors... Centenary World Club Travellers were invited to an exclusive Captain’s Cocktail Party. Gold, Platinum and Diamond members, almost 1,000 guests on the list. These Cunard loyal members have completed a grand total of 7,578 voyages on QM2, adding up to 155,199 days on board, covering 425 years. Full report here... https://www.theworldvoyageqm2.com/post/day-14-15-arabian-sea?utm_campaign=b1d9081c-c87c-4ff7-a62a-f7cddf8c316d&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&cid=132abae4-d5b0-4112-8258-e11f1a1652ae

Good morning @navybankerteacher Why on earth would one want to be in one's stateroom when sailing out of New York?

Actually No. They were screen shots on different days. I just uploaded them at random from my iPhone for my cruise blog.

Have a good one. I trust you have the means to fully enjoy as we did... ...and...

👍

That's going off track @Ardennais. Judging by the live reports coming from P&O cruise ships on facebook I'd say the majority aren't experiencing the problems you mention. While on a recent Iona cruise there was no problem making onboard bookings because the system works on the ship's wifi network and is not reliant on connectivity to the internet. Funny how most don't have these problems. But hey, its your holiday and how you enjoy it is your choice. Have a nice day.

It's a funny old world. Here you are saying you cannot manage technology but here I see you've made 707 comments which, to the best of my knowledge, can only be made using modern internet technology. 😃 Enjoy Ventura.

I have this one on a printed brochure from a UK travel agent. Two exciting new ports, one of which i'm just putting the finishing touches to a blog review for: Zadar... ...and of course, home to the amazing Sea Organ...

Excellent news, they're back...

I, more often than not, prefer to use the Wine Line. That way I can choose my wines to match my food having scrutinised the menu earlier in the day. There is no prolonged delay as the wine should have been delivered to the restaurant.

My word, you do have a bee in your bonnet over Carnival's 'exploitation' of their workers. How do you, I wonder, observe other cruise lines such as Celebrity, Saga, Norwegian, etc who also employ foreign workers?

Day 7 Catch-up now available... https://www.theworldvoyageqm2.com/post/day-7-fencing-fabergé?utm_campaign=9e0a5bc9-f88f-427e-be0e-d04b032b4c32&utm_source=so&utm_medium=mail&cid=132abae4-d5b0-4112-8258-e11f1a1652ae

😈😂

You may be interested in my Viking cruise for which I added a comprehensive review to my cruise blog... https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2015/12/28/viking-star-a-taste-of-something-different/ I haven't included a photograph of the Gym in my blog so here it is from my Misc collection...

It would be interesting to hear a little more detail if only to satisfy the OP. As I said at Comment # 35...' We happily cruise with both P&O and Cunard in the full knowledge that the onboard experience well suits us and we know what to expect'.

It would appear that there are currently many who, rather than appearing 'blind to the death spiral' have a firm grip on reality and understand the trauma that we the passengers and they, the cruise lines, have come through one hell of a tough period. As I've just congratulated @stringbean10 above (#359), that's one prudent observation they made.

How right you are. A perfect summation of a storm in a teacup.

The kennels are always on our list of places to visit when on a trans Atlantic. Part of the experience... *******