Wordzz

Actually the immigration officials extended the timeframe, so we didn't have to be back on board QV until 6.00pm. We had a great day with glorious weather, making it all the sadder that we missed the first day in port. We left at just after 7.00am this morning, so approx 12 hours late. We'll no doubt hear shortly whether that will impact the call to Walvis Bay.

I agree, lots of people makecthe effort on gala nights. It's been a different story on the 'smart attire' nights from what we've seen. Football shirt worn to dinner in Britannia, ditto jogging pants, flat caps, and last night a man in shorts and t-shirt in the Commodore Club....Such a shame on such a beautiful ship.

The same thing is happening on the QV World voyage - zero enforcement. On a hopeful note, many passengers are unhappy about it, so perhaps all is not yet lost.

They do upsell champagne at Afternoon Tea though.

That's exactly the approach being taken. No self-service, and servers all wearing gloves. Ditto for drinks. It causes a bit of queueing, and it's hard work for the crew, but otherwise it's fine. The biggest downside is that canapés in the Commodore Club are temporarily not being offered! Hopefully they will return after San Francisco.

We weren't required to complete a health declaration when boarding in Southampton.

Thanks Hattie. We are having the time of our lives!

And it's now pretty much cleared up, though I think restrictions will remain until San Francisco. They started shortly after we left Fort Lauderdale.

The reason given was that the scheduled hull cleaning in Fort Lauderdale couldn't take place because it was too windy there. It was very windy in FL!

We're on QV now. Thankfully haven't noticed any unpleasant smells. The ship also seems to be in very good nick as far as I can see, apart from rust on the lifeboat davits. There is however significant vibration at the back of Britannia, upper level. We were seated on the starboard side, so don't know if it affects both sides. It was significant enough that we will ask to be moved if it doesn't improve. Other than that, so far so very good!

I think Nordlys ran every eve, though not 100% sure. It wasn't hugely busy when we went, so I imagine you wouldn't find it hard to get a table. Booked it on the My Voyage app, which worked fine for us. Again not 100% sure, because we only used Nordlys, but I'm pretty sure they also had the pan-Asian pop-up too.

and we have dined occasionally in Bamboo so add that to the very enjoyable list. And if you happen to be on a Norway cruise, we thought the Nordlys pop-up restaurant was exceptionally good.

No, I'm UK based and also received it.

That's been our experience, too. Never seen staff 'hovering' on any of our 16 cruises/crossings, including our most recent one on QV in June. Indeed, like Victoria2 we have not infrequently had to actively seek out waiters/sommeliers in order to discreetly give them an envelope. We don't tip on every voyage, but have never noticed any adverse reaction if we don't. Nor, thankfully, have we ever received any obsequious gratitude if we do tip.

We've mostly sailed on QM2. We were recently on QV and got 'lost' at some point every single day.. Mostly my fault, heading off with great confidence in completely the wrong direction...

Our first Cunard sailing, a QM2 crossing in 2012, was also a once in a lifetime trip, to celebrate a special event. We've been on a Cunard ship every year since, sometimes more than once, and are going on a world cruise in January 2024. Just saying....

Thank you!

Pleased you finally got through, FangedRose. Can I just ask what time the pick-up is in Carlisle? We're hoping to use Cruise Connect later this year - assuming I can contact them! Thanks!

They also no longer publish the wine lists for the collections on the website, so you have to buy it without knowing what you're getting. Or you can buy it when you get on board, but it's more expensive. We've decided against it because of that - we'd rather see what we're buying.

And of course, excursions have to be paid for as an extra, whereas sailing directly into/through a fjord is included in the fare.

French toast is certainly still available in Kings Court buffet - or was in February - so iId be surprised if you can't get it in the MDR.

Booked the Queen Victoria full round South America trip on 9 January 2025 - 78 nights, yikes! Still a long way away, but an exciting prospect for us, including some ports that we can't even spell. Got the cabin we wanted, so all good. Was tempted to wait with booking until we're on board in June, but in the end decided to go for it - bird in the hand and all that.

That was certainly the case in September, but that had all changed by the time we were on QM2 again in January. The tables were back in the Theatre, and wait staff were taking drinks orders and delivering drinks to seats, at least on the lower level. I guess it's a fluid situation (no pun intended) and may vary depending on Covid restrictions.

You're right, Bell Boy, it was the World Cruise, though we were 'only' on board until Singapore. We're on QV in June, so it will indeed be interesting to see what happens then!

Just a slight variation on Bell Boy's info. This past January/February (2023), UK newspaper (news recap) was provided automatically each evening with the daily programme. I saw US versions at the Purser's Desk. We received both slippers and robes without having to ask. We were in Britannia.