alc13

Fabulous. Oh, for a way to travel back in time!

Wonderful review, thank you.

You reread it, and it clarified your thinking and confirmed your opinion!

I missed this! Yay!

Americans prize friendliness - smiles, greetings, maybe some banter. To me, it feels artificial. I'm American, but I like cool, courteous, and professional more.

Those large intimidating public rooms do not get enough attention. Agoraphobics, take note!

Maybe simply retitle the thread to something timeless. "Cunard cruisers - what are your thoughts on the dress code?" Here are my thoughts on the dress code - Maine summer is in full swing. Here at our house the vegetable and flower gardens look beautiful. The deluge of kale is about to begin, and I don't understand why Mister ALC plants so many turnips but those are due soon, too. For some reason the melons didn't pollinate this year, very sad. The perennials continue to amaze - all that energy stored in the soil over the winter that explodes into luxurious growth in the spring and summer, looking so beautiful. We have a trip to Germany planned in October, mostly driving. Lobster prices are high, covid cases are low. Life is good here in Midcoast Maine.

It's been fun following everyone's news on this thread. I'll miss it! Thanks, CC and HH.

Dining in any of the restaurants means dressing up, at least a bit. (Although I"m not sure about the pub.) As foodies, you'd probably find the buffets disappointing. But if that's not a concern, you can't beat Cunard for ambiance - perfect for reading and wave watching.

It's worth remembering that cruise critic is followed by a small percentage of cruise passengers, and what you see here doesn't represent what you'll find on board. We took a cruise on another line recently, and couldn't have found a more congenial crowd on board, in contrast to the regular posters on the CC forum who tend to be a bit cliquish. That said, dress code discussions always become passionate. Also, this is my favorite board because of the kindness and courtesy consistently expressed by everyone here. Any perceived arrogance is undoubtedly the result of enthusiasm, and not judgment. Finally, if you are comfortable in formal wear you'll have a great time (although you'd have a great time even if you weren't, IMO).

Thank you for this. I think I'll start with the York ham terrine, followed by the poached salmon. And I'll have the cheese trolley for dessert.

We’ve been in PG twice and QG once on QM2 and will do PG in the future. I prefer the dining room in PG and the stateroom is a perfect size and configuration.

Gosh, I would love to see Christian Louboutin shoes in the wild some time. I suppose the wearer would need to flash those soles for me to notice, but it would be quite fun.

I say do it! A beautiful jacket, and elegant.

I have a foot in the ESL world, too; I tutor adult immigrants. Many of the other tutors I've met came from the UK or Australia, and the people they tutor have no problem understanding their accents. Likewise, lots of audio material is created for British learners, and that's also useful with US learners without any apparent problem. That continues to surprise me. I guess speaking the words slowly and clearly is more important to comprehension than the accent. And to your point about American's shortening everything - I always enjoy teaching gonna, hafta, wanna, etc. And the learners have fun using them.

Clouseau's accent is irresistible for us, even here at home in Maine!

No comparisons intended, and I don't question the accuracy of other reports since it's a given that people's experiences of the same cruise can be different. As for the mental state of the crew, lack of training and/or competence can be demoralizing over time. I hope any problems get worked out quickly, for the sake of the crew, primarily.

LondonCa11ing, that reads like an honest and accurate account. What a shame that service was so mediocre. The crew on your ship was apparently very unhappy.

Baltimore is my home town, and I remember that station well. You could take the train to NYC for $17 round trip in those days, and Thursday was Ladies' Day, when the tickets were half price. The dining car had white tablecloths and that really heavy silver-plate, and I seem to recall delicious waffles. Hoo boy, are those days long gone!

Very bizarre indeed. Hope you get to a full recovery.

We've done "luxury" (Crystal and Silversea) and prefer Cunard. For about a million reasons, actually, but among them are elegant surroundings, consistently well-prepared food, live music (no electric pianos, thank you very much), some great bars, and first-class lectures. Service is on a par with those others, in the Grills, anyway. It may not be "luxury," meaning it's not all-inclusive and the ships are larger, but it sure is nice.

We need a sad-faced button! You have the full monte of symptoms. Here's hoping for a quick resolution.

I'm annoyed at having to enter a booking number to access My.Cunard every d*** time. I don't remember them and have to look them up. And then I repeat the process for a second booking. Clunky. Also, on one of our upcoming cruises, an excursion links to an error message and a request to set cookies.

No, sorry to hear it! Hope you have a quick recovery.

I loved the bar soap that Cunard used to stock. Is it still available on request? I always brought the leftovers home and savored the smell for another several months.