Morgans

Enjoying your blog Roscoe - the rumours appear to be getting more flamboyant on Victoria. We have just disembarked QM 2 and the launderette one regarding the iron attack was still going strong. This time the "perpetrator" was "put ashore" in Lisbon. Certainly more interesting on Victoria !!!

Book your flight through Cunard - they offer excellent fares. 

Piccadilly Hotel West End seems to fit your bill. It gets very good reviews and is in the exact area that you want. It's much more central than Victoria.  I understand  that The Strand Palace can be variable and rooms are not as nicely finished. Club Quarters in Trafalgar Square is supposed to be excellent so may be worth a look too. We have stayed in a couple of Club Quarters although not this one and can recommend. 

Hotel Indigo Tower Hill is in fact only about 50 metres from Aldgate tube station so very convenient. Also near to Tower Hill (as in the name) and easily walkable to Tower Bridge and the Tower. Cross the Bridge and this will bring you to HMS Belfast (recommended) and also the Bridge Theatre. The 100 bus infront of the hotel will take you into old Wapping where you can experience old London pubs such as the Town of Ramsgate and the Prospect of Whitby. Also handy for Bevis Marks synagogue (excellent visit) and Spitalfields Market, Denis Severs House and the Silk Weavers houses. 

It's a very different area but very handy with several bus stops in front of the hotel. It's in an area with which we are extremely familiar so any more questions feel free to ask. The hotel gets very good reviews.

Beautiful photos - have enjoyed 'travelling' along with you. It looks to have been a lovely holiday.  Which berth was used in Lisbon as there are several ? 

I don't think you can just change your mind about travelling once your balance is fully paid so you lose the 100% of monies paid.  Not sure that Future Cruise Credits are available any more. Perhaps others can advise.

Regarding testing  positive for Covid -

1) Depends on the terms of the contract and whether you are in UK or USA (may be different rules and regs,)

2) You will need travel insurance which covers Covid. Most insurers appear to want proof of a Positive PCR test.

 but  If you get Covid you are not allowed to see the doctor so how do you prove it for the Insurance company?

Happy to be corrected ....

I would be interested to know if anyone has actually been successful in a claim from their insurance company regarding this. Please let us what their response has been.....

But wonder what has happened to Stavanger and Alesund ? The winds don't appear to be too bad so why the change?

We booked a cruise out of San Francisco (World Sector) with Cunard and flew with Virgin from Heathrow. 

Also very happy with the service from Boots - ours was at Grantham, Lincs. Tested at 11.40am and results the next day in the morning.

Cunard have the best libraries at sea - absolutely brilliant. Get there as soon as possible on your cruise so you have the best choice.

Never book with an agency that demands a fee - there is no reason why they should be asking for one at all.

Unfortunately all Cunard voyages cancelled until at least November I believe........announced a few days ago.

Up to 450 job cuts from 1600 employees across P&O and Cunard head office in Southampton. All those who remain to take pay cut - just seen this on BBC website. So sorry to read this but not really unexpected in the current circumstances.

11 hours ago, norm2002 said:

 

You've hit the nail on the head. I can understand that there is a tremendous backlog of refund requests now but, if the contributors to this forum are anything to go by, they haven't even started to refund fares. Why haven't the people on the first cancelled cruises received refunds yet? At the beginning there were not so many refunds to be made so why should it take 60 days plus to refund those?

 

I know it won't happen but, for me, the solution in future would be for cruise lines not to be allowed to use deposits and pre-paid fares for running their business. All payments should be put in a trust account and only taken when the service is actually being provided.

We have received a full refund for our cruise (and flights booked through Cunard) due to depart 23 March. The monies were sent to our TA and they then sent it on to us via our bank account. The TA has since closed.  We were one of the first of the cruises to be cancelled I believe and this was approx at the end of Feb.

If you have an annual policy you are covered for travel within that time frame ie 9/5/19 to 9/2/20 ( ?) or do you mean 9/5/20. You are not covered for travel after it finishes that's why the Insurance Company are telling you you have up to the 9th to have it cancelled as after that you are not covered. Then, you will have to accept a refund or future cruise credit.

I am quite willing to be corrected on this, however, but I believe that this is the case.

16 minutes ago, smj777 said:

We have annual travel Insurance from 9/5/19 to 9/2/20. We are due to cruise with P&O on 17th. June having paid the deposit in 2019 and the balance in March this year. My Travel insurers say that if the cruise is cancelled by P&O after 9/5 we will not be covered under our existing policy or through a renewed one because the renewed policy will have a Coronavirus exclusion. I would have thought that paying for this cruise inside the policy dates should be covered. Apparently not. I don't know what else we could have done to cover ourselves. Is it just me or do these insurance companies stink?

But your insurance will have expired by the time you are due to travel - the 17th June?

14 hours ago, terrierjohn said:

I recently received this update from my annual travel insurance company, it may help others who are struggling to find travel insurance at present.

 

An important notice to our customers

 

 

You may have noticed that many price comparison websites such as Compare the Market and Money Supermarket have suspended their travel insurance comparison services. Likewise, many travel insurance providers have taken the decision to withdraw their products.

 

 

We contact you today to assure you that Free Spirit travel insurance continues to be available and we are working hard to minimise disruption for our customers.

 

 

There are a lot of uncertainties around travel at the moment, and we believe this makes travel insurance more important than ever for those who need it.

 

 

Free Spirit quotes and policies continue to be available online and over the phone, whenever you need them.

Their insurance may still be available but does it cover coronavirus ? Possibly not.....

1 hour ago, Host Hattie said:

I would check with your insurance company, Liverpool Victoria is saying this -

 

Thank you for this Hattie - yes we will check of course but were just wondering how other cruisers were feeling and being advised. We have had a full refund from this year's cancelled cruise plus 25% off a further one .....the fly in the ointment is the insurance.

Apologies if this is covered elsewhere but where do we stand with insurance on a new booking? We would like to cruise later on or next year (this year's cruise has been understandably cancelled) and there is a repeat itinerary October 2020 and October 2021 but we gather that there won't be any  cover for coronavirus on a new booking -its a huge risk. Suggestions?

The Churchill has a great restaurant - Locanda Locatelli. It's one of our favourites...... the hotel is only about 5 minutes from Marble Arch tube so convenient for travel. Handy for Oxford Street shopping, Hyde Park and Park Lane.

5 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

Will  QM2 still call at Hong Kong in Feb.

 

If so, if you were on the ship would you get off

Also wondering about our call there and also our call at Shanghai early April on QE......

Forgot to say it's best to book in advance for all the places mentioned especially the Town of Ramsgate. Don't worry about the buffet element - it.s all very civilised as people tootle along to the buffet when it suits. It,s no way like a huge long line of customers waiting for ever. Go up as and when you,re ready...... bus 100 from Tower .  There's also a Sunday roast at the Chamberlain (Fullers) which is 1 minute from Aldgate tube but they seem to have gone a bit up market since their refurb and I can't see Yorkshire pud on the menu although they do offer roast beef and chicken on Sundays.  It's a good excuse to pop in and find out!!

JB - I must be a city type !!!😀 

There's a Marriott, Radisson Blu and a Hilton and they are all very central and convenient. The Hilton overlooks the Castle -which is worth a tour. Also a very interesting museum. You can walk to Cardiff Bay where there is lots to see and do and if you fancy going further afield take a trip to St Fagan's Folk Museum which is interesting - houses brought from all over Wales and set up as a village. If you're into Golf,  perhaps take a trip to the Celtic Manor Hotel and Golf Course where the Ryder Cup was held. Good choice of restaurants in the hotel and around the course(s)  and they do a lovely afternoon tea. Further afield, Swansea and the Gower make a lovely day out - more so when the weather is favourable. Penarth is also an attractive little seaside town. Be aware that the weather at the end of November may not be the best however.

Cardiff city centre has dozens of bars, pubs and restaurants - you will be spoilt for choice. If there are any Rugby matches scheduled to take place at the Millennium Stadium (especially International ones) make sure you book your hotels sooneer rather than later as prices will rise considerably and the City centre will be extremely busy then.

Excellent Sunday roast at the Town of Ramsgate, Wapping. The 100 bus stops more or less outside the door. Echo the recommendation for the Narrow and Galvin.