North West Newbie

4 hours ago, sfred said:

 

@exlondonerrecently provided a good loophole for additional port photo contributions - places we should have gone to on Cunard, but did not actually get to. 

 

I have only one such port still on on our unseen list.  It was from a pre-Covid Cunard voyage, and this port was cancelled shortly before we embarked and replaced by a different port in the same country.  Here are two public domain photos of a beach area and lighthouse to the west of the port facilities, taken from opposite perspectives.  The lighthouse in the second photo is visible at the far left of the first photo.

 

 

I'm getting a match with Jeju-do, South Korea

7 hours ago, RJChatsworth said:

Exlondoner - as ship is only 65% full the lifts with only 4 people has, in my experience, been less of a problem than when the ship is full and max 18 in the lifts!  Very few wheelchairs on now.

 

Yesterday around 11am we went to Cafe Carinthia for coffee.  Total nightmare with queue, long time for tables to be cleaned before you could sit down.  Slow service as there seemed to be a shortage of staff.  Took 45 minutes to get served.  We ordered Americano’s but they didn’t do them.  Instead you get a double espresso, plus a jug of hot water and a jug of hot milk and those inedible teeth breaking biscuits.  The coffee was cold and the two cost a grand total of $8.51.  This doesn’t divide by 2 so what the extra one cent was I don’t know!

 

Today we decided to go to the Lido for coffee.  You can go anytime.  A waiter operates the machines and you take it to a designated seating area.  This is because all the other tables are set nicely for lunch with menus on the tables.

 

The Lido self service restaurant is no longer self service.  The tables are in exactly the same places as before the Pandemic and are waiter/waitress served.  The Lido is open 7-10 for breakfast, 12-2.30 for lunch, 3-4 afternoon tea, 6.30-9 for ‘ Dinner at the Lido’ and 10-2am for late snacks.

I think you will find that $1.11 was added to your check for service. The price of each coffee appears to have been $3.70, so, 2 x $3.70 = $7.40 plus 15% service = $8.51.

2 hours ago, bluemarble said:

Here's a rather devious public domain image of a place on our unseen ports list I've visited although not on a cruise.

 

That looks like the Rockland Breakwater Lighthouse so, Rockland, Maine?

12 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Just out of interest, were you on that cruise too?

No I wasn’t and regrettably I never sailed on QE2. My love affair with Cunard began in 2011 on QM2.

3 hours ago, exlondoner said:

In 2008, on her final visit to this area, QE2 was supposed to make a maiden call at this place. Despite having more than a year's warning that she would need a tug, they failed to organise one. So we didn't go.

 

Grundarfjordur, Iceland, perhaps?

27 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Here is somewhere I have been, and on a trip from a Cunard cruise. We stopped here for coffee and cake, I think. 

 

That looks like the Sofitel Grand Sopot Hotel, so I shall say Sopot, Poland

12 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

I think I've found this one. I'm able to match quite a few of the features in this photo to Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

Congratulations @bluemarble, it is indeed Sihanoukville, Cambodia. The photo was taken from the top deck of the tender whilst returning to the ship following a shore excursion. This was QM2’s maiden call to Sihanoukville, Cambodia on 15 February 2015.

6 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

We are on November 14th sailing. How do we show proof of vaccination to Cunard and presumably U.S immigration if it gets to that stage? We don't possess smart phones and would rather avoid having to pay for them if we can.

 

Does anyone have any thoughts?  Thanks in advance.

It's all explained here:- https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-covid-pass

OK, let's try this one.

13 minutes ago, sfred said:

I've been searching wikimedia for appropriate pictures of the few remaining ports on our unseen list that I've been to.  I've tried to find photos of port facilities, ships, or places/buildings with a nautical theme or historical importance.  Sometimes the photos are way too hard to find, and I've struggled to locate them on google maps even knowing the port. 

 

Here's a port where I found two photos, one of the shipping pier that might provide cargo crane clues, and the other of several historical city buildings in the area where the port was first founded.  In google street view there have been some recent changes in the signage on the buildings.

 

A hint is that this is another "outsourcing" city.

 

 

 

I shall hazard a guess of Chennai, India

1 hour ago, bluemarble said:

How about this one? Another public domain image of a place on our unseen ports list I've visited but I don't have my own photo to contribute.

 

This is Old Port in Portland, Maine.

1 hour ago, bluemarble said:

Here's one more photo of mine I'll contribute today from a location on the unseen ports list. I don't expect this will be too taxing.

 

That looks like Donegal Town.

36 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

Here's a happy discovery of photo from my archives showing a location on the unseen Cunard ports list I had completely forgotten about. This was taken from our coach window during a land tour a few years ago. If the scene itself isn't recognizable, there are clues in the photo which should aid in figuring this one out with a little research.

 

I'll take a stab at Killybegs, Ireland.

25 minutes ago, Solent Richard said:

 

 

Good morning Gentlemen. I really had thought Peter @Palmeat had sussed this one out having lined up a date and an event.

 

Maybe the 'Elephant' clue was a wee bit too technical however the name of this port of call, which remains on my latest list, does also has a tenuous link to a  football club on the Mersey.

 

I can also offer a further clue in this  photograph, taken on a stopover while travelling home from Sydney in 2009,  having just disembarked Queen Mary 2...

 

 

Ko Chang, Thailand?

11 hours ago, BigMac1953 said:

......they are not servants, they're just people like you and me, and if you treat them well they will respond well.

Absolutely, and that goes for the entire crew in all departments across the ship.

10 hours ago, ace2542 said:

Would they make a request stop at Preston do you think?

Notwithstanding the challenge one is likely to face trying to reach someone with the necessary authority, I doubt the operator would be willing or able to grant a request to stop there just to pick up passengers.

1 hour ago, ace2542 said:

Where does that train stop? Does it call into Preston or Liverpool Lime Street?

The train passes through Preston but passengers cannot join the train there. The nearest station is Carlisle.

21 hours ago, Colin_Cameron said:

A little bit of an aside: I hope nobody minds.

While researching Cunard Ports I came across this picture of some Cunard employees.

 

What did they do?

They worked at the Cunard Shell Works in Bootle, Merseyside?

40 minutes ago, Solent Richard said:

 

 

Sorry Chaps, neither Spain or Portugal.

 

I'll offer another photograph though you'll have to excuse the narcissistic nature. I was on a mission at this  particular port and indeed eventually fulfilled it...

 

Would this be Le Lavandou, France?

43 minutes ago, Lady Hudson said:

Captain Wells will be greatly missed.  His sense of humor and kindness to all was unique.  I wish him the very best.  Katherine

I second that. I always found him engaging and more than happy to stop and chat to guests as he passed through the ship. He was also well liked by the crew.

Mrs NWN and I had the great pleasure to be invited to dine with him on QE in 2013 and again more recently on QM2.

2 hours ago, carlmm said:

 

 

My answer would start with an "S". Is it the same direction as yours, @bluemarble?

2 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

Yes, that's where I'm headed. A google image search for "s______ dolphin garden" yields matches to @sfred's photo.

Aha, so “a large dolphin shaped bush near the garden bridge on the Puxi side of Shanghai China?”

37 minutes ago, Devon Bloke said:

Hello everyone;

Can someone settle an argument between my husband and I, please?😄

Is the Britannia restaurant on QM2 open for breakfast on disembarkation day?

I know that the Britannia Club and Grills restaurants and the Kings Court are open for breakfast on disembarkation day.

However, one of us reckon that the main Britannia restautrant will be closed and the other says it will be open. (I'm not saying which of us states open vs closed! 😏🤫😉

Thanks.

 

 

 

The confusion may stem from the fact that the Britannia Restaurant is not open for lunch on embarkation days except for those guests who remain in transit.

9 hours ago, sfred said:

Excellent, thanks @North West Newbie.  That would be Port Kelang  (also spelled Port Klang), Malaysia.  The building at the far left of the photo is the Boustead Cruise Center.

 

I've been to Malaysia a lot for work, but always to KL and JB (Kuala Lumpur and Johor Bahru).  It is one of my favourite countries.  Maybe one day I'll get there on Cunard.

 

@bluemarbleI really wish I could contribute photos for Shanghai and Bay of Islands.  I've been to Shanghai on QM2 in 2017 and Bay of Islands on QE in 2015, but not a single photo to prove it.  I'll ask the wife to look again in her phone.  Sometimes things magically turn up.

 

 

Well done @sfred. QM2 called there on Palm Sunday in 2017, April 9th. Here is a wider shot of the Boustead Cruise Centre building.

OK. Let's try this one....

58 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

BIL called regarding the schedules and asked if QE will enter international waters to allow Duty Free purchases.  Any ideas?

I stand to be corrected but my understanding is that a ship can only sell duty free if it is scheduled to visit at least one port on the itinerary that is outside the UK. I doubt sailing into international waters is sufficient by itself.

For all intents and purposes, QE will be undertaking domestic cruises and I expect duty and UK vat will be payable.