Victoria2

True, but the connecting stateroom symbol is in the symbol key blurb so you can't miss it. Luckily, it's been sorted so no problem.

Your agent would/should have been aware of communicating cabins as they are easy to see on the QA deck plans. Sadly, the only time you would be able to see how an agent performs under the pressure of problematic circumstances is when they occur. That's when a wonderful agent shows his or her stripes.

The only food I have ever seen there was brought through from the Lido but then I don't go in there much during the day so food might be served there. If it is, it will be included in the fare unless specifically mentioned in the daily activities guide.

Mid ships deck seven is our usual spot. Just be aware some deck eight cabins are under the Lido and some ''catering noises'' might filter down in one or two cabins so pick your cabin appropriately..

It certainly is possible but it's interesting Bellboy had information and started the thread on the 24th and the link in post #93 refers to passengers being told on embarkation which was the 23rd. A minor detail I admit but accuracy is all when mentioning glitches.

Accuracy. Always useful when posting anything. Maybe those onboard can qualify the fact they already knew before leaving the Southampton berth they were heading for Cadiz for some TLC for Queen Victoria.

I'm not sure how loyalty miles work in the US but in the UK, if you have any/enough airline loyalty mileage, using them for a one way ticket is the best utilisation of those miles.

Major Tom. I am really happy for you to have such a good discount and superb service from one of Cunard's leading cruise TAs and award winning on a regular basis. Some people like to broadcast their savings eg discounts. Others, like myself prefer to keep a lid on transactions, safe in the knowledge our TAs are indeed, invaluable. 🙂

I heartily agree with all you say. Superb service from your cruise TA is beyond any offer of a discount and as I have said before, ''you'' really find out how good your agent is when you need them to sort ''things'' out for you. 👍

I agree. Let's hear it for ''Dynamic pricing''! 😀 The price of one of our cabins rose dramatically and yet still sold out. Mind you, cabins selling out now and actually completing the purchase come time to pay the rest of the invoice might be a different matter.

Excellent way of booking if the cabin ''you'' want is available at the time. We used to do exactly as you described before our choice of cabins became more limited. Now we book on release. Or we used to buy future credits to be utilised if the itineraries hadn't been released. Maybe one day those will be re introduced.

I'm positive Cunard agents have been equally challenged over the last few years and my hope for a sort of normality extends to all agents, independent or at Cunard. I'm glad you got the bedding issue sorted. Our agent sorted that out for us years ago.

I think mine will also have suffered from the same cruise induced Trichotillomania! 😀 It's been a heck of a few years for our agents and here's hoping for a return to some sort of new normality for them all. We are certainly doing our best to help ours return to ''normal''. 👍

Excellent. Then we are both happy bunnies.

I do agree about a cruise specialist rather than general travel agents but I will add not all agents add a discount to any Cunard pricing so are therefore not necessarily cheaper but find a good one and the personal service given will be beyond discounts. However, if discounts are important to anyone, there's plenty of research to be done via Google etc.

Unfortunately, I can't give any names out here but I have been lucky enough to find a wonderful agent. He has been the go between Cunard and ourselves for many years. He does not discount but the service he gives us is beyond a discount and everyone I have recommended him to, books with him. There will be others like him ''out there'' and it's often a question of word of mouth which unfortunately, as I said, can't be done on here. Good luck. 🙂

Is this a pukka news site as I haven't seen any comments so far passengers were made aware of the dry docking schedule when embarking?

Why do you find it insulting because some will/ would have found the whole experience fascinating? It's all about different viewpoints and I'm not in the least bit insulted because yours differ from mine. Should Cunard have informed passengers beforehand? Maybe/maybe not. As I'm in the ''would have found it really interesting'' group [group, not ''geek'' group] I'm on the fence on that one but how many passengers would have altered their Christmas plans and said ''no, we're not going'' if they were given the chance? I'm guessing not many in reality but we'll never know. It's easy for us armchair onlookers to say'' I'd cancel'' when there's no booking to cancel but can you imagine the uproar if the scenario in post #8 was a reality? Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells would have had a field day! 😀

and that comes from one of Queen Victoria's most experienced passengers on this board. The world of travel has changed and non more so than cruise travel. Right or wrong [and this isn't a thread to discuss the ins and outs of the virus or its effects] Covid has changed the once almost carefree atmosphere of boarding a ship for a wonderful holiday. The sooner regulars and prospective passengers acknowledge that and are prepared to go with the flow and take the impact any glitches, which include the possibility of medical protocols peculiar to individual ships, in their stride, the more a balanced approach to the holiday can be. If these ''emerging from a pandemic'' issues, which could take ages to be ironed out concern, then possibly cruise travel isn't on ''your'' horizon at the moment and getting specific, if any perceived changes bring on a case of ''fings ain't what they used to be'' syndrome then possibly that particular cruise line should no longer be on ''your'' agenda until the ''fings'' change or are seen to be permanent and thus the line is eliminated from future holidays. Go with the flow and have a wonderful if maybe slightly different experience or wait until the experience is more to ''your'' liking but just bear in mind, ''you'' might be waiting a long time. Us? We'll flow along with whatever happens, with an added personal responsibility to some things. Roll on our next cruise. 👍

I'd love to be there.

QV seems to have suffered from aft vibrations for years and I don't mean Beach Boy ones. One assumes there will be some effects/gentle hum like vibration from the stern equipment but even over a decade ago, our heads vibrated on the pillows of corner cabins on deck four and five. Then it was blamed on a ''pod'' problem and again, attempts were made to fix it. As we're venturing aft again this year , I sincerely hope this latest non good vibration will be fixed.

As a total newcomer to buying shares off my own bat, I do as instructed but I take comfort in the fact although I might not have got quite as low a share price as Big Mac, it wasn't far off! As long as the obc is still forthcoming, the certificate should pay for itself by the start of '25 and if it doesn't, it's still fun watching the ups and downs of a stock I have personally purchased, all on my own and with no help from anyone. .Almost grown up behaviour. 😁

Those are the details I black out.

Remember, if you don't know/nor sure/need help, ask. The staff are there for you even if sometimes, they might seem a bit harried.