Victoria2

Not stayed in one but here goes. The widths are standard as for most Britannia cabins but deck four forward and aft benefit from deeper balconies 4050 and 4046 are glass fronted with the deeper balcony which means the very front of the balcony will be overlooked from above but it's not sheltered so gets more sun which would be a plus in my book. They are also very near the forward lifts so also a plus. 👍

'All gravies are sauces, but not all sauces are gravy' 😅 Sounds very tasty and would go well with pasta. 🙂 but don't ask for gravy with your pasta dish 'over here'. Apart from the wait staff looking puzzled, the roast beef/lamb/turkey etc brown gravy would most definitely not enhance any pasta dish as we generally know it! 😀

Gravy...with Spaghetti? I do hope that's a UK v US terminology difference! 😄 As exlondoner said in #26, it's also up to passengers to respect the 'rules'. However, 'the rules' need to be made plain and I'm getting the feeling blurring of the edges these days gives rise to more 'I'll do what I want'.

I tend to use the ship's laundry but I find the best time to grab a passenger machine if required is around 9.30/10am on a busy port day when moored alongside. The early birds have caught the worm and others have flown the ship. 🙂

Do you mean the Cathedral or the Hallgrímskirkja, which has a much taller tower and is architecturally fabulous?

I can see the point re sound absorption and we have stopped dining in some pubs for that exact reason, but luckily, the venues we went to weren't large and the clientele, not particularly rowdy. Hopefully, Cunard will be similar. 🤞

We have travelled the 'Noddy' train and the Flamsbana, on separate Flam visits. Our first ever Cunard cruise was to the fjords and 'everyone' said we had to do the Flamsbana. So we did. I'm glad we went and it ticked it off any potential bucket list but in hindsight, if we hadn't managed to get on the excursion, we wouldn't have missed much but again, that's with the benefit of hindsight. It was a stinkingly hot day in a very hot train which was quite uncomfortable, heat wise, but it was a pretty journey with waterfalls and Heidi alpine scenery. Our Cunard excursion had a stop half way for an unexceptional waffle and cream afternoon tea at the hotel there and then with the hoards, climbed back onboard for the return journey. We found the little museum of more interest. Yes, book it but lower expectations as it's a must do, but it's not the spectacular we had been led to believe. Noddy train whiled away an hour or so. Cute and we got a different perspective of the village and it's immediate fjord. 🙂

We've dined 'well', as opposed to top notch 'fine' eg. most definitely not pub grub, in a few places recently and the modern twist seems to be tables with beautiful appropriate tableware, and not a tablecloth in sight. We 'dined fine' a few weeks ago and yes, beautiful linens were definitely part of the experience. I have no issue with the lack of tablecloths in modern establishments which don't pretend to be 'fine dining'. I'll leave the tablecloth expectation to the main restaurants on-board.

I consider myself a loyal Cunard passenger rather than any other title and I find it easy to get appointments with Future Sales but rather than favouritism as I don't know the staff now, and they don't know me, I assumed everyone can do the same if they phone up for a f2f. I did go and see them early last year to enquire about upgrading Q2 to a Q1 on a cruise later in the year, but was told the waitlist was quite long, so not worth bothering. OK. C'est la vie but when a Q1 appeared on the website [I looked twice a day after that], we booked it pdq! Had to pay the full difference, but we got our 'upgrade'.

The 'educational' spot at our youth club gave us a superficial language lesson...in BSL Finger Spelling. Came in handy during dreary sermons! 😄 Has seriously come in handy, in life too as I have managed to converse with deaf fellow passengers. I taught it in school too.

The world is changing but at least they're there! 🙂 However much 'we' might dislike it, informality is gradually taking over. I do get slightly rattled though when local coffee shop large cups appear. The service isn't usually that bad that caffeine is required in order to stay awake! 😄

The QA alternative dining at cost does include the pub on the website. However, the web site also says 'included'. If this is now chargeable and if the other ships are to go by, it leaves the Lido as the 'relaxed; dining venue on Gala evenings and I really can't see this being the only option. We will see, soon.

No additional cost for food in the Golden Lion.

Food at the Golden Lion is included in your fare and alcohol is purchasable as priced.

Yes, as you very well know, my QM2 experiences are all down to shorties and as shorties often generate a more party'ish atmosphere I would have thought I'd find the ship less stuffy and old fashioned. Each to their own.

That's fine, You like the fantasy, I like the reality of the traditions. Think I'll skip on the RRs if that's ok, vintage or modern. The car park spaces at M&S don't lend themselves to tank sized vehicles. 🙂

Cunard's history is, history and for me, you can keep QM2 and her TAs. I am/was quite happy sailing the Atlantic on Queen Victoria, a cruise ship, not an ocean liner. 🙂 You have a longer association with Cunard than I London-Calling 🙂 because as a relative newcomer to Cunard, I go for today and hopefully tomorrow, not yesteryear and while Cunard traditions sit well with me, they are traditions, not fantasy. Fantasy is dreaming of the probably unobtainable. Fantasy is the longing for the bygone eras which are gone forever. Traditions are passed down from generations but are still reality. As I haven't the slightest interest in setting foot on QM2 again, any TAs will be by air, or one of her sisters. Reality bites again...maybe! 😃

Have you ever cruised with Cunard? I ask because a simple definition of fantasy is the imagining of the impossible. For me and many others, a Cunard cruise isn't the impossible it's reality, the reality of a wonderful holiday. 😀

You beat me to it on both counts. I'm an avid reader of both their blogs, and yours too. 🙂

Oh do give me the link, not that I'd play! 😄

We have various Fantasy Football 'leagues' over here in the UK. I guess Fantasy Cruising, if it doesn't already exist, could be of interest to some. Not me though.

To have two ships going right the way round could be seen as a little excessive. One per year, world events permitting, seems adequate.

Must be arbitrary as we have seen some cracking, reasonably current films on QV.

Thinks you meant to tag roscoe39

Excellent. It's all about personal perceptions. 🙂