Victoria2

We seemed to have had a few mutual cruises 🙂 and a mutual 'sunshine' cruise cancelled in '22 if I remember correctly. We will cruise with QV again but not this year. Sadly.

OBC Have some left? Use it or lose it...sort of. Assign it to the crew and in my view, it will be assigned to crew coffers. Leave any remaining OBC on your account and it definitely won't go anywhere other than back into Cunard's coffers. Not that it happens very often but I'll take my chance with the assigning.

My comment was in reply to OBC still left at the end of a cruise and how we use/get rid of it. It wasn't meant to be any other than that and definitely nothing to do with 'charges' so I'll leave it at that.

and having also spoken to staff, I have my own view of staff remuneration so my positive assumption is just as valid as your seemingly negative one. I often wonder if some staff play to the passengers preconceived ideas on a few things. My interactions with staff usually shed light from a positive angle. Funny that!

Good for you D&N. The standard Cunard pose - couple standing [often on the main atrium steps], lady with hand on man's chest/man upright with hand in pocket is awful. Unimaginative and can come across as quite cringeworthy. I'd try and get a fellow passenger or friend to take some photos and at the very least, sit on the stairs for informality and leave the 'Classic Cunard' pose to die a death.

Interesting. There's an almost complete overhang from deck six now. We can still see part of deck four's balcony from deck six so I'm assuming the deck five overhang isn't as 'obtrusive'.

On one particular ten night cruise, we had $$$$s to 'get rid of'. I really tried my best and family and girlfriends had exceptional Christmas presents that year, but I still had some left and so I went to the front desk and had the remainder assigned to staff gratuities. Better that than leave it in Cunard's coffers.

This was from July'11 on our very first Cunard cruise. Luckily, the weather improved once we got into the North Sea. 🙂

We preferred the corner cabins aft on deck five but here's a photo of what is now 5191 and its balcony. I peeked in and took them as we set off to disembark so it was rushed.

At my grandmother's too and if we were very [un]lucky, tinned strawberries and carnation milk. Ugh!

I'm late to the party. 😀 I'd never heard of it until we used to spend quite a bit of time in Toronto visiting with friends. The one [and only] time I had three one evening, I learnt its potency but I soldiered on and its my favourite after dinner drink on QV. By the way, when my mother enquired what my favourite after dinner drink was, she was astonished [she knew me well] when I said iced tea!😁

I thought along the same lines exlondoner. Doesn't matter if it's $7 or $70 etc, I'd like to be able to choose where we spend it. As you indicated, we can still eat in a perk eatery should we want to and dining with friends from another restaurant has been one of the reasons to do so in the past but equally, I could have had a few more L.I.I.T. in lieu when not utilising it because as a well known British supermarket slogan goes, 'every little helps', towards our final bar bill in this case. 😅 All moot though as we're not on the Maiden so I guess we'll give one of the QA perk eateries a go for a nosey. Looking forward to the whole experience.

and I'd need the intervention of alcohol to induce a day time nap. 🙂 That or a really 'worthy' book to read, which is why I go for very lightweight holiday reading. Talking of which, I hope QA has as good a library as her sisters. I might load my iPad and Kindle, just in case I'm disappointed. 🤞

Like I said Wedgie Wedgie , different opinions offered so you go for it as yours is the only opinion which counts here! 🙂 ps, my tipple of choice, L.I.I.T. of an afternoon would have me wobbling, two and I would need a nap until dinner!

I'm not a fan either or of a few things taste bud wise, but if folk are and they're on holiday, then go for it. No need to ask for opinions as there are bound to be many different ones offered. No rules, spoken/unspoken traditional or otherwise are broken when drinking Martinis with afternoon tea!!! 😅

I recall a post [can't remember when but not so long ago] when a QE reviewer wasn't a happy bunny due to the amount of foreign [my word] food available on an itinerary encompassing Japan. My thoughts were 'yum yum' so if your thoughts follow a similar train, you might be lucky.

Who's looking? It's your holiday. If you want a Martini, collect at the bar and take it with you if there's no bar service in the Queens Room.

As long as there have been no structural changes, I have interior photos of what is now 5189 taken ten years ago, and I had a peek into what is now 5191 if you'd like to see the photos to compare. 5190 should be a mirror image of 5189. edit Time passes, make that nearly thirteen years ago!!!

We have had quite a few aft cabins with aft and side balconies between decks five, six and seven over the years and have never been precluded from sitting out because of windy weather. There has always been an area to avoid the wind but also, maybe the time of year and cruise destination comes into play here. With the overhang too, one can sit out in light rain and not get wet. Sun and shade on the same balcony. Brilliant.

QG too although the two we booked were part of our Covid cancellations so we never got to experience the deeper balconies on four.

Not having been aft on deck five for many years, I have no idea if these were included in the refurb. but having had the corner deck five cabins in the past, on a sunny cruise, we would always have gone for the larger balcony if available.

In addition to #9. I would also add, some countries have different additions to the cruise price/ticket and in that case, a drinks package might be added, in which case some coffees might be included, a source of interesting debate occasionally. Cunard is not thank goodness, AI, fully or partially for us, yet.

I think you were either in QG or PG. Either way, coffee is available for quite a few hours of the day and the odd cookie too if it's known you are partial to them. For the rest of the ship bar the Lido [deck eleven being QE/QV], I have no idea of the cost differential between Cunard and Oceania but if you pay more on the latter, that might account for the inclusive bit.

Confirming your 'etc', unfortunately ☹️, snacks are available in the buffet throughout the day too and I would have thought, although not tested, for night owls too.

We have inadvertently been on mini cruises when our main trip has had shorties either end. Whilst in no way have we experienced a booze cruise, the atmosphere of the ship can be quite different on the short legs. I would say more lively, for want of a better term and that's not necessarily a bad thing, just different.