Victoria2

Oh don't praise any ingenuity. My comment was the asked for suggestion and is definitely capsule but it forms only part of my actual packed items. 🙂

I continue to be intrigued with the amount of input you appear to have in your wife’s wardrobe. My husband knows what I’m wearing, when he sees me wearing it. 🙂 For me, a Cunard cruise is a holiday, not a sartorial assault course to be micro managed to within an inch of every waking hour although I certainly shower and change when going for lunch after a morning in the sun or dusty excursion. I throw things in a case knowing I will have enough to wear and will decide on the spur of the moment each evening what to put on. I will take three or four formal [as opposed to just maxi] long dresses depending on the number of gala nights on a two weeker, but I might re wear one or even two if the mind takes me. Same for non gala evenings. As for during the day, I’ll put on whatever I feel like when I wake up. Just for the record, being less than a Slim Jim, separates suit me more than dresses and I would pitch my evening trousers and evening jackets/over shirts eg [now considered vintage] Escada, Elie Saab for starters, against the majority of long dresses worn on a Cunard QV gala evening as they are a darned sight more formal than many of the long dresses I have seen. Taste in clothes is very personal. I see what I think are sartorial blunders, day and evening but the wearer will think they look fine or even fantastic and that is all that counts at the end of the day.

Not sharp practice, the term is 'dynamic pricing' and yes prices go up and down and I don't think the company hiked the prices just to offer a discount. A cabin we have booked went up a couple of weeks after we booked it [which we did on past passengers' booking day]. On sale, it was still more than we paid. It happens.

There is a small chart on the wall in the QV laundrettes which give the times of the washes and any additional programme such as extra rinse etc. I just put the dryers on for a certain time and pop back to see if it's done the trick. If not, it gets extra time. What I would say is take note of the timings and be there a few mins before programmes end so YOU take out your washing and no one else gets there before you. Edit I assume QE has a similar set up

Black, narrow leg, ankle length evening [ can be worn during the day with appropriate top] trousers, and a selection of beautiful silk tops or overshirts/jackets and black camisoles.

We learnt many years ago, the universal word for chips, is 'fries'. 😀 So saying, the wait staff should have made sure what 'chips' were required...chunky/skinny/skin on/sweet potato etc and that would have made the order clear.

and fairly invisible under evening trousers and long dresses.

Many, many years ago, we were offered an upgrade [wasn't a freebie but it was a generous offer] to a Q2. I can confirm the hooking works. 😄

They can if the correct immigration procedures aren't available. If available, it would be interesting and instructive to learn how departing could be stopped.

A PA Bellini, good idea but in truth, although we often leave ours as we have enough already in the cabin, P.A isn't all that bad if really well chilled. I really hope you have a fantastic cruise.

You sort of beat me to it BigMac1953 😀 I can't help with upgrades. mid cruise or pre boarding as we always book the cabin we want, but in our experience, being known as good clients helps as demonstrated by Solent Richard's Viking upgrade. Like others, we don't know folk but seem to be known by those who count within the Cunard organisation which seems to carry a bit of clout and being known as good eggs and being able to hold our end up is probably why when pre Covid we had a certain large table, the celebrity guest speakers who asked for a large table were sat with us.

The only people we know in Cunard high places are some fellow passengers on decks eleven and twelve on QV.😀 We generally meet [or met, past tense at the moment] one or two folk we know [knew]. edit Good luck to those who do get free upgrades though. We'll stick with the booking system.

That would be great. Maybe one day it might happen.

The only people who feel guilty are those who choose to feel guilty. No one is making them so yet again, up to the individual to feel guilty, or not. In red. Yet another bold statement. Please can I see the proof. The concrete proof and not a major tom fudge.,

For heavens sake, it was over a quarter of a century ago. Times move on and if you still feel the guilt you must gave felt nearly twenty seven years ago then, well, I don't know what to say other then it's on you to stop feeling a totally unnecessary guilty feeling because you are the only one who can stop it.

To misquote Eleanor Roosevelt, No one can make you feel guilty [in this scenario] other than yourself Do what you have to do and have the courage of your own convictions to do it.

Sorry, I feel quite strongly about this. No one is making anyone feel guilty over the service charge and if anyone is, then it's cap/fit/wear it.

Not a sore point with me. I recognise there are different issues and conditions behind and between US and UK bookings. 🙂 As for the increases, I'm in D&N 's camp. It is what it is folks. Don't moan, you know it can be dealt with if you don't want to pay the service charges.

There was a great group of teens on our QV July Baltic cruise last year. They sounded [overheard in lifts/passing groups around the ship] as if they were having a fantastic time.

QV has great soft serve ice cream in the LIdo so assume QE does too. The chocolate is unfortunately, very more'ish. ☹️

Isn't it lucky some brokers are willing to talk with their clients and act on their behalf. The art of human communication is alive and kicking. A quick phone call and job done. OBC will be applied.

Not had it, yet, but I think if I had that particular virus, I'd want to stay near or possibly in the smaller room in my room!! 😕

If talking QV/QE, no locked doors as the Grills decks 11 and 12 are quite out of the way so no issue walking through them although quite a few folk walk up to have a look round and there have been no reports of pot shots aimed at any 'hoi polloi'! 🙂

Your experience seems to be purely Transatlantic which doesn't altogether translate into 'cruises'. From what I read, my take is the [chaps] formal evening dress on QM2 'TAs' is more adhered to than her sisters and although adhered to by most on QM2, it doesn't mean to say that is completely representative of the fleet in general. Whilst my husband is thankfully still in the majority in his Gala Black Tie, the percentage of actual dinner suits is going down ship wide on QV. Sadly.

Dress, is a minefield on this board and there are so many strong opinions and whilst I think it a great shame the percentage of black tie wearers on Gala nights has gone down, we must be very careful in giving a true picture of Cunard dress to those who have asked rather than our own preferences and interpretations. Although the majority of chaps in the main restaurants will be in Black Tie [probably around eighty percent] there will be dark suits, or indeed, a dark jacket and dark trousers, being worn and no one will be made to feel underdressed or out of place in non Black Tie. On non gala evenings, although my husband always wears a jacket [no tie these days] a jacket is not required and I would say on our cruises in '23, it was half and half, wearers and not, around the ship after dinner but a higher percentage of jackets in QG restaurant beforehand. A dress shirt and chinos will be most acceptable and posed photo of male Cunard 'passengers' in chinos and jacket was on the web site up until recently. Gala themes can be totally ignored and 'ordinary' gala wear, worn which for us, is Black Tie for him and formal wear for me.