Victoria2

No one is more a control freak than I as far as holiday arrangements are concerned. I want and need everything to be to our dictate. I also want a professional in our corner who replies to emails if not immediately, within an hour or two and not days. No hanging around on the phone listening to musak. If I leave a voicemail message, I know it will be picked up and the call returned asap. If flying, we choose the dates of travel, the airline and our seat numbers on the plane. We also choose the specific cabin on the ship, the [cheapest] hotel which comes with a Cunard booking and anything else left to choose and our agent bundles it all up, does the legwork and books it. The only thing we do ourselves is to ditch whatever hotel we have included in a Cunard package [following UK package guides] and book our own hotel and room, again, control freak'ness at work. When Covid cancelled around seven of our booked cruises, I read about all the hassle folk were having in getting their money back when their agents were dragging their heels. We got ours back as soon as Cunard released it because we don't pay our agent, we pay Cunard through our agent. Subtle difference. When there are only a couple of cabins we want to book, and those cabins are very popular on certain itineraries, an agent who can get through to Cunard booking the second [ish] bookings go live and grab one of two cabins in the category we want, is worth their weight in gold and diamonds because no cabin, no cruise. So for those who say it's far better to book direct, my reply would be, they haven't found their own Cruise Agent Angel. We have.

It has nothing to do with 'nervous, Zeg I have no intention of listing the occasions when our agent has negotiated with Cunard on our behalf, or how he helped non clients [some of whom became clients] when Covid cancellations became apparent and has nothing to do with needing hand holding [patronising comments not needed] or needing any sort of comfort foodsvcmgr when booking especially when one is used to travelling the world over the past four decades. All our cruises are booked within a minute/s of the itineraries going live. Cabins we specify and when travelling on World cruise segments, our flight arrangements to our specification and bundled all together with the cruise. Utilising a cruise agent is an extra level of travel insurance as far as we are concerned and as with all insurance, you never know you need it until you do. edit Sadly I can't name our agent on this site but everyone I have recommended him to, has become a client of his.

Christmas is for family and friends around a crowded table for us but if we didn’t have family etc, I think a Christmas aboard Queen Victoria would be a great idea.

Speaking as a UK resident, I wouldn’t dream of booking direct and having been lucky enough to find one of the best cruise agents in the country, we always book with him. There are loads of agents who will be able to book cruises and will do so with no problem and might even offer an extra slight discount, but I have often said, it’s when the chips are down that a great agent shows his/ her stripes.

As has been said, you don't need to tip extra but if you wish to tip personally, you can order US$$ or use Euros if you wish but why bother with any exchange rate. GBP will be absolutely fine. My advice though is if you do want to utilise other currency, don't use the Front Desk as an exchange facility. Their rates are favourable to Cunard and not the passenger.

My husband would be in the same boat as it were. A suit needs an appropriate shirt and most definitely needs a tie. As usual, this dress for chaps issue is a minefield and I think any newbie asking a question should be aware of the differing attitudes members have to this vexing issue. From the utterly conservative approach to the relaxed but compliant, the only true way of realising what chaps wear is to bite the bullet, pack differing articles of clothes and experience the Cunard way of life themselves because what is often stipulated as fact on this board does not necessarily, right or wrong, translate to reality.

I know you did. I was being contrary...just for a change!! 😀 Good to know there's another occasional woolly brain out there though! 👍

Some may say my brain is full of cotton wool but not sure what else I can make of this reply to me!😄

techteach, I think with a jacket, for a non Gala evening on Cunard it beats some of the non jacketed chaps' wear I've seen but then I think I must be a scruff nut in many eyes 😄 so what do I know!!!😁

I don't understand your reply

We have seen the Ents staff help with tours and occasionally, being the staff member on a tour bus.

I would choose for three reasons an eastbound passage, which I know is the minority position on this forum. First, flying over to Europe is tougher than flying back home. I completely agree with you rj1227, I would also to cruise east and fly west. Jet lag gets worse the older I get and flying east can be a killer of a jet lag issue. edit Just make sure if you cross [fly] the International date line, you set your alarm to wake you up local time [Tahiti for us] and not the afternoon which throws your body clock totally out of flunter! 🙃

You and many others. Either that or a Lewis Carroll character. 😀

and complicated is a good word to use for all dress advisories. Men's Batik is a good example. A long sleeved batik shirt is classed as formal wear in many S.E.Asian countries. It's not the Western idea of formal though and although Federal capital and main city residents will probably be au fait with Western Black Tie, that doesn't not mean it filters down to more localised areas. So whilst most passengers will wish to dress in a mode which doesn't cause conflict, it's a good idea to bear in mind, as I have said many times before, different countries have different styles of dress and I'm not talking the ubiquitous jeans/day wear issue, it's not up to anyone to turn their noses up at anyone else, if styles are somewhat different.

I'm sure our US contingent can help here but I'll jump in. A roll neck is the same as a Turtle Neck. A mock T.N is similar to a T.N, but doesn't have the 'roll over' and is shorter in the neck, hence the term 'mock'.

6. Is it really necessary in the library to keep the books in locked selves? Many years ago [the early 90's] we were on the second or third cruise of the new HAL Statendam. The content of the so called library was pathetic. Why? Because the library was an 'on trust' affair. Sadly, it was obvious many passengers couldn't be trusted and it was as though locusts had descended and stripped the shelves. Cunard are right to lock the cases when the librarians aren't there. It won't stop all pilferages but it will certainly make 99.9% of users respect the facility.

To a certain extent I agree with you but although what others wear has no effect on me at all and I am most definitely not a member of the Dress Police, if Joe/Jo Bloggs saw John/Joan Smith wearing blue jeans on a Smart attire night, he/she might think that's great, I'll do that next time. Then others will see and eventually the jeans wearing of a Smart Evening could escalate so I can see the merit in trad. jeans being worn in certain areas of the ship and not in others.

but has anyone given the thought to the fact anyone, can wear anything these days? There has been a presumption in the past, who generally wears certain articles of clothing, and I am being ever so careful with my wording because in truth, in the big wide world, it's open season on who wants to wear what so in also being slightly careful, Cunard are hoping a grain of historical common sense will prevail? Gosh, who'd want to write rules and regs on who wears what these days! It is so easy to upset the apple-cart. 😕

Or, whisper it, skinny jeans! 😄 Pushpit, thank you. It's been a real treat reading your daily contributions.

If you like sushi, head for the Lido if you can't get it in the restaurant. There the 'seaweed' and pickled ginger make great tangy additions to a salad. Add finely sliced smoked salmon or carpaccio if available and you have a fabulous lunch, or occasionally a dinner entree for me.

I speak as a jeans wearer as many on this board will have read about in the past and I wouldn't dream of wearing blue denim of any style where 'Smart Attire' is indicated. As I never see blue [of any hue] jeans in the restaurant on any evening, I have no idea if you'd be refused entry to parts of the ship.

Ha! If I ate as some do, I would put on half a stone on a two weeker. That's my reality. So I make sure I don't. 🙂 It's doubly hard when your partner can eat whatever they like, whenever they like and not put on weight. Grrrrr. From the start of Pushpit 's wonderful diary, I wondered how on earth all that food could be consumed at each meal. I looked at the great food photos and my own thoughts were, no way ☹️. A bit like a great thread a few weeks ago. I really would have needed assistance off the ship. Not a wheelchair, a wheelbarrow! We all have different metabolisms and whilst I put on weight just by looking at a cream cake, by being careful but still not stinting, it’s limited to an lb or two on Cunard. It's a case of knowing our own weight issues and sadly some of us have more need to watch what we eat than others as it's so easy to pile the lbs on but hard to get them off. No afternoon tea other than a cup of; no more than three courses for dinner and a one course salad of my own dictate for lunch, often with sushi. No bread with meals other than toast; no puddings at all other than the occasional Crepes Suzette and occasional small amounts of cheese. No meals with sauces, no dressings on salads [which I usually have every day for lunch ] side salads for dinner on occasions; no potatoes apart from the treat of fries but I do limit them. You get the drift. 🙂 The food is so varied and tasty, it's easy and whilst I admit, I can dictate what I want every day, similar can be sorted which ever restaurant one dines in and it's why I love The Lido at lunchtime occasionally as I can pick and mix my salad fixings there and then without the need to pre order for upstairs. I try and fit in a mile or two a day around deck three on QV but it’s not always feasible so on those days, I pop into the gym. On our five/six week plus cruises pre Covid, I reckoned I got away with a two or three lb gain, max. On a two weeker, however much I might think I've piled it on, the reality is one or two lbs. Alcohol also plays its part but I'm not giving that up. I'm on holiday! 😄 Do I find it hard? No. It's dead easy. 👍 Enjoy.

but what about base fares? Any comparisons?