Victoria2

I LOVE the Camilla brand and thoroughly agree with you re space in luggage. I have two, mid length, I pack to wear at night with appropriate white evening trousers. I have one which had some punishment with sun screen and is only fit for swim suit cover up. An expensive accident. 😄 edit I would add though, UK prices are much more expensive than Australian prices.

Your take on Regent is interesting as it's a line, along with Crystal and Silversea we would consider should we fall out of loved with Cunard. At the moment Cunard suits us. Itineraries are repeated but as has been said, the world is shrinking a bit as far as cruise ship [and ones of a certain size] visits are concerned. I suppose we're lucky as we have visited the major part of the world in past decades and now the ship is our destination most of the time. I would be very interested in any review you have written, or might write of Regent.

True, but don't ask/don't get and if the tables have been preassigned, then no amount of asking will, or should I say, should remaining passengers get a table change to a preassigned table. It is interesting though how in the past, an envelope with your table number would have been waiting for you in the cabin, on initial embarkation. Now it's just an envelope with your restaurant assignment, which of course, you already know. Does this give the M'ds 'leeway' to change table assignments? Who knows! We were lucky on QV as the M'ds knew our favourite 2 table positions. All change on QA. It will be interesting to see where we're 'put'! 🙂

Not sure if it's the same in all the restaurants, but in QG, the table numbers can vary due to different configurations. If you have a specific table in mind, it might be safer to describe the position in case you ask for table 2, and table 2 position changes and you end up elsewhere.

Like D&N , we book what we want, when we want and once booked, couldn't care less if anyone pays more, or less than we do. We have our cabin and that's what matter to us. However, it's of interest to see booking trends, eg, do we HAVE to book on release to get the cabin or can we hold back and wait as the cabin might still be available etc. The jury is still on the side of book on release, safer and cheaper. All good fun. 🙂

We tip in pound sterling now as it;s the most convenient for us but if I'm reading you correctly and you want to tip after a drink order, the drinks carry an automatic tip added onto the receipt so we wouldn't tip extra. No idea on the front desk and changing currency into smaller denominations but a 100 x$1 might not be the most popular exchange.

Believe me, I for one don't feel 'left out' NE John. One of our cruises still had one of the cabins in the grade we had booked, left. The price of the cabin rose within a week or two of our booking it [algorithms?] and the 10% reduction would still have been more expensive than our booking made within a minute of the bookings going live. Needless to say, the cabin left went within a short while of the reduction offer. The early bird caught the juicy fat worm in our case. 🙂 and ps I don't believe 'we' suffer in the long run against US bookings.

Ooops!

Victoria did, at least twice when we were onboard so I imagine her sister can too.

It's called bio-fouling, or in layman's terms. dirty bottoms and I seriously doubt it's sudden. Have a look at Travel Weekly's 5th Feb '23 edition. It's an education for those who aren't well up on their foreign marine organism displacements.

I'm not sure what synthetic filling the duvets have but I guess you'll be on sheets and blankets then as the 'crappy' duvets are not of the fluffy feather variety.

Does it matter? You can always top up with a blanket if the duvets [which as has been said are rather warm] aren't warm enough.

I had no idea they were the default of [unlucky] guests in 'the Grills'.

Pillows are your choice of firm/squashy, feather or synthetic [not foam to my knowledge]. Bedding, again your choice of duvets [not sure of filling] or sheets and blankets.

Over all the years we've been QGrilling it, it has never occurred to us to take anything provided in the cabin, out of the cabin for consumption around the ship. As Hattie said, they are for cabin consumption and as we don't take any drinks onboard with us, anything consumed in the cabin other than the QG 'allowances', will be items on our onboard account.

No. The two bottles when replaced each time are not charged for although you'll sign a chitty for them each time you get a replacement. Don't worry, it's a zero addition to any onboard account. If you have a bit of a do in the cabin, as we do occasionally, and order extra to the two bottles, then you'll be charged for the extras.

Excellent advice, and also ask the butler. No question is too trivial. I am assuming the ship will be QE rather than QM2, in which case, the Grills Concierge will be in the lounge on deck eleven. If you, astronomy55 , are new to QG, there are many little niceties to do with QG dining, such as choosing off menu if nothing tickles your taste-buds. Ask on this board and don't be backwards in asking your Head Waiter if there's a dish you fancy. If the ingredients are on the ship, the Grill's galley will make it for you. 🙂

I drink water supplied 'at the table', when dining and I assume the water from our bathroom/cabin sink taps come from the same supply, so is there a potential problem drinking it?

Usually the bottles are replenished very promptly. I say usually as there have been mention over the years of this not happening very quickly. We have found the butler replenishes when the bottle is nearly empty which means our bottles never run out. Magic! 😀

Don't think the sofa looks at all comfortable. Hope it's not style over substance. The arm chairs look OK.

and me and my times of day vary. I do my deck three laps and manage it very well. I think I will leave the speculation and find out the reality. As we have quite a few QA bookings, I'll have plenty of time to suss that out.

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