theavonb

35 minutes ago, theavonb said:

We went through our bank for travel insurance and he was refused because he is a diabetic.

I also did the online quote and he is not covered but I am!

1 hour ago, gnome12 said:

When you say Manulife wouldn't insure was it just online, or was it an actual underwriting decision? I have found that with pre-existing conditions, you cannot quote on-line.

We went through our bank for travel insurance and he was refused because he is a diabetic.

Wow a few choices, thanks. Manulife wouldn’t insure hubby. So I’ll check CAA and  Blue Cross. We are in Ontario and not cruising until next November.

Would like to know what people are using for emergency medical insurance. We have always used Medipac but now they won’t insure my hubby because he is on insulin and takes a heart pill for his pacemaker. He has been stable for two years now so it’s a bit ridiculous. 
Thank you

On 1/7/2022 at 1:36 PM, rashbrookips said:

Test

1 minute ago, theavonb said:

Thanks Biker, I guess I’ll pass on the Voom! Wow pricy.

1 minute ago, theavonb said:

 

4 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

You pick the time when you check in. 
 

VOOM packages are typically $20-25/ day depending on service tier - but there are sales. 
 

Hello, Do you pick your time to arrive at the port or does RC pick it? Sorry, new to Royal. Also how pricy is the internet package if there is one?

Thank you

Just verified with Cunard that we can bring on a bottle of spirits as they call it but pack it in your check luggage. We can also bring on cans of pop so we are all set now. Since we upgraded from an inside to a sheltered cabin on deck 5 this will be awesome. 

Now the wait!

23 hours ago, Se1lad said:

I don't drink in my bedroom at home, but I do drink in my lounge, and in my previous flat I also drank on the balcony.  As a stateroom also has lounge chairs and a lot of them also have balconies, these make a good place to have a drink whilst relaxing in the afternoon or getting ready for dinner.

 

In Queen's Grill they positively encourage you to drink in your suite by providing free mini bar and spirits!

 

For anyone else it makes sense to bring your own drinks for stateroom consumption - much cheaper than buying on board.

2 hours ago, IB2 said:

Times, however, have.

23 hours ago, Lakesregion said:

I always wonder at why people bring their own booze on a cruise. Do they also drink in their bedrooms at home?Do they drink in their motel rooms on the road? I do know that my parents always took a bottle or two when they decamped for Florida but that was 35 years ago. Guess things or people of that age have not changed.

It helps to keep the bar tab down. Your cabin is your bedroom so I guess if I make a drink in my cabin then I guess I drink in the bedroom. Totally irrelevant to anything!

4 hours ago, IB2 said:

Americans seemed to think they were Ok and Brits that they are over the top.  Partly a comment on the currencies at the moment, of course.  It’s a good wine list and if you buy by the bottle for dinner it’s easy to find something decent and not ridiculously priced.  If however you buy drinks by the glass and spend the day touring the bars, you will run up a hefty bill.  12% gratuity is auto-added to every drinks order and Cunard helpfully puts a space at the bottom for you to tip them again.

4 hours ago, IB2 said:

Americans seemed to think they were Ok and Brits that they are over the top.  Partly a comment on the currencies at the moment, of course.  It’s a good wine list and if you buy by the bottle for dinner it’s easy to find something decent and not ridiculously priced.  If however you buy drinks by the glass and spend the day touring the bars, you will run up a hefty bill.  12% gratuity is auto-added to every drinks order and Cunard helpfully puts a space at the bottom for you to tip them again.

We don’t drink wine so for us being able to bring on a bottle of Vodka will help keep the cost down. We have a couple of thermal cups we will use to make a drink and find some place to sit and relax. 
Thanks everyone for your comments.

1 hour ago, bluemarble said:

 

If you are in a Britannia grade cabin, then yes you pay for anything taken from the minibar fridge. The price sheet I have from this past May indicates the cost of a Coca Cola or Diet Coke 330ml bottle taken from the minibar was $3.80 + 15% service charge = $4.37.

Thanks for the info, we’ll probably take some cans of pop on with us. That is pricy for one can 😱

2 minutes ago, theavonb said:

Awesome, thank you👏🇨🇦👏

The pop in the fridge, do you pay for it?

Just now, cook68 said:

Fill your boots. You can take as much as you like. Diet was in the fridge as well. 

Awesome, thank you👏🇨🇦👏

13 minutes ago, cook68 said:

You could buy a mixer on board. There will be cans of coke in your fridge. I don't remember seeing tonic? We took a few bottles of tonic and will do the same. It's just nice to have a little pre drink in your room when getting ready in the evenings. 

We need Diet Coke, hubby is diabetic. Do you know how many cans of pop we are allowed to take on-board?

9 minutes ago, cook68 said:

 I took a bottle of gin on the QM2 last year plus Champagne and have a bottle of gin and Jack Daniel waiting for the QV in 10 days time. Plus Champing. We're celebrating a big birthday 🙂 I am sure Vodka will be treated just the same as mine and glanced at with a smile

Wonderful, it is our anniversary when we board next June.  What about pop for mix, is it available or to we buy it?

Would I be allowed to bring a bottle of vodka on board or will it be confiscated?

Thank you all for your wonderful recommendations! We will ponder over our options and decide what is the best route for us. Greatly appreciate it.

Beth & Al from Canada

2 minutes ago, gnome12 said:

I don't think that my issue would be just traffic coming at me on the wrong side (not an issue on a divided highway), but rather that everything that I am used to watching for has to be reversed. (I have never driven on the opposite side of the road, but I have cycled in Wales, New Zealand and Australia, and it is very difficult to get used to traffic on the wrong side.) Also, although I don't drive a standard, we are used to shifting with our right hand, and that would be awkward to do with the left. I also presume (although I am not certain) that the pedals are reversed, so that you have to deal with your feet differently, even if the car is an automatic.

You are absolutely right. I don’t think we will even consider renting a car, not at our ages. I would like to enjoy the rest of my senior years!

1 hour ago, scottbee said:

 

Example (I picked Thur 14 Nov for an example 6 weeks out).  8-10 weeks out is normally the sweet spot for train pricing.

 

dep Dover Priory 10:58

arr London Waterloo East 12:47 

GBP 10.10/ea

 

< 250 metre covered walk between platforms >

 

dep London Waterloo 13:05

arr Southampton Central 14:22

GBP 9.00/ea

 

 

So that's under 20 quid/each for a 3½ hr transfer from Dover to Southampton.  I doubt there's a way to do it either faster or cheaper by any mode of transport.

 

WOW, that is awesome, will run this by hubby. PS...this Canadian had to google “quid”...lol

5 minutes ago, Bob++ said:

Just a thought if you felt up to it; hire a car and drive yourself.

 

A modest 2-door  would cost less than £100 with pick-up at Dover and drop in Southampton. They say only one large case, but with only the driver and one passenger, you should have plenty of room for luggage.

 

The quick route takes you on the M"% which might be better avoided. The alternative, and much more interesting route follows the South Coast and should be do-able in less than five hours with a stop for lunch along the way. 

 

Not a solution for the faint-hearted though as you would have to cope with a stick-change and driving on the laft.

Yeah I don't think this would work for us. Driving a standard car isn't a problem but driving on the opposite side of the road could be down right treacherous! To bad we couldn't hire someone private that would take us along that South Coast, it looks like it would be a lovely ride. Thanks for you input though.

41 minutes ago, scottbee said:

 

Booking ahead is a bit cheaper, but not available until 12 weeks out.  Generally the best priced tickets are available in the 8-10 week timeframe.

 

From Gatwick, the service is once per hour for the direct service to Southampton.  While there are other trains that take a similar amount of time -- but involve a change @ Clapham, and you don't want that.

 

Not sure how long/how much the cruise transfer is for Dover -> Gatwick (cruise transfers are often double what doing it yourself costs), but also consider what I had posted with a train to Waterloo East, and a train from Waterloo.  I'm stunned at how inexpensive the train to Waterloo East is; if only Southampton had those kind of deals.

 

The shuttle is pricy compared to the train prices, it takes about 2-2.5 hrs., so you have given us lots to think about. Really appreciate it. 

2 hours ago, scottbee said:

You might want to see if there's a coach transfer from your ship to Gatwick airport, from there it's a leisurely 2hr direct rail service to Southampton.  If you wanted to avoid going into London, that's the most reasonable approach in my mind.

 

For some reason, the most reasonable rail option doesn't show up; and you'd have to book it as two tickets

Dover -> London Waterloo East

3 minute walk to London Waterloo (stations are connected)

London Waterloo -> Southampton Central.

 

As you're probably discovering. A lot of UK rail services concentrate in/out of London; hence most of the rail options take you in and back out of London.

 

 

I just found out that there is a cruise shuttle to Gatwick airport, so this makes it much more convenient for sure.  Would we just buy our rail ticket when we got to the train station or do we have to book ahead? 

Thanks so much

Holy moly...that would be approx. $650.00 Canadian dollars! At least we have lots of time to figure this out. 

Thanks Bob

Hello, We will be getting off our cruise in Dover and getting on the QM2 two days later. We need to find the best way to get from Dover to our hotel in Southampton? Is there a reasonably priced private shuttle service that would take us? I have checked the train out but not sure if we would be able to handle our suitcase on and off the train?

Thank you