Cunard Cruisers - How are things where you are ?

[vettprincess]

6 hours ago, BklynBoy8 said:

Hi Esther,

We are doing fine like we told you on the phone.

 

Food deliveries were very good with our stores. Out of all the items we requested, only 1 missing and 2 alternative choices.

 

We are blessed with a variety of stores, ethnics flavors and very good suppliers. Even take outs are marvelous with supply and demand. No disappointments as of yet. Even drugstores are delivering prescribed items to our door.

 

So hope MN re-establishes their supply lines. Maybe talk to you later.

 

Just enjoy like us, old movies, computer games and old sitcoms.....

 

Ed S. 

HI Ed. Great that you have so many stores that still have lots to buy. Quite a few stores here have limits and are out of things.

We have no big chains here but a couple of local ones but still shortages. I have not been able to get hold of my agency to cancel my third QM2 but have sime to do this. Take care. Esther

[vettprincess]

On 3/24/2020 at 4:26 PM, pinkpanther52 said:

 

To all Cunard Cruisers our there Can I just say please please be mindful when speaking to customer helplines 

 

Just had the most awful day at work with folks screaming and shouting at me, We are not even front line so god knows what it is like for our brave frontline workers 

 

I am sure anyone here won’t hassle any of Cunard’s helpline staff because they are sensible folks but please just remember the staff answering the phones are human too 😥

 

Jackie

 

And stay Safe everyone 🙂

I called Cunard in Calif and had a lovely chat with the agent working at home. We talked about the nasty people so I tried to cheer him up. It did work and he felt better even though I did not get around to cancelling my cruise. We bonded over our pets.

All agents in the cruise industry have to be having nightmares cause of the mean calls they get. 

Be careful out there........

Edited March 26, 2020 by vettprincess
spelling

[vettprincess]

4 hours ago, naturelovergirl said:

Hello from Central Florida. We have been socially distanced for over a week.

 

We are self employed- and even though our business (which usually includes massive travel) is on necessary hiatus during this, we are working from home all the same. I think the fact that we already, in our normal lives, make our own schedule has helped us transition into this temporary strange new normal we are facing, but it is still hard for us to fathom.

 

Our local grocery, Publix, has an excellent delivery service... so if anyone has one near them, I highly suggest the app. Sure, you can't find some of the very limited items, but we have has success with the service and we also had a good experience sending groceries to my grandfather in another state from his Publix.

We do like to cook- so that has been helpful.

 

We take socially distanced walks every day in the Florida sun and have enjoyed being in our backyard. We are lucky to have realized we have a bunny nest in the backyard, and occasionally we see the mother bunny come by the nest for her short daily visit (rabbits only visit the nest once or twice a day at the most). We have liked seeing the birds and the squirrels too.

 

We do have a Cunard voyage booked for August to Alaska... but we shall see. I would like to think that it will happen, but we are realistic to know that all is up in the air.

 

Until then, we remember very fondly our last Cunard voyage this past August... we love the brand... and we continue to hope that we will sail again on one of the beautiful ships in the future, even if it does not happen the way we have planned. 

Wish we had Publix in Minnesota.

[Photo Andy]

I am retired, having worked in UK health care and now a keen photographer living in a small village in North East UK.   

We had 9 holidays booked this year,  4 cruises, 2x Wales (visiting friends), Salisbury (photographing Stonehenge), Whitby (black and white photography),  and the Lake District. All cancelled.

The cruises - TA and Iceland, Canaries over Easter, Alaska / Japan, and Northern lights - all cancelled when we realised Covid 19 was going to eventually cause problems. Really sad as we thought this was to be our best year for cruises and holidays. We received an  email from Cunard giving us an option to rebook but have not to date because the telephone lines were busy and customer care are so busy repatriating and cancelling etc. We will rebook next year probably an Iceland cruise as we have been to Iceland, it is wonderful for the rugged scenery and waterfalls. 

Now  we are keeping fit - our gym was closed due to Covid 19,  bought some weights to use in a back bedroom and commissioned my mountain bike again, having a daily power walk or out on my bike to keep fit (as per the Prime Ministers (PM) advice). The roads and foot paths are quiet but people are cutting lawns and do it yourself in gardens and garages (you can hear the power tools). The weather since the PM ordered a lockdown has been really sunny so great for walking in the garden for fresh air without human contact apart from the family. Want to be fit for when cruising resumes and we travel on excursions.

Our favourite cruise was last autumn - Soton, Le Havre, NY, Boston, Quebec, Saguenay, Sept Iles, Halifax, NY and Soton, 29 days on QM2. Wonderful ship, great scenery and the experience.  I did write a review at the time on CC but fondly reflect on this holiday. We had  our wedding anniversary lunch in Hard Rock in Boston - delightful city. 2nd favourite cruise was the Atlantic coast last autumn especially visiting La Coruna (walkable), and Seville (walkable and architecture) and really sad when I see what Covid 19 is doing to Spain.  

Best wishes to all in these difficult times. 

Derek. 

[Host Hattie]

Day 2 of working from work & I've decided I quite like it - I have an office, kitchen & toilet facilities to myself, all my meetings are online and the commute is on quiet roads passed lambs in the fields and daffodils in the hedgerows.

I might not try too hard to find a way for somebody else to do parts of my work.

Most of my colleagues are now working here half the time and the other half at home.

 

Nice to hear from everybody, keep posting !

[VK3DQ]

Hi Hattie

 

Whist we are very disapointed that our cruise on the QE is not going to happen , we are at least safe and sound here in Melbourne Australia , the power is on the internet works and there is good stock of most things in the supermarkets .

We have a comfortable home and its not going to be such a horrid thing to bunker down here for a while.

 

Most people seem to not be panicking over silly issues like toilet paper, but I do have the last laugh on that issue having installed a washlet bidet toilet so we dont need paper at all...(grin)

 

Next cruise booked is onboard  Serenade of the Seas in late November , thats a fair way down the track but my thoughts are that its going to be a very long time before cruising recovers in this part of the world

 

Kindest Regards

John

[kmerlin14]

Here in New Brunswick, Canada, we went into social-distancing mode early about a week and a half ago. (Our province had only 2 cases, but they closed down schools and encouraged social distancing and everyone coming from out of the country were asked to get into self-isolation for two weeks.)  We can still go for walks, but we limit trips to the grocery store and they have special hours for the vulnerable. Most people are trying to do their part to plank the curve so that we don't overwhelm the health care system. I have resolved not to complain about any restrictions because I truly feel they will help save the lives of our healthcare professionals. I miss my dance classes, but some of my classmates are attending classes over facebook and keeping each others spirits up. We are a friendly bunch so we manage to check on one another from six feet away so everything is working so far. I haven't been to a grocery store in a week, but I do need to do post-office runs and the local drug store has areas swaddled in shrink wrap and lines on the floor telling you where to stand at the cash. 

My husband retires in three weeks so he is working at home until then and will probably never go back to work. my three kids are working at home and the one that works close by has decided that she will see us when all this is over because she is scared of passing anything on to us. I run a small publishing house from home so I basically leave the house to do a safe drop or postoffice run since the bookstores are all closed and I feel that books will help people cope with self-isolation. I'm also restocking an independent bookstore that is doing safe drops in her local area. 

People are being kind to one another and I'm sure we'll have a great party when all this is over. We do have a cruise booked for the fall, but to tell you the truth, I think we will be too nervous to go. My heart breaks for the people of New York and what they will go through and some of the tales about people on the ships not being able to find a safe port are freaking me out. Our travel agent has been laid off at the moment, but she said she'd get back to us closer to our final payment date so we will decide then.

Stay safe everyone.

[pinkpanther52]

On 3/26/2020 at 4:07 AM, vettprincess said:

I called Cunard in Calif and had a lovely chat with the agent working at home. We talked about the nasty people so I tried to cheer him up. It did work and he felt better even though I did not get around to cancelling my cruise. We bonded over our pets.

All agents in the cruise industry have to be having nightmares cause of the mean calls they get. 

Be careful out there........

 

What a lovely thing to do, I am planning to do much the same myself at the weekend 

Its a big challenge working in any customer service job at the moment some people are understanding but others are just so so selfish being called “a baby killer” was a low point ☹️ 

Be mindful folks 😀

[Host Hattie]

Happy Friday everyone, it's another lovely sunny day in South Wales.

We had #clapforthecarers last night which was unexpectedly lovely, even in a small village, lots of clapping and cheering in support of health workers.

My online shopping delivery yesterday was pretty much complete, I think I should probably relinquish my slots to someone more deserving. It's only ever been a convenience to us rather than a necessity.

I hope everyone is staying safe and well.

 

[alc13]

I discovered 2 half onions in the refrigerator last night, which was welcome since practically every recipe starts with onion and now we don't have to go to the store again so soon.  In other news, I managed to break a small bone in my foot a few days ago and now have it encased in a Frankenstein boot.  Mr ALC13 says it sounds scary when I clomp around the house.  I guess I'd be self-isolating now anyway.

 

And thanks, everyone, for posting your experiences.  I love reading them.

[vettprincess]

8 hours ago, pinkpanther52 said:

 

What a lovely thing to do, I am planning to do much the same myself at the weekend 

Its a big challenge working in any customer service job at the moment some people are understanding but others are just so so selfish being called “a baby killer” was a low point ☹️ 

Be mindful folks 😀

Being called a baby killer-what a crazy thing to say. Enough of the nasty people.

Will be in the 40's today but still has some snow in the yard.

Takes a long time to melt. Everything in Minnesota is canceled and now maybe the state fair at the end of August. It is the second largest fair in the USA and brings in 2,000,000 people and helps small businesses. All my charity fundraisers are canceled so bad for my charities and volunteer work. And that sucks!

Tried to set up some grocery orders last night but out of so many things. What is all this hoarding?  Did cancel my QM2 cruise for Sept. BOO HOO. If things change may book closer to sail date. Hope all is well with the posters on here and have a healthy week-end.

[fionaanne1]

Well Edward was most fascinated with the ISS. Lots of intelligent questions (for a 5 year old), about life inside the station. Of course the conversation veered towards the lavatorial but that was only to be expected. 🙄

He was also very interested in the bats flying around in the night sky so the next days topic was bats. And yes, mainly vampire bats and dracula.🦇 😁

A friend of my youngest daughter held an online pub quiz last night. It was supposed to be just for friends and family in the town but word got out and it went viral, attracting interest from all over the world. About 300,000 people joined in and apparently it might be considered by the Guinness book of Records as the largest online thing of it's type. I was there! 😁

Collected the various shopping lists this morning. No mention of tarragon 😜. However, I did read in the DT that apparently there is no shortage of staples such as tarragon, toasted pine nuts and black truffles in London. So that's ok then. The same article was extolling the virtues of a kitchen gadget called a Thermomix. At £1000 I can probably do without one.

In order to complete my community shop I tried three supermarkets this morning. By tried, I mean I drove on to the carpark, drove round the carpark and exited the carpark. I either couldn't park at all or the queue of shoppers, suitably masked and gloved, standing the regulation 2m apart snaked around the building. Life, at the moment, is definitely too short! 

Back home for a restorative coffee and plan B.

Plan B soon went out of the window.

BC (before corona), as part of my grand plan to stave off vegetating in early retirement, I volunteered at a food share cafe for the vulnerable and disadvantaged in my town. I love the work and it was a great excuse to cook and bake all the stodgy old favourites of my school days. Local restaurants pledged food and we had a great network of homecooks and bakers who kept us well supplied with dishes. Two weeks ago we trimmed the service down to the handing out of 'takeaway' bags and last Monday we had to stop even doing that for the safety of volunteers and service users alike. Besides, Boris basically told us to stop.

 It felt so sad; the people who used the service did so because they had no alternative and some looked so bereft when we told them it was to close until further notice.

I got a call from one of the organisers whilst drinking my coffee, asking if I could rustle up a food parcel and deliver it to a lady in great need. That spurred me on to getting back out into the shopping queue. She was delighted to see me when I knocked on her door, so much so I had to swiftly reverse back down her pathway as she seemed determined to give me a great bearhug! 😲 It felt a bit like the naughty children's game of tiplatch or ring and run. 🤣

The weather seems to be unseasonably warm here in Lancashire so, this afternoon we sat in the garden and had an 'over the wall' party with my daughter Cara, Oliver and grandaughter Marcie who happen to live next door.

They are in a similar postion to ourselves with her holiday arrangements; waiting for the holiday company to make a decision about whether they will be travelling or not. The general concensus was, it will be what it will be. 

I couldn't think of a single reason why I shouldn't, so I cracked open a bottle of Prosecco.

A happy afternoon filled with chatter and laughter, trying to remotely teach Marcie how to use a skipping rope. Making the best of what we have while we have it. 

Fiona 

Edited March 27, 2020 by fionaanne1

[Colin_Cameron]

Hello from the naughty step. (AKA my second home)

 

We got a frozen food delivery today and as normal Sandra put the frozen food in the freezer and I played with the dry ice that keeps it frozen in transit. Sink-full of warm water, add what remains of the dry ice, and watch the mist that fills the basin and cascades down the front of the sink-unit to the floor. For some extra fun add a spot of washing up liquid.

 

Now, maybe A) The water was hotter than usual; or B) I put in a little more washing up liquid than usual; or C) There was definitely MUCH more dry ice than usual; or D) All of the above.

 

The kitchen looks like a disco in Ibiza! We’re knee deep in foam! And it’s still rising!

 

If you don’t hear from me again, send someone to look for my body.

[fabnfortysomething]

On 3/26/2020 at 11:07 AM, Photo Andy said:

I am retired, having worked in UK health care and now a keen photographer living in a small village in North East UK.   

We had 9 holidays booked this year,  4 cruises, 2x Wales (visiting friends), Salisbury (photographing Stonehenge), Whitby (black and white photography),  and the Lake District. All cancelled.

The cruises - TA and Iceland, Canaries over Easter, Alaska / Japan, and Northern lights - all cancelled when we realised Covid 19 was going to eventually cause problems. Really sad as we thought this was to be our best year for cruises and holidays. We received an  email from Cunard giving us an option to rebook but have not to date because the telephone lines were busy and customer care are so busy repatriating and cancelling etc. We will rebook next year probably an Iceland cruise as we have been to Iceland, it is wonderful for the rugged scenery and waterfalls. 

Now  we are keeping fit - our gym was closed due to Covid 19,  bought some weights to use in a back bedroom and commissioned my mountain bike again, having a daily power walk or out on my bike to keep fit (as per the Prime Ministers (PM) advice). The roads and foot paths are quiet but people are cutting lawns and do it yourself in gardens and garages (you can hear the power tools). The weather since the PM ordered a lockdown has been really sunny so great for walking in the garden for fresh air without human contact apart from the family. Want to be fit for when cruising resumes and we travel on excursions.

Our favourite cruise was last autumn - Soton, Le Havre, NY, Boston, Quebec, Saguenay, Sept Iles, Halifax, NY and Soton, 29 days on QM2. Wonderful ship, great scenery and the experience.  I did write a review at the time on CC but fondly reflect on this holiday. We had  our wedding anniversary lunch in Hard Rock in Boston - delightful city. 2nd favourite cruise was the Atlantic coast last autumn especially visiting La Coruna (walkable), and Seville (walkable and architecture) and really sad when I see what Covid 19 is doing to Spain.  

Best wishes to all in these difficult times. 

Derek. 

 

also live in small village in North East-this weather is so unusually sunny-thank goodness we have a garden can self isolate in

[Host Hattie]

@Colin_CameronI thought your drama would be over once you got home ! Hopefully you've survived.

We had a lovely home delivery from our local pub and then I had a video chat with an old school friend who now lives in Italy.

[KetoCruiser]

My husbands new electric bike was delivered on Thursday so I have been lucky and had 2 beautiful bike rides over the last 2 days.  We live in rural mid Wales and the weather has been beautiful. I got to watch the lambs frolicking in the fields. For a few minutes everything felt normal again.  That was until I stopped to pick up my eggs from local farm. They normally leave them in a box at the top of the drive however they have had to move them as someone stole them.  Just don’t believe it.

[Canuker]

We never used to have afternoon tea until we sailed with QM2 on a 'crossing' in 2016.
Now, most days if we're indoors (which is a lot lately) we enjoy a nice cup of orange pekoe around 3 pm in our "Cunard 2016 Transatlantic Crossing" mugs which we are glad we bought while on board and still use, even if the design on the them is wearing rather thin now.
Brewed for four minutes, with just a splash of milk. No cucumber sandwiches but we might run to a cookie or two (I do like Jaffa cakes but they are hard to find here).

Occasionally, I will delight my wife by serving them with white gloves and a demure, slight bow.

Sadly, no live string quartet to serenade us but a local radio station suffices at a pinch.

Very civilized.

As for the scones, well my wife will bake them as a special weekend treat sometimes too.

[Kynance]

Greetings from West Berkshire, where I shall start my third week of working from home this coming Monday. I normally work from home a couple of days a week anyway and really enjoy it, so things don’t feel that different for me and I can do everything I need to do in my role remotely (though my day job has been taken over by my involvement in my organisation’s response to the impact of Covid-19 on our operations). The really positive thing about working from home every day is not having to negotiate the M4 smart motorway and then hoping there will be a parking space when I get to work... The downside has been watching my partner enjoy lots of time in the garden this past week. 
 

Although we had to queue for 30 minutes to get into Waitrose on Friday, once inside the experience was quite relaxing and calm - the number of shoppers allowed in at anyone time seemed about the same as the number of partners working hard to stock shelves and manage the check out queue. Stock levels were much better than they have been for a couple of weeks - there were even baked beans to be had! Hats off to everyone in the Thatcham branch - you were doing a great job! It was also heartening to see that the food bank collection point was full and fellow shoppers were still thinking of others less fortunate than themselves. 
 

Having seen how lockdowns were being introduced in Spain & Italy, I decided that we should stock up on stuff for garden projects and books whilst we still had the chance to do so - instead of our May fjords cruise, I will therefore be caring for my agapanthus, trying to grow salad crops and strawberries again and making a start on book 10 in Winston Graham’s Poldark series. Oh, and watching all 5 series of the recent BBC adaptation again... 😃😍

 

Haven’t done anything about the May voyage yet - am just sitting tight until the inevitable happens. 

[Forky]

On 3/27/2020 at 8:34 PM, Colin_Cameron said:

Hello from the naughty step. (AKA my second home)

 

We got a frozen food delivery today and as normal Sandra put the frozen food in the freezer and I played with the dry ice that keeps it frozen in transit. Sink-full of warm water, add what remains of the dry ice, and watch the mist that fills the basin and cascades down the front of the sink-unit to the floor. For some extra fun add a spot of washing up liquid.

 

Now, maybe A) The water was hotter than usual; or B) I put in a little more washing up liquid than usual; or C) There was definitely MUCH more dry ice than usual; or D) All of the above.

 

The kitchen looks like a disco in Ibiza! We’re knee deep in foam! And it’s still rising!

 

Quote

If you don’t hear from me again, send someone to look for my body.

 

It sounds like a delivery from Donald Russell frozen foods …. when I first started using them years ago when I lived in Nairn I had never before seen dry ice and like you say there was mist everywhere … and it kept going on and on... but I wish I had thought to add washing up liquid !! … I shall on my next order ...their meat is absolutely brilliant though …. keep enjoying your Ibiza disco … 😉 

Edited March 29, 2020 by Forky

[lissie]

On 3/25/2020 at 6:21 AM, Host Hattie said:

 

Thanks, no reason why you should ! I'm an Engineer in a steel works, we've been told we're expected to keep making steel. Lots of our customers are shut down but the market for tin cans is booming !

That's interesting - NZ went into total lockdown last Wed.  Our  only steel works is closed, but the Aluminium smelter is  carrying on (its very difficult to close or restart a pot line). 

[Colin_Cameron]

On 3/25/2020 at 11:07 AM, Colin_Cameron said:

Never mind rice, pasta, toilet rolls and all that nonsense.

 

WE'RE OUT OF TONIC!

I have no idea who you are but to the person who left two packs of Fever Tree on our doorstep:

 

THANK YOU VERY MUCH👍

[Proceed with Caution]

Good morning from rural North Yorkshire,

Newbie cruiser here - still looking forward to my first cruise - its still scheduled for July 2020- but wont tempt fate!!!

I like many on this forum seem to be blessed with a gorgeous visual landscape at home- i look out onto the Yorkshire Wolds - not a National Park like its big brother locations - the Moors- (Hearbeat & Hogwarts) or Dales ( James Herriot & DCI Banks etc.). David Hockney discovered us a few years ago but his following was not mainstream daytrippers so the hordes never really descended and as a location we live in relative obscurity.

Fortunately for us - as so many it seems on this thread- you could could convince yourself that its business as usual until you travel to the towns and seems to be the same all for all contributes to this post. 

I smiled at the the ' what no Tonic' comment earlier in the thread as i walked a 10 mile round trip (LDW is my thing) to the local supermarket to allow me to count it as exercise- as i was conscripted to get more Tonic asap so with rucksack on my back i tramped over the hills on a glorious day and bought fresh fruit also to hide the none essential other purchase and dropped some off it for my frail and feisty mum who now lives in the town- the fruit that is, not the tonic. I would't mind but i like others am a whiskey drinker .

I played our first online quiz  with 3 teams on Monday (via Zoom) and last night took our Bridge rubbers on-line also.

Great to hear from those of you on the USA West and New England Coastlines, spent many happy months there in the 80's and its nice to hear mention of these places again.
 

Good bye for now and keep positive, as lots of negativity seems to be steadily creeping in.

 

 

 

[Host Hattie]

5 hours ago, lissie said:

That's interesting - NZ went into total lockdown last Wed.  Our  only steel works is closed, but the Aluminium smelter is  carrying on (its very difficult to close or restart a pot line). 

That was interesting for me as well, NZ steel uses a completely different process, Blast Furnaces aren't easy to shut down and Coke Ovens pretty much impossible. We're allowed to stay open to maintain supply for food packaging.

Some of our other downstream operations may have to close down at some point.

[KetoCruiser]

Went out for my daily exercise this morning and had a good laugh, one of my neighbours in the village has spent all this free time making bird boxes from odds and ends of wood.  They are not for sale, he has decided that bartering is more beneficial during this shut down and is asking 2 toilet rolls for a bird box .  I believe he will consider other offers.  Perhaps I can persuade him to let me have a bird box for a bottle of tonic 

[Host Hattie]

I caught up with friends yesterday via " House Party", I was on one of the calls when the ISS went over and we (mostly) went outside & saw it from our various gardens. Too cloudy in Yorkshire apparently.

Today we've had Sunday lunch delivered from our local pub. There was enough to last until Tuesday.

Our news is reporting that the roads are quiet and there haven't been any repeats of last Sunday's outings to the beach or National Parks.

The clocks went forward overnight so I'm looking forward to the longer evenings.

I hope everyone has had a good Sunday.