Cunard Cruisers - How are things where you are ?

[Bigmike911]

3 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

11 weeks is pretty standard for the UK rollout. The Astra Zeneca vaccine gives better results with a longer gap between doses.

Interesting. I didn't know that. Thanks for letting us on this side of the pond know. 

[Kynance]

@Lanky Lad - congrats on the new job. Hope all goes well and that you get your jab soon too. 

 

I was surprised to receive a text message this afternoon from my GP inviting me to book my vaccine appointment. I am in the last cohort of phase 1 and thought perhaps I might hear something next week via a letter in a blue NHS envelope (the same way my other half did). However, the i newspaper reported earlier this week that 10 million doses have arrived into the system, which was expected to speed up the programme dramatically. I think that must account for my earlier than expected notification. I am therefore booked in for next Thursday.  Really pleased to be getting the jab sooner than anticipated. It’s made my weekend actually. Now I just need to win tonight’s Euromillions jackpot! 😆

[Host Hattie]

I had a phone call on Wednesday asking if I could go today. As far as I can tell they had a batch of vaccine at the Doctors' surgery and not enough 65+ patients so they called round a few other patients to fill the gaps. When I checked in today they told me that my appointment at the mass vaccination centre would have been on March 20th.

 

[Lanky Lad]

1 hour ago, Kynance said:

@Lanky Lad - congrats on the new job. Hope all goes well and that you get your jab soon too.

Thanks Kynance

[alc13]

On 3/11/2021 at 10:59 AM, Lanky Lad said:

An eventful day here news wise.

 

Bad news, my July cruise on QE is cancelled.  I will see what is on offer, hopefully something on the same dates as I have booked a short trip before hand.

 

Good news I have a new job starting on 29th March. Just over a year since I was put on furlough so I am going to call it my gap year.

Great news!  Very happy to hear your gap year is history.

[Lanky Lad]

Thanks alc13 I will be nice to be back in work and earning money.  Now I just need a cruise so I can start spending my hard earned money lol

[Etta1213]

On 3/6/2021 at 12:14 PM, Kynance said:

I made scones about 15 years and they turned out like pieces of Cornish granite! (Or Lizard serpentine.). My other half has never let me forget it ...
 

This reminds me of my first attempt as a newlywed to bake bread. I took a loaf to an old widower on my street. Later that week, he said, "You just keep trying, honey.". 😂

Edited March 15, 2021 by Etta1213

[naturelovergirl]

Our entire family (on both sides) aged 65+ has now been vaccinated. This is a massive relief for us all.

Also, many of us (my family and friends circle and ourselves) are educators or in priority groups- and have now had at least one vaccine, many having two.

Certainly the mass FEMA vaccination sites in Florida (where walk-ups are welcome... not just appointments) have been helping getting shots (what we call "shots" many of you call "jabs") in the arms as well as the tireless efforts of the counties, the pharmacies, and the health departments. I also am eternally grateful to the scientists and innovators of these vaccines.

We certainly have a long way to go in the US and in Florida to get more of the masses vaccinated... but we can see progress in action. I watch the statistics every day on the vaccination rates in each of the states, and I am heartened when I see those percentages keep going up.

 

 

[navybankerteacher]

On 3/12/2021 at 5:03 PM, Host Hattie said:

11 weeks is pretty standard for the UK rollout. The Astra Zeneca vaccine gives better results with a longer gap between doses.

I hope the current flail about blood clots following Astra Zeneca shots gets resolved quickly.   I have read that - while some shot recipients have in fact experienced clots - the frequency is actually lower than among the general population who have not received shots.

 

Is there some sort of anti-vaxxer mood in Europe trying to grab footing?

[Lanky Lad]

Some people in Europe seem to have a problem with Astra Zeneca in general.

[Bigmike911]

24 minutes ago, Lanky Lad said:

Some people in Europe seem to have a problem with Astra Zeneca in general.

One wonders if this is left over from Brexit?

 

I have taken a leap of faith today. My July 2021 westbound from Hamburg was canceled and I had a huge amount of OBC on it. I posed an offer to my T/A if Cunard would transfer the OBC to the August 2022, I would pay it in full now, They did and I did as well. So we will see where this takes us.

[LewiLewi]

We just signed up for the special Centenary World Cruise on the Queen Victoria Jan. 2023 from New York to Southampton. We are so excited to be able to plan to be on our favorite ship once again. Only one year and ten months away. But certainly something to look forward to.

[Lanky Lad]

Fingers cross that things are something like normal by then  @LewiLewi

 

I am still waiting for my first shot, but my mother is getting her second on Monday.

[Lanky Lad]

Good news, I am booked in for my first vaccine dose on Tuesday with second one booked for June.

 

This does mean that I will be fully vaccinated in time for my July trip and hopefully a cruise.

[Bigmike911]

Happy Friday to all. The week has been amazing. Spring has arrived with a bang. Oak catkins are filling up the pool skimmer baskets. Crepe Myrtles are leafing out. The pyracanthas leaves which were frozen have fallen and new leaves have budded out. The same for the Texas Wax Myrtles. The Azaleas which bloomed before the freeze are having a second go at it, delaying their spring trimming for another couple of weeks.

 

The lawn has turned green, and this week the mowers actually have grass to cut. We have had some rain, not nearly as much as we need, so the irrigation system has been switched on to help the trees and shrubs recover. The palms are still iffy, although a couple of them have displayed some growth. The jury is out on the Mexican Fan Palms. 

 

I have replanted all of my potted citrus, and the Republic of Texas orange had blooms and very small green fruit has replaced the blossom. The Washington Navel Orange is also ready to bloom. I doubt I will have enough fruit to make my marmalade this year, but I managed to put 20 plus pints in the larder from the old trees before they expired. So I am good for a couple of years. Maybe I will get enough fruit to make a small batch of "combination" Citrus Marmalade this year.  

 

As the weather has improved, and the vaccinations continue to roll out, my mood and outlook has improved as well. There is something about walking in the garden and seeing the re-birth of all of the plants which occurs every Spring to bring a sense of hope that the future will be bright. 

 

No sailing this year, but hopefully 2022 will be a great year to be on the seas. I am more than ready. Have a great weekend. 

 

 

[Lanky Lad]

An expensive day today. I took my car to the garage for a new tyre and to have the brakes checked.  Something I had been putting off since July.  Not a big problem as have not been driving much anyway.

 

Everything was still safe and legal, but I had to replace the pads and disks on all four wheels as they were getting thin. 

 

My new job is a lot closer to home than my old one, but would take about 45 minutes to walk so I will be driving most of the time so I needed to make sure the car was in full working order.

[Host Hattie]

I've finished work for a week from today, we can't do much but might manage a trip to a DIY store for some non-essential shopping from Monday ! Mr HH has booked a haircut, I might wait until the rush has gone and my fringe has recovered from my latest cut.

This thread has almost reached its first birthday, I don't think anyone expected us to be in a similar position a year later.

[Bigmike911]

13 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

I've finished work for a week from today, we can't do much but might manage a trip to a DIY store for some non-essential shopping from Monday ! Mr HH has booked a haircut, I might wait until the rush has gone and my fringe has recovered from my latest cut.

This thread has almost reached its first birthday, I don't think anyone expected us to be in a similar position a year later.

And thank you for starting it Hattie. We have made many new friends from around the world through this venue, and it has been the source of a lot of useful information and sharing. In a way it has come to replace some of the casual interactions we have not been able to have with distancing and lock downs. I think it is one of the things that has allowed me to maintain my sanity for the past year. Again thanks. 

[naturelovergirl]

27 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

This thread has almost reached its first birthday, I don't think anyone expected us to be in a similar position a year later.

Yes... thank you HostHattie... I also believe this thread has helped many of us in this strange time.

I know for so many of us who participate in travel discussions, we talk about travel because we LOVE it... and not having that outlet of travel is very unusual and jarring to the core of who we are as individuals.

So having a place to continue to talk to travel lovers (even if we cannot) in this time, is nice.

I know for myself that this thread has also helped me gain perspective about what people in different US states and different countries are dealing with on a day to day basis... We can read the news, but that does not highlight the human element like conversing does.

[Lanky Lad]

It will be nice to get back to talking about dress codes, over priced port excursions and which cocktails to order in the Commodore Club.  Thanks HH for starting this thread and keeping the forum alive.

[Colin_Cameron]

4 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

Mr HH has booked a haircut,

When they reopen here I’m not rushing. I want an estimate first.

 

It’s been a big day here. Apart from taking the car for its MOT (compulsory annual roadworthiness test) in January I had my biggest journey for four, maybe five months. A trip to the DIY store. It’s not that far, well within walking distance. But not carrying an 8’x4’ sheet of 3/4” plywood.

 

Come to think of it. The last time I was further than walking distance from the house was probably August or September. But at least we can get out. My 92yo MIL has been housebound since this all started, until she got taken into hospital about a month ago. The good news there is that hospital visiting may be allowed starting sometime next month.

 

Earlier this week one friend decided to meet up with another for a walk. Which is all perfectly within the rules - two people, out of doors, etc. Unfortunately they live a little over ten miles apart and friend A got stopped  by the police. Excessive non-essential journey, £60 fine. Being now, very close to friend B they went for their walk. Several hours later A is heading home and gets stopped again. Second offence, £1000 fine.

 

We both got our first dose on Tuesday afternoon and by Tuesday evening were both feeling exhausted. Wednesday afternoon and the shivering and tingling started. A couple of paracetamol and we were both fine by Thursday morning. We’ve spoken to a couple of friends who are nurses and involved in the vaccination programme and the’ve said that although it’s all anecdotal it does seem that younger people seem to have more side effects than older ones. If that was meant as a compliment, I’ll take it.

[Lanky Lad]

43 minutes ago, Colin_Cameron said:

When they reopen here I’m not rushing. I want an estimate first.

 

It’s been a big day here. Apart from taking the car for its MOT (compulsory annual roadworthiness test) in January I had my biggest journey for four, maybe five months. A trip to the DIY store. It’s not that far, well within walking distance. But not carrying an 8’x4’ sheet of 3/4” plywood.

 

Come to think of it. The last time I was further than walking distance from the house was probably August or September. But at least we can get out. My 92yo MIL has been housebound since this all started, until she got taken into hospital about a month ago. The good news there is that hospital visiting may be allowed starting sometime next month.

 

Earlier this week one friend decided to meet up with another for a walk. Which is all perfectly within the rules - two people, out of doors, etc. Unfortunately they live a little over ten miles apart and friend A got stopped  by the police. Excessive non-essential journey, £60 fine. Being now, very close to friend B they went for their walk. Several hours later A is heading home and gets stopped again. Second offence, £1000 fine.

 

We both got our first dose on Tuesday afternoon and by Tuesday evening were both feeling exhausted. Wednesday afternoon and the shivering and tingling started. A couple of paracetamol and we were both fine by Thursday morning. We’ve spoken to a couple of friends who are nurses and involved in the vaccination programme and the’ve said that although it’s all anecdotal it does seem that younger people seem to have more side effects than older ones. If that was meant as a compliment, I’ll take it.

Surely traveling home is an essential journey even if a few hours later.  I would challenge the second fine if there is a way to do that. 

[Camgirl]

Another vote of thanks to Host Hattie for this thread. It has been really helpful to me during the past year. I agree with Kynance, hearing what it has been like in other countries, especially the US, has been really interesting. Thank you to everyone who has contributed.

 

I have now had emails telling that P and O, Cunard and now Princess are all going to be offering short, fully vaccinated UK only, cruises this summer. I wonder how popular they will be. I'm certainly tempted for a 3 or 4 nighter. It would be wonderful to be back on board, but restrictions would make it a different sort of cruise to what we are used to.

[Lanky Lad]

If all restrictions in England are lifted in June, then in theory there is no need for any on board. Whether that will be the case remains to be seen. However, it could put people off cruising if it there are restrictions on board that don't apply on land. 

[LewiLewi]

It has been interesting keeping up with everyone on this board during this year. Thank you HH for organizing. We are slowly getting back to “normal” here in Florida; actually had lunch in an outdoor restaurant and went shopping indoors for the first time, masked, with my daughter. 
We have tentatively made a reservation for a Bahamas cruise this July. Crystal cruises has just opened this up for fully vaccinated passengers, but masking, social distancing will still be required in lounges on board. The crew will probably not all be vaccinated by then. We have another few weeks to make up our minds whether or not to go ahead with this.