Cunard Cruisers - How are things where you are ?

[alc13]

Rescue cats are wonderful pets - in fact, it's true of dogs, too.  Glad Biggles is better.  

 

Our Japan 2022 QE cruise was among those canceled last week.  Ignoring the adage that says fool me once, etc, we rebooked it for April 2023.  This is in fact the 5th rebooking.  We are nothing if not stubborn.

[LewiLewi]

We just booked the QE from Ft. Lauderdale to Barcelona for Aug. 2022. We hope this will not be canceled as the first part of this cruise, cruising around Japan has been. The ship is supposed to cruise to Alaska in May and then continue on to Florida and back to the Mediterranean in August. Fingers crossed on this one.

[Host Hattie]

It's been a sunny day here, I was in the office all day but I had beautiful pink skies for both commutes. Mr HH was off today so he took his Mother shopping and for lunch. She's 85 and recently spent a month in hospital after breaking her hip so I think she was pleased to have a trip out.

 

[Kynance]

Hello everyone. 
 

Lots of fireworks were being set off locally yesterday and on Friday.  Now that Bonfire Night has passed,  we have the anniversary of Armistice Day on Thursday and then Remembrance Sunday - and then the big rush to Christmas, which we will hopefully be able to celebrate more normally this year. I always think Christmas lights in shops, towns & cities ought to be switched on after Remembrance Sunday, but some quick research suggests the lights in central London are being switched on before then. I must admit that I do find it a bit jarring when the most joyous occasion of the year kicks in before we’ve observed the most solemn one. 
 

Not much to report otherwise, except that I am off to Liverpool on Tuesday for an overnight stay for a work related activity. Fortunately the hotel is close to the waterfront area so I will get a chance to have a look at the Cunard building. It will be my first proper visit to Liverpool - the only other time I have been there was to change trains on the way to a Queen fan club convention (the band not Her Majesty!) some time in the late 1980s! ☺️
 

 

[Lanky Lad]

I had a trip to the seaside today. Fish and chips for lunch and then off to watch the waves crashing over the sea wall. Lovely.

 

Lots of fireworks here Friday, Saturday and tonight, hopefully that will be it now.

 

I have been having problems posting lately which is why I have been AWAL for a few days. I think it's my ancient laptop telling me its days are numbered.

[Tonopah]

We are at less than 1 year from our QM2 voyage. We sorted our shore excursions. Weather in Big Swampy has turned chilly (60f which is frigid to us!) I’m quite concerned with how we will manage Norway at this time next year. 🥶 We’ve been 💃🏻 🕺 often (masked, of course) and will start Viennese Waltz lessons in January to prepare for our 3 weeks on board. We’ve been working on quickstep for a few months. Hope you all are doing well this November. 

[Host Hattie]

That sounds very organised, we're sailing in July 🤞and I haven't done a thing !

Mr HH has started referring to the trip as his retirement cruise !

[navybankerteacher]

Enjoying one (most likely) last day at the beach.  Most pleasure craft have been hauled out or have sailed South - just the occasional oyster draggers remain.

[alc13]

Frost at night and dark at 4:30 now.  I wheeled the garbage can outside this morning and took a moment to enjoy the cold clean air.  And then my bare feet got really cold and I hightailed it back inside.

 

A sign that the pandemic is easing - I see a dress code thread at the top of the forum again. 

[navybankerteacher]

38 minutes ago, alc13 said:

Frost at night and dark at 4:30 now.  I wheeled the garbage can outside this morning and took a moment to enjoy the cold clean air.  And then my bare feet got really cold and I hightailed it back inside.

 

A sign that the pandemic is easing - I see a dress code thread at the top of the forum again. 

Yes, going back to standard time makes the seasonal change very abrupt.  At least it isn’t still dark when I go out to pick up the paper (but I guess I’m soft:  that gravel driveway HURTS too much to go barefoot).

Edited November 11, 2021 by navybankerteacher

[bluemarble]

On 9/14/2021 at 12:06 PM, bluemarble said:

Well I've done it. We're booked on Viking Orion for the Christmas Cruise to Hawaii out of Los Angeles. Will definitely provide some feedback about on it this forum. Perhaps something along the lines of the Viking experience from the perspective of a diehard Cunard rower.

 

Waiting for the other shoe to drop on the Viking Orion cruise we booked to Hawaii over Christmas. Yesterday, Carnival canceled the November 28th cruise to Hawaii on the Miracle, leaving the two Viking Orion cruises in December as the last remaining scheduled cruises to Hawaii in 2021.

 

Our cruise hasn't been canceled yet, but Viking Orion disappeared from the December Hawaii port schedules yesterday as well. it's probably just a matter of time now until our cruise is canceled. Probably shouldn't have tempted fate by jumping ship from Cunard. 🤔

Edited November 11, 2021 by bluemarble

[frankp01]

We just watched one of the cruising vloggers. His installment dealt with the Miracle cancellation. He was saying that Carnival was told that Hawaii was not going to allow any cruise calls until 2022.

[Host Hattie]

How disappointing, do you have a Plan B for Christmas ?

[bluemarble]

Just now, Host Hattie said:

How disappointing, do you have a Plan B for Christmas ?

 

Plan B is probably to see what Viking might offer as an alternative. Perhaps they will offer Pacific coastal cruises as some of the other lines are doing in place of their canceled Hawaii cruises.

 

Plan C may be to see if we can get on the QM2 Christmas cruise. No availability for the 12-night cruise from New York at the moment.

 

I suppose plan D will be to celebrate a quiet Christmas at home and dream of future cruises in addition to the sugar-plums dancing in our heads.

[Host Hattie]

🤞one of the alternatives works out, I was looking forward to hearing about Viking so I'm hoping for Plan B.

Mr HH's weekend has started already and he's packing his car for a trip to Pembrokeshire. He's threatening to take Biggles, I'm not sure how that's going to go !

[naturelovergirl]

I am sorry to read @bluemarble about your trip plans being thwarted. We will all look forward to hearing how your alternative plans turn out.

 

Hello all from Central FL.

We received our booster shots a few weeks ago. So that is good. Plus the performing arts are finding avenues to come back. So that is good for our business. We are seeing some light, for sure!

We still have our short cruise planned on another line for the new year… looking forward to it.
Unfortunately we did cancel our Cunard voyage for 2022… and we did not make the decision lightly. It’s a big anniversary trip… and frankly we just are wanting to be able to enjoy planning our anniversary trip instead of worrying. If our plans had been just a Cunard cruise with ports… then it would have been fine. We would have just figured out the protocols and done them. BUT… our grand plan had been cross on Cunard (on the QE transatlantic from FL with ports in Bermuda, Funchal, Cadiz, and then to Barcelona) and then trek around the continent (as we have done before in our travels… hopping from country to country).
I hope that things will eventually return to our grand wanderlust being fulfilled again… but there are just still too many variables from country to country… it just does not give us confidence.

So… we sat down last weekend and had a heart to heart about it all.

We decided to do a road trip here in the states instead for our anniversary (seeing some of the National Parks we have not seen yet)… and to promise ourselves that we owe ourselves a Cunard voyage down the line.

I cannot wait until the world rights itself more and we can join another beloved Cunard voyage with ease… I have a gorgeous icy silver gown I bought for our pandemic-cancelled Cunard to Alaska 2020 voyage… it is screaming in the closet to me that it must be worn one day!!!!

 

[rakkor]

Things are starting to get exciting again as I wind down from work and wind up to Monday's QE cruise to Valencia - Jane's had me take an LFT today to make sure my going into the office over the last couple of weeks hasn't ended up with  me catching Covid and scuppering the cruise. I was negative so she's happier, but I've another pre-cruise test scheduled for Saturday and she wont be truely happy until we get the text in the Ocean Terminal on Monday saying all is good.

[Host Hattie]

Will you be blogging again @rakkor ? 

Your blogs help those of us not brave enough to cruise yet.

Biggles didn't need much persuading to go on their road trip

 

[navybankerteacher]

With Thanksgiving just two weeks away, these traditional main dishes are  pressing their luck as they seek acorns on our lawn.

[rakkor]

12 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

Will you be blogging again @rakkor ? 

Your blogs help those of us not brave enough to cruise yet.

Biggles didn't need much persuading to go on their road trip

 

 

 

I will, I'll post up a pre-cruise entry once I've finished my packing.

 

The full blogs will be at https://blog.rakkor.uk/

 

There's a lot less bravery required to cruise with Cunard than to go into the office!

Edited November 12, 2021 by rakkor

[Kynance]

@rakkor - I enjoy your blogs too and looking forward to reading the new one next week.  Hope your final preparations go well this weekend. 

[Kynance]

I’m back from my short trip to Liverpool this week - just an overnighter.  I was staying very close to the water front so had time for a walk down to the see the “Three Graces” before it got dark.  Here’s a photo of a couple of them, including the most important one, of course! 😉

 

[Essiesmom]

19 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

Will you be blogging again @rakkor ? 

Your blogs help those of us not brave enough to cruise yet.

Biggles didn't need much persuading to go on their road trip

 

Will Biggles be blogging the trip?

[LewiLewi]

23 hours ago, naturelovergirl said:

I am sorry to read @bluemarble about your trip plans being thwarted. We will all look forward to hearing how your alternative plans turn out.

 

Hello all from Central FL.

We received our booster shots a few weeks ago. So that is good. Plus the performing arts are finding avenues to come back. So that is good for our business. We are seeing some light, for sure!

We still have our short cruise planned on another line for the new year… looking forward to it.
Unfortunately we did cancel our Cunard voyage for 2022… and we did not make the decision lightly. It’s a big anniversary trip… and frankly we just are wanting to be able to enjoy planning our anniversary trip instead of worrying. If our plans had been just a Cunard cruise with ports… then it would have been fine. We would have just figured out the protocols and done them. BUT… our grand plan had been cross on Cunard (on the QE transatlantic from FL with ports in Bermuda, Funchal, Cadiz, and then to Barcelona) and then trek around the continent (as we have done before in our travels… hopping from country to country).
I hope that things will eventually return to our grand wanderlust being fulfilled again… but there are just still too many variables from country to country… it just does not give us confidence.

So… we sat down last weekend and had a heart to heart about it all.

We decided to do a road trip here in the states instead for our anniversary (seeing some of the National Parks we have not seen yet)… and to promise ourselves that we owe ourselves a Cunard voyage down the line.

I cannot wait until the world rights itself more and we can join another beloved Cunard voyage with ease… I have a gorgeous icy silver gown I bought for our pandemic-cancelled Cunard to Alaska 2020 voyage… it is screaming in the closet to me that it must be worn one day!!!!

 

We are probably on the Cunard cruise that you cancelled. Is it the Aug. TA cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Barcelona? We plan to cruise for 27 days returning from Barcelona beginning of Sept. Friends of ours will also be joining us so I hope it is a go. Final payment is not due till April, so I feel we should have a good feel about how things are by  then.

[naturelovergirl]

2 hours ago, LewiLewi said:

Is it the Aug. TA cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Barcelona? 

Yes it sure was… a fabulous voyage itinerary.

We absolutely loved the idea of it!

Bet you will have a fantastic time! 
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