Queen Elizabeth Position

[WoorimBeachLady]

16 hours ago, LittleFish1976 said:

Were Cunard able to give you anti-virals and antibiotics or whatever else you needed? I hope you're recovered now. That sounds very difficult.

Yes to all. As I say, they were wonderful. (Anti viral medication including Dr consultation $900 US FYI.) it’s a risk we take when we travel.

[Flickit]

Almost ready to go:

[alibabacruisers]

We are happy to be home after 8 days in Barcelona and 34 days on QE.  There was quite a bit of coughing most of the cruise with people still not covering their coughs, not using the hand sanitizer and blaming everyone else.  Early on we almost were not going to be allowed without masks at one port (forgot which one) because of covid cases, but then they changed their minds...hmmm.  Luckily, we did not get sick and are still ok.  

 

I hope you are doing well woorimbeachlady.

[LittleFish1976]

On 12/3/2023 at 4:18 PM, WoorimBeachLady said:

Yes to all. As I say, they were wonderful. (Anti viral medication including Dr consultation $900 US FYI.) it’s a risk we take when we travel.

So glad to hear they had the required medication at the ready. There are certain expenses you just have to factor in when you travel and unfortunately this is now one of them.

[LittleFish1976]

38 minutes ago, alibabacruisers said:

We are happy to be home after 8 days in Barcelona and 34 days on QE.  There was quite a bit of coughing most of the cruise with people still not covering their coughs, not using the hand sanitizer and blaming everyone else.  Early on we almost were not going to be allowed without masks at one port (forgot which one) because of covid cases, but then they changed their minds...hmmm.  Luckily, we did not get sick and are still ok.  

 

I hope you are doing well woorimbeachlady.

 

Sounds like you were very lucky (or diligent enough) to avoid becoming ill. I was on QE earlier this year when the captain had to insist everyone take to wearing masks after over a week on board and a growing number of cases. I'm an N95-er at all times so was okay, as per on the Grand Princess recently. The coughing in the dining room was becoming quite the symphony towards the end of our short cruise.

[sfred]

1 hour ago, alibabacruisers said:

We are happy to be home after 8 days in Barcelona and 34 days on QE.  There was quite a bit of coughing most of the cruise with people still not covering their coughs, not using the hand sanitizer and blaming everyone else.  Early on we almost were not going to be allowed without masks at one port (forgot which one) because of covid cases, but then they changed their minds...hmmm.  Luckily, we did not get sick and are still ok.  

 

I hope you are doing well woorimbeachlady.

 

Welcome home to Australia, @alibabacruisers!  Glad you had a nice voyage.

 

Mrs sfred and I were also lucky to get off QE in Barcelona after 36 nights as healthy as when we stepped on.  We didn't notice as many health issues amongst the passengers during our voyage.  We took the usual precautions in ports and on the ship, and also maintained anti-malaria precautions of insect repellent and preventative doses of gin and tonic (🙂).  Perhaps the G&Ts worked on covid too?

 

Where/when is your next Cunard adventure?  Disembarking and returning to home life seems a little easier when there's a future voyage to look forward to.

[SedNabokos]

18 hours ago, alibabacruisers said:

Early on we almost were not going to be allowed without masks at one port (forgot which one) because of covid cases, but then they changed their minds

That was Salalah, Oman.

 

Oman also had the requirement that everybody wears masks on-board for the day, even if staying on board all day.  But the mask requirement was dropped completely at the last minute.

 

I think most people on board got the dreaded "Cunard cough" and as you said it was horrifying to see how few people bothered to cover their mouth.

 

On the plus side I was amazed at how many people washed their hands after using the toilets.  It makes a nice change from being horrified (on HAL) at the number of gents that don't bother, so I always make sure to use a paper towel to open the door.

[Flickit]

MDR Dinner view in the Tasman Sea off the south coast of NZ last night.

[Flickit]

Welcome to Wellington NZ.

[Flickit]

Just departed Wellington NZ.. I LOVE the MDR window tables 😄

[Flickit]

Tauranga - Mount Maunganui today.

[sfred]

36 minutes ago, Flickit said:

Tauranga - Mount Maunganui today.

 

Thanks much for your photo updates, @Flickit.  Appreciate you sharing your adventures.  It looks like your weather has been a bit hazy/stormy.  Or is it just my eyesight getting fuzzier with age?

 

A little over two months to go for us to be back on QE again.  Counting the days!

[alibabacruisers]

On 12/4/2023 at 6:10 PM, sfred said:

 

Welcome home to Australia, @alibabacruisers!  Glad you had a nice voyage.

 

Mrs sfred and I were also lucky to get off QE in Barcelona after 36 nights as healthy as when we stepped on.  We didn't notice as many health issues amongst the passengers during our voyage.  We took the usual precautions in ports and on the ship, and also maintained anti-malaria precautions of insect repellent and preventative doses of gin and tonic (🙂).  Perhaps the G&Ts worked on covid too?

 

Where/when is your next Cunard adventure?  Disembarking and returning to home life seems a little easier when there's a future voyage to look forward to.

Thanks sfred!  I also was healthy for the cruise but husband had a little bit of cough towards the end, but was ok. That is interesting about the anti-malarial precautions vs insect repellent.  Still have never tried G&T, but maybe next cruise.

 

We have booked QV for 2025 South America and also QM2 2025 Fjords, both for my hopefully impending retirement 😉  How about you?  What is coming up for you?

[Flickit]

3 minutes ago, sfred said:

 

Thanks much for your photo updates, @Flickit.  Appreciate you sharing your adventures.  It looks like your weather has been a bit hazy/stormy.  Or is it just my eyesight getting fuzzier with age?

 

A little over two months to go for us to be back on QE again.  Counting the days!

There's been occasional drizzle this morning, it looks like it might clear up a bit later, at least there's no wind today.. The weather for the whole trip has been a little up and down, but not too bad, about what you expect from NZ, lol.. 

[sfred]

13 minutes ago, alibabacruisers said:

Thanks sfred!  I also was healthy for the cruise but husband had a little bit of cough towards the end, but was ok. That is interesting about the anti-malarial precautions vs insect repellent.  Still have never tried G&T, but maybe next cruise.

 

We have booked QV for 2025 South America and also QM2 2025 Fjords, both for my hopefully impending retirement 😉  How about you?  What is coming up for you?

 

Because of our Panama transit on our voyage, we were especially concerned about malaria.  So much so that we took a preventative dose of G&T almost every day.  It seemed the least we could do to maintain health. 🙂

 

Your future voyages sound wonderful.  Best wishes!  We loved our QV trip from Rio to Santiago in February 2020.  We got home to Brisbane just a week or so before Australia's borders closed for the duration of covid.

 

We're back on QE in February for a Sydney to South Pacific trip, and also a short QM2 trip in May Southampton-Hamburg-Southampton, conveniently adjacent to a work trip to London.  Counting the days to February!

[Flickit]

QE in Hobart today & tomorrow: 

https://www.transport.tas.gov.au/managing_the_roads/trafficcameras/traffic_camera_-_abc_round-a-bout4

(My homeport, wish I was still onboard)

 

Edited December 18, 2023 by Flickit

[bluemarble]

QE is in New Plymouth, New Zealand today. I posted a similar image on the "Where in the World?" thread. Now that that's been identified, I'll post another image here. This is from the "Chimney North-East View" webcam found on the Primo website at "primo.nz/info/primo-webcams".

As far as I know, this is the first time any Cunard ship has called at New Plymouth.

 

[sfred]

Here's another New Plymouth webcam of QE's departure this evening.  By the time of the next refresh, she was out of view.

 

[bluemarble]

QE's first arrival at Sydney this season. Always a great view from the webcam at "webcamsydney.com" even if it's not quite sunrise and things look a bit damp in this capture.

 

[sfred]

Yes, a rather wet morning in Sydney for QE's passengers and crew, and the forecast is for much the same all day.  Current weather radar shown below.  Sydney is in the centre.

 

Edited January 14 by sfred

[NE John]

1 hour ago, bluemarble said:

QE's first arrival at Sydney this season. Always a great view from the webcam at "webcamsydney.com" even if it's not quite sunrise and things look a bit damp in this capture.

 

What a great benefit for QE to dock right in the center of town. 
Can larger/mega cruise ships dock so close or do they have to tender?

[bluemarble]

1 hour ago, NE John said:

What a great benefit for QE to dock right in the center of town. 
Can larger/mega cruise ships dock so close or do they have to tender?

 

QM2 has docked there (at Sydney's Overseas Passenger Terminal). Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas which qualifies as a "mega" cruise ship has also docked there.

[sfred]

1 hour ago, NE John said:

What a great benefit for QE to dock right in the center of town. 
Can larger/mega cruise ships dock so close or do they have to tender?

 

33 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

QM2 has docked there (at Sydney's Overseas Passenger Terminal). Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas which qualifies as a "mega" cruise ship has also docked there.

 

As @bluemarble says, the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal (OPT) is a very capable berth for its location right in the city.  Maximum beam and length is 50m x 375m.  For comparison, QM2's beam at waterline is 41m and length is 345m. 

 

Alternatives for any ship unable to dock at the OPT either because of size or occupancy (OPT is only the single berth) are Athol buoy (500m radius) which requires tendering to the OPT, Woolloomooloo at the Navy's Garden Island facility, or White Bay Cruise Terminal on the other side of the Sydney Harbour bridge.  While White Bay can accommodate ships up to 35m by 333m, the major limitation is fitting under the bridge clearance of 49m.  QE's air draft is 56.6m.  There was talk pre-covid of building an additional cruise terminal in Botany Bay, near the airport, but that scheme seems to have been scrapped. 

 

 

Edited January 14 by sfred

[sfred]

QE is in Port Lincoln, South Australia today.  A maiden call, it is part of a rescheduled southern itinerary to avoid Typhoon Kirrily in northern Queensland.  @bluemarble reported on the change in this other CC thread:

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2986639-qe-itinerary-change/?do=getNewComment

 

 

Unfortunately I can't find a webcam showing QE in port.  Is anyone onboard at the moment who can contribute a photo to our "Where in the World" game?  Port Lincoln is an unseen port in the game.

 

I did find a Port Lincoln webcam that broadcasts live views of an osprey nest. 
on a barge at the entrance to the Lincoln Cover Marina in Porter Bay.  But while the camera does show an endangered osprey bird, it does not show QE.

 

[LincolnLegend]

@sfred I think I can help with that, the following are a near and a far shot of the Queen Elizabeth docked at the grain wharf in Port Lincoln