QA British Isles Voyage

[Mareblu]

1 minute ago, NE John said:

I knew there was a second CC’er who also mastered the Illy!

And didn’t you mention your Italian DW would also be able to converse with the machine?

[NE John]

7 minutes ago, Mareblu said:

An afterthought @WantedOnVoyage:  perhaps you simply need a good Italian caffe, to restore the positivity and happy disposition I’m convinced lurks neglected within😊

To be fair, @WantedOnVoyagewas very complimentary on a recent QV voyage and one day I’d like to sail on Queen Vic too. 
 

 

Edited June 3 by NE John

[NE John]

2 minutes ago, Mareblu said:

And didn’t you mention your Italian DW would also be able to converse with the machine?

Yes, that’s the trick. I’m not sure it was a two way conversation though?

[WantedOnVoyage]

I speak enough Italian, including all the "right" phrases learned in Arthur Ave., The Bronx, and still can't make more than a cm of cold black sludge with the darned thing.   

 

The one in our cabin on QV appeared never to have been used so word is spreading....

 

And my cheerful dispostion was enhanced by the appearance, for no discernable reason, of a split of... Pol Acker.... in our cabin.  

 

All is good aboard QUEEN VICTORIA......

[Megabear2]

A taste of the night.

[lancashire_cruisers]

3 hours ago, NE John said:

I certainly hope the ceremony for Cunard’s 250th vessel has a better image than this:

 

Thank you for photo credit and great coverage to @Megabear2

I believe those performers are from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, a place I know very well. The youngsters who attend are a talented, enthusiastic and well mannered group who do our city and the Institute’s founder Sir Paul McCartney proud. 

[NE John]

2 hours ago, lancashire_cruisers said:

I believe those performers are from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, a place I know very well. The youngsters who attend are a talented, enthusiastic and well mannered group who do our city and the Institute’s founder Sir Paul McCartney proud. 

Apologies if I came across as judgmental towards the youth performers (as I was a member of both my high school and college marching bands and orchestra) this event must have been thrilling for them and they surely had a great time. 
I do question the adults in charge for dressing them in baggy jeans presenting them with a sloppy look for a Cunard ship naming celebration with Andrea Boccelli as a headliner. 

[Froxfield]

From this distance the whole ceremony looks a bit "ho, hum, so what.....". But then I have always considered the whole ship's "godmother" thing a bit of pleasant nonsense and nothing to get worked up over. I hope those involved and attending had the experience they wanted. That is all that matters.

Does QA look like a block os flats/containers? Possibly, but then do most cruise ships. I have become accustomed to this and, within the applicable parameters, I think QA looks more than acceptable. I am very much looking forward to our first cruise on her.

[JeanieC,Aston]

Great photos Megabear.

For information for those wondering why one of the buildings is lit up in red….

Its the Cunard Building.

[exlondoner]

50 minutes ago, Froxfield said:

From this distance the whole ceremony looks a bit "ho, hum, so what.....". But then I have always considered the whole ship's "godmother" thing a bit of pleasant nonsense and nothing to get worked up over. I hope those involved and attending had the experience they wanted. That is all that matters.

Does QA look like a block os flats/containers? Possibly, but then do most cruise ships. I have become accustomed to this and, within the applicable parameters, I think QA looks more than acceptable. I am very much looking forward to our first cruise on her.

We were once berthed at Piraeus, along with lots of other cruise ships and ferries. I remember thinking how much they looked like blocks of flats - which they did. It gradually dawned on me however, that quite a lot of the things I could see actually were blocks of flats. Hmmm.

[Cruise Puss]

50 minutes ago, Froxfield said:

From this distance the whole ceremony looks a bit "ho, hum, so what.....". But then I have always considered the whole ship's "godmother" thing a bit of pleasant nonsense and nothing to get worked up over. I hope those involved and attending had the experience they wanted. That is all that matters.

Does QA look like a block os flats/containers? Possibly, but then do most cruise ships. I have become accustomed to this and, within the applicable parameters, I think QA looks more than acceptable. I am very much looking forward to our first cruise on her.

I agree with you. 😊 I don't think she looks that bad. 

My Husband and I are very much looking forward to our cruise on her in August.

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the cruise. 😊

[Mareblu]

9 hours ago, NE John said:

Apologies if I came across as judgmental towards the youth performers (as I was a member of both my high school and college marching bands and orchestra) this event must have been thrilling for them and they surely had a great time. 
I do question the adults in charge for dressing them in baggy jeans presenting them with a sloppy look for a Cunard ship naming celebration with Andrea Boccelli as a headliner. 

Andrea always has enough dress sense to cover for everyone.  

[Victoria2]

53 minutes ago, Mareblu said:

Andrea always has enough dress sense to cover for everyone.  

Absolutely. Elegance personified counters the edgy look of youth.

 

Cunard want different with Queen Anne? They got and gave different yesterday.

 

'This is Cunard and we're not stuffy'!

 

Well done Cunard for giving a great look in line with the new ship.

 

 

Edited June 4 by Victoria2

[WantedOnVoyage]

Oh my... you have me itching to dress up in my extra slim fit black Next suit and not wear socks today.  

 

"Edgy look of youth..."

 

I love it. 

[Megabear2]

Well the mood on here is very down.  Virtually everyone I've spoken to today is moaning about something!  Very tiring after the long day and night just past.

 

After being up from 5.00am yesterday to see the sail in, wandering the steets of Liverpool, being escorted round a fascinating vessel called The Danny and then standing through the ceremony and back onboard at 8.25pm I'm not really in the mood for all the doom and gloom so have retired with a good book to a chair away from everyone after watching the lovely Celia Imrie In the theatre.

 

My opinion only. The send-off was lovely, the people of Liverpool very welcoming and I didn’t go to bed until 2.00am so the party must have been good.

 

A large number were enjoying the Pavillion, still going strong at 11.30pm when I decanted to The Bright Lights with my table companions.  We enjoyed the day enormously and no matter what you make of some of the decisions it was a unique and memorable occasion that I for one am very glad I had the opportunity to enjoy. 

 

I've even made a new friend, a lady I met ashore last night who does three jobs as a cleaner and bar person who wanted to know all about cruise ships and travelling around the world seeing sites she said she could only dream of.  She's 73 and our conversations made me appreciate even more how very lucky I am to be travelling on this lovely ship no matter who her Godparent is or how she compares to her predecessors. It very humbling to receive profuse thanks for something as simple as a handful of photographs of the occasion.

 

 

[exlondoner]

7 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Well the mood on here is very down.  Virtually everyone I've spoken to today is moaning about something!  Very tiring after the long day and night just past.

 

After being up from 5.00am yesterday to see the sail in, wandering the steets of Liverpool, being escorted round a fascinating vessel called The Danny and then standing through the ceremony and back onboard at 8.25pm I'm not really in the mood for all the doom and gloom so have retired with a good book to a chair away from everyone after watching the lovely Celia Imrie In the theatre.

 

My opinion only. The send-off was lovely, the people of Liverpool very welcoming and I didn’t go to bed until 2.00am so the party must have been good.

 

A large number were enjoying the Pavillion, still going strong at 11.30pm when I decanted to The Bright Lights with my table companions.  We enjoyed the day enormously and no matter what you make of some of the decisions it was a unique and memorable occasion that I for one am very glad I had the opportunity to enjoy. 

 

I've even made a new friend, a lady I met ashore last night who does three jobs as a cleaner and bar person who wanted to know all about cruise ships and travelling around the world seeing sites she said she could only dream of.  She's 73 and our conversations made me appreciate even more how very lucky I am to be travelling on this lovely ship no matter who her Godparent is or how she compares to her predecessors. It very humbling to receive profuse thanks for something as simple as a handful of photographs of the occasion.

 

 

I must say that, as a group, Cunard passengers seem to me to include a rather high percentage of people who are looking for something to moan about, as is evident from some of the reviews.

 

What could there be not to enjoy yesterday (unless of course one were trying to watch from the Grills Lounge😀😀)? Even the weather seems to have been cooperative.

 

Did you get a nice celebratory meal?

[Victoria2]

Megabear2 you are a breath of fresh air.

 

It's very fashionable to moan, sad but true and some Cunard passengers do seem to enjoy moaning even when booking their next Cunard cruise.

 

Change can confuse and can be difficult to digest and I think yesterday gave some dyed in the wool Cunard traditionalists a lot to think about. I'.m a sort of traditionalist as I love Cunard as it is as well as what it was when we first joined the family in 2011, but I will also get to like Cunard as it evolves and the day it evolves too much, we won't moan, we'll just cancel future sailings. Happily, I can't see that happening any time soon.

 

 

[Selbourne]

11 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Well the mood on here is very down.  Virtually everyone I've spoken to today is moaning about something!  Very tiring after the long day and night just past.

 

After being up from 5.00am yesterday to see the sail in, wandering the steets of Liverpool, being escorted round a fascinating vessel called The Danny and then standing through the ceremony and back onboard at 8.25pm I'm not really in the mood for all the doom and gloom so have retired with a good book to a chair away from everyone after watching the lovely Celia Imrie In the theatre.

 

My opinion only. The send-off was lovely, the people of Liverpool very welcoming and I didn’t go to bed until 2.00am so the party must have been good.

 

A large number were enjoying the Pavillion, still going strong at 11.30pm when I decanted to The Bright Lights with my table companions.  We enjoyed the day enormously and no matter what you make of some of the decisions it was a unique and memorable occasion that I for one am very glad I had the opportunity to enjoy. 

 

I've even made a new friend, a lady I met ashore last night who does three jobs as a cleaner and bar person who wanted to know all about cruise ships and travelling around the world seeing sites she said she could only dream of.  She's 73 and our conversations made me appreciate even more how very lucky I am to be travelling on this lovely ship no matter who her Godparent is or how she compares to her predecessors. It very humbling to receive profuse thanks for something as simple as a handful of photographs of the occasion.

 

 

Perhaps you’ve been unlucky MB. We’ve not encountered any of that. Thought of you this morning when I went to the Pursers desk to get some envelopes for end of cruise tips. There was a couple sat nearby with an officer. Both wearing face masks. I wondered if it was the offending couple from yesterday. 

[david63]

4 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Cunard passengers seem to me to include a rather high percentage of people who are looking for something to moan about

Not just Cunard but all cruise lines😉

Edited June 4 by david63

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

Oh my... you have me itching to dress up in my extra slim fit black Next suit and not wear socks today.  

 

"Edgy look of youth..."

 

I love it. 

I hope you wore the trousers in the bath to get that extra. extra slim look! 😀

[Selbourne]

5 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I must say that, as a group, Cunard passengers seem to me to include a rather high percentage of people who are looking for something to moan about, as is evident from some of the reviews.

 

What could there be not to enjoy yesterday (unless of course one were trying to watch from the Grills Lounge😀😀)? Even the weather seems to have been cooperative.

 

Did you get a nice celebratory meal?

We’ve heard a lot of people saying that they prefer QV and QE but not necessarily in a complaining way. We can’t offer any view having not been on either. 
 

Conversely, as with any cruise line, there are also those who wear rose tinted spectacles when it comes to their beloved cruise line and are incapable of acknowledging shortcomings, so it can work both ways. 
 

We have a naming gala dinner this evening. I just asked to see the menu in case we wanted anything a la carte but it’s still being finalised apparently. 

[Megabear2]

1 minute ago, exlondoner said:

I must say that, as a group, Cunard passengers seem to me to include a rather high percentage of people who are looking for something to moan about, as is evident from some of the reviews.

 

What could there be not to enjoy yesterday (unless of course one were trying to watch from the Grills Lounge😀😀)? Even the weather seems to have been cooperative.

 

Did you get a nice celebratory meal?

We have the meal this evening which is to be based on British food.  Hopefully it will be very good.

 

One of the gripes today is that the guests in the seated area all left with a Queen Anne goodie bag.  The passengers had a copy of the souvenir programme but nothing to mark the occasion apart from this.  The remainder of upset revolves around no Royal and the five ladies who operated the switch.  I find both very amusing but particularly the grumble about.no gift.  Clearly the Liverpool naming was intended to be a marketing campaign as much as anything else. 

 

It would be hard for me to complain due to.my bargain basement fare but really and truly yesterday is not something to have a major problem with.

[S1971]

13 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Well the mood on here is very down.  Virtually everyone I've spoken to today is moaning about something!  Very tiring after the long day and night just past.

 

After being up from 5.00am yesterday to see the sail in, wandering the steets of Liverpool, being escorted round a fascinating vessel called The Danny and then standing through the ceremony and back onboard at 8.25pm I'm not really in the mood for all the doom and gloom so have retired with a good book to a chair away from everyone after watching the lovely Celia Imrie In the theatre.

 

My opinion only. The send-off was lovely, the people of Liverpool very welcoming and I didn’t go to bed until 2.00am so the party must have been good.

 

A large number were enjoying the Pavillion, still going strong at 11.30pm when I decanted to The Bright Lights with my table companions.  We enjoyed the day enormously and no matter what you make of some of the decisions it was a unique and memorable occasion that I for one am very glad I had the opportunity to enjoy. 

 

I've even made a new friend, a lady I met ashore last night who does three jobs as a cleaner and bar person who wanted to know all about cruise ships and travelling around the world seeing sites she said she could only dream of.  She's 73 and our conversations made me appreciate even more how very lucky I am to be travelling on this lovely ship no matter who her Godparent is or how she compares to her predecessors. It very humbling to receive profuse thanks for something as simple as a handful of photographs of the occasion.

 

 

 

A shame that the mood seems to be low onboard the moment, but I guess after yesterday's long day and festivities it is inevitable there would be a come down.

 

With regards to your postings and photos, they've given us onlookers a real insight on what it is like on a special one off cruise, it also assists those getting ready to board in the near future, the thanks and applause are well deserved, alongside Selbourne it's been lovely to see and read about your experiences. 

 

[Selbourne]

2 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

We have the meal this evening which is to be based on British food.  Hopefully it will be very good.

 

One of the gripes today is that the guests in the seated area all left with a Queen Anne goodie bag.  The passengers had a copy of the souvenir programme but nothing to mark the occasion apart from this.  The remainder of upset revolves around no Royal and the five ladies who operated the switch.  I find both very amusing but particularly the grumble about.no gift.  Clearly the Liverpool naming was intended to be a marketing campaign as much as anything else. 

 

It would be hard for me to complain due to.my bargain basement fare but really and truly yesterday is not something to have a major problem with.

Well we paid top dollar and didn’t expect a gift, although the souvenir programme was sort of one!

[exlondoner]

What I haven’t really figured out is what there that makes people say QA is so different from the other Cunarders?