Sunbed reservation wars spreads.

[PORT ROYAL]

1 hour ago, Victoria2 said:

Similarly fine, is a black dinner suit with a dress shirt and bow tie.

 

I think dressing for a state banquet is a little OTT even for Cunard. I think the correct corresponding dress for a female companion eg full skirted Ball gown would be a bzzzzr to pack!! 😄

When often taken by DW, a separate large suitcase is utilised, then packing of the item is so easy……Simples👌

If flying, and taking suitcases over the seating grade luggage allowance, then just pay for any additional suitcases.

One’s perceived problem is now resolved.

[Victoria2]

4 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

When often taken by DW, a separate large suitcase is utilised, then packing of the item is so easy……Simples👌

If flying, and taking suitcases over the seating grade luggage allowance, then just pay for any additional suitcases.

One’s perceived problem is now resolved.

One's perceived problem doesn't exist as one wouldn't dream of packing the one and only ball gown one has left

a] because it's not required

b] because it's far too expensive to risk

c] one's lovely long evening dresses are more than up to a Cunard Formal evening

 

Non existent problem solved! 😄

[exlondoner]

45 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

One's perceived problem doesn't exist as one wouldn't dream of packing the one and only ball gown one has left

a] because it's not required

b] because it's far too expensive to risk

c] one's lovely long evening dresses are more than up to a Cunard Formal evening

 

Non existent problem solved! 😄

Anyway, given the proximity of some of the tables in the restaurants, anyone wearing such a dress might well be wedged for some time.

[PORT ROYAL]

51 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

One's perceived problem doesn't exist as one wouldn't dream of packing the one and only ball gown one has left

a] because it's not required

b] because it's far too expensive to risk

c] one's lovely long evening dresses are more than up to a Cunard Formal evening

 

Non existent problem solved! 😄

Only one left… No age given… All others not replaced… fully understand now.

[Victoria2]

3 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

Only one left… No age given… All others not replaced… fully understand now.

 

The fact one couldn't fit into two of the Ball dresses one had hanging in one's wardrobe has, of course, nothing to do with it!! 😁

 

So only one left for the simple reason one has stopped going to as many Balls [or any post Covid 🙂]. In fact, the last time one had a 'tails' do was a wedding and that was obviously Morning Dress. A  Ball gown would have been so inappropriate, don't you think?

 

Plus one has no intention of spending £xxxx on a dress one will wear once in a Blue Moon and if that when one has a perfectly adequate gown already.

One has better things to do with one's hard earned cash, on ohhh let's see...putting it towards our Q1 bookings on Cunard ships could be a start!

 

So sadly, one is part of the [very] infrequent Ball goers. Hope Cunard won't hold it against one!🙁
 

 

 

 

[Clewgarnet]

One must also bear in mind that overdressing for an event is just as non-U as underdressing.

[Windsurfboy]

Not sure how this drifted from Sunbed wars to ball gowns. 

 

Back  to sunbed wars, if this is happening on Cunard,  then surely things have changed. 

 

Sunbed wars have been a hot topic on P&O since new mega ships, but not on smaller ships. 

 

 

[King Amo]

Bagging loungers and seats (particularly in advance of afternoon tea) has happened on every Cunard cruise or crossing I've been on. It isn't a new phenomenon, and isn't any more or less prevalent on P&O. It's annoying, inconsiderate and greedy, and always has been. 

[WantedOnVoyage]

Of course, it was, like most everything else, more civilised and non confrontational when one hired a deck chair for the crossing or cruise. It was yours. And no one else's.  Oldtimers will remember this on QE2 and the redoubtable Dennis Dawson, the First Class deck steward. Every morning, your chair with cushion and rug was all laid out... for you. No "saving", no confrontations. 

 

Today, we are supposed to think "freestyle" everything is better... it says so in the brochure, no?

Edited July 30 by WantedOnVoyage

[exlondoner]

14 minutes ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

Of course, it was, like most everything else, more civilised and non confrontational when one hired a deck chair for the crossing or cruise. It was yours. And no one else's.  Oldtimers will remember this on QE2 and the redoubtable Dennis Dawson, the First Class deck steward. Every morning, your chair with cushion and rug was all laid out... for you. No "saving", no confrontations. 

 

Today, we are supposed to think "freestyle" everything is better... it says so in the brochure, no?

Well, it was in fact saved, but officially and for a price. And of course, there was so much more need, because there were no, then very few, balcony cabins

[WantedOnVoyage]

No... it was reserved. Not "saved" or hoarded. I think you appreciate the difference.

[exlondoner]

10 minutes ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

No... it was reserved. Not "saved" or hoarded. I think you appreciate the difference.

Not really, I’m very stupid, but they seem the same to me.

[Victoria2]

54 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Not really, I’m very stupid, but they seem the same to me.

Better let OUP know as they obviously have an inaccurate synonym in their thesaurus. Ooops!
🙁

[devolve]

On board now. Sun beds are reserved for hours, often only returning to take the towel off!!, and there are not so many beds in the first place.

Also on a side note Cunard free internet for world club members is $24 not $18 if you  want it by the 24 hours, another cut back.
 

[3rdGenCunarder]

3 minutes ago, devolve said:

On board now. Sun beds are reserved for hours, often only returning to take the towel off!!, and there are not so many beds in the first place.

Also on a side note Cunard free internet for world club members is $24 not $18 if you  want it by the 24 hours, another cut back.
 

 

I thought there was always a higher per diem if you bought one day at a time. Certainly in recent years. 

 

 

[lindylooellalouise]

Back to sun bed wars we overheard a couples chatter to their dinner companions that as they couldn’t find an available sun bed at the aft pool on Queen Anne because they were either booked or taken they decided as there was an amazing amount of spares on the grills deck that had very easy access to,decided to spend the afternoon up there and use the whirlpool also,they had a fabulous time and suggested their companions keep it to themselves because everyone would be up there.

Edited July 30 by lindylooellalouise
Spelling

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 hours ago, King Amo said:

Bagging loungers and seats (particularly in advance of afternoon tea) has happened on every Cunard cruise or crossing I've been on. It isn't a new phenomenon, and isn't any more or less prevalent on P&O. It's annoying, inconsiderate and greedy, and always has been. 

 

It gets bad by the midship pool on HAL. The ultimate in chutzpah was names on the towels!

 

[WantedOnVoyage]

What I like is how thought out the "presentation" is... the sun hat adds an elegent touch to be sure. I would prefer something slightly less contrived personally but being "Dutch", Holland America likes a more ordered approach. 

 

Oh, well, "freedom" dining plate plonking, sunbed wars, jumpers on chairs in lounges, cafeteria table squatters and grill deck interlopers is the stuff of modern cruising and QUEEN ANNE its latest exemplar.  Time will tell if she discourages or enables more of it. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 hours ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

Of course, it was, like most everything else, more civilised and non confrontational when one hired a deck chair for the crossing or cruise. It was yours. And no one else's.  Oldtimers will remember this on QE2 and the redoubtable Dennis Dawson, the First Class deck steward. Every morning, your chair with cushion and rug was all laid out... for you. No "saving", no confrontations. 

 

Today, we are supposed to think "freestyle" everything is better... it says so in the brochure, no?

 

Dennis!!! I don't like thinking of myself as an "oldtimer," but I do remember Dennis. Grumpy, but somehow, loveable. It was no longer a first-class deck, but available to anyone for a small fee. I remember the cushions--Dennis always said if he ever wrote a memoir of his time on QE2, he would call it "The Blue Cushion." And lap rugs, and elevenses, and afternoon tea, served in a proper teapot, tray brought to the little table by your chair. Sigh. 

 

2 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Well, it was in fact saved, but officially and for a price. And of course, there was so much more need, because there were no, then very few, balcony cabins

 

Yes, it was saved, but you paid for the privilege. Definitely worth it! The last time we reserved chairs I believe we paid $17 for the entire 10 or 12 days. That was just before QM2 took over transatlantics and they changed QE2 to more of a "cruise ship," taking away the reserving of chairs and adding a jacket potato station. 🙄

[3rdGenCunarder]

11 minutes ago, lindylooellalouise said:

Back to sun bed wars we overheard a couples chatter to their dinner companions that as they couldn’t find an available sun bed at the aft pool on Queen Anne because they were either booked or taken they decided as there was an amazing amount of spares on the grills deck and had very easy access to decided to spend the afternoon up there and used the whirlpool as well,they had a fabulous time and suggested their companions keep it to themselves because everyone would be up there.

 

I think that's going to be an increasing problem on QA as word gets around. When I was on QA in May, a lot of people walked through to get from forward areas to aft areas, but they didn't stay. Given the lack of stewards in the area, there's nobody to know if you are in the grills or not.

[exlondoner]

4 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Dennis!!! I don't like thinking of myself as an "oldtimer," but I do remember Dennis. Grumpy, but somehow, loveable. It was no longer a first-class deck, but available to anyone for a small fee. I remember the cushions--Dennis always said if he ever wrote a memoir of his time on QE2, he would call it "The Blue Cushion." And lap rugs, and elevenses, and afternoon tea, served in a proper teapot, tray brought to the little table by your chair. Sigh. 

 

I know you go back further than me, but I don’t remember this being something I knew was available on our first crossing in 1997, nor can find any mention of it in the daily programme. So either it finished earlier than 2004, or it was another one of those irritating things you had to know about to know about.

[lindylooellalouise]

2 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I think that's going to be an increasing problem on QA as word gets around. When I was on QA in May, a lot of people walked through to get from forward areas to aft areas, but they didn't stay. Given the lack of stewards in the area, there's nobody to know if you are in the grills or not.

I think it’s going to happen an awful lot, the signage outside the grills deck is very small and only states that the area is reserved for grills only passengers  some people could inadvertently enter and use the facilities.

[Winifred 22]

19 minutes ago, devolve said:

On board now. Sun beds are reserved for hours, often only returning to take the towel off!!, and there are not so many beds in the first place.

Also on a side note Cunard free internet for world club members is $24 not $18 if you  want it by the 24 hours, another cut back.
 

Been like that for a while. I think it’s good value didn’t buy until day 2 and after W C discount about $100 dollars for 2 weeks suits me. Connectivity seems better  and don’t have to keep logging in as before. On aft deck pool area only a few with towels on and all others occupied and have been all day not obvious signs of people just reserving and going off. I was out just before 10 and there were plenty available. 

[WantedOnVoyage]

7 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Dennis!!! I don't like thinking of myself as an "oldtimer," but I do remember Dennis. Grumpy, but somehow, loveable. It was no longer a first-class deck, but available to anyone for a small fee. I remember the cushions--Dennis always said if he ever wrote a memoir of his time on QE2, he would call it "The Blue Cushion." And lap rugs, and elevenses, and afternoon tea, served in a proper teapot, tray brought to the little table by your chair. Sigh.

Sigh indeed.... Dennis was the last of the Old School Cunard crewmembers. With the wrinkles and mahogany skin complexion of a real deck steward.  And the most wonderfully outrageous "Dennis Tall Tales". He spoilt us rotten on our honeymoon and my wife just loved him. We met Dennis for the last time, in civvies, aboard QE2 in Southampton when he was just visiting some old shipmates.  Like so many oldtime stewards, he opened a pub in Hampshire. So none of those tall tales to go to waste even in his dotage.  

 

BTW, he unzipped one of those blue cushions for me and showed me what was underneath: the original zig-zag cushions from... QUEEN MARY! As were her steamer rugs, too. 

[Victoria2]

2 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I think that's going to be an increasing problem on QA as word gets around. When I was on QA in May, a lot of people walked through to get from forward areas to aft areas, but they didn't stay. Given the lack of stewards in the area, there's nobody to know if you are in the grills or not.

The redoubtable Joy, Grills Concierge, par excellence, who now sadly for QA but happily for her, is now with QM2 and with officer status, patrolled deck 11 and had an uncanny sense of who wasn't Grills.

 

I can't see any locks being added to deck 11 gates, so maybe the old Grills symbol on cruise cards might be useful again. Of course that's supposing deck staff have the authority and are willing to exercise that authority in asking for cards and removing those not entitled to be there.

 

Passengers have been known to throw tantrums [as happened on our 10th May cruise] when asked to do something they don't want to do and I don't envy the staff at the sharp end trying to sort 'things' out.