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HelloKittysMum

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Posts posted by HelloKittysMum

    A hanging thread - QM2

    in Cunard Line

    Posted

    I am not a light packer so for an eight night crossing I will typically take 10 dresses for evening. This year we are doing westbound and disembarking in NY while my parents are doing round trip so I plan to leave all the formal wear on the ship with them to bring home so we can fill empty suitcases with shopping. Exchange rate isn't what it was (I remember a couple of years ago being distressed it was below 1.50 to the pound (after getting 1.70 the previous summer) and look at it now) but there are some American brands that fit my 18 year old very slim (skinny) son so we will be stocking up on jeans and shirts.

     

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    Cunard Drinks Prices

    in Cunard Line

    Posted

    Thanks Pennbank. I hadn't realised that you could take more than just a couple of bottles of wine on so that is interesting.

     

    Truth is though that we prefer to sit with others in the bars/lounges and do a bit of people watching. We can drink alone at home any time.

     

     

    I must admit that, for the first time ever, we attended two cocktails parties specifically for the free drinks to make up for our disappointment at the pricing. Rather sad I know but there it is.

    On our last trip we took quite a few bottles of wine and champagne with us and paid the $20 corkage to drink it in the dining room. It works out better value and we have a better choice of wine. We will be doing the same on our crossing in August. Our children (now 16 and 18) will have the soda package for convenience as much as anything but maybe we should all think about having it.

     

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    Halifax - Doing your own thing

    in Cunard Line

    Posted

    Thanks. We will be in Halifax in August and as there are 6 of us (my husband, me, two teenage children and my parents) we are renting a minivan to self drive. We thought we would straight drive to Lunnenburg and then drive back slowly stopping on the way back. We expect to be off the ship relatively early as we will be waking early due to time changes. It will be my dad's birthday that day.

     

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    Shore tours in athens

    in Cunard Line

    Posted

    On my first trip to Athens (2013) we hired a car and driver and he was excellent. He said for us to pay what we thought the tour was worth after we flinched at the €80 he quoted for 4 of us (2 children). We ended up paying him €120 becuase it was so good. I now got to Athens swice a year for work and I recommenrd both the Acropolis museum and the Acropolis itself (but it is very busy in summer). A driver and a car means you can cover much more in the time. Plaka is ok (where I work is on the esge of it) but it is mostly touristy shops and restaurants (some v nice restaurants).

     

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    Flight Transfers to ship - British Airways

    in Cunard Line

    Posted

    I returned home yesterday evening having been caught up in the recent British Airways problem.

     

    At the risk of upsetting some perennial BA knockers perhaps I can put some minds at rest as to BA actually getting some things right.

     

    My wife and I were due to fly home from Santorini the day the IT problem broke. Our flight was due to take off at 17.55 and we duly arrived at the airport ready to check in, 2 hours ahead of flight, when it was announced that our outbound flight from Heathrow had not taken off and indeed had been cancelled.

     

    Within minutes BA's agents in Santorini had swung into action, kept us informed with 20 minute updates while organising transfer transport and hotel accommodation, while also explaining options available for those who wished to make alternative arrangements.

     

    Within 35 minutes of what should have been our scheduled departure time, my wife and I had been transferred and checked into an hotel and were allocated a local restaurant for evening meals at no charge.

     

    The following day on checking my BA App I could see we had been allocated a flight for Wednesday. As we had been assured by the hotel that BA was paying the bill we settled down to a 4 night extension in the resort of Kamari.

     

    Yesterday we were, again without charge, transferred back to the airport and arrived at Heathrow 5 minutes ahead of schedule.

     

    Well done BA. I also understand that we are due €400.00 each as 'compensation under EU regulations.

     

    While I realise not all passengers may have experienced a smoother cancellation, BA certainly got it right for us...

     

    34641991440_b3d46fe5f5_z.jpg

     

    So well done British Airways from Solent Richard.

     

    Glad it worked for you - I suspect there were only a few hundred affected on your flight compared to the tens of thousands in London which is what made it so difficult for them to sort out - physically not enough hotels in the vicinity to accommodate everyone.

    Confused by wine prices

    in Cunard Line

    Posted

    $20per bottle.

     

    Yes you can give it to the sommellier. We didn't always finish each bottle each night (there were 4 of us and sone night 3 were on red with only me on white) and the wine was brought back the next evening. Some nights we took white wine down in the afternoon to be chilled.

     

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    Confused by wine prices

    in Cunard Line

    Posted

    We flew to New York for Carribbean Christmas with 18 bottles of wine spread across 6 people's luggage for 4 adults. We vought a few bottles on board but paid corkage on our champagne and other wine. We are driving to Southampton in August for a TA with my parents who are doing back to back TA and I anticipate we will take 24 bottles with us. We usually drink wine around the £10 mark but interesting wines from small producers which is more interesting.

     

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    Transatlantic round trip

    in Cunard Line

    Posted

    There's loads to do depending on what you like. Interesting guest lectures, gym, walking around deck, sunbathing (4 our of 7 days on our TA in 2015 were warm enough), bridge, watercolour classes, dance lessons, fab library, pub quizzes, movies, shows in evening, deck games, afternoon tea ... if anything there isn't enough time and things clash!

     

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    I should have added I was 49 when I did my first Cunard TA. Haven't been able ro do back to back but would love to. Doing a West bound in August (having done Eastbound summer 2015 and then Carribbean Christmas the same year).

     

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    Transatlantic round trip

    in Cunard Line

    Posted

    There's loads to do depending on what you like. Interesting guest lectures, gym, walking around deck, sunbathing (4 our of 7 days on our TA in 2015 were warm enough), bridge, watercolour classes, dance lessons, fab library, pub quizzes, movies, shows in evening, deck games, afternoon tea ... if anything there isn't enough time and things clash!

     

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    Lessons Learned by a Newbie

    in Cunard Line

    Posted

    Thanks for a very informative review . We are sailing 4/8 to New York and this will be our first time .

    Hope you enjoy it. We will be on the same crossing. We did an Eastbound TA in 2015 and were back on Mary for the cruise to the Caribbean for Christmas and New Year 2015. We love the ship.

     

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    Drink

    in Cunard Line

    Posted

    We take wine with us. Took 18 bottles for 4 of us on 12 night vruise. Paid corkage in the restaurant and drank some (corkage free) in cabin. We do it partly because we want to take special wine but partly becuase of the cost. My parents will also be taking a bottle of gin on their back to back TA (we are getting off in Ny and flying home).

     

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    Embarking QM2 Southampton

    in Cunard Line

    Posted

    Southampton is usually very kind about letting groups traveling together check in at the priority line. When our friends were gold and we were platinum or diamond, we asked if they could come with us, and the woman said "Of course you may!" and sounded surprised that we might think otherwise. I think 3 times in Southampton they were able to come with us--and then they were Platinum!

     

    The only thing I'm not sure of is the wheelchair assistance. They might not allow you to go with your parents if there are crowding issues in the waiting area.

    Thanks for the reply. We all checked in together at Red Hook in Dec 2015 (we were silver, parents gold, but we had a late check in time (3.30 I think) and hadn't rushed to get there early as our son wanted lunch at his favourite Chinese in New York. We might be travelling separately in which case it won't be a problem but equally we might be travelling all mixed up with the boys travelling (with all the luggage for 6 of us) and the girls travelling by train (we are doing one way so can't leave our car at Southampton as we fly back to Manchester) whereas my parents are doing back to back. Am sure it will work out. Just need to link our bookings for dinner table.

     

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