Poole Boy

Unfortunately not, Cunard ploy to get you to spend more money .

Update on life on QE, now that we are on our way to Sydney after our extended stay in Fremantle. Every one on board is required to wear a mask, compliance is almost 100%, if someone forgets, then the crew are on hand to offer a mask. Launderette and Veranda are now open. Recommendation of 4 per lift still in operation as is table only service at the bars. Every one was tested this morning ready for our arrival into Esperance on Sunday. At the moment, things are not really different to the European cruises, earlier in the year. Hopefully things will continue to improve, and some more of the restrictions will be relaxed.

Simple answer , No

I will be staying on until Sydney on Dec 13th

The situation at the eminent is. -all crew last night , apparently all negative all passengers tested again this morning - hopefully any residual cases will be picked up , as we have not been off the ship since last Friday, that should stop the inter ship infections we arrive in Fremantle tomorrow and by Friday we will loose / gain approx 800 passengers. as every one on the ship and all those who join have been receintley tested residual virus onboard should be minimal On board services are not 100% but improving MDR, Lido and Golden Lion open for food. As as the queens room for afternoon tea room service available but busy Verander closed at the moment , along with the launderettes table service only at the bars other activities taking place some now on the pool deck rather than inside, eg line dancing. deciding to take a cruise or not is a personal decision if I can give an insight into the situation on board to help you make a decision please let be know.

The Tassie Cruise is in 2 weeks a lot can change in that time , QE has 2 turnarounds before it gets to head over toTasmania. you are just as likely to come into contact with someone with Covid on land as you are on the ship. Don’t let our current situation put you off. With the measures in place on board you are probably safer than in a crowded mall on shore.

The RATs are back , everyone has been tested this morning, so hopefully that will calm things down. Unlikely restrictions will be lifted before Fremantle, but we can hope. In some ways, I happy were not going to Bali, and am looking forward to spending more time in Fremantle & Perth, with a 10 PM Departure scheduled on Friday we now have almost 3 full days to explore the area, may not be a consolation to those who live in WA, but for a visiting Brit, its an unexpected opportunity. Looking for the positives, the temperature has cooled slightly, now only in the high 20's and not quite as humid, plenty of space on the open decks. Time for a cocktail, I'm sure it's past 5pm somewhere in the world

QE is now tier 3 for Covid infections which means at least 10% positive cases aboard, Assuming 1700 passengers 1000 crew this could give approx 270 people in isolation. impact now becoming apparent with facilities closed and much longer waits for bar service and in the MDR due to staff shortages or staff being re deployed to room service . every one who wanted to leave the ship yesterday at Darwin needed to show a negative RAT. however if you did not want to leave the ship or tested positive you were not compelled to declare your test result, so who knows how many more positive cases are still wandering the ship. some social distancing measures in place , but judging be the numbers in the golden lion it’s is not being enforced very well. trying to be positive , but becoming increasingly difficult each day

ON QE at the moment, doing a B2B SYD- SYD, I have received an E Mail for the Fremantle to SYD sector saying masks may be required in some spaces on board, had the same E mail before embarkation in Sydney. Launderettes on board now closed, was limited to 2 people yesterday, so that would indicate Covid situation is not improveing. Most people adhering to the mask mandate, staff on hand to give out masks for those who forget to wear one. Will be interesting to see if any restrictions are lifted after Fremantle, understand approx 800 pax will leave with similar number joining.

You can book via the app or phone , however we just turn up and so far it has worked OK

On QE at the moment, fixed dining in the MDR on Deck 3 at 17.45 and 20.15 and open dining in MDR on Deck 2 from 17:45 - 21.00. Fixed dining on deck 3 appears to be well attended with relatively few empty tables, the mix of table is also favours larger tables (4,6, or 8). The Open dining on Deck 2 appears to be work well, with no noticeable queues, the table mix on deck 2 favours tables for 2 rather than larger tables. We are now 4 days into a 21 day cruise, and I have had the same waiter each evening, I have not specifically requested this, but the system tracks where you have been seated and they appear to trying to seat you in the same location ( and with the same waiter ) each night. From what I have seen what Cunard are offering in terms of Dining options covers most customer preferences.

On QE at the moment , internet speed is OK for emails and web surfing etc. have been able to access the internet in the cabin Deck 7 and the lido with no problems

https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/the-cunard-experience/sailing-with-confidence/preparing-to-sail/sailings-from-australia

Cunard have changed the isolation procedures for QE's Australia / NZ cruises. If any one in a cabin test positive for Covid then every one goes into isolation for a minimum of 7 days. This is a change from the current policy where only those who test positive go into isolation.

On my last QV cruise in June, the Grats appeared on the bill on the first day and were imediatley reduced by the Shareholder OBC, so unless some thing has changed in the last 3 months OBC is OBC regardless of the source.

Just had my cabin assigned for Oct 10th QE Cruise to Singapore, 7 days before sailing. Unlike airlines Cunard can't oversell, so what ever happens you will have a cabin of the grade you booked or higher. At the moment late cabin assignment appears to be the norm.

Just looked at My Cunard for a forthcoming QE cruise ( 10 Oct BCN to Perth) and we now have an additional dining option " Open Dining" as well as the traditional First and Second dining options.

Test Facilities in Barcelona https://www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com/en/covid/cruise/covid-testing-in-barcelona-for-cruise-ship-passengers.html Now need to find the similar for myself in Sydney and Melbourne for upcoming QE cruises in Australia

PCR could show a positive result even if the rapid antigen test shows a negative result

Now official, E Mail received from Cunard, Colombo off with a extra day In Singapore.

In times gone by, all 3 ships did versions of WC, I think it was only in 2018 when QV started the South America circumnavigation trips.

From another social media site, Apparently the stop at Colombo, has been cancelled, due to the ongoing situation in the country. This has been substituted for an extra day in Singapore, arriving a day early on the 29th for an overnight stay. As appears to be usual for Cunard, news like this escapes, rather than being released. Website and my Cunard still shows Colombo as a port of call, so for now the waiting game, lets see how long it takes Cunard to formally let us know.

Assuming you are not in Spain at the moment, there are two sets of rules to follow. First - The entry requirements for the country that you will board the ship Second - Cunard requirements to board the ship. For the second Cunard now only need passengers to confirm that have taken a test and it is negative. For the first, passengers need to confirm what, if any rules need to be followed to enter Spain. As always Cunard web site is as clear as mud. If from the UK check https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain/entry-requirements

Given every thing going on with airports and airlines at the moment unless you are a Cunard arranged flight, I would suggest flying into Barcelona the day before just in case, and enjoy the city before you board the ship.

You could try LV, they gave a competitive price for a pre covid WC of 121 days even with pre existing conditions. single trip policy would be better as they generally cover longer duration trips