elmsliebev

it's infuriating isn't it. I'm more concerned about it curtailing my traveling than the actual condition! I hope I find out soon.

it's on my bucket list. I too love the idea of a campervan/motorhome but Himself won't go anywhere without a proper en suire (not one that needs emptying by us!) so I probably won't get to do it now. I'd be tempted to do both if at all possible - maybe London and surrounding area at the start of the cruise, then Scotland/Lake District at the end. We've decided that next year we'll probably stay in the UK (I have some potential health issues) and explore more of our own country.

is this the cruise departing 23rd June? We're on that too and have booked the railway independently, the one after you I think. I noticed there was a Cunard trip planned for later than the one we have booked. We're also doing our own thing with the troll cars in Olden, much cheaper even allowing for hiring a taxi to get to the glacier. Booking your own does of course bring some risk but one we're currently prepared to take.

we're on QA in June and have 2 formal nights. We will definitely be dressing up, black tie, posh frocks. I love seeing the kilts worn, I'm sure you're OH won't be out of place.

your advice was very helpful for us when we were in Split last October. Very walkable, the Diocletian Palace is a must.

agree with comments about Zadar, wonderful town, we would love to return there for a few days. Same with Trieste (48 hour travel man is about Trieste this week!) a really interesting city. We had a day in Malta between 2 cruises last year and did a wonderful tour with a local guy. A minibus of 14 of us, for the full day, taking us all around, to Mdina and other areas, a great lunch stop and a lovely guy. I think it worked out at 25euros each with a tip. As we were there twice, we also walked from the ship to the lift up to the gardens and the cannons. It's about a 10 minute stroll and the lift costs 1 euro (hold on to your tickets for the return trip)

Palma Catherdral is beautiful, well worth a visit. You pay to go in, I think it was 10euro pp, with discount for over 65s. Palma town is a favourite of ours. Awayfrom the high rise hotels it's a lovely walkable compact city with some great tapas bars. You can get the little wooden train to Soller from Palma though you'd need to check out the times to see if it's doable depending on your port times.

A travel agent will be able to modify the flight for you (flight deviation). We did Alaska to Miami 2 years ago with Cunard and our TA moved the flight home back 3 days and sorted a hotel in Miami for us. Maybe you could have a day or 2 somewhere en route? That would make the flight less onerous. We are doing Tokyo to Singapore later this year with Etihad and have a stopver each way in Doha. I've flown to Oz with Singapore Airlines, Quantas and BA and of those Singapore is my favourite carrier.

I'm on the Cunard pages and I "know" you 🤣 We're on Queen Anne on 23rd June - are you on that one?

29th June is Masquerade (it can change though). There's a pinned post at the top of this forum that shows all the themes.

hope so YP. We've got 1 Carnival cruise booked (Cunard) for June and our shareholder benefit has been sorted already. But I'm sure there will be others in the future...

this is currently being discussed on the Cunard forum and one poster has said that they have the resolutions to vote on, including one that says recommendation that the shareholder benefit be continued. Maybe they're just doing things differently this year.

Crafty Nectar 0.5 is the best I've had, nicer than some full strength ones. I'm happy to drink up to 0.5% drinks (in other countries 0.5 is classed as alcohol-free but in the UK it is 0.05%) and have contacted both the P&O and Cunard arms of Carnival to ask them to expand their AF offering. I have seen Thatcher 0% on Cunard menus as well as Erdinger lager which is apparently isotonic and positively good for you!!

I'm so pleased you went through the old canal Selbourne. We were lucky enough to do a full transit in 2022 on Queen Elizabeth (Alaska to Miami) and it was a wonderful day. We spent all day on deck, including lunch and I found it fascinating. We then had an excellent rainforest tour in Costa Rica, and I achieved my aim of seeing a toucan! Thoroughly enjoying your review.

we're both from the UK and like you, we prefer a mix of nationalities. We're on a Tokyo to Singapore cruise later this year and have already linked up with some Aussies for a private tour. It will be our first Oceania cruise, though we've been with several other lines. Cunard is a favourite because of the mix of people but I have to say we're both looking forward to the less formal dress code on this one.

ok thanks. Hoping it's Ocean Terminal but as I think that's the easiest to get on the Star Ferry and to Victoria Peak.

does anyone know which terminal Oceania use in Hong Kong? We will be there in November on Regatta. Thanks.

I love the QE library - though I have to stop myself from reshelving the books properly! Your review is wonderful, I especially love the Commodore Club.

we were on QE in August 2022 and I ordered it then in the evenings. It's so good!

you can also order it in the evenings as part of room service.

My husband is lactose sensitive - like the OP he's ok with most cheese and kefir etc, but milk and cream are an issue. On QE in 2022 there was no problem getting lactose free milk in the MDR or the bars such as the Commodore Club and Cafe Carinthia. We also requested lactose free milk in the cabin and kept in the fridge. The maitre d came round each day in the MDR with the following day's menu to discuss the options. Finally I can recommend the Premium alcohol free drinks package, we made great use of it!

I asked about alcohol free drinks being in the Simply More package and was given this answer. Soft drinks in the cabin are also inclded AFAIK, don't know about AF beer. Good Morning, Non-alcoholic wines and beers are included in the House Beverage Package. Other inclusions are water, soft drinks, speciality tea and coffee.

we claimed when we got home from our QE trip. As you say, there may be other missed ports but I do hope not for your sake. Such a shame to miss Key West. I've been impressed with how Nationwide have handled the process, both for our covid exploits and a previous medical incident.

we have only used cabin confinment but I've just checked with my brother & sister-in-law who also had it. They got it per person for a missed port last September. When we claimed, I did it all on line, very easy process.

it's a flat fee for the add-on. We use Nationwide and bought the add on £40 cruise cover. Used it in 2022 when we were confined to cabin with Covid on QE. I can confirm no increase when I took it out again in 2023!