tacticalbanjo

I wouldn't worry too much. You'll be able to register the children on embarkation day. This is usually between 2 and 4pm. And if you don't make it to that, just turn up the the first session you want to go to and register them then.

Thanks for the great review. I'm looking to do an Alaska trip in 2025 with my husband, toddler and my parents so this was very helpful in my planning.

It's strange how something as nebulous as ambience makes such a huge difference. And it can change trip to trip. We did a Baltics cruise a few years back on QE which was about 70% Australian passengers and the atmosphere was so different compared to the Canaries trip we'd taken just 6 months before. Much more lively in the bars - not that the Canaries trip was quiet given most of the ship had vast quantities of OBC - and we had so much fun. Those memories make up how you see a ship - I still think of QE as being a bit of a party ship. I did a trip on QV with a family member who did nothing but complain the whole time and it tainted how I saw the ship for a long time. But now when I think about the QV I start to think about both staff and passengers fussing over my little girl, the cute little dresses she wore for dinner, the first time my little girl put her feet in the sand. Hopefully by the end of the year I'll think about her as the ship which took me to see the Northern Lights.

I'm hoping Michel Roux doesn't reimagine the fish and chips too much! I doubt I'll be able to try any of the alternatives on the maiden but I'll keep my fingers crossed that by some miracle they will have the kids club staffed and I can leave my little one while my husband and I enjoy one of the new restaurants. And if not, I'll have an excuse to go on her again.

Oi, keep your mouth off my beloved QM2! 😆 Even though I prefer QV in almost all points (except the Golden Lion, QM2's is much nicer) I just can't help loving the QM2. She's rusty and her layout is downright confusing but I love TAs so much that I can't help but feel happy when I'm on board. Although come to think of it, maybe the Great Aunt's sitting room vibes are what makes her feel so comforting!

Plenty of ships in Flam this year. I visited at the end of June on P&O Britannia. https://www.flamport.no/ship-arrivals2021

Yes, it's very clear right now what the deal is with service charges. So why on earth deck chair is acting like there is some sort of new hidden change to bar service charges which is doing waiters out of their rightful tips I don't know.

I've only been cruising on Cunard since 2017 but it's always been my understanding that the 15% service charge on drinks was split between the beverage team. If it only went to the person you order from the guy actually making the drinks at the bar would get nothing and the waiter delivering them pockets the lot. How would that be fair? In fact, if you look at Cunard FAQs from 2013 (https://web.archive.org/web/20130709232823/http://www.cunard.com/frequent-questions/) it is clear that this charge is split between beverage and support staff. So not a recent change at all if its been the same for the last decade.

I seriously doubt that QM2 is going to be retrofitted with LNG. Cunard (and other lines) will simply sail other fjords which don't have the no emission requirements. It's going to take a long time for cruising to move to zero emissions but Norway is playing the long game here and is happy to take any reduction in emissions it can get by offering the carrot of World Heritage fjords to those ships which comply while not completely turning away ships that don't comply.

I agree that the majority of people don't care about washing their hands. I was on Britannia in June and the use of handwashing stations at the buffet was minimal. When people did use them they didn't wash for long enough, just a quick rub and rinse. Having said that, the one time I have caught noro on a cruise ship (not P&O!) it just so happened to be the night after the waiter at our table in the MDR was absent due to feeling unwell. We assumed he had the spicy cough until one by one we succumbed to the dreaded noro.

I think a lot of people don't realise that washing with soap and water is far more effective than the sanitisers. I tend to dodge the sanitisers because I prefer to wash my hands properly before consuming food and drink so I don't judge anyone else doing so. Unless I'm on a ship with handwashing stations and spy someone walking past without using either!

Post-Brexit queues at Eurostar immigration are so heavy they are unable to fill the trains. Do not rely on turning up right at the last minute.

He doesn't say anything. The hotel is long closed and demolished.

Looking forward to following your trip. I'll be back on QV in November albeit down with the rowers. It will have been a year and a day since I was last on board, it seems like a terribly long time to be away but horrible work won't let me have unlimited time off!

I suspect that a lot of the problems aren't actually to do with the app itself but the backend systems. A bit of personalisation shouldn't make any difference to functionality between the apps. So many companies treat IT as something they have to begrudgingly invest in so they buy the cheapest systems possible then wonder why customers find the final product horrendous to use. Probably Carnival UK have supplied some ancient servers and employed some of the cheapest jack-of-all-trades IT guys they can find rather than investing in decent, reliable kit and experienced - and therefore expensive - specialists.

It's exactly the same webapp for both P&O and Cunard. Most likely developed at Carnival UK level then personalised for the individual brands. It's not like Cunard's IT is any great shakes either tbh.

I'd plan for a night in London or Paris. A medical emergency on board requiring a detour or bad weather can mean the ship arrives into port late. You don't want to spend your whole crossing worrying about on time arrival into Southampton, not getting pulled by customs agents (I have only had this once but you can't rely on it not happening), traffic not being heavy (weekday morning traffic will be heavy through central London) or trains running to time (not that you will be particularly welcome with luggage on the packed like sardines early morning trains filled with commuters heading to work) just one of which will scupper your plans.

My now 18 month old hates sleeping in the buggy and has FOMO so trying to have her sleep while we have fun was out of the question. Given the kids club staff have all the proper childcare qualifications and they check on the kids every 10 mins, we felt very comfortable leaving our daughter and enjoying a bit of night life. These are the requirements for the youth reps on board P&O and Cunard which share youth staff: Previous experience within a child care/ educational establishment for at least 6 months Qualified at Level 3 Diploma level or above or hold a degree and/or PGCE Be currently working within a childcare or educational setting On Britannia the staff told us that they confirm to UK childcare ratios.

I don't have any experience on Iona but have used it on Britannia and the set up is probably similar. On Britannia it's first come first served which worried me a bit because my little one came with us to dinner and was put to bed afterwards. But the staff told me that they'd never had to turn anyone away and the nursery was nowhere near full at any point. In fact, each night they set up fewer cots and beds as it became clear that only around 3 or 4 of the 70 under 4s on my cruise were actually using the night nursery. I saw a lot of small children asleep in buggies in the evenings so I guess most parents prefer to keep their little ones with them or don't like to settle them in the night nursery then move them when it closes. And some people only leave their children while they eat. Some of the kids had been collected by their parents by the time I rocked up with mine!

I feel a bit disappointed now that I've booked a ships tour for my trip in November but I'll be leaving my husband on the ship and didn't want to risk an independent trip as a solo female.

What a great review. I've done Cunard twice with my under 2 and loved it both times. The kid club staff are excellent and I loved being able to take my little one to the night nursery knowing she was sleeping peacefully and well supervised while we could take in some live music and a cocktail.

On my first cruise post-baby I was very surprised to find that my buggy didn't fit through the door of the cabin. So every time we had to unfold it in the hall then load baby and get all the assorted baby related gubbins in the basket. Then reverse the process when we came back. I was expecting to keep the folded buggy in the cabin but thought I'd be able to wheel it in and sort ourselves out in the cabin instead of having to do it all while blocking the hallway. I was new to cruising I might have been tempted to just leave it out in the hall and justify it that the cleaning carts are out for long periods each day so what difference does a buggy make.

When I was on Britannia on the 23rd June sailing we were on first sitting to suit my little one so at the same table each night. We got treated to a little boy being taken to the toilet midway through dinner each night. How did I know that? Because mum carried the kid's potty openly through the restaurant not in a bag or anything so mum's bare hands were touching the used potty. 🤢 I should be thankful the kid was taken out to the toilets rather than just being sat on it in the middle of the restaurant I suppose. I don't understand why Britannia doesn't have any passenger accessible stairs midships. I thought Sky Princess (which is essentially the same ship) was bad for lifts but at least some people could take the stairs at midships but they are locked away on Britannia. I ended up doing a lot of going up to come down because I don't like to carry my toddler up/down too many flights of stairs (I trip a lot due to ADHD clumsiness) and if we were getting off she was in her pushchair.

I've been on a Cunard (QM2), a Princess (Sky) and a P&O (Britannia) all since December. There are pros and cons of all the ships. I found the food on Princess, particularly in the buffet which I usually try to avoid, to be the best of the three. But service was hit and miss on our sold out sailing. I love the old school vibe on Cunard. The dress code makes dinner an event every time. I also love how much live music there is. And a proper wraparound promenade deck is a big plus point. On P&O I liked the low drinks prices and all the activities on offer suitable for people of all ages. I'll likely be doing a lot of multigenerational cruising in the future so knowing that there's loads to do for grandparents, parents and the kiddo is important. If I could pick and choose I would want the ambience of Cunard, the ents programme from P&O and the food from Princess. Plus the medallion which I found myself really missing on Britannia even for simple things like the door unlocking as you got to it. We got Princess Plus for £40 and it's so relaxing not having to worry about drinks prices. Even my teetotal mother said she missed the convenience of being able to order on the app and have a drink delivered anywhere, even to your cabin. I highly encourage everyone to try all three lines if they find an itinerary they like.

You won't be able to register until 14 days beforehand. The link can be found under Before You Sail. Then click on Life on Board. Then scroll until you see the Children's Club heading. The link should be there already but it won't work until 14 days before. I really can't imagine that it will be a problem if you need to do it onboard. Have a lovely trip. I did QV in October and QM2 in December with my little one and we had a great time. I can't wait until we are on QV in November.