Mareblu

1 hour ago, Aussieflyer said:

Lovely to hear from you Les. Take care and don't overdo that shoulder - in the recovery stage of a frozen shoulder, I can feel your pain. Hopefully you will keep improving.

Healing wishes to you, too🙏🏻

So good to hear from you, Les.  You have to make the decision that’s right for you, but you also deserve to live your life as comfortably as possible, without restriction of movement, if modern medicine can deliver those desired outcomes.  Your call.  We’re thinking if you, and sending our very best wishes.

@Megabear2 Here I risk your wrath.  Since embarkation in Southampton until last night because they left QA today, we’ve had the delightful company of dining companions at the next table in our vicinity.  We’ve swapped tales, shared a few laughs, and generally enjoyed the ambience.  Here’s a highly intelligent and convivial Scot, she’s an elegant English woman with the cultured voice of one who’s trod the boards.  Not once, till the end of our shared dining, did either of them announce who they actually were.  It would have made no difference to me, my musical tastes are classical or 60s popular.  I’m so sorry, until now I’d never heard of Midge Ure, and maybe they relaxed with us because they sensed that and  felt they could just be themselves.  Unassuming, delightful couple. Marvellous company.  When I read bis bio, I was beyond impressed.  
Next table from tonight?  Frank Bruno.  My husband knew immediately.  What an imposing presence, with a deep, infectious, musical chuckle.

32 minutes ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

BTW, I counted the total number of hangers (with clothes) in our huge walk in closet in our Princess Grill cabin on QUEEN VICTORIA: 84 (!).  This clothes horse would not be stabled on QUEEN ANNE for all the oats in the world. 

Our walk-in robe on Queen Anne is spacious, more than adequate for our copious amount of clothing, which we deemed necessary for two months of travel.

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

Oh and bybthecway, no slot to be found for tissues and I now gave three boxes under the sink!

Oh goodness!  I thought I’d solved it for you. Where on earth, then, is your tissue dispenser?

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

Scotland is stunning in all weathers IMHO. You loved Orkney and the scenery there, whilst lovely, isn’t a patch on the West Highlands. Not even remotely. I doubt we will see much other than distant (murky) views over the next 2 days and by far the best views are inland, so I’d venture to suggest that what you see today may be the most scenic of the cruise - even in poor weather. You won’t go as far as the most scenic parts of Scotland, but Loch Ness is still beautiful and you won’t regret going on the tour. As they say, there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing! Enjoy. 

I couldn’t agree more.  West Highlands, my spiritual home, is absolutely stunning, almost ethereal.  We’ve just spent a week in Oban, followed by a few days in Fort William, and finally, a week in Pitlochry.  I weep every time I leave.

The forecast is indeed ominous, and the skies as we glide into Invergordon are dark and threatening.  It’s rare for us to cancel a tour, but we’ve done just that a few minutes ago.  Before driving south and boarding in Southampton, we spent a few weeks in the Highlands, and we’ve done that frequently over the years, as I have ancestral ties to this beautiful, haunting land.  We made an executive decision to skip the deluge today.

Unlike all you bright and bushy-tailed in Oz, we’re toddling off to bed now.  I’ll check your decision in the morning, Mic.

25 minutes ago, MicCanberra said:

You might be remembering correctly.

So excited.  But don’t ask me exactly where in Iceland.

It reminds me of Iceland.

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

Kirkwall is one of my favourite ports, and though the best things are out of the city, there is still an interesting cathedral and museum.

I’m delighted we’ve found a common source of agreement 😉

3 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Around 10.15 from memory. We thought that the majority of people might have disembarked by then, but it seemed to be the peak time. I guess that as there isn’t much to see in Kirkwall people weren’t rushing to get off. 

I’m really sorry you had that experience, but Kirkwall is lovely, with a truly interesting museum where the rich archeological and cultural history is revealed to interested souls, and the independent shops are treasure troves of exquisite jewellery, artwork and many other crafts, all created and produced locally.  

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

Well this morning we had a disembarkation experience that came close to @Megabear2 tender experience in South Queensferry, even though we had docked this time in Kirkwall. 
 

After a leisurely breakfast and surveying the scene from deck 11 to get our bearings, we decided to disembark and explore Kirkwall. 
 

We got the lift down to deck 2 only to find a queue of several hundred passengers waiting to disembark. Whilst this is only our 2nd Cunard cruise, we have done 23 cruises with P&O and have never seen anything like it. The queue snaked all the way along deck 2 from the midships lifts to just before the aft lifts. We duly made our way to the back of the queue, where we stood motionless for 10 minutes. 
 

At this point a member of the ships crew spotted my wife’s wheelchair and asked us to leave the queue and get a lift down to deck 1. As we got to the lifts we discovered that they were all out of action? Why? Because there was a drill that necessitated taking ALL the passenger lifts out of operation. An officer appeared and I asked what was happening and was told that the lifts would be out of service for at least the next half an hour. She said that this had been announced several times but, as confirmed by several other passengers needing lifts, these

announcements had not been made in cabins, nor had any announcements been made whilst we were at breakfast.
 

So we were now stuck. We couldn’t get off the ship and we couldn’t get back to the cabin. I made the point to the officer that it struck me as idiotic to plan a drill that necessitated taking all passenger lifts out of action during the peak disembarkation period. Another lady made an equally valid point that if they had to do this drill at this time then it should have been flagged in the Daily Programme the night before, so that people could work around it. 
 

Thankfully, due to the growing number of disgruntled passengers, the lifts came back into service after another 15 minutes, rather than 30 minutes and we eventually managed to get off. 
 

The shuttle bus operation, which thankfully wasn’t being organised by Cunard, was brilliant. Four double length bendy busses on a continuous shuttle and they had drop down ramps and pneumatic suspension so could accommodate wheelchairs. The port staff were also extremely efficient and pulled us out of the queue so that we could board first before the crowds, so top marks for them. 
 

It’s a shame that our experiences so far on this cruise with a wheelchair have been far from ideal. 

That’s a really challenging, awful experience.  Conversely, our exit was smooth and efficient.  We left to join our tour at about 8.30.  The elevator arrived quickly to our 7th floor, we walked straight out on Deck 2, down the gangplank then were promptly boarding the bus.  The whole exercise took about 7-8 minutes.  What time did your disastrous fiasco occur?

5 minutes ago, Cruise Puss said:

Are there many in there after dinner?

Quite a few.

7 minutes ago, Cruise Puss said:

Many thanks.

Does it stay open all day then?

 

(My Husband is not going to be happy there are no bar stools!)

 

Yes, remains open till late evening.  Only a few steps from dining tables. Great for post-dinner drinks.

On 5/25/2024 at 3:06 AM, arxcards said:

Just updating my packing list for P&O

+ Antihistamine cream

 

+ 

That brings back nightmares.  I can still smell it.

1 hour ago, Cruise Puss said:

Could anyone tell me how busy the Grills Lounge is before and after lunch and dinner?

Oh, and are there any bar stools?

 

Many thanks.

No bar stools, and the bar actually opened at 11am today.  Still too late, but a definite improvement.

3 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

I wasn’t clock watching, but I’d say mid morning. As I said, most people were still on the ship as tender operations had been delayed, so all lounges were busy, including Grills. 

I only ask because so far, and that’s important because we’ve only been aboard three days, the only occasions I’ve noticed the G lounge with a substantial gathering is just before or just after meal hours.  It’s a natural area to enjoy a pre or after-dinner drink, and we also prefer to linger over the coffee there, because it’s till now been a superior cup to that served in the restaurant.  It’s not just the machine that’s important, but the Barista’s expertise.

While heavily patronised at these times, we’ve so far always found a seat.  A few times on QE last year, there were no spots available, and several fellow passengers experienced the same situation.  Of course, the vessels are different in size, so the lounges are designed accordingly, but Elizabeth’s is just too compact for the number of Grills passengers, IMHO. 
 

Anyhoo…it all boils down to opinions and perspectives, really.  We simply find Anne’s Grills lounge inviting and comfortable.  

13 hours ago, Selbourne said:

We haven’t used Carinthia yet but yes the whole ship was packed this morning due to the delayed tender operation, including the Grills Lounge that we illegally had a look at 😉

What time, approximately, were you sneaking around the Grills lounge?

7 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

We never cruise without a balcony, and have a decent sized one on Queen Anne, but would still struggle to convince ourselves that of all the lovely bars and lounges on board, we would pick one that had no outlook. 

And I respect and understand your opinion completely.  For us, it’s not a major factor, we simply find a view nonessential.  We are truly enjoying the cosy comfort of this lounge, much to our surprise.  We called by Carinthia this morning, hoping to relax over a coffee and croissant as we had skipped breakfast. It was packed, with not a spare table either in the general area or out in the walkways.  We eventually scored two barstools, which were rather awkward to mount and perch on.  Because it’s such an open area, and packed to the rafters, it’s naturally noisy, so not a cosy, relaxing experience.  The huge plus:  the coffee and croissants were excellent.

Just now, exlondoner said:

Do you find the wake noisy? From the back of Deck 9, it seemed very noisy to me.

No, not at all.  I at first assumed it was excellent soundproofing in the glazing, but even out on the balcony, and at a good steady rate of knots (pun intended), it’s a very soft “swishing”.  Quite soothing, in fact.

14 hours ago, NE John said:

I saw him play with Thin Lizzy in 1979…FWIW. Great gig. 

He and his wife are delightful, and unassuming.  

4 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I can think of almost no day time activity at sea which isn’t improved by a view. In fact I even leave some of the curtains open at night to see the moon on the waves. Cabin balconies are great but only give a view of one side, unlike the Vista Grills Lounges.

Not all cabin balconies.  We are in the middle of the stern, directly above the propellers, which affords a wonderful view of port and starboard, as we progress.  It’s as interesting as forward views, which we’ve enjoyed on several lines. The wake is mesmerising, almost hypnotic.  Right now we are facing the entire span of the magnificent, original Firth of Forth bridge.

6 hours ago, Megabear2 said:

Yes I have taken mine out.  It actually lay behind the top one rather than directly beneath so if I hadn't done so my long hanging space was 10 hangers in two narrow wardrobes.  This is how mine look now.  I've put the removed hanger up so you can see the width. 

 

On missing things I gave a strange one!  My under the sink shelf contains an unopened box of tissues, however I cannot find anywhere in the room or bathroom where a tissue dispenser can be found.  I'm tempted to open the new box and see where it travels to!

 

There is a slit on the return of the marble shelf, just to the right of the basin. I only discovered it this morning.

4 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Having just had a nose at the Grills Lounge, I can see why folk don’t like it. I wouldn’t want to sit in there when there are so many much nicer bars and lounges elsewhere on the ship. 

Actually, we find it very comfortable and pleasant.  After we enjoyed QE’s Grills lounge so much last year, we were a little concerned that Anne’s wouldn’t measure up, being so radically different in positioning and design.  For us, to our surprise, it’s actually superior, being more spacious and with both good conversation areas and cosy niches.  Bear in mind that Grills passengers have balconies from which to enjoy land and seascapes, virtually all day if they wish.  We enjoy chatting with other folk, reading our books and tackling crosswords in the lounge.  A view is unnecessary for such activities.  Our one gripe about the Grills lounge, and it’s a big one, is that the bar doesn’t open until 11.30am.  That opening time is ridiculous, being too long after breakfast, and too close to lunch, for a mid-morning coffee or tea.  As tea and coffee in the lounge is inclusive for Grills folk, perhaps it’s Cunard’s bottom-line trimming at work here.