PenyFan1960

Many thanks for all of your most interesting comments for which I thank you.

I have now the general flavour of what I might expect from our Butler.

Am sure we will quite enjoy the possibilities!

Couldn't have said it any better Big Mac. As for the polishing shoes, what era is the OP living in . :')

When a was a boy/lad I wore trainers, but when I grew up I caste aside such boyish things and started to wear proper shoes.

To keep my Jermyn St shoes in good shape I like to apply the occasional polish and I have this in mind after going ashore on cruises.

But each to his own!

What does your Butler do at home?

Seriously, when we've stayed in a suite and had the services of a Butler we have had very little to no use out of them.

Others will throw cocktail parties, maybe ask them to unpack or pack, book speciality restaurants.

What did you have in mind?

Thanks for your response and as examples, I would expect my Butler to clean our shoes and keep suits/trousers in good shape and attend to our laundry etc.

Keep the drinks & fridge stocked without asking.

And of course reserve seats at the theatre & speciality restaurants.

Oversee that the cabin is always in a state of perfection.

Am sure there are lots of other tasks would come to mind once on the cruise.

But of course a Butler should anticipate duties without asking.

In a couple of weeks time my Wife & I will be off on the Q.V. in a QG Penthouse.

My question is, laying aside what I might read in literature received, what sort of service will we really expect to receive?

I quite realise that this could vary in a little detail from Butler to Butler but there must be basic services which he or she would undertake. I assume the Butler would have an Assistant for the more mundane tasks.

We would not wish to cause any embarrassment by asking the Butler to undertake a task outside his remit.

Because it sounds more elitest as it originates from the British Raj when we ruled the World,lol.

Which made those parts of the world more stable!

Well, I thought that lanyards were popular on some cruise ships because I saw a post somewhere which said that the plastic ID card was automatically hole punched on issue to take a lanyard clip.

Obviously, not Cunard!

Many thanks for all your comments and am glad it’s not the norm to wear lanyards on Cunard cruises!

Are lanyards for ship ID cards the norm on Cunard cruises? They sound a good idea.

On another thread, the OP mentioned they were going to the Canaries in March on a 12 day cruise. That would match the 27th March departure on QV from Southampton out of the Mayflower terminal. So my guess is the title of this thread should have referred to "MAR" rather than "MAY".

According to my Booking Confirmation Voyage No. V812 departs from the Ocean Terminal on the 27th March for the Canaries and disembarks at the Mayflower Terminal.

Or has it now changed?

Because it's the theme for the Ball which is held in the Ballroom.

Then surely it must be made clear in the literature and internet that dressing up for themed evenings is only necessary if you are going to the ballroom after dinner.

Otherwise, for dining it is black tie for formal evenings and no tie/tie and suit for informal evenings.

My Wife and I were under the impression that the themed evenings applied throughout the ship in all facilities.

Am sure we will be wearing our masks as we walk into the Dining Room. Otherwise why advertise a themed evening if it’s to be acted out only in the Ballroom? Illogical!

My Wife and I are booked on a Q.V. cruise. and have asked for a table for 2 in the Queens Grill and note that on the paperwork we have it is as ‘not confirmed’.

So as the posts above, I am assuming that this will be ‘confirmed’ once we are on board.

We have no objection with sharing a table, but some years ago on a cruise we had to share a table with the same people for 7 lunches and 7 dinners!

Not to be forgotten!

I am pleased to advise that my Travel Insurance company have advised the following:-

‘I can confirm that your policy does cover missed departure due to an accident or breakdown ahead of you on a public road which causes an unexpected delay to the vehicle in which you are travelling.’

The policy is not 100% clear, my contact having to refer back within his company and eventually to the underwriters.

Am glad that it is settled, also, that the overnight hotel is booked, as the thought of a missed embarkation just dose not bear thinking about!

Many thanks for your best wishes ‘jimmybean’!

Many thanks for your comments. I live less than a 3 hour drive from Southampton but that means using roads that do have their problems which could mean hours of delay. Hence my interest in insurance cover which was offered on my policy for those using public transport only.

I have done enough thrashing around and have now booked the previous night in a Souhampton Hotel.

Thanks to all!

Rather than use public transport or taxi I am proposing to travel in my own car from London to Souhampton to catch the Q.V. on her spring cruise to Madeira & Canary Islands.

However, I note that my Travel Insurance does not appear to cover for a missed embarkation due to accidents/traffic delays enroute. Only if I travel by public transport. A check with list of insurance companies withGoCompare seems to confirm this appears general.

Does anyone know a company who does provide cover using your own transport?