phileas

We used Portside meet and greet  at Southampton in January for a 12 nights cruise this year and found it excellent. Even better, by booking direct, they gave us an extra discount that lowered the cost to £92.50 which was good value.

We dropped off the luggage at the terminal (Ocean) then drove the car into the short term car park next to the luggage drop off and left the car with the Portside guys. They were easy to find as they had two 8' tall red and blue flags next to their vehicle. 150 metres walk back to the terminal. 

On our return, we emailed them two days before the arrival day , to let them know we would be disembarking an hour earlier than we had said when we left the car with them originally. Email reply confirmed this was fine, and sure enough, the car was ready and waiting at the correct time. When disembarking, either (as we did) you can simply take your luggage to the car, or the driver collects the car and loads the luggage at the pickup/ drop-off point at the terminal. 

It all went very smoothly and we have no hesitation in recommending them. 

We have used a variety of other car parking services in the past, and we found Portside to be one of the best. 

You can use an off port parking company (as we have done previously) but it will mean waiting for the transfer coach to take you to and from the car park to the terminal. Then there is the extra time for the transfer  and that you may have to wait in the rain, should the weather be inclement!

We didn't want to use a coach transfer type service as we were trying to keep contact with others to an absolute minimum prior toi the cruise due to the covid situation at that time. Given that a number of passengers were refused boarding having failed the terminal conducted Covid tests, for us at that time, it was a good decision to avoid mixing unnecessarily. Obviously it may be very different when you take your cruise!

A similar letter has been sent to people in lots of countries. We have had it on the UK. What does vary is when checking the online help associated with the relevant country. In the US they advise keeping a check on your credit rating in case someone tries to use your details.

In the UK, no mention of this!

Although credit and debit card details have not been taken, it does not mean you are safe against identity theft.

Lots of crew have also been affected and are not happy!

Earlier this year we booked a future cruise credit with the £50 deposit per person mentioned in earlier posts. This gave us some onboard credit, the amount depending on the length of the cruise and grade of cabin when we make the booking.

We then received the Welcome home offer.

We made a booking and were able to combine the future cruise benefits with the Welcome home benefits. There was also an early booking offer running and for a 12 night cruise we have ended up with around $2,000 on board credit between the two of us!:D

So I would advise making an onboard booking for a future cruise credit, then wait to see if the Welcome Home offer is made. If so take advantage. If not, then make an actual cruise booking when you feel the time is right as you will still get some extra on board credit to spend!

Some words of warning. Take care regarding travelling by rail on the 18th November as it looks like there are major rail works taking place and that the trains will possibly be re-routed and / or have a bus replacement service running between various stations. It probably means that it will take much longer than normal for the journey and that the train departures times may not be that reliable!

Other options are fairly obvious and all depend on what you are prepared to spend. By far the lowest cost is by coach and would take 2 - 2 1/2 hours depending on to where in London you need arrive.

Regarding the boats used by different ships for landings in Antarctica, my advice is not to get too hung up on a name! Some ships use relatively small inflatable boats, often referred to as Zodiac's, zlthoual that is a trade name. These are typically powered by a 25hp - 40hp tiller controlled outbard motor. They typically carry 6-10 passengers.

The inflatable boats especially the larger boats, sometimes have aluminium or glass fibre hulls instead of just fabric.

The boats used on Midnatsol (not sure if the same as used on the Fram) are larger, which helps them cope much better in rougher conditions if reqyiere, and were on the Antarctic trip we were on, powered by 200hp outboards controlled from a steering console, and the boats coukc carry 20 passengers plus crew. In no way did their extra size restrict where they could operate and were able to land on rocky beaches.

Do as I said before, don't get to concerned as to the exact type of boat used!

I fear that if your big concerns are coffee, tables for two and dining times suitable for pre dinner drinks, that a Hurtigruten Antarctic trip is not suitable for you.

I am not being sarcastic in my comments. I do believe that your choice of ship may be an error.

On this sort of expedition trip, you will find that mixing with other people and the camaraderie is part of the experience.

If you do go, then make sure to request late sitting for dinner. This will give you time for pre dinner drinks.

On the Antarctic trip we had on the Midnatsol, all the dinners were at the standard times for the two sittings.

If you want to get the best from the experience, then you need to have a reasonable level of fitness and be able to walk fair distances over snow and very uneven ground as well as becadeot at getting in and out of the inflatable boats used for all the landings.

Do not expect the dining experience to which you have become accustomed on the cruise ships on which you have travelled in the past. Even compared to the same ship on European itineraries, the food on the Midnatsol on an Antarctic trip is quite different and much more restricted. The ship usually is able to purchase food almost daily. On the Antarctic cruise we were on reprovisioning only took place after about two weeks. Consequently, fresh salad was conspicuous by it's absence.

But if you go with the right mindset, then you can have a fantastic time.

Think very seriously as to what you actually want. If you are looking for a much more standard cruise experience, then opt for a different cruise line that goes not offer landings.

If you want to get a proper feel for Antarctica (albeit just the tip!) And the opportunity to get seriously close to nature, then go for it.

In Princess Grill, the large bottle in the cabin is free and will be replaced once used.

The smaller bottle in the minibar is chargeable.

I am probably wrong, but I thought it was a part of the terms and conditions that all passengers had travel insurance?

Costs can mount rapidly. On one occasion my father was taken seriously ill whilst on a Cunard cruise, just after entering the Aegean after a visit to Instanbul. Only at the last minute did the Turkish authorities agree that he and the rest of our party could be taken ashore to Turkey. The other avenue being explored by the ship's crew in case the Turkish authorities was for my father to be taken from.the ship by helicopter to Athens and the rest of us to go to the next port (Rhodes) and then get from Rhodes to Athens.

He was in hospital for four days before being allowed to fly home. As it was the cost ran to five figures. Had we not been able to go ashore to Turkey, then it is easy to imagine the cost of a specially chartered helicopter, plus medical personnel on on top of all the other expenses.

No insurance does seem a very risky option! I can understand that it gets more difficult to get cover as one ages and also if there are pre-existing conditions.

A couple of people I know have had costs run to well into 6 figures.

Is it worth the risk of no or insufficient cover?

As to where to get it from, shop around and check the small print!

The first thing we allocate is our gratuities. Okay so this will involve a bit of calculating! Then drinks. Maybe an excursion or two although they are usually somewhat overpriced (like the wine!!) And if any left, anything in the onboard shops that catches our eyes.

This applies irrespective of whether we are in Britaniar or Grills.

The problem comes if on a fly cruise, as we have to be careful not to go overweight on our luggage for the flight home!

Going by the number of people complaining about charges appearing after disembarkation in relation to the number of oassenpass, it would seem that the problem is actually relatively minor. This is not to say that it is more than a little annoying if a spurious charge appears!

Despite a number of voyages with Cunard, only once have we had a charge appear. This was for a mini bar purchase that we had not made (we never do!). It took a couple of weeks to sort out, but the money was refunded. The only remaining irritation was that the exchange rate from US$ to GB£ had changed and we lost out slightly. As it was pennies it was not worth worrying about. However had the amount been more substantial, then a further complaint would have had to be made.

As others have said, a call to Cunard is usually enough to get the matter resokres.

Don't forget that if an account statement is put by your cabin door, that it may not be right up to date as if may have been printed a little while beforehand as it takes time to print let alone hand deliver a multitude of statements to the cabins!

Mistakes happen, including by passengers! Of course if Cunard are in error, then it should be resolved quickly. Bear in mind that often Cunard shore office will have to communicate with the relevant ship, and someone on board may have to go through thousands of receipts to check.

Some delays are probably because like many businesses, Cunard do not have enough staff to deal with complaints and queries, but that seems to be a fact of modern life!

We have been fortunate to have travelled with Cunard a number of times, in Britannia, Britannia Club, Princess Grill and Queens Grill on all three current Cunard ships.

Obviously the Queens Grill suites were the largest, and as others have said, if this is important to anyone considering booking, then go for it. Britannia Club is great if you like to eat when you want rather than the Britannia set times for dinner and assuming that you do want to eat in your designated restaurant.

However if you do not need a QG size suite, or a butler, and can forgo the canapes served in your suite each evening and cope with not having some additional "free" alcohol, then go for Princess Grill. The list of negatives may seem a lot, but in reality for many people, they are not crucial!

The menus (this was in May 2018) in PG and QG were very similar. QG has a slightly better choice of A'la Carte but nothing to write home about!

As to ordering off menu, QG or PG it makes little difference. We have had no problem ordering off menu frequently in Princess Grill. If going off menu, always give plenty of notice, and the more the better. At worst, order lunchtime, but if possible breakfast time or even the previous evening.

The menu on our May voyage in Princess Grill, as said above was very similar to Queens Grill, but often the Britannia menu was almost entirely different. It used to have the same basis, bit now Cunard seem to be using it to further differentiate the Grills.

Princess Grill passengers still have the concierge, the personalised stationery, the Grills lounge and one the QV and the QE the superb outside sun terraces, plus the open air dining in the Courtyard. Afternoon tea in the grills is served with real clotted cream and it will be served on the terraces as well as in the Princess Grill (the Grills lounge has been deemed too small for the numbers).

So to summarise, If money is no object, then splash the cash on Queens Grill. If you can live without a few embellishments, and often save a considerable sum of money, which you can keep in your pocket or spend on extras and little luxuries, then opt for Princess Grill which offers almost as much as QG, including off menu ordering!

If both are out of your reach financially then choose between Britannia and Britannia Club. Don't worry, you still will not be disappointed, with one provision. Once you have sampled the Grills, especially on the QV and QE where the positions of the restaurants and the terraces etc are much better than on the QM2, few will want to go "back" to Britannia dining. You have been warned!

Hi,

Sorry to hear about your problem. As you made your booking through a TA, Cunard's standard line is that you must address any queries through your TA as it is with them that you have the contract.

Having said that, I have on more than one occasion been able to get assistance from Cunard directly even though booked through a TA. It may well be worth another call, but when going through the telephone menu, select booked direct with Cunard. If you get someone who does everything by the rule book, you will have to try again, but hopefully you will get someone who is prepared to be a bit more flexible!

Having said all of this, if it is due to an error by your TA, then Cunard will not be able to assist or even comment.

Best of luck.

Phileas

Hi Pam,

Unless the ship is docking at the crack of dawn, you are probably pushing your luck in trying to get a 10:30am flight.

You obviously need to allow for traffic, which can be pretty horrendous in and around Istanbul. Also you need to allow for the check in and getting through the security checks etc at the airport.

If the ship was late docking you may have a problem.

Finally you may find that instead of docking, she has to anchor for a few hours, until the allocated berth is vacated. This would mean waiting for the tenders to start running plus the additional time it takes for the tender to reach the shore. This happened when we were on the QV at Istanbul and she did not dock for several hours.

I hope you have a great time!

Phileas

...... I found a Trojan bug which I have managed to get rid of this bug must have come from Cunard UK website as I always use Cunard's website direct.

Great minds think alike. MeredithFairfax posted his comment whilst I wrote mine that is below!

If you never visit any other websites, don't open emails on your computer, never insert memory sticks etc that have been used on another computer and never connect to a network, then the chances of the Trojan coming from Cunard would be very high. It is still possible it came from Cunard but if you do any of the above, then it is more than likely that the Trojan came from another source rather than Cunard.

This is being a bit simplistic but you can probably understand the gist.

If you have used any passwords on your computer recently, then it may be wise to change them.

On the occasions that I have been in the Grills, I have been served both fresh and diluted orange juice in both Queens and Princess Grills including last month on the QE.

Consequently I suggest that you always specify that you would like fresh juice which should negate the need to carry your own on board, unless you also want some for your cabin or are concerned about the acidity levels of the freshly squeezed juice which may be different to shop bought squeezed juice. Of course a variation in the acidity probably will not be a problem for you but is just another thing to take into consideration!

I will be travelling on the QM2 in December. I have a friend who loves Veuve Cliquot and I thought of getting him a bottle for Christmas. I can buy it here in Tescos but I thought it would be so much more fun to buy it on board ship. I wondered if there is a price difference.

 

Is it available in the duty free shop onboard? If so, what does it cost? It's about £34 here in the UK.

 

I would appreciate any information.

We were on the QE recently and the Duty Free shop on-board did not sell any champagne. We asked about it but were told that it was only possible to either purchase a bottle at a bar or through your sommelier. Unfortunately this does of course mean another 15% "tip" will be added to the price. Thus the standard non vintage actually will cost $92 not the $80 shown in the price list.

We did buy some as we needed to use up some on-board credit that we had left on the last evening of our cruise.

If we had to pay instead of using on-board credit, then we would not buy it as other than the receipt, there is nothing to say that you bought it on-board and so very little kudos!