Clewgarnet

That sounds absolutely amazing, @MylesS I've got my fingers crossed it's offered on one of the cruises I've got coming up. Probably not the Victoria shortie in November, but maybe the TA next year? The nearest I've got to anything like that was a walk through QM2's galley back in 2019.

It was a few weeks ago.

I remember one Norwegian cruise, when we were all up on deck looking out for the lights, crew came round with blankets and flasks of tea/coffee. It was a lovely experience. (Would have been lovelier if the lights had been visible at any point, but it just gives me an excuse to go back!)

Diabetic, seizure and other medical alert dogs can work while being carried around. If they're small enough to be a trip hazard in a crowded environment, I can definitely see the logic in picking them up.

The only other time I've used a ship spa was on QM2, which was lovely (although a bit in need of some TLC.) I was a bit disappointed by the size and offerings of Anne's. However, those heated marble loungers were AMAZING for my back.

Oh, that's good news. I'm hoping I'll be able to book Victoria's New York to LA when I'm on board in November.

I believe one of the pools is supposed to be adults-only. Sadly, it wasn't well-signed, so both pools were packed with kids when I sailed in August. However, even though it was busy, the kids were just playing nicely with no screaming or crying. I wouldn't choose to travel on a family-focused line, but the children on Cunard are generally so civilised that I don't even notice they're there. This was the only time they caused me any inconvenience, and I kind of expected it by travelling in the school holidays. If the kids (and their parents) had a lovely time and will continue to sail with Cunard, I can cope with that.

That should be absolutely fine. My sister did just that after a bad experience on a different line where her suitcase went walkabouts between bag drop and her cabin. She finally found it sitting behind the purser's desk, while the purser swore blind that the case had never come on board the ship and she mustn't have dropped it off correctly.

Satin or velvet trousers and a sequin top sound like they'd fit the bill perfectly. Cocktail dresses are explicitly mentioned in the description, so if you want to be absolutely certain, you could go for that.

My mistake! Yes, Maureen Ryan.

I've had one bad speaker (my travelling companion nodded off during both of the talks we attended!) and one mediocre speaker (just read from their script) but the others have all been excellent. I particularly enjoy Maureen Reynolds, a Cunard employee of many decades standing, who talks about her history with the line and what it was like for passengers and crew back in the day.

I think it's made very clear that the themes are optional: "whether you want to put on a show or give the theme a more subtle nod with an embellishment or accessory, the choice is yours."

On Queen Anne, I was on a table for six, but only one other diner showed up. (Winifred22, I wonder if we would have been tablemates?) My companion was fresh off Victoria and on her way to Mary, and reported that she'd had the same problem on Victoria - assigned to a large table but nobody showing up. I suspect part of the issue was that these were a hot weather cruises, so a lot of people were choosing to spend a bit more time enjoying the sun, rather than heading inside to dress up.

If you want to experience QM2 at her best, I'd always go for a trans-Atlantic. I find the service to be more settled, and you have time to get into the ship's routine and really explore her. And it gives you an excuse to come back and do a Norwegian cruise on Victoria or Annie!

I had them for both my upcoming voyages - November this year and October 2025!