techteach

Thanks for the link @bluemarble, that is one really cute bear. I hope I can score one in September, and if not, then in December.

How exciting @NE John! We only have 2 cruises under our belts with Cunard and have booked QG from the beginning so I can’t comment on this being the norm. I’ve certainly never read of anyone receiving a phone call on CC. Is this upgrade for Alaska?

@asdf1245 We have a large Tumi that will not fit under the bed. We put it in the corner of the walk-in closet. It is my understanding from other posts that they could be stored somewhere else on the ship.

I love the look of the waistcoat and is very forgiving as pounds gather at the waist during the cruise. Have fun and congrats!

They are available on-board in the gift shop. I can’t help you with cost for rental. You can also purchase bow tie, cuff links, etc. I would go early to make sure they have the correct size.

We sailed Oceania Regatta last September and the food was good to poor compared to Queens Grills Suit on QM2. We haven’t traveled in anything other than QG on Cunard, and only on QM2. I did a review of our Regatta sailing from last September, go take a look. Happy Sailing!

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread. It is very helpful. Can’t wait to experience it myself. 😗

@ctrinco I’m sure you can rent a car downtown, but then you’ll need to return it to downtown. You could walk to Westlake, if docking downtown at Pier 66, take light rail to the airport, then take a shuttle to the rental car, and then off you go to Mt. Rainier. (Get a real map) Depending upon which day of the week it’s about 2 hours, traffic and where you’ve going dependent, to the mountain.  We love Tipsoo Lake on the far eastern side. I don’t check this board regularly so if you want to ask me other questions be sure to include my name. Have fun!

21 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

Just as I was reading this earlier the wind strengthened and the power went off !

It was back on within about 20 minutes and fortunately the wind had dropped by the time I drove home. This was the road between our village and the nearest town. 

Yikes!

I thought of our group last night as I watched the New Years big bang over London, as recorded, on YouTube. I think London wins for best of show. I didn’t see any other city with music that was better.

@Host Hattie and @ronpes I hope you can stay warm and dry. Hope the ponies are safe.

I have read the weather is pretty bad in England. How is everyone doing?

DH does have a few in cotton, but would never wear them to church or as smart attire. His are wool, most from Brook Brothers, and he has never complained of itchiness.

Standard dress for DH to wear to 8:15 church service. Mock turtleneck. No, that is not my DH, much too young. I think it’s a great look with a smart pair of pants and a jacket.

@ronpes Stay safe and warm. Glad you can put your feet up and enjoy.

Returned Friday from Las Vegas. I left $$$ and brought back Covid. Shouldn’t be much of a surprise, but this round is not as bad as my first. So much for a big family Christmas dinner. Happy Holidays everyone!

@bluemarble Visited the U-boat in Chicago several years ago and it was fantastic. Highly recommend.

2 hours ago, BigMac1953 said:

All QG rooms have both bath and shower. There are no curtains.

 

Your restaurant table is yours for the duration of your trip for all meals.

Our QG had a bath shower combo with a shower curtain. #9042. We had a QG4 and it had a separate shower with a door, but the bathtub had a shower curtain.

8 hours ago, Bigmike911 said:

Yes, it's cream of Chestnut Soup again this year. Along with Prime Rib with au jus, individual Yorkshire puddings, asparagus with Hollandaise, Waldorf Salad and Pecan Pie. The only change is instead of twice baked potatoes. Which have disappeared from the markets, I and doing English style roasted potatoes. With plenty of Vueve Clicquot to wash it down.

 

I like the idea of reusable gift bags, I will have to see if I can find some fancy ones. I have zero sewing skills. A loose button requires a trip to the tailor. Maybe Amazon?

Golly @Bigmike911, l’ve never tried to buy them. How about Etsy? Amazon provides them when you order an item from them and have it gift wrapped.

@Bigmike911 After filling many trash bins with wrapping paper I decided we were going to really take to heart Reduce-Reuse-Recyle. I bought lots of beautiful fabric and started sewing gift bags of all sizes. For many years I had purchased wired ribbon, so I attached them to the bags. It has really made getting presents under the tree an easy process. I wish I could say mine were all under the tree, but we don’t think we can do it until closer to Christmas because the 3-year old would want to open them immediately. I bet you’ve got your Christmas dinner all planned. Are you doing chestnut soup again this year? We’re having dinner on Wednesday at a restaurant with wonderful chestnut soup and I plan to order it. Happy Holidays!

@Pushpit I’m sure glad you admitted to turning the plate of salad so you could take the picture. The plating inspectors would have been all over that! The emblem must be properly centered at the top. The food is looking good.

Oh now I’m jealous - Stephen Payne is on board and speaking. I hope he does the same TA next year when we’ll be on board. Enjoy @Pushpit and thanks for your updates.

Thanks for the great review. I especially liked the specific information for the ports of call.

@david,Mississauga Ah David, if you sail into Seattle I’ll serve you a nice dinner on our deck as well as pick you up at the dock and deliver you to the airport. Gee, now I need to remember I’ve made this promise!

@Lanky Lad @exlondoner I love choral music and would love to be in London for a John Rutter concert. We missed it in 2022 by a week at the V and A Hall. Does anyone know if this is a yearly tradition? If so, is there a usual schedule? I’m trying to fit it into TA’s and Christmas Markets. (We attended a family choir concert at St. Martin’s In The Field in 2022 and loved it). Thanks for any help.