2irisheyes

david,M - thank you for your explanation which I didn't really need. The point I was trying to make to sinova was that Cunard is not the only transport company with different classes and that it is not only the British nation which has different classes so why the dig.

Sinova - money is no indication of class. Does Air Canada have different "classes" of seating? Is it British? The name indicates not. I don't know the answer as I have never travelled Air Canada. If AC does have different priced seats should it do away with an outdated system - as you put it.

SS W - We have booked the Petra trip (two departure times 8.30 and 9.30 and the later one is already waitlisted). Looked at private/shared tours and the Cunard price seemed fair. Some other tours did not include lunch. The entrance to the site itself is quite a few dollars. We couldn't stop in Jordan and not visit Petra. Our letter from Cunard said they will deal with visa for Jordan and charge us but from what I have read, if a visa is required, it will be free because of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone status - trying to increase tourism and trade. Perhaps someone who has visited Petra from Aqaba could clarify this.

Yeah man.

Salacia - I agree. Best ignored as this is not the place for insulting other nations.

We received email from Cunard this morning stating that Luxor excursion cancelled. No reason given just letting us know money would be credited back to our card. No tours up yet for Aqaba. Cunard could do better on the communication front.

cunardaddict - not excusing bad behaviour I would just comment that, as in many places, the pub landlords do not refuse the custom all the time they are making plenty of money which is a pity.

Hi Bollinge - I haven't seen the first announcement re QM2 Egypt changes. Did I miss it. Safaga had already replaced Sokhna around last September no doubt to avoid Cairo.

SS Warringtonia - Don't leave it till 22 April to board QM2 in Dubai or you might be swimming - she departs Mon 21 April. We will be there and had also booked the ship's tour to Valley of the Kings etc. Eagerly awaiting confirmation of revised schedule.

Having phoned Cunard UK this morning re QM2 Egypt stop, I was told the matter is under consideration and if/when a decision is made to rearrange ports we will be notified.

The closest we have been to a hosted table is a table to the side of the Captain's table, in a corner next to the tapestry. It was interesting to watch the behaviour. The table remained empty on the non-hosted evenings. I felt like nipping across and borrowing the flowers. There were other hosted tables nearby but they were used all the time.

Although we are in the south it would make for a different experience to depart from Liverpool with a few days stay before departure to visit the city (again). I am sure there have been many changes since we last visited many years ago.

laktex - I suspect the reason your card appears to have a significantly better rate is because it does not impose an exorbitant handling/exchange fee. Some banks combine this in the exchange rate figure which makes customers think they are getting a better or worse rate. It is the extra bank charges which vary. Visa and MasterCard have set rates for their cards which go up and down by the day and banks then add on their charges.

On QM2 the hot water and tea bags are separate although the water is not at boiling point by the time it reaches you. On our last QM2 trip we took a spiral plug in water heater and just heated the water to boiling. It worked fine and we will do the same again. It needs to be held in jug or cup as it is not designed to stand on its own. At least having to hold it in place there is no risk to elf 'n safety.

cunardaddict - as far as I am aware cc companies in the UK use the Visa or MasterCard rates of the day of exchange which can easily be checked on a website listing historic rates. The difference in end rate used with different cards is down to the handling/currency exchange charges imposed by various banks which are quite often hidden in the exchange rate.

On two cruises in recent years (not Cunard) the cruiselines did the conversion of our bill from US$ to Sterling despite our request not to convert. The conversion was at a much poorer rate than should have been used. When I complained on returning home the difference was quickly refunded. They asked how much the difference was and accepted what I said with no quibbling. I had been fully expecting an argument about it. I think they knew what they were doing and were trying it on. It wasn't a vast sum but it was more the principle of the deed. It is a nice little earner when multiplied a few hundred times. I am pleased to say Cunard has not tried this trick.

Our experience is that there are lessons in the morning both for beginners and intermediate and organised duplicate play in the afternoon. Times will be detailed in the daily sheet.

No need to apologise, your English is very good. It puts many of us to shame.

When we took out insurance recently for a cruise my OH was waiting for a CT scan. The insurers would not cover anything in relation to the scan. Fortunately nothing negative showed up. I would say to push to make sure your mother is seen by a cardiologist before her trip. At least things will be clearer then. If things are slow, you could try phoning the consultant's secretary to ask when your mother is likely to be seen and explain the worry factor/agitation etc. Good luck.

In November we had a day room at the Sofitel on Blue Lagoon Drive, Miami which worked well for us. We booked it through an agency between9and5dotcom (from memory I think that was the address). We found it quite difficult to find info on day rooms. Most said show up on the day and we can see if we have vacancies. Not much use with no car and luggage. We took a public bus from round the corner to Dolphin Mall to pass the time and have a bite to eat. We had visited the Everglades already and been to the beach area. The hotel has a complimentary airport shuttle. If there were showers at MIA we would have deposited our luggage at left luggage and gone off from there.

 

Do you take bedsheets and towels with you to a hotel or on a cruise? :cool:

Doesn't everyone - explains the huge suitcases some travel with.:D

Thanks for the link. As mentioned, the booklet doesn't specify times. In Muscat on 22 April we were planning maybe to visit the Grand Mosque (and say a few Hail Mary's!) but it is only open for non-Muslims 8-11 am and as the ship does not arrive till 10 am I doubt it will be possible. This helps with the planning but if we do arrive earlier we can head there first.

I pity the poor crew who have to shift some really heavy bags and many crew are quite small people - not generally 6 foot heavyweights.

On the subject of taking alcohol into Dubai, I read recently that bottles bought in duty free London were confiscated as they were not in sealed bags. Don't know how common this is.The wine is more expensive in Dubai duty free than LHR and LGW duty free. I would be afraid of bottles bursting in suitcase.

I phoned the medical dept of the UAE Embassy in London to enquire about co-codamol which contains codeine. The gentleman I spoke to said I could only take in sufficient for my trip and I would need a doctor's letter to cover me. I asked if a prescription would do and he said it had to be a letter. When we visited Dubai a couple of years ago no check was made on my medication (no co-codamol at the time) but I wouldn't risk taking it with me without the correct documentation.

balf - have you tried able2travel. Recently they have come out better for me/us. Good that you had some luck with All Clear. Glad that I could help.