exlondoner

Walking towards my cabin is not a positive action. Depending on its location, I fairly often pass it on the way to somewhere else. For instance on QM2 en route to the library or CC. Also, I thought the point of the thing was you didn’t have to juggle if your hands were full of children and stuff: if you have to open the door anyway, that makes it even more pointless. My steward is, I hope, a trustworthy person. I have no problem with him/her entering the cabin when I am not in it. As s/he knocks before entering, it gives me plenty of time to remove myself from view, if, say, I am standing in front of the mirror half dressed.

As I have said before, I find it quite horrifying that there appears to be a way of opening my cabin door without a positive action on my part.

The Daily Programme arrives the night before. What can be more convenient than that?

I did say ‘very rarely’. Do you think they knew who she was? She’s not someone I’ve heard of, inevitably.

Usually we find the butler (and assistant) have done everything except the bathroom while we are at breakfast. As we enjoy the chance to board as early as possible, this seems very sensible, and we make sure we don’t leave clutter in his/her way.

Oh yes, when we disembarked last from Covid quarantine on QM2, there our bags were all alone at the far end of the baggage hall surrounded by emptiness. And, it must be said, minded by the excellent man who had organised the disembarkation. But they did look pathetic. While they are obviously easier for miscreants to intercept if sitting all alone, it may make them much susceptible to mistaken acquisition, which does seem to happen quite often.

If it is a Southampton arrival, immigration is usually done on the ship. You do not have to queue ashore. Customers checks very rarely occur either.

Probably got rust on the outside and strange smells emanating. Oh, sorry, that’s the ship…😀

Though you may still lose out as a result of currency fluctuations.

All refunded. They are always cancelling ports for less world shattering reasons like bad weather.

Well, what else is there in Lincolnshire? (Apart from a spectacular cathedral.) 😀

I never book anything in advance, and always end up doing what I want, though, admittedly, I have never used the Spa. I did once book a tour in advance, and lo and behold, we were moved off it to the afternoon version. I always wait till we are aboard and see how we feel.

I know it’s not the right place, but have the four blast furnaces at Scunthorpe closed? Like Cunard ships, they were called after four queens.

Economy.

I used to adore it flamed à l’orange, but now we find it too much to finish between us. Still the spectacle and aroma when other diners have it is most enjoyable.

I don’t think QA has a courtyard, unfortunately.

Don’t like caviar, but I nearly always have the Dover Sole the first night too. 🙂

Yes, sorry, you are quite right, the Q3s are on the other decks. I would say that last summer, especially in the QG restaurant, the Gala Nights were very well observed. Mind you, I’m as blind as a bat.

To your para 1 questions, all four answers are yes. The Q3s are a bit bigger than the Q4s, which are just over 500sq. ft. They don’t seem particularly spacious though, because of the way they are arranged. Still jolly nice.

You can ask for caviar off menu in the restaurant, and it will be free. Ask the m d’h in advance, not your waiter.

And, if they let people with saver fares be flexible, it undermines the argument for booking more expensive fares and annoys those who did do that.

Some people must live incredibly trouble free lives. A ruined cruise might result from an unbearably smelly cabin, or the cases ending up in the harbour, both of which have happened recently. I wonder what he would have to say about that sort of thing.

With the lightbulb it would depend where it was. If it were high and awkward, I might ask someone with better balance to do it and reward them with a bottle of wine. So sort of yes, sometimes.

I was thinking of something more straightforward like your Cunard booked plane being diverted to Schipol because of a problem at Heathrow. So you can’t get to your ship in Southampton. Then it’s Cunard’s problem not yours, and you don’t lose your entire holiday. I remember a significantly delayed departure from Hamburg, because we were awaiting the very late arrival of a train from Spain (yes, I know it’s a long way) with a number of though booked Cunard passengers on.

I had always considered myself something of a control freak, but for me that means using an expert I trust. I don’t try and mend my own washing machine, I don’t try and slaughter my own meat, I wouldn’t try to make my own false teeth (though, bizarrely, I know some who has, out of meanness), and, when the tiles blow off my roof, I get a roofer in. In each case I pay good money to someone who does these things all the time, and therefore presumably has got good at what they are doing. I adopt the same attitude towards travel arrangements.