exlondoner

26 minutes ago, BigMac1953 said:

The original Queen Mary is being refurbished on the River Clyde.

She was on the Thames for a while in the last century.

41 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Just like that!!!!😅

Sydney Greenstreet.

6 minutes ago, D&N said:

It had crossed my mind. That would be a disaster!

It did come back, but it took a while.

2 minutes ago, D&N said:

Thanks for asking. Going through the phases I think!

I thought my throat had eased yesterday afternoon but when I tried to sleep it was a constant pain. Had to get back up and take ibuprofen, then sit with the girls for a bit while it took effect. No complaints from them 🐈. Nora hasn't had the throat inflammation and hopefully won't.

I still have Tyrozets (well by their date) as a back up for throats. Not for their antibiotic properties but they're effective as a short term local anaesthetic, just to let you get to sleep.

I think we'll probably be another two or three days. Ursel was due her first annual check up and booster tomorrow but I've phoned vet and rescheduled for next week. He's a one man band and can do without humans preventing him from tending to his patients.

 

Interestingly we had a Brouilly (Gamay) with our lamb fillets last night and every gulp seemed to sting my inflamed throat. I've not had the same with Merlot or Cinsault/Grenache rosé that we've drunk on other days. Alcohol content was about the same for all of them. It tasted very nice with the lamb and cheese that followed though so probably worth the pain!

 

The best thing is that your sense of taste hasn’t been affected. A friend of mine couldn’t bear the taste of wine for a while.

And imagine the possible litigation.

I don’t think leaving you alone is really an option for a shipping company. They need to know you can get out without help in an emergency, or, if not, what help you would require. 

One thing I am baffled by is ‘they were there to serve in the most colonial way possible.’ What on earth is a colonial way of serving, let alone a most colonial way?

My own experience of service in Cunard restaurants is one of warmth and efficiency.

30 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Semi serious comment here

 

Pack any sticks in luggage. A jobsworth might question the need and ask why an assistance form hasn't been filled in.

Μy thoughts exactly. 

And perhaps a very discreet gold ring with a ruby? 😀

Looking at our latest menu, there are various symbols to denote things like gluten free. One of these, possibly a broccoli floret, signifies ‘wellness option’, which I suspect is the low calorie one.

3 minutes ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

I think you might want to read up a bit more about the christening and name controversy....

 

It was a source of considerable embarassment to Cunard and caused some measure of offence in Scotland. I still remember seeing letter boxes in Scotland with the "II" defaced.  Indeed, during the back and forth over the proposed name for Q4 naming her QUEEN ELIZABETH II was rejected early on for not wishing to cause offense in Scotland where, of course, there was no Queen Elizabeth (I) as sovereign.   And why Cunard thereafer was happy to use "QE2" thereafter.  

Yes, I do actually know all that, just as I know Brooklyn is one of New York’s five boroughs. Why assume ignorance on my part, or indeed that it was a mistake in the part of the Queen? As I say, look at her expression.

14 minutes ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

I'd rather listen to the crowd and the look on Sir Basil Smallpeice's ....

Why? 

Look at her face.

36 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

 

WantedOnVoyage

 

The advice given to judydoc has been fine. What some aspire to and the reality are totally different these days.

Pre Covid, my husband would no more go tie less, than fly to the moon. In his own rebellious way, he's ditched them and that's from an 'old style' dresser. Still got the jackey tho' but that's his choice.

 

Like it or not, times have changed and when asked for advice, objective replies should be given and the reality is, 'Smart attire' is def. more casual  than it used to be.

 

Give incorrect info and lovely folk who would be the future of Cunard, might be put off and as I hope we have another 20 yrs of cruising in us, I hope Cunard survives. Tie less but with the option for us to scrub up if we want to.

Always remembering the variable ferocity of the air conditioning.

35 minutes ago, new to cuising said:

Given that our late Queen Elizabeth II mistakenly thought at the naming ceremony that the Cunarder QE2 was named after herself, perhaps it's time to formally name a ship after her

You think it was a mistake?

16 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

I'd add a ps and say apart from two bow ties to ring the Gala changes, my husband hasn't taken a [non Gala night] tie with him for two years now.

 

He doesn't miss them one jot! 🙂

Mine sometimes wears one, partly so he doesn’t forget how to tie a tie.

5 minutes ago, judydoc said:

On Gala night Men must have a jacket?  Shirt and Tie are not enough?

Yes, jacket on formal nights, if you want to dine anywhere other than the Lido or equivalent.

7 minutes ago, Harters said:

Agreed. But only applicable if you live fairly close to the departure/arrival port. I am looking forward to my next cruise which is a Southampton to Southampton one, so we can drive - but these are rare for my preferred cruise line. 

That is true. Being lucky enough to live where I do, I would never cruise other than from Southampton. 

18 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

Where have the senses of adventure, commitment and accomplishment gone?  A 20-25 minute walk with rolling luggage is hardly much different than what a lot of people insist on doing in large, busy airports all the time!

 

Of course, if the weather is bad, different situation.

Why make life unnecessarily difficult? One of the joys of cruising is not having to deal with airports.

33 minutes ago, Pushpit said:

Well as someone who sometimes works in a high rise hospital, we're all trained to throw chairs, legs first, at windows. Or charge at the window with the chair. If you get the middle of the glass area it will shatter. This PSA is hopefully something no-one here needs to do, but should bear in mind. I can imagine the risk in hotels is greater though.

I think the available chairs in my cabin might be too heavy for me to hurl at anything, though one never knows if desperation is driving. However, I think it would be preferable to allow the doors to be unlocked from inside. 

3 minutes ago, Pushpit said:

For safety reasons (e.g. if there was a fire in the corridor) I very much doubt the balcony doors were centrally locked such that someone in the stateroom cannot get out. It's also quite a tricky bit of engineering to do this for hundreds of doors.

 

Whereas at turn-down service the steward would normally ensure the door was bolted closed, using the turn-bolt on the door. But you would be free to open it again. As noted, if the wind is up there could well be a reverse suction effect, with a pressure difference, so that you would need quite a lot of arm welly to get the door open, and if you did get it open there would be quite a bit of whistling going on as you did so. When that happens then I tend to get the message since the other risk is that once out of the balcony can you then get back into your stateroom? Pushing the door open from the outside is easier than pulling from the inside, it should be said.

 

It's quite common for the captain to request or to advise that balcony doors not be opened during bad weather.

I hope you are right. The thought of being locked in my cabin is terrifying, exactly because of the (very unlikely) scenario you describe.

6 hours ago, d9704011 said:

Ahhh... an important detail! I was referring to Ocean Cruise Terminal Berth 46 and was staying at Novotel Southampton; there are a number of hotels closer to that pier.

I wouldn’t walk. It is possible, but a horrid walk along busy roads, and it will probably rain.

33 minutes ago, Colin_Cameron said:

My wife thought our's was locked as well. With the application of a lot of brute force I managed to get it open about 1/4 inch but no further. It was just the wind stopping it.

Yes, usually when we come back from dinner, we have found the balcony door has been locked, but can be unlocked. If there is a strong wind, you need very strong arms to open it though.

8 minutes ago, D&N said:

That's an odd response.

My problem while carrying baggage off would be the slow moving people in front of me.

But I'm quite polite so I just toddle along at their speed until I come to a point where it is wide enough to pass.

I can’t see why it should be a problem either. And, quite honestly, looking at the average load of Cunard passengers, how many of them are going to be keen to hump large suitcases about if they don’t have to?

Can you explain a bit more about the locking of the balcony doors?