exlondoner

Most of the rolling stock SWR use between Waterloo,and Soton doesn't have luggage racks, but this is not usually a problem out of the rush hours. incidentally, trainline charge a fee: if you book direct with say, SWR, they don't. If you want to reduce costs, it's always worth looking a splitticketing, though unlikely to make much difference on this journey.

Lucky old you. 😀

You will get the table size you ask for, with one proviso. If you want to be on a table for 8, it will be arranged, so long as there are enough others who want the same. There is a big table in the entrance of the QG, and in April, there were only five on it. Two people hadn't shown (Covid?) and no others could be persuaded to join.

I'm sorry to seem disbelieving, but did you really go from Victoria Station to Southampton? No wonder it took 21/2 hours. It is a bit like going from NY to Chicago via Washington. The station for Soton is Waterloo. And the better trains take about an hour, unless there are interruptions for engineering, or indeed strikes, which we have now been threatened with.

Why not save yourself all that trouble and just ring them? This seems to happen quite a lot (much too much), but is invariably sorted by one phone call. And surely a personal conversation is what you would expect from a cruise line purporting to be upmarket.

Contradicting what I said earlier, it may be worth getting a taxi to the Eurostar Terminal if you have lots of luggage. Otherwise it is a very long walk from the Underground at St. P.

Perhaps take the Jubilee Line from Westminster to Stratford and change to the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) for one stop.

Where is the ABBA show? Around London, the Underground is almost invariably the best choice, as it doesn't get snarled up with traffic. But, during daylight hours, if you have plenty of time, it is sometimes fun to use a double decker bus, so you can see lots of places. Life will be simpler with an Oyster card.

As you imply, food is extremely subjective, and my standards may be inadequate, but it seemed to me that the food and menus on my only post-Covid cruise were superior to those on the last couple of cruises before Covid, though I thought those were pretty good. But, as I say, I may lack discernment.

I did actually go to the parties until Covid, and never witnessed frenzies over a second drink. What I have encountered, and more in recent years, was people behaving very discouteously and talking quite loudly all the way through speeches made by the Captain and others. I really can't imagine why people do this.

All those check in queues, all that arranging transport to the port, all that getting up early to disembark seems much harder work than a world cruise. On my first Cunard voyage in 1997, the lowest world club category was bronze, after two completed voyages. Yet they awarded it to Malvina Dean, when she was only going to have one and a half. Shock, horror. 😀😀

I think this is one of a number of things that falls into the 'life's too short' category. Some feel it unfair that a single world voyage can elevate you from nowhere to Diamond.

Were you not given a booklet with all this stuff in? Anyway, there is never any harm asking, and you give the impression you would not be embarrassed to do so.

But this has been going on for years. I remember reading a fascinating blog of someone's world cruise, perhaps six or seven years ago. One of the things the writer said was that one of the few annoying aspects of their experience was the negative attitude of a proportion of those on the full world cruise, who did nothing but moan about Cunard's declining standards, before going off to the Sales Office to book another world cruise.

And also costs. 😀 Though providing soap and shampoo bars first off might cut out more plastic.

This comment seems to have little relevance to the one of mine you quoted. Again, deficient as my upbringing may have been, as regards what is luxury is, I did in fact notice that the waiters invariably served females first, which I imagine could even be construed as sexist, and both of us always from the side. No leaning over.

Again you seem to misunderstand me. I don't bring any such things, as they are provided on board. The only wire hangars I have encountered are when clothes come back from the laundry. Those in my cabin were universally wooden. But I know some people do prefer specific brands of say, soap, so bring their own. I don't think that is anything to do with one's definition of luxury.

That works very well for my spouse who has the same breakfast every day: for me, wanting a different breakfast every day, it would be impossible to manage without employing psychics. However, having mentioned at the first meal that I drank a lot of water, I don't think I ever needed to ask for my glass to be refilled. It was done before I realised the need.

I think you are completely misrepresenting the position, as it is for the present, at any rate. Both liquid and bar soap are available, though in any case, many people do like to bring their own, as they favour a particular brand.

Speculation seems, ruitless at this stage. All one can do is note what is happening currently.

They will bring you soap and other things if you ask.

Trieste is somewhere I haven't been, but would very much like to visit, as it has an interesting history. However, if I had booked the cruise to visit Venice, I might feel very differently.

Thank you for this. It is extremely interesting.

Two glasses of wine with lunch, three with dinner, and a couple of fancy coffees would do it on .Cunard. This is more than I would drink, but not exactly a health hazard unless it's a very long cruise.

Did you enjoy your voyage?