exlondoner

Yes, but not embarkation lunch.

Yes, all the difference in the world between strolling though and appropriating amenities.

He certainly sounds a man well worth avoiding by peasants such as me. Very unlike the kind and friendly present day staff.

Or just stop bothering about people walking through unobtrusively. Where is the harm?

That has been the position for ages, probably since they started this new system of buying 24 hours at a time. But you are saving by not wasting money on days when you are not aboard.

I know you go back further than me, but I don’t remember this being something I knew was available on our first crossing in 1997, nor can find any mention of it in the daily programme. So either it finished earlier than 2004, or it was another one of those irritating things you had to know about to know about.

And for many of the millions in England and Wales who live west of London and South of Birmingham, Southampton might be a lot more convenient than Heathrow, let alone Gatwick. Not invariably of course.

Not really, I’m very stupid, but they seem the same to me.

Well, it was in fact saved, but officially and for a price. And of course, there was so much more need, because there were no, then very few, balcony cabins

Anyway, given the proximity of some of the tables in the restaurants, anyone wearing such a dress might well be wedged for some time.

Whenever I have taken a replacement bus service for scheduled works, there have been buses, and you don’t seem to have evidence there won’t be. What often causes problems are emergency closures, because of signalling, track circuit failures, collapsed embankments, etc. Then there are sometimes simply no buses available at short notice. Hard to see what the railways can do in such circumstances, except use taxis.

Isn’t this an eastbound crossing? I expect she’ll be able to make the time up.

I would hazard a guess that the calm relaxing atmosphere is still much cherished. And the enrichment experiences very popular - which I admit does not make for a calm, relaxing atmosphere when everyone leaves the theatre together.

Dark suit and tie fine for formal nights. Collared shirt OK for non-formal, tie not necessary. Depending on air conditioning you might want a jacket.

Every sixth year you get an extra week to keep in sync with the calendar. Very wonderful.

And demonstrates how very useful travel agents are.

Do you have to fly across the US or do they put you on a nice train?

Cunard has a number of calls at Marseilles scheduled

In 2019, we on QV with 400 Australians doing three queens. It seemed an exciting undertaking.

It is all your choice.

Much better. And I think usually the case. On a recent cruise, I went on a wine trip with a lady who was married to a former F+B manager. When I mentioned that octopus was on the menu the evening we left Vigo where it was a speciality, she said none the less it would have been loaded in Soton.

Brittany Ferries from Caen or Cherbourg to Portsmouth. Trains either end.

In all these years I have never been aware of that phenomenon.

Remember most deep water fish is inevitably frozen. If the trawlers are at sea for up to a month, it is inevitable. And meat is better if hung for 3-4 weeks, anyway.

Same number of crew?