carlmm

And: Is one day fine, or how long would you recommend?

Could somebody recommend a hotel or area to stay before a cruise? Preferably in walking distance to "everything", museums, sights, restaurants, bars. Is there any area like this at all in Melbourne?

Yes, the Spanish VAT applied to all purchases on my recent Barcelona to Barcelona cruise. To avoid this, there must be at least one non EU port. Thus there were 10% added to all drinks in addition to the 15% service charge. 21 % is the rate for any items one buys in the photogallery or in the shops, yet for the later the prices were reduced accordingly "on this voyage only" to get back to the original price.

As you plan to see different town and cities, in my opinion it is an excellent idea to stay in La Spezia. The trains to the Cinque Terre run frequently. You can still enjoy the less crowded evenings there as trains still go past midnight. Choose a hotel in walking distance to the train station more towards the sea.

This is it. Allegedly young N played here. Allright. We were taken there last week when hefty rainfalls made the planned excursion to further parts of the island impossible. A couple of rocks in town. IMHO nothing to see and not worth any kind of effort to get there.

The night life is long and vibrant, in European Summers at least. Yet, MSC caters much more to families and groups travelling together. No solo events and rather few chances to get familiar with others. Might depend on your age and personality, of course.

So they don't have these on the other ships of this class? On the Grandiosa they already had many of them last year.

And yes, they offered small plates last week.

Good luck. May you get out soon! (You may warm the lobster in hot water 😉.)

Well, yesterday was 3rd October, the published starting day for th Queen Elizabeth 😉

There seem to be some inconsistencies and confusion. While some of you report here about both fixed and open seating as options, a table mate, who stayed on board for the QE cruise starting yesterday, was told everything would be open seating only. To the dismay of both passenger and waiters. Maybe we will get to know how it actually is handled from a current cruiser.

Interestingly it appeared to be different in the first and the second week. First week: not so many younger people, very few children with parents, some guests in their fifties, more in their sixties and up. Second week: Quite a number of younger people starting from around 20 (from the way they looked like) and in their early thirties.

In most cafes you can find food to take with you or eat quickly at the counter. This is much cheaper and quicker than to sit down. Think Tramezzinis and such.

Yes, this is strange. But for what it is worth, this August and maybe all the Summer, it was sometimes hard to find a room, too. Prices were exorbitant when ever I checked or had to go.

Does anybody have a specific question about the recent QE life?

One part of the Cunard experiences that might be gone for ever are the receptions and parties. I asked about them and the more or less direct answer was: It was so much effort to do them, we really find them bothersom for us and thus will not offer them to our guests anymore. What poor attitude this is.

It was not offered on the cruise lending today. Previously there have been reports about some of the tables on the Lido deck to be used for this.

This is an example of today alternative dining for a charge on the QE. Free self service is available, top.

Now the ugly: Dress standards and the patchy, if at all, enforcement of the anyway almost non existing dress code. Let's first say, that there are a substantial number of passengers dressed to traditional Cunard standards. Eg. Jacket and tie on smart nights, beautiful gowns/long evening dresses on gala nights. But: T-Shirts, poloshirts, jeans, ripped jeans, lumberjack shirts, shorts, sweaters, you name it - I have seen everything in the evenings on this cruise. Just one of the highlights, a man in what appeared to be black jeans with a casual, beach like short sleeved flowery shirt print shirt loosely hanging out of his trousers on a gala night in the Queens room. The Smart Dress code is a desaster, the low stated code is interpreted by just too many as "everything goes", and everything is what you see. By no way this fits into the beautiful elegant surroundings. Maybe the good: I was told that there were massive complaints, that the management was fully aware of the mess and that they tried to better enforce. Indeed, generally speaking, one could see an improvement.

Just now: Icecarving Well done.

Today is a not overly warm but friendly sunny day. Thus for the first time I habe not been able to find an empty sun lounger. Maybe later. The friendly stewards are around to serve drinks both on the lower and upper aft deck. Generally, the bar service has been excellent all around the ship.

IMHO the Queen Elizabeth is in an excellent state. The public rooms are beautiful and well appointed. Some passengers have pointed out some scratches here or there but nothing major. Overall elegant as it should be.

A few details from around the ship.

Some more Cafe Carinthia.

The first photo shows a view from the Cafe Carinthia to the main lobby, the second one is the forward part of the Cafe Carinthia.