carlmm

On 10/3/2023 at 2:31 AM, Sailor75 said:

So it's another useless benefit like "priority" debarkation.

No, it depends on the port and cruise if you can really disembark late (eg due to US regulations) and how long. Eg in Palma de Mallorca we once stayed until afternoon.

This is the current selection on the Queen Victoria. Picture taken today.

You could you ask for a new booking confirmation and should get one that includes a page about the transfer. 

Also you might try the App and see it there.

2 hours ago, Rob-Bob said:

Interesting.  I wonder if the day will come when passenger history suggests they will not be spending money onboard and they will not be able to book a cruise.  If a couple does not spend anything with the cruise line on "extras" will they be flagged and prevented from booking?

One might almost hope so. Just that all those who think, solo travellers are fairly treated, will not be allowed to book while big spending singles still are. 😉

Indeed, they are currently on the Queen Victoria.

The response is mixed, maybe as the venue is not always fitting. When they played in the Commodore Club, some guests asked for a piano player instead of the diddel-di. For sailaway a more vibrant band would be niecer.

Yet these are scheduling topics, nothing about the quality of the music.

3 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

I too will be visiting Cartagena on a Monday, though not until next year.  My research led me to this site:

https://puertodeculturas.cartagena.es/agenda.asp

You can put in your specific date to see what is open and what the hours will be.  It was suggested to me that on days when large cruise ships are in town on Mondays, the major attractions operate, but on a more limited basis.  Using the calendar feature on this site, it appears that all of the sites will be open for some period of time when you arrive on the 25th.

Great information. Thank you.

The last time I got a packed lunch from Cunard was about twenty years ago.

Lunch packages at that time were tasty and substantial. One had to arrange with the maitre the day before and the packed lunch was waiting at breakfast time.

I never was offered one since but then I did not ask. 

10 hours ago, richstowe said:

Here's a few 

Thank you very much. That is very helpful.

On 9/1/2023 at 4:08 PM, richstowe said:

I was wrong . I meant less then $7 . Here's a pic taken from the pub menu .I hope you can read it.

 

Do have pictures of the other pages, too, and if so, would you be so nice to post them?

8 hours ago, LittleFish1976 said:

Is the wine list in the MDR different from the wine list in the QG dining room? I'm interested specifically in the wines per glass; I'm familiar with the list in the QG which range from very good (included in the package) to brilliant (at extra cost).

 

Are the wines by the glass different on the MDR wine list from those on the QG list?

 Looks like.I would call none of the wines by the glass in Britannia very good and certainly there is no option of a brilliant one.

Thank you @ovccruiser and @Host Hattie!

Do you have any idea if it still rather similar today?

Cunard presents a bar menu on its home page, also dating from August 2022, but already in September 2022 many price were in reality higher than on the published one. 

Thank you @edinburgher!

Has anybody ever taken this kind of excursion? Any experience to share?

Also: My ship is scheduled to dock at 8.00 am. I am supposed to be at 8.40 am at the Praca Marques do Pombal for this tour. Is this realistically possible?

Another option for an excursion is Gjirokastra, a world heritage site. This city is further away but historically and culturally interesting with both an important huge castel and small museum converted traditional homes.

About Sarande itself I have a much more favourable opinion than some of the above posters:

Sarande is a kind of sea side resort with a promenade along the beach, small bars and so on, albeit it reminded me, a visitor from Western Europe, of maye Italy 50 years ago. No wonder given the much younger history of freedom and tourism. Still not overdeveloped, relaxed, friendly and joyful.

Where has the Italian root of MSC gone? Mac and cheese as a classic? Really? There is nothing Italian about this. Barbecue meatloaf? Onion rings? Southern-Style Fried chicken?

Sorry, MSC, that is neither fine food nor what you should serve as cruise dinner.

Could somebody be so nice to provide a list of wines by the glass curretnly available in the MDR on the Queen Victoria?

Background for this question is that in the past I have always chosen bottles because I did not like the wines available by the glass too much but maybe the selection has changed.

The discussion about the drinks package made me wonder if it could be an option yet for me this depends on the wines.

Do not mix loyality to Cunard with anything else IMHO.

Senior officer parties with likewise experienced Cunard passengers are different than they would be with passengers who were loyal to Carnival or any other brand.

Also, it is about loyality not money spend. To like Cunard and to show so by coming back time after time is loyalty, inside cabin or Q1. 

Have to disagree: I would not like to loose my fixed table and waiters.

In the past, Cunard sometimes offered airport transfers from Southampton to Heathrow including some sightseeing like Windsor or Stonehenge. 

Do they still offer these?

The direct train, Thalys, ends at the Gare du Nord in Paris. This is not the most interesting area but perfect for a hotel in your situation as you can take  the RER train to the airport right here the next morning, too.

Montmartre is walkable from here for most. All parts of Paris can be reached via Metro.

Depends on the hotel, of course, but most probably you can get everything for much less.

I have not used this service mxaelf but seen it it offered a couple of times: In Barcelona a company will take your luggage at the port and take it to the airport for you to pick it up later.

This you will have all day to sightsee independently. 

Another Cartagena question:

I will be in Cartagena on Monday, 25th September. This is, well, a Monday and according to the above provided links to museums and sights already mid- seasonwhich implies that all these places will be closed on Mondays.

Any hints and tips what to do and see? 

17 hours ago, Globaliser said:

 

I don't think that any of the trains operated between London and Southampton have any dedicated storage space for luggage. They're fundamentally commuter trains - and so if you have luggage you're always going to have to improvise about where the luggage goes. One type of space is the area between rows of seats where they're installed back-to-back, leaving an A-shaped gap. Otherwise, it's just a case of anywhere you can find a space.

 

The eight-seat first-class compartment made me dig into the detail of the rolling stock that SWR uses. On a quick look, it seems that the most common type between London and Southampton is the Class 444 (see more detail here), but sometimes a Class 450 train may be used (see more detail here). It's the Class 450s that have the small first-class compartment. I don't think there's any easy way for an outsider to know in advance what's planned for the future, but a poke around the last few days suggests that Class 450s tend to appear only on slower trains, and are often coupled with a Class 444 anyway.

 

Are you travelling on your own? If you are, and you have three pieces of luggage, I'd question whether you might be better off using a car service anyway. It's not easy to manage three pieces of luggage on your own, bearing in mind that you'll have to lift, carry and stow them by yourself without assistance.

Thank you for this. Interesting to hear about the different trains.

Yes, if the second person shares the cabin with the diamond member.

Normal Reservation. Just inform the waiter or maitre d'.