Camgirl

1 hour ago, DaisyDancer said:

I am also diamond and have been given 3.30 - my friend who is platinum also has 3.30. Our other friend who has no world club status has 1.30! Seems to be random allocation. Can't even say it's down to which deck we're on as we're all on deck 8.🤔

It gets more weird! We went back and downloaded the boarding passes again, due to a mistake. This time our time was changed to 2.45!! The same as my sister has been given on her first cunard cruise. 

As you say, it just seems to be random. And changes each time you look!!!

1 hour ago, Underwatr said:

Interesting questions. I tried to push traditional dining and formal dress code in my responses.

Me too! 😄

Grills does go before diamond non grills. But we should be boarding straight after pricess grills. It usually goes QG, PG, diamond, platinum, others. 

Thanks for telling me your time. I think we will aim for earlier than 2.15. It is all very bizarre.

18 hours ago, ExArkie said:

Same date, same cabin grade, but not our first Cunard crossing (platinum CWC members), and ours says 12:15. Go figure…

 

Pretty much irrelevant, though, since we will already be on board from the Christmas Market voyage and don’t intend to get off the ship (we have a couple of days in Southampton to see things before the first embarkation.) Maybe that factored into the arrival time. 

 

What time have you been given for boarding on the 10th? We are diamond and have been given 2.15. 

3 hours ago, majortom10 said:

Why should it mean a poor and chaotic experience done freedom/anytime dining for a few years especially on Princess and have never had a poor or chaotic experience or any difference of food quality.

On the Princess cruise we took, we never had anything that was not both chaotic and a poor experience with their freedom dining. Every evening was bad. And neither the quality or choice of food were a patch on that served in the Britannia restaurants with Cunard. 

The majority of tables in Britannia are now for two. You can either have fixed dining, with the same table for two, and the same waiters every night, but with the time fixed at either 8.15 or (I think it is) 5.45. Otherwise you can chose open dining. You will still, almost certainly, get a table for two, but it could be a different one each time, with different waiters. However, you can go in to dine when you are ready, rather than at fixed times. I'm not sure what the hours are because I am not a fan of the open dining.

31 minutes ago, PORT ROYAL said:

It’s also confusing for some first timers on Cunard, migrating from Princess, with regard to their end of cruise drinks bill.  With claims “Thought Cunard was all inclusive like Princess” at GS.  Understandable.

Princess is only all inclusive if you pay extra for it.

Tonopah, I'm so very sorry to hear of your very sad news. I'm thinking of you and all your family.

39 minutes ago, TheOldBear said:

Rack of lamb was not [as far as I recall] on Britannia menus for our recent 26 night sailing - but I do recall seeing it being served on the Kings Court buffet one evening - [I think I had venison that night]

It was definately served in Britannia on our 19 night cruise in September. Also plenty of beef, including some fillet steak. Several chicken and lamb dishes, a few pork, plus a good variety of fish and vegetarian. We felt it was often better than pre covid days.

Yes, the starters and desserts are sometimes on the smaller side. But when you are eating three course meals every day for the whole cruise, you really don't need them to be any larger!! If you do need more, just ask for a second starter/dessert. Or add in a soup and/or salad course.

I know this question has been asked before, but I can't find the answer. So I'm afraid I will have to ask again.

My husband and I will be boarding QM2 at Southampton in December.  We are diamond world club members, so we usually board after the grills passengers. This time we will be joined by my sister and her husband for their first Cunard cruise. Their booking is linked to ours. Can anyone tell me what we do at the terminal? Can we all board together at the time the diamond guests do? Or do we all have to wait together until non priority boarding is in progress?

Thank you for any help you can give me.

We were able to get our shower curtain changed for a clean one, straight away, with no problem in a Britannia cabin. Just ask your steward/Butler.

I have all my cake ingredients ready to bake my cake later this week too.

Thanks, Liverpoolgirl for the reminder that I need the fruit soaking beforehand! I always end up baking the cake a day later than intended because I have forgotten to soak the dried fruit first!

21 hours ago, techteach said:

@Camgirl and @ExArkie I’ve forgotten- are you both on the TA that departs Dec. 15? If so, I’d love to meet both of you. Let’s hope there is a CC meet up.

We are only onboard for the Christmas markets cruise, I'm afraid.

You can always suggest a CC meet up on the roll call. I have done it before. Just arrange a time and place to meet. Traditionally it would be in the commodore club on the afternoon of the first sea day. It is a shame we won't be onboard at the same time. Maybe one day.... 

Hi Tizwiz, 

We are also on this cruise, boarding in Southampton. 

As others have said, the terminal is easy to find. They are all well sign posted. Mayflower is one of the terminals further in, away from the sea, if that helps at all.

We are already booked with CPS for parking. You just drive up to the terminal building (you will be directed), unload your luggage, hand over your keys, and walk away. CPS will move the car to their secure parking area. On return, you push your luggage a short distance across the road to where your car is waiting in a car park. Again, you will be directed to where to go. It is very simple and convenient.

As far as celebrations are concerned, my experience is that Cunard will not do anything. You need to book one of their celebration packages, which you can find on the website under your booking. However, I have never travelled in QG, so I don't know if it is any different there.

Hope to see both you and ExArkie onboard.

16 hours ago, Lanky Lad said:

I am pretty sure the cabins for quarantine are kept empty so you should be safe.

Actually, exactly the situation the OP mentions has just happened to my sister for a cruise on QM2 in December. She had a cabin chosen and said 'no upgrade'. She has just been told that cabin will now be out of service due to covid. It was an oceanview, deck 5, which I thought was odd, given they usually use balcony cabins for quarantine. 

As it happens, she has been upgraded to a balcony in a much better position, so it is not a problem. It just seemed very unusual. This will be her first Cunard cruise.

We had our flu jabs last Saturday at Boots, like Ray66. Our covid boosters are booked for Monday. I managed to catch covid for the second time a few days after our QV cruise in September. Monday is the first day I can have the booster after waiting the 28 days after getting the virus.

Luckily, I was ok this time round - just breathless. No other symptoms. And Mr Camgirl managed to avoid it completely. 

On our recent cruise on QV, our stateroom shampoo and shower gel were both heavily watered down. We weren't sure at first, but a shower in the gym changing rooms confirmed, as it was not watered down in there. 

There is a Penhaligan's shop here in Cambridge, if it is of help to anyone.

What seems confusing to me is that in March on QE, we were identified as close contacts twice. First to Rakkor, then to BouncingWheel. Both times we were tested, then allowed to carry on as normal when our tests were negative. 

OK, we were not as close contacts as a husband and wife, but we had spent a fair amount of time with both couples.

It seems ridiculous to me that you are being restricted to such an extent, despite so many negative tests, when we were allowed to continue eating in the restaurant, etc. Especially as there is no compensation for you having to follow these rules. I think you have been very patient and considerate. But I do think cunard is going way over the top in the way it has treated you and that these restrictions are too much for a close contact who has tested negative. 

I hope you are able to enjoy the rest of your cruise.

We received our cabin number for a guarantee booking just three days before departure for Queen Victoria in September. 

We did this tour through Cunard, in March.

Basically they drove us to a car park some distance from the town (we did the tour from Narvik). At that time it was covered in frozen slush and snow. Then we all stood in the car park for two or three hours to look for the lights. The coaches were left open to get on and off for a rest and warm up when needed. Our driver also provided a cup of drinking chocolate and some biscuits to those on the coach. I don't remember if we were permitted to use the loo on the coach. I have this vague feeling that the one on our coach was broken and we were told to use one on one of the other two coaches that were with us. I certainly didn't use it. There were no other facilities.

It was very cold. You need good outer clothing, and decent shoes or boots.

The journey to and from the car park took something like an hour and a half, each way. But it was quite pretty, even in the dark.

We were told that you were pretty much guaranteed to see the Northern lights. However, all we saw was a vague green haze. Even through our cameras (they are more visible this way). We saw the lights much better and more clearly on three other occasions, from the ship! 

Hi Host Hattie,

I'm just catching up with your thread. So sorry to hear Mr HH has gone down with covid. We managed to get through the whole 19 nights of the cruise before yours on QV without illness. Unfortunately,  I then tested positive for covid on Tuesday (we had got off the ship on the friday)! My second time with it, having been in hospital with it during my first time. Luckily, it has been much easier this time, and I am over it already. I hope mr HH is the same as it is his second time too. The good news is that my husband avoided it, so I hope you will too.

All the best for the rest of your cruise.

We tried using the premium plan to view video from a camera at home. It worked some of the time. We also used it for a WhatsApp video call to one of our sons, but had to change to audio as it kept breaking up. 

As Host Hattie says, the signal does vary a lot around the ship. 

I hope that is of help to you.

18 hours ago, renji said:

anyone have experience with the Queen Victoria premium internet plan?  I am considering the transatlantic or another cruise but would need to be able to make calls and occasional Zoom meetings.  I haven't done the QM2 transatlantic because I know the wifi doesn't work well.   

 

I wonder if Queen Anne will be better?

We got off QV a week ago. We used both Internet plans. To be honest, there is not a noticeable difference between the two. Both slow and tended to drop out every now and then. 

As for Queen Anne, we were on Enchanted Princess earlier this year. Still in its maiden season and with "the best wi-fi at sea". It was certainly no better than on Cunard and was virtually useless a lot of the time. Our cruise was to northern Europe. I wouldn't be holding out too much hope for better on Queen Anne.

There were teddies last week on QV. There must have been a lot of teddy fans onboard! They only had the teddies with the red cunard gilet on though. 

Hi, we got off QV as you got on! Have a fabulous time. We certainly did!

Interesting, the programmes were still in the old format for our voyage. I like the look of the colour coding, but would prefer more info, I think.

Deckchair, second sitting in Britannia is indeed now fixed, with the same table, waiters and companions. We were very pleased! It now opens at 8.15, with last orders at 8.45.