bluemarble

I've watched the Madeira New Year fireworks remotely via webcam the past couple years. Rogue fireworks are visible being set off throughout the city leading up to midnight as well as after, but the main display itself that's visible on the webcam has lasted eight minutes from midnight to 12:08am both last year and this year.

I've learned one more 2025 dress code schedule. It's for QA's transatlantic crossing to start her 2025 world voyage. Queen Anne 2025 Voyage H504: 9 Jan-18 Jan 2025 (Westbound Crossing) 10 Jan - Black and White 15 Jan - Roaring Twenties That completes the schedule for QA's world voyage starting from Southampton. I'm still seeking contributions from anyone booked on a 2025 voyage I don't have yet, especially for QV where I have nothing at all for her 2025 dress code and theme schedule.

Here are some more itineraries I've found to complete the December 2026 schedules for Queen Anne and Queen Mary 2. We already figured QA was going to be doing a Canary Islands/Madeira cruise over Christmas since the Madeira Port Authority website has QA scheduled to be at Funchal on 24 Dec 2026. Here are the details for that cruise plus one additional cruise for QA in early 2027. Queen Anne 20-Dec-26 Southampton 24-Dec-26 Funchal 26-Dec-26 Lanzarote 27-Dec-26 Fuerteventura 28-Dec-26 Tenerife 29-Dec-26 La Palma 31-Dec-26 Lisbon 1-Jan-27 Lisbon 3-Jan-27 Southampton 5-Jan-27 Hamburg 7-Jan-27 Rotterdam 8-Jan-27 Zeebrugge 9-Jan-27 Zeebrugge 10-Jan-27 Southampton Naturally we would expect QM2 to be doing another Caribbean cruise over Christmas and that's what I've found. Queen Mary 2 20-Dec-26 New York 24-Dec-26 Amber Cove 26-Dec-26 Road Town 27-Dec-26 Roseau 28-Dec-26 Bridgetown 29-Dec-26 Castries 30-Dec-26 Basseterre 3-Jan-27 New York 11-Jan-27 Southampton It's been a while since QM2 has called at Amber Cove. I'm seeing only one previous call scheduled there on 22 Jan 2016 and that's the only call there by any of the current Cunard fleet.

Sorry, I managed to confuse myself by what's on the Haifa Port Authority website ("haifaport.co.il"). They do indeed list the following: QUEEN MARY 2; 21/02/2026; ETA: 07:00; ETD: 22:00 And yes indeed, that does contradict the previous schedules I found. It is supposed to be QUEEN ANNE in Haifa on 21-22 Jan 2026 according to what I found elsewhere. But then I see this announcement on the home page of that Haifa site. "Welcome to Haifa Port. Please note that the cruise schedule is out of date." Not sure how the schedule for 2026 could be out of date already. The schedules for several of the other ships listed for early 2026 on that Haifa site match the itineraries found on the websites for their cruise lines. So it is a bit of a mystery what's going on regarding the Haifa schedules. I'm willing to pass this off as a glitch on the Haifa site. So far that's the only inconsistency I've found regarding the Cunard 2026 itineraries on any of the other port authority websites. But it does give me pause nonetheless. Thanks for bringing that Haifa inconsistency to my attention.

To recap, here are dates for Cunard's 2026 itineraries we were able to find earlier on various port authority websites. Queen Mary 2 11 Jan 2026 - Southampton 4-5 Mar 2026 - Sydney 7 Mar 2026 - Brisbane 14 Mar 2026 - Darwin Queen Anne 11 Jan 2026 - Southampton 8 Mar 2026 - Darwin 14 Mar 2026 - Brisbane 16-17 Mar 2026 - Sydney 19-20 Mar 2026 - Melbourne 26 Mar 2026 - Fremantle 26 Apr 2026 - Funchal 26 May 2026 - Gibraltar 17 Sep 2026 - Gibraltar 6 Oct 2026 - Gibraltar 8 Nov 2026 - Funchal 9 Dec 2026 - Funchal 24 Dec 2026 - Funchal Queen Victoria 8 Jan 2026 - Funchal 12 Feb 2026 - Funchal 26 Feb 2026 - Funchal 15 Apr 2026 - Funchal Now I've done some more digging. Here are additional 2026 dates I've found on the calendars of other port authority and port information websites. Queen Mary 2 21 Jan 2026 - Haifa (one day only) 21-22 Mar 2026 - Hong Kong 1 May 2026 - Le Havre 11 Aug 2026 - Isafjordur 12-13 Aug 2026 - Reykjavik 29 Aug 2026 - Bergen 5 Sep 2026 - Le Havre 7 Dec 2026 - Le Havre Queen Anne 26-27 Feb 2026 - Hong Kong 31 Jul 2026 - Akureyri 1 Aug 2026 - Isafjordur 2-3 Aug 2026 - Reykjavik I'm just documenting this here since it lends more credibility to the full 2026 itineraries I reported earlier. The only discrepancy I'm seeing here is that the Haifa Port Authority has QM2 doing a one day call there on 21 Jan 2026 rather than an overnight on 21-22 Jan 2026. Now I suppose we just need to be patient until Cunard announces their 2026 itineraries.

Here's what I have so far for Cunard's 2025 dress code and theme schedules. Queen Mary 2 2025 Voyage M506C: 15 Mar-29 Mar 29, 2025 (Caribbean) 17 Mar - Gala Evening (no theme) 27 Mar - Gala Evening (no theme) Queen Victoria 2025 Nothing yet. Any information about QV 2025 dress code and theme schedules is appreciated. Queen Elizabeth 2025 Voyage Q510: 29 Mar-7 Apr 2025 (Japan) 30 Mar - Black and White 1 Apr - Masquerade 5 Apr - Red and Gold Voyage Q511: 7 Apr-16 Apr 2025 (Japan) 8 Apr - Black and White 10 Apr - Masquerade 13 Apr - Red and Gold Queen Anne 2025 Voyage H501: 22 Dec 2024-5 Jan 2025 (Canary Islands) 25 Dec - Red and Gold 31 Dec - Gala Evening (no theme) 2 Jan - Masquerade Voyage H502: 5 Jan-7 Jan 2025 (Hamburg) 6 Jan - Gala Evening (no theme) Voyage H505 through H509: 18 Jan-26 Apr 2025 (World Voyage) 20 Jan - Red and Gold 24 Jan - Gala Evening (no theme) 29 Jan - Gala Evening (no theme) 1 Feb - Masquerade 6 Feb - Black and White 14 Feb - Red and Gold 20 Feb - Gala Evening (no theme) 26 Feb - Gala Evening (no theme) 2 Mar - Black and White 6 Mar - Gala Evening (no theme) 10 Mar - Masquerade 15 Mar - Gala Evening (no theme) 20 Mar - Red and Gold 23 Mar - Gala Evening (no theme) 29 Mar - Roaring Twenties 4 Apr - Gala Evening (no theme) 8 Apr - Black and White 13 Apr - Gala Evening (no theme) 19 Apr - Masquerade 25 Apr - Gala Evening (no theme)

When I first asked about dress code and theme schedules for 2024 this past October and then asked about the schedules for QA and QE specifically when they came out recently, it became apparent Cunard have also posted some of the dress code and theme schedules for 2025. My best guess is that Cunard may have released their dress code and theme schedules into Spring 2025 to include the world voyages for QA and QV and QE's Japan season. I have most of the schedule for QA’s 2025 world voyage so far, but what I have for 2025 for the other ships is very spotty at best. I’ll list what I have so far for the 2025 dress code and theme schedules in a separate reply below. If you are on a 2025 voyage which I have not already listed below, please post what you are seeing for your dress code and theme schedule within the daily calendar section for your booking in My Cunard. I'll need the name of the ship, the dates of the voyage, and the dates and themes (if any) for all the Gala Evenings on your itinerary. I’m not sure yet if I will add these 2025 schedules to the end my existing documents for 2024 or start a new set of documents for 2025. That may depend on how far into 2025 we can determine Cunard have released their 2025 dress code and theme schedules. As always, thanks for any assistance you may be able to provide with this project of mine.

Here's another view of the fireworks display captured from the Itchen Cam stream on the Solent Ships YouTube channel.

Here's a capture of some of the fireworks a few minutes ago for QV's departure on her 2024 world voyage. The is from the Solent Ships YouTube channel.

There were fireworks for QE2's final departure from Southampton as she headed off on her final voyage to Dubai. Probably a common occurrence for both first and final voyages for Cunard ships over the years.

I think we can anticipate fireworks to accompany Queen Anne's naming ceremony and/or her departure on her maiden voyage. They also like to schedule fireworks to accompany some of the occasions when three Queens are in port together. Both Southampton and Liverpool come to mind for such occasions in the past. Others here may recall some other Cunard occasions accompanied by fireworks which I'm not able to recall at the moment.

I'm hoping to catch a glimpse of some of the planned fireworks this evening via webcam. There's a Southampton VTS notice indicating the fireworks were to begin for QV at 1800 and for QM2 at approximately 1845. Not quite sure how that aligns in with QV's currently scheduled departure time of 1630 and QM2's departure time of 1800 but I'll be keeping an eye out for them.

Excellent! You got them both. The second image is from the Brighton Beach webcam at the Brighton Savoy near Melbourne, Australia. The first image is from one of the Brighton Beach webcams at the West Indies Rum Distillery near the port of Bridgetown, Barbados.

Welcome back to our game, @Victoria2. It's been a while. Sorry, no, neither of those Brighton Beaches are near San Francisco or Brooklyn. There certainly are quite a few Brighton Beaches around the world aren't there? I didn't know San Francisco had one but google tells me it does. I'm with you, @exlondoner. Our one visit to Brighton in Sussex was most enjoyable but the beach itself wasn't particularly pleasant to walk on.

Bingo! Both webcam images were captured within 24 hours of each other from Brighton Beach in two entirely different parts of the world. Now we need to name the two Cunard ports near those two different Brighton Beaches.

I'm with you. I don't book guarantees or non-refundable deposits either. As far as I know, The US My Cunard always looks like this now where it only says "Register preference" next to what you've previously selected. By last few bookings have looked like that as do my future bookings. Unless it told you previously that early dining was unavailable, I think you should be fine the way that screenshot reads now.

I'll offer a slightly different twist to our game for your consideration today. Here are two different webcam captures taken within 24 hours of each other showing two different Cunard ships at two different locations. The first image is showing a ship arriving at a port which is off the left of the image. The second image is showing a Cunard ship departing a port which is in the far distance toward the right. The twist is that both webcam locations are at beaches with the same name. There is also a popular beach in England with that same name. Please name the two Cunard ports associated with these images (we've seen them before) as well as the name of the beach shared by these two camera locations and a beach in England. I'll suspend our usual rule of one guess per day for this one. Instead, one guess per day for each part of the puzzle will be fine. If you can solve all three parts of this puzzle in one go, go ahead. Or if you'd prefer to solve only one or two parts of the puzzle, that's all good too.

The difference between the Q7 suites and the Q5/Q6 suites on QM2 is that the Q7 suites are wheelchair accessible. There are only 5 of them so they can sell out quickly. Plus you'll only see availability for the Q7's during the booking process on the Cunard website if you indicate you need a wheelchair accessible suite. The difference between the Q5 and Q6 suites on QM2 is location. The Q6 suites are all forward while the Q5 suites are midships and mid-aft. There are quite a few more Q5 suites than Q6 suites on QM2. That combined with the Q6 suites being less expensive probably accounts for why you are seeing more availability for Q5 suites compared to Q6 suites.

Here's a webcam capture showing QV departing Hamburg a few hours ago. This marks the start of QV's 2024 world voyage for those guests embarking at Hamburg.

In the US, we have what Cunard calls "Our Lowest Fare". Elsewhere it's known as the "Value Fare". That fare has a number of restrictions including a non-refundable deposit (unlike most other US fares). It's similar to a UK Saver Fare in that it does not allow selection of a specific cabin (i.e. it's a guarantee-only booking). I can't find anything in the terms for that fare that mentions dining arrangements though. I never book that fare. I'd be interested to learn if those who do book that fare in the US are able to select early or late sitting or are being assigned open dining.

Thanks for that bit of QM2 history. I was puzzled at first why Cunard would pick a crossing in May to celebrate QM2's 10th anniversary. But then I realized they were specifically celebrating the 10th anniversary of QM2's first eastbound transatlantic crossing from New York. QM2's first eastbound transatlantic crossing from New York was April 25-May 1, 2004. The May 16-23, 2014 crossing was the first opportunity to celebrate that 10th anniversary milestone on another eastbound transatlantic crossing. Here's a YouTube video from Cunard Line about their 10th anniversary celebration in New York.

Also there is the Carinthia Lounge for light breakfast and lunch options.

No, all of the "B" category staterooms are regular Britannia Balcony staterooms. You will be assigned to the main Britannia Restaurant as your main dining room. The "A" category staterooms on decks 12 and 13 are the Britannia Club staterooms which are assigned to the Britannia Club restaurant. You won't be able to use the Britannia Club restaurant if you have booked a category "BC" stateroom. I do agree it can be a bit confusing when the abbreviation "BC" is used to refer to Britannia Club. But that usage of the "BC" abbreviation is not referring to stateroom category "BC". Hope this helps clarify the situation.

I don't think we can pin down QA's arrival date to April 28th. The statement that QA will arrive in Southampton "during the last weekend of April" is not particularly specific. She may well be arriving Saturday, April 27th. I guess we will need to wait for more specifics from Cunard. I'm inferring they are planning a daytime arrival from the quote "Large crowds are expected to like [sic] the Solent to welcome in the new ship."

Interesting you should ask about the terminal. The Southampton VTS Cruise Ship Schedule has one cruise ship or another at each one of the five cruise terminals at some point from the last weekend in April through May 3rd. For the maiden voyage departing May 3rd, the Ocean, Horizon and QEII terminals have other ships scheduled at the moment. Of course those terminal assignments are always subject to change. As I mentioned previously, QM2 and QV will be in port on Sunday, April 28th (along with Arvia and MSC Poesia). It should be a very interesting celebration indeed to have QA in port that day along with two of her sisters. As the schedule stands now, City terminal is the available spot for QA on April 28th.