bluemarble

QE is now reporting an ETA of August 16, 2022 at 07:00 local time at Ponta Delgada. That's the date I expected. Not having much luck yet finding a port webcam though.😞

The canopy shown in the images on that "Outdoor spaces" page is indeed on the Grills Terrace. They don't appear to be showing the canopy they've mentioned at the Aft pool. There is an overhang at the extreme left of the first image on that page which is an extended view of the area around the Aft pool. That's near the stage shown on the deck plans. It's not clear if that covers much more than the stage itself though. The area around the bar shown in the background of that Aft pool image is shaded. And the FAQ mentions shaded areas at the Sky Bar and Observation Deck and the Cabana bar. But I understand the concern those areas are probably mostly intended for bar patrons. Edit to add: It looks like there are overhangs around the perimeter of the Pavilion pool. Seating in that area appears to be shaded.

For the record, here's the link to that "Outdoor spaces" page. I'll use the link for the UK website. https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/inspiration/queen-anne/open-spaces Note the description for the Aft pool does mention shade. "You’ll also find a selection of seating styles from which to admire the sweeping views out to sea, and a canopy offering day-round shade if ever you’re seeking a little respite from the sun. "

Here's one that's a bit different. I suppose this could have worked on the "Daily sunrise" thread as well although it was from almost an hour before sunrise. This is a view of QV as she passed Cowes on her way into Southampton this morning. It's a capture from the Cowes Cam stream of the Solent Ships YouTube channel.

I thought I would be able to answer my own question about what day QE will be in Ponta Delgada by looking at the ETA being reporting via AIS now that she has departed Fort Lauderdale. However, what I'm seeing is August 9, 2022 at 11:00am which of course is no help. The crew are keeping me in suspense a little longer.

Here's a capture of QE's departure from Fort Lauderdale this evening. This is from PTZtv's webcam at "portevergladeswebcam.com". It's been an overcast day today, but since I didn't post anything from Fort Lauderdale when she was here in May, and this is the last opportunity to see any of the Cunard ships here this year, I decided to give it a go.

Just for the record, I'd be interested to hear the reasoning they gave. Hopefully something a bit more enlightening this time than the usually vague "operational reasons" but perhaps not. Which day will you be calling at the Azores? I figure it will be 16 Aug but please check my work.

Agreed. We've had some good fun over the term "cattle call", discussed fish knives, the capital of the Netherlands, how dishes are/should be seasoned, and I've also wondered why chicken fingers are inappropriate as a starter on the Britannia menu (I welcome their shrimp mac & cheese entrée). It does appear the OP had some legitimate service issues though and it has not been my intention to trivialize those concerns.

I do indeed. Wikipedia tells me "The Cattle Call" was first recorded by Tex Owens in 1934. Slim Whitman did have a popular cover of that song in 1954. I'm extremely rusty on music theory, but to my ear it appears that song has three beats per measure. Might make an interesting selection for a waltz during a tea dance. 🤣

Although a trivial matter, Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. While The Hague is the seat of government, Amsterdam is designated as the official capital. I made that mistake while speaking with a couple from the Netherlands on board QM2. I referred to The Hague (Den Haag) as their capital and was quickly corrected on that matter.

Just to warn you, the dress code can be a hot button issue on this forum. I'll expand a bit on what has already been mentioned. The dress code requests long trousers throughout most of the ship after 6:00pm, not just for the shows. Here's what it has to say about that. "Please note that after 6:00pm, shorts and blue or worn denim (for men and women); sandals and sleeveless tops (for men) are not considered appropriate within the ship. Of course, if you prefer to spend your evenings in more relaxed attire, a selection of casual dining and entertainment venues is always available for your enjoyment. Feel free to dress casually as you visit any of the following venues: Kings Court, Lido Buffet, Golden Lion, Casino, Carinthia Lounge, Winter Garden, Garden Lounge, Yacht Club, and G32. Non-ripped, jeans are appropriate, but please refrain from wearing shorts, sports attire, swim wear or sleeveless t-shirts outside of the gym, spa and deck spaces." To help clarify that list of casual venues, the Lido Buffet, Winter Garden, Garden Lounge and Yacht Club are venues on QE and/or QV, not QM2. Also, here is how the evening dress code is worded once on board the ships. This applies to venues other than the more casual venues listed above. "Gala Evening. Dinner jacket, tuxedo, or dark suit with regular tie or bow tie for gentlemen. Evening or cocktail dress, smart trouser suit, or formal separates for ladies. Smart Attire. Gentlemen, every night we request you wear trousers with a collared shirt; jacket and tie are optional. Ladies, blouses and skirts or stylish trousers and dresses are welcome." There will be three gala evenings on your itinerary if you are looking to book the 12-night Northern Lights itinerary out of Southampton. There will be seven gala evenings on the longer 26-night itinerary departing from New York.

Not if Cunard is following the CDC guidance. That guidance specifies wearing a well-fitted mask at all times outside the cabin, both indoors and outdoors, with all dining in cabin until all 10 days of the isolation period are up. Since masks are not to be removed at any time when outside the cabin, that would preclude eating or drinking anywhere other than in the cabin during that time.

I had forgotten your standard deposit in Australia / New Zealand is indeed 10%. It's spelled out as such in the Booking Conditions document. Just for reference, that compares to 15% for the standard deposit in the UK and 25% in the US.

Here's a view of QV's departure from Lisbon this evening. This is a capture from the "Câmara VTS" live stream found on the Tejo Live page of the Port of Lisbon website at "www.portodelisboa.pt/en/tejo-live". I posted a similar view a while back on the QE thread. Now it's QV's turn.

That's an important clarification. It may not be immediately obvious. The Cunard Australia website doesn't specifically state the deposit is non-refundable in the "Terms and Conditions" for the Early Saver Fare found on their "Special Offers" page. There it just says "Low 10% deposit secures your booking, with balance conveniently payable online later." However, elsewhere including in the "Booking Conditions" document for Australia / New Zealand and on their "Choosing the fare that suits you" page, they do indicate the deposit is non-refundable for the Early Saver Fare. Our guarantee-only Value Fare / Our Lowest Fare here in the US has similar conditions. There's a reduced 12.5% deposit on that fare, but the deposit is non-refundable.

You haven't missed it. There isn't anywhere on the Cunard US website for us to make our final payments online. On the Cunard UK website, there are several sections within "Manage my booking". 1. "Personalise your voyage" (which leads to the login screen for "My Cunard") 2. "Pay your balance" 3. "My account" 4. "Book and sail with confidence" (with a link to the Covid-19 hub) As you no doubt know, on the Cunard US website "Manage my booking" leads directly to the login page for "My Cunard". We don't have the "Pay your balance" feature. I suspect many of those who book directly with Cunard here in the US opt in to have Cunard take the final payment automatically from the same card that was used to pay the deposit. As an aside, we don't have the "My account" functionality here in the US either. That essentially provides a login to the site associated with the Cunard World Club number to manage communication preferences, see FCC amounts and auto-populate fields during the booking process. We did briefly have the "My account" functionality here in the US when it was first introduced, but not any longer. It is still possible to stumble onto the "My account" login page here in the US. That page rather optimistically states it is "currently undergoing maintenance repairs" and "Please know our teams are working hard to get My Account Login and Registration up and running again." It's been that way for well over a year now.

Perhaps because QM2 continues to operate a schedule in US waters with her transatlantic and North America itineraries. With the previous CDC regulations, cruise ships were expected to follow those regulations if they planned to return to US waters although I'm fuzzy now on the details for what the requirements were to resume operations in US waters if they hadn't been following the regulations while outside US waters. I would have thought this is mostly moot now though with the CDC having formally ended their COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships.

They are indeed CDC regulations, or rather it is now CDC guidance Cunard is following since the CDC discontinued their COVID-19 Program for Cruise Ships on July 18th. Here is an excerpt from that guidance which is similar to the previous regulations. "CDC has provided guidance for isolation in community and high-risk congregate settings. If isolation is ended before 10 days are completed, travelers should properly wear a well-fitting mask when outside of cabin (indoors and outdoors) through day 10. During this time, these individuals should have in-cabin dining and also wear a well-fitting mask inside their cabin if any other person (such as a crew member) enters the cabin." I can't really address why the CDC has considered dining venues on ships to be of particularly higher concern compared to other public venues such as theaters. QE is currently sailing in the Caribbean on her way to Fort Lauderdale, Florida on August 9th which is presumably why Cunard is applying this CDC guidance to the current QE voyage. After QE departs US waters for Barcelona, we might see Cunard no longer applying this particular guidance concerning in-cabin dining for 10 full days.

My understanding is a little different. What you say is absolutely correct about the situation where Cunard contacts you (or your travel agent) to offer you an upgrade. That would be for an upgrade at an additional cost. Naturally you can decline such an offer where you would need to pay for the upgrade. Most of the upgrades Cunard provides are "complimentary" upgrades (or in the parlance of their booking engine, "auto" upgrades). As those names imply, such upgrades are free and automatic. Cunard does not contact you about those upgrades. The only way I've found out we've received one of those upgrades is to see our new cabin assignment in the Voyage Personaliser (My Cunard). At that point the upgrade has been applied to your booking and there is no way to decline the upgrade and get your original cabin back. Quoting from the Cunard FAQ: "(Q) Can I upgrade my stateroom? (A) A request for complimentary upgrade can be made at time of booking and anytime up to the departure date. Upgrades are based on many factors and cannot be confirmed. If multiple bookings are cross-referenced there is no guarantee that all bookings will receive an upgrade or that staterooms will be near each other or be on the same deck. If you receive an upgrade to a higher category you will not have the option of returning to your original stateroom if the upgraded location is not to your liking. Please take this into consideration if you chose to make your booking eligible for an upgrade." Edit to add: Sometimes guests are caught out by not realizing they had requested a complimentary upgrade at the time of booking. I've found when booking on some travel agent sites, there is no mention of the upgrade option. Sometimes the default option of "Open to any upgrade" is applied to bookings without guests being aware of it.

That's the way I figure it works as well. Screen shots I've seen from the POLAR Online booking system can be instructive with regard to what "stateroom type" means in the context of complimentary upgrades. The full label of the second radio button within the field called "Auto Upgrade" on the booking screen reads as follows. "Only Upgrade to the Next Stateroom Type (ex. Balcony to Minisuite)" This appears to be using the P&O (or perhaps Princess) terminology "Minisuite". But I get the drift that it's probably not attempting to differentiate between the different kinds of balconies when it refers to "Next Stateroom Type".

Thanks, @carlmm. I could have been a bit more comprehensive, but I thought my reply was long enough as it was. I'll take the opportunity now though to expand a bit more about upgrades (as I understand it anyway) in case anyone is interested. Allowing upgrades is more nuanced that just a yes/no option to accept upgrades or not. As I understand it, Cunard's booking system offers three choices for the upgrade option. 1) Open to any upgrade 2) Only upgrade to the next stateroom type 3) Do not upgrade That second more nuanced option needs some explanation. As I understand it, "Only upgrade to the next stateroom type" means you are not allowing Cunard to give you just a minor upgrade by simply moving you to what it considers a better location within the same type of cabin you booked. For example, you would not be allowing Cunard to upgrade you from a forward/aft Britannia Balcony to a midships Britannia Balcony. But you would be allowing Cunard to give you a more significant upgrade to a higher grade of cabin from what you booked. For example, if you booked an Inside, you would be allowing Cunard to upgrade you to an Oceanview or any higher grade of cabin. Now I don't know are all the details for what Cunard considers "the next stateroom type". For example, are "Balcony (obstructed view)", "Balcony (sheltered)" and "Balcony" all considered the same "stateroom type" in this context? I expect they are, but I don't know that for sure.

Normal guarantee bookings do exist. Some fare types only allow guarantee bookings. In the US we have a "Value Fare" or what's listed as our "Our Lowest Fare" on the website which only allows a guarantee booking in exchange for a lower fare. In the UK, they have an "Early Saver Fare" and a "Late Saver Fare" which only allow guarantee bookings in exchange for a lower fare. In Australia, you have a similar "Early Saver Fare" which only allows a guarantee booking in exchange for a lower fare. So, as I've hinted at here, one of the main benefits of booking a guarantee is when it is associated with a lower fare (and often a lower deposit) compared to a fare that allows you to select a specific cabin. Even if you book a fare that allows you to select a specific cabin, some cruise booking sites allow you to opt for a guarantee booking instead of picking a specific cabin. And in some cases, because of limited availability, you may find Cunard is only accepting a guarantee booking within your chosen category even if you have selected a fare that normally allows you to select a specific cabin. So, in general, what is the difference between a guarantee booking as opposed to selecting a specific cabin and not ticking the 'do not upgrade' box"? In both of those situations you may be upgraded to a higher category than the one you have booked. The main difference though is when you book a guarantee, you are allowing Cunard to assign you any cabin in the category you booked. You are not only allowing an upgrade to a higher category, you are also allowing Cunard to assign you a cabin in the least desirable locations within the category you have booked. I think it's an open question whether booking a guarantee increases your chances of receiving an upgrade compared to booking a specific cabin which is marked to accept an upgrade. It seems likely to me that a guarantee booking increases your chances of receiving a small upgrade within the same type of cabin you have booked, for example being upgraded from a forward or aft Britannia Balcony to a midships Britannia Balcony. I don't know how much it increases your chances of receiving a larger upgrade, for example from an Inside to a Balcony or from Britannia cabin to a Grill suite. One thing to keep in mind about a booking which is open to an upgrade is that you are allowing Cunard to decide what it considers an upgrade. You might not always consider what you end up to be an upgrade compared to what you originally booked. But then if you don't allow an upgrade, you could be missing out on the opportunity for a substantial upgrade.

OK, I'm overdoing it, but I couldn't resist completing the trifecta of Panama Canal webcam images today from the Panama Canal Authority's Canal de Panamá website. This one shows QE at the Gatun Locks captured from their webcam found at "multimedia.panama-canal.com/Webcams/gatun.html".

Since it's going to be another full year until we see QE transiting the Panama Canal again, here's another view from a webcam I don't think I've posted before. This is a capture from the Cerro Luisa webcam found on the Canal de Panamá website at "multimedia.panama-canal.com/Webcams/cerro-luisa.html". This view shows QE traversing the Pedro Miguel Locks.

Here's an image of QV's departure from La Coruña / A Coruña a few minutes ago. I couldn't get the complete image of QV on the webcam earlier while she was in port. This is another image captured from the "A Coruña (móbil)" webcam found on the CRTVG.es website at "www.crtvg.es/crtvg/camaras-web/a-coruna-mobil". I previously posted an image of QE on this webcam. The other cruise ship in this image is AIDAsol.