alc13

Good point.

I wouldn't rule out a turtleneck. It can look smashing.

This year I finally got around to making @Colin_Cameron's fruitcake recipe again. Another success! Considering the amount of fruit in it I think it qualifies as health food. Happy Christmas, everyone.

Couple of other responses. Starlink is amazing. You wouldn't have any trouble reading emails with the included wifi package. Food is such a complicated topic. For us, the meals we ate in the Restaurant (main dining room) were not very good overall. Also, since you are considering a lengthy cruise, I will mention that the breakfast offerings in the buffet were the same every day.

We were on the Ovation last week so I can speak to the wines. If you are a wine lover, you may be disappointed by the included wines, which averaged under $15/bottle retail. The list is not readily available so you must simply keep tasting the offered wines until you find one you like. The premium wine list offers alternatives, but at a cost; I saw a few at $70/bottle and the rest were higher to much higher (the prices were about twice retail, I think). There are a few wines by the glass available on the TK Grill bar menu but they cost ~$30/glass, as I recall. So not much available in the $20-40/bottle range.

Sorry to hear about your dad’s declining condition. I plan to make your Christmas fruitcake recipe this year and will post a photo. Happy holidays to you, too.

I agree

Emotional Keith! - intriguing. So far I don't think those are airing in the US but I will remember to look for them. We see a lot of British TV here.

We'll be going by train. I'll look into Brighton, thanks.

I have a similar situation. Instead of going into London, what about places to stop for a night between Southampton and Gatwick? Any towns along that route that would offer a bit of sightseeing and maybe a nice dinner? Maybe Winchester?

We watched the GBBO final last night. I guess (?) it was the right outcome. They all had ups and downs this season. Not wild about the new co-host but Noel Fielding is finally growing on me.

We've tried the Cunard bus (worked well) and a chauffeured transfer (Twelve Transfers, excellent). Have a great trip. We've done that Dec 12 crossing twice and loved it.

Yes! - that's the gang we're watching here. Post mortem in a couple of weeks.

This thread reminds me that I had a dream a couple of weeks ago in which I was on board on a formal night and realized I'd failed to pack dressy shoes. Ack! In real life I store my dressy shoes next to my long dresses, so less chance of forgetting them.

Are we seeing the same Bake Off as you? We have about 3 weeks to go to the final... PS Happy Thanksgiving to all the Americans on this Board!

Good for you!

I'm a devoted fan of the Cunard dress code, but I say do your best and don't worry about it any more. I do think you'll be happier if you pack a jacket, though. The collared sweater sounds just a bit too informal for dinner. You'll have the hang of it on your second cruise... PS All the other posts offer excellent advice.

ExLondoner has it right. Although, we shouldn't ask how they fly, or Superman, either. Leads to inconvenient answers involving physics etc.

Those carpets looked better in person, in my opinion. As far as the Latin for style, the etymology is suspect but you have a point.

This is a lowbrow-ish take on the books vs movies discussion, but any John Grisham book is better as a movie. In general, though, I agree that the book is usually better. The Lady Vanishes and The Third Man are indeed wonderful movies.

right click, search.... right click, search..... Good ones!

I'm now watching the Beckham documentary. Very fun. We just finished season 3 of Lupin, still good, although Seasons 1 and 2 were better. And the new Great British Bake-off/Baking Show is showing here now, and we wouldn't miss that. I don't think any of the bakers are really stellar, but they've all had their moments, and as usual, they're all immensely likable.

I can't quite get past that color! As it happens, though, my favorite is Susan Stamberg's other famous recipe (which she attributes to Madhur Jaffrey). Cranberries, garlic, ginger, red pepper, a bit of vinegar to offset the sugar. Really good!

We're on the same cruise. We are not overly concerned about covid, but the sushi restaurant information is helpful.

My goodness, you and @Mr Luxury are a tough audience.