T5LHR

I am doing my first Winter Crossing, departing NY on the 3rd of January… I am a tad nervous, but will have tablets at the ready… :D

I really hope I enjoy it… I crossed in October 2012 and we had some storms off the southern coast of Ireland on the first day, which were quite dramatic, and I did take a tablet that day, just to ward off any possible reaction, but was fine for the normal crossing…

*eek* What have I done? :D

No reason at all. "Earl" just popped into my head and thus, he was named. This last voyage I missed seeing him. I tried to book that very same stateroom, but it must have already been booked.

Ha! As good a reason as any! If I see Earl in January, I will pass on your regards. :)

Why did you chose "Earl", to name the rescue boat? :D

I have only sailed Cunard, so can't comment on any other… But yes, they do. They have a Solo's Coffee Meet and Greet to go and meet other Solo people onboard. Also, for people of a particular persuasion, the have the Friends of Dorothy LGBT meeting every night, which I attended and met some lovely people there…

All listed in the program.

Have a great time!

Thank you T5LHR,

 

What a great post :) , thank you so much, a pleasure to read. The voice of reason and common sense.

 

With all best wishes, and many happy sailings for the future :) .

I just think it is the easiest way to approach life… Don't set yourself up to fall or be disappointed. Not that I am a sceptic, just a realist.

Ultimately, this is an internet forum. People will post the truth, people will post total tosh, and some people will post something somewhere in the middle…

A lot of people hide behind a keyboard and some of the comments they feel comfortable putting on a forum, they would never verbalise… So, I tend to take everything with a pinch of salt, and make up my own mind when it comes to experiences. Everyone goes into a situation expecting different things, irrespective of what has been portrayed in glossy brochures and on websites, with some people being able to see through some things more easily than others. I set a mid-range expectation and am usually pleased to very pleased with the outcome, and I don't expect perfection, and am seldom let down by anything.

Each to their own, and own to their each.

T5

:)

Probably lots of people with luggage will be getting off at Gatwick so there may be some space on the luggage racks but how on earth will you get 7 pieces onto the train? We travel to Southampton regularly by train and would find it impossible to manage that amount of luggage. The train stops for a very short time and there will be lots of others getting on and off at the same station. I strongly advise you consider booking a car to meet you at Gatwick to take you to Southampton. I'm sorry to be so negative but we genuinely use trains a lot and I am giving you advice based on my own experience of trains in this country.

I would agree. 7 items of luggage, if they are indeed actual luggage items and not tote bags or shoulder bags and the likes, will be a heck of a lot to manage and get on the train. I would not envy you trying to do this…

Thanks to those who make the effort to be polite and nice to us minions… :)

Hi All!

Just popping into this thread to say hello… As another Solo TA traveller.

I have done one, in October 2012 on the QM2, and am doing another in January 2015. I love the time alone and the days at sea to please ones self and do as much or as little as you want.

I was totally by myself on the first one, not knowing anyone onboard, but got to know several people. But on the one in January, there will be a group of people I know onboard, so will have people to dine with etc. but will still occupy myself during the day and do "my thing"…

Happy sailing to all us fantastic solo's! :D

T5

:)

You can choose from the Grills menu, not sure how it works in Britannia tho'.

Unfortunately, you can't, as far as I am aware, order from the Britannia Restaurant menu, you are restricted to what is on the regular room service menu, so not good.

I only have one planned for 2015, which is the QM2 on the 3rd of January, from New York to Southampton.

Can't wait!

I recently bought a house, so all other funds are being diverted to furnishing that…

thank you T5 for taking time to reply. I appreciate it. I hope I board your aircraft one day ;)

Best make it snappy! :D

I love helping parents with their little ones… I think I am getting broody, which is a tad worrying… :-/

Can I chip in as a man? :D

I obviously don't buy purses/handbags (depending which side of the Atlantic you are on…), but I do have a particular penchant for bags.

My favourite all time is Coach. I like the quality, the feel, the design, the strength, the history of the brand and the style. I don't like anything with a big logo on it, or made with the logo material, but I can take a little logo, and always get the tag with my initials on it. I am very lucky that, because of my job with an airline, I go to New York a great deal, and our hotel is 2 blocks from the 5th Avenue flagship store. I have built up a great relationship with one of the ladies and one of the gents in there, and they let me know of upcoming sales, and anything they think I may like. They offer to hold things for me till I next get to New York etc… All great, and I love the service.

An increasing favourite of mine is Jack Spade. A little more utilitarian and "robust", but I do like them. Often add a bit of colour to a dull bag collection. I quite like their canvas and leather combinations. Not overly keen on their waxed canvas though, although I do have one…

I suppose I like bags, as they do not care how large you are, and always fit… :D

T5

:)

I purchased them a the Container Store in the US, year ago.

That is where I bought mine too… There was a "Travel Sale" on a few weeks ago when I was in San Francisco, so I bought a couple of packs of the cubes, and I also found two of the folding packs in Marshalls, of all places, and paid, I think $4 each for them as they end of line clearance items. Really great items.

Hi T5LHR. For obvious reasons, a trusted, experienced crew member such as yourself with international flight experience will not have to jump the same hoops as other non 'in-line passengers'. Therefore your booking status in terms of conditions or fares is not handled in the same manner as other passengers, so perhaps your experience differs?

As far as I am aware, all the terms and conditions are exactly the same, it is simply an industry discounted rate. I have to abide by all the same conditions etc. It just happens to be that the agent I am able to use (after providing proof of my employment) is able to access lower fares etc. The confirmation information that I get is the same, I think the only bit that may differ is the part about the possibility of the line requiring ID at some point.

The non-UK booking status appears to be the same as a non-industry person booking outside the UK. WC number not recognised, Cunard UK not able to touch the booking, issues linking dining requests in the UK etc…

I use them, and something similar too… Very good indeed.

Didn't one of the Cunard ships just add a few "solo" cabins?

Yes. The Queen Elizabeth went into service post re-fit a few weeks ago and now has a small number of solo cabins which are all ocean view. They are nice, from the pictures, all be it you can tell, in comparison to the rest of the ship that they were an "after-thought" and have been slotted in where they could… The one benefit for those who like an ocean view, is that the space was taken from one of the pubic areas, and the windows are much larger than the normal ocean view windows, so all good on that front!

I really would recommend Cunard. I had a wonderful time as a 32 year old single gay man crossing the Atlantic. The FoD meeting was nice, met some lovely guys and girls there, and also had wonderful table mates for dinner.

If you are US resident, there are usually some good deals kicking around too…

Would it really be worth the trouble to book in a non-resident country to maybe save a few pounds, I don't think so!

In my case, we are not talking "a few pounds", we are talking several hundred of those pounds… And, whilst I know people mention on here a lot about "if you can't afford to do it, and pay for everything else onboard, you should not be doing it…", but, to hand over several hundred pounds more, for exactly the same thing, yes, to me, it is worth it.

I found the washing machines and dryers to be perfectly fine. Ultimately, it is a free washing machine with detergent. If people are so fussy about having their clothing cleaned, send it to the cleaners on the ship and pay for it.

Currently, I get "You are unable to view your booking, please try again later". I know I am being impatient, but don't know when "later" will be. :(

I have done it too… And, am doing it again!

One of the best experiences of my life. Amazing.

I would encourage anyone considering it, to go for it. I really would.

I can not access it at all…

However, before that, I could not access my reservation. Maybe I have to wait till the full balance is paid?

My best wishes!

I really hope you will have no problems.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

But I do not fell to do the same!

Ciao

ItalianGuest

Thank you. And I hope you have a wonderful time onboard!

T5

I am UK based and have booked my next voyage with a US agent. I asked if it was OK to do it, and they said it was fine. They said some cruise lines don't allow or like it, but Cunard, for industry people, don't mind it.

Of course, I now have to try and get them to sort out my CWC number and benefits, which I understand involves creating a US based account and copying my cruise history on to it to attain the same benefits, or something like that… :-/

The Deck 4 windows are blanks, no cabins behind the blinds, the whole thing (window frame and blind) is just for effect.

 

No idea what (crew space, store etc) is behind them however, where the cabins should be.

 

Hope this helps :) .

Thanks Pepper Grinder! :D

That was what I was wondering… Makes the possibility of upgrade fairy meddling even more likely if there are 12, not 18 HB cabins… :)

T5