Victoria2

and we can beat that number although our last trip was last summer and I totally agree with all three comments so far. Have I mentioned Victoria is our favourite Cunard ship??😄

I was thinking Tommy Cooper! 😁

Our son does look rather good with his bow tie, untied and hanging around his neck. James Bond after midnight! But then he goes for the wing collar which then isn't terribly J.B.!

Just like that!!!!😅

Hmm. Against the shipping line or the passenger who hinders on his/her own having not 'booked' assistance! The mind boggles!!

Or as so many seem to bang on about tradition, stick to black tie attire. It's easy and needs no thinking [angst] about. 🙂

and it's to do with the safety of others too. Reduced mobility of any kind on the stairs will have a knock on effect of hindering other passengers if no assistance is given to aid evacuation. All sounds pie in the sky and will probably [hopefully] the scenario will never happen but like all insurance, it's there for the 'what if' occasion.

Crazy? Or dotting i's and crossing t's. If obvious walking sticks [canes to our US friends] are required to have an assistance form filled out, who is to say hiking sticks would 'get through' without comment, so packed in luggage would be a better safe than sorry scenario. I used to take a collapsible walking stick with me pre TKR and new regs., in hand luggage. Now if needed [I don't] I'd pack it in hold bags.

When I'm on holiday, I don't 'work at it' to keep any weight gain down as it's dead easy to do on Cunard [OK, apart from a 2lb gain in July but that was down to the odd do nut and gluttony with the cheese trolley]. No bread, no potatoes apart from fries occasionally with a filet mignon, extra steamed veg.,no sauces or at least sauce on the side so I can see what I'm having, no puds apart from the odd Crepes Suzette and LOADS of different lunchtime salads with zero dressing. QA buffet is a bit 'ordinary' on its salad offerings but the Wellness cafe makes up for that. The other ships' buffets are fine with their salad offerings. A side salad makes a great addition to most evening meals too. I can honestly say, it's no hardship at all to keep any weight gain to zero. .

Semi serious comment here Pack any sticks in luggage. A jobsworth might question the need and ask why an assistance form hasn't been filled in.

Perfect reply.

Does it? I didn't know that. Interesting. We buy per 24 hrs using each allowance judicially, starting on the first sea day but spread it out e.g. buy at 8am one day but wait 'til lunch time for the next purchase, wait 'til late afternoon the next and 8am for the next purchase 2 days later and swapping to the other allowance when appropriate. Daft really as what's an extra $24/$48 on top of the whole cruise fare but it becomes a game!! 😄

Absolutely, but chaps' neckwear will have little effect on inner core temperature if jackets are worn!!😀 Indeed, [and possibly TMI here] where air con fails or isn't sufficient, the lack of ties will help to lessen the dripping sweat we have seen in QV's QG on hot faces in the Indian and Pacific Oceans!

WantedOnVoyage The advice given to judydoc has been fine. What some aspire to and the reality are totally different these days. Pre Covid, my husband would no more go tie less, than fly to the moon. In his own rebellious way, he's ditched them and that's from an 'old style' dresser. Still got the jackey tho' but that's his choice. Like it or not, times have changed and when asked for advice, objective replies should be given and the reality is, 'Smart attire' is def. more casual than it used to be. Give incorrect info and lovely folk who would be the future of Cunard, might be put off and as I hope we have another 20 yrs of cruising in us, I hope Cunard survives. Tie less but with the option for us to scrub up if we want to.

I'd add a ps and say apart from two bow ties to ring the Gala changes, my husband hasn't taken a [non Gala night] tie with him for two years now. He doesn't miss them one jot! 🙂

I am in no way a member of any sort of dress police consortium but I would say yes, a polo shirt conforms, but just for info., the majority of chaps will be in an 'ordinary/business type' non polo fabric shirt, be it long sleeved and with a jacket like my husband or without the jacket [and many do go without] or in short sleeved non knit shirt also sans jacket. As to the Gala themes, my reply would be 'what themes?'. The only one we follow is black and white and that's because he has a white formal shirt with his [black] DJ and I have a black dress...well a couple actually so spoilt for choice!🙂

We have had jangling hangers due to the overabundance of hanging space. Solution was to remove the hangers, which can't be done with the 'slot into' hangers. I have in the past, sellotaped empty ones together, sellotape being one of the diy extras always in a case.

and there will be some passengers, such as myself who will not use the hand sanitizers as our skin breaks out. In fact, in '22 when Covid wasn't such a distant memory, I went down to the Medical Centre as 'my' eczema experienced a grand flare up and stupidly, I'd left my extremely potent steroid ointment at home as skin was in remission. On doctors orders,and armed with some Betnovate [didn't have the top of the range stuff I have at home] I skipped all future attempts to be sanitised and used good old soap and water which in fact, is far more effective. Got some very dark looks from fellow passengers though. Soap and water and don't touch your face. Won't have too much effect over Covid but will over noro etc.

Out of interest, Queen Anne was commissioned well before the Covid pandemic. I cant see why a raised seat on a frame would be unstable as it’s such a tight fit around loo and as you’re used to them at home, hire one. As for sue culture or any other legal avenues, I would have thought those an expensive non starter. Edit Going forward, if this is a real issue for you, and Cunard have allowed you a refund on one cruise, would it be prudent to ask for further refunds and then rebook if adapted cabin bathrooms get their drop down?

As an aside, when I had my TKR, I bought a couple of raised loo seats which had side arms. I know these aren't anything like the drop down bars, but if cruising from S'ton and back, would hiring one be a good substitute?

Cunard seem to be following US ADA regs as far as Queen Anne is concerned and who knows where refits will take the rest of the fleet's adapted cabin bathrooms but as guidelines are being followed and as the fleet isn't registered in the UK, there is no criminal issue here and to my mind, no moral comeback either as regs. are being followed. Just not, it seems UK regs.. I have no idea where the responsibility lies with informing passengers of the fitting out of various cabins but the fact UK passengers board at UK ports would I have thought, not make the slightest difference. Naively, I would have thought the simple addition of a drop down bar by the side of the loo would be an easy addition to all adapted bathrooms/loos so hopefully, if enough 'noise' is made, this will happen but when and indeed, if, who knows.

Don't get too excited about breakfast from room service. Food is great but non Grills cabins don't have a dining table and I'm not sure a coffee table will be big enough to be laid out as in the photo. edit and in our experience on the Vistas, only the top two QG grades have a dining table.

Ukulele girl, that is exactly how we feel. Would choose QV in an instant if itineraries were from S'ton but we have many weeks booked on Annie in the future and I can say quite honestly, we will be looking forward to sailing with her.

I sussed that out on our first Cunard trip in '11. Easy aide memoir is ding dong down so ding, is up!

Funnily enough, my [solo] inside cabin on QM2 didn't feature a butler bringing me any requested sushi, so lunchtime was sushi time in Kings Court. Fabulous!