Victoria2

We got both last August. Two half bottles of PA plus champagne. Standards are definitively slipping or some might say things are looking up!!! 😄

I felt quite hard done to. We didn't get any PA this time. 🙁 We did get some Rose champagne whilst in the past we used to double dip on the fizzy stuff. PA is very palatable in fresh oj.

The only times I study the exterior of QV, is when I lament the passing of her raked stern. ☹️ I too trust any inevitable rust will not cause the ship to sink!🙂

I forgot to get a couple this time so fingers crossed Cunard don't run out.

Perfect. 🙂

Don't know about any 'new breeds' unless you're referring to the canine variety but taking free drinks, in lieu of forking out for any, around the ship is nothing new at all so don't put the onus on newbies. I don't agree with it but it's not a new issue at all.

I must admit, I thought a loyalty scheme is also a reward initiative. Spending lots of dosh isn't necessarily anything to do with loyalty.

I have enough clothes to fill them but don't have enough hired help with me all the time to do the lifting and shifting!

I've never seen it offered as a an 'onboard excursion' on the voyage planner.so I would guess the answer is it's an onboard booking. It appeared on the daily programme, I think, around day three. I would suggest going down to the pursuers desk and see if you can get ahead of any announcement and if not, get in there asap once it appears as an option.

Sorry, my omission. I omitted to say this was all on QV rather than QM2.

A ceiling AP [I called therm routers before reading this excellent thread] was pointed out to me in stairway B which is why I did a Christopher Robin [courtesy of AA Milne for those unfamiliar which his poems] when we had a mid ships' cabin. Any chance of a similar spreadsheet for QV? 🙂

It is irrelevant to us as the only Diamond perks we use, is any internet credit [and that's gone down the pan!] and any 20% laundry discount but it's still important for loyal Cunard passengers, whatever their spend, to feel valued. When passengers feel valued, they will continue to book and that's a tad important to the bean counters.

I hesitated to mention 'spending'. As Q1/2 bookers, it would suit us down to the ground but unfair for those who are regular Cunard passengers and so thus are loyal, but don't book expensive cabins. I sort of agree with maintaining status but one trip every now and then should maintain it.

We eventually were escorted down to the Queens Room, for assistance. The B lifts were clogged up so back to C, down to one and went off with no problem. We weren't so posh. I had a Tesco delivery for essentials ordered for mid afternoon but I did hit M&S Foodhall with a vengeance early yesterday! 😄

It seems disembarkation was an 'interesting' exercise for a few of us.

I'm an onlooker here as we get to board first anyway but I agree with you. I did hear at one point. pre Covid 'they' were having a look at the CWC system, but nothing further was heard. Changing to number of nights spent on board would be a more fair reflection of loyalty, be that in an inside cabin or a Q1 suite.

No real change. The string trio alternated between decks 2 and 3, pianist in the atrium and a guitarist deck 3. Don't know abut the Commodore as we never go there for some reason. Winter Garden was a popular venue for the Newfoundland Duo and the Queens Room hosted a couple of evening concerts too.

 I quite realise this is a very subjective overview on our latest cruise [V314] experience but I hope it will be taken from one who is a total Cunard, QG cheerleader. If 'things' weren’t 100% OK, and I failed to include the glitches in my overview, it would make me very biased and therefore my thoughts could not be considered reliably accurate. We book our holidays, through our fabulous agent, when itineraries are released so just keep our fingers crossed nothing gets in the way. We take a chance in order to bag the cabins we want and we have no idea what the ships or the experience will be like, almost two years hence. So far, apart from last October when we had to cancel after we'd paid in full [that was a bit ouch'ish] we've been lucky in our QG experiences, well apart from all the trips Cunard cancelled on us. Pros Absolutely wonderful, WONDERFUL staff throughout the ship and fabulous cabin although it had its electrical issues, one of which was rectified immediately, the other is an ongoing ship issue. I’m just surprised no one raised the problems before us. Cons Apart from confused personal disembarkation advice and the internet of course, the rest is all to do with the food but I must say beforehand, our two wait staff and Head Waiter were lovely, professional and quite frankly, 'up there' with the very best of the best. Superb. Food Dinner entrees, on the whole were not to our taste for the first week and we ate ‘off' more than usual, but I caveat that by saying folk near us raved over the menus so food tastes are of course, all very subjective. Plus, nothing was too much trouble for the staff. Order off? Not a problem. Service with more than a smile. The following day's menus were in our cabin at turn down so we knew if we wanted on, a la carte or off menu dining the following evening and we asked the butler at breakfast time, to order our evening entree for us if appropriate. If you like mushrooms, you’d have been in mushroom heaven. I did ask if there was a part of the ship devoted to growing them! 🙂 Portion sizes were interesting. First night for me is always a caviar starter. I could have fed the Western World fans with the serving but the fact the Head Waiter knew of my penchant for the stuff might have helped. The Dover Soles looked slightly anorexic when presented in the pan but once 'finished', they were pronounced as delicious and as filling as pre-Covid so I had a happy husband. Dover Sole devotees, do not worry, QV has had the staff out fishing. The fillets mignons were definitely not as thick as p-C and on one occasion, pathetically small. My husband's surf and turf fillet was bigger. One look at my face and one or two minutes after the words 'what a pathetic offering' left my lips, another two [definite overkill there and that's the amount and not the fact a good vet could revive my steaks🙂] fillet mignons were hurriedly added to my plate which as I eat excellent beef rare, almost blue, didn't take long at all. Some of the food could have been [temperature] hotter on at least two occasions. Warm fries were immediately replaced but I couldn’t be bothered waiting for one entree [ off menu pasta dish] replacement as my husband would have finished before I got my meal. None of it is earth shatteringly awful, I know but it’s never occurred before. Tableside finished food was of course, always hot. Cheese trolley was OK rather than stunning but at least six or seven choices and after mentioning I didn't think Brie should be carved, the consistency improved and the Camembert was great but oh my, the fig chutney could have been served as a pud on its own. Must buy some. The internet was inconsistent and kept logging me out which was frustrating. Don't know if that was because of cabin position [aft] or not but roll on any improvements. Of an evening, and this is QG, most chaps wore Black Tie on Gala evenings and other evenings, jacket wearing was adhered to almost 100% with ties worn by many, but ties could have something to do with the general ship's age profile which was the highest I’ve seen for many a cruise. Walking around the ship on a Smart Attire evening after dinner though would have given some of our fellow Cunard CC board members, apoplexy. I think the term Smart Attire had been casualised by a few. Noticeable but no one batted an eyelid. A [very] few cases of Norovirus were confirmed and a letter to all asked for hygiene protocols to be observed [should do that on a regular basis throughout a cruise anyway] and informing us more precautions would be put in place, was sent round to passengers. Noticeable examples of changes were we didn't exchange quiz answers to be marked so we self marked and the Lido became served instead of self service, Served food in the Lido, to my mind, was a great idea as licking fingers before handling serving spoons isn't top of my hygiene method of hand sanitising! No problem at all although I overheard quite a few grumbles. The Lido heightened protocol had its moaners though and I actually said to one chap who was moaning because it was taking too much time [it wasn't at all ] to wait for a server to give him his cold meats, I'd rather have a few seconds longer waiting to be served than risk contracting a tummy bug. Some folk are so silly! As we had such a lovely cabin, and also a bit precautionary because my husband is considered 'vulnerable' and it's a hike aft to stairway B, we ate both breakfast and lunch in cabin which mean he ate lunch off the room service menu most days and I went up to the Lido. The Lido, not being my usual lunch habitat in the past, really surprised me in its offerings.and I indulged in a bit of this and a bit of that and oh, some of that too, with of course, some sushi, all on the same plate. Eclectic and messy. Yum yum. My only problem really, re diligent hand sanitising, was I'd forgotten how badly my skin reacted [eczema] to sanitizer. Last year I had a tube of Hand Balm on the dining table and carried one around with me. No problem. This time, it took a week as the skin on my hands began to break up, for it to sink in I need to use Hand Balm all the time. Ouch! I know exlondoner caught Covid and although we were ready to mask up in lifts and the theatre etc and of course would have masked up if advised, we didn't. Luckily, it wasn’t an issue for us. No worries for those who do want to mask up though, you won't be alone as more than a few people wore them anyway. So my very superficial overview would be Queen Victoria is still as wonderful as ever but for the very first time, I would say the restaurant offerings weren't, in our opinion, up to the usual standard at times although it did improve. Last August, everything was hunky dory and as we are sailing on her later in the year, hopefully we will see this as an anomaly and things will be back up to par all the time. A big plus for me was only one lb gained and I put that down to the wine, and sushi overload! 😅 We have numerous cruises booked and the ultimate question is, will we book QV or Cunard [not QM2] again come the main '25 itinerary release. Not even a millisecond of hesitation. Yes. PS Anyone else on V314, do add your own recollections, good or bad especially as this has been about mainly QG rather than the rest of the ship, entertainment and excursions.

I will do a very mini thoughts and thunks on QG on QV. For the most part, it will be very positive, for the most part. 🙂

Glad you got your time sorted. Ours was a bit of a beggars muddle. I shall be 'having words' in order to make sure the right hand knows what the left has said the next time we're on QV.

Golly, I hope not. Tried yoga once. Had to visit my physio after the one and only session!🙂

The announcement was a bit muffled for us but I’m sure the Captain, in his sail away chat indicated they will have a better system in place for the next visit.

You haven’t seen me prepare spag bol! A wet suit might be more appropriate.🙂

Surely wearing similar clothes both during day and evening is precisely what you argue against? My clothes, when on holiday, are most definitely different between day and evening! Same goes for when we go out of an evening. Clothes are different to day, not similar. Sadly, economics has meant the demise of most live in staff and as preparing spag bol in in any kind of evening dress is SO cumbersome, I’m afraid changing for dinner at home is not on my menu as said spag bol would get cold whilst doing so. Oh the problems we have to put up with in the twenty first century! ☹️

I am onboard QV. Yes lots of coughs but that doesn’t mean Covid is a problem. Staff are serving in the Lido and apart from the letter advising us all to up the hygiene ante [and some def. need to ante up] there’s no problem as far as I can tell. Precautionary measures which sit very well with me. Enjoy your cruise.