Victoria2

To be fair, at busy times, eg when passengers pour in from tour buses, we are quite happy to press both up and down and take the first lift in which we can fit because what goes down will also go up a vice versa but then, we’ve been doing that for years on QV so nothing new there. The main thing is, don’t worry. The first 24hrs have not been representative of the rest of the cruise so far. Hint Practise your 'hold the lift please' so you’re in fine voice for your cruise! 😁

OK. After a meeting with a lovely helpful staff member 'up' in the chain of high ups, I can say for definite, the timing of the lifts will not be changed for a few reasons. However, on the plus side, I can report after the first day, we have had very little problem getting into a lift with a wheelchair. In fact, folk have been so helpful, to the point of getting out of the lift for us but as ex L would agree as she was willing to do the same ( thx) more the worry of a busy lift freefalling…as if!🙂

Invest in a white noise machine on a just in case basis. They’re brilliant as long as you don’t choose any water programmes! 😂 We used to stay in a wonderful hotel with a fabulous room, but it overlooked a pool terrace with a hot tub and fire pit. A magnet for late evening drinking sessions even though there was a 'curfew'. The noise machine cut out all background noise and we never go away without it now.

The occasional 'no' does happen and usually accompanied with a reasonable explanation but if folk don’t ask about an issue which is quite easy to resolve, then they have little room to complain.

I don’t doubt for one minute that unusually, your butler wasn’t up to par but instead of letting the issue fester as it must have done as you bring it up on butler threads, ultimately it was down to you to make sure you got the service you were entitled to. Along with all QGrill'ers, we were green newbies once but if we weren’t sure of anything, we asked, and still do, which is what I hope new QGrill'ers will do. Ask, ask and ask again and that goes throughout ship. That is what all staff are there for.

None of the apparent ‘cutbacks ' will have any effect on us and it must be noted, those who post to complain on this and any other type of social media are but a drop in the ocean of cruise passengers. Drink nibbles still seem to be available; up charges are few at the moment; apart from party cruise a long time ago, it wouldn’t occur to us, and many, to take a bar full of bottles onboard, preferring to PAYG onboard. Sad for those to whom the small changes matter. Acceptance of these small changes for the rest of us.

Sure any cutbacks will be annoying to some but it’s the larger ‘picture' which draws us back and until there are major changes, will continue to do so.

 And as I have said, the butler has a pager so he/ she can be paged…nudged. The Concierge is also available as a nudger and failing those two, the Front Desk. I would have thought the first instance would do the trick and if I had to follow through eventually with the third option, the Hotel Manager would also be involved. There is no reason to accept poor service and it’s in our own remit to follow any such, up.

Ah, a chap with a sense of reality!😀 DWs are known to be quietly right… on most occasions! Do hope you get upgraded to a 1 or 2 and will keep my fingers crossed for you. I think you're on QE which doesn’t have the redesigned 1s but even so, both cabins are pretty special.🙂

Do you have a Q1 or 2 with so many places in which to put the clothes? 😁 Sorry, but there aren’t that many places in which to hang stuff! I'm with your wife. DIY!🙂

and will the butler use the hanger you’d choose, to hang up your clothes? Will you put to one side your dresses to wait for the butler? On paper, it sounds very grand but in practice, far easier to do it yourself and in my case, there is no way I’d ask, or want anyone else to hang up my clothes.

If I emptied a bottle of gin a night, I think I’d lose consciousness !😲 Seriously though, like you, we have always had our bottles replaced, usually without asking but if not, a slight nudge to the butler will be all that’s needed.

Replaced when empty, or nearly empty and you can swap and change although even I haven’t bottomed the gin yet.

And you won’t be charged this time either.

Snap, but that’s not just for 1-4, so the bed configuration is still a mystery, well to me at any rate.

I haven’t asked yet, but I haven’t seen any on my travels around the ship.

One of the two hot tubs

Some more

Took some photos of deck 11 before anyone would be featured. I won’t have faces in any of my photos. The deck pads aren’t out yet.

The mind boggles! In a word, NO.

I can only comment from a QG aspect and with a lovely cabin and restaurant table position and we are very satisfied in comparison of the same on the Vistas. There are snags but the main one, namely the speed of lift door closure is, according to my visit to the front desk, 'being addressed'. We haven’t noticed any issues on deck 11 other than the twerp who couldn’t read and took two bottles of beer into the hot tub with him.

I had this conversation on Wednesday with our wine waiter ( fabulous chap, the best we’ve ever had on Cunard) we collectively decided to pre buy the table wine in order to avoid any possible extra tax, Spanish or not.

The beauty of many questions is they can be answered.

In hundreds of nights in QG on QV we have never asked our to unpack but yes, you can ask the butler to unpack but don’t be upset if it’s not immediate. Far quicker to do it yourself. No idea on the cocktail shaker and if it’s that important, take your own to be sure of having one available. 🙂

Lovely relaxing afternoon on deck 11 with a cup of tea ( declined cakes and finger sandwiches) and a great book. Not at all busy, just pleasantly populated. It really is a lovely set up. Interesting to see if hot tub rules will be policed. The no glass near the tub didn’t seem to be important to one chap this afternoon.