Victoria2

Giles2000, I will be the first to own I can't be bothered with gala 'themes', especially those where folk think fancy dress is in order, other than a token nod to red and gold and the black and white evening, both of which take no additional packing for me at all but, I have yet to see a Victorian or a Venetian evening, unless Venetian refers to the Masquerade night.

Correct. The non refundable element will be for the 101st person onwards. It’s one way for a company to reach a wider audience I suppose.

Out of interest as I was really amused after reading the Vogue Australia link, I looked at the Circle site and maybe the non refundable bit 3rdGenCunarder is referring to is the initial fee which to be fair isn't expensive at all and is, I would imagine, non refundable. I have come across pay a fee for a selection of brand new clothes curated for you to choose from, and this is no different other than the fact the clothes are 'pre loved' but I feel this is a bit of a gimmick as far as Cunard is concerned.

I have yet to see jeans and tees worn for a formal dinner onboard ship. In fact, I don't recall seeing a tee sitting down for dinner on a non formal occasion but then it might have been missed as I wouldn't be looking for one. Apart from when the dress code specifically mentioned jeans, I don't recall seeing obvious jeans in the restaurant either but again, I might have missed a pair. The dress shop I go to calls the tops I buy, 'table top' tops. Beautiful tops seen to advantage when sitting down to dine and unless you change after dinner, the bottom half is 'on view' throughout the evening and that goes for formal and non formal evenings.

As a retired professional you will never see me dressed in jeans under any circumstances. We belong to a yacht club in the SF bay. If you check out the ladies attending the club casually, they will have on $1K designer jeans and correctly dressed with appropriate costly accessories. As a jeans wearer, I find your two opposite points of interest, It doesn't matter how much one spends on clothes. A tall willowy person will look a million$$$ in a $$ outfit and others of a different stature might look a mess in a $$$$ outfit. Clothes suitable for the figure of the wearer is what it's all about. I used to spend silly money on jeans until I realised I looked just the same in a pair a tenth or even a twentieth of the price. My wallet and my husband agreed with me!😀 We have dined with friends at an exclusive golf and country club in LA. I took an outfit with me especially to wear as the dress code had been sent to us and denim of any style, cut and colour, was in the 'what not to wear' when at the club, rules. Not so on Cunard. Jeans can be worn during the day and I have worn white denim trousers for dinner in the past with beautiful, appropriate tops. Anyone would be hard pressed to know the fabric was denim unless up close and personal. As an aside, I looked better dressed than many of my fellow passengers. The only time I saw blue jeans being worn for dinner was when the code was relaxed and blue jeans were allowed and the sky didn't fall and no one passed out at the sight of non ripped blue denim being worn of an evening for dinner.

We rarely get off the ship these days as most of the ports visited are not new to us and we like the calm ambiance of a few hours on a fairly deserted ship. We really use the ship as a floating hotel. The daily programme is definitely less active but there are still 'things' going on. The childrens' clubs have restricted hours but as far as I know, still operate when in port, the proviso being, a parent or guardian must be onboard, something I guess won't apply to you as you will be there. The Fjords is a perfect cruise for drinking in the magnificent scenery without the hassle of disembarking. It's one of our 'comfort cruises. Love it.

Don't get your hopes up too high. I too had a question about bedroom layout and the answer was to the effect the cabins are still a work in progress. Mind you, that was two months ago so maybe the work has progressed a bit since then. Good luck

I think 'party ship' all depends on a subjective definition. I have been on cruises where parts of the itinerary were two and four day shorties and on our last cruise, I would say the last four days qualified for my definition of a party cruise. Definitely a different vibe!

Depending of course on the grape variety, it could go quite nicely with his Cunardia doggie bag of cold Duck l'orange!

If it's tarted up with anything other than the Dover Sole itself, then that defeats the object of a simple Dover Sole.

No. He comes from a solid meat eating background. He just happens to love a simple grilled Dover Sole and which he most definitely would not get at home.

Swearing in Anglo Saxon, even if it is just between me and a machine is far less elegant than Latin or Italian and so for me, carries more impetus. Obviously, if I happened to be in company, Latin could be the language of choice as not only would my companion/s not understand, I don't think I would either! 🙂

Join the club of those who are non Italian speakers and have had conversations with said machine in less than glowing terms.😁 Edit Glad to hear QG has redeemed itself. 👍

To be fair, my husband has the dish a couple of times a week and has yet to have a baddun and whilst there is no excuse for an off dish, it must be very very rare judging by the number of grilled Dover Soles my husband consumes each year on Cunard.

We'll go full black tie on the gala nights, but chinos/long sleeve collared shirt/no jacket on the non-gala nights. Comments? Absolutely fine.

I had three turkey dinners last year, just three so an extra one onboard ship would be great although I'm not a fan of tinsel with my turkey, most unpalatable. Christmas sweaters are tacky in any circumstances but packing them for a cruise? UGH in the extreme. As you equate a Turkey dinner, or to be fair it might just be the sweaters, with a Warners break, I'm guessing you wouldn't be a fan of Hot Dog. fries, fried onions and ketchup as a substitute for a Gala Dinner menu. Yum yum. 😃

Turkey, if it's got all the trimmings. I love a turkey dinner. especially if I haven't cooked it! 🙂

Yep, the Vogue Australia article is very on point for all of us. Start writing your shopping list now! 😂 Haute Couture dresses Prada Bucket bag [$3700] to visit the spa A $4430 tote, a must when taking afternoon tea Valentino Garavani tote, $7,800 for the The Bright Lights venue and that's before the St Laurent, Jimmy Choos et al shoes Let's hope their luggage doesn't go swimming! 😁

It's certainly not a minor issue. We are air-con fiends and someone would be feeling my wrath if nothing was done about hot air. I'd ask [demand] to be moved to another cabin if engineers can't fix it/are too busy/ insert any old excuse here. Then when 'the ship is full' reply comes back, demand to speak to Hotel Manager and if that doesn't work, aim higher. Quote health fears, quote safety, quote anything but it is your given right to have air-con

and the beer glasses and any liqueur glasses and...😀 That's why all our glassware now is 'cheap' as opposed to the expensive stuff which sits gleaming, when I've periodically dusted it, in glass fronted kitchen cupboards. The percentage of lead crystal is much lower and washed on a low temp. in the dishwasher, it takes a bit to cloud and can be easily and relatively cheaply, replaced. Our inherited stuff is safely packed away as there is no way we will ever use it. It's all irreplaceable and breaking one of those would be heartbreaking. I keep meaning to sell it.

We've started using stemless for cosy dinners as well as for every day use. Less chance of them getting knocked over! You forgot the water glasses. That's eighteen. 🙂

We have 'upright' scanners available near us for those who cannot go in the tunnel. I'm sure the cabins will be fine. . Can't say I like the idea of a windowless lounge but apart from that, we are looking forward to seeing the ship in real time.

I've received my brochure copy of the same and for those who aren't small print readers, I can foresee one or two 'comments' on the photos of the cabins.

New game, new game Find the niggle and see who has the best whilst smiling valiantly through the dreadful time onboard.😀

Depends if you like room service coffee. I don't.