maitai999

poor shout in my opinion, another money saving exercise cheaper paper matt finish, won't make my coffee table!

Slightly disappointed with Christmas lunch on the QM2, best offering was spaghetti bolognese on Britannia menu - roast turkey & trimmings was served in the evening with Mrs Beeton's christmas pudding - eek! Great fun, thinking to book QV this year as New Year onboard is fantastic!

Incase anyone is thinking to book a voyage on the QE, I would just like to say what fantastic service we received on our med voyage, throughout the entire ship. We, and many guests I spoke with, found this crew to be outstanding in all areas and worked so very hard to make all aspects of our voyage wonderful. It was with heavy hearts when Southampton came, but lucky enough to be boarding again on the 17 night 30th August sailing. We heard or saw absolutely nothing about any Norovirus onboard. The waterleak was handled with ease and complimentary bottles of water were provided at dinner and to wash hands with. We were in Britannia Club, and have been on our last 4 sailings with QE. No negatives whatsoever, well done Cunard ....

Housekeeping and the ship's laundry does not feel like pealing Pizza off the duvets and the towels that will be used to sop up the dripped oil and sauce.

Yuk ....so they don't mind curry, tomato soup and pasta sauce that are permanent fixtures on the room service menu then ... we only eat on our balconies :D

The QE and QV pizza/pasta stations are great - we were really disappointed they tasted like cardboard on the QM2, absolutely awful.

They are open at lunch, tea and dinner time, plus late snack when pizza is cut into slices which disappear in a flash! My husband & kids cannot understand why it is not included on the room service menu, be a nice change from the burger/panini options.

I would have liked to listen to JLW perform on the QV as well as the RCT interview Q&A session.

Possibly, he is not everyone's 'cup-of-tea'.

Recently, I enjoyed his father's appearance on the TV "Late Show" (with Stephen Colbert). The father certainly has decades of exceptional talent. Wonder if this the first time JLW has performed on a cruise ship? Cunard booked a recognized-name performer for the first segment of the WC. Of course, most non-musical folk would likely think of his 'father-first'. Wonder if the father has ever been booked by Cunard? One thing's for certain.... Cunard books some great talent. A year ago we enjoyed the 'Crosby, Stills, & Nash' themed cruise aboard the QV. These guys were well received and are very good, each with their own interesting music history/abilities.

Reading Roscoe's separate blog, I'm curious why Cunard was paging JLW and a couple other passengers if it was not for locating straggling passengers to 'empty-out' the ship due to US shore customs. Who knows, maybe JLW was burdened down hauling off his instrument cases. Who knows? But if the delay happen, it likely perturbed some.

Shipboard, how many performances did JLW do? Maybe like the CS&N themed cruise, the passengers were ticketed for a specific JLW stage performance.

I think you mean, the world famous composer - Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber, who is Julian's brother! William Lloyd Webber passed in 1982.

Same - we have never been made aware of pillow concierge either, and have stayed in Club Britannia rooms Deck 8 on QV and QE several times.

Main benefit for us is anytime dining between 6:30-9pm, also Sonny on QE makes the most amazing flambes!

Can't seem to find a live stream from Cunard for tonights sailaway - can anyone recommend the best webcams please?

Terribly jealous of all those onboard, cannot wait for my turn to do full voyage. Hoping everyone the best days, and will be following several blogs sharing the excitement.

Just off the QE 2 weeks ago - fantastic voyage - we booked two Club Britannia rooms mid ship deck 8, absolutely no noise whatsoever. Previous sailings we have also had the more forward Club Britannia rooms on Deck 8 and again no noise. The staterooms are the same, but you have 2 bottles of Pol Aker, chocolate strawberries and choice of pillows!

What makes it for us is being able to dine at anytime you want and having somewhere tranquil to enjoy breakfast, lunch and dinner, the service was outstanding and we cannot fault anything. Sonny (Maitre d') does a sterling job making his special crepes & flames at your table, and if you want more of something or something different he can arrange it for you. Do I believe it is worth paying more for Club Britannia - you bet, already thinking I need to squeeze another voyage in Sept/Oct, if you get a free upgrade your laughing all the way ..... enjoy

For UK cruisers, On the Ask Cunard section they have a link to Holiday Extras which has cover for pre-existing medical conditions "Latitude", we have used them several times and the cover and quotes are very realistic.

My mother always books this room at least 3/4 times a year either on the QV or QE, surprised it wasn't booked but I imagine as QV is based in the Med disabled passengers prefer the convenience of Southampton embarkation. You will love it! No noise whatsoever from above! Lots of floor space, nice window next to bed, super balcony which has plenty of shade from the sun due to the overhang, or you can position your chairs/sun beds out to catch the rays usually late afternoon. As you are deck 8, you have the most privacy as you can look down and see everyone below you, and its only if you go out on the curve section a few balconies can see you, but its no bother at all. Lots of wardrobes, space around dressing table area and of course great bathroom, mid ship position bang next to lifts and stairs with Lido restaurant above you - great for bringing lunch down to eat on your balcony when busy around ship on sea days. You won't feel like you are in an adapted cabin at all, except there is a rather sensitive panic button on the wall behind the bed (behind pillows) which my father activated non stop for the first few days until he trained his arms to stay down! Have a fantastic time :)

They also have a daily dessert if you have room - but you have to ask for it!

We book in advance to get the staterooms we want now we are familiar with all three Queens, although we did book a 3 week voyage 2 days before departure due to cancellations on a sold out cruise. Thinking back not sure how we managed to get ready, but ready we were and a fantastic time was had by all!

Huge balcony almost L shaped, completely flat, we have had five chairs and two sun loungers on ours. Can't remember if the wheelchair ramp can be removed, I don't think so it's very small anyway and doesn't take up balcony space at all. It's a great room, you'll love it. If you go on Cunard's website and click on the Liverpool celebrations "tag yourself" you can zoom in really close on your room/balcony - you have balcony door and a window by your bed.

Yes usually a welcome trivia in the evening on embarkation day, then generally mid morning, late afternoon, early and late evening in the Golden Lion.

Used to love the quiz, but now too many bag dippers - using ipads :(

My last cruise there were perhaps 5% of men in tuxedos, another 10% in dark jackets with bow ties and then nearly everyone else in dark suits (some with or without ties). Didn't affect my cruise or dining experience in the slightest although it did give some talking points after the cruise.:D

How bizarre - was it a mini cruise or did you get on a P&O ferry by mistake?

On QV last July (Med cruise) the food was so disappointing in the Britannia (which was our opinion others loved it) we ate in the Verandah nearly every evening. It made our voyage, worth every penny. The food, ambience and service were outstanding and we chose to make an early 6:30pm reservation, had a beautiful table by the window and found on average we had finished about 8:45pm, certainly not a place to be rushed and we were so full afterwards! Fortunate to have tried almost everything on the menu and have clear favourites, it certainly looks a lot more attractive than the Verandah menu on the QE which we are trying this summer, not pigeon lovers!

I really can recommend the seafood platter for starters, followed by the surf and turf, followed by the coconut dessert. And as for the warm baby baguettes served with garlic we used to get through two baskets !! Ask for Jose, he will treat you like royalty, I wanted to bring him home with me :)

Happy to say 90% of gentlemen wear tux on formal nights on summer med voyages (school hols), my sons always do as well, it's part of the cruise for us.

We love Sally Sagoe, she has stuck to the QV for many years now and has always been on the summer voyages. In our eyes a true professional who always gets involved with guests and genuinely seems to be passionate about her role and our favourite by far. She always remembers us, takes time for a drink and a chat, great fun at the masquerade ball, not a bad jazz singer either ...... plus we remember her in Eastenders married to Tony!

All the alternative dining menus are to be found on the Cunard website just "Ask Cunard" - we have always found them to be excellent options, also the Verandah lunch, evening & taster menu @ $35. Not a lover of pigeon myself, shame it's a different menu on the Elizabeth as the choice on the Victoria was more my liking, but I am sure I will find something!

Thanks for all your kind replies! Thankfully your votes are divided mainly between carry on regardless it will be fine, and take someone else! One of the reasons I chose a cruise was because of all the lovely things that you can do both in port and onboard. My feeling is that you can do as little or as much as you want. Pudd I agree with your comments that there is scope for both of you to do what you want to. Weirdly he does like dressing up and does own a DJ! Maitai999 - that's the same cruise we are booked onto! It doesn't help that I am a total control freak and already have a whole bunch of guide books, itineries planned and while I don't quite have an Excel spreadsheet of clothes, I do have my outfits planned. I think I'm just going to have to try and control my excitement and let him feel he is involved too! Thanks all. :)

Excellent - you will both love it I am sure! We have been on a Cunard med voyage every summer and there are so many repeat faces who want a non-fly summer cruise to the sunshine. I have already booked for next year :) Pop over and add yourselves to the roll call thread - be nice for it to grow a bit, the ship is looking a tad empty albeit deck 8!! Let the countdown begin, diet started!

Which summer cruise are you on? Dress code on summer voyages is a lot more relaxed in my experience, disappointingly we only have 3 formal nights out of 14 on our upcoming QE 27th July Med cruise, although hubbie will wear jacket & tie every night.

For many years we would book a standard stateroom and take our travel mobility scooter, we never once dreamt of leaving it outside in the corridor. It could be driven through the doorframe with space eitherside and either parked or dismantled into 5 each pieces and could be stored under the dressing table area or under the bed. Now we have to book a disabled accessible cabin, thus taking away the valuable facilities a wheelchair bound guest may need. I agree that something had to be done to keep the "tanks" from being parked in the corridors but feel that Cunard should revert back to their list of acceptable travelscoots that are often smaller than some manual wheelchairs.

He is actually a she!

$30 shipping (just under £20 GBP) sounds right, I paid pretty much that for next day delivery for a couple of puzzles and thats within the UK.

Order, sit back and wait for Mrs Guru to be delighted ....

I wanted to purchase some jigsaw puzzles I saw in the bookshop on QM2, so I contacted Cunard who referred me to:

Mel Glossop

Ocean Books

admin@oceanbooks.com

Tel: 01794-830663

I must say the service was above and beyond excellent, and they will go onboard when the ship is docked in Southampton to get items from the shop for you as they are taking on new stock, should they not have it offshore. Every year I always order the Cunard calenders from them which make great gifts.

Sure they would post overseas.