Live from the 2015 QE World Voyage

[Oahucruiser]

Thank you, John and Barbara, for your long and interesting posts. All the details make it seem like we are right there with you. I am hoping for beautiful sunshine on Friday when you arrive in my hometown of Honolulu. We'll be watching you arrive and thinking of the times that we boarded here for world cruises.

[alibabacruisers]

John, loved your blog about SFO! It was interesting to read about where you

went when we were in the same area. The bread bowl with clam chowder sounded very good.

 

Monday, 9 Feb

 

Finally got to purchase the next internet plan for us so posted a few days of blogs....sorry it took so long and I left you hanging. :(

 

Up early again to check the wave action...feeling it since we left SFO last

night. The TV says it is 4.5 meters and they look like deep swells to me

rather than big waves thank goodness. It is good that he slowed to 15 knots

as well. Well, I should not have said that because now he has sped up to

22 knots and the movement is much more noticeable.

 

Noticed quite a few more people in the Lido than before. I am usually one

of the first in there around 6:15 or so, but on this new segment there were

around 30-40 people there too. More early birds.

 

Hmm, for today's agenda let me see. Port Presentation on Hawaii at 10 possible,

spa raffle at 10:45 ;), then have to get everything together for our third

M&G. It will be good to meet some of the people I have talked with over the

last year or so. Lots of games around the ship, with classes and lectures to

round out the DP. Today's movie is Winters Tale at 2pm but I don't think I

have heard of that, but may try to check it out.

 

I have not mentioned it so far, but I have not heard any cases of Noro thus far.

We have been able to serve ourselves the entire cruise since Southampton. I

have seen people using the hand sanitizers so they must be doing a good job. I

hope that stays the same.

 

Getting ready to head out to the M&G and I hope that I can last with all this

movement! My cabin is deck 7 aft, but the Yacht Club is deck 10 forward....ugg.

The M&G was well attended and there was also about 10 extra people showed up.

It was good to finally meet the different people. Thanks to all who showed

up and supported me!

 

The continuous movement is taking its toll on me so I will have to go

horizontal for the rest of the day. I hope for smoother seas tomorrow. Until

then.

[DreamflightPat]

John and Barbara, thanks so much for the updates. I am reliving the journey I did last year. So sorry Barbara it is a little rough, we had calm seas all the way.

 

Am now in Sydney waiting for you to arrive. Had a wonderful day yesterday, breakfast down at Darling Harbour, ferry round to Circular Quay and then the ferry over to Manley. Last night went out for dinner with a couple that were on the same table as me on last years' cruise. So great to catch up with them.

 

Regards Pat

[MicCanberra]

Hoping calmer seas will meet you soon Barbara. There would be nothing worse than feeing seedy and not being able to enjoy the cruise knowing all the fun stuff is happening without you.

Edited February 10, 2015 by MicCanberra

[zoomerica]

Thank you all so much for your reports on this voyage, what fun to do a world. Love reading everyone's different vintages as well, they always say no two persons cruise are the same, here we get all tales.

 

To John, so glad you got to Boudin, one of the few true cravings of mine from my time living there. When you wrote that, I could vividly smell it lol.

[babs135]

If you are doing the full World Cruise do you have to attend muster at the beginning of every segment?

[andhow]

If you are doing the full World Cruise do you have to attend muster at the beginning of every segment?

 

No - but it is recommended that you attend one at least every four weeks.

 

andhow

[alibabacruisers]

Hi Pat! Glad you have arrived in Sydney! I can't wait to see you again!

 

MicCanberra, yes the seas do affect how much you enjoy the goings on, and I thank you for your thoughts.

 

Tuesday, 10 Feb

 

The seas were back and forth last night...smooth for a second then a big, noisy

wave that jolted a person back to reality! That was then and now it is much

better with only 2.5 meter waves and the wind a bit calmer at 33 mph.

 

Off to breakfast where lots of people were already in full swing. Catching

up with the blog, domestic duties around the cabin, and looking at the very

pretty beginning of the day from the balcony. Several people are enjoying the

balcony already as their conversations and laughter seem to echo.

 

I went off to read for a bit in Cafe Carinthia, but changed to Midships bar

after about 10 minutes. The music, as well as the many conversations, were

too distracting. Read for about an hour and a half before heading to the

Queens Room to check out the Welcome Aboard Expo. It was billed as a "taster

of what facilities and activities we have on board for you during this voyage".

Tables were set up for wine tasting, Bingo/casino, dance, spa, jewellery,

and others.

 

Stopped by the Port Presentation for Lahaina , but decided to watch that later

or the next few days, and popped into the Golden Lion to hear a few questions

on the quiz. DH wanted to check out the croquet competition and said there

was a nice man there explaining the rules, which was good as he had never

played before. He had a good time.

 

We met up for lunch in the Lido a bit early to beat the crowds. Had a nice

relaxing lunch before heading to the Lecture by Joe Kess on "Prelude to

Pearl harbor: What Led Up to the Japanese Decision to Embark on the Pacific

War". I thought it was pretty interesting but DH caught a nap...lol. We

took this opportunity to check out the Theatre Box and have now decided that

it is not worth it because the curved glass panels between you and the stage

are too obtrusive. I felt like I was wearing my DH glasses and felt quite

nauseous afterward. We tried almost all the boxes to see if there were any

differences of position, deck, and the answer was no difference for us.

 

During the Captain's noon announcement he let us know that although he had

been able to "skirt" the storm before now, tomorrow from 8am we would not be

so lucky. We would be heading due west into the open deep ocean with the

accompanying deeper swells and waves of about 6.5 meters. Some people have

said they like being kept in the dark about these things, but I like being

prepared. So, as you are sick of hearing, I will be taking my meds and

seeing how it goes in the morning. Don't feel too optimistic at this point.

 

We came back to the cabin and decided to have a light nap before getting

ready for the formal night tonight. We have started leaving our room 5 minutes

later for dinner and we are able to just walk in without a line. That is a

nice way to do it, I think, especially when I am wearing the higher heels.

 

After dinner, I went to change into more comfortable shoes, ie., flats, then

went to the theatre to wait for the 8:30 show, Hotel Royale. We had seen it

on previous cruises, but I remembered that I liked it, so we went again. The

resident Cunard singers and dancers were good. On the way back to our cabin,

we have a brief conversation with a lady down the hall from us. She was very

nice and wished us a good night.

 

Forgot to say that yesterday our steward gave us a new movie list so that is

good as I was tired of seeing the same ones over and over. One new movie,

that I still don't know the name of, was on while we were getting ready for

dinner and I hope it is on again soon so I can watch it all. It said it

was based on a book called something about Place on Heaven and Earth (sorry

but I am hopeless) and was about the Vietnam War. Pretty heavy topic, but

love one of the actors in it....he was in the Killing Fields with Sam

Waterson.

 

Time for bed I think. Good night all!

[Scrapnana]

Barbara,

 

Glad you were feeling better and were able to get out and about. I like the songs in Hotel Royale. I think the movie you saw is Heaven and Earth.

[MicCanberra]

Hope you can get a good nights sleep and the seas are more forgiving tomorrow.:D

[Iluvcruising2]

Such fun to do a world cruise! I just checked the position of Queen Elizabeth - you are still more than a day away from Honolulu.

 

The ship will be in Singapore on 3rd April. Welcome to Singapore!

[sydneylou]

We just got a call from our travel agent saying that there could be a delay up to 24 hours we are embarking in Honolulu at midday on Friday. Has there been announcements about this, as we will have to book another nights accommodation if this is the case

[MicCanberra]

We just got a call from our travel agent saying that there could be a delay up to 24 hours we are embarking in Honolulu at midday on Friday. Has there been announcements about this, as we will have to book another nights accommodation if this is the case

 

That is not so great for you but I wonder if they are going to avoid the storm after all.

[Scrapnana]

We just got a call from our travel agent saying that there could be a delay up to 24 hours we are embarking in Honolulu at midday on Friday. Has there been announcements about this, as we will have to book another nights accommodation if this is the case

 

Yikes! Late arrivals, late departures! QE deserves some really nice weather.

 

Have your travel agent check with Cunard to see if they will help with the hotel cost if this happens.

[Janix]

We just got a call from our travel agent saying that there could be a delay up to 24 hours we are embarking in Honolulu at midday on Friday. Has there been announcements about this, as we will have to book another nights accommodation if this is the case

 

Nothing has been said on board re a late arrival. We are currently steaming at 21/22 knots, but were doing 24 knots yesterday ( that is flat out!).

 

I do hope we are not delayed as that would mean losing another port, I think - possibly Lahaina, which sounds so nice. We are currently around 800 miles from Honolulu, and I estimate we will have done some where near an extra 200 miles trying to avoid lumpy seas.

 

John

[Janix]

Since leaving San Francisco we have sailed a more southerly course than normal in order to skirt some bad weather in the North Pacific. I estimate this has added approximately 200 miles to the length of our transit between San Francisco and Honolulu. As far as I can determine we have not slowed under 20 knots on the 4 day transit and a rough and ready calculation by the OpenCPN software I use to track our progress suggests we have a ‘time to go’ of around 36 hours to reach Honolulu as of 0320 UTC (Ships time is currently 1820 on Wednesday 11th Feb and I think we may have an ‘extra’ hour or two to add as we head westwards). This I hopefully fits in with the schedule for a normal arrival in Hawaii ?

 

We are approaching sunset and the sea surface looks relatively flat, with only the odd roller causing the odd wobble or two. However there are patches of confused seas still, which will hopefully subside ? The Captain didn’t mention any problems in his lunchtime announcement today. However I have not seen any weather reports apart from those on BBC World and Sky News which are not the most comprehensive for crossing the Pacific Ocean.

 

Otherwise another restful day on board the good ship QE. So what is a normal day whilst crossing the vast expanse of the Ocean ? Most people tend to find it is very restful, unless you are involved in the various sports (Fencing, tour de cycle, shuffleboard, paddle tennis, table tennis, golf, deck quoits etc).

 

There are also such things as quizzes, lectures, fitness classes, dance classes (line dancing, ballroom and belly dancing), bridge (lessons, duplicate and social), whist, art classes, needlework and knitting, and learning about the latest treatments from the on board Spa. Today’s educational seminars listed in the Daily Programme (the ships font of all knowledge delivered to your stateroom every evening, along with the ships newspaper in your language) include Natural Pain Solutions, Wrinkles away in 15 minutes, Ladies Pamper Party, Seaweed for all concerns, alleviating back pain with good feet, tongue and pulse analysis, heat healing treatments, and perfect nails in 30 minutes.

 

Of course everyone’s favourite pastime – eating and drinking, must come fairly high up the list of this to do, and always seems very popular. There is also TV in our stateroom, and TV’s showing sports coverage in the Golden Lion Pub.

 

So there is always something to do if you don’t fancy passing the time away in one of the steamer chairs on the Promenade deck, or lounging around the Pools, or even the upper decks when the sun shines?

 

Now where do I fit my afternoon nap in ?

 

John

[Oahucruiser]

We just got a call from our travel agent saying that there could be a delay up to 24 hours we are embarking in Honolulu at midday on Friday. Has there been announcements about this, as we will have to book another nights accommodation if this is the case

 

Sydneylou, I believe you are here in Honolulu now before boarding on Friday. The weather for Friday is for partly cloudy skies and a low wind so that wouldn't prevent the QE from arriving on time so, if she is late, it would be because of having to detour during the crossing from San Francisco to here. I am hoping for the best for you. We are planning on being on the dock when she comes in and will be reading the posts from those on board to see if there is going to be a delay.

[Salacia]

We just got a call from our travel agent saying that there could be a delay up to 24 hours we are embarking in Honolulu at midday on Friday. Has there been announcements about this, as we will have to book another nights accommodation if this is the case

 

Sydneylou, kudos to your travel agent for being so pro-active in altering you to the possible delay. Seriously, good work. I wonder of passengers who booked directly with Cunard got a similar call? -S.

[sydneylou]

Thank you all, very appreciative of your prompt replies. We have enquired with about 6 hotels for Friday night and they all have no vacancies, we are presently staying at Moana Surfrider and it is also booked out. I will try Expedia tomorrow afternoon if it looks like we have to stay another night....I guess we can aways sleep in the lobby....I think not. I imagine our travel insurance should cover delays but will also check with Cunard. As it is Valentine's Day this weekend most of Honolulu is apparently heavily booked. It does sound like you all deserve some pleasant weather which we should get in the South Pacific, so save a deck chair for me. You will recognise Graham and I as he has a travel scooter, it is not your traditional mobility scooter but a light weight portable one so say hi if you see us. The weather has been great here but quite windy.

[MicCanberra]

Thank you all, very appreciative of your prompt replies. We have enquired with about 6 hotels for Friday night and they all have no vacancies, we are presently staying at Moana Surfrider and it is also booked out. I will try Expedia tomorrow afternoon if it looks like we have to stay another night....I guess we can aways sleep in the lobby....I think not. I imagine our travel insurance should cover delays but will also check with Cunard. As it is Valentine's Day this weekend most of Honolulu is apparently heavily booked. It does sound like you all deserve some pleasant weather which we should get in the South Pacific, so save a deck chair for me. You will recognise Graham and I as he has a travel scooter, it is not your traditional mobility scooter but a light weight portable one so say hi if you see us. The weather has been great here but quite windy.

I hope it gets confirmed one way or the other for you so you can make the necessary arrangements. Cunard should come to the party or your insurance may be needed. I wish you luck either way.:D

[Salacia]

Barbara, just a suggestion if your tummy is queasy: sip Canada Dry Ginger Ale, small bottles are best, more often cans are available on board. Keep hydrated. So sorry you aren't feeling well, brave mariner. Cheers, -S.

[Oahucruiser]

Sydneylou,

 

Have you tried the Outrigger Hotel next to you at the Moana or the Hyatt across the street from you? Also, the Sheraton Waikiki is huge and on the sea, the Waikiki Beach Marriott is on Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki and the Embassy Suites are quite close to where you are now. The mammoth Hilton Hawaiian Village is further down in Waikiki but is a gorgeous place on the ocean. These are all large hotels so perhaps at least one will have a room for you if you need one.

 

Good luck and Aloha!

[cwn]

Hi All,

 

Well I have finally had some time to write up the blog and get things posted with some pictures. I well post the reports here also if any interest but will only post the pictures on our blog. The blog covers the full 4 month trip, but I will only post the cruise part here:

 

http://www.rtw50thanniversary.blogspot.com

 

Sunday Napa Valley to the Queen Elizabeth

 

The rain returned during the night and it rained hard until about 11:30AM. During the morning Carolyn packed and Dick made a run to Walgreens for some necessaries. We checked out a little before noon and headed toward Pier 35 in San Francisco, some 56 miles down the road.

 

While still raining, it was not pouring any longer and we picked up I-80 and moved at posted speeds. A Sunday drive!

 

We pulled up in front of Pier 35 and were met by a very accommodating porter who took our three checked bags while we moved on to return the rent car. Thank Heavens for our GPS. The shortest route, according to it, took almost 30 minutes to reach deep downtown where pulled into a parking garage and returned the car in one piece. We moved up to street level and walked half a block to a cab stand. The cab in the front of the line was in sad shape with a transmission that groaned and growled each time we moved off from a stop. Traffic was heavy and it took 20 plus minutes to return to the pier where we unloaded and went through the check-in and security process. May Osama ben Laden rot in Hell!!!!!

 

Once on board, in reality a fairly painless process and well organized, we find our cabin, #4050, and begin unpacking. Two of our checked pieces are waiting by the door. The missing one has several small cans of Coca-Cola and Carolyn wants to take some medicine so Dick is off to find an open bar. He finally finds the Garden Lounge on Deck 9 and buys a small bottle of coke and glass of ice for $4.03. You can explain the $.03; I can’t!

 

Unpacking finished, we attend the mandatory safety briefing; life vests and all. Once done with that, we explore a little bit and wind up on the back of the ship for some photos of The Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz in fading, near sunset and cloudy light. We sail at 7:30PM and it will be way past photo time then!

 

We have late dinner seating (8:30 PM) and the prime rib in the Lido looks very tempting. We will see if we last. We are both very tired and in need of a hot shower, good dinner and good night’s sleep.

 

Dress for dinner is either informal or formal. Informal for men is a jacket with or without a tie. Formal is tux or dark suit with a tie. Tonight is informal. We are pleased to find that we have a table for two as requested. Service is off tonight and very slow. Carolyn orders vegetable soup and a salad and Dick has the soup and a Thai spring roll. For a main course, nothing on the regular menu really appeals so we order off the “Always Available” menu. Carolyn has a small steak and baked potato and Dick has salmon and a baked potato. Carolyn likes her steak but Dick’s salmon is over done and tasteless. We have to ask for condiments for the baked potato and finally get butter and sour cream. We both have apple strudel for dessert along with coffee and camomile tea. They seem to have a hard time understanding the order for the tea and cream for Dick’s coffee is just as hard to arrange.

 

Back to the room where the bed configuration has been fixed and sleep is calling. Soon all three of us are sound asleep.

[cwn]

Monday, February 9, 2015 - Day 6

 

At Sea...very bumpy and overcast

 

For the first time on a ship, our room is as cool as we desire without engineering spending time in our cabin. The bed is comfortable and we sleep very well. The sea was delightfully bumpy last night and we always sleep well when there is some rocking and rolling. Dick is up about 6:30AM with the sun obviously up judging by the light coming in around the blackout curtains.

 

Coffee is calling and the Café Carinthia does specialty coffees and sells a coffee card; ten for $38.53. Not a deal but something less than the regular price and Dick only wants one per day. Two cards should get him to Australia, maybe. With full coffee mug in hand, life is better and Dick heads for the Lido to see what it is like for breakfast. As a rule, we don’t to buffets but this Lido is well laid out and inviting. It will do in a pinch.

 

Breakfast is served from 8-9:30AM and we arrive at 8:30AM and are seated with a couple from a small town north of Brisbane and a couple from Bozeman, Montana. The folks from Montana just have some juice and move on but we enjoy a visit with the Aussies and some of their traveling companions join us for a very pleasant visit. Both of us order grapefruit juice and Eggs Benedict.

 

Carolyn then heads for the port presentation on Honolulu while Dick goes to trivia. Next is the first part of a lecture series. Today the topic is how Hawaii came to be and is very good with lots of slides and a good talk. We are looking forward to the rest of the talks.

 

To round out the morning, we go to the Cruise Critic gathering which is a non-event but Carolyn talks at length with a lady she met on the CC discussion boards. It is now 12:45PM and time for lunch. We join a table with two other couples; one from Germany and the other two elderly sisters traveling together. The conversation is mostly about German geography and languages and multi-lingual cultures. Dick impresses the Germans when they describe where they live in Germany and he asks if it is near Krefeld. It is and they want to know how he knows of Krefeld. He decides not to tell them his Father spent several weeks there in 1945 firing 105mm artillery shells at the retreating German army.

 

After lunch we go back to the room for awhile. Then Carolyn goes to meet the sewing and knitting group in the Café Carinthia. There are about16 ladies and before the hour is up we are all chatting like old friends. Carolyn is sitting between a German and an English lady and we have a delightful conversation about our families and travel. This group meets every day at 3:00PM. At 4:00PM we break and several go to afternoon tea. Carolyn walks past the two story Queens Room where Tea is served and decides to join in the pleasantries. It is one of the nicest ship’s teas she has experienced since our first cruise in 1984 on the Cunard Vista Fjord, with very fresh dainty tea sandwiches and sweets served table side by liveried waiters from silver trays. A string quartet provides lovely background music.

 

From there Carolyn goes back to the cabin. Dick is out and about and the bed looks very inviting! The plan is to stretch out and read for a while...err nap. Carolyn now has a plan in place for the wonderful sea days. There are a lot on this cruise!

 

At some point Dick comes in and decides to get dressed for dinner. He then goes to the forward deck 10 lounge to read and leaves Carolyn a note since she is snoozing away. A slamming door wakes Carolyn enough that she sees the note Dick left and that it is after 6:00PM so she gets ready for dinner and joins Dick in the lounge for cocktails about 7:00PM.

 

We head down to dinner a little after 8:00PM. We want to be there when the doors open to see if that makes any difference in our table service since we were about 10 minutes late last night. The waiters are all lined up greeting the guests as we enter...all with smiles and light banter...except one...you guessed it...our waiter is at the end of the line with a sour expression and no response to our greeting. Things go downhill from there for almost all the guests at his tables. He takes our order fairly fast, but then we wait 30 minutes for our appetizers, then he forgets Carolyn’s salad course and we wait some more for our main course. People at other stations who came in as much as 10 minutes after us are getting their desert and no one at our stations has seen a main course and some not even their salad.

 

The head waiter walks by and we call him over for a little chat about the problems last night and tonight. He tells us he will work on it. Five minutes later our main course, prime rib and baked potato served with horseradish and sour cream arrives without the sour cream or horseradish. Dick finally stops a passing waiter, not ours, and asks for the trimmings. All the while our food is getting cold.

 

Finally the trimmings arrive and we can eat. Well, the head waiter stops by to see how the food is and we explain what just happened and that we are not happy campers; the service is terrible in our section. We are not sure what will happen. Our waiter has a bad attitude and it will probably only get worse now that we have complained. We will see. Funny thing is we had great waiters and good service at breakfast and lunch.

 

Finally we finish dinner and go back the room, which is turned back and very cool. We are ready for another good night’s sleep.

 

 

Tuesday, February 10, 2015 - smooth sailing

 

Dick is up early again and goes for his morning mug of coffee. He gets back to the room a little after 8:00AM. Carolyn is just getting dressed. We head to breakfast at 8:30AM. Our stewardess is just setting up outside of our room as we leave. Carolyn had asked her the first night to try and clean the room while we were at breakfast and she seems to be trying to do just that and we really appreciate it.

 

We have another shared table for breakfast in a different part of the dining room. Our table mates are from New Zealand and Australia and we have another good waiter. Carolyn has Eggs Benedict and Dick has fruit yogurt and smoked salmon.

 

As we are leaving the dining room we decide to be proactive about our evening table assignment. We just don’t want to be on pins and needles wondering how each night will be. So we ask to speak with the Maitre’ de. He is most gracious and already has been advised of the situation. He tells us they are working on it and offers us the option to stay at our assigned table or move to a new table and gives us a choice of two tables for two. We elect to move since we feel that there is really something off at our present location and we don’t want that stress every night of hoping that it will improve. We are still on the second level, but on the other side and in the back next to a window. We will see if we luck out with a pleasant staff like we have had for our other three meals.

 

Dick goes to trivia and joins his group from yesterday, making him a permanent member of that group. Carolyn goes to the port lecture for Maui. We have a ship’s tour booked for this port; a 4x4 Expedition to Lanai. Carolyn booked it in early December and is glad she did as it was sold out before we boarded. We have been to Maui before, rented a car, explored the Iao Valley, went to one of the beaches and went to a Luau. This tour sounds different and fun.

 

We both go to the Insights Lecture: “Ocean Waves...from Cat’s Paws to Perfect Storm” by Dr. Denny Whitford, retired Naval Captain and Professor of Oceanography. He has a very interesting presentation on ocean waves so we can “read the sea” as we cruise. Some of his photos and videos are amazing!

 

That is followed by the second in the series by Joe Kess, “Prelude to Pearl Harbor.” He explores Japanese history with interesting pictures pointing out the events over the last 800 years or so that prompted Japan to embark on the Pacific War.

 

It is after 1:00PM before we get back to the room and, of course, it is time for lunch. Again we opt for a shared table and are seated with three Brits and two Canadians. Lunch is very tasty and the serving size is just right. However, the group broke a cardinal rule and let the conversation drift to the politically hot topic of global warming and the lunch came to a fast end!

 

After lunch we went our separate ways...Carolyn to knitting and tea...Dick to read and people watch. The seas have been very calm today and there are more people out and about but the ship still seems to have plenty of room for all and it is not hard to find that special, quiet corner to read or nap.

 

We have late dinner seating (8:30PM) and waiting for that is a little long. Tonight is also a formal night so we shower and dress and by 6:30PM we are in our favorite bar up on deck 10 forward. Drinks are very expensive ($10.93 each) so you can’t sit and drink all night without breaking the bank. We do have two rounds over a two hour period along with some complimentary canapes but that can’t be done every night!

 

Dinner at our new table is very pleasant and our waiter must have been warned to take good care of us as everything from the wine to dessert is delivered promptly and with a little bit of ceremony. Dick has red snapper and Carolyn has an excellent cottage pie. This is toped off with chocolate pots and crepe Suzette...yuum! We are not hard to please but we are paying for service and want it. We are at a table for two and there are several other two tops around us. At one the couple is speaking Russian and at the other German and very good English. We finish up about 9:30PM and make our way to our cabin. The beds are extremely comfortable and Morpheus is calling.

[carolian]

Hi, as this is our first Cunard cruise we are not au fait with Cunard policies.

We have noticed that the price for Shore Excursions has increased since we first started looking. Ok, the increase on the cheaper trips may only be $3 or so but we have not encountered this before. Fortunately we had booked with Cunard for the Petra trip before the prices increased.We wondered how this can be explained. As the prices are quoted in USD it would appear to simply be a price increase.

We are also wondering if the prices have increased to you lucky people already on your voyage?

Whatever happens, we will be joining the ship in Dubai and look forward to meeting those of you travelling on to Southampton.

 

Carole and Ian