Cunard Cruisers - How are things where you are ?

[Bigmike911]

1 hour ago, frankp01 said:

I don't recall it, from when it was the Veuve Cliquot. And it doesn't appear that I have any photos, from when it was that incarnation. I must not have spent much, if any, time there. I do think the current design is very attractive, though. And I have spent time there under the current nomenclature.

I think for the first ten years or so Vueve Cliquot was the sponsor. The physical space has not changed much, just the sponsor. Who ever gives the best prices, Cunard follows. 

[Germancruiser]

As I am about to book the Dec.1 back to back crossing on board QM2 - well not exactly at once- but thinking of booking alone get ´s the spirit up.

Here in Germany we returned almost everything to ( the new) normal. Activ cases going down by the week, even though we had a boost of new cases this last week in and around a meetpacking company.

So far we got of realtivly lightly- thanks - i have to admit- to our swift acting goverment!

[Jack E Dawson]

11 hours ago, Bigmike911 said:

I think for the first ten years or so Vueve Cliquot was the sponsor. The physical space has not changed much, just the sponsor. Who ever gives the best prices, Cunard follows. 

 

Here are a couple of pictures of the bar from a crossing in May of 2017. On our next crossing in 2018, the Vue was gone.

 

Jack

 

[LewiLewi]

Hot and humid in Florida this weekend. We are living in the Wild West down here. The virus is on a rampage, people are not following precautions, bars and restaurants definitely not practicing social distancing, and a governor who is doing nothing about it.

i doubt that any cruises will be leaving Florida ports anytime soon.

[alc13]

Hot and humid here in Maine, too, LewiLewi.  Although to a Floridian it might seem merely warm!

 

Mike's mom lives in Florida and she stays close to home and always wears her mask.  She has COPD so she would probably not survive an infection.  I'm annoyed at your governor, too.

 

On another subject, prompted by the Cunard wine bar discussion, we've discovered a slew of sparkling wines made in the champagne style that cost far less money - cremants, cavas, etc.  Affordable "champagne" - the perfect summer drink. 

 

 

 

 

[frankp01]

2 hours ago, Jack E Dawson said:

Here are a couple of pictures of the bar from a crossing in May of 2017

47 minutes ago, alc13 said:

we've discovered a slew of sparkling wines made in the champagne style that cost far less money - cremants, cavas, etc.

 

I think the champagne bar is one of the prettier rooms on the ship. The Commodore Club is my favorite, for overall ambience, but the champagne bar is very attractive.

 

We go through a lot of Prosecco in the summer. Two of us can finish off a bottle with dinner, it goes down so easily.

 

 

 

 

[vettprincess]

Hi All:

Weather here just rainy and in the 70's. My daughter loves Prosecco. I need to try it sometime. As I type here in the war zone of Minneapolis I think about the Commodore Club. Just loved that venue. Also walking on the decks of the QM2 and seeing sunfishes floating near the top. Quite different from the sunfish we have here in Minnesota.

One can only hope a QM2 cruise could happen to New England and Canada in the future.

Enjoy the rest of your week-end across the pond and here.

 

 

[Colin_Cameron]

1 hour ago, vettprincess said:

My daughter loves Prosecco. I need to try it sometime.

My wife tried a Prosecco diet a few years ago. She lost two days! 🤢

[BklynBoy8]

5 hours ago, vettprincess said:

Hi All:

Weather here just rainy and in the 70's. My daughter loves Prosecco. I need to try it sometime. As I type here in the war zone of Minneapolis I think about the Commodore Club. Just loved that venue. Also walking on the decks of the QM2 and seeing sunfishes floating near the top. Quite different from the sunfish we have here in Minnesota.

One can only hope a QM2 cruise could happen to New England and Canada in the future.

Enjoy the rest of your week-end across the pond and here.

Hi Esther,

Missed you tonight.

 

I too must try sometimes the Prosecco also someday too! Our neighbor downstairs likes it very much too! So time to try it!

 

We too miss the sailing this year. A week from this Monday we would have been heading to the Brooklyn Pier to board. I found the paperwork from the 17 sailing for the same sailing we first met you and went over each piece of paper we collected. Also this weekend I will be reviewing the photos and videos to bring back Memory Lane.

 

I know you would love to take a Fall NE/CAN sailing but know your daughter maybe interested in our sailing next year. Would be great to see each other once again.

 

 

 

[Ynox]

Debating booking an Alaska trip for July next year to use my credit with Cunard. May hold off though - if social distancing / masks etc are still required then I kind of think I'd maybe rather not be on a ship. First time in years that I've had nothing booked!

 

Otherwise lockdown life isn't too bad, although the puppy (not a lockdown one - we'd been planning on getting one for over a year before the breeder said she had a litter!) is a bit crazy and hard work at times (he seems to like to scratch and bite me for fun). 

 

[vettprincess]

7 hours ago, Ynox said:

Debating booking an Alaska trip for July next year to use my credit with Cunard. May hold off though - if social distancing / masks etc are still required then I kind of think I'd maybe rather not be on a ship. First time in years that I've had nothing booked!

 

Otherwise lockdown life isn't too bad, although the puppy (not a lockdown one - we'd been planning on getting one for over a year before the breeder said she had a litter!) is a bit crazy and hard work at times (he seems to like to scratch and bite me for fun). 

 

What a cutie pie.  A corgie? Puppies are a lot of work.  My beagle is dying and do not know how long yet. She is a rescue and about 12 or 13. Spine is going and turned deaf the past 2 weeks. Deaf works cause of all the riots and marches and fireworks around here now.  I doubt cruising will even be back next year. A travesty and you all can thank the chinese for doing this.

[Host Hattie]

How gorgeous ! I hope he stops the biting and scratching soon.

[Kynance]

Hi everyone

 

It looks like I have lucked-out with the weather for this coming week, at least where I live, because a mini-heatwave is forecast & my other half & I have the week off. We have been encouraged by our employers to still take annual leave even whilst we can’t actually take holidays, if only for the break from work and a bit of personal R&R. 
 

We don’t have any real plans for the week - apart from a visit from the tumble dryer engineer on Tuesday - but since we can move more freely than when we were off in April, we might venture a bit further afield for our walks,  especially now that more cafes & coffee shops are open for takeaway. 
 
Talking of which, I went to a McDonalds drive thru on Wednesday - it’s opposite my office which I attended as I needed to conduct a “COVID audit” to prepare for the return of some staff whose roles can’t entirely be done from home. Ironically, I won’t be one of those coming back but myself and a couple colleagues went around identifying how we can ensure the risks to returners are minimised. About half-way through, I thought we deserved a break so I popped out for coffees - and some chips! I hope McD’s start doing breakfast again soon because I am partial to an egg McMuffin.  

I wonder whether I will be able to enjoy to that breakfast treat again before or after I manage to get my hair cut  - my hairdresser texted me on Friday to let me know I have an appointment on 23rd July! Yikes - that feels like a very long time away still. 

 

Stay safe and have a good week everyone. Looks like we may shortly get an announcement regarding changes to the 2 metre rule here in England. 

 

[Trevor33]

Feeling SO MUCH BETTER having moved January 2021 world cruise to January 2022, by then lets hope the world is back to normal. I could not see QV doing much of a world cruise this coming year as no ports are open. From what the avid ship tracking fans are saving QV is at see backwards and forwards from Southampton to Weymouth .... I cannot see a world wide itinerary anytime soon. 

[LewiLewi]

13 hours ago, Ynox said:

Debating booking an Alaska trip for July next year to use my credit with Cunard. May hold off though - if social distancing / masks etc are still required then I kind of think I'd maybe rather not be on a ship. First time in years that I've had nothing booked!

 

Otherwise lockdown life isn't too bad, although the puppy (not a lockdown one - we'd been planning on getting one for over a year before the breeder said she had a litter!) is a bit crazy and hard work at times (he seems to like to scratch and bite me for fun). 

 

We have a new Australian Labradoodle granddog and he also bit when he was younger. He was teething, but the biting stopped a few weeks ago. Your puppy is adorable.

[Germancruiser]

What a cute Puppy. That certainly helps pass the time. LOL. We spent our two month of lock down with our three cats- all grown up and each of them a character of it´s own. LOL.

[frankp01]

That puppie is quite a cutie. You need to get him the complete Cunard outfit:

[Lanky Lad]

I have had a refund from Holiday Inn from my June cruise so I have now had everything back.  Including the travel insurance.  This money has now gone towards my road trip in August.

[Camgirl]

That's great news,  Lanky lad.

 

We were able to cancel our August hotel easily so we won't be going down to Southampton then. However, we still have one cruise holding on in November at the moment. We will see if that goes ahead..... We transferred our hotel booking for may to the November date.

 

I would really like to go away to a hotel for the weekend, just to get away briefly. However, at the moment, I feel unsure how safe it would be. I think we will be leaving it a bit longer before we venture away from home.

 

[Bigmike911]

Well, we have entered Summer in South East Texas by calendar as well as weather. The last couple of days gave us heavy thunderstorms and a good deal of rain. I live near the apex of the San Jacinto and Brazos River watersheds, so it runs down hill from me, eventually to the Gulf. Carnival which was supposed to begin cruses from the Gulf of Mexico port of Galveston in late July has moved the sailing dates to mid October.

 

There has been a spurt of new cases in the younger (we are young so we can't get the disease) crowd who have been careless, as well as expanded testing with nearly 10% of the State's population having been tested. I am still distancing, wearing my mask in public and not venturing far from home. My current joys in life are getting a haircut weekly, and a Mexican dinner out once a week (we go early before the crowds and the kids arrive). The barber requires you to sign in and wait in your vehicle or on their spacious front porch. Yes, this is the country so even barbers here have porches.

 

Both my flip phone (which has not been well since it went into the swimming pool when I missed my step) and my smarty phone (where the screen de-laminated from the rest of the phone) needed to be replaced, and I had to go to the Verizon store after getting an on line appointment.  I had to wait out side in the rain for a couple of minutes, and when I entered you would think you were in a surgery. Plexi panels, disinfectant sprays and wipes on every thing. After I finished my business, the sales person wiped down the space I had occupied including the seat. I hope this new normal is temporary. 

 

I am getting in my deep water aerobic exercises nearly every evening, cooking on the grill and enjoying my gardening, so I am good with the world. I am still hopeful that I will be able to make my 22 July 2021 WestBound T/A from Hamburg a year hence. 

[LewiLewi]

I am trying to upload a picture of my granddog Otis; I think that he is adorable, especially now that he stopped biting me.

 

[alc13]

15 hours ago, Bigmike911 said:

I am getting in my deep water aerobic exercises nearly every evening, cooking on the grill and enjoying my gardening, so I am good with the world.

 

Gardening!  We have a groundhog; it's not deer after all munching on our newly planted perennials.  I've been sprinkling chile powder on the leaves and we put some fencing around the most susceptible plants.  It is so sad to see a healthy plant reduced to a few stems overnight. 

 

Texas is seeing a surge in covid19 cases so it's good to hear from you.

[Host Hattie]

Thanks for letting us see Otis, he's gorgeous.

The warmest day of the year so far here, but we're still in the UK so cool compared to Texas and Florida !

Lots of lockdown changes for England only announced yesterday (not that you'd know that from reading some of our newspapers), still opening up more slowly in Wales. 

Mr HH has an in-person job interview on Friday so that should be interesting !

Stay safe everyone

[Lanky Lad]

It is very hot today, well by normal standards anyway.  If it gets any hotter, I will have to go and sit in my car with the air con on full blast.

[Host Hattie]

We're near the coast so we've got a nice breeze and I'm enjoying the shade under a gazebo. I'm back in the office tomorrow so the aircon will probably be on, just need to check that it's OK to use. It's a unit just for my office so I'm hoping it'll be OK.