Cunard Cruisers - How are things where you are ?

[LewiLewi]

18 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

He's an electrician, the job is in the locomotive repair department of a steelworks. I work there already (in a different department).

It didn't start well when the building was still locked up ! He's not really sure how it went or if he is, he's not telling me !

Good luck.

[BklynBoy8]

Missing the opportunity to cruise this coming Monday Afternoon on the QM2 we were happy to see a show on Cruise Ships on TV.

 

Mighty Cruise Ships featured the MSC Divina cruise ship. The hour was packaged full all the activities and adventure while cruising in the Caribbean and the Divina.

 

One that has sailed so many times and now experiencing this current health crisis, so sad not to have the opportunity to cruise at this time.

 

Oh how much we miss cruising at this time. Looks like we have to pull out some old videos and photos of past cruises to help the withdrawal.

 

How fun it was to watch the show.   

[frankp01]

> we were happy to see a show on Cruise Ships on TV.

 

For a cruise-show fix, you can watch all of the Carnival Corp-sponsored TV shows on the Ocean.com website. Shows such as Ocean Treks with Jeff Corwin, The Voyager with Jeff Garcia, or (our favorite) "Good Spirits®". In that series, cocktail chef Matthew Biancaniello, goes ashore in various ports of call to explore the local spirits and ingredients that he can then use to create unique cocktails. I don't think the website lets you search by topic, but the equivalent Firestick app does, and I found 3 or 4 various episodes that feature the QM2, in one way or another.

 

Hopefully the website doesn't restrict viewing to the United States.

 

P.S. I just discovered that, for viewing the various shows, this is a better URL: 

https://oceanview.ocean.com/

It's just the entertainment portion of Ocean.com

 

Edited June 27, 2020 by frankp01
Edited to add the OceanView URL

[Kynance]

@Lanky Lad - only just catching up with this thread. Sorry to hear you received such unwanted news - all the best for your future job plans. 
 

I’m coming to the end of my week off now - mid-week it was too hot, for me at least, to do anything, so I didn’t go any further than seeking shade in the garden. On Monday, my other half & I went out briefly for DIY supplies and I bought a couple of nice oak bookcases from a furniture showroom which has re-opened. The business was briefly in trouble earlier in the pandemic but has been taken over - I thought if I bought the stuff from the store rather than from their website the store staff might see some benefit. It was very quiet inside and had wonderful air con.  Sanitiser and gloves were available at the entrance and you could use a QR reader to facilitate contactless purchase - so as long as you had a credit or debit card and a smart phone with internet access you didn’t need to interact with the store staff unless you had a question. (They all had face visors to protect them.) Afterwards we had our second lot of Costa takeaway coffees - and raspberry & almond bakes to accompany them. Very tasty they were too. 😊

 

On Friday I made an appointment to see a new chiropractor, as my previous practitioner has moved away - and I managed to order some contact lenses from my optician too. Whilst I was attending to this health admin, my other half was out getting a paint treatment done on his new car. The highlight of the week was probably our delivery pizza - we’ve been having a takeaway once a fortnight, which we eat whilst sitting on the sofa and watching Amazon Prime.  At the moment, we are on series 4 of “Last Man Standing”. To be honest, I’m not sure how I feel about finding it so funny - it is not the sort of thing I would normally watch but it is good to be challenged now and again. 
 

 I too have been concerned and angry by the scenes and reports from around the UK of people who have seemingly forgotten about what the country has been through during the past few months and why. It appears they only heard half of the PM’s message about our new freedoms - not the part about exercising them responsibly. On a larger scale, it reminded me of my school days when one or two miscreants would get the whole class into trouble, resulting in a group detention (or lockdown...) 

 

 

[Lanky Lad]

52 minutes ago, Kynance said:

@Lanky Lad - only just catching up with this thread. Sorry to hear you received such unwanted news - all the best for your future job plans. 
 

I too have been concerned and angry by the scenes and reports from around the UK of people who have seemingly forgotten about what the country has been through during the past few months and why. It appears they only heard half of the PM’s message about our new freedoms - not the part about exercising them responsibly. On a larger scale, it reminded me of my school days when one or two miscreants would get the whole class into trouble, resulting in a group detention (or lockdown...) 

 

 

 

Thanks Kynance. 

 

People do have a habit of hearing what they want to hear.  But it is beyond me why anyone would want to go out on such a hot day to sit in traffic then join half a million other people.  I am also angry that they did left their rubbish for someone else to clean up.  I think that says just about everything about how selfish those people are.

[vettprincess]

2 hours ago, Lanky Lad said:

Thanks Kynance. 

 

People do have a habit of hearing what they want to hear.  But it is beyond me why anyone would want to go out on such a hot day to sit in traffic then join half a million other people.  I am also angry that they did left their rubbish for someone else to clean up.  I think that says just about everything about how selfish those people are.

Don't even get me going on all those self entitled people over there and over here. Worthless miscreants. Minnesota was settled by Norwegians and Swedish. Now an awful place. The city council voted yesterday to eliminate the police department and install a holistic approach!!! But they had to hire security to protect them at $4300. a day. Of course us taxpayers have to pay. So crazy here trying to get out of this state. Beside all the shootings nightly and the awful taxes and no safety we need to move and far away.

Maybe buy a condo on "The world" ship and go all over. But I think they are not moving anywhere now.

Cruise friend from the QM2 in England wrote about what happened in Scotland. Terrible.

So you all have a great Sunday.

[Bigmike911]

33 minutes ago, vettprincess said:

Don't even get me going on all those self entitled people over there and over here. Worthless miscreants. Minnesota was settled by Norwegians and Swedish. Now an awful place. The city council voted yesterday to eliminate the police department and install a holistic approach!!! But they had to hire security to protect them at $4300. a day. Of course us taxpayers have to pay. So crazy here trying to get out of this state. Beside all the shootings nightly and the awful taxes and no safety we need to move and far away.

Maybe buy a condo on "The world" ship and go all over. But I think they are not moving anywhere now.

Cruise friend from the QM2 in England wrote about what happened in Scotland. Terrible.

So you all have a great Sunday.

Vette Princess. Working in Minneapolis for three years, I got a close up look at the unique attitudes of some of the populace. I have read the stories in the press about the "now police free" neighborhoods and the lives of those who live in them. I understand your fears I hope you are far away from those. A condo on The World actually sounds calm by comparison. But I have still hope that things will calm down, we will get back to some semblance of "normal"and we can sail again on the Queen of the Seas, Queen Mary 2

[Host Hattie]

Well the change in the weather has solved the problem of packed beaches for the moment ! At least they were outside where transmission seems to be less likely. I'm worried about what's going to happen once pubs reopen. No sign of that in Wales yet.

Most of our cases are in the North now.

 

[vettprincess]

16 hours ago, Bigmike911 said:

Vette Princess. Working in Minneapolis for three years, I got a close up look at the unique attitudes of some of the populace. I have read the stories in the press about the "now police free" neighborhoods and the lives of those who live in them. I understand your fears I hope you are far away from those. A condo on The World actually sounds calm by comparison. But I have still hope that things will calm down, we will get back to some semblance of "normal"and we can sail again on the Queen of the Seas, Queen Mary 2

Thank you for writing. Unique attitudes? Curious about that. The city council has voted to disband the Mpls police dept. Then change the city charter and then put for a vote in Nov. Please do not believe what you read in the national press. It is worse here. Constant crime, protesting all over and yesterday in front of the governors house. Some restaurants and bars closing cause of all the civil unrest and violence. The damage is going to reach 1 billions dollars and this will hit the taxpayers. Last night I heard the sirens driving by my house. App called citizen told me what was happening. I live on a main street through town so good escape route for the bad people. No I do not feel safe but I am "old" lady armed and dangerous. 

Have to think about cruising to survive. We did 4 last year, not the usual thing. Too bad I do not like to fly or I would do that and take the QM2 back across to NYC.

I have been told by many people I have to get out of the city. This is the family house since 1922 and never been sold so hard to finally do it. 

I have a cruise friend from England that we were on the QM2 with and she tells me some of the things going on over there.

Take care my Cunard friends and be safe out there.

 

[DaddyWarbucks]

Ruth and I are holed up in steamy Sarasota Florida.  We are crossers more than cruisers.  We both wonder what the new normal will be on Cunard when the ships are free to sail again.  I can live without a self service buffet, but will we have to wear face masks everywhere?   We know that ships carry easily transmittable  viral diseases, will Cunard's new restrictions, whatever they will be, diminish the pleasure to the point of it not being worth the effort?

 

Warbucks

Edited June 28, 2020 by DaddyWarbucks

[Ynox]

On 6/22/2020 at 3:33 AM, frankp01 said:

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

I showed this to my wife. I think it'd probably suit him, although he'd probably bite me if I made him wear it!
Some nice dogs here!

[vettprincess]

To digress. Wonderful show on public TV tonight here. All about Queen Anne. Very interesting and enlightening about her.

[Bigmike911]

15 minutes ago, vettprincess said:

To digress. Wonderful show on public TV tonight here. All about Queen Anne. Very interesting and enlightening about her.

I saw that too. For too long Queen Anne's reputation has been demeaned. The fact that she created the United Kingdom, won the military victory over France and Spain, and was one of the best rulers in history has been blurred by the efforts of the Sarah Duchess of Marlborough who had been a close friend, but turned on the Queen to smear the Queen. I think if Cunard names their next Queen, Queen Anne it will be very appropriate indeed. 

[Bigmike911]

6 hours ago, vettprincess said:

Thank you for writing. Unique attitudes? Curious about that. The city council has voted to disband the Mpls police dept. Then change the city charter and then put for a vote in Nov. Please do not believe what you read in the national press. It is worse here. Constant crime, protesting all over and yesterday in front of the governors house. Some restaurants and bars closing cause of all the civil unrest and violence. The damage is going to reach 1 billions dollars and this will hit the taxpayers. Last night I heard the sirens driving by my house. App called citizen told me what was happening. I live on a main street through town so good escape route for the bad people. No I do not feel safe but I am "old" lady armed and dangerous. 

Have to think about cruising to survive. We did 4 last year, not the usual thing. Too bad I do not like to fly or I would do that and take the QM2 back across to NYC.

I have been told by many people I have to get out of the city. This is the family house since 1922 and never been sold so hard to finally do it. 

I have a cruise friend from England that we were on the QM2 with and she tells me some of the things going on over there.

Take care my Cunard friends and be safe out there.

 

Vette Princess, you don't have to fly. Take the train. You might even enjoy it. And do a round trip from NYC. There are Trans Atlantic crossings that go on to Hamburg or the Belgium coast for three or four days, so you can book an east bound, and then a west bound with a gap of a few days to spend in England. No plane required. Cunard will even store some of your bags in Southampton, while you are traveling locally. 

[vettprincess]

28 minutes ago, Bigmike911 said:

Vette Princess, you don't have to fly. Take the train. You might even enjoy it. And do a round trip from NYC. There are Trans Atlantic crossings that go on to Hamburg or the Belgium coast for three or four days, so you can book an east bound, and then a west bound with a gap of a few days to spend in England. No plane required. Cunard will even store some of your bags in Southampton, while you are traveling locally. 

Yes, we have thought of that. I used to travel all over by train with my parents years ago.  Now daughter would need to take extra time off and with the job situation not safe to do yet. I suppose if they knocked me out then could fly over and sail back.

In 1963, 4 of us cousins did a round trip to Europe on the S S France. Spent over three months over there. The grand tour as they call it. Europe on $5.00 a day if anyone remembers those travel books.

Hope many options with Cunard open up for trips you describe later next year. Way to early for me to decide on anything.

Side note: my tomato plants are doing well and some of the pepper plants. My salad greens in the raised beds and in the ground are doing very well. So far the varmets have not poached.

Have a lovely safe week to you all.

 

[Colin_Cameron]

Until I retired last year I used to buy fuel for the car almost every day, sometimes twice a day. I’ve just realised that with being away at the start of this year, and going into lockdown as soon as we came back I haven’t filled my car THIS YEAR! And there’s still over a quarter of a tank.

 

It’s now complaining that it’s due for a service so I’ll need to do something about that.

[vettprincess]

15 hours ago, Bigmike911 said:

I saw that too. For too long Queen Anne's reputation has been demeaned. The fact that she created the United Kingdom, won the military victory over France and Spain, and was one of the best rulers in history has been blurred by the efforts of the Sarah Duchess of Marlborough who had been a close friend, but turned on the Queen to smear the Queen. I think if Cunard names their next Queen, Queen Anne it will be very appropriate indeed. 

Yes, poor maligned queen. She did a lot for England. Before I even knew much about her I had been hoping the next newbuild, if it happens, would be named Queen Anne. Enough of the repeat queen names.

[Host Hattie]

On 6/28/2020 at 3:41 PM, Host Hattie said:

Most of our cases are in the North now

I spoke too soon, we now have an outbreak at a food processor in Merthyr Tydfil. At least the underlying level of cases is low so the outbreaks are easy to spot and (hopefully) contain.

We will be able to form a bubble with another household from next Monday, I'm not sure we'll be anyone's first choice !

It's looking unlikely that we'll be able to have much of a party for Mr HH's birthday. Only decision is whether to postpone to later in the year or next year.

[BklynBoy8]

Hi All,

 

6/29/2020- Reality....

Home seeing A beautiful day outside. Going to an Appointment. Then returning home afterwards. Taking a Walk.

 

6/29/2020 - Was suppose to Happen....

Boarded the QM2 at Noon Time, Enter the QM2 via the Gangway, Headed to the Cabin, Deposit Hand Bags in Cabin, Admire the Flowers, Head to Kings Court for Lunch, Enjoy looking on to Lower Manhattan and Statue of Liberty out the window, Walk around the Deck, Meet new Passengers, Head for Boat Drill, Finish, Head to Deck 13 Observation Deck, QM2 Departing and Heading for the VZ Bridge...Passing under the Bridge....Let the Party/Cruise Beginning...

 

Hoping that "Was suppose to Happen" will take place on 6/30/2021 along with all the other Cruise Critics preparing and heading for their Rescheduled Sailings in Good Health......

[Lanky Lad]

The charity shop has re-opened, but the valet stand has been sold.  To add insult to injury, I saw the lady who had bought it carrying it away. 

[Host Hattie]

@Lanky Lad how annoying.

In better news Mr HH got the job 🍾

[frankp01]

1 hour ago, Host Hattie said:

In better news Mr HH got the job 🍾

 

That's very good news! Congrats.

[Bigmike911]

1 hour ago, Host Hattie said:

@Lanky Lad how annoying.

In better news Mr HH got the job 🍾

There is good news in the world. Congrats to Mr HH. 

[alc13]

2 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

@Lanky Lad how annoying.

In better news Mr HH got the job 🍾

Pop that cork!

[Kynance]

@Host Hattie - congrats to Mr HH! Definitely time for a small celebration. 
 

@vettprincess - Glad to hear the vegetable plants are doing well. I’ve had three tubs of radishes decimated by various pests, including sparrows which seemed to take an interest in them. On the other hand, my lettuces are largely untouched, which I don’t understand at all!