Queen Anne Western Mediterranean - H414

[safarigal]

Just now, exlondoner said:

In fact, an extremely negative, one star, review of QA has just appeared, solely on the basis that the ship blocked various websites vital to the reviewer’s work. This doesn’t sound an entirely bad idea…

 

 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=716079

As someone who always works from the ship, apart from issues with Google Docs, I have never had any difficulty accessing those websites and having a US VPN. I do feel sorry for the reviewer, but it was only a 7 day cruise, I wish they could have just relaxed and enjoyed a few days of holiday.

[safarigal]

Just now, exlondoner said:

I wonder whether the individual is the same one who troubled @Safari Girl enough to make her move. He was talking about money he had lost.

You very well may be correct! Good thinking 🙂

[S1971]

It makes you wonder how we ever survived before all these tech gadgets came along 😁

[exlondoner]

6 minutes ago, S1971 said:

It makes you wonder how we ever survived before all these tech gadgets came along 😁

Well a lot of ships never made it across the Atlantic, because of the lack of forecasting and satnav, etc, and nobody ever knew what happened because of the lack of telecoms. So not all bad.

[safarigal]

3 minutes ago, safarigal said:

You very well may be correct! Good thinking 🙂

No my obnoxious man wasn't this one, the review writer was on the maiden voyage, and my guy was on the around the British Isles :).

[exlondoner]

3 minutes ago, safarigal said:

No my obnoxious man wasn't this one, the review writer was on the maiden voyage, and my guy was on the around the British Isles :).

Depressing that there are several of them…but desperate if you have to get off half way through a week long cruise.

[MylesS]

Another fantastic meal in Britannia tonight.

 

I’ve been slow with the last 2 days of updates because truthfully, we’ve just been relaxing! 
 

I will say though each night we’ve been to Britannia (bar the 1st), we haven’t been in there for much longer than an hour! We’re doing the anytime dining on Deck 3, and are going around 5:30pm and service is quick and friendly. 

 

Yesterday’s cocktail party was short and sweet, definitely felt a little rushed. Here’s your free drink, goodbye. 
 

I quickly flagged down the Captain towards the end to give some nice feedback about how great the service has been and we can see so many improvements since the maiden, which he seemed very appreciative of.

 

I won’t be getting off in Barcelona tomorrow, having been a lot. But no crew drills according to the daily programme so hopefully some things are still open.

 

Late departure tomorrow as well, all board time is 10:30pm. 

[jay1283]

This is my first Cunard cruise in a warm place (previously done Alaska and Norway). I find myself wondering why all the deck chairs and seat cushions are packed away so early - it would be nice to spend the evening lounging on deck, but the sky bar for example appears to be shut by 6pm. Does everyone just go in for dinner and not want to return?

[MylesS]

1 hour ago, jay1283 said:

This is my first Cunard cruise in a warm place (previously done Alaska and Norway). I find myself wondering why all the deck chairs and seat cushions are packed away so early - it would be nice to spend the evening lounging on deck, but the sky bar for example appears to be shut by 6pm. Does everyone just go in for dinner and not want to return?

I am unsure if this is the reason, but I have noticed that they’re cleaning the ship very often, more so than the other queens.

 

I wonder if they’re packing things away early to expedite cleaning? 

[D&N]

15 minutes ago, MylesS said:

I wonder if they’re packing things away early to expedite cleaning? 

Might they have had any sand contamination?

 

We had a weather episode for several days over the weekend. They tell us that the light clouds are carrying Saharan sand. The result is that all the cars parked outdoors and house windows become coated in small splodges of sand.

[MylesS]

1 hour ago, D&N said:

Might they have had any sand contamination?

 

We had a weather episode for several days over the weekend. They tell us that the light clouds are carrying Saharan sand. The result is that all the cars parked outdoors and house windows become coated in small splodges of sand.

I haven’t seen anything, but definitely something to consider 

[Bell Boy]

7 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

Not a fan of bar stools but hopefully that will keep some people happy!

How was the blackjack tournament??

Ideal for those of us who travel solo and enjoy the interaction with fellow guests, including the Bar Staff.

I'm delighted to see they have finally arrived, felt a bit out of things the other week sitting in a corner solo in the CC

The Bar Top is where the magic begins , it's a sort of closed club every evening pre dinner  with couples and solos alike  .

[jay1283]

I've seen them cleaning, perhaps that has something to do with it, but was just a bit surprised at all the passengers abandoning the upper decks so early. Perhaps it's too chilly for most once the evening arrives 🤔

Edited June 11 by jay1283

[MylesS]

I’m not sure if this has been on the previous voyages, but tonight they played “Let’s Dance!” in the theatre.

 

Great show with special effects, singing and dancing. Seemed like there was a dance for everyone in there.

 

I also discovered in the 1840 casino bar, they have a dice roll that decides what drink you have! 
 

As someone that used to ask the bartenders to make me whatever they fancied, this is great fun! A range of cocktails, mock-tails, and whiskeys. 
 

[elmsliebev]

Thanks for the reports. We join QA on 23rd. I'm pleased we might get a glimspe of QM2 as we had our honeymoon Transatlantic crossing on her 15 years ago. 

Have you tried the Indian restaurant on board yet? We've booked there for the first night, very much looking forward to it. 

I'm intrigued by the coding - I started my working life as programmer on mainframes back in the 1980s! No way would we have been able to code on holiday - it was handwritten coding sheets and then to the punchroom 😀

[MylesS]

1 hour ago, elmsliebev said:

Thanks for the reports. We join QA on 23rd. I'm pleased we might get a glimspe of QM2 as we had our honeymoon Transatlantic crossing on her 15 years ago. 

Have you tried the Indian restaurant on board yet? We've booked there for the first night, very much looking forward to it. 

I'm intrigued by the coding - I started my working life as programmer on mainframes back in the 1980s! No way would we have been able to code on holiday - it was handwritten coding sheets and then to the punchroom 😀

I hope we’re have a little horn battle! I’m excited to see her again, personally. 
 

I’m on the same cruise in-transit. Happy to have a sit down over a coffee or drink one day about the programming if you’re interest!

 

In regard to the Indian Restaurant, very good! We did it on the maiden and plan to go back this trip. Though an extra cost, I’d recommend the lobster 100%

[elmsliebev]

17 minutes ago, MylesS said:

I hope we’re have a little horn battle! I’m excited to see her again, personally. 
 

I’m on the same cruise in-transit. Happy to have a sit down over a coffee or drink one day about the programming if you’re interest!

 

In regard to the Indian Restaurant, very good! We did it on the maiden and plan to go back this trip. Though an extra cost, I’d recommend the lobster 100%

oh, a horn-off would be great! 

Always happy to talk about my early days, indulging my inner geek! 

[MylesS]

Relaxing day in Barcelona yesterday and got a large amount of work done! I’ve been a few times, so decided not to go ashore yesterday.

 

The weather was nice and then we had a lot of rain in the evening. They managed to close the pavilion roof just in time!

 

The show was a chelloist who we saw during the Queen Mary 2’s Christmas Caribbean cruise in 2022. He’s really talented, and we love his work.

 

Unfortunately it was interrupted by the crew alert sound for a fire, after which the bridge said this was a technical fault. After resuming the show the captain then came on to reassure everyone.

 

This meant the show had to be cut a few songs, which was a shame. I hope it doesn’t affect his decision to come back onboard again.

 

Today is a lovely sunny sea day, with a little swell but nothing too major. 
 

I have however noticed a fair few more impolite passengers today. No thank yous, people cutting in at the bar, etc. 

[MylesS]

@Victoria2 — can I just say, I believe in the past you’ve mentioned how great the Queen Victoria crew are.

 

If James, one of the bartenders from Queen Victoria is an example if her crew, I can see where the compliments come from.

 

He’s been absolutely fantastic, and a load of fun. One of the best bar tenders I’ve had on a Cunard ship.

[3rdGenCunarder]

On 6/11/2024 at 8:51 AM, exlondoner said:

In fact, an extremely negative, one star, review of QA has just appeared, solely on the basis that the ship blocked various websites vital to the reviewer’s work. This doesn’t sound an entirely bad idea…

 

 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=716079

 

Wow, that is one angry person! Comparing a sea day on a Cunard ship to Riker's Island???? (For those on the other side of The Pond, Riker's is an infamous NYC jail.) When someone spouts hyperbole like that, I find myself questioning everything in the review.

 

And the name "CUNARDinternetAWFUL" tells me that he/she joined CC just to vent about this one thing. That's one reason I don't take bad reviews too seriously. Too often they're "one shot wonders." They come to CC to squawk and never comeback. 

 

I'm still working on my review. It won't be all sunshine and rainbows, but it will be better than one star!

[jay1283]

On 6/11/2024 at 2:51 PM, exlondoner said:

In fact, an extremely negative, one star, review of QA has just appeared, solely on the basis that the ship blocked various websites vital to the reviewer’s work. This doesn’t sound an entirely bad idea…

 

 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=716079

 

It's also a load of baloney. I've used all those services with and without a VPN on this voyage and they all work fine. I guess the reviewer had a problem with their laptop.

[exlondoner]

1 hour ago, jay1283 said:

 

It's also a load of baloney. I've used all those services with and without a VPN on this voyage and they all work fine. I guess the reviewer had a problem with their laptop.

He/she is also the only person I’ve noticed moaning about the fact you can’t serve yourself at the buffet. Most passengers seem to think it is an excellent idea in terms of greater protection from food poisoning. Perhaps a very impatient person.

[Clewgarnet]

13 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

He/she is also the only person I’ve noticed moaning about the fact you can’t serve yourself at the buffet. Most passengers seem to think it is an excellent idea in terms of greater protection from food poisoning. Perhaps a very impatient person.

 

I can definitely see the advantages but, as somebody who likes to take tiny portions of eighty-bazillion different things, I'm not a huge fan. If I wanted to make decisions, I wouldn't be at a buffet!

[Victoria2]

8 minutes ago, Clewgarnet said:

 

I can definitely see the advantages but, as somebody who likes to take tiny portions of eighty-bazillion different things, I'm not a huge fan. If I wanted to make decisions, I wouldn't be at a buffet!

I see both sides.

 

My little treat once or twice was a pick 'n mix lunch all on one plate which wasn't possible 10th May cruise but I appreciate the sneeze guards/served food.

 

I have thought of a solution for our next trip so might get my treat in. 🙂

 

[Clewgarnet]

1 minute ago, Victoria2 said:

I see both sides.

 

My little treat once or twice was a pick 'n mix lunch all on one plate which wasn't possible 10th May cruise but I appreciate the sneeze guards/served food.

 

I have thought of a solution for our next trip so might get my treat in. 🙂

 

 

Please share your solution! If I'm on board before you, I can test run it, and let you know if it'll work!