roscoe39

Hey Oslo, I am joining the QV on 7 February in San Francisco and will be blogging on http://butarewethereyet.blogspot.com which is a continuation of my cruising blogs and picking up after the South American 2020 voyage....only sidelined over the last two years by the dreaded lurgy. Ill start it in the next few days. regards Roscoe

done! and to anyone else interested, there are two ships in Auckland that day, the Regatta and the QV which means the Regatta being the smaller ship will be at Princess and the Best Queen on the Seas (QV) will be at Queens wharf which is only few minutes walk away

a friend in Sydney told me there would be doing it there when she gets back tomorrow......fingers crossed,

I don't think saving our pristine Fjords from foreign organisms is being over cautious. The waters in the Fjords although open to the sea are actually fresh water as they are fed by the waterfalls and glaciers. The fresh water in-fact sits on top of the salt water within the inlets as it is lighter than the sea water. The authorities are doing the right thing, all NZers would agree that we want to keep them as pure as possible. Good on the government for enforcing the legislation to keep us clean and green..

yes you will be fine and if you are at the Hilton I would be surprised if the concierge won't help you with one of the spare bell boys. Its a great hotel and they are very helpful.\ Failing that that it would be easy to drop them off yourself and walk back for the second dlelivery. Hopefully boarding then as well but it will be a walk down the hill for me.

underway now..... have a great rest of your trip guys.

just left the port and shes still sitting there , last word from one of the officers standing at the dock gates was 12.30pm but that has come and gone and I can still see her there from my window.....

yes years ago I ended up with a UK US and a NZ region number, I emailed them and it took a few weeks but eventually they added them all together. It didn't happen overnight but it did happen. From memory the World Club email address is a uk based one if that is the one you are using?

great if that is your attitude we don't want you down here anyway. Nz is very proud of its green image and if the ships that are visiting here are not up to standards to maintain our clean green image then it's their fault. Chengkp75 summed it up perfectly.

sigh.........good times. but it explains the apparent haunted cabin on the QM2 lol

Well as you know she is still sailing the high seas - we hid a photo of her " in plain sight " on board and I checked in 2020 and its still there... We certainly were very lucky, when I think of the countries Ive visited over the years both on and off the ship and with the ease we did it , all whilst being cosseted by familiar crew and officers - the senior officers parties in their personal quarters, drinks in the masters suite, the tours through the engine room and being on the bridge numerous times in and out of ports and through the canals ect sadly its time to work towards a new normal, but the QV will and always be my second home. Luckily though I don't have to pay her maintenance....or have to replace her blades!

its still cruising but not as we know it.....its now land cruising..1

thanks that very much appreciated.., but looking doubtful at this stage, I am touring in motorhomes these days! https://roscoesseafever.blogspot.com

awww shut Victoria...you flatter me. Hopefully some lucky passenger this year will blog? or at least post to the board, I might not be on board this time but I will be in spirit, have a good safe trip you lucky punters...

Sydney and auckland aside......the fireworks were great, I think that I had expected a bit more....and sigh....Elaine...wonder what she would make of the world now!

Lakesregion, the world has also changed substantially since it first was promoted and even then in my experiences the maiden world voyages of the QV and the QE of which I was on were almost disappointing for the recognition the maiden ports gave - save the odd fireworks. I think the celebration of the 100 years is more meaningful for those of us who a geeks about such things. Im not sure the world is ready for a full circumnavigation yet and will be watching it closely before continuing with my booking for 2024. They could be downplaying the promotion a little now. Sadly I think that we are deluded to think that the world will ever be the same and carefree that it was pre 2020...

thanks, that sounds a bit more reasonable and amounts to about $50 worth.

wow, knock me over and call me Mary, that's an offer I have never seen down here in our region, quite a benefit, if its unlimited it would negate booking Club, Thanks for the heads up....

complimentary specialist dining? Sounds like that is a benefit from your Travel agent, I have never heard of that from Cunard. Perhaps you are better to look for a statement from them if you are going through one. If I need to find what's left owing on a particular voyage I look for their Booking Email which states all particulars.

Hi Sugarcat,, the Bay of Islands is my home town before becoming a city slicker and I love cruising in and out of the Bay. There are two tender ports, one is Waitangi and the other is Paihia wharf. Not sure which your ship will call into, Cunard definitely calls into Waitangi. There will be tour operators at both Waitangi, and Paihia Wharf which has a tourist operator tour office in the wharf buildings and there are operators also across the road in the shops. They will be "Fullers" cruises around the Bay and also you can buy tickets for the ferry across to Russell which is a wonderful victorian town and also NZs first capital. (Kororareka) , you can wander around the town and see musket holes in buildings from the Maori wars. Most operators that are at Waitangi operate out of their vans and buses as there are not wharf buildings and will include a Waka canoe ride, (row yourself) and tours up to Kerikeri and the forest etc. It is a really pleasant walk along the beach into town- from Waitangi about 20 mins, but the town council usually puts on a free bus. The Bay is beautiful, I hope you enjoy your stop there. ps.... the reason you may not be able to find boat tours around noon is that if you are looking at Cape Brett for instance is that the seas become a bit rough to go through the hole and the Cream trip etc takes too long to start around lunch. Most of the longer trips leave earlier 8am till 10am. pps re your question about transit time on another thread,when you anchor, depending on where you drop - probably Tapeka, its about a 20 minute ride once you get onboard the tender.

sorry you missed Colombo lissie, its a great stop and I'm looking forward to visiting it again, I guess Cunard is over cautious sometimes but I would rather they were than weren't. Hopefully we will get in during the 2024 WC....maybe you should join up!