TouchstoneFeste

I'm sure you're aware, but just in case ... There are (at least?) two options to speed up normal passport processing: "expedited" processing, and super-fast delivery. They cost $ of course. I'm not sure if this would work any longer, but many many years ago I decided to travel overseas on relatively short notice but didn't have a passport. I visited the local office of our US Senator and the secretary arranged for it to be delivered in days. (Yes, he got my vote ever after. I sent the secretary a nice gift.)

Not quite sure how they structure the offers. We're in a Q5 on the same crossing as @Pushpit and got the offer to bid on upgrades all the way to Q1.

They were on the QM2 in May 2022, so apparently they're frequent visitors. We enjoyed them too.

Not the place for this discussion, I suppose, but having said that :) It seems like a poorer solution than allowing me to do it myself - or more to the point NOT do it if I just want a taste of each element.

Yes! Why on earth do they do this? We had a restaurant in town, otherwise fine, but they'd do this and also deliver the salad with all the ingredients in neat little piles around the plate. So we'd end up tossing our own salads and then disassembling the main course so we could cut the meat without squirting the potatoes across the plate.

Although this is an appropriate place for this question (and @fourmile.ranch gave the correct answer), I'll mention that there's a roll call for this voyage:

And I should have said more clearly ... there's no additional discount for buying a second plan for a spouse, although I suppose you could buy one plan for two devices and share an account. This would have saved a couple more bucks per day.

Prompted by this discussion, I decided to purchase our internet plans in advance. When I did so, I was first prompted to select which passenger, then it asked "for how many devices". (Afterwards, I was able to repeat the operation for my wife.) Since we'll have just one device each - $20 per day - I didn't look closely at the multi-device prices, but I recall it being something like $38 for two devices; adding more probably saved more, but again, I didn't particularly take note. Others may point out that you can actually use one device as a sort of a hub ...

I believe "ship of size" is the acceptable term, although "zaftig" or "big boned" may be used.

The French* call it "pain perdu" (lost bread) - bread that's still good, but too old to serve as "fresh". So ideally it would be slightly stale French bread. My mom made it with Wonder Bread, of course. Which I think can't actually go stale. *or at least hoity-toity French restaurants

I have been pursuing this, since I have Bonvoy Gold Elite status through my credit card. On my initial email exchange I noted that I haven't affiliated with the Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection per se. The response said "The only requirement is a valid and current membership with Marriot Bonvoy. It does not have to be with their sister brand Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection". (For what it's worth, the email responses have all come within 2-3 days; the most recent one noted that approval may require 10 days.) It's complicated by the fact that Marriott doesn't issue physical membership cards, but I got a screenshot of my digital card and am sending that in. I'll report back when I find out more.

There was a sale as recently as September 5 with rather stunning reduced fares and 50% deposits. (I was notified by email, so this might have been targeted at occasional passengers rather than regular ones.) As @bluemarble says (and as always, very reliably) you'd have to keep watch to find out what's on offer. Be wary that these sales might not include bonuses normally included on full price tickets for North Americans, such as a free drinks package and gratuities.

If you have any interest in archeology at all, don't miss Akrotiri and the museum.

In the version I took, at any rate, it said something along the lines of "press the M key", "press the Z key" I remember thinking, "What an odd way of doing it". Easy to skim over it and understand it as "click the M button", since this is the normal behavior for a web survey. I wonder if they wanted you to be poised over the keyboard, since this was (as I recall) a speed-driven portion of the survey.

This year I noticed the Emergency Contact area simply wouldn't accept all of my wife's info (although it accepted mine). A call to Cunard sort-of fixed it, although the "Relationship to you" field remains empty. I anxiously await notification of the absence.

Didn't realize that. Thanks.

Not sure which one that is.

But just to be clear (you left it ambiguous), "Fasten your seatbelts ..." was spoken by Bette Davis in "All About Eve". Also made into a musical (Applause), although I can't recommend it.

As I said, an easy mistake to make.

No, good pix, just bad juxtaposition :)

I just received (and completed) a survey about the Cunard loyaty program. They're clearly trying to figure out the best way to tune the program. (It was a little strange trying to make some choices, since we're only at the Silver level and are unlikely to be asked to dinner with the senior officers anytime soon.)

Wow! It's just an optical illusion, but I see why you're asking. Those are two different pictures, taken at different angles, and that "triangular bit" is just the side of the tub in the upper photo.

You may be right ... I assumed the OP's original itinerary dropped them and picked them up at Stromness or something. In any case, I'm no expert in this part of the world - just greatly enjoyed my time in Orkney and wanted to convey that - so forgive my ignorance.

Having just returned from Orkney, I would recommend not missing even a half-day excursion there. Amazing neolithic and Viking monuments, and the town center in Kirkwall is charming and much less touristy than most of the places we visited. A half day seems a little crushed, but I would do it. Scrabster (aside from having an all-time great name) seems less interesting.

Wow, you're right! I have been wrong for a very, very long time.