Clewgarnet

I once had the fun of going through US Immigration with a recently broken finger. I'd only taken the splint off the day before I boarded QM2, and the finger still didn't sit straight. (Still doesn't, many years later!) Immigration bloke didn't listen to my explanations of why I was struggling to get my fingerprints to scan - just reached across and physically slammed my hand straight. At which point I screamed in pain. Turns out that, at the point they've physically assaulted you, they stop fussing about non-blurry fingerprints and just get you out of Immigration and into the country as quickly as possible. (Well, they do if you're the sort of small, white, unthreatening person who's arrived on a Cunard liner. Probably not for many other people.)

I'm really enjoying your review, Jack. Thank you so much for posting it.

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

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!

From a quick glance at the records, my great-grandfather (in my profile pic, in the galley of the original Caronia) sailed with him a few times, although my ggf had semi-retired by the time Fasting made it to the Queens.

I definitely recommend flying into/out of Southampton if you can. It's small enough that it never really develops any significant delays, and has all the essentials. Unfortunately, there are no flights from anywhere near me, so I'm left with the train or the coach, each of which is its own special variety of hell. Nothing quite kills the cruise happiness like being dumped at a grotty motorway service station, or being rammed into a train vestibule with people standing on your toes.

I'd disagree. (And I say that as somebody who will be losing my Lufthansa Senator status this year, because an injury led to me having to cancel a handful of planned flights.) It's pretty common for loyalty status to age out if it isn't used. Maybe something whereby it doesn't take as much to 'reactivate' a status, rather than achieving it from scratch?

The levels are either/or, whichever is soonest. For the pin, I went to the concierge desk on my third voyage and asked for it. They may have been mailed out in the past, but not any more. (Yes, I love pins, too!)

I'm also on the late July Med cruise (well, the second half of it), so interested to know what she's like in the sun. Hope you have a wonderful time, Myles.

Do you know if there are limited numbers of the 7-day passes? I'll be on board QA for a sea day on my birthday, so had booked a 2-hour pass for that day, for some much-needed lazing around doing nothing. If I can get 7 days for less than three times the price, that's far more appealing.

Last time I was in there, they still had a few steamer trunks in the old baggage room. Hopefully they were props left over from the tours, and not very delayed luggage! I visit occasionally for work, and have once or twice been lucky enough to be meeting someone who's happy to show me round. It's a beautiful building, with plenty of the old glamour hanging around. The old waiting area on the top floor (first class only, naturally) has some stunning views.

I think it was November 22 that I did the bus excursion, too, but we were less fortunate than you. Even driving all the way to Sweden, we didn't get to see the Lights. I didn't find it particularly cold, but I'm a northerner and we're well known for scoffing at coats. There were facilities on the bus. We didn't get hot chocolate but we did get a nice fruity drink, almost like a non-alcoholic mulled wine, and a chocolate biscuit. Because ours was the Cunard excursion, there were no issues with getting back on board. I'm another who wouldn't bother with the Cunard bus again. Then again, by this stage, I've accepted that I'm just never going to see the Northern Lights, because I keep sleeping through the blooming things! (But I did see the Southern Lights while sailing a brig from Tasmania, so that was nice.)

It was meant to have opened in 2022. I don't see a signed agreement as proof that it's going to happen any time soon. I would absolutely love to be proved wrong, but I'm not holding my breath.

Even if they do the occasional TA from Liverpool (which is entirely hypothetical, seeing as there are no definite plans for the new terminal that I'm aware of), I can't see them shifting their entire TA operation here.

No, there's no way the current cruise terminal could cope with that many guests. Even if the plan to reopen the Cunard Building as the cruise terminal had gone ahead, the old booking hall would have been far too small.