violetta58

Recommend Liberty tours which cater for wheelchairs or scooter users. Just come back from St Petersburg and had a fabulous time with them.

I agree to the above but would just like to try and put things in context.

At the moment it has NOT been proved that the Russian state was complicit in the UK poisonings.

Also as sad it is, the attack only effected 3 people that we know about.

However we do know that the west including the UK were complicit in attacking and destroying a nation on the false premise of them having weapons of mass destruction..

Also the west, including the UK are responsible for tens of thousands of deaths, including women and children in the middle east.

The western governments seem a tad hypocritical to me, or maybe they just need a demon Russia to justify their very lucrative armament industries.

Well said , the info re Salisbury attack is so bizarre that I can’t make any sense out of it. Very fishy that no journalists question it . Ofcourse some people just lap it up however strange .

Given the recent events in Salisbury, and many other places around the world, is it time for cruise ships/passengers to stop calling at Russian ports?

No , I hope not as we are going again in June on the QE ! It’s my fourth time in St Petersburg, not all by ship and Russia and it’s people are lovely, welcoming and need the tourism. Like someone said if the Foreign office issued a warning that’s different but given the World cup is there that is unlikely. Other countries have views we don’t share yet we still go to them.St Petersburg is so beautiful and despite having been there so many times before there is so much to see.

You are right , she was looking outdated and I hope the internal work makes her look smart again. As for the exterior, she looks the same minus the lifeboats ( which are still around the ship) and I am pleased to see it . So there’s big tall hotels in the area , not everyone likes them and like boats that are restaurants or floating hotels in the UK , people go to them because they offer something different. They don’t want to see a lifeboat outside the window as one does at sea as it serves no purpose. I stayed in the penthouses and the lifeboats did obscure the view . Ultimately she would have never sailed again and I for one am glad she wasn’t broken up. Yes she could have been brought back to the uk but Cunard needed the money and no one in the uk could have afforded that and the money spent on her that Dubai owners have. Yes , it might not work but seeing her bright and shiny in the new marina where she can be seen for miles , she looks like she did and it’s the start of her new life.

Many of the davits and lifeboats obscured the major staterooms so as a hotel which she now is , not a ship I can see the point of then being taken off and put on display. They also have to be maintained which is not worth it. From what I heard , as she is opening in a month , they are definitely not going to rip out the funnel or any other major external work. Picture of the terminal where paintings from the QE2 and some of her models sit indicate the owners are well aware of her history and meaning. The new marina looks lovely too with her in pride of place. I suggest you join the Facebook group if you want to see pictures. They could have scrapped her but they didn’t and as a hotel I hope she thrives.

She’s not languishing but has been fitted out inside and out and will open as a hotel in the new marina next month. I’m on a Facebook group where people who are in Dubai have put up pictures. The pool has been covered up with wooden decking and the terminal with pictures of her Cunard past is ready. Still waiting for pics of her inside but it’s top secret until opening. Pictures of her in the marina look lovely , like she used to minus the lifeboats which are placed on the entrance to the drive to the terminal. I’m pleased the new owners have done something with her and she hasn’t been broken up or allowed to decay.

As a wheelchair user , I agree with Johns post apart from the last night when the decks are full of luggage , then I use the forward escalator and just walk along deck 7.With the new layout of kingscourt , it’s not as bad as it used to be . Alternatively if it’s a nice night, walk along the deck to the the Grills.

QM2 is an easy ship to get around in a chair as they have lifts even when there are a few stairs. Doors to the decks are heavy though unlike the QV/QE who have automatic doors.

This is the result of the dishonest cheaters that try to share their package to save a buck. :mad::mad:

Hardly cheating , not every drinks that much , why can't it be shared ? Also allows young people to have easy access to drink . Blame RCI , they just want more money. People should just refuse, which you can and buy drinks as you go . Unless people are heavy drinkers , it will be cheaper.

We are on the QV in Nov. Cunard have said that the new itineries will be out next week. I think they will only change St Maarten possibly for Guadaloupe. Other islands seem ok . We did the cruise 2 years ago and it's fantastic. Hope the islands recover .

The people in the Princess and Queens grill suites, who had their own decks on the ship which, to my understanding, included everything they needed (pool, dining room etc) to never have to set foot on lower decks. If I am wrong, then I stand corrected, but we talked to a lot of people during the two weeks, in all areas of the ship, and we never met anyone from either of those classes.

 

Think I am maybe wrong on them having a separate pool, but it is fairly self-contained area for Grills passengers.

Do you really talk to people about what class they are in? I personally just talk to people as who they are , not how much their cabin cost. As someone who has been in Princess and Queens , no , we don't have a pool and we do set foot on the lower decks for just about everything you do except the restaurants and occasional sunbathing on the grills area.

I rode the water ferry in April with a friend who uses a scooter. They had us wait for a larger ferry and put a ramp across the gap. The crew helped several people using wheel chairs and scooters. It was very easy for them to get on and off.

Hi

We are off to St Maarten in Nov and wondered if you had any photos of the large water taxi that has a ramp for wheelchairs ?

We are going to the Caribbean in Nov and I use a fold up wheelchair. Anyone recommend private tours in Barbados and St Kitts that would be ok?

No charge for room service, we often have breakfast on port days and a snack when we get back from trips ( love the burger and apple pie) We usually go grills so our butler who also brings us tea in the morning knocks , says morning to us and sets it up. My hubby normally gets up to open the curtains or put a light on so he can see ,but I snuggle in bed. It's no difference from a hotel. Don't think we had room service in Brittaina

Just want to mention: don't expect any miracles in Queens Grill -- in QG, the change is also substantial. On a 2-week QE cruise in August, we had a much reduced a la carte menu with no desserts. Vegetable choices NEVER appeared on any menu. No QG staff encouraged us to order off menu. Menu items were repeated frequently, sometimes on consecutive days. And many times, the food quality or preparation was mediocre at best. Even the little after-dinner sweets were fewer and boring (a lot of mini-madeline cookies). It was a radically different experience than we enjoyed in QG on a QE cruise in Nov. 2014. In fact, it was completely different than any of the previous dozen QG voyages we have taken.

 

I double-checked . . . we received no fare reduction to compensate for the change in food service. I think it's time to reconsider our 2017 reservation . . .

Just returned from a trip in the QE and it's true the menu which changed last Oct is not as good as before. However we had no trouble changing the veg or potatoes to what we wanted each meal and regularly ordered off menu , mostly things off the old menu we love. Zoltan our favourite head waiter even prepared at our table lobster Thermidor not like the one off the menu. I was surprised how many people did not order off menu but more did as the cruise progressed. I'm used to the menu now and just order what we like , often prepared at table.

The staff want to please.

Exactly how we see it[/quote

 

I am sure Cunard will be delighted that people think it is wrong to complain about gratuities.... it will no doubt encourage Cunard to increase them.....here we come 20 dollars per day!!

One last observation......assuming the cabin steward knows that cabins 1,2,3,4,5 have agreed to the automatic addition of gratuities but cabin 6 has not...which cabin will get most of his attention?

 

I wondered that too, all I can say that in our 20 cruises on Cunard we always paid the gratuities plus tips except one time, a three and a half week Caribbean where there had a problem with our card and didn't think we would have enough money. We cancelled gratuities half way through and there was not any change in how our steward treated us and we did tip well at the end as we normally did.

Incase anyone is thinking to book a voyage on the QE, I would just like to say what fantastic service we received on our med voyage, throughout the entire ship. We, and many guests I spoke with, found this crew to be outstanding in all areas and worked so very hard to make all aspects of our voyage wonderful. It was with heavy hearts when Southampton came, but lucky enough to be boarding again on the 17 night 30th August sailing. We heard or saw absolutely nothing about any Norovirus onboard. The waterleak was handled with ease and complimentary bottles of water were provided at dinner and to wash hands with. We were in Britannia Club, and have been on our last 4 sailings with QE. No negatives whatsoever, well done Cunard ....

Glad to hear it ,we are on the 30th August 17 day trip ,which we did before in her first year of sailing.Lovely ship and looking forward to being on her again.

Oh no as well .How could Cunard do that ? , they will look like another block of flats. Also I have booked a Q5 at the back for Nov post refit and no one told us we couldn't have it !

Anyone know when the 2017 brochures are out? , nothing on Cunard website although other ships including P&o have released theirs. I want one to Gothenberg and Hamburg like the QM2 is doing this year plus more overnights and as others have said , please longer in Gib, 3 hrs isn't worth getting off the boat!

You will see all sorts and much will depend on the cruise and nationalities onboard. On formal evenings there are many long evening dresses , party dresses and some what I would call ball gowns, which obviously take up a lot of space but look fantastic. Evening trousers with a glitzy top/ blouse are common but mostly on informal nights tbh. Some cruises are very dressy , some not so. If you enjoy dressing up , just go for it!

Just come back from a Carribean cruise on the QE , 24 fantastic days. The air con kept everything cool while travelling round the islands and no one took their jacket off except sometimes in the Queens room while dancing, certainly not in the restaurants. Oddly enough they turned the heating up as we were getting near home despite the temp never dropping to below 15 degrees across the Atlantic, ( amazing for Dec!) As for jackets on the last night , my husband wears the jacket he will travel home in, no big deal at all. This cruise was one of the most dressed up I have seen despite only 6 formals, some amazing dresses. Only saw one guy who was rather informal with a tracksuit on around the ship on a formal evening.Peope were even wearing jackets in the lido.

We are joining Queen Elizabeth on Wednesday 18th November for her cruise to the Caribbean and was wondering if anyone know who the Captain is / will be for this voyage?

I think the answer slightly depends on where you eat lunch. We tend to go to Britannia, people may be more casual in the Kings Court/Lido.

We also usually sail from Europe, things may be more casual during the daytime on US sailings.

Yes , I should have clarified that. In the Kings court / lido people are much more casual while in the restaurants , people wear normal day clothes, dresses, long shorts etc.I have sailed on European cruises, transatlantics and USA and Canada and yes if it's hot people are more casual ( still haven't seen many tracksuits apart from people running) . And yes to previous post I know Americans wear baseball caps indoors but still don't know why !

Hi Violetta. Your post interested me. I remember seeing people complain about the toiletries, but I never did find out the reason why. Personally, I prefer the new toiletries, and a friend who cruised Cunard for the first time was really impressed because it's the make he used to buy for himself. What were the complaints? (I'm not disagreeing with you; I'm just interested to see the other side of the situation.)

We have always liked the old brand Gilcrist and Soames, smaller bottles replaced regularly and one each in a cabin for two , good brand and can be brought ashore etc. The new toiletries although supposed to be a good make is not the same as the ones you get in John Lewis, totally different smell so I think Cunard had a cheaper batch made up for the ship. Also while the bottles are bigger, you don't get one each so have to wait until the steward gives you a refil. As I said we were there when it was on trial in the grills and we just didn't like it ( luckily for that cruise , they still had the old make there ) . We had a feedback form and many I know said we preferred the old make but they didn't listen. At the end of the day it is just about saving money. Just don't pretend you want our opinion Still love Cunard though !

On the topic of daytime dress... I've been curious about that.

 

I know there is no dress code before 6pm, but what are the averages like?

 

For what it's worth, I - and most people I know - are the sort that rarely leave to house* looking "put together". Casual, sure. But never sloppy or lazy. On our September TA will we be having lunch with people in tracksuits?

 

*exception for early morning dog walks

The answer to lunch with people in tracksuits the answer is no. Most people are casual but not scruffy. Some do wear shorts for lunch if it's warm but long shorts which are quite smart. One of my pet hates you will see is men ( and some women ) wearing baseball hats indoors and while eating . My response is WHY ??. I have a baseball cap but it only gets worn outside.

You, and your love of dress codes (strictly enforced), along with others tired of the relentless dumbing down in the guise of 'improvements', will find a warm welcome on Cunard ;)

Once tried, there will be no going back to any perceived holiday camp at sea.

We were going to try Celebrity but with this change to no formal and the strangely sounding evening chic we will continue to sail with Cunard. Chic is a word that no one uses these days ( unless you are French) and can mean anything including modern fashion styles. This means it will range from jeans ( who will decide what is designer jeans? ) and people who think polo t shirts are suitable for evening wear. The whole point is that cruises are the one place you can dress up and I think Celebrity, who are no doubt appealing to the youth market will regret it.