exlondoner

Just out of interest, how is it going to take you nearly two days to get to Lisbon?

Never went in PG on QE2, but I’ll tell you one place that did have banquettes, which was the estimable M. Roux’s Le Gavroche, though the ones there enabled both of you to face the room. Maybe it is his fault.

Well, I have asked to be moved, particularly in the days of smoking, but that is rather different.

I’m sure you were like me and always homed in on the pupils sitting at the back. 😀

I thought it was random seating at breakfast.

Sounds as if it is well worth avoiding. 😀

Yes, I had assumed the same, but pointing to the lift is not unhelpful. Has the ship felt steady so far?

You must have imagined the word only. 😀

Of course you do, like I really need nice white wine on Friday nights or I become fretful.

How many people really ever need to get from A to B? They want to, and, given that most of Ryanair’s flights are in Europe, very often there is another option anyway, called the train. The reason they choose Ryanair is perceived, though sometimes illusory, cheapness. But as we learnt in Covid, nobody actually needs a holiday abroad, any more than they need a cruise.

I am not sure that can be entirely right or nobody would choose to fly Ryanair, yet many people do, even though, as comparison after comparison shows, they are not always the cheapest. Lots of people seem to hate them but fly on them and stump up for the extras.

Isn’t that their job, just as the job of companies is to make a profit for their shareholders, if possible? And one can see that having shelled out nearly £500m for a new ship, Cunard might be keen to get their cash back. Is that wrong?

Always look on the bright side, I say. Actually, what is a bean counter?

I wouldn’t dare call myself a regular, much as I would love to afford to be one, but thank you. All I can claim is quite an accurate memory for factual details, and an enjoyment of almost every Cunard voyage I’ve been on. With all this, instead of worrying about potential problems, perhaps it is best just to wait and see. But I would like to know whether they will still supply proper bars of soap if requested, so I know what to pack.

You earlier gave the impression it was standard issue.

Or, as @D&N so delightfully puts it, for refreshment. 😀

I don’t think there is any evidence that Cunard are altering the menus to make people go to a restaurant where they have to pay extra. But as I have said before, it seems strange that they give two vegetarian choices out of five main courses, when there is also a separate vegetarian menu. It is invariably subjective, but when I have travelled, I doubt anywhere near 40% of my fellow passengers have chosen theses dishes. But this is not something new for QA.

The only menu I have actually seen from onboard was yesterday’s lunch menu, which was quite remarkably similar to past lunch menus. As to the slowness of the service, isn’t that really more likely to be because it was her first day of operation?

Yes, she clearly doesn’t know the current usage of infamous. On the other hand she was down to earth enough to have no truck with Artisan’s Food Hall, and just called it the buffet. I must say I do think the ship (mainly) looks great.

Yes, and in general I was wondering if people had come across many staff they knew.

I do like there is somewhere for weary weeds to sit while the lifts trundle up.

According to the brochure, standard insides on QV are 152, those on QA 148. I would call that a very slight difference, not a considerable one. QM slightly larger at 157.

Would you want it to be larger?

Now that might have been a Cunard tradition people would have been happy to deviate from.

Is this at extra cost? Lunch menu looked very nice. I hope we get it next week.