exlondoner

The only regular P&O passenger I know is my former Head. She obviously lets her hair down and goes mad when aboard.

Also, I’m not sure QA and Iceland are ideally suited. You need to pick somewhere warmer to benefit from all that wonderful outdoor space.

The thing is the longer you leave it, the worse it will get. What about booking something just a few weeks ahead so you have something to look forward to soon when you do tear yourself away?

Another extension? Go for it? Much better than a mouse. And you are giving me, at any rate, a lot of vicarious enjoyment. Just don’t spill your beer over the lift. 😀

So Cunard do have some IT that works?

We are not on until next year, as we are not only undiscerning, but relatively impecunious. Still, it is very good to see that many of the teething troubles seem to have been sorted. (I nearly said ironed out, but the picture that arose from the mixed metaphor was not pleasant.)

I love QM2 with a few caveats, but one of the main difficulties I have with her is the same as with QA: they are too long, and entail a lot of walking. The Vistas make for a much easier life. Surely if hoi polloi didn’t like a ship, it would be pretty empty.

Demand a bookshop…please. 😀

As you say, it all depends on when. The only way the dynamic on my voyage differed from that on other Cunard trips, was that there were more very elderly passengers, more frail passengers, and more disabled passengers. I am assuming this will not be typical.

Equally, you might have read satisfied accounts, and decided to give it a go after all.

Perhaps you can take them up when aboard, though trivia quizzes seem more popular.

I think it is called confirmation bias. Is that right?

That upsets me too, because of the danger of spillage, though not as much as mugs of hot drinks. I appreciate carrying stuff up several flights of stairs may be even more risky. Whatever, it wouldn’t stop me going on QA. 😀

Why give more weight to this account rather than to @MylesSdescription of his five weeks’voyage or @Victoria2or even my own? I suppose it depends who is considered discerning?

Actually, for me the greatest benefit of the extra speed was on the cruises, allowing a wider range of more scattered ports in a limited time.

Did your QA experience differ significantly from your experience on the other ships? What were the other 2,500+ passengers like? It is obviously just a matter of luck, and I know it happens from time to time, but to my amazement, considering how much time people seem to spend drinking, I’ve never encountered anyone actually drink. To answer your initial question, Cunard, at present, seems to be for me, but I’m probably not very discerning.

If you have just had to disembark from QM2, your day is probably pretty bad already.

She was sold off because the French government used the money which had been subsidising her to subsidise Concorde. I’m not sure how well that worked out, really.

And very few balconies, and no forward view, except at the start, and a part open bridge, and some open life boats, and Bibby corridors, etc, etc. I loved her too…then, but I doubt I would now.

Get on to the TA, and get them to sort everything, including the cancellation and all its ramifications. And see if they’ll give you some extra obc because you are such a wonderful person. 🙂

Blame the US Immigration procedures. 🙁

Might I suggest you definitely use a travel agent. It will save a lot of hassle in the long run. 😀

Is QA docking at Steinwerder?

Yes, that was our fatal mistake. In 1997, because it was the holiday of a lifetime, QE2 to NY, Concorde back, I suggested we upgrade to QG, as we would never go on her again. Goodness knows how much that mad decision has cost us over the years.

On the Vistas I used to like to enjoy the view with a cup of coffee at about 10.30. Not opening until 11.30 is annoying.