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3rdGenCunarder

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  • Location
    New Jersey
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    Cunard, Holland America
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Anywhere a good ship goes

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  1. I think that was the Chart Room, which is stunning.
  2. I think QE's Commodore Lounge has that carpet pattern, too. I don't see that as Deco, but I'll go with the columns. My main memory of that lounge on QA was sitting on the starboard side and being able to smell the cigar smoke from the adjacent Churchill's.
  3. I have a very dim memory of that room. Possibly because I didn't go there as often as I do on the Vistas, possibly because I was more focused on my drink...
  4. The traditions I miss are the nods to the line's history. The other ships, including QE2 and Caronia (I don't go back to the original Queens, so I can't comment on them) had/have display cases of memorabilia about the line. There were/are paintings of past Cunard ships. There are/were other paintings, too, of course. But even some of those are a nod to the original Queens. The mural by the midship pool on QE, for example, is in the style of something that had been on Queen Mary or Elizabeth. Much of the art on QA is hideous. The "portrait" of Queen Anne in the Queen's room is a joke, half of it looking like smeared finger paints. And I am NOT bothered about a move away from Art Deco. I don't think that's an issue for many people. It's a style I love, but it is not Cunard's original style. The line is nearly 200 years old, that's WAY before Art Deco. Britannia Restaurant's columns are very Art Deco. I looked briefly into that restaurant, but I didn't venture to the window areas where the ceilings are lower, so I don't know how well the rest lives up to the entrance. But then, that's not unusual in a dining room with a high ceiling in the entry area and more ordinary accommodations in the reset of the room. I don't see Deco in Commodore Club.
  5. Yes, I noticed the effect of that difference on QE this summer. And it didn't help that I couldn't remember which 2 of the 4 went all the way up to Grills.
  6. In my recent experiences at Southampton, they held non-priority passengers in a queue outside the building. Priority (Grills, Diamond, Platinum, BritClub) are able to go inside and check in, although early arrivals may have to sit and wait to be called to board.
  7. I don't go back far enough to remember the white chairs. The first ones I remember were the huge leather chairs with the chrome frames. I think it was a big deal mid-century design. I remember that they were comfortable but almost impossible to get up from.
  8. No, I've never seen mass snobbery on Cunard. Not Grills passengers, not world cruise passengers. In all my Cunard cruises, I remember one passenger who sorely needed to get over herself. An American version of Mrs. Bouquet. We did the first "circumnavigation" of Australia on QM2. I don't know how many worldies I met, but I only met one that meets your description. She was disappointed that the ship wasn't booked completely with world cruise passengers. And Australia! Ugh, people getting on and off in every port like it's a bus!! (Cunard cleverly marketed all kinds of segments just in Australia as a way to let people have a small taste of the ship.) And Bali! Euww, they took us to some grubby market (hello? local culture???). Why didn't they stop at the Gucci store we passed? (she was from an upscale town in Florida, at least 3 Gucci stores within an hour's drive) She was by herself in the buffet when we had this conversation. I can see why she was by herself. The other wordies probably didn't want to hang around her any more than I did.
  9. Thank you, I was pretty sure she wasn't a hand-me-down from HAL. "Overboard" may be an unfortunate word for Cruise Critic, but I see your point. They're trying hard to be cool, and it doesn't always work. I didn't see the nods to tradition that I like on the other ships. I tried to find the Fincantieri plaque but couldn't find it. So I asked a group of crew members where it is. They told me where to look (never did find it) and one asked me how I liked the ship. His tone suggested that he expected me to be wowed. When I said I thought the ship didn't look like a Cunard ship, no sense of history, he said that the ship has a lot of nods to history. The Queens Room is supposed to have touches reminiscent of QE2. Sorry, but I do NOT see that. Well, except maybe for a few chairs? QE2's Queens Room had a few tall "porter's chairs" and QA has tall wire cage chairs shaped sort of like that. But that's a very long stretch of the imagination. AFAIK, QE2 never had white round 1980s kitchen light fixtures. So, has anyone noticed touches of QE2 on QA?
  10. Take a look at a website like whatsinport.com to see how busy the various ports are for these itineraries. If crowding in a port is an issue for you, that could be the difference. Otherwise, like others here, I'd say go with Cunard. Sorry to hear about your loss. Cruising is a great way for solos to travel. I don't know what P&O is like for solos, but Cunard is excellent. There are always lots of solos and the ship will have solo get-togethers. I always ask for a large table so that I have company at dinner. Cunard passengers are friendly and welcoming to people sailing on their own.
  11. Am I the only one who didn't hate it? I saw one of the first performances; maybe they've made changes since then? I don't remember the horse or a lot of bad language. Maybe I was too busy following the plot. I know P&P so well that I was trying to keep track of which plot points and characters they cut (no Georgiana Darcy, no Kitty Bennett) and where else they were fudging things. I love Austen and I went in wondering if I would be offended by this, but I enjoyed it. I mean, come on, Lizzy singing "You're so Vain" about Darcy? That was funny. I loved Noir, too. Maybe I was simply in the mood for silliness on that cruise.
  12. Yes, definitely a personal thing. I don't know what it was, but the minute I stepped onboard QE, something in me said "home." I feel at home on QM2, having sailed her more than her (current) sisters, and I was very happy on my one QV cruise--only one because I have to fly to get to her, not because of any dislike of the ship. But QE is my favorite, and I am thrilled that she will be the North American Cunarder. As for QA, I'm glad I did the cruise around Britain. Firstly because of the itinerary and a chance to see some bits of Scotland I hadn't been to in years. Secondly because it was a test of my feelings about the ship. I had already booked the transcanal from NY, with 17 sea days and a few ports. I enjoyed the around Britain cruise for the ports, and the ship was just transportation. But 17 sea days on QA, even in PG, would not have made me happy, especially with that dungeon thermal suite. So I cancelled QA, saved a boatload of money, and booked Eurodam for my winter getaway. Minus points for not experiencing the new canal and not being on Cunard. Plus points for good itinerary, great spa, and a lovely aft view without paying QG prices. HAL has been my winter go-to for years because there wasn't a Cunard option for January or February with a US departure. But I have already booked QE to the Caribbean for 2026, and there's an itinerary in 2027 that I like.
  13. That's odd. I don't recall foul language or a warning about it. I went back and looked at the daily program and sure enough, there was a warning. It was in tiny print, the smallest font of any used on the page, and it warned about "the occasional swearword." That isn't much of a warning for extensive profanity. I wonder if the actors have started adlibbing for some reason.
  14. When I see servers wearing gloves, I try not to think about how long those gloves have been on and what they've touched. For communal serving utensils, grab a paper napkin and use that to pick up the utensils.
  15. I'm very good about using my knuckle to press the buttons, but then I have a bad habit of resting my hand on the railings inside the elvator car.
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