3rdGenCunarder

I was on that cruise, wasn't it fantastic? Great Picture!

Good attitude! Never book a category below what you'd like, hoping for an upgrade. I think it's a glitch in their IT. (I know, what a shock!) If your upgrade bid is successful, they will send you an email saying so. Here's what I was sent, with personal details edited out: Your offer has been accepted Dear xxxxxx, Thank you for your offer to upgrade your stateroom for your upcoming voyage. We are pleased to confirm that you have been successful. Departure date 24 May 2024 Offer $xxxx USD per guest Ship Queen Anne Number of passengers 1 Booking reference XXXXXX Amount due $xxxx USD

I agree with so much of this! Especially the decline in entertainment. I also miss the cooking classes, the REAL ones, not the ATK canned lectures--do I really need to know 16 ways to boil an egg?????? I was able to take part in the hands-on class twice. The best part of that was having the professionally prepared version at lunch with the guest chef! I haven't paid less than 100% single supplement since the restart, and maybe before. One good thing that has come back. The yum yum man was back on my Caribbean cruise on Zaandam this winter, but only on "gala" nights.

I thought that's what it is, but I don't have a picture of the label. It isn't Stephen Card. There's a signature that I can't read, but it isn't his. I tried a file from a different year, and I found a pic of the label. You're right, it's the Clyde. The artist is Gordon Bauwens.

The Geiranger painting

Those are my two favorites, for both scenery and good times with our wonderful cruise buddies. I think the most beautiful scenery I've ever seen was in Norway, especially Geiranger, edging out even Alaska and Yosemite. We loved being at Svalbard, closer to the North Pole than our bragging friend had been to the South Pole on her cruise. And the transcanal because it was BFF's return to travel after chemo. We had the best time the day of the transit. We sat in deck chairs, solving the world's problems as we always did. Our husbands were not doing anything together and as it worked out, one would walk by and say "Oh, you're empty," and bring us fresh flutes of champagne. Then, at just the right moment, the other would do the same. I'm not sure the guys ever knew how much we had that day!

Ohh, that Geiranger picture is gorgeous! There's a painting of QE2 at Geiranger on QE, on the landing near Commodore Club. Sometimes I just stand there and gaze at it. My favorite Cunard picture is boat deck on QE2 on a morning when the fog was so thick I couldn't see the length of the deck. Sadly, I have no idea which memory card that's on. So here's my Christmas picture. Christmas Morning at the Funnel Bar (formery just "Sun Deck") 2004. taken by a crew member who I think had been up partying all night. And New Year's Eve at Midnight.

There was a fair amount of traffic on QA on the nice days, especially the first few days when people were exploring the ship. I noticed, but I can't say I was bothered by it. I would be annoyed if people started taking advantage of the easy access to use an area they hadn't paid for.

On QE and QV, that's how you get the elevator up to the grills lounge and restaurants and terrace. You can get to the terrace from an outside stairway, but not many people go that way. The problem on QA is that the grills area spans the width of the deck, and there are areas open to all forward and aft of that. So people walk through rather than go down a few decks and then up again. There could be a safety issue if the only ways to go the length of the deck are blocked.

I think it's one of those "you had to be there" things. He was crusty, but kind underneath all that.

One of the men at dinner on QV last fall wore white tie for roaring 20's night. He looked splendid! But it was easy for him to carry black tie and white tie plus everything else, as he was within driving distance of Southampton.

A few voyages ago, in his remarks at a World Club party, Captain Wells talked about QE2 and how he was sad to see her go, but understood it had to be. He said he had fond memories of his children taking some of their first steps holding Dennis's hand up on Sun Deck. After he was done, I went over to thank him for reminding me of my fond memories of Dennis. Captain Wells said, "He was rude to people and they loved him for it!" And even now, my memories make me laugh.

My first time on Cunard was 1988 and I don't know how we knew about reserving chairs. I do remember that we went up to Sun Deck and I asked about reserving on Boat Deck. Dennis said, "Oh lady, you don't want to be there, too windy." So I asked him where I did want to be and he recommended a place that became our spot for many voyages thereafter. I poked through my files and a final statement from 2002 shows $17 for "deck chair." Other charges (bar charges) show as "sun deck." A statement from 2004 shows only "sun deck" charges and none is a round number, so I think they're all bar charges. So I guess somewhere between 2002 and 2004, the reserving stopped.

I think that's going to be an increasing problem on QA as word gets around. When I was on QA in May, a lot of people walked through to get from forward areas to aft areas, but they didn't stay. Given the lack of stewards in the area, there's nobody to know if you are in the grills or not.

Dennis!!! I don't like thinking of myself as an "oldtimer," but I do remember Dennis. Grumpy, but somehow, loveable. It was no longer a first-class deck, but available to anyone for a small fee. I remember the cushions--Dennis always said if he ever wrote a memoir of his time on QE2, he would call it "The Blue Cushion." And lap rugs, and elevenses, and afternoon tea, served in a proper teapot, tray brought to the little table by your chair. Sigh. Yes, it was saved, but you paid for the privilege. Definitely worth it! The last time we reserved chairs I believe we paid $17 for the entire 10 or 12 days. That was just before QM2 took over transatlantics and they changed QE2 to more of a "cruise ship," taking away the reserving of chairs and adding a jacket potato station. 🙄

It gets bad by the midship pool on HAL. The ultimate in chutzpah was names on the towels!

I thought there was always a higher per diem if you bought one day at a time. Certainly in recent years.

I would never! But he turned 81 last week. Just sayin'...

Rolling Stone, as in the magazine. I cannot imagine the Rolling Stones doing a tie-in with HAL. (although, God knows, they're in the right age demographic to be HAL passengers)

That would be me! I sail Cunard for the experience and ambiance as much as for the itinerary. I sail HAL for itinerary, which means plenty of ports where I can find something to do. I agree with @AKJonesy about the daily schedule on HAL. It looks like there's a lot to do, but when you take out the infomercials from the jewelry store and the spa, it's coloring, bingo, trivia.

I've never worried about being late to breakfast when I've been in PG. It often varies depending on port day vs sea day. Some people sleep late, others have things to do, places to go. Some people get there early and leave while I'm mid-breakfast, and some may not come at all. Dinner matters more. On my last cruise, we all tended to arrive around the same time in the evening, so the flow of courses was smooth.

You should receive an email that links to a survey about your cruise. There is a place to tell about a crew member who gave excellent service.

Don't know if it's true, but a story appeared here a few months ago that someone was kicked off a ship after a nasty altercation in a launderette. (Could be the nautical version of "urban legend")

Cunard has cards that say "You have been a star!" It's a way of recognizing someone who has given excellent service. You fill it out and drop off one part at the pursers and give the other to the staff member. If you don't see the person to give him/her part of the card, it's okay. They will be told by the purser's staff. It would be nice if the "MyVoyage" app had a "contact us" function as HAL's Navigator does. You can send a positive comment that way and it gets prompt attention. (So do the negative comments)

I have had sheltered balconies on all three decks and didn't have noise issues. Never had sounds of joggers overhead when I was on 6. For a transatlantic, the sheltered balcony is great. When it's windy and uncomfortable on a high glass-front balcony, you can still go outside. Unless you're far forward or aft, it's a very stable ride in a low cabin. True, you can't see the ocean when you're sitting, but if you stand and look down, you don't see lifeboats or the promenade deck, just the ocean. For a WB TA, try to get a cabin on the port side so you'll have some sun.