LadyL1

For the December 2013 Christmas cruise departing 22nd, the weather was so extreme that boarding became impossible and was suspended for 3-4 hours. A lot of very unhappy people the first evening sailing into ferocious seas.

I hope this does not happen to all who are due to depart Saturday, especially after the QE's late arrival.

Enjoy your world voyage!

We were onboard just before Christmas and heard that someone prior to our cruise had said the ship was cold. I packed a couple more cardigans but never needed them. The ship was a perfect temperature. In fact everything was perfect.

We were on the same trip, and never had a problem with feeling cold. Agree with Maz, it was a perfect pre Christmas trip.

We went to the Baltics a few years ago, on the Eclipse in August. I seem to remember that there were about 250 under the age of 18. Apart from a few South American boys, all seemed very well behaved with high amusement factor from the youth organisers.

It was good to see the International mix of youngsters being together, and very heartening to see the inclusion of one disabled child.

I hope you all have a great trip on this ship.

We disembarked the QV on Wednesday, and whilst on board were told by the MDR staff that the Britannia Club restaurant, is to be featured/constructed in a corner of the main restaurant, during the refit.

Thankfully the Chart Room appears to have been saved.

We're on this weds - let us know how the Bay of Biscay crossing is :D

The voyage is fast drawing to a close.

The night before last on leaving Lisbon, the Atlantic again showed us some attitude for a few hours, but the Bay of Biscay has been calm. We are now west of the Channel Islands and expecting our passage into Southampton to be very uneventful.

My husband and I have enjoyed this cruise immensely and we have meet a variety of engaging people to pass the time with at various meals.

At lunchtime today we ate in the Verandah Restaurant, and the food and service could not be faulted.

Strangely, after all the activity on previous threads regarding the new luggage labels, and Cunard advising us it was one label for all, we have been issued with the old style coloured ID case tags and told to remove all existing baggage markers.

For those of you boarding tomorrow I hope you have a better experience than we did at the check in, as this was the only blot on this 10 day holiday. Other than that I am sure you have very much to look forward to, and wish that we were staying on for the next cruise, but this year it is Christmas at home with the family.

Happy cruising to you all.

Sent from my iPad

Our overnight passage from Cadiz to Lisbon exceeded the Captain's expectations by way of storms. He announced from the bridge this morning that the QV had to slow down and we will be arriving in Lisbon 1hour and 45 minutes late. I slept very well through this. Needless to say, we have heard of many sick people: the MDR was almost empty when arrived for breakfast.

We are just about to enter the mouth of the River Tagus and fortunately we will be birthed in the city today. Although the sun is shining at the moment we have been warned of showers, but it at least it is mild.

So now I shall enjoy the approach from the Commodore Club, with the vista of this wonderful city.

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Pennbank

If you read my post I am not at all suggesting that Diamond and Platinum loose the perk of early boarding, but rather if Cunard offer it to loyal customers they should be able to provide this, not just some of the time, but all of the time! Maybe the criteria will have to be amended, who knows.

Anyhow, the build up to Christmas continues on QV with a wonderful festive "gingerbread village" display on deck 1. For those boarding on Wednesday, I wish you all a wonderful trip, and I am sure it will be extra special if you are travelling with children. Cunard certainly give them something to remember on the big day.

We had very stormy weather in Cadiz today, and now as we head towards Lisbon movement can certainly be felt. For me this is a great way to be lulled to sleep, for others I expect even a dull Sunday in Lisbon will be preferable.

We await to see what the Bay if Biscay has to offer for our return.

We boarded the QV last Sunday. What an absolute shambles that was! The first time the new system had been instigated so we were told. The hostesses in the Ocean terminal failed to check the etickets, and therefore all and sundry were saying they had " Priority" and it was plain that this was obviously not the case. Without this melee of people at noon checkin time, it would still have been chaos as there are now just too many pax who are either Platinum and Diamond WC members. Cunard need to address this urgently as they cannot fulfil this "perk" especially on Roundtrip sailings from the UK. The Grills pax were having to fight through this hoard to get to the Grills waiting area. Not a good start!

Once onboard things looked up. Our passage across the Bay of Biscay was for us uneventful; a Force 7 so we were told, but it did affect many and the first formal night was delayed. The food has been good and our wait staff very efficient. Thankfully the ship is clear of NV.

There was an informal CC meeting on the first sea day in the Commodore Club to which about a dozen people turned up for about an hour. Always nice to be able to put the Pen names to faces.

Last night was a first for us: in all our voyages we have never eaten in the Lido in the evening, unless it was in the alternative dining venues. However there was an Indian menu which we decided to try, and were amazed by how many people had the same idea, and these were not of the brigade who were there to avoid the dress code! Thoroughly enjoyed the menu on offer, and many compliments were to be heard.

Since reaching the attractive city of La Corunna we have been blessed with mild sunny weather as we have headed south. Yesterday in the warm sun of the early afternoon we had a sailpast with the QE as she headed home to Southampton from Gibraltar as we made our way into port. Today we have had a pleasant stop in Malaga and it is hard to believe that we are in the middle of December, but it seems our luck will run out tomorrow in Cadiz with heavy rain showers forecast.

The QV remains a friendly and endearing ship to travel on. The majority of pax appear 70+, one would hazard to guess, but that is only to be expected on a no fly cruise at this time of the year, and probably less than a dozen children.

For anyone who is reading this and will be joining the ship for Christmas, she is already decorated, the atrium looking very festive and trees around the ship. I am sure a few extra other offerings will be on view for the next cruise as I remember from being afloat last Christmas. The gingerbread houses and snow scenes were a work of art indeed!

At least we have another 4 evenings to look forward to before reaching home, and the last minute preparations for Christmas.

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My experience suggests that you cannot guarantee that your stateroom will be ready before 2pm. it might be....but it might not!

This has never been our experience!

I thought it was Cunard policy not to commence boarding until ALL cabins were ready for occupation.

Bell Boy

I have no worry about the check in time, and next month will be arriving at noon for my allocated time.

What I was trying to convey is that it appears that boarding for Britannia guests will not be on a first come first on basis. The new e-tickets have very prominent embarkation times, and this has been discussed on the active thread re the new ticketing/luggage labels.

So, if one has 3.00pm boarding, in the future it might be wise to watch how this pans out, as there will almost certainly be posting on this issue if passengers do not get checked-in instantly. It is almost the norm for hundreds to arrive early with great anticipation!

I still feel that if timed boarding is monitored, it will be a good thing. And yes, the staff at Southampton will want them all on the ship ASAP, but it just might be that the order is changing.

I sometimes lurk on the Celebrity board, and just happened to see this today.

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2131422

Another cruise line it seems, is trying to encourage the recommended boarding time as is Cunard at present. It makes sense really, but not everyone will agree.

We're off on the QV Iberia trip on December 7th, going as far as Malaga and back. Are the deck pools kept warm enough to swim at that time of year?

 

On QM2 in March/April, I swam a lot, but even though the outside temperatures were VERY hot, the pools were quite cold. I am HOPING to be able to do the same this time, but am I likely to be disappointed?

I hope to see you in the pool, as also on this cruise. Generally I have always found the pools to be well heated, and I will swim whatever the weather or temperature, providing they are not netted.

Sadly last Christmas on QE the pools we out of bounds for days as we were in those memorable storms of 2013. The Bay of Biscay was the "undoing" of many passengers over the festive period.

Maybe we are looking at the colours of the tags wrongly. As we have been told that there is now no priority baggage delivery(apart from maybe the Q1's and Q2's), maybe the colours are for disembarkation and therefore by deck as that is how disembarkation goes. Again I think Q1's and Q2's have priority disembarlkation so that is why their tags are differently coloured(silver stripes). Just an idea.

Perhaps I can dispel this thought.

Travelling QV in 2 weeks time. We are Diamond, not travelling Grills this time, but BA cabin deck 6 and have the red border with lime green and silver diagonal stripes in the the centre!

Not sure how they are going to stop the stampede of the impatient persons at disembarkation. There are always some who will not wait their turn to leave the ship!!!

This must surely just annoy everybody, in all the cabin grades? I can understand there are more and more priority passengers, but this can't be the right way to go?

 

I am sure there will be an outcry and the new system won't last long!

More and more PRIORITY passengers are the result of an unfair benefits programme. Seven 2 or 3 day voyages are you are Platinum member. One 14 night trip and you are silver after the cruise!

Some years back I believe that a voyage had to be a minimum number of nights (possibly 4) before it would count on the voyages taken list.

Certainly with the current programme of many short voyages from S'ton, the clientele from the UK perceive to be at a great advantage here.

Perhaps as another poster mentioned that ones' official checking in time is to be adhered to from next month; might help those who qualify to board early for whatever reason. I suppose that those arriving at the terminal would be given letters relating ticketed boarding time, rather than the time you arrive at the checking-in hall.

I will find out very soon.

Yes, I thought the webcam did not live up to scenic view of Monaco! The website Marinetraffic.com has the QE in Livorno.

I hope you enjoy every moment!

I would give deck 8 a miss, if you are booking a fare where you can choose your room. There can be some noise from above where the buffet and lido areas are situated.

On a fairly long warm weather cruise, a well chosen room on deck 4, (avoid the forward steel balcony rooms) could be very appreciated with the extra balcony room. We have chosen this deck many times for both balcony and Grills staterooms, and have never been disappointed.

We also like deck 7, as this is very quiet due to the reduced number of rooms.

Have a wonderful trip whatever you choose; QV has a special charm!

We have used both Skype and FaceTime successfully on Cunard ships. However, the preference is to use FaceTime, as we found the the connection does not breakdown as frequently.

Jimsgirl

Perhaps I am missing something here but it is very easy to download a brochure from the Cunard website. Also a much "greener" option!

From your post today..........

"When we first boarded, we were all provided a free bottle of champagne. We had agreed with our table mates that we would bring the bottles to dinner to share with the table, two at a time. Last night two couples brought their champagne and tonight we will do the same. I don’t know what we will do on the night we end up with only one bottle."

Considering you travel first class, have Armani clothes, and generally drop hints of "higher things" I amazed you call the Pol Aker left in your room, champagne and drink it with dinner!!:eek:

Perhaps you have persuaded your steward to change the Pol Aker for the real thing.

Anyway, glad you are enjoying the Queen Victoria and Cunard in general. I don't think I will be in a rush to travel with Princess after a recent "fly on the wall" TV programme on one of their ships recently shown in the UK, even for a better pizza.

Hello

 

I am certainly pleased there is no mention of replacing the Chart Room with a Britannia Club dining room.

 

MY apologies to the OP for questioning his message.

 

Deck Chair

I have to agree with you regarding the Chart Room! I am sure there are many others who will concur with us.

I'm going to throw in a "beware." I took a 7-day fjords cruise out of Southampton in May and discovered that it was the school holiday week in the UK. That's why it was a shorter cruise. Anyway, holiday week equated to 560 (yes, that's really 560) children onboard! Um, not my favorite cruise. If and when I go again, I'll be sure to book something longer than 7 - 8 days, especially if it is from the UK in May. Their holiday is only a week long so a longer cruise should probably be safe. BTW, my cruise began on a Friday so obviously a lot of folks pulled their kids out of school for that day even though I learned they risked a hefty fine.

For those of you who live outside the UK, you might find the following information useful. Almost every school in England has a one week break at the end of May, that incorporates the May Bank Holiday (always last Monday in May). I would avoid this week like the plague, and prices are hitherto inflated to reflect the demand.

If you are in the Grills you can lunch in your allocated restaurant, otherwise it is Kings Court for sustenance! I am afraid your World Club status will not give you any special dining privilege.

We have been to Norway quite a few times, and just love the country, but it is expensive as already has been said.

Last year we took an early May cruise on the Eclipse, and it was bitterly cold! If you could make a trip late May or June you will find the waterfalls at their spectacular best with the snow melt. Earlier they are still frozen and late in the season they become just a trickle.

The ports can be so different, it makes for a very interesting holiday. If you can take in Oslo in the south, you will not be disappointed: a beautiful city for walking. Viglan Park for the sculptures and the Royal Palace can be easily done on your own (that goes for virtually all ports) if you have no mobility problems.

Do try and take a cruise to Norway.

Yes, 6146 has a slighter larger cabin area, and the corner balcony cabins are much sought after. If it is available you will not regret this choice.

Sorry I do not have a photo but if you search this board I am sure you will find some references to Pepper, who has a wonderful file of photos for the Cunard ships. These will not be in the too distant past.