fabnfortysomething

this review is going down well on the Cunard board

There are few if any day by day reviews on there.

Iam comapring and contrasting with NCL and would happily sail with either again

Sunday day 3

Woke to calm seas and slightly foggy

The clocks had gone back 2am so 8am was actually 7am.

After breakfast in Kings Court I went to explore the ship.

The fog had thickened and ships foghorn sounding

I found the Pavilion pool on deck 12 with a small pool and padded loungers .The covered roof makes it more suitable for transatlantic voyages like this than Mediterranean cruises where would expect crowds in sunny weather.

Down to deck 11[our level]

Aft area there was an outside area reserved for Grills passengers-empty in this weather.

Forward is the observation deck -again empty and not much to see in the fog!

Launderette facilities are available on each stateroom deck with 2 rooms either side containing 3 washers and 3 dryers-all in use.

I prefer NCL method of offering fill a paper bag for $15 [or free with status level]and it comes back clean and pressed. Got better things to do than laundry on holiday.

Deck 3 has upper level of Britannia restaurant, on board shops and several lounges such as chart room which have comfortable couches and tend to be quiet areas during the day.

Deck 2 has lower level of Britannia restaurant, golden lion pub photo gallery and the lobby area

Grand theatre is accessed from decks 2 and 3

Illuminations aka planetarium is behind theatre and accessed by a ramp area following windows with sea view and seats for people to gaze out.

There are photos and information boards all around the ship with history of Cunard ships including of course Titanic.

10am was the daily watercolour painting class repeated at 2pm

I missed day 1 but was able to join in and purchase an art set for $35

This was extremely good value as included travel watercolour kit,3 brushes, watercolour paper ,pencil, sharpener and eraser.

It was fun but my still life of a flower didn’t look much like it!

Putting this masterpiece[not] back in room I grabbed my swimming costume and headed to spa ,passing 6 on the way who was  happily sat in Carinthia lounge .

There are signs in spa stating that swimming costumes are required.

Opening the herbal steam door I discovered one gentleman who hadn’t read or understood that sign.

I made a note to avoid sitting in that same cubicle!

He was later seen strolling round the open area wearing that same birthday suit.

His large beer belly prevented him from seeing what the rest of us could[note to that unknown gentleman-it’s nothing to brag about but then again you probably haven’t seen it in years]

Joined 6 in the Carinthia lounge and listened to a pianist for a while.

1.45 a large group of people crowded in to get scavenger hunt papers. This was the first time I felt uncomfortable and reached for mask as it had all hallmarks of Covid mingling.

2pm we did the trivia quiz on songs and bands and scored 27/40

We swapped papers to mark with couple next to us who scored 34 but just missed out winning. We got chatting to Nand A and  ended spending time with them for rest of cruise for quizzes and evenings in golden Lion.

I had brought along a knitted cardigan in progress for one of my granddaughters so looked for likely candidates for hobby corner.

I was joined by a lady embroidering mini civil war flags for an event back home.

She had been away 90 days researching ancestors from Germany.

We chatted about children and grandchildren and only realised when got up to go that other hobbyists were sat round corner-agreed to look for them tomorrow.

We had a 4pm appointment to view the photos taken previous night.

They had set up stations all over ship but after having taken several the photographer  suggested we might like a black screen session with the chief photographer.

Of course these were far superior and we ended up purchasing 5 photos in frame and memory card for $430

Well we did have $300 OBC and a lot more interesting to say we had put it towards this rather then Daily Service Charge or the internet package!

NCL we usually pre pay Daily Service Charge but not an option on Cunard.

We showered and changed for dinner where we were greeted by our familiar waiters and enjoyed a good meal and out to Golden Lion pub before an early night.    

Saturday day 2

Woke to find we were just off Cornwall coastline -cloudy day and 17C-no sunbathing today.

Room steward had provided bathrobes the previous evening along with the glossy daily programme. A nice touch was a daily mini newspaper with either main headlines of UK and USA papers depending on your country of origin.

Glancing through activities on offer there is certainly a variety of things to do on board!

We had breakfast at Kings Court buffet 9.30 then I went to explore the  ship a bit more.

I had booked a ships excursion 4 hour sightseeing tour of New York for turnaround day but friends from New Jersey were going to meet us and go to restaurant in Times Square so headed to tour office to cancel booked tour.

We spent most of the morning sitting in the atrium people watching.

There were long lines at the pursers office-presumably these were urgent issues or I would have thought would be easier to come back later.

There was always a lovely floral display in centre of lobby which we saw being assembled .Or rather it came out mostly assembled and it took 2 people 10 minutes reorganising it!

The atrium was very pretty and 5 stories high.

I noted the atrium view windows of the inside cabins which look a good compromise from a fully inside cabin.

11am the guest celebrity speaker in Grand Theatre was Niki Campbell .Probably means nothing to Americans but she’s mainly known in UK as a judge on Pop Idol many years ago!

I poked my head in at the back for a few minutes and she was talking about her experience managing the Spice Girls and Amy Winehouse

There were a few clashes with activities I was interested in

Ladies pamper day in spa 12 noon versus insights lecture in planetarium 12.15

Also hobby corner 3pm would clash with my spa session.

The Captains address at 12 noon was very interesting but quite difficult to hear as people chatting loudly.

He always had an interesting tale to tell of the origins of certain phrases such as shake a leg sailors in port were allowed to have their lady friends share their hammock

Next morning when asked to show a leg if it was smooth and silky you were left alone. If hairy you were rudely tipped out to report for duty.

Tip from Captain was for men to shave their legs!

I headed to the Planetarium aka Illuminations 12.15 for the insight lecture on the Solar system.

Masks were highly recommended but only about ¼ were wearing them including me. Fortunately there were plenty of empty seats so was able to socially distance.

Speaker was John McLean of the royal Astronomical Society .He started by joking he doesn’t scale skyscrapers but was a very entertaining speaker. I made a note to listen to his next talk on Monday on the likelihood of extra terrestrial life.

I then went on a hunt for 6-I tried pub first but was very crowded so wasn’t surprised he wasn’t there.

I found him in the Carinthia lounge on deck 7.This was usually quiter and he was is process of making friends with the bar waiters.

The spa was adjacent so I headed there for my 2pm session.

There were about 12 people in there. There is Finnish sauna,steam room and a herbal room.

Pool with bubble pool and lounger bars as well as separate whirlpool.

About 12 padded loungers.

I did a circuit and lounged for a bit but 45 mins was ample. Chatting to girl on reception desk I rebooked for 11-1 next day. She agreed most people just want to do a quick session perhaps twice a day but with requirement to clean between sessions it just isn’t possible yet.   

I rejoined 6 who had done the 2pm trivia quiz by himself and scored 28/40.

We headed back to room 4.30 to shower and get ready for the first Formal Gala night-theme black and white.

I had purchased a tuxedo for 6 from ebay for £30 and black bow tie from Amazon

I had purchased 2 dresses for our ill fated 2020 cruise so got chance to wear them

This first one was a knee length fitted dress with lace sleeves-I must admit we scrubbed up well and had a photo session done.

Our 6pm restaurant sitting in Britannia restaurant was full of being in their finery.

We then retired to Golden Lion to listen to Watson duo and the 9pm quiz where we scored 14/20[winner got 19.

We swapped papers with A Father and daughter dressed up and spent rest of night chatting to them

Friday day 1

Our boarding time was 2.15 and hotel checkout was 12 noon so we had a leisurely breakfast and chill out morning.

It was a sunny warm day so feeling good.

The complimentary taxi arrived 1pm and we were at Mayflower terminal 1.15.

This was an hour ahead of time but porters took our cases and directed us inside.

The walker got its first outing as 6 mobility issues are mainly around his ankle and knees.

 A weekly injection of a biologic has slowed down progress of disease but leaves him immunocompromised and therefore clinically vulnerable.

Inside the terminal they checked passports and print out of boarding card and a green sticker put on.

We also had to show proof of Covid vaccination but not evidence of negative test.

They merely asked us if we’d done one -spoiler alert-big loophole for people to hide suspicion they may be ill.

We checked in at the assistance desk and a very nice gentleman talked us through what to expect .He suggested it would be easier for 6 to use provided wheelchair and I pushed the walker

The check in desk we were directed to was reserved for wheelchair users and people checking in their pets!

Apparently many people relocating to USA or UK use the kennels facility on board.

At the check in desk we were again required to show passports and boarding cards as well as ESTA forms and proof of travel insurance required for UK passengers.

We could then put away all documentation except stamped boarding cards saying clear to sail.

Wheelchair assistance allows fast track avoiding snaking lines but still have to go through security scanners

Our wheelchair pusher escorted us onto the ship right up to our stateroom where our room cards were in slot by door

The stateroom had a spacious balcony with table  and 2 chairs

Actual room airy and spacious and decorated mainly in Blue and gold

It also appeared slightly larger than NCL ships

Muster drill would be 4.30 but to avoid mass congregation we were merely asked to produce room cards for scanning at allotted station some time before that.

I had a quick explore of the ship -level 7 was main restaurants and my destination-the Spa!

It was inside so no sea views and fairly small but I purchased a week pass for $149

Passes were limited but they were also allocating 2 hourly slots in advance to ensure not crowded.

8-10,11-1,2-4 ,5-7-With hour in between for cleaning

I chose 2-4 next day

Back to stateroom and cases arrived

This was our first formal cruise so more outfits than would normally take

However smart attire code on non gala nights was what we would normally change into on NCL.

We sat out on the balcony watching activity on the docks and 6 signed up for the internet package $250 for 14 days-this was sporadic and couldn’t connect in stateroom but occasionally on balcony and better in public areas although slow.

We had already pre purchased the full beverage package so those stickers were on our cards.

4.30 the muster and safety announcements were done via the stateroom tv and tannoy

We were due to sail 5pm but finally pulled  away from dock 5.25

There was a complimentary half bottle of Pol Acker fizz in the fridge so we drank that as sailaway celebration

It was surprisingly palatable-much better than NCL “champagne” which needs lots of orange juice with it!

We had early dinner setting 6pm and originally supposed to be on shared table for 6

However most people were seated with their own party with exception of solo travellers

We had a table for 2 at a regular spot and same waiters throughout cruise and that suited us fine

The food was good and served in timely fashion-by 7.15 we found our way to the Golden Lion pub which would prove to be our go to place listening to entertainers

Most frequent in this venue were the Watson Duo a husband and wife vocalist/pianist

There was a break 9pm for trivia quiz which we did very badly on

Incidentally masks were worn by all staff and recommended for passengers in crowded areas except when eating and drinking.

We relaxed our mask wearing for first time in nearly 3 years except for when surrounded by strangers

This would prove to be a mistake on our part.

End of first day with good usage of beverage package and time for bed.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2873496-a-right-royal-cruise-with-walking-difficulties/?do=getNewComment

We recently did our first Cunard cruise

For those who have followed my blogs on cruising with walking difficulties aka the miadventures of 6 here is link to start of review on the Cunard board

it was interesting to compare and contrast Cunard and NCL

We will consider both in the future!

Several years I started a series of blogs relating our adventures[and misadventures] of cruising with someone who has walking difficulties ie my husband.

For anonymity I call him 6.

You may remember the 70s series about Steve Austin an astronaut who was severely injured and rebuilt with bionics to the tune of 6 million dollars.

Well as a result of Rheumatoid arthritis hitting him in his 40s he has had replacement hip surgeries totalling nearer £6000.[although rising]

We took to cruising around 2008 as a low mobility option to travel and were hooked ,cruising at least once a year and making some great friends along the way.

A brain haemorrhage in 2019 added insult to injury but we still managed a round UK and Ireland cruise that year.

That turned out to be our last cruise for a while for obvious reasons.

We both have a quirky sense of humour so this review is light hearted but focusing on issues relating to walking difficulties.

We have mainly cruised on NCL but this was our first Cunard cruise on QM2 and it was interested to compare and contrast.

Our Daughter Son in law and 2 Grandaughters aged 23 months and 2 months live near London.We travelled from our home in North East England to spend a few days with them en route to Southampton.

It was a great few days but we were ready for a cruise for the rest and relaxation!

The intention was to spend a few days on way back with them so left his mobility scooter with them.Cunard only allow mobility scooters in accessible cabins and they were all sold out.

We had brought a rollator type walker with seat to use around the ship but booked wheelchair assistance for embarkation and disembarkation.

Cruise was Friday Southampton to New York round trip[rearranged from 2020]

Thursday evening we drove the hour South to the Doubletree Hilton where had booked a cruise stay package with 15 days parking for £274

This was also the opportunity to exorcise a few ghosts as I spent nearly 5 weeks at this hotel in 1996 on the training course from hell!

It was a good start when reception staff apologised that they were unable to give me upgrade to King suite as part of loyalty scheme as the rooms were undergoing maintenance.

However the Queen suite was quite acceptable with a £20 reduction and seemed a good omen.

There was a wedding going on in the hotel and alpacas were special guests in the garden as photo opportunities!

We had a meal of fish and chips and a few drinks in the bar and retired to bed.      

disembarked QM2 Friday when husband tested positive on final day

we were disembarked after all other passengers with other isolating passengers

they had been moved to deck 5

we had noted the doors to that floor were closed during cruise with note not to enter unless in emergency

we got off QM2 Friday morning

husband woke up disembarkaction day with sore throat-tested with kits we brought along-positive

I was ans so far still negative

I rang pursers office from our cabin and we were escorted by white boiler suited and masked staff 2 of which had disinfectant tanks on back who sprayed in our wake

this was via separate exit after rest of passengers had disembarked about 10.45

becaus this was last day we werent moved to deck 5 which talking to others in the socially distanced queue was where they were moved to

we were "lucky" in that he didnt catch it earlier but it made me think how many people on board feeling unwell chose to board regardless as no proof was asked of negative status 

1 minute ago, Host Hattie said:

Hope you're husband is feeling better soon

 

thanks

he is quadruple vaccinationed so hopefully mild disease

just wanted to give heads up you can never be too carefull 

we disemabarked from QM Mary 2 this morning having done a round trip July 29 from Southampton

we had proof of vaccination and negative status on boarding but no one checked

we didnt go off in New York but did the torturous in transit 2 hour offf and and in New York

today which woould be day 14 and disembarking day hubby woke with sore throat and tested positive so acquired on board

all staff wearing facemasks 

we had to be disembarked after general public and joined other isolating passengers severaal of whom had been moved to isolation cabins earlier in cruise

obviously several passengers slipped throgh  net either accidently or on purpose

be careful!!!!!

ebay!

got hubby second hand tux jacket and trousers for £30

it was Marks and Spencer

4 hours ago, EuropeanAmericanTraveler said:

Hello,

I will be travelling from Southampton to New York and embarking on July 29.

Would you be kind enough to confirm what I think is the current status for covid testing pre-embarkation in Southampton en pre-desembarkation in NYC? (I have american citizenship if it matters).

- A negative rapid antigen test is mandatory within two days of embarkation in Southampton but no certificate is required anymore (over-the-counter self antigen tests are fine). Also, are the NHS self-testing rapid antigen tests fine for this?

- No pre-desembarkation covid test is required before desembarkation in New York (no covid certificate will be asked my US immigration in New York?)

 

Thank you all for your kind help!

I'm on same sailing and understand your assumptions are correct

1 hour ago, defbref said:

In the UK no requirement to tip luggage handlers

in fact Southampton dock has a large sign saying tips not required

1 hour ago, EuropeanAmericanTraveler said:

I actually called Cunard about it and they said there was a problem with the system and I should just ignore this date and go on with online check-in. So the departure date is still July 29!

yes we will be boarding on the 29th!

we are on same sailing and looking for test site

we will be staying night before at Hilton Southampton which is outside of city and didnt really want to travel into Southampton itself 

requirements changing all the timeand I note the Heathrow testing site we used in April [Colloinson] no longer seems to be in operation

its making sure we have the correct one for a cruise ship which isnt paying over the odds

we are[covid allowing ] doing back to back end of this month

you obviously just took ferry over to New York to fill in the day

were there day trips arranged for in transit passengers and if so do you think they were they worth the cost?

im assuming you need pre existing medical conditions cover

as we;; as stay sure check out good to go and all clear

On 6/26/2022 at 11:38 PM, RJChatsworth said:

Apologies for a previous error, the ship was Endurance and not Endeavour.  The speaker was Mensun Bound, explorer and archeologist.  He led the group to find Shackleton's Endurance.

 

This evening's meal in Club Britannia this evening was good and after my altercation with the waiter the meal takes less than an hour rather two hours as previous.  A bit too quick but I'm not complaining!

 

A couple of snippets from Sunday's Daily programme.  A request for passengers not to punch a hole in their voyage/key card as it renders them useless.  Who would punch a hole in the microchip?  Where do these people come from?  I forgot to bring my punch!!  Secondly, US and Canadian citizens booking certain cruises onboard for 2022 and 2023 will have their tips/service charge paid.  The Rest of the World:  'Please go away'.

 

Off to hear the singer Jenny Williams in the Theatre.

just to shed a bit of light on the hole punch in the card

previous cruises on a different cruise line guest services used to punch hole in card on request so could be attached to lanyard-I know I'm one of those persons wearing a glittery one at night or colourful during day to avoid carrying a handbag

now the coded info is spread throughout card so punching hole could wipe out info 

the rules re drinks in port seem to vary week by week

we had drink package on jade for our easter trip but couldnt get an alcoholic drink till a few hours after sailaway

we could however get non alcohol

week previous to ours no drinks at all

seems to be a big mix up on interepation of the rules 

10 hours ago, Warthog01 said:

 

Dilemma

My wife and I have been looking forward to our 50th Anniversary Queens Grill cruise on the Queen Mary ever since I booked it over a year ago. We’re due to sail from Southampton on 15th December for 26 days aboard.

On the 30th of May, all our hopes and dreams were dealt a cruel blow when my wife suffered a stroke at our home. She’s receiving excellent care, I’m an optimist and she’s a fighter, so we hope the scenario I’m about to discuss won’t come about. Nevertheless, it’s early days and I’m seeking advice to be as well prepared as possible.

We paid a deposit when we booked and the balance is due in September. We haven’t booked our insurance yet—who would expect a stroke seven months prior to sailing? That’s my first question—who will insure is after this event? I’m 76 and my wife is 73.

As I mentioned, I’m an optimist. My wife is making progress daily and we are hopeful she’ll be ready to go in December: No problem!

But what if she isn’t? I have a £20k cruise balance due in September which I intend to pay, but I’m not a wealthy man and I have no idea what my options might be at that point. Does Cunard have limits on levels of disabilities and are these negotiable? If she cannot travel (verified by a Doctor) can I recover any or all of my expenditure. Does Cunard maintain a waiting list for this kind of situation and would they return my deposits if the booking can be resold?

Apologies if this post has been disjointed. I’m still trying to get my head around y wife’s condition and I’m sure many more uncertainties will surface as we go along. Thanks in advance for any advice or assistance or fellow cruisers can provide.

 

Okay advice from a fellow Brit

yes the deposit will be forfeit if you cancel[UK conditions]

However you will need insurance for your trip especially for medical cover

As your wife now has a pre existing medical condition you will need specialist cover which of course costs a bit more

try Stay sure or Good to Go

we have had to have this type of insurance for several years as I have high blood presssure and my husband has inflammatory arthritis

Then he had a haemorragic stroke in 2019 and we found surprisingly the added premium wasnt that much higher once got past the 3 month mark which will bring up to final payment time

try the above companies[there are a few more I cant remember names ]

go through the medical assessment online and that will give you an idea  

On 6/10/2022 at 5:04 PM, cfreas said:

how do you recommend getting to cocoa beach area hotel?  I will be flying in late Wednesday 10/19 with a cruise out Thursday morning.  I have never gone out of Port Canaveral 

I am planning and contacted Cocoa Beach shuttle

up to 8pm they have quoted $65 for the 2 of us airport to  Cocoa beach

sounds very reasonable but would feel reassured by others endorsement

they offer 24 hour service but say will be more late night

Thank you to the people still reading my review and bringing views to 1K

v

in the UK we are required to have travel insurance when travelling abroad for medical costs as our NHS service does not cover us in USA

Travel insurance covers so much more than cancelations etc

however when I have booked through a USA travel agent I declined their insurance as was not suitable for UK citizen

in other words check what travel insurance covers for your nationality 

just a couple points we noted post refurbishment

The coffee maker has been removed which actually creates more room for shelves

we never used it but dont know if its an option to request 

there is 1 usb point under the tv but would be useful to have one by bedside

NCL app much improved

to use it you only need to be connected to the ships network 

you dont need to use any of your package minutes or mobile data provided by phone provider