Splice the mainbrace

Really buzzing this morning after listening to Zoe Ball on R2 and her 3 themed songs at 7.30 were The Who Baba O’Reilly, Queen Bohemian Rhapsody and New Order Blue Monday, some of my favourite bands and tracks. Better than most of the R2 play list nowadays.

Priority (QG, PG, Diamond, Platinum and Britannia Club) does give you earlier boarding it normally starts at 12.15 to 12.45 depending on when the ship or security are ready. It doesn’t matter what boarding time it says on your boarding pass they gather all priority in the waiting area and board them first. If priority passengers arrive later than the start of boarding then they get priority check in but I’m not sure about security.

Priority grades tend to arrive from 11.30 but in our experience on 2 Cunard 2023 embarkations non priority were held outside until the priority had cleared from the waiting area, that was full both times with the priority grades.

I don’t recall them calling BC but maybe it’s after Platinum?

Sorry what’s BC?

We departed from Southampton on QV in November and all priority passengers were called in the following order QG, PG, Diamond and Platinum. QG were called at 12.15, we are Platinum and were called at about 12.40. For you the difference between PG and Diamond being called will only be about 5 minute difference. Call times may be different depending on how soon the ship is ready to receive passengers and when security are ready.

2c and clear here as the sun comes up. I’ll probably go for a walk again, I’m trying to go every day when the weather is ok. We have a few queries about the cruises we booked yesterday so we’ll email our TA agent today to amend / clarify.

That's good about Manhattan, we've been to New York on QM2 twice before and docked in Brooklyn and got into Manhattan once by taxi and the other using the ferries. We tried to get a taxi back from Battery Park to the terminal and the driver hadn't heard of it and we had to direct him there (this was in 2009) 🤣

I had a cholesterol blood test at work in my mid 40s and is was 6 so I went on statins then some 16 years ago, no problem as far as I know. I'm only on 20mg. When I changed to Nationwide Flexplus account it didn't cost me any more as it's the only medication or condition that I have.

No I'm not on social media apart from this and a few other forums. The time that we sail is Southampton Boat Show week so hotels may be in short supply or expensive for people wanting to stay the night before the cruise, or stay further out and drive in on day.

We transferred a P&O cruise today from September 2024 Arcadia to USA and Canada 30 days to January 2025 as part of her World Cruise 23 days from San Francisco to Sydney, it was a bit more expensive meaning that we could transfer according to P&O terms and conditions. We also booked to replace the P&O North America cruise with a Sky Princess one with a similar itinerary leaving mid rather than early September. The cross Pacific via Hawaii and South Sea Islands has been on our bucket list anyway, what swayed us into arranging it now was that the Princess USA/Canada cruise had advantages over the P&O one. Price is only £500 pp more expensive than when we booked with P&O but a mini suite not a balcony even with us adding drinks package inc wifi, 1 day longer cruise and goes 12 days later so autumn colours could be better (no guarantees). Took about 40 mins on the phone to sort it all out.

In 3 weeks time we fly out to Cape Town to join QM2 to cruise to Sydney. We have booked flights independently and have built in a long transfer time at Heathrow and landing the day before embarkation, so have taken precautions minimise late arrival for embarkation. However we will be flying at the end of January, if there are severe flight cancellations and delays because of weather, strikes etc and we are late for embarkation I would like to be prepared to inform Cunard that we are late and would like to join the ship at the next port of call (Durban). I know that I am being over cautious but I would like to be prepared just in case. I've looked on Cunard website and have found a telephone number if arriving late for embarkation in Southampton but not general Emergency UK contact number does anyone know of a number for this kind of eventuality? Also has anyone had a similar situation where they had to board later in the cruise after missing the start of it?

Today we are going to try a transfer a P&O cruise from one in September 24 to a January 25 one. My understanding is that as long as the other cruise is the same price or higher that it is allowed. Has anyone done this previously?

3c and was sunny here but since sunrise the fog has developed. Nothing much planned for today apart from watching some fa cup matches and following the scores on tv this afternoon as they develop.

We’ve stayed at that Radisson a couple of times when having an early morning flight, very convenient with undercover walk ways to the terminals.

4c cloudy and calm here this morning, colder but dry weather forecast going forward but not excessively so. I went for a 3 mile walk yesterday it was nice to see the hazel shrubs lambs tails out already and the occasional daffodil blooming planted in the road verges.

The MIL is coming round for lunch today, we’re going a bit lighter today with salmon, new potatoes and broccoli.

Happy new year everyone. Nice bright calm start here and 5c. Quiet night in last night watching films and then the midnight London fireworks, then FaceTimed our sons in Southampton and Sydney (Oz) to greet in the New Year. I will bring in some outside lights today only because we are expecting our window cleaners this week who may trip over the wires. We will bring our decs down on Friday, we are more in the later up and later down camp than some, I’ve heard on the radio some take down on Boxing Day I’ve never heard of that before. It’s a bit like Christmas records on the radio, it’s apparently ok to play them on the radio from December 1st but after Boxing Day it’s a no no, what happened to the 12 days of Christmas? We go away 4 weeks tomorrow for our QM2 Cape Town to Sydney cruise so we will try and shift a few pounds in weight before we go away, my clothes were a bit snug after our last cruise and I am about the same weight now so need to lose some, target 6 pounds.

We’ve had dishwasher problems this week. After 15 years our dishwasher finally failed on Boxing Day, I researched on line and ordered another from John Lewis the same day and was pleasantly surprised it could be delivered and fitted today. This morning the fitters came and couldn’t fit it because of the way that our original kitchen fitter had attached the integrated door, it appears to be stuck not screwed on and they couldn’t get it off. So old and new dishwashers are now in the garage, I’m trying to contact the original fitter (if he is still doing it) to come up with a solution, if not I’ll contact another fitter. Very frustrating 🤬

Paynes Just Brazils or other brands of chocolate covered Brazil nuts are very difficult to get nowadays. I particularly like the dark chocolate ones.

We fly from Manchester to Cape Town via Heathrow to join a cruise at the end of January. I will be anxiously looking at the weather forecast in the week leading up to it because the domestic flights are normally the first to be cancelled in adverse weather conditions.

Wind as moderated somewhat after being strong all day yesterday, our neighbours are having to redo their outside Christmas lights. I met up with ex work colleagues yesterday for a Christmas drink and it was exactly 5 years since I retired ( I don’t know where the time has gone). The work place has changed so much since covid with very flexible working days in the office and when hours are worked. Also they now ‘hot desk’ where you don’t have your own desk, to me part of making going to work more bare able was having a desk that was yours arranged to your own liking with personal items permanently around you. One negative thing that retirement has brought me is laziness, when I worked I planned and did at the weekends tasks in my free time, now I put things off knowing I could do things at any time but often put it off and off 😃 Oh another thing is that I worry more about things as I have more time to think about them, when working it was very busy at work and at home where there was little time to think and contemplate things. Everything else though 👍

Nothing planned for today, maybe a walk later if weather stays ok. Dry, cloudy and currently 10c. We watched the first of the Lord of the Rings trilogy films yesterday and will watch the others this week, it’s not a relaxing watch though it’s battle after battle leaving me quite up tight afterwards. We are going to our eldest son for Christmas Day lunch again this year who lives locally. We are having a Christmas meal here tomorrow with MIL, Turkey crown and all of the traditional accompaniments tomorrow. We love cooking so like to cook a Christmas meal at some point in the season, even though it gets a bit fraught as serving up time approaches 🥵I’m in charge of the turkey and roast potatoes and the wife does everything else.

Nothing to eat or drink?

I agree about Layton background in dancing and that most of his routines are twisting the dancing to suit his showbiz style, I’m afraid that it leaves me cold watching him being a contestant but very good as a performer. I read that he hasn’t done a ballroom dance for several weeks, as opposed to Latin. He has not been doing well in the public voting with Ellie then Bobby doing better, Annabel has been getting a lot of the public vote so it will be interesting where her votes go to now. I don’t think Layton will win.