Colin_Cameron

Palmeat beat me to it with one of the missing ports, so I'll give you the opposite view to see if that helps. (Although judging from the angles it looks like you were docked while we tendered.)

On 3/19/2021 at 10:25 PM, Colin_Cameron said:

My 92yo MIL has been housebound since this all started, until she got taken into hospital about a month ago. The good news there is that hospital visiting may be allowed starting sometime next month.

It turns out that next month was too late.

10 hours ago, 57eric said:

This is the best one I've ever been able to find.  The arrangement on your voyage may vary somewhat from this, but it's been pretty reliable for me.

 

Except that's for QM2.

37 minutes ago, Ray66 said:

Don't forget to do your Census everyone in the UK! 🙂

 

Just done ours.

Not everyone in the UK. Scotland's has been postponed to next year.

On 3/20/2021 at 11:47 AM, Solent Richard said:

I can add at least one other port still not on the list but can only find digital photographs of the excursion we took from that particular ship - scanned some time ago from the hard copy photographs. It should be reasonably easy to guess both the port and Cunarder that we were sailing on...

 

 

 

Blackpool?

4 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

Mr HH has booked a haircut,

When they reopen here I’m not rushing. I want an estimate first.

It’s been a big day here. Apart from taking the car for its MOT (compulsory annual roadworthiness test) in January I had my biggest journey for four, maybe five months. A trip to the DIY store. It’s not that far, well within walking distance. But not carrying an 8’x4’ sheet of 3/4” plywood.

Come to think of it. The last time I was further than walking distance from the house was probably August or September. But at least we can get out. My 92yo MIL has been housebound since this all started, until she got taken into hospital about a month ago. The good news there is that hospital visiting may be allowed starting sometime next month.

Earlier this week one friend decided to meet up with another for a walk. Which is all perfectly within the rules - two people, out of doors, etc. Unfortunately they live a little over ten miles apart and friend A got stopped  by the police. Excessive non-essential journey, £60 fine. Being now, very close to friend B they went for their walk. Several hours later A is heading home and gets stopped again. Second offence, £1000 fine.

We both got our first dose on Tuesday afternoon and by Tuesday evening were both feeling exhausted. Wednesday afternoon and the shivering and tingling started. A couple of paracetamol and we were both fine by Thursday morning. We’ve spoken to a couple of friends who are nurses and involved in the vaccination programme and the’ve said that although it’s all anecdotal it does seem that younger people seem to have more side effects than older ones. If that was meant as a compliment, I’ll take it.

3 hours ago, North West Newbie said:

 

I stand to be corrected but my understanding is that a ship can only sell duty free if it is scheduled to visit at least one port on the itinerary that is outside the UK. I doubt sailing into international waters is sufficient by itself.

 

For all intents and purposes, QE will be undertaking domestic cruises and I expect duty and UK vat will be payable.

My opinion, for whatever that’s worth, is the same.

Before Brexit, the cruise had to include a non-EU port to enable them to sell duty free. Merely sailing into international (non-EU) waters was not sufficient. 

So although the rules will have changed, if the principle is the same, I would expect the answer to be ‘No’. But in this case I’d love to be proved wrong.

37 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

 

I'll start with identifying the port. That was fast. This looks like a match to St John's, Antigua which I just requested to complete our list of the four Cunard ports named for Saint John. Thank you very much for this contribution.

Well that took longer than I thought it’s would.😁 Even if it was worded to not help.

Port and (ex-Cunard) ship?

From our experience (with another line, not Cunard) it was all used against the cruise price meaning a smaller balance to pay at final payment date.

19 minutes ago, Solent Richard said:

Good morning again Bluemarble.

 

Would this port be of interest...

 

That looks like St John's Newfoundland.

4 minutes ago, Solent Richard said:

I think Belboy may be referring to the 'card' confirming your vaccination - which they ask you to retain...

 

Nope, don't have one of those either. And neither does anyone else I know. (But then it is a PHE document) Not aware of any equivalent north of the border.

Other oddities I've noticed (at least locally) are that those getting the AZ don't get their second date straight away but two people that I know who got the Pfizer did. Also differences in whether you MUST wait 10-15 mins before leaving depending on which jab you get. I think drivers are all being told to wait.

Time for a hint?

1 hour ago, Bell Boy said:

At the moment we don't have proof to hand that we have had the vaccination, other that our little appointment card

As our appointments were made by phone we don't even have that. And I'm sure we're not alone.

We had been waiting in Fremantle to board the ship bound for Southampton. As it turned out we had six extra days in Perth, at Cunard’s expense before we got a flight on the Thursday night. Finally arriving home exactly a week after we got to the dock. (Seven and a half days if you count the time difference)

In one way, it’s hard to believe it was a year ago. In another, it seems like a lifetime.

21 minutes ago, ExArkie said:

My understanding is that there are no connecting cabins on QE or QV. However, were one to book two adjacent balcony cabins, would it be possible to connect the two balconies (i.e., move the partition between them)? - not quite the same thing, but you wouldn't always have to go out into the corridor to move between rooms.

 

Most, if not all, of the balcony dividers open. There may be exceptions at the ‘corners’, where the balconies step in, or out, or at the fire zone boundaries.

4 hours ago, Windsurfboy said:

Wonder if anyone has ever done thie

Almost.

Many years ago we were planning a QE2 cruise with another couple. The plan was to book three adjoining cabins and have the middle one set up as a living room, for all of us, with a connecting bedroom on either side. As you have found there can be considerable savings against a larger cabin. From memory I think there was the potential to connect up to five, or maybe six cabins on QE2. Unfortunately due to a death in the family our cruise didn’t go ahead. 

There were several QG cabins that had connecting Mauritania singles, for your maid.

1 hour ago, bluemarble said:

I do remember stories from the golden age of ocean liner travel where passengers might book a second cabin like this, perhaps just to store all their luggage in the other cabin.

We have met one couple on a World Cruise that had booked a second cabin and Cunard emptied it and fitted it with hanging rails as a giant walk-in wardrobe!

2 hours ago, procrastiknitter said:

... I just wish the best parts of each could be combined.

Why not?

Check the dates for the ports that you really want to do on each itinerary. You're unlikely to get a perfect match but would changing ship halfway give you most of what you want? Is there a convenient port to change ships? (If they're not there on the same day, make sure the one you're getting off is there before the one you're getting on😄)

11 minutes ago, Lanky Lad said:

Good news I have a new job starting on 29th March. Just over a year since I was put on furlough so I am going to call it my gap year.

Good News indeed. Congratulations.

My first year of retirement was going to be my gap year, but it's now heading towards two.

26 minutes ago, JohnoClark said:

- or?

Supply and demand?

Another new port.

Although this was taken from an ex-Cunard ship it has been visited by at least one of the current ships.

14 hours ago, bluemarble said:

Did you call at La Gomera rather than Fuerteventura?

Been up to the attic. All the pre-voyage documentation shows La Gomera so whenever the change was made, it wasn't last minute.

12 hours ago, bluemarble said:

Did you call at La Gomera rather than Fuerteventura?

 

20 Oct 2004:  Southampton, England

21 Oct 2004:  At Sea

22 Oct 2004:  Vigo, Spain

23 Oct 2004:  At Sea

24 Oct 2004:  Funchal, Madeira

25 Oct 2004:  Arrecife de Lanzarote, Canary Islands

26 Oct 2004:  Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands

27 Oct 2004:  Fuerteventura, Canary Islands

28 Oct 2004:  At Sea

29 Oct 2004:  Lisbon, Portugal

30 Oct 2004:  At Sea

31 Oct 2004:  At Sea

01 Nov 2004:  Southampton, England

We did. But I don't remember it as a change of plan. Need to dig out the paperwork.

No Vigo either. I remember missing Vigo because of the weather but had forgotten that it was this cruise. There was also some doubt over whether we (and QM2) would make it into Lisbon, as QE2 cancelled her call (on 27th. or 28th.), but we made it OK.

All in all quite a bumpy cruise. I remember having to call the nurse at one point and when I opened the cabin door she was on her knees in the corridor because she couldn't stand up!

I think all the Caronia clips in this compilation came from this cruise. As usual, the best (worst) bits were when the camera wasn't running.

1 hour ago, bluemarble said:

How did I do with that forensic analysis?

Well, your logic was fine but you could have been led astray by partial information.

The clue in the photo was indeed the pennant. That was Caronia’s ‘Paying Off Pennant’ which should have led you to her farewell  voyage, 20th Oct - 1st Nov 2004. Having posted La Gomera the other day there was only one other unseen port left from that cruise. So, again, impeccable logic. 

It it will come as no surprise, given the part of the world involved, that despite referring to the wrong itinerary, you still came up with the right answer.

Well done.

Don't you think some people are just too good at this game?

If I tell you that this is a new port then I think that's enough for at least one person (no names😄) to identify the unseen port.