Victoria2

Speaking as a UK resident, I wouldn’t dream of booking direct and having been lucky enough to find one of the best cruise agents in the country, we always book with him. There are loads of agents who will be able to book cruises and will do so with no problem and might even offer an extra slight discount, but I have often said, it’s when the chips are down that a great agent shows his/ her stripes.

As has been said, you don't need to tip extra but if you wish to tip personally, you can order US$$ or use Euros if you wish but why bother with any exchange rate. GBP will be absolutely fine. My advice though is if you do want to utilise other currency, don't use the Front Desk as an exchange facility. Their rates are favourable to Cunard and not the passenger.

My husband would be in the same boat as it were. A suit needs an appropriate shirt and most definitely needs a tie. As usual, this dress for chaps issue is a minefield and I think any newbie asking a question should be aware of the differing attitudes members have to this vexing issue. From the utterly conservative approach to the relaxed but compliant, the only true way of realising what chaps wear is to bite the bullet, pack differing articles of clothes and experience the Cunard way of life themselves because what is often stipulated as fact on this board does not necessarily, right or wrong, translate to reality.

I know you did. I was being contrary...just for a change!! 😀 Good to know there's another occasional woolly brain out there though! 👍

Some may say my brain is full of cotton wool but not sure what else I can make of this reply to me!😄

techteach, I think with a jacket, for a non Gala evening on Cunard it beats some of the non jacketed chaps' wear I've seen but then I think I must be a scruff nut in many eyes 😄 so what do I know!!!😁

I don't understand your reply

We have seen the Ents staff help with tours and occasionally, being the staff member on a tour bus.

I would choose for three reasons an eastbound passage, which I know is the minority position on this forum. First, flying over to Europe is tougher than flying back home. I completely agree with you rj1227, I would also to cruise east and fly west. Jet lag gets worse the older I get and flying east can be a killer of a jet lag issue. edit Just make sure if you cross [fly] the International date line, you set your alarm to wake you up local time [Tahiti for us] and not the afternoon which throws your body clock totally out of flunter! 🙃

You and many others. Either that or a Lewis Carroll character. 😀

and complicated is a good word to use for all dress advisories. Men's Batik is a good example. A long sleeved batik shirt is classed as formal wear in many S.E.Asian countries. It's not the Western idea of formal though and although Federal capital and main city residents will probably be au fait with Western Black Tie, that doesn't not mean it filters down to more localised areas. So whilst most passengers will wish to dress in a mode which doesn't cause conflict, it's a good idea to bear in mind, as I have said many times before, different countries have different styles of dress and I'm not talking the ubiquitous jeans/day wear issue, it's not up to anyone to turn their noses up at anyone else, if styles are somewhat different.

I'm sure our US contingent can help here but I'll jump in. A roll neck is the same as a Turtle Neck. A mock T.N is similar to a T.N, but doesn't have the 'roll over' and is shorter in the neck, hence the term 'mock'.

6. Is it really necessary in the library to keep the books in locked selves? Many years ago [the early 90's] we were on the second or third cruise of the new HAL Statendam. The content of the so called library was pathetic. Why? Because the library was an 'on trust' affair. Sadly, it was obvious many passengers couldn't be trusted and it was as though locusts had descended and stripped the shelves. Cunard are right to lock the cases when the librarians aren't there. It won't stop all pilferages but it will certainly make 99.9% of users respect the facility.

To a certain extent I agree with you but although what others wear has no effect on me at all and I am most definitely not a member of the Dress Police, if Joe/Jo Bloggs saw John/Joan Smith wearing blue jeans on a Smart attire night, he/she might think that's great, I'll do that next time. Then others will see and eventually the jeans wearing of a Smart Evening could escalate so I can see the merit in trad. jeans being worn in certain areas of the ship and not in others.

but has anyone given the thought to the fact anyone, can wear anything these days? There has been a presumption in the past, who generally wears certain articles of clothing, and I am being ever so careful with my wording because in truth, in the big wide world, it's open season on who wants to wear what so in also being slightly careful, Cunard are hoping a grain of historical common sense will prevail? Gosh, who'd want to write rules and regs on who wears what these days! It is so easy to upset the apple-cart. 😕

Or, whisper it, skinny jeans! 😄 Pushpit, thank you. It's been a real treat reading your daily contributions.

If you like sushi, head for the Lido if you can't get it in the restaurant. There the 'seaweed' and pickled ginger make great tangy additions to a salad. Add finely sliced smoked salmon or carpaccio if available and you have a fabulous lunch, or occasionally a dinner entree for me.

I speak as a jeans wearer as many on this board will have read about in the past and I wouldn't dream of wearing blue denim of any style where 'Smart Attire' is indicated. As I never see blue [of any hue] jeans in the restaurant on any evening, I have no idea if you'd be refused entry to parts of the ship.

Ha! If I ate as some do, I would put on half a stone on a two weeker. That's my reality. So I make sure I don't. 🙂 It's doubly hard when your partner can eat whatever they like, whenever they like and not put on weight. Grrrrr. From the start of Pushpit 's wonderful diary, I wondered how on earth all that food could be consumed at each meal. I looked at the great food photos and my own thoughts were, no way ☹️. A bit like a great thread a few weeks ago. I really would have needed assistance off the ship. Not a wheelchair, a wheelbarrow! We all have different metabolisms and whilst I put on weight just by looking at a cream cake, by being careful but still not stinting, it’s limited to an lb or two on Cunard. It's a case of knowing our own weight issues and sadly some of us have more need to watch what we eat than others as it's so easy to pile the lbs on but hard to get them off. No afternoon tea other than a cup of; no more than three courses for dinner and a one course salad of my own dictate for lunch, often with sushi. No bread with meals other than toast; no puddings at all other than the occasional Crepes Suzette and occasional small amounts of cheese. No meals with sauces, no dressings on salads [which I usually have every day for lunch ] side salads for dinner on occasions; no potatoes apart from the treat of fries but I do limit them. You get the drift. 🙂 The food is so varied and tasty, it's easy and whilst I admit, I can dictate what I want every day, similar can be sorted which ever restaurant one dines in and it's why I love The Lido at lunchtime occasionally as I can pick and mix my salad fixings there and then without the need to pre order for upstairs. I try and fit in a mile or two a day around deck three on QV but it’s not always feasible so on those days, I pop into the gym. On our five/six week plus cruises pre Covid, I reckoned I got away with a two or three lb gain, max. On a two weeker, however much I might think I've piled it on, the reality is one or two lbs. Alcohol also plays its part but I'm not giving that up. I'm on holiday! 😄 Do I find it hard? No. It's dead easy. 👍 Enjoy.

but what about base fares? Any comparisons?

although some have stated in the past, they embark as passengers and disembark needing wheelbarrow assistance, as cargo!!!😄

Cunard ships are apparently enjoying amazing bookings, so any lack of FCDs is obviously not hurting the company at all, unless of course most of the bookings are from the US! 🙂

Insulted? I believe I said if you travelled on QE this year and I will also repeat, you slipped through the net. That does not infer you didn't travel. It says. you slipped through the net. I have no knowledge of any other cruise line. You can argue 'til you're blue in the face but the facts are, the need to book a suitable cabin are in black and white in the brochure/online brochure. The idea is, you read the blurb before you book, not afterwards so there will be little or no surprises and to double down, this is from 2019 US brochure so nothing has changed in the actual policies, just the method of bringing it to the fore for those who don't read T&Cs Can guests with disabilities travel? All guests requiring specific assistance, facilities or equipment on board, or wishing to bring such equipment on board, must advise Cunard Line at the time of booking and are requested to complete a questionnaire after booking to ensure we have all the information we need to cater adequately for your requirements... ...Mobility scooters will only be permitted on board if guests have booked into a wheelchair accessible stateroom, or a suite, as these are the only types of accommodation where mobility scooters can safely be stored. The minimum door width of suites is 53 cm (21 in). The minimum door width of the wheelchair accessible staterooms is 80 cm (31 in). At the time of booking, please let us know if you intend on bringing a mobility scooter with you, and we will in turn provide you with a questionnaire for completion to ensure that the accommodation you have booked is appropriate. The facts are there. You must have missed them but now you are aware for any uture cruises, if you ever decide to cruise with Cunard again. edit and to quote chengkp75 I sympathize with your situation, but I feel it is more of a "caveat emptor" situation, where you did not read/understand all the terms and conditions of your booking, regardless of how many previous times you booked a cruise, thinking you met those terms and conditions. and I would add, were allowed to board in spite of the rules. In this case, it seems as if Cunard policies are now being enforced, as they should have been all along.

If you managed to board a Cunard ship with a foldable scooter for an inside cabin, you slipped through the usual net. There have been one or two threads over the past year or two on how folk didn't read the blurb [an Australian passenger rings a bell] and weren't able to take their micro foldable scooter with them as they were booked into a regular cabin. Bottom line is Cunard have NOT changed 'the rules'. The rules have been there for years and in their T&Cs [I looked at the UK '22'23 brochure and they are there] and this is from the 21/22 US brochure Mobility scooters will only be permitted on board if guests have booked into a wheelchair-accessible stateroom, or a suite, as these are the only types of accommodation where mobility scooters can safely be stored. What they have changed is making 'the rules' more prominent for those who weren't aware of them/ didn't read the T&C/blurb and unless Canada was totally out of sync with most other countries, without being rude, that means your agent and yourself. They have not dropped any balls and in fact, by pointing their policy out in almost banner headlines, will have saved some folk heartache by being denied boarding at their own expense and will have doubled down on any safety aspects for any form of disablement in an emergency at sea. I for one am very happy the ship will be a safer place for all passengers.