Brindlebury

Having just boarded and making my way to my cabin on a westbound TA two years ago, I happened to pass a laundry room as someone was coming out - and through the open door I could see it was already full of people. It surprised me, which is probably why I remember it now.  

My best laundry room experiences were when my cabin was just doors away and I could pop in and out within seconds to grab a free machine and transfer wash.  Ah, the simple pleasures! 

I've cancelled 4 cruises over the past year, but have the westbound TA on December 15, 2021 still on the books.

Almost 11 months from now.  Fingers crossed.

It would be SO nice to actually take a cruise as opposed to cancelling it!

5 hours ago, Smitheroo said:

I'm amazed some people remember their cabin numbers from so long ago! 

For years I saved the baggage tags on which the cabin numbers were written. Of course I have no idea where those are now!

My first ship, which began my love affair with the sea and Cunard, was the original Queen Elizabeth, on which I crossed twice as a teenager in that long ago summer of 1968.  

She was retired from service shortly thereafter.

My family had adjoining cabins, B109 and 111.  The portholes opened and I recall putting my head through one and staring down at the immense black hull, as solid as Gibraltar,  with the North Atlantic racing past in a white froth.

Such a beautiful ship and so long ago, yet crystal clear in my mind. 

With the exception of TAs, which always seem too short to me anyway – I’m just settled in when it’s time to disembark – my minimum is around 12 days.  The longest was a 72-day round the Pacific cruise years ago, which was glorious. 

I love having sea days liberally spaced between port stops.  And like some overnight ports as well.  Any cruise without sea days I immediately eliminate. I appreciate a balance between the two.

But the happiest thought to me at the moment is to simply be onboard again.

12 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

As the first on this board, to suggest Alexandra, I'll stick with that if only because 'Alex'' seems to roll off the tongue as an affectionate diminutive. 🙂

I absolutely agree. I've always thought Queen Alexandra was an ideal name. An elegant lady, an elegant ship.  

On 10/10/2020 at 12:49 PM, MarkBearSF said:

We had been booked in one of our favorite cabins, which has a "slightly obstructed" view around the small rescue craft (8050).

Congrats in advance on the Diamond status.  

One of my favourite cabins in the slightly-obstructed category is 8013.  I've had it twice now, and had it booked for a crossing later this year which - of course - has been cancelled.

Sitting on the sofa or the bed, you see nothing whatsoever of the lifeboat, which only appears when you walk right up to the glass and in no way hinders the view out or forward. I also like its proximity to the library and Commodore Club - haunts for differing parts of the day.

Ah, just writing this makes me long to be onboard!

You'll have a wonderful time!

As a start, by train from Southampton Central, the cathedral cities of Salisbury (about 30 minutes away) and Winchester (under 20) are both filled with enough activities to keep you occupied all day, and still allow return to the ship in plenty of time.  

Portsmouth, where you'll find the remains of Henry VIII's great flagship the Mary Rose and Nelson's Victory, is an equally fascinating destination, less than an hour by train.  

Tour companies run daytrips to sites such as Stonehenge and Highclere, where Downtown Abbey was filmed.  And in Southampton itself there's the excellent SeaCity Museum, plus the West Quay shopping centre for last minute necessities.

London is huge, and as one of the world's great cities, cannot even be scratched in the time allotted. 

Final payment is on the 24th. Hopefully I'll just get hit with the $75 cancellation fee and the deposit will be returned (at some point).  

3 hours ago, Mercruiser said:

I cancelled my Jan 22 Buenos Aires cruise. Given the Covid situation in the Americas, I don't see any possibility of Azamara doing a South America cruise season this year.   Final payment was due this week. I don't want to make a $6000 unsecured loan to RCCL, so I cancelled. I'll lose $75 pp cancellation fee. It's too bad because this itinerary suits me better than what they offer next year.

I, too, was on that cruise and cancelled yesterday.  I was looking forward to it - and much prefer that itinerary to anything offered in 2022.

Ah well, a sign of the times. 

So odd to see her decks so empty.  Normally they'd be crammed with passengers eagerly taking in the experience.  

Sign of the times.

I'm booked B2B on the Quest in South America, January/Februay 2021 and cannot imagine now that it will take place. I already had 2 cruises canceled this year.  

I've been looking forward to sailing in a part of the world I'm just beginning to explore.  And these also would have been my first Azamaras.  I think I was anticipating that aspect more eagerly than I was the ports!

On 9/3/2020 at 4:19 PM, PORT ROYAL said:

 

May one make another suggestion for a visit to the "Mary Rose" Exhibition.  Stunning!

Absolutely agree.  Fascinating on so many levels and well worth the visit.

Two cancelled for this year, 3 on the books for January, February and December of 2021.  I've no hope for any but the December one - and that's 50/50 at the moment.  

I love cruising and have 3 still on the books for next year. But I can't imagine boarding any ship for the foreseeable future.  There are just too many variables, too much uncertainty. When there is either a vaccine or a treatment, I will be among the first back up the gangplank. May it be soon!

Thank you German cruiser! Your trip sounds lovely.

If these first attempts at sailing again bring me hope – with 3 cruises still on the books – I can only imagine the relief the thousands of crew members sitting in their home countries feel, knowing that ships are slowly beginning to stir again.

As for the QR code.  We went to a country restaurant last week, tables miles apart, with the code card at the table which you access through your mobile.  But the people at a neighboring table apparently didn’t have a phone or couldn’t make the code work – so the staff brought a large chalk board with all the menu items written on it. A neat solution though clearly not practical with 1000 passengers!

That one tempted me as well, especially as I love crossings. 

Just now, Brindlebury said:

I’m booked on that as well, as a B2B, the second leg sailing up to Brazil.  

Ironically, these would be my first Azamara cruises, and I’ve been looking forward to them immensely, as much for experiencing the ship as for the ports. The excellent contributors to this board persuaded me a while ago that Azamara would be a good fit.

But I can’t imagine anyone sailing to Brazil now. And I simply am not comfortable with the idea of traveling anywhere until there is a treatment or vaccine. 

It will come, but I suspect that January/February 2021 is still too optimistic.

On 6/20/2020 at 10:35 AM, Mercruiser said:

I've have an Argentine Uraguay Chile cruise booked for January, 2021. When I booked it, it seemed likely that cruises would be running by then. Now I am starting to doubt the South America cruise itineraries will be running this season. The world is going to be playing "Whack-A-Mole" with Covid for the foreseeable future. This is going to make it exceedingly difficult to run a cruise business, since it involves so many countries.

 

If I were retaking this poll now, I might vote April, 2021 - if that were a choice. 

I’ve traveled solo on Cunard 9 times now, and like you, I had many questions before my first.  I keep returning because I always have a wonderful time.  

You’ll find the ship full of congenial people – many, like you, will be making the cruise to sample their first taste of Cunard. Many will be in your age bracket as well, as the shorter cruise doesn’t require loads of free time. 

I’ve been in various Britannia balcony cabins, Britannia Club on Deck 13, and one of those Deck 3 Oceanview singles - which, as others have said, are wonderful.  

My recommendation would be to go Britannia and request a large table.  I prefer second sitting, which gives time beforehand to have a leisurely drink or two in the Commodore Club or the Chart Room.  I have not only met interesting people at my Britannia dinners, but have made some wonderful friends. Often our table is amongst the last to leave.

The only problem you’ll have – if you’re like most of us here – is that you won’t want to get off. And the future cruise office on Deck 2 is there to provide temptation!

Let the ship sail on to Hamburg and give yourself the time in London. You will never regret it.

As others have said, if you choose the 1 day on a B2B, half the time will be in transit, and you will forever be rushing and looking  at your watch. Trust me, once you're there you'll relish the unhurried time.  

For 7 years now, we've taken a December westbound crossing on the QM2 preceded by 2 weeks in London.  There is never  enough time in this most wonderful of cities.  And what a joy to step aboard the QM2 again for the return trip.  

I can think of nothing lovelier.   

May we all be sailing again soon!

I've no fondness for anchor chains in the am (or any other time for that matter).  Thanks for the warning.  

50 minutes ago, Mrs Miggins said:

We have had one of these larger OV's (6004)  as well but we did find them very noisy so have reverted to a midship OV on deck 4 for our June cruises.

Yes, I worried a bit about this.  But the added interior square footage seems a plus.

It appears that 6004 has a connecting door to 6002. Could you hear the occupants next door?   

57 minutes ago, Host Grandma Cruising said:

Yes, they are great. There are 4 the same, two on 6 and two on 7.  The window is round, but very large. They are huge cabins. The space that is the veranda in the next door cabin is incorporated into the cabin. We had one on our last cruise and now have them booked for our next two.

Thank you so much for this.  

Because there are only 4 of them, it seems difficult to find any actual information, so this is very helpful, especially the size of the window. I normally would take a balcony, but will be traveling solo on the cruise(s) I'm contemplating - and with a very high single supplement, the oceanview is my only option this time.

Great topic, thank you.

What about the non-obstructed ocean views 6004 and 6005?  Has anyone recently stayed in them? They appear on the deck plans to be quite large.