Live from the Queen Victoria--Princess Elites sail Cunard QV to the Baltic

[brigittetom]

 

If air conditioning is provided the inside temperature should not be more than 5C cooler than the outside temperature. So sometimes the US visitors do not realize that in fact a cooling system is active.

 

I think that is just good common sense. Here we are frozen out in our summer clothes....and baked to a crisp in our winter gear.

[cwn]

Air conditioning is in Germany as useful as a central heating system in Southrn Florida........

.......If air conditioning is provided the inside temperature should not be more than 5C cooler than the outside temperature. So sometimes the US visitors do not realize that in fact a cooling system is active.

 

I think that is just good common sense. Here we are frozen out in our summer clothes....and baked to a crisp in our winter gear.

 

Hmmm....I grew up on the Gulf Coast and in Texas. It was 101 F here the other day. It is 96 F right now. We are having a cool summer. Our humidity is always high in the summer which makes the heat worse. I remember how miserable that was before AC. No way would I ever want to go back to the days 90+ and nights of 85+ which is about what we have now. A measly 5 degrees won't put a dent in the comfort (misery) level.

 

Give me a dry, cool, comfortable home, office, store or car between 68 F and 72 F with ~55% humidity. In the winter we keep the house between 62 - 65 F and just wear a sweater if it gets a little cool so our utility bills are very low, but in the summer that meter spins and we mostly stay close to home. Nowhere knows how to do AC like the South especially along the Gulf Coast.

[brigittetom]

cwn, I understand. We're not that hot here. When we use heat or air, it's set at 72. It's going to the grocery store or some restaurants that gets uncomfortable. We are, after all, dressed according to the outside temps. Not so bad in the winter because you can take off the coat....but having to remember to bring a heavy sweater in the summer is a chore. Yes...it's the humidity that gets you. :eek:

[PunkiC]

Live from the Queen Victoria--Princess Elites sail Cunard QV to the Baltic

 

Day Eleven: Copenhagen

 

Once my cruise blogs get into the double digits, I start to feel a little sad as I become aware of the fact at the end is getting nearer and nearer. We do have a little “anti-withdrawal” cruise scheduled in September, just to hold us over until we do our Mediterranean cruise on the Queen Elizabeth in November. The truth is that I had about $299.00 Alaska Airline credit that I had to use up in a hurry and found a great deal on a repositioning cruise from Vancouver to Los Angeles. Since it is only a three-day cruise with no formal nights, we decided to take it using only one carry-one each and explore the possibilities of taking public transportation from our home to Vancouver, and then from SeaTac back again when we return. That blog will be posted on Princess. Starting September 20.

 

Today is just perfect for Seattleites—bright, sunny and cool—so I can do all of my hand laundry before breakfast and expect it to dry on the deck before we return. We were pretty much docked by 6:30 a.m. and our berth is quite close into town near the Little Mermaid. They have delayed our sail away from 4:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. which will allow more time for touring. DH was thinking he might like to take the train to Helsingor to visit Hamlet’s Castle, but that might take some convincing as we were there a couple of years ago. I am thinking that I would prefer to just play the day by ear and see what happens.

 

We finally decided to do the bus and boat Hop On Hop Off which waited right outside the ship and enjoyed it thoroughly. It was very nice that the Hop On Hop Off bus has Free Wifi so we could upload some pictures and communicate with friends and family back home while we waited for it to depart. First we toured around the city on the red line and then disembarked at Gammel Strand to wait for the boat to arrive. Since we had about a 35 minute wait, we went into a bar for a Danish Beer and an opportunity to use the restroom. There were other folks from the ship who had taken organized tours, hanging out in the bar on their “free time” enjoying even more free wifi.

 

The weather remained clear and cool for our boat trip so we were very happy that we had worn our jackets. In the more open areas of water, I raised my hood and tied it on fairly tight against my visor and was thereby able to remain cozy and comfy. DH was on the outside seat and did get some salt water spray on his sunglasses. We are old sailors and both love being on the water so the tour of Copenhagen by boat was once again the highlight of our day. At one point we cruised under the Queen Victoria and she made quite an imposing and regal site. After disembarking the tour boat at Christianshavn we walked around a bit before boarding the Purple Line for another bus tour which took us to the Royal Radisson and looked or wine and contact wetting solution. The wine was fairly easy to find at a discount supermarket where they had a good selection at decent prices, but the contact wetting solution presented more of a challenge. We entered an apothecary and took a number, but the wait was so long that we decided I would be able to get by one more day and got back on the red line and headed back to the ship. We arrived at The Little Mermaid about 5:00 p.m. and then got back to the ship at 5:15 with a ship’s cutoff time of 5:30. Today there were no delays for late ship’s tours.

 

There was one couple on our bus who disembarked at the Gefion Fountain which concerned us as we knew that our bus was the last one that would get us back to the ship before she sailed. The distance is, however, quite walkable within the time-frame allowed so perhaps that is what they did. Our dinner mates told us that they were paging some people to report that they were on board prior to our sailing.

 

It felt like a very long day and I was very ready for bed when we finished dinner with our most delightful table mates. We certainly lucked on with table mates on this cruise. I crashed and DH joined the group to go to the theater and watch the comedian who is reported to be quite funny.

 

It struck me as odd that we were required to take our passports ashore but they were never checked. We simply walked off the ship into the city and returned through a simple gate where our cruise cards were checked. It was as casual as visiting a port in Alaska, actually even more so.

 

Mrs. Wilburforce writes:

 

My son lives in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. We're heading there for a visit in a couple of weeks. That's what keeps us from cruising...very worthy and good reason His family can't stand the hot Midwest summers, nor the frigid winters. DS claims Seattle has made him soft

We love your neighborhood. My DDiL and I always take a drive around to gawk at the lovely homes.

We've taken one 10 day cruise on QM2, and I joined my sister on a 10 day Princess Panama Canal trip. I slept on a roll-a-way cot on Princess to escape the hard mattress so I agree with your assessment of Cunard vs Princess. Each line has it's strengths and weaknesses.

I have really enjoyed your writing style and your attention to detail. If I only take one more cruise, and that may be our reality, this would be my itinerary of choice. Thanks for allowing me to live vicariously through your travel blog.

 

I was born and raised (for the most part) in the Midwest so I can empathize with your son. I hate the heat almost as much as I hate the cold (except when we are skiing), so Seattle is perfect for us with its mild winters and cool summers. We don’t have air-conditioning either and very rarely feel the heat, especially since we replaced all of the windows in our 100-year-old home with Low E windows. We do however have fireplaces in our kitchen, living room and in the sitting room off our bedroom and we love them on chilly evenings when we really don’t want to turn on the central heating, but want to make things feel all cozy.

 

Thank you for the compliment on our neighborhood. When I first came to Seattle in 1968, I fell madly in love with Queen Anne and decided that it was the neighborhood in which I wanted to live. Our first home, purchased after we married in 1971, was on the North Slope of Queen Anne Hill, overlooking Freemont. It was a wonderful first home but we knew we wanted eventually to be up on top of the hill so the kids would be able to walk or bike to and from school at St. Anne’s, and we would all be able to walk into the village for most of our needs. After three years in our first home, we were able to sell it at enough of a profit to buy our big house on top of the hill. We are so very blessed that we got in just at the right time as prices on the hill now days are astronomical. We can now walk to the grocery store, bank, dentist, hair dresser, and dozens of restaurants and coffee shops. We drive to Church as we take our elderly neighbor every Sunday, but for the most part we just walk around. By the time we arrive back home, there will be a fancy new Trader Joes in a new complex just four blocks from our home and we are very excited about that as DH loves so many things at Trader Joes and it is, of course, by far the best place to buy every day wines.

 

We will probably be passing you in the air as we fly back to Illinois in a couple of weeks to attend a 70th birthday party for the members of my high school class. Hopefully the weather there will cool down after Labor Day.

 

Thank you for joining me on my travels to the Baltic. I hope it helps you more enjoy it when you have an opportunity to visit in real life.

[Glenndale]

Thank you for your "live from" reports.

I've thoroughly enjoyed them :)

Safe journey home.

[Lady49Monet]

Thank you I have enjoyed your blogs and I have looked forward to the next one. I hope you enjoy the rest of your cruise and a safe journey home.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[cruiseluvva]

I have enjoyed reading your regular updates, so thank you. Safe travels.

[PunkiC]

The cruise isn't over yet, but we did get our luggage tags this morning. :(

 

We are currently in Kristiansand where we were forced once again to dash into a bar to escape a crazy downpour. Lots of rain today.

Edited August 22, 2014 by PunkiC

[Mrs. Wilburforce]

[quote name=PunkiC I was born and raised (for the most part) in the Midwest so I can empathize with your son. I hate the heat almost as much as I hate the cold (except when we are skiing), so Seattle is perfect for us with its mild winters and cool summers. We don’t have air-conditioning either and very rarely feel the heat, especially since we replaced all of the windows in our 100-year-old home with Low E windows. We do however have fireplaces in our kitchen, living room and in the sitting room off our bedroom and we love them on chilly evenings when we really don’t want to turn on the central heating, but want to make things feel all cozy.

 

Thank you for the compliment on our neighborhood. When I first came to Seattle in 1968, I fell madly in love with Queen Anne and decided that it was the neighborhood in which I wanted to live. Our first home, purchased after we married in 1971, was on the North Slope of Queen Anne Hill, overlooking Freemont. It was a wonderful first home but we knew we wanted eventually to be up on top of the hill so the kids would be able to walk or bike to and from school at St. Anne’s, and we would all be able to walk into the village for most of our needs. After three years in our first home, we were able to sell it at enough of a profit to buy our big house on top of the hill. We are so very blessed that we got in just at the right time as prices on the hill now days are astronomical. We can now walk to the grocery store, bank, dentist, hair dresser, and dozens of restaurants and coffee shops. We drive to Church as we take our elderly neighbor every Sunday, but for the most part we just walk around. By the time we arrive back home, there will be a fancy new Trader Joes in a new complex just four blocks from our home and we are very excited about that as DH loves so many things at Trader Joes and it is, of course, by far the best place to buy every day wines.

 

We will probably be passing you in the air as we fly back to Illinois in a couple of weeks to attend a 70th birthday party for the members of my high school class. Hopefully the weather there will cool down after Labor Day.

 

Thank you for joining me on my travels to the Baltic. I hope it helps you more enjoy it when you have an opportunity to visit in real life.[/quote]

 

We will indeed be ships er planes passing in the night.

My DS and DGD were here in July and were subjected to severe thunderstorms and tornado warnings with 2 passing just south of our community. DGD was nearly inconsolable with fear. We drove to Silver Beach in Michigan the next day and the downed trees and power lines were innumerable. Luckily, the beach area had power. It was weeks before some poor souls had their power restored. Nothing like the sound of generators running all day :eek:

We have been blessed with a relatively cool summer this year, although DGD would beg to differ with me. We're hoping we don't exceed the 108 inches of snow we received last winter. I have often wondered if the Baltic Sea generates snow like Lake Michigan. I doubt that the water/air temp gradient varies enough at that latitude to create weather systems like we see around the Great Lakes. Perhaps cunardaddict can answer the question of a Lake effect equivalent along and around the Baltic Sea coast.

I like to cycle but not enough to attempt the hills in Seattle :eek: Perhaps the Midwest can score a point for the flat terrain for cycling enthusiasts if you can stand the humidity and keep your seat through snow and ice :D

Thank you for your kind response. Your home sounds heavenly. I hope you and your DH enjoy many more years of travel and that you continue to share your experiences. My DH is very luke warm on cruising. We've done it, so he's ready to go back to land vacations, which is fine with me. I feel fortunate either way.

Safe and happy travels,

Julieann

[brigittetom]

I have also thoroughly enjoyed following along. I can only imagine how much time and effort you put in. I was hoping for your final impression of Lord Archer? ;

 

I forgot to add wishes for a safe trip home.

Edited August 22, 2014 by brigittetom

[PunkiC]

Live from the Queen Victoria--Princess Elites sail Cunard QV to the Baltic

 

Day twelve: Kristiansand, Norway

 

Today we visit Kristiansand and I am uncertain about the weather. The sky is definitely overcast and there are some very threatening looking clouds overhead. Tonight is a formal night which is interesting as this is the first time I have ever had a formal night on a port day. I think that I will just go into town with “shower hair” today and not bother to do anything with it until after we return from port.

 

DH told me this morning that after I had fallen asleep last night he went dancing and up to the chocolate buffet with our table mates. They took pictures for me and based on his report that the Lido was crazy crowded, I think I am glad I used my time to get in a bit of extra sleep. I think one of our table mates got some good pictures, despite the crowds so perhaps I will be able to see them and make a comparison with the Princess chocolate buffets. I prefer looking at chocolate displays to eating them. On Princess they are held in the afternoon we always have an opportunity to take pictures before they open up for eating. On some Princess ships they use large oval platter-type plates and it amazes me to see people load them up with a heaping mound of desserts shortly after finishing their lunch.

 

Does anybody know if there is a way to get cash from our Onboard Credits? On Princess we could just ask for it and they would give it to us, but I suspect that it doesn’t work that way on Cunard. I would like to use it for additional tips for our steward and waiter. Of course we could go to the cash machine in Kristiansand but suspect that they would probably receive their tips in Euros or US Dollars rather than Norwegian Kroner.

 

We had a hard time getting off the ship because we kept running into friends who wanted to talk and since it was pouring rain, we were happy to hang out and enjoy their company. Finally around 10:30 the weather cleared enough to give us hope that we could make it into town before there was another downpour. We made it most of the way but were forced to take shelter on the covered deck of a restaurant that wasn’t open but had free Wifi. While were there we met the Spinnette girls who did not have umbrellas or jackets so we gave them two emergency ponchos that we had in our backpack. Since we only had two ponchos and there were three of them, we also gave them a plastic bag in the case of an emergency.

 

We walked around for several hours in Kristiansand and only stopped a couple of times to duck in out of the intermittent rain. Norway is crazy expensive—a beer cost $15.00. Seriously how could a college student afford to get drunk in this country? We spent a good part of the day exploring, always on the lookout for contact wetting solution but we could only find gigantic bottles. I finally decided I may as well just buy the travel size from the ship or just wear glasses for the remainder of the trip. I have enough to get me through this one last formal night and I have some left-over On Board Credit so it won’t hurt too badly to buy a small travel bottle in the ship’s store for $9.00. As I travel more, I become more and more grateful for the reasonable prices we enjoy in the US.

 

When you go to Kristiansand, I highly recommend that you go further than the tourist area just beyond the ship, as the pedestrian walkway that runs through the center of town is really very interesting. They do have a little train that takes a 20 minute run around the city but it was $20.00 per person and that seemed like a bit much. When I mentioned how expensive it was to the guy selling tickets, he said that it was cheap compared to everything else in Norway. I soon discovered that this was quite true when we dashed into a bar to avoid the rain and discovered the $15.00 beers. Many people felt that the rain had ruined their visit to Kristiansand, but we are from Seattle and well used to dealing with wet weather so we were able to enjoy ourselves tremendously.

 

I only have one article of cruise clothing that requires pressing and that is the gown I wore tonight. For the first time on this voyage (actually only the second time in all of my cruising history) I visited the self-service laundry. The laundry on our floor was totally packed and there was one gentleman who had about 10 shirts to iron so I went down to the next lower floor where the ironing board and iron were free. No sooner than I had started pressing my dress, than two other people came in and formed a line for the iron. There were people waiting for the washers and dryers in both laundries. By comparison, simply washing out one’s things by hand every day is so much easier and more convenient. I just wash them and rinse them in the sink and then roll them in a towel to remove the excess moisture before I hang them up to dry, either in our cabin or on the deck. Naturally I much prefer to dry them out on the deck, but the weather sometimes in just not cooperative.

 

Tonight was Ascot night, but we just didn’t have enough room in our luggage to bring either our Ascot outfits, or our Victorian costumes. We both have really special Victorian outfits that we put together for the 100th Anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, as well as Ascot gear which we got for the Jubilee Celebrations. Some folks made hats on board but I guess I must have missed the hat-making sessions in the Daily Program. As it happens, we didn’t actually wear half of the clothes we brought, so maybe next time we will leave a bunch of them out and include our Victorian and Ascot gear instead. It would take some planning, but I think it could be done. DH does have a collapsible opera top hat so that would work.

 

We had a formal picture taken with our table mates and if it turns out well, I will use some of my left over On Board Credit to buy a copy and then scan it and send it out to everyone and maybe even post it on this blog, once I get back home.

 

After dinner we went to the Captain’s Party which was really quite lovely. Here again, I am not entirely sure why we were invited as it is just for Platinums and Diamonds and we are only silver until the next cruise when we become gold. If the plan was to show us how much fun it is to be an Elite (Diamond) Cunarder, it worked. We had a very lovely time and really enjoyed our chat with the Captain, which centered primarily around the use of airline miles to fly British Air--specifically the outrages taxes that they charge on award tickets. This is the reason that we often use our Alaska miles to fly Emirates through Dubai to get to Europe, rather than British directly from Seattle to London. Of course, we also enjoy Emirates and visiting Dubai. This time we flew Delta direct from Seattle to London but we don’t have a huge supply of Delta miles so that will be only a one-off experience.

 

After the party we went up to our room and got our dance shoes before we went back down to the Ascot Ball. The music was great and we got in lots of dances. After the second set, however, I really needed rest so we went up to bed. I suspect that DH would have loved to just stay and keep dancing, but he was a gentleman and accompanied me to bed.

 

brigettetom writes:

 

I have also thoroughly enjoyed following along. I can only imagine how much time and effort you put in. I was hoping for your final impression of Lord Archer? ;

 

I forgot to add wishes for a safe trip home.

 

I actually love to write and can type very rapidly, so for me doing free-flow blogs is a lot of fun. It also helps me remember my trips more vividly and I can always go back and check on our experiences and what happened where and when. Maybe someday I will print them all out and make a book for my imaginary grandchildren after we are gone. (We are still holding out hope for grandchildren sometime before we die.)

 

We will have several opportunities to form final impressions of Lord Archer. At 11:00 a.m. tomorrow he will have an open question and answer session in the theater. I have lots of questions I would love to ask him but DH doesn’t think it is appropriate to ask how much he is being paid for this gig, or how he feels about the fact that so many of his books still remain unsold in the bookstore. I do want to ask him, harkening back to his story about being flown Concorde to a promotion book tour in the USA when his star was on the rise, what type of cabin Cunard has supplied him, now that his star has risen. DH didn’t balk at that one. ;)

 

Moreover, he has agreed to act as Celebrity Guest Auctioneer to auction off the Chart of our cruise. This is a charity fundraiser and happens on every cruise, but this should be interesting s one of Lord Archer’s hobbies is being an auctioneer.

 

We had booked this cruise before we realized that he would be a guest lecturer but it has made the cruise more interesting. Perhaps in the future I will pay more attention to the list of guest lecturers and entertainers before I book again on Cunard.

 

Tomorrow is the last day. :(

[brigittetom]

Perfect...thank you, I'll be looking forward to your thoughts. I think I agree with your DH. :D

[h3rjp]

I just want to say thank you for taking the time out to write this live from.

 

Like you; I am very used to Princess but my friend persuaded me to try Cunard for this first time. Which is in fact the cruise straight after yours and we are driving to Southampton today!

 

Now, this is a question you might not be able to answer; but taking everything into account, which line is better? Cunard or Princess?

 

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[BlueRiband]

Thank you for the time (and expense!) to write your detailed and informative blog. I was skeptical on whether you would enjoy Cunard since you might have made constant comparisons to Princess and how the difference could have been disappointing. But you accept that they are different.

 

On Cunard however OBC is "use it or lose it" and it cannot be cashed out.

 

You mentioned the Chocolate Buffet - I've only heard of these on QV and QE and never saw them on QM2. An earlier poster wrote of this experience on QE and, long story short, one would think that people would never see food again in their lives. (What is it about this that makes people behave in a boorish manner?)

[deck chair]

Hello

 

Thank you for taking the time to write about your experiences....

Unless something has changed since this past Winter when I was on Queen Victoria, you can get cash from the front desk that will then be charged to your shipboard account on the credit card you registered. Good luck.

 

Deck Chair

[GCurry]

Now, this is a question you might not be able to answer; but taking everything into account, which line is better? Cunard or Princess?

Different products for different demographics same corporation as is Holland America, Carnival, Costa etc etc. Or the mega ships of RCCL targeting American families. Or Norwegian the Wal Mart of cruising, price driven. Cunard, P&O, and Fred, Benny Hill,whomever very British oriented. Take em as you get em and don't waste a lot of time looking for the difference, life's pretty short, it's a big world and cruising is an easy way to see a lot of it. JMHO:D

 

Kristiansand is considered the Beach City of Norway a lot of our Sister City party in Stavanger went down there, we opted for Bergen and Eurorail.

Thanks for the review Punki, we'll work our way out to Seattle eventually.

[PunkiC]

Live from the Queen Victoria--Princess Elites sail Cunard QV to the Baltic

 

Day thirteen: The last day—At Sea

 

It all went way too quickly. So far our longest cruises have been 14-15 days and we are always sad when it ends. In March we will be taking a 31-day cruise from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles. Actually we booked it as two cruises so we would get double military and stockholder credits. We met several people on our Panama Canal cruise who had booked LAX/FLL and FLL/LAX as one cruise because they saved $100, not realizing that had they booked it as two they would qualify for double OBC which could easily add another $1,000 to their total OBC. For me, getting the best possible deal is just part of the fun of travel.

 

After breakfast, we went down to get good seats for Jeffrey Archer’s third talk. Since we got there early, we listened to the last half of Guy Caplin’s talk on how things were smuggled into to British prisoners of war during WWII and how some of the soldiers managed to escape. It was very interesting.

 

Jeffrey Archer did a very good job with his presentation and I think overall I like him better now than I did earlier. All of the questions centered on either British or American politics of one sort or another and there were so many that I didn’t bother to ask one. He is a good presenter and I was pleased to learn that he has been married for 48 years. I have a lot of respect for couples who can make their marriages work through thick and thin. DH and I are very happily married but it wasn’t always easy—I don’t suppose it ever is. The good news is that it gets a lot easier after the first 40 years. Love him or hate him, having Lord Archer aboard certainly livened up the cruise.

 

We had lunch in the Lido again because I really like the salads up there better than those in the dining room and then went down to the Queen’s Room to see the auction which was also conducted by Lord Archer. I was surprised that the items went for such a small amount of money—the cruise chart went for only 300 pounds. On our Princess Panama Canal cruise it earned $1,700.00 dollars for their charity.

 

The highlight of the afternoon for me was the Passenger Choir’s presentation in the Grand Lobby. They really did a good job and everyone enjoyed it tremendously. After the choir sang, we went into the Future Cruise Sales Office and made our future cruise deposit, so it looks like we will be sailing on Cunard once again with an extra $600 On Board Credit. We also got money from the Purser’s desk for tips. You are right, deck chair, you can simply ask the Purser’s desk for money and they will charge it against you credit card on file, but they will not, as Blue Riband pointed out, give you cash against your existing On Board Credit.

 

Because this was the last day there seemed to be a lot of discussion about tipping. I am amazed at how many people don’t know that if you remove your tip from your account and tip people individually that they aren’t allowed to keep the money. I sure hope that the word gets out so that people don’t remove their tips from their accounts and then tip individually, thinking they are doing their waiters and stewards a favor, because quite the opposite is true.

 

Dinner was a bitter sweet affair as we were all sad to say goodbye to one another. We all exchanged addresses and e-mails so it will be easy to keep in touch. I wish everyone was a Facebook participant, as that makes it so much easier. One couple from our table lives reasonably close to us so visiting with them when we head up to Canada will be quite easy.

 

After dinner we went back to our cabin to pack our big bag so we could put it out in the hallway before 11:00 p.m. That was enough of a day for me so I went to bed to get a good night’s sleep and make an early call in the morning.

 

h3rjp writes:

 

Now, this is a question you might not be able to answer; but taking everything into account, which line is better? Cunard or Princess?

That’s like my kids asking me which one of them I love the most.  Princess and Cunard both have aspects that I enjoy. Hands down, Princess wins for pizza and, hands down, Cunard has the best dance floor and the best dance music. We love dancing so that is a big deal for us, but I also love Princess Pizza.

 

We really enjoy the style of the Cruise Director shows on Princess far better than what we have experienced on Cunard. Don’t get me wrong, I loved our Entertainment Director, Sally Sagoe, but I just like the style of the Princess morning show a bit better. We also found the port lecturers to give better information on Princess. On Princess I have the feeling that they are really trying to help you get the most out of your port, no matter how you want to experience it, whereas on Cunard, I get the feeling that they are most interested in pushing their own tours. Since we don’t particularly like organized tours, that is a real turn-off for us.

 

One positive difference I have noticed on Cunard is that they have really ripe tomatoes. On Princess it seems like the tomatoes are always on the green side from the first day to the last day of the cruise, no matter how long. I don’t know how they do that, but I really do love ripe tomatoes.

 

GCurry writes:

 

Different products for different demographics same corporation as is Holland America, Carnival, Costa etc etc. Or the mega ships of RCCL targeting American families. Or Norwegian the Wal Mart of cruising, price driven. Cunard, P&O, and Fred, Benny Hill,whomever very British oriented. Take em as you get em and don't waste a lot of time looking for the difference, life's pretty short, it's a big world and cruising is an easy way to see a lot of it. JMHO

 

I personally like to read reviews and comparison of the different brands to help me decide how well a cruise line will suit our preferences. We are very happy with Princess and Cunard and will, I am sure, continue to sail both lines regularly as we really appreciate the military and stockholder On Board Credit. Moreover, we now have future cruise credit on file with both lines and after this cruise will get some free internet time on both. Of course we do get better benefits on Princess but, if we keep plugging away at Cunard, our benefits will begin to improve on the Cunard ships as well.

 

Whenever possible, we also like to take little short cruises on lines that are new to us to get a feel for how well we fit with their style. We did that with Norwegian and we hated it. We have also done that with Celebrity and did that with our first HAL cruise. We liked HAL well enough and have sailed them a number of times, but when they changed their wine policy, which, combined with the lack of any OBC benefits except the stockholder credit, tipped the balance away from booking them. It also felt that HAL was lacking in daily activities for people who don’t play bridge.

 

Tomorrow we disembark. So sad.

[Underwatr]

We were going to do the Princess BA-LA cruise in 2014 but I guess we spent the money on moving our laundry room to the second floor instead.

[Salacia]

Partial quote

Live from the Queen Victoria--Princess Elites sail Cunard QV to the Baltic

 

Day thirteen: The last day—At Sea

 

 

 

...Jeffrey Archer did a very good job with his presentation and I think overall I like him better now than I did earlier. All of the questions centered on either British or American politics of one sort or another and there were so many that I didn’t bother to ask one. He is a good presenter and I was pleased to learn that he has been married for 48 years. I have a lot of respect for couples who can make their marriages work through thick and thin. DH and I are very happily married but it wasn’t always easy—I don’t suppose it ever is. The good news is that it gets a lot easier after the first 40 years. Love him or hate him, having Lord Archer aboard certainly livened up the cruise...

.

 

... and I suppose the concept of marriage varies. Jeffrey Archer appears to enjoy a broad interpretation of what it means to be married.

 

See http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11001265/Jeffrey-Archers-tribute-to-Sally-Farmiloe-leaves-his-former-mistress-aghast.html

and http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/obituaries/article4162323.ece

 

I don't know the man personally, but from what I've read, Jeffery Archer appears to fit the definition of a cad.

Not that it matters, cads can often be very popular. Be a cad! - Win free cruises and speaking engagements!:cool:

Edited August 24, 2014 by Salacia

[Salacia]

...and just to be fair, here http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2401204/Mary-Archer-Most-men-need-wife-pump-ego-Jeffrey-needed-puncture-his.html is a piece authored by Mary Archer, who apparently is happy in her marriage.

Edited August 24, 2014 by Salacia

[h3rjp]

Thank you for the information. Yes, no other cruise line comes close to princess pizza! I'll also keep an eye on the tomatoes too :)

 

I like P&O, there's a lot to like. But I still feel at home on princess. Let's see how this works out, I'm guessing my spiritual home line won't change after a week.

 

Thank you for taking the time to write and have a safe journey home to Seattle.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Ray66]

Partial quote

 

... and I suppose the concept of marriage varies. Jeffrey Archer appears to enjoy a broad interpretation of what it means to be married.

 

See http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/11001265/Jeffrey-Archers-tribute-to-Sally-Farmiloe-leaves-his-former-mistress-aghast.html

and http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/opinion/obituaries/article4162323.ece

 

I don't know the man personally, but from what I've read, Jeffery Archer appears to fit the definition of a cad.

Not that it matters, cads can often be very popular. Be a cad! - Win free cruises and speaking engagements!:cool:

 

You forgot these:

 

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jul/20/archer.politics

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-80947/Prostitute-Archer-case-died-penniless.html

[capnpugwash]

You forgot these:

 

http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2001/jul/20/archer.politics

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-80947/Prostitute-Archer-case-died-penniless.html

 

Mr Archer gives scum a bad name.

[PunkiC]

Thank you for the link Salacia, it gives a great deal on insight into their personal relationship. I especially liked this statement:

 

"We have had difficult moments over the decades, but you have to work through these things. The rewards for this are the mutual tolerance and respect we have for each other. Not to mention the incredible bond that binds us after all the drama, both private and public.

 

For a successful long-term relationship is one that gradually wears away your rough edges over time, leaving a smooth and harmonious interface between the two partners."

 

I am a firm believer in "Until Death Do Us Part" and greatly admire couples who can work through the difficult times. Of course, I must admit that I did warn DH before we were married that if he were ever unfaithful, there would be no need for a divorce to terminate our marriage. :p

 

Like my friend GCurry said, we don't have big enough jails in America to lock up every politician who committed perjury and we most assuredly don't have big enough jails to lock up every politician who had an extramarital affair and then lied about it. I am confident the same is true in the UK.

 

If Lord Archer has managed to get his wife to forgive him his trespasses, who am I to argue with her. We all tend to love gossip and judge other people far to freely without knowing their full stories.

[Dorset Cruiser]

The only things you need to know about 'Lord' Archer are that he is a bit of a fantasist, a liar and a cheat but he is very, very rich 😉

 

 

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