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Live from the 2015 QE World Voyage

Scrapnana

By Scrapnana,
in Cunard Line

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Oahucruiser

Oahucruiser

Posted
Posted
A laundry question - just reading more info and note a comment about buying washing machine tablets at the front desk. Does that mean the launderettes don't have soap?

 

The soap tablets/pellets are available in each launderette. They are free of cost and are in a large holder on the wall. They come wrapped in a sort of plastic wrap which does not need to be removed.

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kahtrav

kahtrav

Posted
Posted
Where did you read/see this ? :confused:

The comment I saw was on voyage personalizer, onboard section - way at the bottom of a list of amenities or some such thing. There's a fair bit of "less that accurate" (or outdated) stuff on ask.cunard. I'll probably bring a bit of soap anyway since we also have a land tour at the end of our voyage :).

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Ray66

Ray66

Posted
Posted (edited)

On my Voyage Personaliser it says

 

Laundry and Dry Cleaning

Take advantage of our on board laundry service for a nominal fee. All laundry is returned within 48 hours, or on the same day with our express service. We also offer dry cleaning and a complimentary self-service launderette. Irons are also available within the laundrette.

 

But at the bottom it says:

 

Top Tip

Each ship has a number of complimentary washing machines, dryers and irons at your disposal. Washing tablets can be purchased on board.

 

A full washing, dry cleaning and ironing service is also available for a nominal charge.

Edited by Ray66
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alibabacruisers

alibabacruisers

Posted
Posted

Hello all! Firstly, Karen I can confirm that the laundrettes do have soap free of charge as I have used it already!;)

 

Kathi, glad you made it home ok. It was so good to meet and talk with you and I hope we can do it again sometime!

 

Bon voyage tomorrow Roy!

 

Here is the rest of today's instalment.

 

We got to get off the ship around 8 and decided to take a taxi, big mistake,

to Walmart. The fare was as high as if we would have gone all the way to

Sawgrass Mills! But we did get a bunch of supplies so that was good. One things to note here is that we bought two bottles of wine to bring back onboard and no one said a thing! well except "oh, you did a lot of shopping huh?" :eek: We got back to the ship around 11 so got to have a little rest before our afternoon excursion. Our excursion was the Everglades, a 4 hour tour. The ride to the place was filled with lots of interesting info. Once at the Everglades place we boarded an air boat for a 30 minute tour of the Everglades. It was interesting and glad we did it, but not something to be repeated. Then we had a brief animal show with alligators that did not participate as expected, two snakes and two turtles. Then we had about an hour to get souvenirs, eat and just rest before meeting back at the bus.

 

Back on the ship and checked menus at the Lido and Britannia. Decided to go

with room service as we were ready to rest and did not feel like dressing for

dinner. I had about 30 minutes before sailaway and I had arranged with the

Port Everglades Webcam guys to WAVE to the webcam and to the sailaway addicts on the HAL forum. Waited on my balcony, logged onto the webcam site and CC to monitor things. Then hubby manned the balcony lights (he was to flash the balcony lights) while I waved with a white towel from the balcony so others could see me waving from QE! That was so fun as the condos near the channel mouth make it such a fun experience by flashing lights and using air horns and whooping it up so I could hear them! So fun!! In the background I could hear the music from the sailaway up a few decks.

 

Now to wind down to prepare a bit for the CC M&G tomorrow. I did not do so

good for the first one because of sea sickness, but now feel really good so

fingers crossed. I hope to meet everyone again as well as anyone who missed

the first and newbies since NY and today. It will be in the Yacht Club again

at 12 (Cunard rearranged the time due to conflicts). Just received the Daily

Programme and the CC M&G is listed so hopefully all will see it and attend.

 

Until next time.....

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dancourt

dancourt

Posted
Posted

Thank you so much for the cruise blogs Alibabacruiser.

 

We will be first timers on Cunard in July this year on QM and then we are on QV in November also this year so everything is of interest to me.

 

I will look in everyday to catch the next instalment of your adventure.

 

Enjoy your cruising.

 

Susan

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luckymal

luckymal

Posted
Posted
Hello all! Firstly, Karen I can confirm that the laundrettes do have soap free of charge as I have used it already!;)

 

Kathi, glad you made it home ok. It was so good to meet and talk with you and I hope we can do it again sometime!

 

Bon voyage tomorrow Roy!

 

Here is the rest of today's instalment.

 

We got to get off the ship around 8 and decided to take a taxi, big mistake,

to Walmart. The fare was as high as if we would have gone all the way to

Sawgrass Mills! But we did get a bunch of supplies so that was good. One things to note here is that we bought two bottles of wine to bring back onboard and no one said a thing! well except "oh, you did a lot of shopping huh?" :eek: We got back to the ship around 11 so got to have a little rest before our afternoon excursion. Our excursion was the Everglades, a 4 hour tour. The ride to the place was filled with lots of interesting info. Once at the Everglades place we boarded an air boat for a 30 minute tour of the Everglades. It was interesting and glad we did it, but not something to be repeated. Then we had a brief animal show with alligators that did not participate as expected, two snakes and two turtles. Then we had about an hour to get souvenirs, eat and just rest before meeting back at the bus.

 

Back on the ship and checked menus at the Lido and Britannia. Decided to go

with room service as we were ready to rest and did not feel like dressing for

dinner. I had about 30 minutes before sailaway and I had arranged with the

Port Everglades Webcam guys to WAVE to the webcam and to the sailaway addicts on the HAL forum. Waited on my balcony, logged onto the webcam site and CC to monitor things. Then hubby manned the balcony lights (he was to flash the balcony lights) while I waved with a white towel from the balcony so others could see me waving from QE! That was so fun as the condos near the channel mouth make it such a fun experience by flashing lights and using air horns and whooping it up so I could hear them! So fun!! In the background I could hear the music from the sailaway up a few decks.

 

Now to wind down to prepare a bit for the CC M&G tomorrow. I did not do so

good for the first one because of sea sickness, but now feel really good so

fingers crossed. I hope to meet everyone again as well as anyone who missed

the first and newbies since NY and today. It will be in the Yacht Club again

at 12 (Cunard rearranged the time due to conflicts). Just received the Daily

Programme and the CC M&G is listed so hopefully all will see it and attend.

 

Until next time.....

 

What is the meaning of CC M&G Cruise Critics Greet & Meet? And what part of the ship is the Yacht Club? are these meeting held every sea day and are they in the Daily Programme. Thanks in anticipation.:confused:

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kahtrav

kahtrav

Posted
Posted (edited)
What is the meaning of CC M&G Cruise Critics Greet & Meet? And what part of the ship is the Yacht Club? are these meeting held every sea day and are they in the Daily Programme. Thanks in anticipation.:confused:

The M&G (ie meet and greet) is a private gathering for the folks who have met up here on the Cruise Critic Roll Call. It gives us a chance to put names and faces together. On short cruises, they are usually held once, but Barbara had organized one after each segment starts. The ship social planner or cruise director sets the location and times (check the ship deck plan maps to find where stuff is located). The yacht club looks to be on the other side of the elevators from the Commodore club (at front), so just a bit back from there. Our other cruise lines did not publish these gatherings, but I guess Cunard is doing that.

Edited by kahtrav
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luckymal

luckymal

Posted
Posted
The M&G (ie meet and greet) is a private gathering for the folks who have met up here on the Cruise Critic Roll Call. It gives us a chance to put names and faces together. On short cruises, they are usually held once, but Barbara had organized one after each segment starts. The ship social planner or cruise director sets the location and times (check the ship deck plan maps to find where stuff is located). The yacht club looks to be on the other side of the elevators from the Commodore club (at front), so just a bit back from there. Our other cruise lines did not publish these gatherings, but I guess Cunard is doing that.

 

Thanks for the Quick Reply. I think I know the position of the yacht club now. My wife and I have done over 40 cruises with cunard alone and we have never noticed it in the daily programme. We are on the Q.M.2 in May for the Round Britain then staying on for the roundtrip transatlantic. I think we shall have to speak to the Cruise Director for info. Thanks again:)

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kahtrav

kahtrav

Posted
Posted
Thanks for the Quick Reply. I think I know the position of the yacht club now. My wife and I have done over 40 cruises with cunard alone and we have never noticed it in the daily programme. We are on the Q.M.2 in May for the Round Britain then staying on for the roundtrip transatlantic. I think we shall have to speak to the Cruise Director for info. Thanks again:)

If you connect with the rollcall for a specific cruise, you will get info. It's not a Cunard organized event, though the Cruise lines support the gatherings by providing space and sometimes snacks. Your best place for info. Is on the CC roll call, not the cruise line.

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Janix

Janix

Posted
Posted

Arrived Port Everglades, Fort Lauderdale yesterday at 7am and the weather was nice and warm, 23C initially with a high of 26C later. Fortunately this year it did not rain so we had a good day.

 

We left the ship at 10am for our Cunard trip to South Beach and the Art Deco portion of Miami Beach. We departed the port and headed down the coast road A1A passing by names normally associated with Miami Vice and latterly CSI Miami. Bay harbour, Bal harbour, Indian Creek, Surfside, North Shore, Indian Beach before arriving at the southern end of the peninsula where South Beach is located. There are many many new exclusive apartment blocks built close to the shore line, and apparently the market here has recovered after the property crash, with prices into the millions of dollars. After a quick orientation drive around the area we were allowed 2.5 hours for lunch and mooching about on our own.

 

There were certainly some sights, from both male and female and of course architectural. Unfortunately one chap dressed in only a bikini gave the game away by not removing his chest hair and beard? Last year on our visit we viewed this area in a rainstorm on a badly misted up bus, this year we walked along in the wonderful sunshine. A quick trip down to the beach, where we found the sand to be a lovely white colour with loads of activity on it. The Lifeguard huts and Lifeguards reminiscent of Baywatch defined this as an American beach. We also passed the former Versace residence where he was killed a few years ago collecting his newspaper from his regular paper shop. This now appears to be a hotel or restaurant, and obviously quite exclusive. We visited the Art Deco welcome centre and sauntered along Ocean Drive, enjoy the area and the sunshine.

 

After a quick trip along Collins Avenue it was time for refreshment. Lunch consisted of a shared Italian pizza and a corona to wash it down, and before long we headed back to the coach for our return to the port. As we were back to the port early, we then took the shuttle bus to the Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale, giving us a further glimpse of the city on our trip both on the way in and way out. The numerous very large yachts moored in the area show the visible wealth of the area. All too soon it was time to catch the last shuttle at 5pm for our return to the ship.

 

Caribbean Princess left the port around 4pm and we saw Liberty of the Seas departing the port entrance at 5pm from the coach, apparently fully laden on a ‘Heavy metal’ Party Cruise – I don’t think this is quite the Cunard way?

 

After waiting for a freighter to clear the entrance we departed Port Everglades at 1830 for our next stop in Curacao on the 25th. We had the same reception as last year as we passed the condominiums off the port side, with flashing lights, torches, music and horns blowing, with a couple of Red Ensigns also been flown. They do like to say goodbye here. I hope the webcam was working ! I had brought a rotating red flashing led beacon to signify our participation - I hope it worked.

 

We are currently in sunshine steaming along the north shore of Cuba at 20 knots around 130 miles from the eastern edge of Cuba, and the passage between Cuba and Haiti. Seas are relatively calm again and the wind is around F3. The Northern Coast of Cuba is visible some 12 miles away.

 

We have had our second Cruise critic meeting today arranged by Barbara, and I guess around 30 people attended the meet & greet. Unfortunately owing to other commitments for the Yacht Club, we only had just over 30 mins to catch up.

'

Another formal evening this evening with the Captain's second 'welcome on board' party.

 

John

 

(previous post on roll call thread)

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alibabacruisers

alibabacruisers

Posted
Posted

Karen, I am glad that info helped and I can't wait to meet you in SFO!

 

Dancourt, I am glad the blog helps you, that it what I like to hear! When I

read them I like pertinent info included and sometimes I feel like I over compensate, but can't help myself....lol

 

Luckmal, The M&G process is usually picked up by someone on the roll call thread of a specific cruise. For ours, I chose to organize it early on because I had never done it or actually been to a M&G. Throughout the process, though, I kept asking that it be published in the Daily Programme and they

have done that.

 

John, good to hear about your FLL excursion!

 

FRIDAY, 23 JAN, 2015

 

Woke up early, as usual, after a good night's sleep. Got dressed and went to

eat in the Lido without my hubby, who was sleeping very soundly and I did not

want to wake him. I love being awake in the early morning hours. It is so

peaceful and I love to watch the subtle activity of those hours. Came back

to the cabin to find my other half slowly awakening. He was enjoying the extra rest, so I grabbed my things and headed for a little niche somewhere. That niche ended up being a quiet little corner of Cafe Carinthia on Deck 2. When I visited that area the other day I hadn't noticed that there were a few curio type cabinets filled with Cunard and other nautical memorabilia. I took a bit of time to explore the items and let my imagine take me to those moments in time. Very interesting; actual items from earlier ships, western union

messages from someone's loved ones, small early models of ships, photos,

newspaper articles from a variety of papers, magazines or memorandums. Then I settled in for a combination of reading, and observation of the early morning rituals of people and places. Somewhere in the middle of my morning, a waiter appeared and asked if I wanted anything, to which I thought for a moment, then said I would have a cappucino. He returned with a nice little silver rectangular tray, lined with a decorative paper doily. On the tray was the cappucino, a dish of a variety of sugars, a glass of ice water, and a very small dish of two little almond-type crunchy cookie/biscuit (not sure if there is a name for these). It was all so unexpected and very elegant...especially for me, a regular simple taste person. I continued reading, eating, drinking and enjoying this time for about another hour. It was now around 8:30 and it was time to check on my other half. He was fully awake and eyes open fully this time...lol. He had eaten a bit of fruit and was ready for the gym (I wish I could be that ambitious). So after we talked a bit, we walked down to the Cafe again and I showed him the memorabilia I had seen and parted ways. He to the gym and me to read a bit more. Back at the cabin at 10:30, decided a little housekeeping was in order and then gather the things for the CC M&G at 12.

 

Headed for the M&G at around 11:30 and saw a sale table for watches set up

on deck 3 nears the shops. They were the Duty Free watches,some saying 50% off. I looked but nothing was exciting and the prices were still a bit much

for me. Got to Deck 10 outside the Yacht Club and there was a seminar by the

Spa Staff on how to increase your metabolism still going, so I took this

opportunity to check out the Commodore Club and take a few pictures. Only

3-4 people there sitting in isolated small groups. Then I went back to the

Yacht Club and waited outside for my time slot to open. They let out at 11:45

or so and I got in to set up the table with my pre-prepared name tags, as well

as get some blank ones for anyone that showed up unexpectedly. We had around 30 people or so that showed up, including CC members and non-members alike. There were also a few people that wondered what was going on and decided to stay and learn something. The meeting went much better this time and quite a bit of participation. I also took a few minutes to let those people know, who booked my Puntarenas Tour, about meeting about a half an hour before we departed the ship on that day. A couple of people had questions regarding navigating the CC site and the purpose of CC. I, along with several others, tried to explain as best we could. After around 45 minutes or so (when our time was up), we all went in our separate ways. Thanks to all those who gave me such kind words of encouragement about my organizing the roll call and M&G!

 

Met my husband in the Royal Court Theatre for the movie "3 Days to Kill" with

Kevin Costner. It was very good, I felt. Came back to the room, dropped my

bags, and off to the Lido for a very quick bite. Read for an hour and now

updating this blog to enter on CC. Tonight in a formal night, as well as the

Cunard Ball. Also, there is the Captain's Welcome Reception in the Queen's

Room prior to Early and Late Sitting (5:15 and 6:45 respectively). Not sure

of our dinner plans at this point. The biggest deciding factor for the decision

is, of course, "what in the world will I do with my hair?" and "what will I

wear?" LOL.

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