The Lea's go Cruising on Queen Elizabeth to the Canaries

[ukellie]

Hi trippers

Look forward to your posts - while your out and about on the ship if you can get any info on the pool in the spa - is it big enough to swim in? How much does it cost? Is it a place to relax in instead of being on deck ?

Love the pics cabin looks fab so glad we have booked that one

Ellie

[Bell Boy]

Afraid the pools in the Spa ( across the Cunard fleet) are not pools to swim in. 'Swimming pools' are out on the decks.

 

Someone will come along with answers to your other questions.

[Lynnewob]

We are on board at the moment too and had a wonderful sunset leaving Funchal.

[maggiemou]

Following with interest if you get chance to upload pics of the cabin that would be really good

As well as dance classes do they do Zumba ?

 

Hi, I can answer your question re Zumba classes. They have never had them on a Cunard ship that I am aware of and I am a regular Cunard traveler. There are fitness classes such as Pilates and yoda stretch classes and fab abs.

 

Tango queen thanks for your reports. I am doing the same cruise on QE. I join the ship on the 22nd for two cruises.

Hope you had a good day in Maderia.

[maggiemou]

Hi trippers

Look forward to your posts - while your out and about on the ship if you can get any info on the pool in the spa - is it big enough to swim in? How much does it cost? Is it a place to relax in instead of being on deck ?

Love the pics cabin looks fab so glad we have booked that one

Ellie

 

 

There is no swimming pool in the spa. It is a thermal hydrotherapy pool. The pools are out on deck as stated by Bell Boy. There are nice relaxing lounges in the spa where you can relax and chill out. Take a tour of the spa when you get onboard. You need a member of the spa to take you in as it is not accessable unless you have made appointment. The sauna is next to the gym on QV and QE and I'd free to use.

The cost of Spa useage may be found in your personal voyager where you can pre book treatments. By the way the beds on Cunard are very comfortable. Enjoy your cruise.

Edited November 11, 2016 by maggiemou

[maggiemou]

Luckily I have pretty good sea legs and never suffer from sea sickness (even when tottering around in four inch heels).1069 is pretty much midships and a low deck, I believe this to be advantageous . One other important point I love the pillows and found the bed to be comfortable . One negative, the TV was not mounted on the wall but sat on the desk/dressing table taking up valuable space...Have a wonderful time .....:)

 

Hi Poshtotty, off topic but not seen you online for a while. Hope you are well. I am back on QE this month if you are onboard let me know. Regards Maggie. X

[maggiemou]

First night dress

 

 

 

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Nice photos Tango Queen.

[maggiemou]

We are on board too, currently rocking and rolling in the Bay of Biscay.

 

We had a meet and greet in the Commodore Club at 2pm yesterday, which was attended by more Facebook Cunard Critic people than Cruise Critic, but still good to meet everyone.

 

Can't wait to get to walmer climes.

 

Hi Lynne

Hope you are having a good time.

Yes, the FB group is very lively and there are many members onboard for this cruise and the next three cruises on QE.

Good to see you still attend the meetings. Have fun, Regards Maggie

[Tangoqueen]

Friday 11th November

 

Today was a lovely day in Madeira. After 3 full sea days we were ready for land and some sunshine. Having holidayed in Funchal a few times we decided to head for a coastal walk to Camara De Lobos. We throughly enjoyed it. We left the ship at 10am and at the end of the dock road took a left when everyone else was heading right along the road to Funchal town. We walked passed Reid's hotel and noted the cost of afternoon tea was €34 pp whereas the ship tour was $199 for two which included return transfer to the ship. Unless it was a helicopter transfer I think it was quite overpriced.

 

We continued our walk to the Lido area and noted quite a transformation from our previous trip 2 years ago when it was being renovated. We continued on before eventually stopping for a drink half way at a lovely bar called Doca Do Cavacas. 2 x 33cl glasses of local beer a bargain at €2 each. We walked through the cave and reached Camara in time for lunch at about 12.45pm.

 



 

I had spaghetti bolognese and David had a ham and cheese roll - washed down with another glass of beer.

 



 

We headed back to Funchal on the public bus which ran about every 20 minutes and cost €2.20 pp - tickets were purchased from a little booth opposite the bus stop. A good 20 minutes or so later we were back in Funchal. We walked along the newly renovated sea front to the far end of town and walked back through the old town. Had a quick look in the market and found a little bar with wifi for another drink.

 

Back onboard for sail away at 5.30 ish - in total walked a approx 23k steps and spent less than €30. Temperatures were lovely and Madeira is a beautiful place and hope to return many times in the future.

 

Dinner was great again and everyone is really getting on well at the table - we feel very lucky with our fellow guests - but then again we've rarely had any other experience. However, I always seem to have an issue with Sommeliers losing my bottle of wine at some stage during a cruise and this was no exception. I only have a small glass of white at dinner so the bottle often lasts 5 nights. David drinks red so we always have our own bottles. David was ready for a new bottle as he'd finished his the previous evening - he duly ordered a new one - after a while i realised that I had not been offered any so David spoke to the sommelier to request my glass to be filled to be told I had finished mine the previous night. Anyway after a brief discussion the sommelier went in search and duly came back with my bottle which had been put in the wrong ice bucket by mistake. It was quite timely as I had only just had the conversation with a fellow guest about my misfortune with wine in the past.

 

We had 45 minutes sequence dancing before dinner and went to the show after dinner to see the dancing and singing from the Cunard Troupe. Apparently it was their first performance on board. They performed a very energetic show but we would prefer it if everything was calmed down a little with perhaps some narration or quieter singing between sections. You have to admire the effort they put in though. We finished the evening dancing to Changez performing popular music in the Queens Room.

 

Tonight's dress

 



 

 

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[Cosmic Rays]

Afraid the pools in the Spa ( across the Cunard fleet) are not pools to swim in. 'Swimming pools' are out on the decks.

 

Someone will come along with answers to your other questions.

 

Is there still a sauna in the male changing room please?

[Tangoqueen]

Saturday 12th November

 

Today's port is La Palma one of the Canary Islands. The Captain warned the seas may get a little choppier last night but we didn't notice. We walked the short distance into port and thought it was a nice little place for a stroll and drink. We stopped for a while to listen to a local folk band which was nice and then stopped off for a beer and daily wifi before heading back to the ship for lunch. We ended up ordering 2 beers each as the weather was overcast so no hurry to return to the ship. When we asked for the bill we were charged €4.80 so called the waitress over to tell her she hadn't charged us for our extra round of beers but she assured us she had so we were very pleasantly surprised at the cost at only €1.20 each glass.

 

We walked back to the ship and stopped off at a Spar shop to buy a new toothbrush for me as I had brought my electric one with me but the charger didn't fit in the bathroom which I'm sure it usually does?? We also ended up buying a litre bottle of Gordon's gin for the cabin as at less than €12 it seemed rude not to.

 

We ran back to the ship and pretended it was because we were caught in a rain shower but in actual fact I had an urge for fish and chips in the Golden Lion and David thought they stopped serving at 2pm so it ended in a sprint with us stepping into the bar at 1.59pm, as it happens we think it must have served lunch until 2.30 as others came in after us and ordered. We didn't have dessert - not because we were being good - we just didn't want to be put off afternoon tea at 3.30pm.

 

The weather didn't end up improving so found a comfy chair to spend an hour reading and blog writing.

 

David is going to go to the gym later to work off the additional calories but I'm not sure I will. The other day he came back from the gym to proudly tell me that one of the cabin stewardesses had told him he had a good body and asked if he worked out regularly so think he's been spurred on.

 

I've not previously mentioned that we buy a magnet from each new cruise port. We started doing this after a previous table mate told us she did this for each port on each cruise and writes the date on the reverse and pops them on the fridge under a magnet of the ship for that particular cruise. We adapted the idea so just buy magnets for each new ship and new port so we have a lovely colourful memory board on the fridge of our holidays. Whilst at sea I put the newly purchased magnets to good use in the cabin as the walls are magnetic.

 

Dinner once again went smoothly - David struggled to find options for his fussy eating tonight for the second time but Ramil is very obliging and brought plain chicken, baked potato and vegetables.

 

We danced again this evening and feel very humbled to receive so many compliments from guests on our dancing, both from fellow dancers and non dancers. We are simply social dancers at home and enjoy dancing to our best ability and this is one of the main reasons we keep choosing Cunard as our cruise line of choice. Sequence dancing has been on offer before dinner each evening and although not our first choice happy to participate. It's nice to see the American dancers so interested as I don't believe they are particularly familiar with this in the USA. After chatting with one American couple who dance ballroom beautifully David offered to teach the lady the Mayfair Quickstep - so hopefully it will be good for Anglo American relations.

 

 

 

 

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[ukellie]

Hi tangoqueen interested to know if you are disturbed at night with engine noise?

[Tangoqueen]

Hi Ukellie - no disturbance at all - sleeping like babies! As it's an inside cabin there's no light at all to wake you up so if we didn't set the alarm I dread to think when we'd wake up - I'd hate to miss breakfast in the MDR

 

 

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[ukellie]

Hi Ukellie - no disturbance at all - sleeping like babies! As it's an inside cabin there's no light at all to wake you up so if we didn't set the alarm I dread to think when we'd wake up - I'd hate to miss breakfast in the MDR

 

 

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We are looking to book Xmas 17 already have 1069 booked for oct 17 was wondering if the one next door on the end would be better - is there any difference port or starboard ? Loving your reviews and pics :)

[Tangoqueen]

We've got 1034 and more than happy I'll check the others out but with an Inside cabin don't think it matters which side you are on. Just try and avoid white spaces as they may be were the stewards keep their cleaning things as in the summer on p and o we were disturbed slightly each morning when the steward started work

 

 

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[Cosmic Rays]

"We also ended up buying a litre bottle of Gordon's gin for the cabin as at less than €12 it seemed rude not to"..................

 

Were you able to 'smuggle' it onboard for your cabin use, or was it taken from you as is the 'norm' and to be handed back to you on the last night?

[mandranuc]

"We also ended up buying a litre bottle of Gordon's gin for the cabin as at less than €12 it seemed rude not to"..................

 

Were you able to 'smuggle' it onboard for your cabin use, or was it taken from you as is the 'norm' and to be handed back to you on the last night?

 

Certainly not the "norm" on Cunard - take a case of Champagne on board if you wish.

[Tangoqueen]

Never any problem taking drink on board Cunard - only use it in the cabin though

 

 

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[Tangoqueen]

Sunday 13th November

Tenerife

 

After yesterday's sunny morning but showery afternoon we decided to switch plans around today. We hadn't organised anything for this port and just planned a wander, a cafe with wifi and a fridge magnet purchase, so we decided to make the most of the sunshine and do some bronzing around the pool for the morning. After breakfast in the dining room we headed for the Lido deck. It was fairly quiet and plenty of loungers available. Weather was gorgeous and decided today would be a good day to purchase the Vodafone Eurotraveller which at £3 for the day gave me use of my full mobile phone package. I paired/bluetoothed it with my iPad so David had use of that within the cost whilst I used my iPhone. I wanted to learn how to add photos to my blog but unfortunately still haven't worked it out - never mind I will add it to my list of jobs to do when I get home and next time we travel hopefully be able to use it. David was quite happy being able to watch the highlights of his beloved Blackpool FC game on YouTube and with a 4-0 win against Notts County was chuffed.

 

We ate lunch outside, David indulged himself with a cheese burger and curly fries, I had a baked potato with bolognese sauce and salad. No desserts today.

 

We used the port shuttle bus at about 3.30 to go into port. As we phoned our parents and children we got caught in a shower and sheltered under a tree. We hunted out a suitable magnet for the collection and decided to head back to the ship instead of going to a bar as we planned to open our bottle of bubbly in the cabin. As we headed back to the shuttle bus we were lucky enough to see a double rainbow over the Queen Elizabeth and took a few snaps just before it rained again.



 

Once onboard we drank our Pol Acker and ordered a cheese plate from room service to keep us going to dinner. Now the bubbly - Pol Acker comes in for a lot of stick on the cruise forums but as we are not experts and actually enjoy anything complimentary from Cunard.



We had the usual 45 mins of sequence dancing before dinner. David missed the chance to do the Mayfair quickstep with the American lady as she left a little earlier but I asked an older gentleman to dance a basic Rumba One. I had noticed he had been to the dance classes and often watched the evening dance on his own and thought it would be a nice gesture. He was lovely and think his name is Eddie, hopefully get chance to do the same again before the end of the voyage. There are 4 dance hosts who are very enthusiastic and give the single ladies, or those whose partners don't dance, a chance to join in but it's much harder for the men who are travelling alone.

 

Dinner was lovely again and I shared my joy of magnets with the table and of course amazed them with the fact that the cabin walls are magnetic. I really am the person to invite to a dinner party - only kidding! Everyone is getting on really well at dinner and each evening we switch places around the table- always sitting with your own partner - but it really does make for a sociable group and we've all enjoyed catching up with everyone's adventures of the day.

 

After dinner we danced the evening away in the Queens Room again - once they played the Viennese Waltz I felt a panic as one of the dance hosts had previously asked if I would dance with him if we got the chance. I didn't need to be so worried we were the only ones dancing but both survived and he was very much a gentleman checking with both myself and David if it was ok and giving me the option to refuse if I had changed my mind.

 

We ended the evening for the second night chatting with another dance couple Paul and Claire who we have befriended during the cruise. They're a lovely couple and considering they are fairly new to dancing do so with ease and elegance. We first started to say hello when they ran each day on the promenade deck as we walked our circuits. As they were going in the opposite direction they became a familiar sight and always smiled. It's funny how easy it is to make friends through cruising and I'm sure we will bump into them again in future cruises as this has happened regularly in the past.

 





 

 

 

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Edited November 15, 2016 by Tangoqueen

[BigMac1953]

Two weeks ago, I tried to give our PA away, but nobody wanted it, so we left it untouched.

 

In future, if you let folks know your cabin number, you'll be inundated with the stuff.

 

Stewart

[Tangoqueen]

Monday 14th November

Gran Canaria

 

Beautiful sunny day today. Wandered into port and were pleasantly surprised - nice sandy beach and more of a holiday resort feel than our port in Tenerife. We hadn't taken our beach towels or swimsuits so strolled along the beach and promenade and stopped for a drink before boarding in time for lunch. Healthy food options today as clothes are feeling a bit tighter.

 

Whilst we were in port bumped into lots of fellow cruisers. Caught up with our new dancing pals Paul and Claire and chatted with Roy and Marilyn, one of the couples from dinner. We got into a conversation with a couple from Sweden who were holidaying in Gran Canaria but were very interested in the details of our cruise.

 

We hunted for a suitable fridge magnet and were very pleased with our final choice.

 

It was a very hot afternoon on deck and as I couldn't be bothered to get my sunhat from the cabin 8 floors down made a compromise with a towel and pegs

 

 



We sailed away at 5pm with a deck party - music and singing from Changez - who are always entertaining. We chatted with Olena, the female professional dancer, and look forward to their next show dance display tomorrow evening.

 



 

David went to the gym and although I know I should - I didn't! Decided instead to have a little sort out in the wardrobe and then shower early so we can squeeze a plate of cheese and biscuits from the room menu before dinner with our G&T once David's back from the gym.

 

Tonight we are going to the theatre to see a circus acrobatic duo from France which should give my dancing feet a rest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Cosmic Rays]

Never any problem taking drink on board Cunard - only use it in the cabin though

 

 

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That is good and I'll remember it in March when we go! Not like on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Princess............they can, and do, 'pounce' on occasion!!

[Tangoqueen]

Tuesday 15th November

Sea Day

 

Beautiful sunny day. When you wake up in an inside cabin you have no idea about timings or weather as it is so dark but once the alarm wakes us up we put the tv on channel 40, which is the camera view of the front of the ship, and you get an idea of how it is outside and of course depending on the time of the day let's you know whether it's still dark or if there's daylight.

 

After breakfast we had our daily stroll on the promenade deck and as we wanted to go to the theatre for today's talk by Angela Rippon at 11am decided to collect our books and take a comfy lounger on deck 3 for an hour rather than climb the 8 floors to the Lido deck. It was really warm once you sat down although quite breezy whilst walking. Spoke to a nice lady who was writing her journal and holidaying with her mum.

 

The theatre was full and hardly even any standing room. Angela Rippon proved to be a big hit and entertained with many stories of a very interesting life. She spoke very fondly of her father and sounded like he was a huge inspiration and driving force in everything she did. She spoke of her joy if her infamous dancing with Eric and Ernie and how they had become lifelong friends and how her father met them several times with her and the fun he had sharing jokes with Ern (ie). We look forward to her next talk in a few days.

 

The Captains 12 noon announcement explained that in the night we went off course after a request from authorities to check an area following a possible sighting of a distress flare which didn't turn out to be anything but did show as a dogleg on the tv onscreen map of our voyage. Each day at this time he delivers a short humorous naval anecdote - today's was the origin of the term "hanky panky" which he explained was a drink of ginger mixed with brandy which sometimes resulted in naval personnel behaving inappropriately in particular with members of the opposite sex. Not sure whether this is available on the current drinks menu!

 

By the time we went up to deck 9 it was sunny but very windy. We sat out for about 90 minutes and went to the Lido for a light lunch. After lunch we decided on a wander and went to buy a Queen Elizabeth fridge magnet but the ones we preferred in the shape of the ship were more or less already starting to peel and at $9 decided to leave it.

 

Decided to have some quiet time reading and surfing the internet in the Commodores Club for an hour mid afternoon. This extended to fit in a lovely G&T with a supply of nuts and crisps to keep us going.

 

Formal night tonight with an invite for drinks with the Captain for Cunard world club members.

 

 

 

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[ukellie]

I stayed in 1069 last year on a cruise with my girlfriends. I occupied the stateroom as a solo and was pleasantly surprised with the spaciousness . There was a sofa, chair, stacks of wardrobe and drawer space. There are very useful drawers under the bed.The bathroom was a tad on the small side but adequate. I found the location quiet and very convenient for the Grand Lobby, one deck up and you have Café Corinthia, Golden Lion, Library , Queens Room etc. Deck 1 is also convenient for the theatre' if you walk forward on leaving your stateroom you can beat the crowds :-) I had a wonderful time, as it was a winter cruise I didn't really miss the balcony. Have fun !!

 

Hi I have just noted that there is an additional bed in 1069 does this take up any room and was it an obstacle - thanks

[_kerry_]

We are doing the canary cruise over the holidays. Will be fun to follow along with you.

 

 

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