Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

Jemima & Rebs - On the formal nights do all of the ladies wear long gowns or are cocktail dresses acceptable?

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

On the very formal nights, I would say that most women were in long dresses. I can't really remember how many I saw in cocktail length, but I dare say there were some. Most of the chaps were in dinner jackets too, so the ladies in long dresses didn't look at all overdressed.

I'm generally a very scruffy jeans and top kind of person, but for this I just went with the flow and did the whole formal stuff - at least for the evenings, stayed super casual and scruffy during the daytimes :rofl:

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

I have one long dress, but I'm afraid to try it on. Even if I do fit into it I would need to buy another two long dresses which will likely never be worn again. They would just end up as lunch for the moths.:D

I need to get into my closet and start trying on stuff. Will need to haul the Spanx.

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

I think I only had 2 long dresses and wore each of them more than once. I shopped around the outlet malls and managed to get them at quite reduced prices - Nordstrom Rack in the end, I think.

I had to pay a wee bit to have them taken up though as I'm short!

You could always sell it on ebay once you are home - in fact look on ebay too :)

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

Go to your local thrift stores, goodwill etc. Prom is over you should be able to find all kinds of formal gowns.
I only have one, a plain black tailored one, cost $1.98 and it's washable. Seeing you'll only wear them once it's worth going and getting used.

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

I only have 1 long dress and 2 posh cocktail ones - that will have to do! I don't want to fill up my luggage with items that will only get worn onboard because we have to manage in the UK with the contents of our cases until our shipment arrives with all the rest of our clothes!

Does anyone have experience of using the internet on the QM2? Apparently it costs 75c per minute or you can buy packages - 2 hours $47.95, 4 hours $89.95 and 8 hours $167.95. :blink: :thumbdown:
I'm thinking we'll do without!!!

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

Thanks for the suggestions. I think I'll have a look at the consignment stores. If I have to wear the same dress on more than one occasion, I'll have to bribe Pombat into keeping it quiet. You know how people are apt to talk:lol:

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

My silence can be bought... a cocktail should do it! :rofl:

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

[QUOTE=Pombat;10113050]I only have 1 long dress and 2 posh cocktail ones - that will have to do! I don't want to fill up my luggage with items that will only get worn onboard because we have to manage in the UK with the contents of our cases until our shipment arrives with all the rest of our clothes!

That is the problem I am having, we can only take so much luggage with us and we need formal, casual summer (visiting friend in Ontario) and everyday clothes for living in Scotland. We are sharing a container and planning to put some clothes in with our household goods, but that may not arrive until October in a worst case scenario. I can just see me getting around the village in a posh frock and wellies.

I booked a flight this morning with Flybe, from Southampton to Edinburgh. We can take 40KG of luggage each. We were thinking of taking the train from Southampton to Berwick, but I think it would be a pain with multiple pieces of luggage and having to change trains. Also, it is smack in the middle of the Olympics and I really want to avoid London during that time.

Anyway, when I priced out the train, cost to ship luggage from S/hampton to home, the prices were much the same and we get into EDI just after 2.00pm versus early evening in Berwick.

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

I thought so!:lol:

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

Yes, it was rubbish! Really expensive and really slow... once we came to terms with the idea, it was quite liberating not to have any contact with the outside world for a few days :)

I guess we were quite lucky with the amount of luggage we took as we only live about a half hour drive from Southampton, so we took masses of stuff with us and piled it all into a rental car to take home - didn't have to tangle with flights or trains.

It was a bit dicey getting a cab which could take the 3 of us plus luggage to get over to the car rental office, but we managed it.

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

Yesterday afternoon, I faced the dreaded trying on of the frocks. As anticipated, the long frock is too snug and unless there is miracle diet that I am unaware of I doubt that I will be able to wear it. On a positive note, I have 3 cocktail dresses that fit. I might have to do a little bit of shopping.:)

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

On a very mundane note, I see that there are DIY laundry facilities on board. Anyone used them? Do we need to bring quarters and detergent?! It sounds a bit lowbrow for the QM2 i know, but it might make life easier if we could wash a few things at some point, and I'd rather do that myself than pay through the nose for the "professional" laundry service......

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

We used the laundry. We'd been on vacation for about a week before we got on the QM so had a bit of laundry accumulated. I'd been diligently collecting coins along the way for the laundry, but was pleasantly surprised to find that the machines were all free to use :)

I had my own detergent with me, but I think that might have been free too.

On formal nights, the ironing facilities are popular so you may need to pick your time.

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

I`ve used them too! They are good and there are a few of them. I think as a rule the higher up the ship you go the fewer people are using them and you can get them to yourself. They are great for people like me who cant stand dragging around dirty washing.

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

I plan on using the laundry facilities too, so thanks for the info.

While we are on the subject of laundry facilities, I see nobody has raised the most important issue - do they serve cocktails there and can I watch Coronation Street while doing my ironing?

On a really exciting note, I bought a new pair of Spanx yesterday, hope they will help the frock situation.:)

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

Cocktails? Well I suppose you can get them sent to the laundry room, dont see why not! No tv though!
A fun thing to do is a "mixology class" in the bar at the top of the ship.
They mix up unusual cocktails and you sit and sip them and get slowly more p***ed. A lovely way to spend an afternoon!

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

That's me too! :rofl:

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

OK, here is a question for those of you who have done 'returning home' voyages.

I am trying to arrange travel insurance to ensure we are covered in case of disaster on the way home, but all the policies seem to cover emergency repatriation back to where you come from.

So in our case we would be returned to the US, even though we are on our way to live elsewhere and have no further reason to be in the US at all. We certainly wouldn't want to be returned to the US solely for health care at enormous expense when we won't even live here any more :eek:!

Anyone else encountered this?

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

My husband completed his assignment in the US and we moved back to the UK (staying with the same employer). We took a short vacation in the US before we relocated back to the UK and did find it a wee bit tricky getting insurance sorted out - and I didn't even consider the issue of repatriation!

A cursory look at UK based travel insurance looked to be no good for us as many of the policies required UK residency for the previous 6 months. Some others specifically excluded cruises.

In the end, we asked his employer to continue with his ex-pat salary for an additional month, which meant we could continue with our medical cover - which covered us anywhere in the world.

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

Some ideas here:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...readID=1539675

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntre...readID=1609187

This is the website for the travel insurer "World Nomads" (based in Australia) The FAQ's have the question "What is my country of residence" and from reading the reply, it seems that the UK would be your country of residence. (It's where you would want to be repatriated, you are UK citizens and would be entitled to NHS care on immediate arrival in the UK as a resident. I'm sure you would be able to provide an address of a close family member in the UK.

In any case, before going ahead and booking online you should check with them directly. There are contact numbers in the UK, US - toll free - and in Oz. I suggest you give them a call and explain the situation. Btw they are recommended by 'Lonely Planet'

http://www.worldnomads.com/travel-in...questions.aspx

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bookings/insurance.do?affil=googleins&s_kwcid=TC|22888|insu rance%20for%20travel||S|b|9538038732&gclid=CIOdwuP AzLACFYFo4Aod1GJ9Yw

Alternatively, call Cunard and ask if they can suggest any insurers.

Hope this helps! :)

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

Thanks Englishmum, that looks promising! I will give World Nomads a call tomorrow and check that we would be covered, but it certainly reads as if we should be.

I spent several hours on the phone with various insurance providers today who all said that their insurance would only cover return to our place of residence, which would be in the US because we would have applied from here. They couldn't input our UK address instead because their policies were only for US residents.

I tried UK travel insurance companies as well, but their wording required any trip to start and end in the UK, and also for us to be physically present in the UK at the time of booking the insurance cover. Some also required us to be registered with a British GP.

I called Cunard who were less than helpful. Their Cunardcare is only available for purchase before the final trip payment is made, and they were unable or unwilling to recommend anyone else.

Of course I know the odds of needing medical evacuation and/or repatriation are tiny, but I'm not comfortable with the risk.

I will report back tomorrow!

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

Insurance is sorted, thanks to Englishmum!

World Nomads were very helpful and confirmed that as long as we are are British Citizens with full right of entry to the UK, and an address to use in the UK, we are covered under their policy for UK residents. The medical cover and repatriation coverage is more generous than anything we could get here, and would take us to the UK which was my main concern with US based policies. We are covered here in the US from the time we set off for New York and throughout the journey on the QM2. Coverage will cease as soon as we arrive in the UK. The policy does not cover pre-existing conditions, but as we don't have any that was not an issue for us.

Here is the link to the World Nomads travel insurance site in case anyone else needs it.

http://www.worldnomads.com/index.aspx

It's also worth searching for a promotional code - I found one online and got a 7% discount!

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

Great! I'm so pleased that you managed to get insurance! :thumbup:

I hope you don't mind me asking, but would you mind sharing how much the travel insurance policy costs for your one-way trip?

I assume it covers loss/damage/theft of personal items and medical evacuation, but does it cover cancellation of the trip if necessary?

(I'm wondering if the info and link to World Nomads should be made into a 'sticky' at the top of the page for all expat returnees to the UK from various countries....? :unsure:)

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

I think it would be a great idea to make it into a "sticky". I had searched all kinds of one way insurance on the internet and World Nomads didn't come up at all, so it is hard to find if you don't know about it.

There were 2 worldwide options for UK residents, one including the US and one excluding it. We obviously got the inclusive one. We are covered for cancellation and trip curtailment £10,000 for each, emergency medical expenses including repatriation to the UK £6 million, loss of passport/ travel docs £600, baggage and personal belongings £2500, personal liability £2 million and financial failure protection £10,000. The cost was £97.87 for the 4 of us for 2 weeks which is very reasonable indeed. There are also options to add on extra cover for named valuables (need serial numbers for cameras and electronics and there is a maximum of £400 per item), or for extreme sports.

The main thing to note is that the policy does not cover pre existing conditions at all, so that might make the policy unsuitable for some.

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

That's an excellent price. I hope you don't have to make a claim, however! ;)

I found the link via 'Lonely Planet' which is one of the major websites (and publisher of travel books) for backpackers, adventure travellers etc. I would imagine that their main demographic is for people aged in their 20s to late 30s/early 40s: they tend not to have pre-existing medical conditions at that age, even more so if they're going travelling in other parts of the world for a few months.

OTOH my friend's daughter broke her leg in New Zealand when she was travelling Down Under and Southeast Asia last Summer, so she had to curtail her plans to travel around Thailand and make an early return to the UK.

It is good to know that World Nomads covers British expats on their one way journeys to take up residence again in the UK :thumbup:

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

You and me both!

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

Thanks for this information, I have noted them to call nearer the time to us travelling home :thumbsup:

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

I bookmarked them :lol: we are all in the same boat it seems :thumbsup:

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

Thanks to Pombat & Englishmum for addressing the issue of medical insurance and repatriation. We do have medical coverage, but when I called them, they were very vague about coverage applying in our situation and it would XXX company that would determine coverage at the the time of loss. I asked if there was a copy of the wording online - no.

Therefore, for peace of mind I think I will call Nomads on Monday and arrange for coverage. I think I will also need to arrange a separate policy for camera equip, computers etc as the limit on Nomads is too low. I asked my OH how much his camera equip is worth and said "before or after I buy a new lens".
I think that just increased my budget on frock shopping.:)

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

I have just got off the phone with Nomads re their travel insurance. They told me that for the first 3 days of coverage you are only covered if you are seriously injured in an accident and it must be verified by a witness.

Thought others may like to be made aware of this so that if they are purchasing the insurance they can be sure to add an extra 3 days on to the insured period. i.e. policy should come into effect 3 days before you actually need it.

Edit - I have just read the policy wording, the three day limitation only applies if you take out the insurance after you have left your home. (whilst travelling)

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

By a weird coincidence one of the regular posters on the US boards has posted his wife's experience with making a claim from World Nomads!

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=744742

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

Hey Pombat and If1.......it's possible that you are going to be joined by another BE poster on your QM2 crossing on 3rd August....

Britwhore will most likely be joining you lol! :lol: (You just need to help her persuade her spouse that they can tie up loose ends so they can embark on their return to the UK in 5 weeks!) ;)

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...2#post10138732

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

Thanks for posting this. I sent a reply on the other thread to Britwhore.:)

Re: US Retunees: CUNARD - Queen's Diamond Jubilee Sale 1st-7th June
 

Thanks Englishmum, I have posted on the other thread. Let's hope we can persuade her! We can all have quite the BE party onboard! :thumbsup: