Jack E Dawson

Yes, phoning seems to be the only option right now. We recently ordered flowers and a Spa gift certificate (separate occasions) and they were very helpful. Jack

I'm sorry bitob, I know this has been a very frustrating and stressful situation for you but I have looked forward to each of your updates as if they were a new episode of The Crown. Luggage in the water, divers in the water, airtags, communications breakdown, it's too much. If this had happened 4 weeks earlier, during the writer's strike, Hollywood might have bought your story. A few years ago we had fire in our house. The smoke, water and chemical damage to our clothes was extensive. Yet, at the end of the day, the mitigation contractor salvaged almost all of our clothes. So take heart, you may be surprised as to what can be recovered. Thank you for sharing your situation so that the rest of us can benefit. Jack

We got our first set of air tags for our QE Panama Canal trip last month. What a stress reliever. I was amazed at how precise they were. Could actually see the bags move up the conveyor belt onto the plane on my iPhone. When we landed back home in Chicago at O'Hare, Dee's bag came right out onto the conveyor belt but mine took an extra 10-15 minutes. No worries, could see it was still in the cargo hold of the plane. Just relaxed and waited knowing it wasn't far away. What a wonderful invention. Jack

Brilliant idea techteach although it wouldn't surprise me if I'm the only one who hadn't thought of doing it that way. Thanks Jack

How wonderful this all sounds Roy. Thank you in advance for your thoughtfulness in taking us along on you voyage. We will definitely be following your thread. Although our cursing experience pales in comparison to yours, we just recently sailed in PG for the first time and quite simply were blown away by the experience. I would only say to you that there may be a few things about PG that you don't know that you don't know. Perhaps those who respond here might share their experiences in PG, Here are a few things that really surprised us that we loved. - You never need to feel rushed to get to the PG restaurant. I guess we are creatures of habit but the first couple of days we felt this need to be at the restaurant at 7:00PM even though we knew it was anytime dining. Then we noticed that everyone else showed up at different times each night. Have that second drink before dinner. Stay a little longer in that lounger on the promenade deck before lunch. The point is, that wonderful staff in the PG restaurant will be there when YOU are ready. - Even though you are in PG and not QG, the restaurant staff want you to challenge them. I had seared scallops 3 nights in a row even though they were only on the menu the first night. I had rum raisin ice cream 13 of the 14 nights even though it was only on the menu 3 nights (don't judge me until you've tried it). I had things in my morning omelette that never appeared on the breakfast, lunch or dinner menu. - The "off menu" menu is just over the top. - The Grills' lounge is an oasis of serenity and (on the QE) was the best bar on the ship. - The Grills' concierge was just so helpful on so many details. - You will be offered personalized stationary. Crazy, right. Start thinking now about how you want your Heading to read. I'm sure that there is so much more that you can experience that we didn't because we just didn't know. I hope others can contribute their "secrets" to PG. Enjoy, Jack

Well, you and Jane have caught me in a bit of a technicality. I was using Western Hemisphere as a metonym for the America's. My bad. So perhaps I will just claim having the only bottle in the United States until otherwise proven wrong. Now that Cunard isn't buying quite so much Pol Acker, perhaps I can find a distributor in the US to bring it in. Let's see, its now after 5:00:PM here, think I'll have a drink. Hmmmm Jack

Dee and I are free on Friday. Close to Chicago??? Jack

Very informative review Kynance and done with a wonderful writing style. Thanks. Our very first voyage ever was a TA on the QM2 in May of 2017 and we had opted for Club as well (no bidding on upgrades back then). It sounds like little has changed except that the off menu choices have been upgraded and we had the flambe' trolly only once in 7 nights. We have since sailed in Sheltered and Unobstructed Balcony but think that Club may be the sweet spot for us on the QM2. Jack

On our recent QE Panama Canal voyage, the evening before disembarkation, a small bottle of our beloved Pol Acker was left in our cabin sometime after dinner. Not sure why but since it was too late to chill and drink it, we popped it into our checked baggage and brought it home. Could this possibly be the only bottle of Pol Acker in the United States??? North America? The Western Hemisphere? Jack

Wow, GREAT job with the survey. Thank you very much. I think your results are a good sign. Two weeks ago, on the QE, my much less scientific observations earned a score of 98% plus compliance over the 14 day cruise. While we were in PG we did go to the Royal Court Theater all but 3 nights. Perhaps equally encouraging was that on Smart Attire nights most gentlemen exceeded the minimum requirements. Jack

Beach Tunes, For folks who are not in The Grills or who do not have Platinum or Diamond status, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to how boarding times are assigned. We have spoken to many many fellow passengers about this. It isn't by deck nor by fare paid. It doesn't seem to matter what type of cabin you are in. It also doesn't seem to matter if you booked a year in advance or a month in advance. However, if you do decide to arrive at 3:00PM, I think you will be able to board very quickly. Would love to hear back from you after you board. HAVE A GREAT VOYAGE. Jack

Oh, be still my heart...... Enjoy Enjoy Enjoy

newbie202020 We are looking at the same cruise, it does look interesting. We got off the QE last week (LA to Ft Lauderdale via Panama Canal) and were very impressed how stable this ship is. If your current anti-nausea medication is working for you, don't change. However, we have found that candied ginger works wonderfully.

Congratulations and Happy Anticipation

Just got off the QE on Tuesday. The GL is open in the evenings, same menu as lunch. No charge for food. Fish & Chips was awesome. While we were onboard they were serving pints of draft beer in the large pint and a half mugs, same price. For more on the GL please see my trip report in the thread above, LA to Ft. Lauderdale via the Panama Canal. Jack

I did want to share 2 pictures, Dee and I with Captain Mazzella aboard the QE last week and again with Deputy Captain Mazzella aboard the QM2 in 2017 aboard the QE last week.

On the QE, this trip, and on our last QM2 Crossing the consensus was counter clockwise. However, I'm wondering if on voyages south of the equator it should switch to clockwise??? Jack

Thanks NE John. We do have a 50th wedding anniversary coming up in 2026 and will likely to a Crossing. Will keep your advice in mind. Jack

PREFACE In the process of posting these trip notes I did a quick reread. Boy, am I long winded. Sorry about that. Having previously sailed on only the QM2 and only on west bound Crossings (3), this voyage, a transit of the Panama Canal on the QE (Los Angele - Ft Lauderdale), was a very different experience. While I plan to post a cruise review, I thought it might be interesting to do a compare and contrast of the two experiences. In addition to it being our first time on the QE and the first time on a multi-port itinerary, it was also our first time in the Grills (Princess), having previously sailed in Britannia (sheltered & unobstructed) and Britannia Club. So I will break this compare & contrast into 3 sections, Ship, Grills and Itinerary. SHIP We loved sailing on the QE. While from the outside it has little distinction from other cruise ships it is beautiful inside with its Art Deco styling and is distinctly British-Cunard in its atmosphere. I often read comments here on CC about the difficulty in getting around on the QM2, specificity to the Queens Room and G32. However I find this no more of an issue than the Veranda Steakhouse and kitchen blocking passage down the port side of Deck 2 to the MDR or having to go through the Clarendon Art Gallery to get from stairway B and C to the Royal Court Theater on deck 3 on the QE. Really just quaint design aspects on the 2 ships. However, we did very much miss the Chart Room on the QE. It’s one of our favorite venues on the QM2. On the QE the Corinthian lounge seemed somewhat dull compared to the QM2. I’ve seen a number of postings here on CC that the teak deck on QE and QV is slippery when wet compared to the natural teak deck on the QM2. In my opinion, the artificial teak deck on the QE has just as good traction as the real teak deck on the QM2. I tested this out with both my walking shoes and my Sperry Topsider boat shoes, in wet conditions and dry conditions. However, the artificial teak deck in the QE can get blistering hot on sunny days. Dee and I try to walk each day when onboard. We very much enjoyed the promenade deck on the QE as much as we do the promenade deck on the QM2 although they are very different. The QM2’s promenade deck is much wider than the QE’s but both are still very easy to walk even at crowded times. We do like that the promenade deck on the QE is closer to the water and the view when transiting the stern is spectacular. I like that the deck chairs on the QM2 are right at the railing. That way the walkers are not constantly passing in front of you, instead they are passing behind you where they can still have a clear view of the water over the deck chairs. On the QE, as on the QM2, there is always that very small majority (3-5) walkers who insist on walking in the opposite direction as the overwhelming majority. This is even more noticeable on the QE promenade deck where some sections are very narrow. I found this all quite odd because everywhere else on the ship everyone seemed to go out of their way to be thoughtful and considerate. The QE was in Bristol condition and it was easy to see why. There was constant maintenance going on all over the ship. We frequently saw the Deputy Captain and sometimes the Captain consulting with and inspecting the work of the maintenance crews. All very impressive. On our crossing on the QM2 in May of 2022 we found her to be in overall very good condition but I think the QE may have the edge here. Our go-to venue each evening on the QM2 for a final-final is the Commodore Club. Atmosphere, music, service and mixology, they just seem to get all of it right in the Commodore Club. Here again, I have to give the edge to QE. We like the layout of the room a little bit better and no need to lower the window shades after sunset. The evening of the day that we passed through the Panama Canal we watched a spectacular full moon rise from the Commodore Club. What an ending to a very special day. But, and this is a big “but”, they do make a better Manhattan on the QM2. So maybe we call it a draw. The Royal Court Theater on the QE, with its private boxes, wins hands down. We absolutely loved them. The boxes not only make for excellent viewing of the show but the perfect perch for people watching. Here is a little hint. The boxes on the starboard side tend to fill up first. Our favorite box was lower level, second back from the stage (box 3 on the starboard side and box 4 on the port side). Port side boxes are best for viewing shows and starboard side for lectures. We also like the larger Golden Lion pub on the QE, did not have to wait once for a table. Is it just me or does anyone else think the pub’s carpet design look more like Arizona Native American art work??? Since our first time eating at the Golden Lion (2017), there have been a few changes. It used to be that the chips were served in a cute little wire basket, that’s gone. The size of the fish portion has gotten smaller (maybe not a bad thing) but the quality of the fish and the preparation of the fish and chips is still amazing and when accompanied by a pint of London Pride (on tap), it was a most satisfying lunch…..on all 4 occasions! During the whole 14 day cruise we had only one day of somewhat rough weather. Even though the QE is not an ocean liner like the QM2, we were very impressed with how stable she was. There was very little pitch or roll. Bottom line, the QE and QM2 are two distinctly different ships and differently purposed. We look forward to sailing on both in the future. PRINCESS GRILL As mentioned, this was our first Grills experience. It totally exceeded all expectations. The jump from BC to PG is much greater than from Britannia to BC. Let me start with our journey to PG. Our initial plan was to wait until after final payment date, April 24th, 2022, before booking this cruise and hope for a fare drop in order to snag a deal. As it started to get closer to that date we got a fare promotion from Cunard and, as we very much wanted to do the Panama Canal, we grabbed an unobstructed Britannia balcony cabin. Then a few weeks later, right after final payment date, there was a big fare drop. I should have stayed with the initial strategy. I spoke to our TA and she called Cunard. As expected, they wouldn’t give me a refund on the difference but, much to my surprise, they moved me up to Britannia Club as it was now the same price as I had paid for Britannia. I thought this was extremely nice of Cunard and also reflected well on our TA. Then about 3 weeks before departure I got the email from Cunard with the offer to bid on an upgrade to PG. I bid the minimum plus $50 and a few days later got an acknowledgement that the bid was accepted. Oh boy…we are in The Grills!!! We arrived at the LA terminal around noon, we checked in and were shown to a PRIORITY lounge by 12:15PM. Boarding started shortly after that. When we walked into our cabin our bags we’re waiting on the bed and a bottle of sparkling wine was on the coffee table in a champagne bucket. No, it wasn’t my beloved Pol Acker but I wasn’t going to let that get me down (a bottle of Pol Acker did arrive mid voyage, thank goodness). Wanting to make a good first impression we had chosen to wear our “Smart Attire” that morning to board, so we headed off to the PG restaurant for lunch. The PG restaurant is spectacular. We had expected it to be nice but we were very much blown away. It is a fairly long and narrow room with a wall of glass going the entire length of the outside wall. While very formal in decor, it is bright and open. Our table was in the middle of the room, about 8’ from the wall of glass. We initially liked this location but as time went by we came to realize that this was a really great spot. We had a spectacular view but just far enough from the surrounding tables that gave us some privacy but still easy enough to carry on conversations with any of the 4 tables near us. We got to know everyone around us pretty well and socialized outside the restaurant. As we were the only ones in the restaurant when we arrived that first day we were quickly introduced to the Maître d’, Assistant Maître d’, Sommelier, Waiter and Assistant Waiter. In our 3 previous Cunard voyages in Britannia and Club, I don’t think I ever even met the Maître d’. In PG we had a pleasant conversation with him on a daily basis. On the first night, I asked our waiter if it might be possible to have Rum Raisin ice cream every night. He said he would make it happen and he did (just try the Cunard rum raisin once and you will understand). Let me talk a little bit about dress code here. We had 3 Gala nights and 11 casual nights. On the casual nights at least 3/4 of the men wore jackets and way more than half wore ties. The women all wore cocktail dresses or fancier. On Gala nights I saw only one gentleman not wearing a tuxedo, he wore a dark suit. For the Roaring 20’s night almost all of the women dressed to that occasion and about 1/2 of the men did as well. Throughout the ship over the entire 14 days we saw very few exceptions to the dress code. This surprised me, because of the itinerary, I thought there might be a relaxation of the dress code efforts. The food in the Grills was DELICIOUS. We never had a bad meal or even a bad course. The daily amuse bouche was fun. The a la carte menu, which included appetizers and entrees, was extensive and changed half way through the voyage. The Chateaubriand, with final cooking and carving table side, was to die for. The flamed duck a l’orange was quite impressive. On one night when I was torn between 2 entrees, our waiter suggested a half portion of each and that was perfect. I can go on and on but the bottom line is that dining in the Princess Grills restaurant was a tour of great cuisine. However I do have to report one oddity. In the entire 14 days , lobster was not on the menu once. When I asked the maître d’ about this he said there was actually no lobster at all on the ship. I found that surprising. Our Princess Grills cabin on QE was basically a longer version of a Britannia balcony cabin unlike the more L-shaped PG cabins on QM2 with their longer balconies. However, the walk-in closet area and the full tub shower were game changers over the standard Britannia cabin. The PG cabin also had a larger seating area with a full size sofa rather than a loveseat and an extra chair. One hint, the PG cabins on Deck 4 have larger balconies than the PG cabins on the other decks. Because of the ships design, Deck 4 balconies are almost 18” (45cm) deeper. While this may not sound like much, it really makes it much roomier when the lounge chairs are in their full lay-back position. Our cabin, 4102, port side, was quiet and in very good condition. One other tip, if you are on Deck-4, try to avoid the starboard side (odd number cabins). Deck-4 is directly above the promenade deck and the starboard side is the smoking area. The Grills Terrace and Lounge are wonderful sanctuaries to relax in with specular views. Since we didn’t have the Chart Room for our predinner drinks, the Grills Lounge more than filled the bill. It is so comfortable. I honestly feel that the staff there is the best on the ship both in service and in their ability to make a great drink. We enjoyed Manhattans, Old Fashions, Cosmos and Mojitos there, all prepared perfectly. The Grills Terraces on the QE alone almost justifies the cost of Grills. We spent most of our sea day afternoons there. On one occasion, we spent almost the entire day there. There were ice cold fresh fruit kabobs mid-morning, finger sandwiches at noon, ice cream early afternoon and tea service midafternoon, all brought right to your lounger. Ice cold neck towels were offered throughout the day. Hint, the premier loungers are the ones on the upper level (DECK 12) under the shade tents but they generally fill up by 1:00PM. However, the drawback to these loungers is that you definitely hear the engine noise and vibrations coming from the smokestack. It is much quitter on the lower Grills Terrace (DECK 11) but no relief from the sun. I do wonder why there is no pool or hot tub on the Grills Terrace. It appears that there once was one there as there are abandoned showers on Deck 12. If I were to sail on QE again or on QV, I would definitely consider Princess Grills. I think the value is there. However, I don’t feel that way for QM2. The restaurants and lounge lack the views and the Grills Terrace doesn’t begin to compare to the QE’s. ITINERARY Our first stop was Cabo San Lucas. It was an extremely hot day and it didn’t help that we had to be tendered. Fortunately we had chosen the Sail & Snorkel as our excursion. The excursion was professionally run and the crew extremely friendly and helpful. We were constantly being offered cups of ice water. The voyage started out with some sightseeing of the rock formations followed by a half hour sail to the snorkeling cove. The snorkeling equipment, which was included, was in good condition and there were sizes to fit everyone. Each person received personal attention in getting their equipment on. The water was slightly cool, thank goodness, and clear. There were loads of beautiful fish that came right up to you. We snorkeled for about 45 minutes but it passed all to quickly. Once back on board there was a giant fresh fruit salad with the most beautiful and delicious fruit. It was exactly the right thing to eat at that time. There was also a selection of individually packaged cookies. The bar opened up at that time making delicious rum and tequila drinks. All of this was included in the price. A couple of hints, you do want to bring a towel from the ship and it isn’t very practical to change into dry clothes on the sailboat. But by the time we got back to the port everyone had dried out. I would highly recommend this excursion. It is not recommended that you carry your passport with you in Cobo. Your room key is all you need. Our second stop was Costa Rica. We chose the Cloud Rain Forest Hike. The hike was great but definitely strenuous. There are also a number of suspension bridges that offer specular views but the longer ones do sway quite a bit when crossing. The local people that led the hike (we were broken up into small groups) were very knowledgeable and had great passion for this beautiful place. One of the pleasant surprises was the large number of humming birds. They were absolutely beautiful. Another surprise was that Costa Rica as LOTS of snakes, many poisonous. We did see some snakes (in the trees!!!) but none of the poisonous verity. There was a delicious lunch provided after the hike in a cool open air cafeteria looking out over the rain forest. The only down side of the tour was that it was a 2+ hour bus ride each way to the Cloud Rain Forest on an EXTREAMLY windy back road. So 4 ½ hours of the almost 7 hour excursion were spent on the bus. Our guide did speak for almost all of the bus ride about the culture and history of Costa Rica. He was very knowledgeable. However, I think it was unprofessional for Cunard not to mention the long bus ride in the excursion’s description. There was a port presentation in the in the Royal Court theater prior to arrival but the speaker said the ride was only 90 minutes each way. Our third adventure was the Panama Canal. It takes pretty much all day to make the transit but we never lost interest for a minute. While the passage through the locks is definitely interesting to watch, Lake Gatoon, and its natural beauty, was a wonderful surprise. We were fortunate to have had Mr. Richard Wainio onboard as one of the Insights speakers. He grew up in Panama and later served on the US Panama Canal Commission for 18 years including as Executive Director. Besides his 4 lectures on Panama, he provided almost nonstop narration for the entire transit of the canal. It was a tremendous education and included many personal stories of his interaction, starting as a child, with most of the leaders of Panama over the last 60 or so years. His father and grandfather had also been very influential in Panama. The Captain opened the forward crew decks to all passengers ensuring a great view of the passage through the locks. The Panama Canal was definitely the highlight of the voyage. Our 4th stop was Oranjestad Aruba. Our plan was to shop in the morning and then hit the beach in the afternoon. However, it was just so hot that when we got back to the QE at lunch time, we decided to hit the ship’s pool rather than the beach in the afternoon. We were far from the only ones. In hindsight, we should have booked into the all-inclusive private island resort excursion that would have offered us some relief from the sun and heat. Leaving Aruba the QE departed through a very narrow channel that required a tight 90 degree turn that left no margin for error. Watching from the Grills Terrace deck we could see the QE churning up quite a bit of sand from the floor of the channel. Well done Captain Mazzella. There were 9 sea days on this cruise and we wondered how the speakers and entertainment would stack up to our 3 QM2 Crossings. The Insights speakers were all interesting and spoke on a wide range of subjects. Our favorite speaker was Jim Kennedy, who held many important positions with NASA including Director of the Kennedy Space Center (Cape Canaveral). His lectures were amazing. He offered 1 on 1 sessions which Dee and I took him up on. He was very gracious and generous with his time. His knowledge about all things NASA was most impressive. But ALL of the speakers were impressive and Interesting. It was a very rich Insights program, perhaps the best I’ve ever experienced. The entertainment, both in the Royal Court Theater and in the various venues around the ship was first class. We attended 12 of the 14 shows in the Royal Court Theater and enjoyed every one of them. The performers in the various lounges were all very talented. Our evenings were long (always past midnight) and music filled. We actually only had one evening in the Queens Room dancing. There was also a terrific Cunard World Club party for those with Gold or higher status. The Captain made a wonderful speech. I think almost every officer on the ship attended the party and went out of their way to mix with the passengers. There were so many officers there that at one point Dee asked me who was driving the ship. The party lasted close to an hour and was well attended by CWC members. The Captain also made himself available for pictures. Back in 2017 we had dinner with the Captain when he was Deputy Captain on the QM2. So of course we had to have our picture taken with him again. We had a short but nice chat. IN SUMMERY We are now considering the Alaskan cruise on the QE. We also leaned a few things about cruising for us. First of all, 14 days is probably our limit for a single cruise. While we weren’t looking forward to arriving in Ft. Lauderdale we were ready to get home. We were also pretty tired by the last day. We probably need to do a better job pacing ourselves. Second, we know that we will probably never do an east bound Crossing. Losing that one hour at noon, on 3 days, was most irritating. Having that experience for 5 out of 7 days on a Crossing would be very hard. Our first sailing on Cunard (QM2 Crossing) will likely always be out favorite. But this voyage on the QE takes 2ndplace. The ship, Grills and the itinerary all came together to prove that the sum can be greater than the individual parts. Thanks to the staff of the Queen Elizabeth for all you do and to Cunard for making it possible for us to enjoy the Grills experience. Jack

Unfortunately we were never able to catch up with your friends for a drink but were able to let them know you weee thinking about them. Jack

We did self disembarkation and exited deck 2 mid ship. We had 2 carry-on bags and 2 very large bags. Upon exiting the ship we were directed on to a waiting elevator that brought us down to the ground floor. They were just bringing in the first load of bags as we approached Customs. While Customs thoroughly checked our passports, the process still only took a minute. We were greeted with smiles and welcomed home. Got to love self checkout. Jack

Well, they made us get off the ship this morning. Evidently to continue onto the next leg to Barcelona you actually had to have paid for it. We queued up at 7:05AM and disembarkation started at 7:15AM with performers and speakers exiting first. We stepped off the ship at 7:25AM. Customs took 5 minutes and we were at the airport and through security a few minutes before 8:00AM. So it’s back to reality. As an interim first step we are sipping mimosas in the Club Room at the Fort Lauderdale airport. It seemed an appropriate way to start the transition. Jack

The WiFi has been excellent. Works beautifully everywhere on the ship including our cabin. Jack

Well, today is packing day and tomorrow we disembark in Ft Lauderdale. I hope to post a review and other comments by weeks end. It has been a marvelous cruise in so many aspects. In the mean time, if I can answer any questions or check on anything specific while still onboard, pkease let me know. We have saved our bottle of Pol Acker that appeared mid cruise and will pop the cork around 3:00PM as we begin packing. Jack

We had a beautiful and wonderful transit of the Panama Canal today. There were no delays and we both entered and exited the Canal right on time. We had overcast skies and a good breeze all day. This was very nice as we spent the entire day on the Terrace deck. Didn’t want to miss anything. We had one short shower but the awnings provided perfect protection. Fruit kabobs in the morning and Tee on the Terrace in the afternoon allowed us to literally stay out all day. I must say the experience exceeded all expectations. A real bonus was having Canal expert Richard Wainio provide expert narration throughout most of the day. The old locks are operating without any backlog or delays. There are delays for the very large ships that can only fit through the new locks. Upon exiting the Canal I counted 37 ships waiting to enter. Some were the super large container ships and some tanker ships. I spotted no other cruise ships either in the Canal or waiting to enter. All in all, almost memorable day. Jack