Fairgarth

Look for the statue of Samuel Cunard.

It has not been torn down or splashed with red paint, at least not yet.  Stay tuned!

3 hours ago, lobsternight said:

 I guess it depends on booking numbers, see that this tour was on a turbo Otter, we were on a Beaver with the old radial engine.  Both Canadian classic Bush planes.  Highly recommend tour.

You got lucky!  I was hoping for the Beaver with the piston engine that rattles your fillings out but I guess there were too many folks at that time so we got the turbo Otter.  Also on photo 4, just to the right of sugar loaf mountain, you can see a ferry pulling into Horseshoe Bay.

I should have included some photos - not thinking.  Here goes:

Yes, I have done the Harbour Air tour.  Loved it.  I think they offer different lengths of flight so you have a choice depending on your preferences and budget.  Great views over Lion's Gate bridge, West Van, UBC, downtown etc.  I have flown on so many different aircraft but never a float plane so that was a first. As we were boarding, the agent said "who wants to sit beside the pilot?" so I yelled out "ME" before anybody else could think.

Fly.  It's only a one hour flight and there are at least 15 non-stops a day.  You can choose between Delta, Alaska or Air Canada.  From Vancouver airport there is a fast Skytrain that takes you to Waterfront, right beside the cruise terminal.  Or you could take a cab if you prefer.

Imagine the October weather in Gibraltar, the Azores, Bermuda and Ft. Lauderdale.  Not too bad, eh?  BTW we prefer westbound trips.  You get 25 hour days rather than 23 hour days.  And if there is bad weather, it tends to be eastbound so if you are going westbound you get through it quicker.  If you are sailing eastbound you travel with the weather.

Anthem gets to Southampton on 12th May.  QM2 leaves Southampton for NYC 6 days later on 18th May, arriving on 26th May.  So if you wanted a few days in Blighty and a sail home, there you go.

You can relax about getting around over there, public transport is pretty good.  If you want to come straight home, I'm sure RCI will have a bus from the ship to Heathrow.  LHR to Newark non-stop would be on United or British Airways.  You could be back in Newark same day if you book an afternoon flight.  Note that airlines book only 300 days in advance so you can't find out schedules for next May.  If you look at this year's schedules, next year won't be that different.

If you wanted to spend a few days over there, London is hard to beat.  From central London to Heathrow, you can choose from taxi, Uber, tube or Heathrow Express.  Or here's a thought - if you just want a couple of days, why not take the RCI bus to Heathrow and check in to a Heathrow Hotel.  You can easily get into central London when you want to do some sight-seeing.  And then you are already in the airport vicinity when it's flight time.

Dickensen Beach

Be aware that Milan has two airports.  Malpensa is much further out of town than Linate.  Both have train service to Milan Central Station but Linate is a much shorter ride.  From Milan Centrale it is just and hour and a half to Genoa.

You can also request larger portions and the waiter will be happy to oblige.  My English buddy likes lamb so when that was on the menu he got five lamb chops while everybody else got three.  Same with the liver.

4 hours ago, ALD18 said:

 Very surprised A/C sort of bit the hands that feeds them some times.  

Eh?  Air Canada went bankrupt in 2003.  So which hand, pray, is feeding them?

6 hours ago, jhenry1 said:

We will be flying from Austin Texas on Air Canada with a  3 hour lay over in Toronto and then boarding an American flight to Athens .

American does not fly Toronto - Athens.  And as far as I know, there are no code shares between AC and AA anywhere.  They are members of two different airline alliances.  Check your booking for the actual flight number.

5 hours ago, edrussell said:

 

 

 

Just a word of caution here.  Our very first cruise was on Enchantment of the Seas and we loved it.  We got hooked.  We have now done 20 cruises since then.  Aw shucks, it's probably too late to warn you now.

9 minutes ago, donaldsc said:

Sycamore is going to have enough problems getting started with the 4 identical ships that they own.  Why should the burden themselves with 2 new ones that don't match the ones they already own. 

I would agree.  Sycamore has its hands full and shouldn't bite off more than they can chew (to mix metaphors).  They have to transition away from Royal Caribbean and all its support systems.  With one more ship they need to increase crew complement by one third and possibly even by one half if they lost people during the covid shut down.  Then, of course, deal with all the ramifications of covid while trying to increase passenger counts by one third.  Tough!

It's been a few years since we were on Celebrity.  We did enjoy it except for one thing - loud music everywhere.  You had to retreat to your cabin and shut the door to get away from it.  Four of us were in the martini bar and could not hold a conversation.  From perusing the Celebrity forum, it looks like it is every bit as bad as it was in spite of constant complaints from passengers.  So we will avoid Celebrity because of that.

15 hours ago, Jack E Dawson said:

I suppose I will have to come to the defense of my beloved Pol Acker.

It is an inexpensive sparkling French wine. A bottle, iced down, will typically be waiting for you in your state room. My wife and I love it. When drinking it, while unpacking onboard the QM2 on embarkation day of a Crossing, it is exquisite. 

Jack,

Thank you, Jack, for some common sense and perspective.  When we entered our cabin on our first QM2 trip, there were a couple of glasses and Pol Acker on ice waiting for us.  We didn't expect that.  It never occurred to us to pour it away, I hate to see anything wasted!  Complimentary bubbly set the mood and we anticipated a most enjoyable crossing.  And it was.

16 hours ago, planetcadillac said:

We are also thinking about taking a longer voyage. The longest I have been on has been 14 days (not on Cunard however). We are possibly thinking of doing something like the 28 day Caribbean  or something to that effect. 

Our longest cruise was 18 days (not Cunard) and that was enough.  I think there is a law of diminishing returns.  A 28 day cruise won't deliver as much enjoyment overall as two 14 day cruises.  Having said that, I recognize that some folks do take 'round the world' for 110 days.  And I wouldn't worry about the age of your fellow passengers on Cunard.  Everybody is sociable and friendly.  There are lots of young minds trapped in older bodies.  And congratulations!  I hope you have a wonderful time.

Try this.

3 hours ago, broberts said:

Frankly I'm shocked at the number of posters who, rather than providing the answer to a rather simple question have suggested an alternative gift.

I think that's a bit unfair.  The gift was a Royal Caribbean cruise to Alaska.  Nobody is suggesting a week in Barbados instead, all the discussion has been focussed on Royal Caribbean to Alaska.

HMCS Sackville at the Halifax waterfront, the only surviving corvette from WWII.  I was interested since my dad was in the merchant navy all through the war - on a tanker, of all things.  He lived to tell the tale.

17 hours ago, Kamloops50 said:

Your right about the Seranade..  The Ovation might be a better deal or price.

Quite true, I haven't looked at prices.

Another bit of Golden Lion intelligence:  you have two choices on timing in my experience.  Get there by 11:45 or wait until 1:15.  If you think you would like a spot of lunch at 12:30, you haven't a hope.

And if you can't get North Sea haddock, our local halibut on the wet coast is not to be sneezed at.  OK, OK, give me the haddock!

9 minutes ago, Kamloops50 said:

The only RCCL round trip from Vancouver are 14 days to Seward return on the Radience.

No, sorry, Serenade of the Seas does Vancouver to Vancouver every Sunday from May through September.

Norwegian Escape turning on a dime and pulling out of Saint John.

2 hours ago, Froufie said:

Halifax of course! 🙂

 

Sorry, too easy!

Zaandam sailing under Lion's Gate Bridge.