neeuqdrazil

My TA (through a national driving association) provides different perks for different lines. For the cruise that I'm on in a few weeks, I'm supposed to be getting OBC, champagne afternoon tea, and a specialty dining credit.

I'll be joining you as a solo for the WB TA at the end of your trip. I haven't sailed Cunard since the before times, but previously, ice was provided daily. I can't speak to your questions about flowers (although I have a vague memory that while you may be able to order them once you're on board, the selection may be limited) nor the alternate dining locations, as the last time I travelled, I was travelling with a friend (both in our own cabins), and we enjoyed dinner in the Verandah together. You might find someone congenial at the solo meetups that you might like to dine with, though.

And happy Thanksgiving to all of the other Canadian Cunarders!

Someone on the HAL Alaska cruise I did earlier this year was doing this, and had a LOT of ducks she was spreading around. I don't get it, but to each their own.

A pair of comfortable but fashionable(ish) shoes. My current pair are heeled Blundstones ankle boots, and I expect to be wearing them for much of my next trip.

I carry a reusable water bottle so that I don't have to pay for water. I'm pretty much always thirsty, so I always carry water with me (tap water with ice in an insulated bottle.) It's significantly more environmentally- and budget- friendly than buying water every time I get thirsty.

I can't imagine the port call going ahead. Thousands are still without power, and Cape Breton is in a state of emergency for the next week.

During the day on board I generally have a tote bag/hobo bag with my phone, knitting, kobo, cruise card, notebook & pen, and maybe a water bottle or reusable mug. (Then again, with the removal of the cruise card and the addition of a wallet, it's what I carry during non-cruise life as well.) In the evening, I usually switch to a smaller clutch that has my kobo, phone, cruise card, and maybe knitting.

Which clinic are you planning to use? I've also just learned that I'll need an observed test, and need to figure out somewhere to go.

My partner and I would be that couple. We're both avid readers, and while we converse often, we also enjoy being alone together - we have been known to sit at opposite ends of the couch, both reading. I am also an incredibly shy introvert, and conversations in public (especially in places like a theatre) seem to invite interaction with others, which I find both uncomfortable and draining.

Absolutely! I'm just over 8 weeks until getting on board again, and I'm counting down the days.

I'm quite glad that my Nov 13 WB TA is requiring testing.

British Airways flies direct Toronto-Heathrow, as does Air Canada.

I've seen a lot of women wear 'sparkly' tops on board the Cunard Queens. You'll fit in just fine!

All of the Cunard ships have extensive libraries.

I'd recommend doing a RAT (unsupervised) before departure - what you really don't want to have happen is to fly to Canada and then test positive once you're here! (To be clear, this is in addition to the supervised test you'd do to meet the cruise line/government requirements.)

I'm in my mid-40s, and did a solo Alaska cruise on HAL earlier this year (April/May - the first HAL Alaska cruise of the season.) I never felt unsafe - the port stops are all VERY busy and well populated. I'm an introvert, so spending the sea days sitting and reading my book was fine for me, but I did find myself getting a bit bored, just because of the lack of interesting activities on board on the sea days (mostly shop and port talks, and casino events.) I've done two solo QM2 transatlantics, which are 6 full days at sea, and never found myself getting bored on those, in part because there was always something to do. Check out the roll call for your trip - I met a few folks during the CC meetup on the first morning, and while we didn't spend the week together (see above re: introvert), we did see each other around the ship and say hi a number of times.

I'm a dyed-in-the-wool introvert, happiest when I'm alone, and I've never found myself feeling trapped or crowded on board QM2. Even when sailing full, you can always find somewhere to sit and do your own thing. Plus there's SO MUCH to do on a crossing. Organized events - lectures (actually interesting ones, not just the port talks and shopping talks that most other lines seem to do), lessons (bridge, ballroom dancing, watercolours...), organized get-togethers (including a daily crafting circle - even if it's not formally organized, both crossings I've been on have ended up with the knitters and stitchers claiming a corner of the Carinthia Lounge every afternoon), plus all of the solo/partner things you can do - sit and read your book, doze on a lounger in the sunshine, play boardgames in the corridors on deck 2 (?). There's too much to do and not enough time to do it!

It also depends on where you are sailing. If you've got a stop in Canada as part of the voyage - for instance, there's a weird one that departs Southampton, goes to Le Havre, then NYC, then up to Quebec City via Boston & Halifax, back to NYC, then back to Southampton - any part of that voyage, including just the TA from Soton to NYC (or even Soton to Le Havre), requires an observed negative test to board, as the voyage as a whole includes stops in Canada.

I had the same response when on board HAL Zuiderdam in early May (also in Alaska.)

And they've now cancelled all service from YYZ to Gatwick after the end of October. (I was originally booked with them for my November trip, but it was cancelled and I had to rebook with BA.)

I tried searching the forum, as well as the FAQs on Cunard.com (for both flat iron and curling iron), but wasn't able to find anything. I have a vague memory of the FAQ previously indicating that 'hair appliances' were allowed (barring hairdryers), but I can't find anything on their site now, except for a single mention in the Passage Contract that Cunard won't be responsible for loss of a huge list of items, which includes 'hair appliances'. Has anyone taken a curling iron or flat iron on board recently, or alternately had them confiscated?

Ontario is doing something similar, but at least Toronto Public Health, while officially making doses only available to GBMSM who have another risk factor (multiple partners, attendance at bathhouses, etc.,) at least at the queer community centre that is hosting clinics, are providing doses for anyone who self-identifies as needing a dose. (For example, I'm a queer cis woman partnered with a queer NB AMAB who has multiple partners, and we're probably both going to get jabbed sometime in the next few weeks, even though I'm technically not eligible.)

I had PP the last few times I traveled (the card I got it through has now changed to a different offering, so I no longer have it.) Depending on your airport/airline/terminal combination, there may or may not be a lounge that you can access, so definitely check what is available at the exact airport/terminal that you are departing from. For example, when I flew to the UK in 2019 from Toronto Pearson, I was able to access a lounge with my PP card, but when I few domestically (Toronto-Vancouver return) this April, there were no PP-accessible lounges available at either end of my trip. I was able to use one of my 'lounge access' passes to get a discount (effectively a free meal) at a restaurant in the terminal, however. Also, a number of airport lounges are still closed, so double check not only what lounges are available, but whether or not they're open. I would recommend checking the airport website, instead of the PP app/website, for that. Do also check what your membership includes - the number of visits, whether it requires a copay, etc.

There are lots of folks who do exactly that! As 2BACruiser said, there are 5 Smart evenings, and 2 Gala evenings, on a 7 day crossing. (A similar split happens on other voyages as well, but the transatlantics are the ones I'm most familiar with.) A common suggestion for women in particular who are trying to travel light is to bring one or two formalish bottoms (palazzo pants or dressy skirt, for example), and then bring dressy tops to mix and match. I'm doing my next TA in October, and I'm debating whether to bring All The Pretty Dresses (tm), or to restrict myself to primarily one or two skirts and mix and match tops.