3rdGenCunarder

If it should be served that cold, the cabin stewards need to put more ice in the bucket.

That is WAY too long! Because of confusion over ArriveCAN, my embarkation in Vancouver on QE was an hour, and I thought that was too long. Where were you going that you did customs in Brooklyn? Welcome to Cruise Critic, MrsHat (great name!)!

Sometimes it's decent, and sometimes it's awful. I don't know if it's production issues or careless storage, but I have had some truly bad Pol Acker.

Yes, those are the perks I like. I recently pulled out a t-shirt I hadn't worn in a few years and found a HAL laundry tag on it. I received the half-price offer for CO on my winter cruise. I thought about it, but my main alcohol is wine with meals. Consider how few choices for wine by the glass are in the package, I decided I'm better off with the wine package and just buying the occasional cocktail.

After the 5-stars claimed their spots in the cooking class, it was possible for others to buy the class. I was lucky to do it twice, both times with guest chefs. The conversation over the lunch was even more informative than the cooking class! When they went to ATK demos, the subjects never interested me.

Yes, that's how I remember the lounge. I'm always amused looking at the huge photos showing how grand Cunard is while I sit in a partitioned section of what feels like a warehouse. Nicest terminal I've been in was QEII in Southampton. I didn't mind waiting for my number to be called when I could sit in a comfortable chair and even buy a bon voyage drink at the bar. Another hijack question, if anyone on QM2 now is reading this. Is Carinthia open to serve small-plate lunch snacks? That's my usual embarkation lunch.

Kings Chaos, I love it! (The name, not the venue) I have yet to see Aztec in rotation when I've been on QM2. I would like to try that one.

Yes, I was in PG and had Contessa, too. A second bottle appeared mid-cruise with a note saying it was in lieu of a senior officers party. Next cruise, I'm back in steerage, so I may have to put up with Pol Acker. 😱

Thanks for that info. Does Brooklyn still have the separate priority lounge? The last time I boarded in Brooklyn (maybe 5 years ago) it was crowded because they held the in-transit people there as well as embarking grills/diamonds.

further boarding question. Does Brooklyn have a priority line for grills/diamond passengers?

I was disappointed to learn that the hop-on-hop-off bus in Saguenay isn't running any more. I was hoping to go to Chicoutimi to see the Pulperie and wander around the town. We did this a few years ago, and were able to use the bus to get around. How available are taxis and Ubers in Saguenay? Also, which is better/more available in Quebec City, Uber or taxis? How easy is it to get a taxi or Uber back to the ship if I go somewhere a few miles away? How about buses? Would I have to get a transit card, or can I pay for each ride with cash or a credit card?

There isn't a lot to do in Sydney. Your ship probably offers some of the tours I've done on past trips. If you like history, Fortress Louisbourg is excellent. There's an Alexander Graham Bell museum in Baddeck. This time (QM2), I'm going to a Celtic village. Most tours will involve an hour drive or so each way.

Yes, please! I loved the Neptunes. And the hands-on cooking classes with lunch afterwards.

Another hijack question. How was check-in and boarding in Brooklyn?

I agree about the times. Whether I'm in steerage or Grills, I don't see any pattern. Disembarkation times do seem to be top to bottom.

Which ship? I've been in a corner aft on three of the four Vistas and loved it. Once, on Zuiderdam we had rough weather and it wasn't bad. That said, I'm a pretty hardy sailor. If it's Koningsdam or Rotterdam, I wouldn't do it. K'dam was an uncomfortable ride in the back and it wasn't bad weather.

I think that's a good choice. You can have the partition between the verandahs opened so you can share the outside space more easily.

My cruise to Quebec City arrives at the end of September, and I've been checking to see where we will dock. Probably won't know for a week. But I did find out that the new terminal can handle more passengers than the old one can. That's why they built it, to manage larger ships better. On busy days, they can have 4 or 5 ships in port now. Google maps gives the terminal address as 300 Rue de l'Estuaire. Do not go to Dalhousie Street. If you look at Google maps, you'll see that the terminals are not near each other--not terribly far as the crow flies but separated by water.

You can have only one entry at a time. Check with Holland America to see if they're checking for the second entry when you board the ship (Cunard did this in June) or if it will be checked before your return to Canada from Alaska at Prince Rupert.

Thank you all for the answers!

Cunard has been sending emails about my upcoming cruise. telling me how wonderful it will be and suggesting ways to make it special (by buying extras, of course). The latest was about dining. it said that afternoon tea is in the Britannia Restaurant or Kings Court. So have they stopped using the Queens Room, or is this another example of Cunard's inability to keep track of itself? (Tea was in the QR on QE in June, so I'm inclined to think this is an error.) Does anyone have recent experience with vegan menus? The website says to choose the night before, but does not say to make arrangements in advance of the cruise, as people do for severe allergies or medical conditions. Are there still "always available" items in Britannia? And finally, what production shows are they doing at the moment? Please, please, please, don't tell me Apassionata!!! .

We were aft of K'dam, deck 7. The balcony was not as deep as the balconies on the Vistas. I love the corner afts on the Vistas, but I wouldn't do it again on the K'dam. That ship banged and slapped the water in "following seas" (waves approaching at the back). Terrible ride at the back of the ship. Forward and midships were fine. We had very rough weather on Zuiderdam one time, and there was motion at the back, but it wasn't the horrible bang and shudder we had on K'dam in weather that wasn't very rough at all.

I find it odd that they specify full transit as an exception to dropping the test requirement, but there's no mention of partial transits. People who work there come onboard for a partial, too. And there are shore excursions, so passengers will be going into Panama.

I agree about the internet. I don't use it a lot on any given day. In fact, I rarely used all my Diamond minutes. I check email, maybe the weather for an upcoming port. I have better things to do on vacation than be online. But now I have to "pay" for the whole day in order to use 20 minutes. I'll be on QM2 next month. I hope they will have the alternative restaurant in the Lido because nothing will get me into the Verandah again. In all my cruises, the worst dinner by far was in the Verandah. Service was slow, food was overcooked and dry, and the Maitre d' was obnoxious. I enjoy the cocktail parties because they feel like a festive occasion. It's fun to see everyone dressed up on a "gala" night.

It's possible they have to "make do" with fewer musicians. There was jazz a few nights in Commodore Club on QE in June. I enjoyed them more than the string trio (out of tune!!!) and the pianist (not as good as others I've heard on Cunard). One afternoon at tea, there was a solo guitarist who was excellent.