david,Mississauga

We were on an eastbound crossing on the QM2 during our Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations. There was a special jubilee tea with a lot of bunting and many tables of treats set up in the wide corridor that runs from the lobby to the Britannia Restaurant. The Thames Pageant was shown live in both the Royal Court Theatre and Illuminations. Someone said it was also broadcast on the cabin televisions. There was a special menu in all restaurants one night. In the Britannia Restaurant there was a rousing chorus of God Save the Queen followed by three cheers for Her Majesty. Even the World Club party in the Queen's Room was special. I was pleased that Canada's Jubilee emblem was used with the ice sculpture.

A report on the condition of the area is due soon. As we know, the cruise season starts later this month, According to an article I read a few weeks ago (sorry, I haven't time now to try to find it again) the plan is for passengers from the ship at RRA to be transported by shuttle bus to/from the town end of the dock. Those from the ship at RRF will travel by the ship's tenders. This assumes that it is deemed safe to dock a ship at RRF.

On our two voyages last year (one in PG and the other in BC) there was nothing in the mini-bar. As majortom10 says bottle water is provided. I prefer having a fridge that we can use for whatever we want as opposed to a mini-bar filled with items Cunard thinks we might want to purchase.

We have gratuities paid by Cunard as one of the perks for our Alaska cruise on 20 June. Cunard quoted the amount which was in effect at that time. Now that it is $3 higher I am curious whether we will be charged the difference. Of course it doesn't matter because we won't fret about it.

It had often been quoted in the media that the vaccination requirement applies to those entering the USA by air. This is the latest I could find from the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/proof-of-vaccination.html Our cruise line, Cunard, has said that proof of vaccination is not required for an Alaska cruise from Vancouver but warns that situation could change. Our agent recommends bringing proof of vaccination just in case.

We are taking that cruise. June 20th is the departure day of the Queen Elizabeth from Vancouver. The QE was on the Juneau list for June 22nd until the CLAA updated their listings on Feb. 27th. Cunard didn't acknowledge this until March 8th. There are now four ships on the Juneau list for that date. Last year we took the same cruise, also in June. The QE was at anchor in Juneau. There were four ships docked. Although I could care less about Juneau, having been there several times, I feel bad for those who were looking forward to it, especially those who had booked excursions. I will be really disappointed if we can't take the WP&Y excursion from Skagway. Thanks to the poster for the telephone information for the CLAA. When I noticed Juneau was no longer showing the QE and that the call at Sitka was different from Cunard's information, I e-mailed the agency at both ports. They did not reply.

We have visited Saguenay three times on the Queen Mary 2. On the first visit in September 2016 we attended Fabuleuse which was more lavish than we could have imagined. It was well worth it. Most performances are in French, but they do (or did) matinées in English for cruise ship passengers. From this information it appears there is a limited season this year with only evening performances. It is early yet, so maybe that will change. https://saguenaylacsaintjean.ca/attrait/quoi-faire/la-fabuleuse-histoire-dun-royaume#description-generale

There have been many complaints on this forum about the view of the lifeboats from Deck 9. We have travelled in QG twice. Both were crossings. The lifeboats didn't bother us at all. We have spoken to others and some don't like it and some don't mind it. We don't spend a huge amount of time on the balcony and are usually resting on a deck chair and looking straight out to sea.

It was the same last year as it was in 2019. It is a convenient service with frequent buses. Most were intercity-type coaches and some were school buses.

We have not been so lucky with far forward cabins when the sea is bumpy. It was quite calm when we had a Q6, though. On two other voyages we were several cabins away from the most forward on Deck 10 and Deck 13 when for a day and night we experienced Force 9 or 10. It was like riding a lift at times and on both occasions I was thrown about the cabin when I got up in the middle of the night. The QM2 is incredibly stable, but there is nothing consistent about the reaction to strong winds and high seas. I wouldn't hesitate to book a cabin far forward again on any deck because the odds are in our favour that it will be smooth most of the time. But we must be prepared for some unpleasant conditions that could happen.

On a crossing of the QE2 in the final year of service (2008) we were pleasantly surprised to see a glass shower door instead of the usual curtain that was always in Britannia cabins that we occupied. It was a small space so if it can be done on an almost 40-year-old ship it can be done on the current Queens.

Having twice had a Deck 13 Britannia Club stateroom, I can say they were very quiet. There is a walkway above on both sides, but it is well cushioned. It is often closed due to high winds, and the walkway is above the balconies, not the cabin interiors. We never heard anything from above. As for motion, as with all cabins far forward you must be prepared to bounce if the sea gets bumpy. On each of our voyages there was significant motion for only one day.

If you check the schedules to see how many ships are expected on the day you plan to be there and the berth assignment, you may know if the odds are in your favour. https://claalaska.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/SKG-Skagway-2023.pdf If there are three or fewer ships you may feel better about it. (My wife and I are taking a cruise on the Queen Elizabeth and the rail excursion is the only excursion we have booked, so I am following the situation closely.) If your ship is assigned to the Broadway or Ore docks that is good. If your ship is assigned to "Railroad Dock Aft" that is almost as re-assuring. It is planned to take passengers by shuttle bus to/from the ship at that berth. If that is not possible, tendering is a possibility. If your ship is assigned to "Railroad Dock forward" I would be worried. Of course, berth assignments can change. But we have done three cruises to Alaska in the past seven years and the information given in the aforementioned site has been accurate for all ports.

I will drink to that!

I feel the same about four formal nights on a crossing. On our last crossing on the QE2 and our first on the QM2 there were four formal nights. Those were six-night crossings and that was the tradition: formal every night except the first and last. Shortly after, the formal nights dropped to three and I understand it is now only two - even on crossings. The non-formal nights used to be jacket and tie; then it was jacket required with tie optional. Now it is no jacket required. As for dark suit vs dinner jacket/tuxedo, from my experience (going back to the 1970s) it was never required for a gent to wear black tie. A suit was always acceptable. I never saw anyone refused entry to the restaurant or looked down upon by other passengers for wearing a suit on a formal night. When the QE2 was operated as a two-class (plus Grills) liner, it was not traditional for formal wear in the Tourist Class, later called Transatlantic Class. I think it was in the late 1980s when the ship became one-class, still with a former First Class restaurant (Caronia) and the Grills, and the dress code actually increased. For the first time most people wore formal wear in Britannia, the former Tourist Class restaurant.

We were on that crossing. It was great to be back at Pier 90 again. In April 2008 the QE2 was sent to Manhattan on short notice. Neither we nor our travel agent were notified by Cunard. I read it about it here on Cruise Critic about three days before. Some members who were on board said that there would be a change of piers from Brooklyn to Manhattan. No-one knew the reason. If I hadn't read that posting we would have gone to Brooklyn as many others did. According to many people we met on board Cunard didn't even provide staff at Brooklyn so there was no transportation available to those who arrived at an empty pier.

Some of the terminology used by Cunard gives the impression that Britannia Club "guests" can dine any time only at dinner. It is not always clear that breakfast and lunch are also available any time during opening hours and the assigned table is yours for all meals. We have travelled in the Club twice on the QM2. I highly recommend the staterooms on Deck 13 which were added in 2016. Although they are the same size as the older Club cabins on Deck 12 - and Britannia balcony cabins - the furnishings are nicer. The bathroom is quite attractive and there is a glass door instead of the usual shower curtain.

If your airline ticket doesn't allow you the use of the airline's lounge I strongly recommend you book one of those lounges that are available to anyone for a modest fee. As someone who hates airports I won't spend any significant time at one without a lounge to relax and have snacks and drinks.

My first thought when I read this was: if it is unsafe to walk along the dock can it be much safer to go on a shuttle bus. If it is demeed unsafe, the QE can operate tenders from the "Railroad Dock Aft" position. Many ships did that last year. It was a slow process because, of course, tenders can be used on only one side of the ship. Another article said there are some reasons (which I don't remember) why large ships can't anchor in the harbour.

I have read an article that said passengers from ships docked at the aft end of the dock would be transferred by shuttle bus through the rock slide area to the head of the dock. Those from ships docked forward will tender. Those ships assigned to the forward position are subject to cancellation. Indeed, one QE cruise in July has cancelled the call at Skagway as have ships of other cruise lines. Being assigned aft is more promising, but I would have preferred to be at the Broadway or Ore docks.

The information about these changes was showing on the Cruise Lines Agencies of Alaska site, last updated on Feb. 27th. So this would not have been a surprise to Cunard. They took a while before informing passengers. Two days after Cunard notified passengers and their travel agents, they were still showing the original itineraries on the booking site and selling excursions for Juneau on "my-cunard". That has now been corrected. My first thought was maybe there were too many ships booked in Juneau, but that is not ncessarily a problem. There are now four on the date originally scheduled for the QE. On another day there are seven. (Last year Juneau was a tender port for the cruise we were on.) I am concerned about Skagway, our favouite port on this cruise. There are only three ships booked on our day and the QE is assigned to the "Railroad Dock aft".

My experience is that many people dress in a traditional formal manner on gala nights without regard to the theme. Being traditionalists we love formal/gala nights at sea and we can't be bothered with themes. No-one will care if you do likewise.

I agree! I wish we had taken more of those occasional 8-night w/b crossings so we could disembark in Halifax, avoiding going to New York. We didn't do this to save money because the fare for the full crossing was charged, understandably. Nor did we want a shorter crossing. We have never once had a good experience disembarking in N.Y. It's a shame the call at Halifax on crossings was discontinued several years ago.

I also noticed that for the crossings in January and March. The first April 2025 crossing on the 27th is seven nights, so perhaps the longer crossings are just for winter. In previous years the winter crossings have been eight nights including Jan. of 2024. Although I like longer crossings and don't mind the higher fares that will have to be paid, my main concern in lengthening the crossings is that there are fewer in a year than there used to be. I know that the five-night crossings that were the usual with the QE2 for a long time will not be repeated. But there were a lot more crossings when they were shorter, which made it easier to sail in both directions.

The dumbing down continues. I, however, won't indulge in this and dress in the traditional manner that I have done for decades since my first Cunard voyage.