david,Mississauga

We did the same on a Queen Mary 2 crossing. At first, Cunard said no to our travel agent. I contacted the Canadian immigration service and was put through to a senior consultant in Ottawa. He said if we had Canadian passports no cruise line can prevent us from disembarking at any Canadian port - as long as no law is being broken. (I'm not going to look it up but on another thread I quoted a law restricting passengers from being carried between two Canadian ports on non-Canadian registered vessels.) Obviously that doesn't apply to trans-oceanic voyages. At the same time our agent got through to someone at Cunard's head office in Southampton who said it was wrong to tell us no. We have taken three Vancouver-based Alaska cruises on the Queen Elizabeth which have called in Victoria the day prior to Vancouver. On the first two (2019 and 2022) Cunard allowed - even encouraged - passengers to disembark in Victoria if they wished. I don't know exactly how many did so, but from my observations it was perhaps one or two dozen on those two cruises. But last year Cunard referred to the legislation that prevented this. It is similar to the laws in the U.S. It appears Cunard didn't know about this on the previous two voyages that we took. On our June 2023 cruise some passengers left the ship and didn't return. Their names were called on the tannoy just before departure, asking them to report to the purser's office immediately.

That small tea-pot was silver-plated and had the NASM badge on it. Pity there weren't more of them. Cunard provides kettles in all cabins. Teapots are available on request. Last year we splurged on Queens Grill and had a lovely Wedgewood china tea set in our suite.

Canadian tea-drinkers also take their tea seriously. The biggest problem in some countries and on some ships is getting boiling water. A few years ago we had a Neptune Suite and were provided with a coffee maker which is totally unsuitable for making a decent "cuppa." As others have said no kettles were available. The only place on the ship where we had water that was hot enough for tea was in the Neptune Lounge. She Who Must Be Obeyed will not get out of bed until she has a good cup of tea. Fortunately we were close to the lounge. The so-called hot water provided elsewhere was disgusting. Getting a tea-pot was also impossible, although a woman at our table in the restaurant got one - apparently it was the only one available so the staff kept it for her.

My experience and that of friends with booking the luxury class is only with Cunard. At first they offer only the 8:00 a.m. train. As that fills up - and the luxury class sells out quickly - they offered the later departure which is either 12:00 or 1:00 p.m. Our friends re-booked when that happened in 2019. Last year we waited to book until the later departure was offered. As you probably know the luxury class can only be booked through the cruise line. Not all cruise ships will have the luxury class coach available as there are only two of them. There are often four or five trains operated by the WP&Y, so only a lucky few can get the luxury coach. As for the roughness, I don't mean to make it sound uncomfortable. It is fine when seated, but you will need to walk carefully to go to the "loo" at the front of the coach. My experience is that the other coaches are not as rough simply because the last coach on any train is a bit rougher. (Walking around the rear lounge/dome car of VIA Rails' Canadian at 80 mph across the prairies is not easy on curves.) I spent a lot of time on the rear platform but I sat most of the time on a bench rather than having to hold on tight to the railing. For anyone considering splurging on the luxury coach, it costs double the regular fare and it was worth every penny.

Last June we splurged on the luxury class. There are only 14 large swivel seats. The rear platform is twice the size of those in the regular coaches (which we have taken previously). There are two wooden benches on this large platform. I don't know what is served on the early run. If you can switch to the later excursion the box of "goodies" is substantial and there is decent wine and beer offered. They used to serve the snacks buffet style, but even at low speeds it is a rough ride - especially in the last coach - so now the attendant brings the food around.

Several years ago I gave up flying economy except on Porter. When they started they offered a generous pitch of 34 inches. There was a boxed-lunch (or breakfast) offered on board. There was a pleasant lounge at Toronto's Billy Bishop Airport with free beverages - even tea or coffee in cups and saucers and shortbreads. In 2015 the leg-room was shrunk to 32 inches and the boxed light meals were discontinued. I forget when, but the complimentary offerings in the Toronto lounge soon disappeared. Now that Porter Reserve has been created, the pitch has shrunk again to 30 inches. I tried Reserve on a Q400 from Halifax to Toronto. The extra leg-room was worth it. There is no charge for checked luggage and seat assignment. There were no other on-board perks other than a cookie or chips from the basket and a beverage - the same as all passengers are offered. To their credit, Porter still offers complimentary wine in real glass even in the basic section. Next month I will try their Reserve section on the Embraer jet. A light meal is promised on flights over 2.5 hours. The pitch is 36 inches. The modest extra fare seems a good deal.

Thank you, Hattie, for the link. The references to the Union-Castle mailships was a bonus. The author mentions he was on the dock when the RMS Windsor Castle sailed from Cape Town to Southampton for the last time in 1977. My wife and I were on board that fabulous, albeit sad, voyage.

Grills passengers have to insert their key cards in order for the lifts to stop at Decks 11 and 12. On our most recent Alaska cruise the staff told us there were "sneakees" on the outdoor Grills decks and extra signs were brought out and placed at the stairways leading to these areas and also on the decks.

Based on my experiences, especially on the three Alaska cruises we have taken on the QE, no gent will be out of place in a suit or even a jacket and non-matching trousers. When we were in Britannia I would say 75% wore tuxedos/dinner jackets and most of the rest wore suits and some in sport coats/blazers. In the Grills the percentage of men in formal wear was close to 100%. Most of the Alaska cruises are 10 days and there are a mere two gala nights. Although jackets and ties are no longer required on non-gala nights, they have not been banned. A sizeable minority of men have done so. That includes me, but I assure you no-one will look down their nose at what others wear. Last year we were in Queens Grill for the first time on the QE and it seemed every man wore a jacket on the non-gala nights.

Thanks for the photos. Our Q4 was the same. The Q3s are supposed to be a little larger but from the photos I have seen the difference is not significant. I note the colour schemes are the same. The clothes closet in our Q4 was a small room with a door. It was adequate for us but quite a bit smaller than the closets in both PG and QG on the QM2. To us, the balcony seems huge as we have never had anything bigger. Another advantage of the QG suites on the QE and QV vs the QM2 is that all of them have a separate shower stall. On the QM2 the majority of the suites have the shower over the Jacuzzi. A Penthouse category on the QM2 is quite a bit larger than Penthouses on the QE and the fare is considerably higher as is to be expected.

The balcony in PG on the QE is ridiculously small for a superior accommodation. The last time we booked PG we chose a stateroom that had a view from the balcony forward as well as to the side. I knew there would be curvature of the balcony but it was smaller than I expected. It was difficult getting the door open so we had to leave the chairs a certain way. We once had a Britannia cabin with a balcony twice that size. Also, I don't care for the open closet. On the QM2 there is a huge walk-in closet with a door so your guests don't see your clothes. We had QG for the first time on the QE (last June) and were very fond of the Q4 layout. As described by others, the two-part bathroom was very convenient. We also liked the partial divider between the sleeping and sitting halves of the suite. A heavy curtain can be pulled to fill the gap. "Mrs. David" likes to take a one-hour nap on many afternoons. She could rest on the bed with the curtain pulled and I could have access to the loo, the in-suite bar and the balcony without disturbing her. On a posting a while back someone referred to the layout of the Q4s as insane. I was not the only one who replied that we think they are brilliant.

I have taken three Alaska cruises on the QE and a lot more crossings on the QM2. The dress code has been "dumbed down" every couple of years so it is difficult to make a comparison. We have not taken a crossing the same year as an Alaska cruise. Regarding the Alaska cruises the published dress code has been observed. On the few formal/gala nights the majority of gents wear dinner jackets just as on the Atlantic. I did notice last year there were fewer men wearing a jacket and tie on the other nights. The women were better dressed than the men, with many wearing what could be described as formal wear every night.

As one who is very fond of the QE (equally with the QM2 - for different reasons) I appreciate the comments. We have been on the QE four times in three different restaurant "classes" - all except for the Britannia Club. The first cruise was to Norway and the other three were Alaska cruises from Vancouver. I sympathise with those who are losing the QE cruises based in their own country. Next year Cunard is basing the Alaska cruises in Seattle instead of Vancouver, which does not please me one bit. Like most people, we much prefer the Grills facilities on the QE than on the QM2. The exception would be the staterooms, which on the QM2 give the appearance of being superior accommodation to those skinny ones on the QE even though they are same square footage. The QM2 ones also have a bigger balcony.

I feel the same. I will no longer bother with that US office and I let my TA deal with them. They have given him incorrect information too.

Indeed, we have been told by staff on the QM2 that credit cards and metal purse clasps are the major culprit. My wife doesn't use a purse whilst on board, so it is a mystery. We have had far more card entry problems in hotels than on ships.

On one Cunard voyage my wife's card refused to open our cabin door. There have been many comments by people who have had the same problem - even upon boarding the ship. We have never had or heard of anyone else having a problem with their keys back in the old days. As for apps, there is at least one cruise line that refuses to provide passengers with the a printed daily programme or menus. I don't remember what line that was, but it was one that had no appeal to us. As a person who refuses to waste money on a smartphone I would have to ask the waiters to recite the menu every meal and we would need to ask the pursers staff what events are taking place. I can appreciate many people like mobile apps, but if the day comes when they are mandatory we will be finished with ocean travel.

Likewise, our crossing with the NSO was the best. In addition to the surprise of the orchestra being on board (it had not been advertised in the North American market) we were in Queens Grill for the first time. A further bonus was being seated at the same QG restaurant table as the maestro.

We enjoyed the symphony's two concerts a few years ago. It was a scaled-down orchestra of close to 30 musicians. But it was sufficient for the Royal Court Theatre. That was enough to almost fill the stage, leaving room for the volunteer passenger choir. I hope to enjoy them again some time.

Our last crossing on the QE2 was in 2008 and the dress code in all "classes" was jacket and tie on the first and last nights and formal on the other four nights. The next year was our first voyage on the QM2 and that's when we noticed the unfortunate (in my opinion) changes to the dress code began.

I don't have much luck scanning and posting with my rather basic equipment. I will give it a try but won't post it if the quality is poor. We had splurged on Queens Grill so didn't try any alternative dining. From what I heard, nor did anyone else we met. We received the usual CWC invitation to lunch at the Verandah and for reasons that weren't explained we received a dinner invitation voucher as well. Having experienced the Verandah for both lunch and dinner on other cruises when we were in Britannia we preferred to stay in QG.

I have most of the programmes from our Alaska cruise of last June. The first sitting in Britannia was 5:30; the second was 7:45. The last call for each sitting was 30 minutes later except on the first night when it was 15 minutes. As for the on-board speakers, some of them were listed on the booking site for the particular cruise. Dr. Rachel Cartwright was one. I mention her because she was on board the three Alaska cruises we have taken.

A while back there was a posting which said: the dumbing down of the dress code was a slippery slope.

Having taken the regular excursion train twice - the first time was way back in 1972 - I thought it was time to try the luxury coach so we did so in June last year. This is a new class on the excursion trains, having started just a few years before everything was shut down due to the pandemic. As "sfred" said the luxury coach can be booked only through the cruise line. There are only two of these coaches, so not every train can have one. It operates on the Skagway to Summit service which is approximately 2 1/4 hours round trip. The cost of the trip was US$340, approximately double the regular fare. Some people have asked me if it was worth it. I answer them with a definite yes. There are only 14 swivel leather chairs arranged like a traditional parlour car. An attendant serves drinks, including wine and beer, and a snack box with quality "goodies" including shrimp and smoked salmon. A friend took this in 2019 when the snacks were offered buffet style. This has been replaced with a box because the movement of the train, despite slow speeds, is a bit rough. Being at the rear of the train has the advantage of having splendid views from the open platform, which is much bigger than those on the regular coaches. As usual with trains the rear coach is rougher than others because there is nothing behind to anchor it. My interior pictures all have people in it so I won't post them.

We have done this in NY. It was a Québec- NY - Southampton voyage which had been booked as two separate trips. Your luggage will be transferred for you. As you are in QG on the first leg your concierge should be able to get you your new cruise card for the second segment the day before arrival. We were not in the Grills when we changed cabins so went to the purser's desk to get our new cards. You use your cruise card from the first segment to disembark and your new card to re-embark. You will not have to check in again in the terminal although, as Pushpit said above, you will go through security. If you are not going to leave the terminal area you will be directed to a waiting area for in-transit passengers and will be the first to board when the US authorities say so.

We were on board what was referred to as the "10th anniversary crossing" from 16 to 23 May 2014. Cunard provided every cabin with a gift: a specially commissioned hardcover book written by Stephen Payne with a foreword by the Duke of Edinburgh.