giddy_up

11 hours ago, tidygirl said:

Was it easy to find the downtown transit center? Are the buses clearly marked saying they are headed to mendenhall Glacier.

Any help on how to do public transit would be appreciated as we aren't familiar with it.

not familiar at all, but this article on the Juneau public transport website seems to cover it nicely

https://juneaucapitaltransit.org/how-to-ride-to-the-mendenhall-glacier-visitor-center-with-capital-transit/

thankyou for the feedback.

Happy sailing. 

12 hours ago, alc13 said:

Well, here we are on QE,

Could you please tell what the current requirements are for wearing masks onboard?

58 minutes ago, LittleFish1976 said:

Looking at Cunard's Australian website, I can't see any mention of 'all shore experiences will be on organised excursions only using vetted operators'.

 

What I can see is that each country visited on the ship will have their own requirements for entry. Can't find any mention of organised excursions as only way to access ports from the ship. It was not that way when I was on board in Australia in February.

As per the screenshot below showing the response to "Why cant I leave the ship without booking a shore experience"

I note the the Cunard UK website has only 10 FAQs under the "Our Covid-19 protocols" whereas the Australian on has 35.

I could not find a US or Japan version of the website.

I understand that the may be more cruise specific information once a booking has been made, however at this point I am not prepared to make that booking until the requirements are clearer.

The mandatory mask requirements in Japan was lifted in March, and yes I was not originally intending to go back to Japan for a longer holiday until at least next year.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2023/03/13/national/japan-mask-rules-caveats/

Flying in a day before, staying clear of public transport and other high density areas for a 1 day before boarding is doable. Note that masks on flights to Japan are not mandatory.

And I have done 2 previous multiweek trips to Japan, so are aware of cultural courtesies.

But this question was not about about holidaying in Japan, this was about the mandatory requirements on board the Queen Elizabeth for a 28night cruise.

I have done 2 cruises in the last 6 months, the first still had the mandatory mask requirements. I was miserable and stayed away from the entertainment venues, just grabbed my food from the buffet and went outside to eat, and otherwise stayed on deck or in my cabin.

The other cruise the mandates were dropped allowing me to enjoy more of what was offered onboard.

Coincidentally, I caught covid on the cruise with mask mandates, but did not catch on the cruise without.

This is my personal issue, and I think as it stands I will drop considering this cruise with Cunard.

Would anyone have any updated information on the current requirements for mask wearing onboard (I am talking mandatory for covid not the masquerade type)?

I was looking to book an upcoming cruise, and seeing on the Australian Cunard website that there is mandatory mask wearing onboard, and during boarding etc, and also that all shore experiences will be on organised excursions only using vetted operators, plus a whole lot more.

An email to Cunard did confirm the mask requirements.

However many of these restrictions are not showing in the FAQ section on the UK website. So there may be different requirements in different regions.

I am not looking for any discussion on the pros and cons of mask wearing, I get that, personally I struggle with it for long periods and will look for alternate ways to spend my leisure time and money if these mandates are still in place.

I was looking at Japan to Alaska on the QE in May.

I have recently been on a Carnival cruise in Australia, and the mandatory requirement had been lifted. I am a little surprised to see it still in place on any cruise line if that information is correct.

1 hour ago, MMDown Under said:

That is good to hear giddy_up.  I got mixed up with the rough seas to Tasmania at the same time.

The worse rough seas I've been on was when the ship pitched and rolled at the same time. (Bay of Biscay) 

The second worse was when they had ropes across the stairwells to hold on to and the piano and chairs slid from side to side on the ship (NY to Rotterdam)

The third worse was the Great Australian Bight (I didn't cruise for 30 years afterwards)   

I have been aboard a ship crossing the drake passage just ahead of a hurricane. Didn't even have to pay extra for that wild ride.

Now I don't recommend this, but on the current NZ sailing I haven't had any issue walking up and down the stairs without holding the rails (I have been doing this for COVID avoidance) 

I will say I was a little disappointed by the fact that this is actually a main walkway from the MDR to the rest of the ship, so at times there is heavy foot traffic between the pianist and the seated area. Sort of kills the ambience somewhat.

Not what I would consider rough at all.

My view is a bit subjective as I don't get seasick and enjoy a bit of movement, but the ship rode as expected. There was swell and the stabilizers did there job as I would expect for a ship of this size.

23 hours ago, Hogbay said:

BbQ 

Thanks for the photos @Hogbay, particularly of the ol'fashioned BBQ, I haven't seen this anywhere else yet. Do you recall the hours when it is serving? Assuming it will be open for lunch, but is it also open in the evening for dinner?

I will be on the NZ cruise departing the 20th, so starting to get a little excited now.

Do you know that the parking at the terminal is now fully booked?

hi all. I finalised my booking today. Traveling solo, so hoping to meet others, and cant wait for some long overdue RnR.