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Ethique also makes really nice solid shampoo and conditioner bars (Also body wash, moisturizer, and facial product bars.) I prefer them to the Lush ones because I can get an unscented or only mildly scented one. (The heaviness of Lush's scents gives me a headache.)

I've done a TA in an obstructed balcony, and those lifeboats are strapped in tight - they're not moving.

I wonder if they had just joined the ship? I know that humidity changes (which you would expect going from being land-based to being ship-based) will mess with tuning. (There's a reason that Cunard has a piano tuner come in when they're in port in NYC, and I would assume in Soton as well.)

Masks are still required in all airports in Canada, and on flights to or within Canada, per Transport Canada. (So if you're on a flight from the US to Canada, you must be masked for the entire flight.) https://tc.canada.ca/en/initiatives/covid-19-measures-updates-guidance-issued-transport-canada/covid-19-information-travellers-within-canada

I last successfully emailed that address in 2019 - I hope it's still active!

Definitely layers. I've done 2 TAs on Cunard, who follow the northern route (departing from Southampton), while I believe the TAs departing from points south tend to take a more southern routing. The only other thing I'd recommend is some sort of nausea/seasickness medication, as the Atlantic is unpredictable, and you could end up with some big seas. (But it could also be flat as glass.)

I'm a voracious reader, and I don't think a single book could last me a whole voyage, nor could I pick one to save my life! For audiobooks, I really do need to second (third? fourth?) the recommendation for the Outlander books. Davina Porter (the reader) has the NICEST voice. For fantasy-romance (with more than a hint of kink), the Kushiel series (9 books in total, each large) by Jacqueline Carey, would keep someone busy for quite a while. They're a lot of fun.

I was in Ketchikan on a port stop in early May as a solo traveller, and wandered around town by myself without issue as a woman in my 40s. (Admittedly, this was during the day, and I suspect that the town might roll up most of the sidewalks in the evenings due to being cruise-ship focused.)

The other challenge with the Cunard transfer is that you have to wait until everyone is on board the coach before it departs. The last time I did the transfer, I don't think we arrived to Victoria Station until almost noon.

Gorgeous photo!

If you log into My Cunard, there should be an option to change. If not, reach out to your TA to get it changed from that end.

There will be lots of opinions shared, I'm sure, so I'll jump in with mine, too. I've done two TAs, and have had both an obstructed balcony on Deck 8 and a sheltered balcony on deck 6. I didn't notice noise from either, (deck 8 was forward, close to Commodore Club, deck 6 was below the King's Court/promenade deck) but preferred the sheltered balcony to the obstructed, simply for what you're able to see. The lower down on the ship you are, the less movement you should feel, so the sheltered balconies on decks 4-6 might be your best bet. I'll be doing a TA in November, my first in an oceanview (deck 4 forward), which is right above the theatre. Fingers crossed that the minimal noise trend continues. Also - where in Canada will you be visiting?

Boo for another ulcer, but hooray that it's not anything worse, and that you'll still be going on your trip. I had a duodenal ulcer a number of years ago, and I was MISERABLE.

Thank you! I ended up booking a mid-afternoon flight from EWR. (There are other advantages despite the better timing - it flies into Billy Bishop, which is a much more civilized airport than Pearson, and is also closer to home, plus Porter are just nicer overall.) Now to just get over to EWR! Oh, and wait the 94 days until I get on board...

I'll be doing the 13-20 November WB TA (96 days until departure, not that I'm counting or anything), and I'm having the WORST luck with flights. (Initial flight to London was cancelled, along with the ticket for the flight from LGA back to Toronto, rebooked on a different airline to get to London, re-purchased the LGA-Toronto ticket, and now that flight has been cancelled and I've been moved onto a flight departing LGA at 7PM, which is WAY too late.) I've got two options, and it's been long enough since I did a TA (it was pre-covid) that I'm not sure which will be better. (Last time, I took a 4.55PM ET flight from LGA, and I felt like I was waiting FOREVER.) - There is a flight from LGA that departs at noon. (The airline also has codeshare flights at 2PM and 4PM, but I'm not sure if I can transfer my flight to one of those.) - There are multiple flights, departing every hour, from EWR, and I could book any of them, with the option to go standby for an earlier flight for free The last time I did a TA, there were only a few agents at Red Hook, and the lines were HUGELY long, but I didn't do self-disembark, so was coming out into the middle of the chaos. I've got a few questions: - How have the customs/immigrations lines been at Red Hook this summer - Recommendations on flights - Recommendations on getting to LGA/EWR from Red Hook (I'm travelling solo)

You should be fine. As long as it's an observed test/administered test, which I believe the Shoppers tests are. When I did my Alaska cruise in late April, I did a PCR test through a private clinic (FH Health) because I was flying to Vancouver the morning of the day before my cruise, and at the time, PCR was within 3 days of cruise departure, while RAT was within 1 day, and I didn't want to arrive in Vancouver and then test positive. When I fly to London in November, a week before getting on QM2, I'll be doing a RAT at home before flying, and taking some tests with me, and then test depending on the testing regime in effect at the time.

I'm at 91 and 98, respectively, and I also cannot wait.

I haven't flown Porter since pre-Covid, but it was always a delight. Definitely better than trying to go through Pearson, if it's an option.

This is what I've been doing since 2020. Prior to that, I got my upper lip waxed at the same time as my eyebrows (and like someone else in the thread, I've had some horrendous experiences with facial waxing, including a burn that took a layer of skin off under my eyebrow, but I have an amazing aesthetician who has never burned me in the 15+ years I've been seeing her.) Now, though, I just pull the dark hairs from my lip when I notice them. (And masks hide the worst of it anyway, most of the time.)

Even Cunard are relaxing their standards, and oh is it a topic of much consternation on the Cunard forums. Instead of 3 'gala' nights on a 7 night crossing, there are now only 2, and the other 5 are 'informal' - still dressier than the casual of other lines, but not to the same standard as previous years. Gentlemen don't even have to wear a blazer or sport coat on informal nights anymore! (cue shock and horror)

The advantage of booking through the cruise line is that you board the train at the dock, instead of having to walk into town to the depot. (Not that it's super far.) This tends to be more useful for morning departures, as if you're on the afternoon departure, you're likely to already be in town.

I believe that they are considered separate types - Obstructed, Sheltered, then Balcony, at least based on fares.

I'm on M236, and I'm hoping that the extra OBC email is sitting in my TA's inbox (as she's on vacation right now.) If not, it's not a huge deal, as I've already got bunches from initial booking.

Spanx are the modern classic, but I find them really uncomfortable - they're 'control top' nylons on steroids. Rago make classic shapewear (girdles, waist cinchers, etc.), but you may not want something that intense, either. If it's a dress that you'll be wearing, you may find a slip with some control your most comfortable option (I'm plus size, and have a Torrid shapewear slip that I plan to use for just this purpose.)

I flew through Detroit to Cape Town (Toronto-Detroit-Amsterdam-Cape Town) a number of years ago, and while I didn't deal with the outside of security, it was a pleasant experience within the airport. Speaking of flights, I just received notification that my Westjet flight to London UK in November has been cancelled (apparently Westjet don't fly to the UK after the end of October?), so now I get to try to find a new flight (flying in a week early to spend some time in London prior to getting on board the QM2 to come back across the Atlantic.)