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It has been some time since I have been on the EPICS. However there was always that top deck above the buffet. Only one of the outdoor elevator goes up there from the main deck and on set of stairs. It is quit up there.

Many parking lots in Vancouver have moved away from gates and attendants. Hard to find staff these days. They usually have vehicles with cameras that they will drive up and down the lanes. The computer checks the plates against the database.

In Canada, CASTA is our equivalent to TSA. They do the security screening going into the gate area. CASTA normally does not care about shoes unless you have metal in your shoes and it sets off the metal detector. The one exception to the larger airports in Canada has US pre-clearance where you go through US passport and customs procedures in Canada before getting on a flight to the US. In this case they require you to take off your shoes if it is going into the area where the US flights depart from. CASTA also does not do ID checks the way TSA does in the US. CASTA just wants to see that you have a valid boarding pass. The airlines in Canada are required to do a photo ID check at the gate before your get onto your flight. In Canada some airports are setup where you do a metal detector check, if that goes off they take you over to a whole body scanner otherwise your good. In the US they will do more body scanner and sometimes switch to using the metal detectors when TSA feels like it. Liquids have to be in a little bag. The limit is 100 mL or 100 grams packages and up to the number you can get into a 1 L bag. We use the metric system is Canada for some things. Slightly more than 3 oz in Canada. Bags are on a stand near the entrance to the security area.

Lufthansa is having labour issues and Frankfurt is the main hub. i think you go through passport control, then claim bags, then customs. Exit follow signs to the train station. There are walkways from both terminals to the stations.

WestJet is still flying to Heathrow but it looks like only out of Calgary. They are scaling back their Toronto operations.

I use RBC Avion Visa card personal card and the AMEX Platinum as a small business card. The Avion points can be spent on any airline. However the special deal RBC has with Air Canada is they don't earn Aeroplan points. Still find the AMEX does. The RBC Avion does still earn Aeroplan points on TAP Air Portugal and United issued tickets, Not certain if that is by design or something not getting coded correctly. As for Aeroplan, my strategy has been to put the Aeroplan number of the booking and earn whatever I earn. I am not going out of my way to earn them.

It is unlikely they would be blocked at disembarkation. If CSBA has an issue with the person they would be forced to stay on the ship. while in port.

The Sheraton Gateway that xcell recommended is great hotel, it has a nice restaurant. It is connected to Terminal 3. No need for cars etc. If your arriving in Terminal 1 there are free shuttle trains between terminals every few minutes. The free shuttle train also takes you to the Alt Toronto Airport Hotel that is located next to the parking lot station. They have a more limited menu. They have a wood oven pizza place in the hotel. Dixon Road has all the major airport hotels brands you would expect. Most of these have shuttle busses. The Crown Plaza Toronto Airport was recently remodeled just before COVID. There are a number of mid-market chain restaurants in the parking lot. Jack Astro Bar/Grill and Boston Pizza are two examples. Should mention Boston Pizza has a very diverse menu and is part of national chain in Canada. It is split into a Sports bar on one side and casual dinning on the other side. Across the intersection is Sheraton Airport Hotel. Also a nice hotel. In their parking lot they have a Chop Steak House which is nice. Montana's is a more kids friendly steakhouse chain in Canada that is across the street. Delta by Marriot Toronto Airport Hotel and Convention Center is also just down Dixon St and is nice. It has a Japanese restaurant and a Lots 41 Bar and Grill. I have stayed at the Radisson Suites on Dixon or the Holiday Inn East along Dixon. It is cheaper, the rooms are fine. The restarts are ok. The one connecting to the Holiday Inn is more like Denny;s,. I would walk down to one of the others like Millstone which casual dinning. The Bar & Grill style restraints like Lots 41, Boston Pizza and Jack Astro will likely be open until midnight. The other ones may be closing an hour or two earlier.

That comes down to the deal the consolidator made with AC. These are generally unpublished fares and subject to the terms the consolidator and AC agree on. I use to use RBC Avion Visa points for booking trips. When RBC and AC negotiated their last deal it included dropping all Aeroplan points. When I log into Avion Visa portal I can book AC flights with either cash or Avion points. It is almost always cheaper than buying direct but without the points. In the case of AA and Viking, the two likely have some deal to gets Viking cheaper fares but excludes points.

Usually when the airline a schedule change , then all the repricing goes out the window. The agent can book you into nearly any flight with space, within reason, at no cost.

Detroit is a hub for Delta. Miami is a hub for American. I generally like Delta and fly them more frequently than American. That said, they are both about the same especially on that route. Delta and WestJet partner with each other. If your in WestJets loyalty program you can credit points to your WestJet program. However don't expect a lot from that loyalty program.

It is going to be wholesale conversion rate + a fixed percentage that the bank is using as its markup. Those markups are almost always through process that do not involve human interaction such as an ATM machine. Canadian credit cards usually add 2-3% margin on top of the wholesale rate when you pay for something using your credit card in foreign currency. There are very few credit cards in Canada that don't have these hidden fees. Those exchange places, especially the ones in tourist locations can be hit and miss. Some are good other have service fees and other things they hid in the transaction.

Looks like a fantastic cruise. I will toss my 5 cents in (since we don't cent coins in Canada anymore). I live in Canada, very rarely use cash these day. I use credit cards everywhere I go. That includes to pickup a coffee.

Copa is an airline I gave flow aw well as well at work being a company we have had as a customer. They are a good airline and well run and are part of star alliance so partners with United and Sir Canada. Around the same size as WestJet and the operate the same type of aircraft. Avianca is probably a larger more complex operator. I would chose Copa and a transit through Panama City over anything that involves a transit through the US. US is a great country to visit but it clearing US customs to turn around a leave a few hours later is a pain and schedule risk.if things get backed up on customs inspection for some reason.

Pre-covid one time I did a Munich with a 30 minute layover. That was connecting from Adria Airlines onto Air Canada and involved a security check. Munich is much more efficient airport. It is smaller and if your staying in the same alliance your staying in the same terminal. I would be ok with either option, especially if you have the extra hour in Frankfurt.

Ogdon Point is the cruise ship terminal. Media is reporting that the app is down due to the Rogers outage. For those that are following, there was an interview with a SWP done mid afternoon. Where he basically said he is not certain if things will be back to normal today and they are getting close but not certain of the cause.

That should be expected. In some Canadian ports they will clear the entire ship prior to it docking. If they have an issue with specific travelers they will advise the cruise line to page them or restrict how they get off the ship with the key cards.

Yes, that airline needs to know it was completed and the Canadian government is ok with your entry. That could be at the gate or at online or in-person checkin depending on how your airline does it.

I like the Fairmount Waterfront (it is across the street from the PanPacific). The Fairmount Pacific Rim is also quite nice, it is just down from the Fairmount Waterfront. Restaurants all depend on what you like. Vancouver has a lot of very good Asian restaurants.

My experience is pre-COVID, reservations were encouraged. However any open seats were released to walk up about 10 minutes before the start of the show. Never had a problem being a walk up. Your not allowed to reserve the same show more than once. So there likely will be space you just may not get your choice of time if you reserve late.

One more thing to mention. Is Calgary has A, B, C, D and E gates. E is exclusively US flights and segregated. D use to be exclusively international and segregated Now it is international/domestic and you can walk back and forth to A/B/C. A/B/C are all domestic. If you come in at A or B it is a long walk to E. You will notice Link stops for this weird looking electric shuttles. Wait for one of them and grab the shuttle. They may look weird but are quite fast. For that 6:00 am flight I arrived on a D gate. However there is no guarantee that will happen on any other day. Also Calgary is one of WestJet two main hubs. There is going to be lots of WestJet people around you can ask.

It is disappointing they are being restrictive on the changes. I did that 6:00 am flight about three weeks ago but was connecting domestically in Calgary. That is the first flight of the day for WestJet out of Vancouver. It has a high likelihood of being on time. When flights start to run late, they tend to be later in the day. I have not done a US connection in Calgary since the pre-COVID days. Assuming everything is still the same, you follow the signs for US Connections (US Flag). The bags are automatically transferred. Photos of them show up on a computer screen and the US customs agent hits a button to bring them up if they want to see them. Usually they don't and he/she hits another button and releases them. Calgary use to have two segregated departure halls, domestic, US pre-clearance and international. With the drop in international traffic they removed international being segregated from domestic. I don't know if that impacted anything with the transfers to the US.

There are a couple of routes in the Air Canada network that are what they use to call "rapid air", in the us some of the airlines called these "shuttle" routes. Vancouver to Calgary is one of them. With the exception of the very lowest cost tickets they offer free standby on earlier flights. When you get to the airport if you tell them at the check in counter your worked about the connection, they will likely put you on standby for an earlier flight. That route pre-covid was hourly. Likely they are back to that. If your on WestJet there is a good chance they will do the same. Calgary is also a smaller airport for international travel. It is dominated by domestic. Your not going to have long lines for US customs pre-clearance. Connecting passengers are also a separate line from the passengers leaving locally from Calgary.

They make connection passengers a priority and you go through customs separately from passengers heading to Toronto. Bags are automatically transferred.

As long as both flights are on the same ticket the airline should rebook you at no cost onto the next flight. It is likely the aircraft is going to be come up Newark to Quebec city turn around and head back. If there is a delay it is going to be due to delays leaving Newark. If it looks like the flight is going to be late, ask at checkin or at the gate if your connection is still good, if not they may just reroute you onto an Air Canada flight or possibly WestJet flight.