david,Mississauga

Indeed. It is appropriate for a bilingual country that "centre" is correct in both English and French.

Cunard sent us an e-mail regarding the World Club benefits for our upcoming QM2 voyage. There was reference to benefits as "one of our most loyal guests." There was also reference to benefits which cannot be provided "due to social distancing requirements." Some of them are understandable, but not having the priority disembarkation or the disembarkation lounge for Diamond members is nonsense. Several weeks ago we disembarked the QE in Vancouver. Passengers now wait in their staterooms and proceed to the gangway at the appointed time. When we did so we noticed a crowd of well over a hundred people in a queue which we were invited to join. There had been a delay for disembarking our colour and number. Fortunately we found seats nearby. The queue grew longer by the minute. After 20 minutes of being crowded together, the long queue proceeded ashore. On our last QE arrival in Vancouver in 2019 the upper level of the Britannia restaurant was the designated disembarkation lounge. There were few people there and social distancing was maintained - and this was long before that phrase was ever heard or needed. At the appointed hour we were all invited to proceed ashore.

It is strange that for Cunard's US departures, the two-day rule applies but not for Canada. For no particular reason I checked five other cruise lines that depart from Vancouver. Four of them had the two-day rule. At the time I checked, Disney required a same-day test. They said after checking in at the terminal passengers would be directed across the street to the testing centre which is in a function room of the Fairmont Waterfront hotel. They would be charged a special rate which was less than the $120 others would have to pay. I read later on Cruise Critic that they changed it to two days as with all other lines except Cunard.

For our cruise from Vancouver we were required by Cunard to get the rapid test no more than one day before boarding, even though the Canadian Government says two days is allowed. So we couldn't get it in Ontario before flying west. The cheapest test we could find in downtown Vancouver was at Shoppers: $50. The private clinics at the airport and near the cruise terminal were charging between $79 and $120 plus tax. They required pre-payment and some would not allow cancellations or had a fee. Shoppers did not have a cancellation fee. Also, Shoppers treated this test as a prescription and charged no sales tax and gave a medical receipt than can be used for income tax.

The Canadian government rules permit a rapid antigen test to be taken up to two days prior to embarkation. For some reason Cunard has reduced this to one day. For the Alaska cruises from Vancouver this was an inconvenience for those of us who had to travel a great distance. There is only one Canadian embarkation left for this year (Québec on 30th Sept.). We are taking that voyage and hope Cunard will allow the two-day rule as they do with USA embarkations.

As others have noted, a fish knife is often presented in the Grills but not in Britannia. On our earlier Cunard voyages in the 1970s and 80s, a full set of cutlery was on the table as opposed to the new style when only a minimum amount with other pieces brought as needed. This was in Britannia not just in first class. The full set of cutlery was offered on many other ships we travelled on, such as Union-Castle and P&O (pre-Carnival). The fish fork is even more rare than the fish knife. Many years ago I purchased a set of six fish forks and knives from Canadian Pacific. The ones I have are from their trains, not the ships. (The difference was in the badging.) A CP historian explained to me that many fish forks have a silver-plated handle and stainless steel tines. I was told this is to prevent tarnishing. But the ones I have are fully silver-plated.

The other docks, Broadway and Ore, may not be available next year. It has been reported that the WP&Y lease on those docks expires next March. If their property is not removed by then their property will become the property of the city of Skagway. I don't understand what the problem is. Does the railway not want to renew the lease or does the city not want them to renew it? Does the railway not want to run trains to the end of those docks or does the city not want them to? Does no-one want those docks to be available for two ships? Another Cruise Critic forum has a link to a radio interview with the mayor. I still couldn't understand what the plans or hope for next year is. There was some vague reference to a possible law-suit which the city wants to avoid. Google was of no help to me. I'm sure someone will be able to tell us what is going on. I have another QE cruise booked for next year so I am curious. A glance at the schedules of various cruise lines shows a lot of calls planned for Skagway next year. It will be a huge problem if the Railroad Dock is not safe and the other two are off-limits. It has been reported that due to the depth of the fjords anchoring and tendering is not feasible. https://khns.org/wpyr-closes-half-of-skagways-busiest-cruise-dock-plans-to-disable-other-docks-before-next-spring

I was about to post the same thoughts. Thanks for saving me the trouble. The more I see about the Queen Anne the more I know it is not for me. Perhaps I shouldn't be too critical; at least it doesn't have a roller coaster, dodgems, water slide or rock climbing wall.

We found the same. It is a waste of time taking and uploading your photos. My travel agent told me that, but we did it anyway - just to see if we could do it I suppose.

Two things to remember about Porter is the cheapest fares - called Basic - do not allow any carry-on luggage (a purse or briefcase is allowed) and although on-line check-in is permitted, a boarding pass cannot be printed unless you are a top-tier member. I used that cheap fare once on a short domestic flight. There was only one agent available at Billy Bishop. I was in the queue for over half an hour. It is worth it to pay a bit more for the second cheapest rate. On a positive note, there are no middle seats as all their planes are Q400s. The shuttle bus between the airport and downtown (the Royal York Hotel across from Union Station) is still free. My wife has mobility issues and uses a cane. It is easier for us to take the ferry than the long tunnel. The airport end can be a bit awkward. The last time we arrived there we had requested wheelchair assistance and this was cheerfully provided. The young man took us from the stairway of the plane, through customs, the tunnel and right to a taxi.

There are only two gala nights on the QE 10-day Alaska cruises. I have done two of them: 2019, the first year the QE did these and again this year. (Our first QE cruise was 7-nights Southampton-Norway in 2013. There were three formal nights.) We were in Britannia for the earlier Alaska cruise and in PG for this year's cruise. There was no difference in the gala night attire. The other nights were somewhat different. The current smart attire nights no longer require a jacket unlike in 2019. But a significant minority of us wore a jacket and many even a tie. That is my personal standard for Cunard. On the "smart" nights a lot of women made an effort. Two women at a nearby table wore a different classy dress every night. Their male companions, however - oh, never mind.

Thanks for reminding us of that. The first time I saw Stanley Holloway in person was in a concert in Toronto a long time ago - probably in the late 1960s. Any time I hear or read that work since I think of that day and what a great performer Stanley was.

It depends on how far up the line the train is going. For the basic round-trip excursion that most people take, the train does not enter Canada. It turns at a point called Summit. (For operational reasons the train does enter Canada for a short distance, but because no-one entrains or detrains this is not considered a border crossing.) The longer journeys that enter Canada - which were cancelled for this season - do require passports and under the present rules ArriveCan forms. I have taken the Summit trip and passports were not required.

Those Q400 planes have almost no space in the overhead bins. Maybe they will hold a small purse and an umbrella. So almost all carry-on luggage is handled via the gate-check. This is very convenient and it has always been available for us by the time we step off the plane. Sadly, Porter isn't what it was a few years before the pandemic. There was always complimentary refreshments such as coffee or tea in china cups and shortbreads in the lounge in Toronto and a "box lunch" on the plane. They also shrunk the leg-room from a pitch of 34 inches to 32 inches. But that is still an inch better than you get on most planes in steerage. When we fly to Quebec to board the Queen Mary 2 in less than two months I will find out if they still serve a glass of wine (and I mean a glass) on board. We have given up flying Porter to Newark due to the lack of pre-clearance at Toronto Island. The last time the flight was delayed a few hours and we arrived with all the overseas flights. The border officials usually allow Canadians to go with returning US residents so the wait is usually less, but it can still be a nightmare. I know about Nexus but by the time we got serious about applying it was temporarily not possible - and still is.

There were photographers on the QE on our Alaska cruise in June. But they were not "in your face" as is so often the case. On some nights they set up in various parts of the ship. We had photos taken in the grand lobby on a gala night. They were the best we ever had on any ship. One photographer told us due to COVID concerns they were not allowed to take photos in the restaurants.

On our recent cruise on the QE we had Hildon water which has the royal warrant as well as the Twinings tea which we brewed in a Wedgwood tea-pot and drank from Wedgwood mugs. Even the shortbreads were by appointment to HM The Queen. My wife said our morning tea was fit for the Queen.

The deposit can be used on any voyage. The amount of on-board credit is the same as for a booking made on-board. For example, the last two I used gave us a $300 credit on a seven-night voyage in a balcony cabin. A 10-night cruise in the Grills gave us $800 credit. I understand when they were available to residents of the UK the terms were somewhat different. The ones those from the US and Canada can buy must be used within four years but they are fully refundable. I always book one when on board.

On a recent cruise on the QE I was unable to connect with it on my tablet. I have almost no patience with technology that doesn't work as it is supposed to. So when I wanted to check my on-board account I asked the Grills concierge for a print-out or if she was busy I went to the purser's office when there was no queue. I used the library computers for our complimentary internet. Maybe we could have connected to My Voyage with these computers but it didn't seem important.

The few times we have used the self-help we were told we didn't have to leave when it was called. We could disembark at any time. On our recent Alaska cruise on the QE there was a delay in calling the luggage tag colours and numbers, but it was announced several times that those with "Fast track" (I believe they called it) could leave at any time.

Unless the situation has changed since the pandemic, the UK immigration inspection takes place over several days during the crossing. The customs inspection, if necessary, is done on the pier. Most travellers take the green channel as they have nothing to declare. There could be a spot check, but it has been about 15 arrivals in Southampton since we were pulled over. After three questions we were sent on our way. I wish arrivals in the USA were as civilised.

Cunard sometimes goes one step further. For ports in Canada, the Canadian government requires proof of full vaccination. Cunard requires at least one booster shot. The government permits a rapid antigen test to be taken no more than two days before boarding. Cunard requires it no more than one day before. I'm not complaining. It is Cunard's ship so it is their rules. We were so pleased to be able to take the Alaska cruise we were happy to comply. Now that the Alaska season has finished, that leaves only the Québec - New York voyage of 30th Sept. for Canadian departures this year. Of course, the rules could change in two months.

I feel the same way about this Princess rule. If Cunard changes the rules for voyages after the final payment date there could be a lot of complaints. For the cruise we have taken and the one coming up in two months - both from Canadian ports - we have had to agree to two accept two documents including the lengthy voyage contract (18 pages I believe). We are impressed with what Cunard has done to keep people safe. Canada has strict rules and Cunard has gone one step further: a booster is required by Cunard even though the Canadian government does not require that and a rapid antigen test must be taken no more than one day before embarkation even though the Canadian rules allow two days. Even if Cunard wanted to change as Princess has they could not do so for Canadian cruises for the foreseeable future.

We were in PG on the QE last month. The menus we had were similar to the pre-COVID menu in QG that was shown above. We didn't see the QG menus but it is a reasonable assumption they would have been even more substantial than the ones in PG. The QG passengers we spoke to briefly in the lounge had no complaints.

We have been in QG twice on the QM2 - both times upgrades. The only thing we didn't like is the lack of a separate shower in the bathrooms of the basic suites: Q5, 6 & 7. If the fare difference was significantly less than what has been quoted I would pay for it. But $300 (and that would be more in Canadian $) per night isn't worth it for us. I have noticed little difference in the Grills restaurants on the QM2 other than a slightly expanded menu and the ability to order off-menu. I didn't find QG to be at all stuffy. We have travelled in all four restaurant "classes" on the QM2 and I can say we have never had as much laughter at table than on our first QG crossing. We have booked QG for a 10 day cruise on the QE next year. The difference between PG is about (Can.)$1000 per person for 10 days, which I think is very good. There is a separate shower in even the cheapest of QG and the difference in cabins between PG and QG is more substantial than on the QM2. As others have said, the PG cabins on the QM2 are very good.

Thanks, bluemarble, for noticing this. I missed that. Five years ago we had booked the Québec-NY voyage long in advance. Several months later we decided we would go on to England so added the second segment. Although we saved a little over what we would have paid had we booked it as a single trip, the best benefit was getting the extra segment which put us at the Diamond level of the club. We also received invitations to the three receptions for the second segment as well as the first. But we were not given an additional bottle of P.A. which was a relief. (We had obtained some real bubbly in Halifax.) Although it is tempting to book a crossing in an obstructed view cabin for a mere Can. $1500 - and there are two available cabins located between life boats which I know from experience is good - we have decided not to go overseas this year. We would have to fly home to Toronto. The airport and airline situation may be more tolerable by October, but it doesn't sound appealing.