david,Mississauga

I booked it myself on the AC booking site. It is a direct routing from Toronto to London Heathrow. I booked it about 11 1/2 months in advance on what would be the first day that bookings became available. Every day the booking period extends by one day, so timing is essential. There are usually four overnight flights from Toronto (no day flights unfortunately) and the cheap fare is usually available on the last flight of the day which is 23:45. I did notice that it was easier to get a cheap flight with a change in Montreal. I see you are from Ottawa so that would be better for you. You will notice that most flights cost over 200,000 points per person and that is one way. I would never have enough for that. The fare in $ is absurdly high. My travel agent who books my ships says the Cunard Line (and others) can often get us a good deal for a one-way flight, but I am pleased with what I got for free.

Unfortunately, Air Canada has devalued Aeroplan points, i.e. they have raised the points fares considerably in the past year or so. I normally pay about 24,000 for Toronto-Vancouver Business Class but most flights are now three, four or even five times that. A few years ago I got Toronto-Halifax for 16,000 points and it is now 42,000 on most flights. Occasionally there is a really good deal and I accepted a friend's advice to only book after midnight when the best deals appear. For a flight from Toronto to England to board the Queen Mary 2 next year we managed to get Business Class for 58,000 points each and only $60 in taxes. That is about one-quarter the usual fare.

I have not heard anything about Alaska closing to cruise ships. Many ports are investing in improvements to their facilities. Unlike the Norway cruises, the fjords in Alaska don't get as many ship visits as the towns and cities.

I am sympathetic to those who will lose the QE in their area, but delighted that it will remain on the Alaska run. A few years ago Cunard had said the QA would replace the QE on the Alaska cruises in order to provide more capacity. It seems they don't need the extra capacity, probably because of the competition of a huge number of ships doing these cruises. There are often three a day from Vancouver. We have taken an Alaska cruise on the QE on each of the three seasons (2019, 2022, 2023) and look forward to more.

The fact that a new design is fashionable and used at many high end hotels doesn't impress me at all. Rubbish is rubbish. One of the top hotels in Halifax, Nova Scotia, replaced all corridor carpets a few years ago. They look like it was a solid black or dark blue and someone took a can of white paint and threw it randomly over the carpet. It is the ugliest I have seen anywhere. In fairness to Cunard, having seen what this high-end hotel has done I am now far less annoyed at the corridor carpeting on the QM2.

We have boarded three times in Vancouver, as recently as this June. There is priority boarding. The sign said: QG, PG, BC, Diamond, Platinum. It was very busy and I got the impression no-one was being turned away due to the boarding time issued by Cunard. We board in Southampton in about 10 months. It is a long way off, but I will be watching closely to read of passengers' experiences. We are in BC and have requested assistance for my wife who cannot stand or walk for long.

To me it appears that the first photo is the Veranda Restaurant as opposed to a stateroom area.

I was just going to post a similar comment. From my experiences the majority of passengers do not follow the theme. Like us, most have dressed in what I will call traditional ocean liner formal wear.

The shuttle was also running this year and also last year. The drop-off point has been changed to the rear of the Empress Hotel and Convention Centre.

Also, the port websites will usually give the terminal or berth assignment. On our more recent voyages the Cunard site would say terminal information would be provided later and it never was - not even on the boarding pass. That is not important for Vancouver, but it matters in other ports such as Québec.

A year ago we had a week on the QM2 in Britannia Club. There was a flambéed dessert every night, including Cherries Jubilee on at least one of the nights. If that is gone from PG on the QE I fear it will be gone in the much cheaper Club on the QE and the QM2.

Although we live near Toronto, I considered booking the Halifax-London 737 Max because it is the only day flight I can find on AC and is only six hours. We despise flying overnight. The Business Class section is sold as Premium Economy because these are not "pods" with sleeper seats which people expect for the high transatlantic fares. As we are returning from the UK on the Queen Mary 2 we need only a one-way flight. The Premium Economy fares are reasonable on that plane. By booking 11 months in advance we were able to get a Toronto to London flight in pods for a reasonable number of Aeroplan points, so we don't need the Halifax flight this time. I fully agree with a crackdown on carry-on luggage. When we fly steerage we pay to check even a so-called carry-on size suitcase which might (barely) pass muster. In Premium Economy and Business Class they allow two large bags to be checked at no extra charge - and so they should at those fares!

We have stayed at that Hilton many times. It is about a five-minute walk from the railway station. We usually splurge on the Executive section. The rooms, in addition to being large, have a huge bathroom with a separate shower. The lounge offers a good breakfast, all-day snacks and evening hors d'oeuvres. There has always been an open self-serve bar from 5:00 to 7:00. It has been a few years since we have been there but I have read recent reviews and the bar amenity is still there. We always cross the Atlantic at least one way on the Queen Mary 2. The Cunard coach transfers or a car service have always worked well for us. We always get a Britrail Pass and travel around, basing ourselves at the Hilton - although we sometimes go cheap for a while by splitting our stay there and staying at the aforementioned Premier Inn or in other parts of Britain.

Thank you "WantedOnVoyage" for the comments. May I ask: were there no flambés in PG or just a lot fewer than what was normal previously? We were on the QE in summer of 2022 in PG and noticed quite a few items were flambéed but not as many as pre-COVID. This summer we splurged on QG on the QE and there were quite a few main courses and some desserts set on fire. We are rarely in QG so I can't make a comparison to previous voyages.

Only once were we on board when someone exceeded 3,000 nights. It was on a cruise to Norway on the QE in 2013. I forget the exact number of nights but a rough calculation was nine years.

I think most of us would agree that the Grills facilities on the Vistas are considerably better than on the QM2. As well, most agree that the PG staterooms on the QM2 are better than those on the Vistas. As for QG, even the cheapest accommodation on the Vistas have a separate shower. On the QM2 we would have to pay thousands more for one of the few suites that have that amenity. (My wife's ability to climb into a tub is not getting any easier.) After having been overjoyed with our recent QG experience on the QE, we have decided we will never again pay for the Grills on the QM2. Our next two QM2 voyages have been booked in the Britannia Club.

The layout and apparent size is the same as the regular Britannia cabins. As to the configuration, my recollection from our two trips was that they alternate between bed on the right and bed on the left. We had adjacent cabins with a friend (although there was no "communicating door") Ours -13035 - had the bed on the left and his - 13037 - on the right. The deck plans appear to be accurate in showing the entry doors to the cabins.

The actual partition is not removed. It is the narrow door that is opened. We have done this on the QM2 and the QE. Alaska was specifically mentioned in the first posting. We have had this done on the QE in Britannia and Princess Grill. It worked well on the Alaska cruises as the weather was never fierce, just some rain from time to time.

We have stayed in one of those Deck 13 Club staterooms twice and have two further bookings. In addition to the shower door, the bathroom is more elegant with a marble counter; the bed-side tables have marble tops and the balcony door is the sliding type. I am not a serious photographer, but these pictures will give you an idea of the bathroom.

Exactly 50 years ago my wife and I were on the QE2 crossing from Southampton to New York. We had sailed to England on the France. It was a fast crossing and since then we have never experienced its equal, even when the QE2 was still doing five-night trips. The ship had been delayed leaving New York and had arrived in Southampton 13 hours late. Cunard gets full marks for the way they handled this situation. We had received a letter at our hotel, which I have reproduced below. I recall there were no queues and food and excursions with meals were provided. We departed about 14 hours late at 1:00 a.m. of the 3rd of October (so I was told as I was asleep) and arrived in New York on time at 9:00 a.m. on the 7th. Without going into extensive detail of all the changes we have seen on Cunard in that half a century, I have attached the fare chart and some of the bar menu. It's hard for us to believe now, but in 1973 the Canadian $ was worth a little more than the US $. Our fare was $380 pp in Canadian funds. That was for a Tourist Class (Britannia Restaurant) midships outside two-bedded cabin with porthole. The Bank of Canada inflation calculator says the equivalent amount this year is $2512. A gin and tonic cost 20p which was 50 Canadian cents. Today that would be $3.30. The bar menu doesn't give measurements, but even if the drinks were one ounce they were cheap. Obviously drinks were not a major profit centre for shipping lines in those days. There was far less entertainment on this voyage than there is this century. There were three classical musicians, including a young flutist Ransom Wilson. There was nothing else to interest us. Even when young I had no interest in the pop music that seemed to be everywhere. There were no "insights" lectures. On our crossings in the 70s and 80s there was no string orchestra or harpist. A Cunard brochure of the time, bragging about how modern the QE2 is, said that "there are no violins on the QE2." Thanks a lot, Cunard. For a long time Cunard was not our favourite, although we took several crossings when there were very few alternatives. For a while the Union-Castle ships were our favourite and after their demise the P&O's Canberra appealed to us. I hope other members of this forum will reminisce about their earlier voyages.

Yes, that sounds like the same cruise. Although my wife passed the test for mobility and was granted permission to use the tender, she decided on the day to stay aboard. We had nothing special planned. I went ashore with friends. we had no queuing either going ashore or returning because it was a quiet time. Somewhere I have a brochure from many years ago when Cunard offered Alaska cruises on one of their lesser-known ships such as the Cunard Countess or Princess. I'm sure there are people on this forum who would know the details.

All that Cunard says about 2025 is: "Queen Elizabeth's remarkable Alaska itineraries will be announced in the coming months, so please check back soon." Others may speculate as to when that will be, but that isn't helpful. The Alaska seasons have always been announced later than other voyages. A Cunard World Club rep told us at a reception that the itineraries for Alaska are more likely to be amended than other voyages, so to avoid upsetting too many people they are set later. On our cruise this June the port of Juneau was dropped not too far in advance of the cruise, upsetting many people, so that doesn't always work. We have taken the QE Alaska cruise on each of the three years they have been operated. There is a lot of competition on that route and fares drop, often long in advance. We noticed that for each of our cruises. We book fairly early, but never at the earliest opportunity and have always been happy with the fares and availability of accommodation.

On our cruises on the QE this year and last I noticed that Singapore Slings did not appear on any of the bar menus we looked at. But staff could make them on request. The price was reasonable - well within the limits of our drinks package.

We have enjoyed the Dover Sole (when in the Grills) and the rack of lamb (in all restaurants). Most of the time a simple gin and tonic is fine with us, but we do like some of the Commodore Club drinks. All Consuming Passion is our favourite. We had plenty of OBC on our last two QE cruises so we enjoyed the Chieftain of the Clan and the Commodore's Cure.

I will just add that we have taken three cruises on the QE to Alaska and at each one Sitka was not a tender port, even though on two of the cruises they said it would be. There is now space for two large ships at the pier, so generally only small ships tender. The port is about five miles from the city. Free shuttles are provided for those who have not booked tours. The tenders serve the very heart of the city, which is an advantage. The CLAA will have detailed berth information closer to the date. https://claalaska.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/SIT-Sitka-2024.pdf