david,Mississauga

Our first time on the QE was a seven-night cruise to Norway on which there were three formal nights. Our second voyage on this ship was 10-nights to Alaska and only two formal nights. I wrote to Cunard to complain about this and was reminded that the dress code is a minimum and we could dress formally as often as we wish. As others have noted, the number of formal nights on the crossings of the QM2 have dropped from four to three and now two. With all the hype about the new Queen Anne (somewhere Cunard did mention it would be a bit more modern) I fear the next step. I must say that for those in Britannia the Cunard ships are more formal than they were in our early days of Atlantic crossings which started 50 years ago. It was not traditional to dress formally in the Britannia Restaurant when the QE2 was operated in First and Tourist Class. Jacket and tie was required every night, though. It was only after Cunard did away with the classifications of First and Tourist (the latter had been renamed Transatlantic Class at some point) and became officially one-class - with Grills - that the formal dress code was adopted in all restaurants throughout the ship.

Without making any comment, I will answer the original question based on my recent experience. On the 20th June Alaska cruise on the QE there was only one CWC party - for members at the gold level and above. It was announced that there were 424 members at those levels. It was held at 7:30 p.m. on a gala night.

They do indeed. A simple drink or liqueur will be served quickly. The complicated cocktails can take a long time to be prepared. On my two most recent voyages it was 15 to 20 minutes for the commodore cocktails.

One thing to remember is if you have your heart set on a particular stateroom be sure to mark your booking "no upgrades". For our recent Alaska cruise we booked 5196 to give us a different experience with the location at the stern. Well in advance we were upgraded to a Q4. The same upgrade happened to the people at the next table in the QG. The Q4s have one sink in the bathroom and a small sofa with a pull-out bed. The bathroom is divided in two with the whirlpool tub and shower stall separate from the sink and toilet. We immediately liked the suite for this and other reasons, but I concede it might not appeal to everyone.

It appears the billing situation on the QE has improved. We were on the 20th June Alaska cruise. There was a covering letter in our suite telling us how the Grills drink package works. It said we had to sign for the drinks in the normal fashion but the amount would be credited back every night. I had a statement print-out every few days and the free drinks never appeared on the statement. I suppose they were "credited back" without being added to the statement.

My experience in the Club is twice on the QM2. The daily menu appeared to be the same as Britannia but there is an à la carte menu at dinner, although not as extensive as the Grills. Each night there was a flambéed dessert offered in addition to what was on the menu.

From what I have read on Cruise Critic, the US border control requires a final manifest a certain time - over an hour - before the ship departs. So the final boarding time cannot be bent by the cruise line. I have seen this in New York when several people, delayed by bad weather, arrived after the final time. The Queen Mary 2 was delayed departing, waiting for tug boats because of the weather, but the people were not allowed to board. Last month we flew from Toronto to Vancouver on the first Air Canada flight of the day. That flight was four hours late and after we finally retrieved our baggage and waited in a long taxi queue we got to the Pan Pacific Hotel (at Canada Place) about an hour before final boarding for the two ships that day. We were a day early for ours but I thought how nerve-wracking this would be if we had decided to fly on the sailing day.

With luggage on wheels it isn't too difficult. It is two blocks: one short and the other longer. I can't say in metres how far it is, but it takes me 10 minutes at a gentle pace. When you leave Canada Place you will see an entrance to the Skytrain. Do not take this. It gives direct access to the Expo line which is good for the railway station but not the airport. Although that entrance can take you to the Waterfront Station (by walking along the platform) where you can access the Canada Line for the airport, there is only an up escalator from the platform to the station level at the Canada Place entrance. So just walk past it and turn left for the short walk to Waterfront Station. There are escalators and a lift down to the Canada Line.

On our QE Alaska cruises we had views of the mountains from the lounge. I recall some views of the fjords on our Norway cruise. If something looked particularly interesting there is the small deck in front of the lounge which offered better views. Admittedly we had more drinks in the Commodore Club than in the Grills Lounge.

Although I am fond of the QM2, especially for crossings, there is much about the QE (and the QV if we ever get on that one) that I find superior. This is of course just my opinion, but I like the grand lobby, Royal Court Theatre, library and Commodore Club a lot more on the QE. Then there are the Grills. The PG staterooms on the QM2 are much better than on the QE & QV, but the restaurants, lounge and deck are better on the QE. The cheaper QG suites on the QE are so much better than the equivalent on the QM2, for a number of reasons, but most importantly there is a separate shower so my wife doesn't have to struggle with my help to get in and out of the tub for a shower. The QV and QE are definitely cruise ships, but the interiors are more like a liner.

Apparently the in-suite bar menu is not the same on all ships. We were on the QE last month. The list was considerably shorter, e.g. only three gins listed as opposed to five on the one above and there was no Baileys or Cointreau on the list. The wine list was also a lot shorter. We chose the Bombay gin from the list and requested Baileys which was provided.

Although we never travelled in the Grills on the QE2 I do remember changes over the decades. Our last QE2 crossing was in April 2008. Because of discussion on Cruise Critic I had a look at the sign and it was as exlondoner saw. A friend who was once a member of this forum was on a 2002 voyage. He posted one of his photos to show that the QG lounge was available to all Grill guests.

I have the original brochure issued for the QM2. It was clearly indicated that only Queens Grill guests would have access to the Queens Grill Lounge and the sun terrace. That would mean the Concierge Lounge was the only exclusive Grills area available to those in Princess. I don't know if that was the case when the QM2 entered service. On our first voyage on the QM2 in 2009 the lounge was still called the Queen's Grill Lounge although it was available to all Grills passengers. For a few voyages after our first the door leading to the Grills terrace still had a sign saying it was for Queens Grill guests only although it was available to all Grills passengers. The Grills Lounge on the QE does indeed get crowded at times. A few years ago afternoon tea was no longer served there but relocated to the PG restaurant. Perhaps that will be the case on the QA.

Perhaps Cunard is reacting to the needs of a large number of its passengers. A while ago I said there wasn't a single aspect of the QA that appealed to me. I now have found one. My lady wife is finding it increasingly difficult getting in and out of a tub, even with my assistance. Last year in PG on the QE we were given a wooden stool so my wife could shower in the tub. Not surprisingly I had to sign a form saying I would never sue the Carnival Corp. if there were any injuries sustained from the use of said stool. Regrettably the vast majority of QG suites on the QM2 do not have a separate shower. We were pleased that the QE (and of course the QV) have showers in all QG suites. Unfortunately the QA's Princess suites, like those on the QE and QV, are the long thin style with a tiny balcony rather than the square type on the QM2.

My programmes for last month's cruise add "last orders 6:00 p.m." for first sitting and "last orders 8:15 p.m." for second sitting.

From my most recent experience in Vancouver (20th June) it seems it doesn't matter about the arrival time. (I don't mean to be picky but the times given on the boarding passes are not boarding times.) There was no apparent screening of passengers entering Hall C of the convention centre for check-in. Because the Canada Place terminal can be as bad as an airport, we have requested a wheelchair for my wife for these voyages. This was the third time we have boarded the QE in Vancouver and it was the latest we have boarded. The check-in opened about 11:30. There was one desk handling "assistance passengers" and it seemed all the rest had priority. It was taking a while so I walked over to the Intercruises employee standing by the priority queue. I explained that we were in Queens Grill this time and asked if it would be quicker if we went through the priority area. She pointed to what seemed like hundreds of people and said they were all priority. I'm not sure when boarding started, but by the time we completed check-in, security and the US border control we went straight on board at about 12:30. There was no-one waiting in the seating area. Last year we were processed earlier and waited for boarding to commence. It was by the usual order: QG, PG, (Britannia Club was not yet on the list) Diamond, Platinum then everyone else. No-one looked at the arrival time on the boarding passes. In 2019 we were in Britannia but had priority because of the wheelchair. When we finished the formalities we were taken straight to the gangway and were on board at 11:20. By no means were we the first to board and there was no-one waiting. I hope it works well for you.

Thank you to all for the detailed information. A dear friend died a while ago. He and his wife had over 500 days with HAL and our friend's widow would like to have the ashes "buried" at sea from a HAL ship. She has made no enquires so far but I will send her this information. (She is not on CruiseCritic.)

I have read of a cruise line (one of many that I wouldn't go on even if it was free) that has done away with printed daily programmes. The purser's office was no help to passengers who didn't have the "mobile device" required. As one who has resisted joining the smart-phone club I hope Cunard doesn't go this way. Even those with these devices know they can fail or be lost or stolen and it would be aggravating to know there is no alternative.

Yes, you can. We boarded the QE in Vancouver a little over two weeks ago. Vancouver's terminal can be a zoo, especially if there is more than one ship in port. It may have calmed down by your boarding time. We arrived really early because my wife gets a wheelchair and that is the advice we always get. We noticed that people arriving before about 11:30 were directed to luggage drop-off on P2 as opposed to the usual P1 (where taxis and buses drop off and pick-up passengers). But that soon changed and the baggage drop-off was on P1 where it usually is. If you do drop off your luggage early and go away you need not return to the same level. Walk along the west side of the Canada Place promenade - or stay inside - and go to Hall C where check-in is completed. Then you will be directed back down to P1 for security and the US border inspection. To see how many ships are in port check here: https://www.portvancouver.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/2023-Schedule-as-of-February-12-1.pdf

Sorry to mention this if you already know it, but the fancy cocktails in the Commodore Club are in the $16 range so they would not be covered by the drinks package. Two trips ago we had a huge amount of OBC so we splurged on the most expensive one which was about $25.

We have a few luggage labels left from our 1970s voyages. I sometimes put one on our hand-luggage. I should bring one of the older ticket jackets but I usually bring one of the newer ones issued about 10 to 15 years ago. One time when we were in PG we received one on board.

I will also add my compliments to the "Intercruise" workers. They are always cheerful and efficient, even though they must be annoyed at the difficult procedures over which they have no control. For the last three embarkations I have requested a wheelchair for my wife who couldn't handle all the lines (walking slowly is easier for her than standing for a long time.) Each time the staff who handled the wheelchair were very friendly and efficient. We always stay the night before at the Pan Pacific so I go down to the P1 level the afternoon before our cruise and again early in the morning of the cruise and confirm a good time to show up to get a wheelchair. We have always been told 10:30. This year for our Queen Elizabeth cruise we showed up at 10:30 and were advised check-in wouldn't open in Hall C until 11:30, a half hour later than last year. A wheelchair and attendant were soon found and my wife could sit comfortably. The kind man came by every now and then to let us know we were not forgotten. At 11:30 we were told it might be 12:00 before the check-in would open. By then hundreds of people had arrived. Some queued on the convention centre level and others directed to queue on the P-1 level with some instructed to take their luggage down to P-2. Closer to 12:00 there was a rumour amongst the staff that check-in could be delayed another hour, but this wasn't the case. There were a lot of priority passengers and I suspect many others who showed up early. Check-in wasn't too long and we were quickly taken through the busy security area. The US pre-clearance area was not busy at all this time. As we approached the gangway we saw that boarding had already started and we were on board about 12:30.

Thank you, Chart Room Princess, for the photos. On the QE last week we had the Chieftain of the Clan cocktail. It was indeed an impressive presentation, but I won't have it again. I neglected to have my camera with me so I appreciate the photos. We have not tried them all, but my favourite so far is "All Consuming Passion."

A paper boarding pass was advantageous checking in for the QE in Vancouver. After check-in in the convention centre it was stamped "OK To Board" and it had to be shown to exit Hall C in order to proceed down to security and US border control. I don't know what the "I do everything on my phone" people did. We took the same cruise last year and Cunard recommended passengers print out all required documentation. At that time there was a lot more required (ArriveCan and ;proof of vaccination) than this year. We didn't waste our time uploading photos. We did that, as did our friends, last year and the respective check-in agents took new ones. It took only seconds. We were directed to go to our muster station prior to going to our stateroom. As has been indicated above, the boarding pass was scanned.

Since 2008 the dress standards on Cunard have dumbed down. I'm not going to let that bother me. Since 1973 we have travelled in all restaurant "classes" at least three times each and I have never gone to dinner without a jacket and tie. That is my choice and I don't care what others wear. We are currently on the QE and enjoying QG for the first time on this ship. The one formal night we have had in a week was a glittering affair, apparently not just in the Grills. On other nights, most men in QG are wearing a jacket and a small number a tie. Most women are dressed more formally than the men on the smart nights. Many are in long dresses. Some men in QG are dressed like slobs. Sorry, but that's the only way to describe it. As I said, I will not let the lowering of standards impact my enjoyment of Cunard no matter which of the four restaurants we dine in.