3rdGenCunarder

I thought there was a minimum length for a cruise (5 or 6 days?) to count toward World Club status. Unfortunately, I can't find anything about WC tiers on the US site, and the UK site does not mention a minimum cruise length. I think the little 3-nighters could count for days, but they shouldn't count toward the 15 voyages.

I was on Eurodam this past winter for a partial canal cruise. They showed some documentaries about the construction of the canal in the main showroom, usually afternoon on a sea day. The CD read a narration for much of the time on the way into Lake Gatun, but it was quiet on the way out. I am suspicious of the quality of the script, since she mentioned that we might see alligators in the canal. There are no alligators in the canal. Crocodiles, yes, but unlikely to wander into the locks. Once I hear an error, I begin to doubt everything.

I love that sign! Is it new? My last "normal" boarding in Vancouver was in 2017, and I don't remember seeing it. I do remember the very long walk and turning lots of corners. I felt like Dorothy starting out on the spiral of the Yellow Brick Road! My last time boarding in Vancouver was June 2022, and not at all normal. They still were requiring tests and ArriveCAN, so the process started upstairs in the convention center. Very complicated, and we entered the process at a different point with almost no signage.

Comment on the return. If your last port is Victoria, you will have done Canadian Immigration before that port. Just a form to hand in, very few people get called for a face-to-face interview. So when you get to Vancouver, you do not have to go through Immigration there, which makes things faster.

If you booked through a travel agent, he/she can add it to your booking. Otherwise, call HAL directly. You'll have to pay for it at that time.

I thought about that train before my QE Alaska cruise last June, but the price was so high, and another travel option popped up, so I decided against it. With access to several major east-coast airports, my connections wouldn't have been as complicated as yours, but it just looked like too much hassle. Ohh, now you know the scenery looks better in person! 😜

I'm curious, what was it that put you off that trip?

I hate that diamonds international and its ilk are in every port. I know they're popular, but I can think of much better uses of my time and money. At this point in life, I don't need a lot of 'stuff,' so I'm not buying souvenirs. But I do try to find a small bar or coffee shop or bakery to spend some money in a local business.

Not surprising, although I'd like to know if that data includes port fees and taxes. Cruisers don't say in local hotels, and a lot go back to the ship for lunch instead of eating in local restaurants. So maybe paying for a tour or a few souvenirs? That doesn't help the local economy. And ports that get a reputation for being overwhelmed with tourists may lose land-based travelers during peak cruise season.

Well, you can go back, but it's a modified version, just as you experienced on the Norway. I sailed on the Norway late in her life. People kept saying that if I liked QE2 so much, I should sail on the Norway. What a disappointment, NCL was sailing her on the cheap. The teak open promenade deck had been replaced with some sort of foam jogging track material that was crumbly and patched. The upper sun deck had astroturf that never dried out after a squall. Yes, there were a few bits of her days as the France--the dining rooms, the bar with the neptune statues, the kids' playroom, the hidden "secret patio." But she was not loved and it showed. Your last paragraph sums it up beautifully. My last memory of QE2 is standing at Battery Park watching her final departure from NYC. Lights on, full of passengers, doing what she was born to do. I have no desire to see her as a static hotel.

It sounds like the companies with larger ships have found a way to make embarkation of 5000 passengers doable. For me, aside from simply not wanting to sail on a mega is the itinerary challenge as more ports are limiting cruise arrivals--Bar Harbor, Key West, Venice, and now Amsterdam. I like the resort-type amenities on a cruise, but I can't imagine staying at a resort. The itinerary and destinations (and the sea!) are why I cruise. Entertainment is a bonus. If I want to travel for entertainment, I will go a city that has a good variety of theaters and museums and architecture to look at.

Four is reasonable for Juneau, especially in these days of mega ships. Last year, there were four ships docked, plus Queen Elizabeth tendering. Almost 12,00 passengers if ships were full at double occupancy. Maybe ports should consider passenger count. There were five ships when we were in ketchikan, too, but two were small (200 pax and 700 pax).

I block out every account detail except my name.

Yes, take hard copy with you. If you go the email route, print the email as well as the stock proof, so that you can show that you did make the request. HAL has never failed to give us the credit, but best to be prepared. In the past, I have used an online fax service. Now that they're accepting emails, it's better. I just requested shareholder OBC on Cunard and got a reply to my email the same day.

Oh yes, and for years the Cunard episodes had their own channel on QE2, running continuously, or so it seemed.

I would try that. I've eaten reindeer before, once in Canada and a few times on QE2. It's gamier than lamb, but not as strong as venison. The first time I had reindeer was on a group trip in Canada. I sent my SIL an email titled "Rudolph" Her reply was "When you said Rudolph, I thought you MET him, not ATE him!"

Those are incredible photos! Which port was this? I see some snow on the ground. Our sailing time for Tromso and Narvik is 1:30 AM. When I first read the itinerary, I thought it was 1:30 PM and thought we'd have a second morning in port. Cunard calls this departure "early morning" and technically, it is morning. But my concept of time calls that late night and 6AM is early morning.

The tables along the rail are the best two-tops. I was upstairs on Eurodam, at a table for 8, and there were mostly large tables near us. I don't remember seeing any two tops in the middle of those tables, but I can see how it would be busy just being nearby. Even without kids there's more bustle around a large table.

I didn't get a Voyage Log on my Eurodam cruise this winter. Maybe HAL is trying to hide something.

From the downloadable pdf about CO: If a stateroom upgrade is not available at that time, guests will receive an alternative benefit determined by our Ship Inventory team. They keep their options open. I believe someone posted that they got $50 OBC. Someone else got a small reduction in the price of their CO upgrade. If the ship is sold out, it's possible that CO will be sold out, too. They do limit the numbers.

DH was not a purist. he had a red tie and cummerbund set, a beautiful marbled silk tie and waistcoat, and a bright tropical set bought and worn on a dare. And, of course, a black set.

Unless someone who works in HAL's HR department posts here, we won't know for certain how the staffing levels are.

If that will get your day started, you'll be happy with it. DH used to fall asleep in the heated loungers.

I love the thermal suites on the Vistas. The hydropool is pleasantly warm, but not lobster-boil hot. There are loungers and chairs around the pool. The ceramic heated loungers are in a separate room, and there's also steam, and maybe a sauna. I don't use those. I just use the pool and the heated loungers. .

I think the thermal suite opens at 8 AM. It's often quiet in the morning. If I'm in there alone, sometimes I don't even bother to turn on the bubbles. The hydropool is great for physical therapy. I walked off mild sciatica in a ship's thermal pool. Which ship are you on? The two smallest don't have a hydropool, just a jacuzzi.