3rdGenCunarder

I'm planning on Dave's, one of the food shacks, followed by one of the ice cream vendors. The problem is the friend who is on for the second week is vegan. So the plan is for her to get something to go from a vegan cafe along our walk after the gardens, then we'll head to the water where I'll get my lobster roll, and we'll find a picnic table or bench somewhere. I just hope the weather cooperates.

I agree. And in a port with many ships, like Fort Lauderdale, you could have a long ride all around the port if your ship is the last stop.

Thanks. My itinerary doesn't have a lot of lobster roll ports. It looks like Boston and Halifax may be the only places I'll get lobster roll this time.

Was the lobster roll at the Governor's Pub a special, or is it on the main menu? I've been looking at restaurants in Sydney and haven't seen lobster roll on any of the website menus. I have a vague memory of food trucks or shacks at Sydney, but maybe that was somewhere else. I was hoping for a quick lunch before my tour leaves.

Sweeney Todd will have a full orchestra, the wonderful original orchestrations, so I'm thinking it won't be weird like in a pie shop or with Patti Lupone playing the tuba (no, I am not making that up). American Express tickets are available now. General sales open Sept 19 (or thereabouts). Come from Away is wonderful, but closes soon (Around Oct 1) Into the Woods has just been extended into January. It's an excellent production, worth the price just to see the puppet cow!

Thank you! The version of HIA I'm being offered (when I log in to my voyage planner) is two excursions up to $100 each. I got an email about club orange a while back, but it didn't include crew appreciation (or whatever they're calling grats these days), and wasn't worth it to me. I am a little worried about the beverage plan. With several sea days and not a lot to do... 🍹

I have an offer for half-price HIA for my winter cruise. It includes 2 excursions up to a total of $200. Do I have to wait until I'm on the ship to book these excursions, or is the offer good for advance excursions? And while I'm asking, I want to verify that HIA wifi is the surf plan? At $450 for 10 days, it looks like a good deal, considering grats and wifi would be $405. And while I'm drifting this thread, why is the surf plan 24.99 in one place (FAQ) on the site and $15 in another place?

My recollection is that I knew in advance about the 2-hour time slots. So maybe the more recent info is somewhere in a pre-cruise email or on that black hole of a website.

I don't know how it will be on QM2, but on QE in June, I bought a pass for the whole voyage as part of my list of "things to do on embarkation day." I made an appointment for the next day. After the first day, it occurred to me that remembering to make appointments every day would be a nuisance. So I looked at the schedule and my shore plans and made a list of times that would be convenient. I booked all those times in one go. A few days later, when we were talking about the spa at dinner, one couple said they bought a pass and were disappointed at the poor choice of times available. So I was glad I made my choices early.

Thanks for the info, GolfWidow. I'm sorry Brooklyn was such a mess. It sounds like they are understaffed and/or they have a lot of new people. How could they not know to set up an in-transit line???? That is inexcusable. And then for the guy at the desk to not know about the in-transit card? That's on the people who supervise and train the staff. The extra document checks make it more complicated, but their job is to figure out a way to make it workable.

Well, if it's Kelvin, it would be solid, thus literally undrinkable. If it's Fahrenheit, it would probably be slushy, as the water in it would be frozen. That leaves us with Celsius. Anyway, it has to be Celsius because the French use the metric system. I guess I never bothered to read the back label of a bottle of Pol Acker, because I didn't know the correct temperature.

If it should be served that cold, the cabin stewards need to put more ice in the bucket.

That is WAY too long! Because of confusion over ArriveCAN, my embarkation in Vancouver on QE was an hour, and I thought that was too long. Where were you going that you did customs in Brooklyn? Welcome to Cruise Critic, MrsHat (great name!)!

Sometimes it's decent, and sometimes it's awful. I don't know if it's production issues or careless storage, but I have had some truly bad Pol Acker.

Yes, those are the perks I like. I recently pulled out a t-shirt I hadn't worn in a few years and found a HAL laundry tag on it. I received the half-price offer for CO on my winter cruise. I thought about it, but my main alcohol is wine with meals. Consider how few choices for wine by the glass are in the package, I decided I'm better off with the wine package and just buying the occasional cocktail.

After the 5-stars claimed their spots in the cooking class, it was possible for others to buy the class. I was lucky to do it twice, both times with guest chefs. The conversation over the lunch was even more informative than the cooking class! When they went to ATK demos, the subjects never interested me.

Yes, that's how I remember the lounge. I'm always amused looking at the huge photos showing how grand Cunard is while I sit in a partitioned section of what feels like a warehouse. Nicest terminal I've been in was QEII in Southampton. I didn't mind waiting for my number to be called when I could sit in a comfortable chair and even buy a bon voyage drink at the bar. Another hijack question, if anyone on QM2 now is reading this. Is Carinthia open to serve small-plate lunch snacks? That's my usual embarkation lunch.

Kings Chaos, I love it! (The name, not the venue) I have yet to see Aztec in rotation when I've been on QM2. I would like to try that one.

Yes, I was in PG and had Contessa, too. A second bottle appeared mid-cruise with a note saying it was in lieu of a senior officers party. Next cruise, I'm back in steerage, so I may have to put up with Pol Acker. 😱

Thanks for that info. Does Brooklyn still have the separate priority lounge? The last time I boarded in Brooklyn (maybe 5 years ago) it was crowded because they held the in-transit people there as well as embarking grills/diamonds.

further boarding question. Does Brooklyn have a priority line for grills/diamond passengers?

I was disappointed to learn that the hop-on-hop-off bus in Saguenay isn't running any more. I was hoping to go to Chicoutimi to see the Pulperie and wander around the town. We did this a few years ago, and were able to use the bus to get around. How available are taxis and Ubers in Saguenay? Also, which is better/more available in Quebec City, Uber or taxis? How easy is it to get a taxi or Uber back to the ship if I go somewhere a few miles away? How about buses? Would I have to get a transit card, or can I pay for each ride with cash or a credit card?

There isn't a lot to do in Sydney. Your ship probably offers some of the tours I've done on past trips. If you like history, Fortress Louisbourg is excellent. There's an Alexander Graham Bell museum in Baddeck. This time (QM2), I'm going to a Celtic village. Most tours will involve an hour drive or so each way.

Yes, please! I loved the Neptunes. And the hands-on cooking classes with lunch afterwards.

Another hijack question. How was check-in and boarding in Brooklyn?