david,Mississauga

I have taken three Alaska cruises on the QE and a lot more crossings on the QM2. The dress code has been "dumbed down" every couple of years so it is difficult to make a comparison. We have not taken a crossing the same year as an Alaska cruise. Regarding the Alaska cruises the published dress code has been observed. On the few formal/gala nights the majority of gents wear dinner jackets just as on the Atlantic. I did notice last year there were fewer men wearing a jacket and tie on the other nights. The women were better dressed than the men, with many wearing what could be described as formal wear every night.

As one who is very fond of the QE (equally with the QM2 - for different reasons) I appreciate the comments. We have been on the QE four times in three different restaurant "classes" - all except for the Britannia Club. The first cruise was to Norway and the other three were Alaska cruises from Vancouver. I sympathise with those who are losing the QE cruises based in their own country. Next year Cunard is basing the Alaska cruises in Seattle instead of Vancouver, which does not please me one bit. Like most people, we much prefer the Grills facilities on the QE than on the QM2. The exception would be the staterooms, which on the QM2 give the appearance of being superior accommodation to those skinny ones on the QE even though they are same square footage. The QM2 ones also have a bigger balcony.

I feel the same. I will no longer bother with that US office and I let my TA deal with them. They have given him incorrect information too.

Indeed, we have been told by staff on the QM2 that credit cards and metal purse clasps are the major culprit. My wife doesn't use a purse whilst on board, so it is a mystery. We have had far more card entry problems in hotels than on ships.

On one Cunard voyage my wife's card refused to open our cabin door. There have been many comments by people who have had the same problem - even upon boarding the ship. We have never had or heard of anyone else having a problem with their keys back in the old days. As for apps, there is at least one cruise line that refuses to provide passengers with the a printed daily programme or menus. I don't remember what line that was, but it was one that had no appeal to us. As a person who refuses to waste money on a smartphone I would have to ask the waiters to recite the menu every meal and we would need to ask the pursers staff what events are taking place. I can appreciate many people like mobile apps, but if the day comes when they are mandatory we will be finished with ocean travel.

Likewise, our crossing with the NSO was the best. In addition to the surprise of the orchestra being on board (it had not been advertised in the North American market) we were in Queens Grill for the first time. A further bonus was being seated at the same QG restaurant table as the maestro.

We enjoyed the symphony's two concerts a few years ago. It was a scaled-down orchestra of close to 30 musicians. But it was sufficient for the Royal Court Theatre. That was enough to almost fill the stage, leaving room for the volunteer passenger choir. I hope to enjoy them again some time.

Our last crossing on the QE2 was in 2008 and the dress code in all "classes" was jacket and tie on the first and last nights and formal on the other four nights. The next year was our first voyage on the QM2 and that's when we noticed the unfortunate (in my opinion) changes to the dress code began.

I don't have much luck scanning and posting with my rather basic equipment. I will give it a try but won't post it if the quality is poor. We had splurged on Queens Grill so didn't try any alternative dining. From what I heard, nor did anyone else we met. We received the usual CWC invitation to lunch at the Verandah and for reasons that weren't explained we received a dinner invitation voucher as well. Having experienced the Verandah for both lunch and dinner on other cruises when we were in Britannia we preferred to stay in QG.

I have most of the programmes from our Alaska cruise of last June. The first sitting in Britannia was 5:30; the second was 7:45. The last call for each sitting was 30 minutes later except on the first night when it was 15 minutes. As for the on-board speakers, some of them were listed on the booking site for the particular cruise. Dr. Rachel Cartwright was one. I mention her because she was on board the three Alaska cruises we have taken.

A while back there was a posting which said: the dumbing down of the dress code was a slippery slope.

Having taken the regular excursion train twice - the first time was way back in 1972 - I thought it was time to try the luxury coach so we did so in June last year. This is a new class on the excursion trains, having started just a few years before everything was shut down due to the pandemic. As "sfred" said the luxury coach can be booked only through the cruise line. There are only two of these coaches, so not every train can have one. It operates on the Skagway to Summit service which is approximately 2 1/4 hours round trip. The cost of the trip was US$340, approximately double the regular fare. Some people have asked me if it was worth it. I answer them with a definite yes. There are only 14 swivel leather chairs arranged like a traditional parlour car. An attendant serves drinks, including wine and beer, and a snack box with quality "goodies" including shrimp and smoked salmon. A friend took this in 2019 when the snacks were offered buffet style. This has been replaced with a box because the movement of the train, despite slow speeds, is a bit rough. Being at the rear of the train has the advantage of having splendid views from the open platform, which is much bigger than those on the regular coaches. As usual with trains the rear coach is rougher than others because there is nothing behind to anchor it. My interior pictures all have people in it so I won't post them.

We have done this in NY. It was a Québec- NY - Southampton voyage which had been booked as two separate trips. Your luggage will be transferred for you. As you are in QG on the first leg your concierge should be able to get you your new cruise card for the second segment the day before arrival. We were not in the Grills when we changed cabins so went to the purser's desk to get our new cards. You use your cruise card from the first segment to disembark and your new card to re-embark. You will not have to check in again in the terminal although, as Pushpit said above, you will go through security. If you are not going to leave the terminal area you will be directed to a waiting area for in-transit passengers and will be the first to board when the US authorities say so.

We were on board what was referred to as the "10th anniversary crossing" from 16 to 23 May 2014. Cunard provided every cabin with a gift: a specially commissioned hardcover book written by Stephen Payne with a foreword by the Duke of Edinburgh.

It has been about 15 voyages ago - in the 1980s - since I encountered obnoxious drunks. A group of well-dressed people almost bumped into my young son and me in a corridor. One of them said to another: "Wow, you almost wiped out that kid." Since then, anyone who had one too many probably went to bed and didn't bother others. Cunard's wording of the bringing on board alcohol rules changes from time to time. Before the pandemic there was a comment following the rule of one bottle of wine or Champagne per person. It said (and I paraphrase): it is not our intention to impose this rule but we reserve the right to do so if we deem it necessary. Although we never bring on much alcohol, this is a civilised attitude.

No apology needed. It is easily done - even on board. Our most recent time on the QE was our fourth cruise and twice I went to the far aft when I was meaning to go far forward. We have been on the QM2 more times than on the QE and I still get mixed up occasionally.

We have been assigned that muster station at least three times and feel the same as you. One time a staff member looked at me as if he was trying to sign up new customers. I don't mind glancing briefly at the gym during my frequent perambulations of the promenade deck.

I have checked the deck plans in case my memory is faulty. We have been on decks 5 and 6. The launderettes are in what Cunard calls the mid-forward section, not mid-aft. They are half-way between the "A" and the "B" stairs/lifts.

I can appreciate that Seattle is more convenient for people from the US. On the three Alaska cruises we have taken on the QE and one on Holland America it appeared to me that the majority of passengers were from the UK. Admittedly Canadians were much in the minority. I have no idea whether it is easier for people from the UK to fly to Vancouver or Seattle. I suppose Cunard has thought this out. In case the switch to Seattle is going to be a long-term change we are seriously thinking of postponing our two QM2 voyages booked for this year and booking Alaska on the QE once again this year. I have narrowed it down to four dates.

I'm pleased there are others who think the way I do. I do not have a smartphone and hope I never need to get one. I do travel with a tablet which comes in handy on trains and in hotels. I have never been able to connect with "My Voyage" on the tablet, so I don't bring it specifically for an ocean voyage. I use the ship's computers for our free internet. We have done quite well on board with the telephone and in person. When travelling in the Grills the concierge has been helpful. On our last voyage (on QE) we decided to book a box for one night. Because of my wife's mobility issues I was glad we could book with a person who explained the access for every box in the theatre.

The two times we have been in QG on the QM2 we were in a Q5. It had a combination tub (Jacuzzi) and shower with a curtain. Unless there have been some recent changes, the only suites that have a separate shower stall are the Q4s and above.

We have travelled in all four "classes" on Cunard ships and none of the restaurants has served toast that I could eat. It is always cold and hard - as is the butter. Perhaps a request for "hot buttered toast" might result in something better. But I gave up on Cunard's toast several voyages ago and settle for a slice of bread or a croissant or muffin.

I'm pleased to see the QM2 was docked this time. On our cruise in October of last year another ship - not necessarily larger than the QM2 but with a higher passenger capacity - was given the dock and we had to tender. We attended the festivities ashore on the maiden call in Saguenay in 2016. Mayor Tremblay was quoted as saying he arranged that dock to be built specifically for the QM2 and it took 10 years to persuade Cunard to call there.

The couches we have had in PG were all convertible to a single bed. They were similar to the traditional sofa bed on trains. A notice said passengers shouldn't convert the sofa into a bed and ask the steward to do it. I was curious and managed to convert it to a bed but getting it back was not as easy as those on trains. The bed seemed comfortable - even though I only sat on it and didn't sleep on it.

Regarding the Vistas, if you book a Q4 - called Penthouse - you could have a semi-private area for sleeping. The suites are half divided by a wall and half by a heavy curtain. The bed chesterfield is, in the suite we had on the QE, a single pull-out bed. That may not be the most comfortable, but it could be a reasonable fare. The Q4s are a lot cheaper than the larger suites and not much more than the Q5 & Q6 on the Vistas. The Q4s on the QM2 are much larger. We have not had one but had a look. I don't remember any semi-division other than a dining alcove. Perhaps someone who has travelled in one could comment. There are not many of them and they are considerably more pricey than those on the QE. The Q5 & Q6 suites that we have had have a sofa-bed but there is no privacy as it is just a big room.