Queen Elizabeth Position

[martinmct]

After a day in Tracy Arm yesterday (10th) QE has moored at Icy Strait Point today. Bear Ghrylls has been with us as part of the Insights Lectures and has held the audience spellbound for 2 great sessions.

@sfred I’ll do some work on the Lido popup - internet sure is a challenge in this part of the world!

[techteach]

@martinmct I hope you enjoyed Tracy Arm. I’ve been there twice. The first time there was too much ice and we didn’t get to the glacier, then last year, in August, it wasn’t a problem. I haven’t been to Icy Point and I’m looking forward to hearing about it.

[lilacsam]

Wishing you an amazing Alaskan cruise.

We will be getting onboard on your return to Vancouver June 20th. Appreciate all of your news, we are so excited as this is a trip that was cancelled in 2020 due to you know what!! Safe travels.

[martinmct]

Thanks for the feedback…sitting back in Sitka using the National Parks wifi in the NHP visitor centre. (Extremely good!) It’s Mon 12th June and QE is back exactly 7 days after the previous visit - which also brings Norwegian Bliss to the port on her weekly blast from Seattle. I’ll stick with QE if you don’t mind! @sfred know what you mean re changeover days, we’re lucky enough to have had 3 during our travels, 2 in Tokyo and 1 in Vancouver, and have made the most of them all. I have photographed the Frontier menu from last evening and include it here. @techteachdidn’t actually make it right to the glacier but the fjord was staggering nevertheless - @lilacsam thanks for your good wishes, we will be like ships in the night on the 20th, we have a couple of nights in the Pan Pacific before returning home so will be watching QE leave for Alaska. Have a great time!

[sfred]

Thanks for the Frontier menus, @martinmct.  The Elk pie looks tasty.  And, of course, baked Alaska..

[martinmct]

QE is in Haines AK today Tue 13th June. Not a bad view from the bridge cam either!

[sfred]

Hope you have a nice day in or around Haines, @martinmct.   Looks like the piers in Skagway are all occupied today, with Konigsdam, Grand Princess, Royal Princess, and Celebrity Solstice taking up the available positions.  They must have fixed the issues caused by the landslide.

 

It will be a busy day for Skagway and the White Pass and Yukon railway.  In 2019, QE had the position that Royal Princess has today, and it was a short walk across the pier to board the train.

 

[NE John]

I’ve always been concerned about taking an Alaska cruise because of the potential of too many ships at port and overcrowding. I’m looking at you Santorini, Key West, and others…
Is there some coordination between the lines to mitigate congestion at the port calls with too many people at once?

Thoughts/Experiences regarding this issue?

 

 

[bluemarble]

28 minutes ago, NE John said:

I’ve always been concerned about taking an Alaska cruise because of the potential of too many ships at port and overcrowding. I’m looking at you Santorini, Key West, and others…
Is there some coordination between the lines to mitigate congestion at the port calls with too many people at once?

Thoughts/Experiences regarding this issue?

 

One suggestion I can offer is to examine the schedules provided by Cruise Line Agencies of Alaska (claalaska.com). Here are links to their 2023 and 2024 schedule pages where you can check out the calendars for any or all ports you may be interested in. That will give you an idea of how many cruise ships are scheduled throughout the season.

 

2023 Schedules

2024 Schedules

[david,Mississauga]

On 6/13/2023 at 5:47 PM, sfred said:

Hope you have a nice day in or around Haines, @martinmct.   Looks like the piers in Skagway are all occupied today, with Konigsdam, Grand Princess, Royal Princess, and Celebrity Solstice taking up the available positions.  They must have fixed the issues caused by the landslide.

 

It will be a busy day for Skagway and the White Pass and Yukon railway.  In 2019, QE had the position that Royal Princess has today, and it was a short walk across the pier to board the train.

 

 

The rockslide situation hasn't had a permanent solution, but "rockslide mitigation" is working well.  The linked article is mainly about an increase in the port tax, but the eighth paragraph has interesting information on the testing of the efficiency of the mesh and fence.

 

https://skagwaynews.com/2023/06/09/passenger-tariff-increase-to-offset-landslide-mitigation/

 

I will be in Skagway in just over a week. We are docking at the aft end of the Railroad Dock and will see how well the transfers to the town end work.

[sfred]

2 hours ago, NE John said:

I’ve always been concerned about taking an Alaska cruise because of the potential of too many ships at port and overcrowding. I’m looking at you Santorini, Key West, and others…
Is there some coordination between the lines to mitigate congestion at the port calls with too many people at once?

Thoughts/Experiences regarding this issue?

 

I only have the one 2019 trip to say, but for that voyage the only port we felt was overly crowded was Ketchikan.  All the others easily handled that day's ships, and there was nothing that we wanted to do that we couldn't.  Skagway had only one other ship besides QE on the day we were there, both of us on the railroad dock, so it might be different with four, plus additional demand from QE at nearby Haines.  .

 

Hubbard Glacier apparently has schedules so that only one ship is in the area at a time.  Captain Inger Thorhauge, in charge of QE back then, made a point during her announcements to say that we had specific Hubbard arrival and departure slots that we had to adhere to.  Perhaps this is also true of other cruise-by sites, as we never saw any other ships during sea or cruise-by days.

 

An additional factor might have been the timing of our 2019 voyage, which happened in May after the Japan transpacific.  That was early for the Alaska "season", and perhaps it gets busier as northern hemisphere summer progresses.

[techteach]

@NE John I agree with @sfred that the only time it’s felt crowded to me was in Ketchikan. Lots of people shopping or looking for tour guides. The line for the Juneau tram can be really long when a ship docks, but then it dissipates until the next ship arrives. There are buses in Skagway to take you into town that are run by the city, and the train tickets sell out super fast so buy them as soon as you know your dates. Dog sleds and whale watching tours sell out quickly also.

[martinmct]

QE was at Hubbard Glacier on 14th June - comparable with our visit 10 days ago! I have a view taken from the entrance to our stateroom 5004 along the corridor to the door onto the bow deck - we didn’t have far to walk!

Interesting comments re overcrowding at ports - in just over 5 and a half weeks we’ve hardly docked with any other ships…well today we dock in Juneau…along with 4 other ships…and we are the one having to tender!

[martinmct]

….and here is the picture.

[sfred]

I hope Mrs. @martinmct had a nice birthday on your second call to Hubbard!  🧁  Thanks for posting the photos.

[david,Mississauga]

19 hours ago, sfred said:

 

...  Skagway had only one other ship besides QE on the day we were there, both of us on the railroad dock, so it might be different with four, plus additional demand from QE at nearby Haines.  ...

 

 

 

A few weeks ago a member said that Skagway was the worst port for congestion in the town.  I'm not doubting anyone's experience, but mine have been different.  Our last three visits to Skagway have been on the Noordam in 2015 and on the Queen Elizabeth in 2019 and 2022. There were four ships in port on each of those days. The streets of Skagway didn't seem at all crowded, especially when compared to Juneau and Ketchikan.  

[techteach]

Skagway felt empty when we were there. I know we were one of 3, and I think there was fourth. If you walk into town it takes 15 to 20 minutes. It felt like everyone was getting onto the train and very few people went into town. I agree with @david,Mississauga, and I’ve done 3 Alaska cruises.

[martinmct]

…and here is QE at Juneau today…a day that started well, and deteriorated into soaking rain. In fairness we have been aboard QE for nearly 6 weeks and encountered very little rain, so you could say the ‘books were being balanced’. The tendering process was interesting… @sfred mrs martinmct did have an excellent birthday with Hubbard again centre stage and performing superbly. A very pleasant late meal in the Britannia with some nice wine, nice folk and a resounding rendition of Happy Birthday from the waiter’s finished the meal off nicely. It was probably the latest sunset of our trip and we finished watching it from the stern of the ship on Deck 3. She’ll be back for more!

[rafinmd]

32 minutes ago, martinmct said:

…and here is QE at Juneau today…a day that started well, and deteriorated into soaking rain. In fairness we have been aboard QE for nearly 6 weeks and encountered very little rain, so you could say the ‘books were being balanced’. The tendering process was interesting… @sfred mrs martinmct did have an excellent birthday with Hubbard again centre stage and performing superbly. A very pleasant late meal in the Britannia with some nice wine, nice folk and a resounding rendition of Happy Birthday from the waiter’s finished the meal off nicely. It was probably the latest sunset of our trip and we finished watching it from the stern of the ship on Deck 3. She’ll be back for more!

Quick question.  Do all Cunard ships use the "step test" for tendering or is it just QM2?

 

Roy

[martinmct]

@rafinmd Roy, I’ve photographed the sheet we were given before ‘going ashore by tender’. Hope this helps. 
 

Kind regards, Martin

[david,Mississauga]

10 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Quick question.  Do all Cunard ships use the "step test" for tendering or is it just QM2?

 

Roy

 

Last year on an Alaska cruise on the QE my wife was requested to attend a session with the safety officer. Everyone who had requested mobility assistance during embarkation was required to pass the step test in order to be permitted to use the tenders.

Edited June 16, 2023 by david,Mississauga
Clarification

[Victoria2]

10 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Quick question.  Do all Cunard ships use the "step test" for tendering or is it just QM2?

 

Roy

QV has the step test too although to be frank, some passengers on the Edinburgh tender two weeks ago looked pretty dodgy when stepping off the tender.

It was OK tendering ashore but the Firth of Fourth is notorious for upping up its liveliness later on and it looked pretty hairy for some of the more elderly folk stepping back onto QV mid afternoon.

[sfred]

Speaking of being at busy ports, QE is in Ketchikan today, along with Disney Wonder and Silver Muse.  Best wishes to everyone aboard.

 

[martinmct]

QE is in Ketchikan today - it has been dry and sunny whilst docked. A large ‘birthday’ cake has been made for the Kings official birthday. The daily Programme proclaims ‘Happy Birthday Your Majesty’. It goes on to say ‘Today His Majesty King Charles III celebrates his Birthday. Cunard is delighted to be able to say that The King attended his first Cunard event in 1968 when he was 20 years old; as young Prince of Wales, he joined Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) as the ship sailed from her birthplace at Clydebank.’

The late Queen Elizabeth II looks calmly on in the Queens Room.

[martinmct]

Almost over for us for now with QE back in Victoria for our second visit (Mon 19th June). We decided to take the shuttle into town and then walk to Government House to take a look at the gardens. All very worthwhile, and a very nice part of residential Victoria - Rockland. Returned to the ship via the the coast and straight into afternoon tea, which we felt we deserved having walked a few miles! All aboard for 8.30pm in time for the ‘long’ overnight voyage to Vancouver! Always hate seeing bags in the corridor awaiting collection for disembarkation - and I know that others do too - ours have now joined them!