Live from Cunard Queen Elizabeth Pacific Coast 9/19-22/24

[VintageCheap]

We were in already in Vancouver after a HAL Noordam Alaska family reunion cruise.  The airfares home were high.  One idea was to find a ship out of town.  $349 and a few days wait put us on the QE headed for San Francisco.  

 

All the lovely direct mail we get is a good reminder of Cunard.  I found my loyalty pin in a drawer.  Three days was not enough but the continuing voyage overlapped a firm comittment at home.  

 

I got an upgrade offer in email- inside to obstructed ocean view - the light and the couch - $75 or so got it.  The modern trend to have only tiny inside cabins is sad.  

 

We saw the her in Juneau- wow.  Were we on the wrong ship?   Not my choice.  If the endless reports of cutbacks and the decline of ballroom dancing are true- maybe not?  

 

Edited September 15 by VintageCheap

[VintageCheap]

We did stop in Victoria BC a few days pre cruise. The place is semi hard to get to (the Wilson BC Connector ferry + same bus is a bit over four hours) but worth it.  Stay central- the Empress is pleasant enough. 

 

The city is over run with fit retired couples on holiday who walk everywhere.  The path and sidewalk system is good beware of bikes.  We found nearby cheap/good food at Tractor and at Tug on the water.  The Dim Sim was lovely and authentic.  The  #75 bus @Bay G from the Empress on N side of the hotel complex goes to the Buchart Gardens for a $5 US or CDN Day Pass.

 

If you run out of socks Hudson Bay has them.  Lots of shops for outdoor wear between Hudson Bay and Chinatown.  This is the normal shopping cruise ports need not just t-shirts and shot glasses.  Lovely yarn @ Bee Hive.  They have a miniature Fisherman's Wharf a short walk away.  A huge car ferry (Coho)  manages to shoe horn in a few times a day

 

 

Edited September 17 by VintageCheap

[VintageCheap]

We took the 0735 bus /ferry/ bus from Victoria.  The food on the ferry is good and it is a pretty 90 min. ride over.  The skipper is very into all engines full (docking is like two minutes) vs cruise ships where the fear is if you even might nudge the dock it is global news.  

 

We were in our Vancouver hotel, the Kingston, noon ish.  It is cute, cozy, very central and has a laundry room.  I found Shwarma nearby and there is a Tractor location which might be the ticket for breakfast.  We are just outside of walking distance from Canada Place.  

 

Interestingly the QE is in Victoria today.  

 

Edited September 18 by VintageCheap

[techteach]

I hope you don’t mind if I jump in with you. We arrived from Seattle this morning and were at the Westin. Lunch at Cordero’s was great. A beautiful day to sit on the deck with wine and tapas. LOTS of people going past on the route to Stanley Park. Thanks for starting the post @VintageCheap.

[VintageCheap]

51 minutes ago, techteach said:

I hope you don’t mind if I jump in with you. We arrived from Seattle this morning and were at the Westin. Lunch at Cordero’s was great. A beautiful day to sit on the deck with wine and tapas. LOTS of people going past on the route to Stanley Park. Thanks for starting the post @VintageCheap.

Please do.  I think there is a meet and greet aboard on the 20th at 2pm in Commodore a tidbit I dug out of a roll call thread from a longer version of this voyage.  

[techteach]

I’ve been following the roll call also. Here’s a picture from this morning.

 

[Victoria2]

15 hours ago, techteach said:

I hope you don’t mind if I jump in with you. We arrived from Seattle this morning and were at the Westin. Lunch at Cordero’s was great. A beautiful day to sit on the deck with wine and tapas. LOTS of people going past on the route to Stanley Park. Thanks for starting the post @VintageCheap.

Oh my, is Cordero's still going strong. It was our favourite dining spot when we used to stay at the Bayshore!

[VintageCheap]

Crazed for Dim Sum I insisted we walk to the Chinatown area.  After seeing a lot of closed shop gates and addicts on the sidewalk DW decided we needed to leave the area at once.   The place we are staying @Richards and Robson is tidy and vibrant.  We chose Tractor again for the tomato soup and avocado toast.  

 

Breakfast was complicated - Tractor was open but had no hot beverages or bakery.  So Tim Horton provided the tea.  There is a selection of exotic take out hipster street food nearby, unpopular on this forum.

 

The next decision- how soon to 

arrive at the port.  We are in Steerage and can claim to have limited paperwork in hand- all my planning energy was used up on the family reunion cruise last week.

[techteach]

2 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

Oh my, is Cordero's still going strong. It was our favourite dining spot when we used to stay at the Bayshore!

Cordero’s is definitely going strong! We arrived just as they opened and there were over a dozen people in front of us. I ate half a crab sitting on the deck. It was wonderful!

[VintageCheap]

We were in a pre opening line 

at 11:21 and got to a crowded pre board seating /waiting area by 12:00.  Boarding started 12:15.  Pro tip: N95 mask.  A guess is the proper published 1400 arrival would skip such a waiting area.  1235 seated in Golden Lion, first NA ale in hand 1247. 

[techteach]

Arrived at 12:30 and in our suite by 1:00. Vancouver port did a great job. We were also in the Golden Lion around 1:05!

[techteach]

What?!!!  No make-up mirror in a Queen’s Grill Suite!! This is the first trip in years that I haven’t brought my own. A note has been left for our cabin steward.

[VintageCheap]

MDR dinner was lovely.  I liked all the selections.  Service was cheerful and fast.

 

We had a delay loading stores so left few hours late.

 

I was eager to get to the Queens Room for dancing at 630.  After a few warm ups the Orchestra arrived for the 715 show.  There were eight musicians and each dance was called in advance.   So far so good.  

 

[BEAV]

Thanks for the live report from QE. Kudos for coming up with a much more exciting way to return home after your HAL cruise. 
 

Enjoying your experiences and photos. 👍

[VintageCheap]

We have perfect sea day weather.  There is an amazing amount to do on the ship.  Online reports of entertainment cutbacks should be viewed skeptically.  There is an evening of ballroom dancing on offer.  

 

MDR service was speedy and cheerful.  Bar service the same.  I will admit to trying the buffet Margarita pizza.  This is best made in Rome, and is hard to duplicate elsewhere.  The crust needs to be fluffy and the cheese minimalistic.  It was good.  Other, lesser lines have cardboard pizza.  

 

The appetizers in MDR were well executed but in miniature.  Guest driven food waste on cruise liners is not a good thing.  

 

The Edwardian Internet speed I remember from prior voyages on this line was not ruined by a dozen new Starlink antennas.  

 

Our Meet and Mingle, apparently one of a series of three was depressing- only in that most were staying on for weeks I have to leave soon.  

 

The in room tea service is decadent.    None at all or a coffee flavored machine is the best other lines can manage.  The half and half in the silent mini fridge was thoughtful.

 

Chair Yoga was packed. 

 

[VintageCheap]

Duo Penache led off a nice ballroom set in the Queens Room on Gala Night.  There were no sequence dances called, a feature we remember from QM2 years ago.  The tightly packed dance floor those days we don't miss.   Lots of Cha Cha.  

 

MDR dinner was again good.  We are leaning vegetarian and there were lovely choices.

 

Attire for male guests was a dark suit as an average.

 

No signs of indoor cigarette smoke. On Some lines in the lobby areas it wafts in from the casino.  

 

[techteach]

@VintageCheap Wonderful posts! So many things to talk about, but where to begin. We’re in QG - yes high expectations. Our room and butler are great. Steak Rossini in QG on night one was not a success for me, I thought the meat was tough, my DH says I’m being overly critical. Prime Rib on Gala Night was very nice. in QG there were 3 men not in Tuxes, but they did wear a tie. There were many open seats and as I spoke with ladies in the Commodore Club in the afternoon, they just didn’t feel like dressing up. As always, the soups in QG are wonderful. I was not happy today when I had the Thai Steak Wrap, which is deconstructed with over cooked steak that it was under sauced. When I asked for a small amount of sauce for the rice the chef refused. What!? I was not a happy griller and let the Maitre de know. All other food in QG has been superb. Great service in the Commodore Club. ISSUE: IPad and connectivity today. I finally decided to forget the link and start over and that is the only reason I’m able to post now. I have 45 minutes left! 

 

We’ve decided we Like the QE and will keep our 11 day reservation for next June to Alaska.

 

To anyone on board to embarking: Casino slot machine to try is Heat Em Up at the end of the row, closest to the casino host, and play at $2.00. Won many hundreds. Far more generous than our last trip to Vegas.

[NE John]

1 hour ago, techteach said:

@VintageCheap Wonderful posts! So many things to talk about, but where to begin. We’re in QG - yes high expectations. Our room and butler are great. Steak Rossini in QG on night one was not a success for me, I thought the meat was tough, my DH says I’m being overly critical. Prime Rib on Gala Night was very nice. in QG there were 3 men not in Tuxes, but they did wear a tie. There were many open seats and as I spoke with ladies in the Commodore Club in the afternoon, they just didn’t feel like dressing up. As always, the soups in QG are wonderful. I was not happy today when I had the Thai Steak Wrap, which is deconstructed with over cooked steak that it was under sauced. When I asked for a small amount of sauce for the rice the chef refused. What!? I was not a happy griller and let the Maitre de know. All other food in QG has been superb. Great service in the Commodore Club. ISSUE: IPad and connectivity today. I finally decided to forget the link and start over and that is the only reason I’m able to post now. I have 45 minutes left! 

 

We’ve decided we Like the QE and will keep our 11 day reservation for next June to Alaska.

 

To anyone on board to embarking: Casino slot machine to try is Heat Em Up at the end of the row, closest to the casino host, and play at $2.00. Won many hundreds. Far more generous than our last trip to Vegas.

Thank you. 
Who’s your butler and M’d in QG? We really enjoyed our experience there. 

[VintageCheap]

To finish up Gala Night, we got in at least three hours of ballroom dancing.  The Queens Room Orchestra did not disappoint.  

 

We ran up to the 10:00 Hollywood theme main show and liked it.  Fourteen cast and a live orchestra is not a sign of cutbacks to me.  

 

Breakfast was in Lido as I had the idea I'd find Eggs Benedict made from salmon.  Not an obvious offer.  One morning in MDR I ordered pancakes and got two silver dollar sized ones.  

 

We went to two dance classes.  We picked up a needed series of Salsa moves.  We are bad at Salsa this was helpful.  The key to the dance is hips not steps actually.  And we got a concept on quickstep.  DW liked a weather lecture.  

 

We got the last table in a packed Golden Lion for lunch. 

 

The pokey upgraded Internet worked well enough for bits of college football.  We are now not far from California so the digital rights thing was not a problem as we are not in Canada.  

 

Good vegetarian and fish choices ruled dinner again for us.  We packed, and passed on even more dancing in Queens Room.  The Irish duo reminded us of Dublin.   

 

All in all it was a whirlwind three days.  We'd go again in a minute. 

 

Edited Sunday at 04:23 AM by VintageCheap

[VintageCheap]

@techteach Thanks.  Too bad about food problems up there.  Years ago the lines would send officers to CC events and hand out phone numbers and beg us to call before firing up the printing presses.  I remember one large and smoky vessel with fourteen dining venues there was no table clearing in the MDR and the lines snaked around the ship.  I called it in and got strawberries and bubbly delivered all week.    

Edited Sunday at 04:37 AM by VintageCheap

[D&N]

10 hours ago, VintageCheap said:

Breakfast was in Lido as I had the idea I'd find Eggs Benedict made from salmon.  Not an obvious offer.

I get Eggs Benedict in the MDR with the Hollandaise in a jug on the side. If you ordered some smoked salmon as well you could swap that for the bacon before smothering with sauce.

Or I suppose you could have salmon and bacon if that was your taste.

[techteach]

21 hours ago, NE John said:

Thank you. 
Who’s your butler and M’d in QG? We really enjoyed our experience there. 

Butler was Mohammed. Waiter in QG was Erin..can’t remember M’d…

[techteach]

More QG food thoughts:

Waffles. I think they must use pancake batter as they are very dense. I wanted to go back and mix up a batch for them. I will not order again.

 

English Muffins. Super soft English Muffins, which need more time to rise and longer on the griddle…yes, I’ve made them many times and I’m darned good at them. But, they are really good for the Eggs Benedict because they are so soft.

 

We had asked about Langoustine Shrimp and were surprised when a half dozen appeared for each of us and they were wonderful.

 

Leg of Lamb. Yummy! Perfectly cooked with a great brown sauce and the best mint sauce I’ve ever had.

 

Soup. All were wonderful. Beef Consommé, Leek and Bacon, Cream of Vegetable. 

 

Disembarkation - Super smooth. Less than 10 minutes from our suite to the dock. No lines anywhere.

 

DH got his hair cut and had a massage. He said the massage was the best ever. The hair cut…well he didn’t start with much.

 

For the future - we took a cab to the airport and the cost was $71.00 without tip. It took us about 25 minutes with no traffic on a Sunday morning.

 

I had bad hair days because my $$$ Dyson hair blower/curler draws too much power and didn’t work. Good news: this will save me a few pounds in my luggage on future Cunard cruises. (It worked fine on Oceania Regatta last September)

 

@VintageCheap I’m glad you had a great time and thanks again for starting this thread. 

 

 

 

[NE John]

6 minutes ago, techteach said:

More QG food thoughts:

Waffles. I think they must use pancake batter as they are very dense. I wanted to go back and mix up a batch for them. I will not order again.

 

English Muffins. Super soft English Muffins, which need more time to rise and longer on the griddle…yes, I’ve made them many times and I’m darned good at them. But, they are really good for the Eggs Benedict because they are so soft.

 

We had asked about Langoustine Shrimp and were surprised when a half dozen appeared for each of us and they were wonderful.

 

Leg of Lamb. Yummy! Perfectly cooked with a great brown sauce and the best mint sauce I’ve ever had.

 

Soup. All were wonderful. Beef Consommé, Leek and Bacon, Cream of Vegetable. 

 

Disembarkation - Super smooth. Less than 10 minutes from our suite to the dock. No lines anywhere.

 

DH got his hair cut and had a massage. He said the massage was the best ever. The hair cut…well he didn’t start with much.

 

For the future - we took a cab to the airport and the cost was $71.00 without tip. It took us about 25 minutes with no traffic on a Sunday morning.

 

I had bad hair days because my $$$ Dyson hair blower/curler draws too much power and didn’t work. Good news: this will save me a few pounds in my luggage on future Cunard cruises. (It worked fine on Oceania Regatta last September)

 

@VintageCheap I’m glad you had a great time and thanks again for starting this thread. 

 

 

 

As well as Cunard PG & QG does with Eggs Benedict and fish for breakfast, they fail with pancakes and waffles. Not sure what’s going on I that department??

I appreciate your balanced food comments. 

[rakkor]

5 hours ago, techteach said:

I had bad hair days because my $$$ Dyson hair blower/curler draws too much power and didn’t work.

 

 

Was this an Air Wrap? Jane is getting concerned that hers won't work on our upcoming QA and QM2 cruises and she's not sure how she'll survive without it! Apparently it's the best thing to have happened to her hair.