Live from QM2 Oct 2nd Splendours of Autumn

[safarigal]

There is so much to say about this wonderful voyage, so I will try to keep it short! We flew to Newark on Thursday night, and on arrival there, loaded up a luggage trolley with way too much stuff. We expected that we could catch the shuttle bus to the airport hotel right outside the baggage claim area, but instead found out that we had to take the train to the bus area. This was quite a challenge as the elevator was at the other end of the terminal, and we had to then take another elevator to the platform, but the good news is that we could take the trolley on the train, and wheel it right to the bus waiting area. If we hadn’t had a trolley I have no idea how we could have managed to get all of our stuff to the bus.

We decided to take Carmel Limo to the pier and the car was there waiting for us as requested at 10:00. He used his GPS to get us to Brooklyn, but when the voice said we were at our destination, we were nowhere near the pier, so we drove around in circles for a while until we were finally able to find our way to the pier. The porters took the bags from the car, and we went straight to the check in kiosk, and were done in a few minutes. It was 11:00 by then, boarding started at 12:00, and we were on board by 12:20, with our cases arriving 5 minutes later. We unpacked and went down for lunch, dreading the commotion in the King’s Court, but we were able to get a table right away, and it wasn’t crowded at all. I then made our Todd English reservation, and got the exact time and day we wanted, and at 2:00 the spa opened, so I was able to make my reservations, and also get the days and times I wanted. Things were going well!

We are seated at a table for 8 by the window in the upper level of the Britannia restaurant, this makes the restaurant feel cozy and intimate, but I think I will go for the lower level on our next trip as you do not sense the grandeur of the room. The food at all meals has been good at times, spectacular at other times. Our waiters are fast, efficient, and friendly, so no complaints there!

Almost everyone has been keeping to the dress code in the evenings. There have been some strange get ups mind you on formal nights. A lot of men in white dinner jackets, one with a black shirt and red bow tie, others with colored shirts and strange ties. Still, that’s way better than jeans and tee shirts. There are none of those to be seen in the evenings.

The ports have all been great, no problems getting on or off the ship, nothing like the crowds I imagined. Even in Bar Harbor we arrived at 5:00 in time for the last tender back to the boat, and there was no queue.

The Internet is working very well, much better than when we were on Queen Victoria. The TVs are a bit of a disappointment, old and not interactive any more. However, my Mac and the Internet are compatible, so I am writing this in the comfort of our cabin, which is great!

The weather has been a bit miserable, and we had to miss St John today which is a huge shame, as we missed the Bay of Fundy on our last Fall cruise, so it was one of the reasons for doing this one. Still Commodore Bernard Warner was very apologetic, and hey, a day at sea is always a good one!

All in all, everything has been perfection, and I will have to be dragged off kicking and screaming on Friday morning. The ship is in beautiful shape, the staff is as wonderful as ever, the hot tubs aren’t crowded (maybe because its raining), and life is good!

[capnpugwash]

Nice review, always good to hear about QM2, can't wait to be back aboard.

[pumpkin 11]

Have fun and enjoy. bad weather can't spoil any day on QM2!

[imacruizer]

Oh, Lesley, what a thrill to find your "live from" post. So glad that things are going well and that you are enjoying the QM2. Too bad about your missed port. However, it sounds as if you have made the best of it.

Has your dress code followed what you were told in your pre-cruise documents?????

Enjoy the remainder of your time on the QM2! I'm sure you don't want the voyage to end.

Beth

[safarigal]

Originally Posted by imacruizer

Oh, Lesley, what a thrill to find your "live from" post. So glad that things are going well and that you are enjoying the QM2. Too bad about your missed port. However, it sounds as if you have made the best of it.

Has your dress code followed what you were told in your pre-cruise documents?????

Enjoy the remainder of your time on the QM2! I'm sure you don't want the voyage to end.

Beth

Hi Beth! The dress code did vary from the pre-cruise documents, but still the same number of formal nights (3), so no big deal. You are so lucky to be doing this trip! Wish we could stay on.

[Wheretonext???]

Lesley, thank for posting. I sincerely hope that all of you had copious amounts of champagne on my birthday!

[Terrence Richards]

Hi, you indicated in your very nice review of being on the QM2, that the televisions in the staterooms were no longer interactive. What category were you in while onboard?

Does that mean that the wireless keyboard that was once available for E-mail in your stateroom is no longer available. The keyboard in most staterooms was in a drawer under the television or sometimes left out on top of the tv.

Terry

[Wheretonext???]

Originally Posted by Terrence Richards

Hi, you indicated in your very nice review of being on the QM2, that the televisions in the staterooms were no longer interactive. What category were you in while onboard?

Does that mean that the wireless keyboard that was once available for E-mail in your stateroom is no longer available. The keyboard in most staterooms was in a drawer under the television or sometimes left out on top of the tv.

Terry

Terry, this changed sometime prior to the first of this year--they were not interactive in January and the keyboards were gone. QM2 has switched over to a system similar to QV.

[Surfgirl]

Thanks for taking the time to share your wonderful cruise with us! Sorry to hear about your missed port, but I'm glad you're having a terrific time.

[lodge172]

We will be doing your itinary next year. Any tips on excursions, are they do able on your own.

[vtgal]

It all sounds so wonderful. My sister and her husband are on the cruise but not cruisecritic fans so you probably haven't met them.
But I do hope to meet you on Dubai-Hong Kong segment of the world cruise
in 2010. You are so lucky to have so many cruise days. Any others planned?

[lannp]

They still have the original TVs but during drydock last fall the keyboards disappeared with the interactive TV system.
I assume it had something to do with WiFi being installed around the ship. I miss the interactive TV, I liked being able to choose music from the large selection available.

[north east girl]

Originally Posted by safarigal

There is so much to say about this wonderful voyage, so I will try to keep it short! We flew to Newark on Thursday night, and on arrival there, loaded up a luggage trolley with way too much stuff. We expected that we could catch the shuttle bus to the airport hotel right outside the baggage claim area, but instead found out that we had to take the train to the bus area. This was quite a challenge as the elevator was at the other end of the terminal, and we had to then take another elevator to the platform, but the good news is that we could take the trolley on the train, and wheel it right to the bus waiting area. If we hadn’t had a trolley I have no idea how we could have managed to get all of our stuff to the bus.

We decided to take Carmel Limo to the pier and the car was there waiting for us as requested at 10:00. He used his GPS to get us to Brooklyn, but when the voice said we were at our destination, we were nowhere near the pier, so we drove around in circles for a while until we were finally able to find our way to the pier. The porters took the bags from the car, and we went straight to the check in kiosk, and were done in a few minutes. It was 11:00 by then, boarding started at 12:00, and we were on board by 12:20, with our cases arriving 5 minutes later. We unpacked and went down for lunch, dreading the commotion in the King’s Court, but we were able to get a table right away, and it wasn’t crowded at all. I then made our Todd English reservation, and got the exact time and day we wanted, and at 2:00 the spa opened, so I was able to make my reservations, and also get the days and times I wanted. Things were going well!

We are seated at a table for 8 by the window in the upper level of the Britannia restaurant, this makes the restaurant feel cozy and intimate, but I think I will go for the lower level on our next trip as you do not sense the grandeur of the room. The food at all meals has been good at times, spectacular at other times. Our waiters are fast, efficient, and friendly, so no complaints there!

Almost everyone has been keeping to the dress code in the evenings. There have been some strange get ups mind you on formal nights. A lot of men in white dinner jackets, one with a black shirt and red bow tie, others with colored shirts and strange ties. Still, that’s way better than jeans and tee shirts. There are none of those to be seen in the evenings.

The ports have all been great, no problems getting on or off the ship, nothing like the crowds I imagined. Even in Bar Harbor we arrived at 5:00 in time for the last tender back to the boat, and there was no queue.

The Internet is working very well, much better than when we were on Queen Victoria. The TVs are a bit of a disappointment, old and not interactive any more. However, my Mac and the Internet are compatible, so I am writing this in the comfort of our cabin, which is great!

The weather has been a bit miserable, and we had to miss St John today which is a huge shame, as we missed the Bay of Fundy on our last Fall cruise, so it was one of the reasons for doing this one. Still Commodore Bernard Warner was very apologetic, and hey, a day at sea is always a good one!

All in all, everything has been perfection, and I will have to be dragged off kicking and screaming on Friday morning. The ship is in beautiful shape, the staff is as wonderful as ever, the hot tubs aren’t crowded (maybe because its raining), and life is good!

Glad you are enjoying your time on QM2, we left as you boarded. We had a brilliant time and did not want to leave.

New York was good but we saw QM2 leave with you on board and wished we were still aboard.

Anyway safarigal enjoy the rest of your trip. I can't wait until we have something booked for next year now, I'm hooked just loved it so much.

Take care Catherine

[safarigal]

Originally Posted by lodge172

We will be doing your itinary next year. Any tips on excursions, are they do able on your own.

We didn't do any tours, and still got to see a lot!

Newport was wonderful, despite the rain. We just wandered around the down town area admiring the buildings and history, and sampling the pubs. It is easy to take a bus to see one of the mansions, or do a bit of the Cliff Walk.

We have been to Boston many times, so decided to take a cab to the Kennedy Library, and spent the day there, which was wonderful!

In Bar Harbor we met up with our table mate from the QE2 and she drove us around Acadia Park, and we did some geocaching there, which was great. The leaves were just right, and despite the fact that there was a downpour briefly, the rest of the day was sunny. We did a tour of Acadia on our previous trip to Bar Harbor, but you could do it on your own by using the shuttle buses, or take a carriage ride, which looked like fun.

The last time we were in Halifax we rented a car and drove to Peggy's Cove, and around Halifax. If you are just interested in the town itself, it is an easy walk to the Maritime Museum (wonderful), and up to the Citadel, get there by noon when they let off the cannon. For expats living in the US who have a craving for UK chocolates, there is a great supermarket there called Pete's Frootique where I was able to buy a good supply of goodies (including Walnut Whips)

We had pre-booked booked for the photographic tour in St John, and I noticed that it was sold out when we got the tour information when we got on board, so was pleased we had already booked. Our stay in St John was cancelled, so we never got to do the tour. Maybe next time!

All of the ports were great, I am sure you will have a fantastic time!

Lesley

[safarigal]

Originally Posted by vtgal

It all sounds so wonderful. My sister and her husband are on the cruise but not cruisecritic fans so you probably haven't met them.
But I do hope to meet you on Dubai-Hong Kong segment of the world cruise
in 2010. You are so lucky to have so many cruise days. Any others planned?

I do hope your sister and her husband had as wonderful time as we did. The QM2 is so beautiful, and when she sounds her whistle, although it is not as majestic as the QE2's, it sends shivers up my spine. Missing a port was a bit of a disappointment, but I was amazed at how stable the QM2 is in rough seas, and I can't wait to get on her again in Dubai! Our trip after the Dubai segment is a TA on the new QE in January 2011, there's a bit of a long time wait for that.

Looking forward to meeting you on the Dubai segment!

Lesley

[heywood]

Thank you Lesley for the review. I enjoyed reading it as we are doing some of those ports next year and glad to hear that they seem easy enough to see independently.

Enjoy the next one- you lucky person