Maybe not the last QE II crossing, but...

we're making the call Monday to finalize our NY to SH on the QE II's April '08 crossing.

My wife has always wanted to go on the QE II and when she read that next year would be our last chance we started looking into a possible trip. The fact that she also is half-way through her radiation treatments for breast cancer (stage zero thank God) made us realize we should live life to the fullest.

Anyway, we're hoping we can get some good advice for this trip, such as:

1. Where to stay in NYC the night before (we'll be coming up from central VA). A hotel close to the cruise terminal would be nice, especially if they provide transpotation.
   
2. Tips from veteran trans-Atlantic cruisers on how to make the ost of the trip.
   
3. Must-do's once we get across the 'pond'.

Of course there'll be more questions in the future, but that's it for now.

Thanks in advance.

Keith & Sandy

Central VA

There are no hotels which furnish transportation to the pier. If she is leaving from Manhattan you can stay anywhere. If she is leaving from Brooklyn, the only hotel worth staying in is the Brooklyn Marriott. They do not furnish transportation either

...

1. Where to stay in NYC the night before (we'll be coming up from central VA). A hotel close to the cruise terminal would be nice, especially if they provide transpotation.
   
2. Tips from veteran trans-Atlantic cruisers on how to make the ost of the trip.
   
3. Must-do's once we get across the 'pond'.

Of course there'll be more questions in the future, but that's it for now.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Keith & Sandy

Central VA

1.) The Brooklyn Bridge Marriott has been mentioned in other threads (e.g. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=539697), never been there myself.

2. Enjoy the ship. Explore everywhere, and pause often to investigate wherever you happen to be at the time. Before you go, stay up all night for a couple of weeks to read all the posts that your search of this topic will find.

3.) Most important! Book your return on the QM2 from Southampton to NYC on April 22, 2008. This gives you four days based in Southampton to visit whatever you like and then six glorious 25-hour days on the QM2 to digest it all.

Bon voyage, Paul

The QE2 is very special, but it can be confusing to find your way around at first. If they offer an orientation tour around the ship, take it. Or, just take the little guide they give you and wander. The stairs and elevators do not all go the entire height of the ship (a remnant of the old class system), so remember the two stairways that do go to most decks: E goes everywhere and G is good.

Have you been on other ships? Do you now about making spa appointments and checking your dinner table right away? (If you're an old hand at cruising, forgive the obvious advice) My first move on board is to go to the library and check out a good book.

Since you have nowhere to go but the ship for all those days, enjoy the leisurely pace. There are lectures, dance classes, all sorts of activities. Or you can just relax and do nothing.

Do find time to take the history tour. That's always fun. And there's a heritage trail of display cases of memorabilia. Ask the pursers for the guide to that if there isn't one in your cabin.

Go to afternoon tea in the Queens Room. Get there early, and get a seat that looks at the table of goodies (don't go up and serve yourself, the waiters will serve you). At precisely 4:00, all the waiters stream out through the doors that flank the goodie table. I don't know why, but I love to see that.

You didn't say which dining room you're in, but if you're in Caronia or the Grills, your table is YOUR table, waiting for you at all meals. I find that wonderful. No fussing around with open seating and different waiters all the time. Not sure if they do two seatings in Mauretania on a TA, or if it's open seating and breakfast and lunch.

They still do a Gala midnight buffet once per cruise. Go up early with your camera and take pictures of the ice carvings and food sculptures.

Once you get across the pond, there is so much to do, I can't begin to make suggestions. Do you like musuems? Nature? Theater? Sports? British Tourist Authority has a good website, and there are lots of regional websites, too. Londontown dot com is a good start for London.

You might commemorate landmarks in your wife's therapy with gifts of travel books so you can start your planning. I understand your motivation in booking the trip. A friend of mine was getting chemo, and we booked a QE 2 trip to celebrate the end of it (actually chose the time based on when her hair would be grown back). That wonderful carrot dangling at the end of a difficult time helps a lot. And 5+ years later, she's still OK (and we're booked on another QE2 next summer). I wish similar success for your wife!

Kathy

Where to stay in NYC the night before (we'll be coming up from central VA). A hotel close to the cruise terminal would be nice, especially if they provide transpotation.

 

The closest hotel to the Red Hook Terminal is the Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge. Not much to do outside the hotel, but it is a short taxi ride to the Terminal.

We are doing this for the first time for the 8/3 TA.

 

Rich

Cunard is meeting me at a NYC Airport on January 13, 2008, transporting me to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel to stay on January 12,, and then transporting me to the terminal for embarkation on January 13. All for a fee, of course. Cunard is handling all the arrangements, under the supervision of my local Travel Agent.

Error above. I am flying to NYC on January 12.

Which airport are you flying into? If you are flying into LGA the Courtyard Marriott is decent. You can get a car service from there to the port for US$40 + tip.

3rdGenCunarder has given great suggestions, and I would like to add two more.

After you have been shown to your cabin, rather than unpacking head straight to the Queens Room for tea. If the ship is docked in Brooklyn, we enjoy a window table with a view of the Manhattan skyline/Statue of Liberty. If one of those tables is already occupied, don't hesitate to ask if you may join them. We have met many fascinating people that way, whom we have enjoyed seeing throughout the voyage. Of course, should we see two people in search of a table, we might well invite them to join us.;)

Leaving New York, our favorite spot is on Sun deck, directly aft of the funnel, as we pass under the Verrazano-Narrows bridge. I don't know how we happened to be standing there on our first crossing, but it has become a tradition for us. Some of our friends prefer to be forward, directly under the bridge, to be near the unforgettable sound of her whistle as she leaves New York.

I'm sure the anticipation of this trip will aid in your wife's recovery. It's a wonderful thing you are planning.

I have already started cut-n-pasting your replies.

My wife says I get more pleasure planning a trip than actually going on it.

Since we have family in South Jersey we were planing on driving there and finding some sort of transport up to NYC. The Marriott sounds like a good place to spend the night.

We fly back into JFK, so we'll be looking for something from there back to the Atlantic City area.

We've gone on several cruises before, but we've heard that the QE II is like no other, especially a trans-Atlantic.

If one of those tables is already occupied, don't hesitate to ask if you may join them. We have met many fascinating people that way, whom we have enjoyed seeing throughout the voyage. Of course, should we see two people in search of a table, we might well invite them to join us.;)

 

Absolutely! Sharing tables with strangers (friends you haven't met yet) is very much done on QE2. Both at tea and in the Lido. If you ask 'may we join you?' people will say yes. QE2 tends to attract people who are interesting as well as interested in others.

 

Leaving New York, our favorite spot is on Sun deck, directly aft of the funnel, as we pass under the Verrazano-Narrows bridge. I don't know how we happened to be standing there on our first crossing, but it has become a tradition for us. Some of our friends prefer to be forward, directly under the bridge, to be near the unforgettable sound of her whistle as she leaves New York.

 

So glad you remembered this, Captaintandem! Stand in the center of Sun Deck and look at the funnel as you approach the bridge. There's plenty of clearance, but the illusion that she's going to hit the bridge is fun to see. It's a tradition for us, too. You'll see lots of people with cameras, trying to capture that moment. You'll feel 'in the know' and not look questioningly at the passengers who are staring up at the funnel.

Kathy