capnpugwash

They may run the physical security but I'm sure G4S do the embarkation

Almost live from a back to back Transatlantic voyage on QM2, August 1st 2016

It’s been a while since I reported but this is the first time I've been on board since the remastering or refit as we non advertising types call it. The ship is lovely as I expected and I like all the changes that I've seen apart from the removal of the lifts in the Grand Lobby; of course this removal has meant that the Kings Court area or KFC as we fondly refer to it has been improved dramatically. The Winter Garden is unrecognisable and has been transformed into a great and pleasant space where people actually congregate.

I drove to Southampton on Monday, arriving about 11.30am. I'd been notified that the ship was to berth at QEII terminal so we drove in and unloaded the luggage to a kindly porter and left the car in the safe hands of a CPS staff member. We then joined the melee inside the building. The boarding registration has been contracted to G4S for some years, they are the company that transport prisoners to and from courts here and through their ineptitude have lost a few on the way. They were no better here and only 20% of the computers were working so the queues were long and slow, even for Priority guests, anyway 30 hot and sweaty minutes later we were walking onto deck 3 of the ship.

There are a lot of new crew members but still quite a few that I recognised and was greeted by. We’d been allocated a sheltered balcony on deck 4 which was in the throes of being re-carpeted so we were homeless until 3.30. being resourceful souls we repaired to the Golden Lion for the wait and took a few liquid refreshments. They weren’t serving food so having met some friends and renewed some acquaintances we headed to deck 7 and entered Kings Court. It looked very clean and spacious and apart from the bizarre absence of trays was a pleasant experience. We only wanted something to hold us over until our 8.30 dinner and this worked well.

Our cabin was ready before 3pm so we went and started to unpack. It seems that the whole of the ship has new carpets apart from the Britannia Restaurant. They all look fine but the cabins have a very light coloured fawn carpet which whilst making them airier will mark very easily. There is a new 2 seater sofa as well and that is a good match for the carpet. It looks great at the moment and that’s a good thing.

We changed and met for cocktails at 7.30 in the Chart Room which is still the nicest bar that I know at sea and after a few drinks went down for dinner. We are on a lovely table for 4 with our friends Iris and Steve and we had a very nice dinner of cod before heading to the Queens Room to listen to the music and a very good female singer. We were tired and after a glass of wine headed off to bed. I think I was asleep before my head hit the pillow and slept with the balcony door open sleeping soundly until 7am. We gained an hour at 2am, the first of 5.

Waking on the first morning to a cloudy sky, we dressed and went for breakfast in Britannia. I had muesli and strawberries with coffee and a toasted English muffin. It was great.

Afterwards we met up in the Golden Lion for a quiz at 10.30, it was a disaster! Some bright Carnival bod has decided that the future of quizzing must involve showing questions on TV screens linked to the quizmaster’s laptop. This was Famous People and I have to say that about 14 of them were the most obscure famous people that we had never heard of. Clearly we didn’t win! There was an Englishman wandering around on a Zimmer frame making a nuisance of himself talking very loudly about things of which he had no or little knowledge. Each table that he approached welcomed him but within minutes found that they had an urgent reason to relocate. Eventually he grabbed 2 Americans who were way too kind and allowed him to join them as they departed for lunch in Kings Court.

We lunched in Britannia where some wine was taken and then to provide some further solace we had a champagne frenzy in our cabin. We managed 3 bottles between the 4 of us and then drew stumps to enable hair to be washed and bodies to be dressed in our formal clothes in time for cocktails at 7.30. We’ve met some nice people on the bar in the Chart Room and they joined our company for the second time. It is a lovely and friendly ship and you should never worry about travelling on your own as there is always someone to chat to in a safe environment.

I must admit that dinner was a little hazy but very tasty, although I only had 2 starters as I was full with the champagne and gin. Afterwards we went to hear a very good jazz singer in the theatre. She performs at Ronnie Scott’s in London and had a great voice. She is on as part of the Blue Note Jazz Crossing which will feature Herbie Hancock later in the week.

It was time for bed although the clocks were going back a further hour at 2am.

Again we slept well with the fresh air and the sound of the ocean washing along the side of the ship which I'm sure would make an insomniac sleep.

Breakfast was again taken in Britannia and again it was very pleasant with more staff coming by to say hello, it is lovely to see them and it is nice that they make the effort to come by.

The quiz was no better but it seems that this is the new format that has been adopted, shame really but we must make progress.

Afterwards we were playing cards when the nuisance from yesterday approached us and standing quite close to my back demanded to know what game we were playing, had he asked nicely and not been such a boor we might have told him but he failed on both counts. He was told that it was a secret and if we told him, he would have to be killed. He wasn’t happy and said that gambling on board was illegal and he would have to confiscate the cards and all our money. Clearly he thought he was being amusing but sadly we didn’t share that view so we ignored him and he disappeared cursing loudly almost under his breath. I heard him later telling some unfortunates that he was going to appear in the passenger talent show, I don’t know where his talents lie but clearly it isn’t humour.

We went to the Terrace Bar before lunch as it was such a pleasant day and then went off to lunch in Britannia and then it was time for a well-earned nap. It is now 6pm and the sun continues to shine, we are up to date now and I'm getting changed for the second of 4 formal evening. Tonight is the Captain’s cocktail party so we are meeting at 7 to have a drink before we have a drink. Makes sense to me, I think!

If you book it as one trip, you will get one OBC; if you book it as more than one, you will receive the commensurate number of credits.

If the Winter Garden bar isn't open it's a bit of a hike to the next nearest bar from there.

It opens at 10 or 11am

We searched in conjunction with another ship in a pattern co-ordinated by the Canadian Coastguard until just before 9pm when it was so dark that the search was called off and we returned to our course for Halifax. It's very sad on board as the man was only 23 years old.

I have no wish to hijack your thread... but the query isn't worth a whole one to itself :)

 

There is a wine I do like, and I think they do one on Cunard... would I be frowned on for having that every night, with every course??????

No!

I kind of hope "Jimsgirl" can post here. She's traveled solo for years & is one of the best to answer this question. We've seen many pax travel solo & they all seem to have a ball.A cruise is simply what YOU decide to make of it. The refitting of single cabins,obviously shows Cunard is concerned about making single pax more comfortable.

I don't agree with your thoughts as to why Cunard are fitting single cabins to their ships. I believe that they are merely responding to what other lines are offering and the prices that they charge still contain about a 50% surcharge on top of the usual fare. For this they provide a small cabin when for slightly more you could get a "normal" double cabin. I know what I would prefer for such a minimal difference in price. I have travelled solo on all three Cunard ships many times. I don't think that Cunard could care less about making solo travellers comfortable.

Thankyou all for your replies. It's a long way off so I shall just keep my eye on the site. Just a bit annoying because if it had given the stateroom we fancy as available I am pretty sue we would have booked it. I can't be the only person to do a search that way.

Thanks again.

The problem stems from the very poorly designed and constructed website that is used by Cunard. There are many many problems that they seem incapable of resolving.

Would you know if there is a laundry package available on QM2? One with a fixed price for the duration of the voyage versus sending the ad hoc pair of trousers for cleaning. LB

No there isn't.

Anyone see passengers playing mah jongg on any cruise?

Yes, I've seen it on QM2

I am sad to hear of his passing and he did sign his books for me about the QM2, Liners To The Sun & The Only Way To Cross, that I bought. There is still Ocean Liner & Cruise Ship Historian Bill Miller who I saw give lectures aboard QM2. Does anyone here know his age?

Mid 60s, I think he was born in 47/48

What a terrible shame, I had the pleasure of dining with he and his charming wife a couple of times. He was a touch eccentric but an utter delight, R.I.P

Hello,

just found an article which stated that Queen Mary 2 Rescues Small Boat During Anniversary Transatlantic Crossing.

http://www.cruisehive.com/queen-mary-2-rescues-small-boat-during-anniversary-transatlantic-crossing/7311

Maybe somebody aboard can tell us more.

I think you'll find that it stopped by a fishing vessel that turned out to be unattended. Maybe it was asylum seekers from North Africa looking for Italy. :eek::eek:

I was thinking about that for a couple of weeks, thinking that , "Oh it won't be any fun with no one to share it" but just got to the point where I decided to take the trip just for me and there is SO much to do and explore there that I'm sure I'll feel just fine.

 

Maybe I'll meet a "CUnard host" that looks like Richard Geere and make a movie together - LOL !

You'll have more chance of meeting someone who looks like Michael Douglas I think. :eek::eek:

Curious what other cruisers experience has been with men passengers wearing neck ties on the informal nights? Cunard literature just states a jacket must be worn and many of the promotional photos show the men in open collared shirts with a sports jacket. Wasn't planning on bringing ties, but wanted to get a reality check about the informal nights. :)

Some men wear an open necked shirt with their jacket and others still choose to wear a tie. You will be fine whichever you choose.

Thank you so much for the replies! The forms are for US Immigration. I have tried the one number suggested bit haven't tried Skype, will do that right now.

 

Thanks again.

Are you American or English?

Can anyone provide me with information on how to contact Cunard North America from the UK?

 

We sailed from NY to Southampton in early June and are returning July 2 from Southampton. I filled out all of the documentation foe both journeys before leaving home. Now we apparently have to fill our information for US Immigration for our return journey about where we are staying in the US when we arrive in NY. No problem except for the fact that all contacts here in the UK are for the UK market only and they can't help us get the info to the US!

 

International Cunard can't help and the US phone number doesn't work from here either. We have tried faxing and the faxes can't get through.

 

Any ideas would be appreciated as they say we may be denied boarding if the documentation is not received!

Is this for an ESTA or for Cunard themselves? Have you tried 001 800 728 6273?

We are visiting Bergen, Flam,Stavanger, Geiranger and Alesund.

 

Thank you

If you are going to go to Norway I suggest that you take plenty of money and then double the amount as it is very very expensive for even the basic items.

Friends of ours will be doing a WB sailing on the QM2 next month and we would like to pick them up at the Brooklyn Terminal. We did a "dry run" this past Sunday and found that we must park in a designated area pending their port clearance, dis-embark, immigration check and luggage pick-up. My thinking is that once they have done this they could call us on our cell and we could then proceed to the terminal to collect them.

Does anyone know if UK cell phones work here in the U.S? If they do not, does anyone have a suggestion how we could best coordinate picking up our friends?

Assuming the phones work there are three numbered posts in the pick up area, choose a number and meet them there. They are about ten yards apart.

On some cruiselines e.g. Celebrity all passengers sharing a stateroom must purchase the drinks package (even if only one passenger desires it)..I imagine to prevent sharing !Is this the case with the soda package on Cunard...We have sailed with Cunard many times and have bought the wine selections but never the soda package

I don't believe that this is the case on Cunard ships. An individual can purchase the package without the necessity for cabin mates to do so. I think it is one drink, one card.

I always turn on the shower and adjust the temperature before I stand under it, the shower head can be pointed towards the far wall to minimise splashing and it removes the risk of scalding. I thought that most people did this as it seems such common sense.

Apologies - this may work

 

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FC8iZgJGqYd5r3cObIlk8KdnFLgreJsAhoCPFgy99R4=w1315-h740-no

It's the priority boarding terminal in Southampton I think but it is not supposed to be announced until July I thought.

People ask this quite a lot. I've still to hear on single advantage of paying by cash and one single disadvantage of not paying by card.

I believe that some people are discouraged from using a card because the card company levy a fee on transactions that involve foreign currencies. I don't understand why this is such a concern, it isn't as if they are buying a car but just settling a bar bill.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/stonehenge/plan-your-visit/questions-and-answers/#

 

Don't listen to Captain Pugwash, you can get quite close to the stones. However, you do need to book in advance.

I must apologise as I wasn't aware that there was a means to get close to the stones, at almost £30 per couple it is not cheap though. I still think that it is remarkable waste of a day's sightseeing though.

And £150 is about £150 too much to view the stones in the distance. Honestly if you have seen a photo of them that is as good a view as you are going to get.