BklynBoy8

Interestingly to those of us that go back as far as the QE2, the Captains and Senior Officers Cocktail Parties use to beheld in the Officers Ward Room below the Ship's Bridge.

You use to be personally invited by the Ship's Social Hostess by delivered Invitation to you Cabin. Only a certain amount of people were invited due to the amount available space. With extraordinary cocktails, wine and a lovely spread supplied by the Queens Grill Kitchen.

We met many officers and were invited to visit the Bridge and Engine Control Room.

That was the olden days. We were very lucky to always be invited to such gathering. 

We were on the June 30th Sailing of the QM2 for the NE/CAN this year and our last Port of Call was to be Newport. It was also designated as a tendering port.

Due to anticipated Dense Fog we experienced in many of our previous ports (Halifax and Boston) and during the sailing. We were notified the previous day that our call on Newport was cancelled. For operational reasons, if tendering took place and Denser Fog settled in, passengers would not be able to be brought back to the ship and remain in Newport. Passengers would have to find there way back to NY themselves.

We know also of a previous sailing into Newport on the QM2 that also was very dense and cancelled for operational reason. You have to always hope for crystal clear weather when in a tendering port of call.

7 minutes ago, 57eric said:

Sure, Cunard has tendered in St. Lucia and Antigua (no dock large enough for QM2) and I tendered once in St. Kitts due to a schedule change made only a few days in advance, but I'm curious to see an example of Cunard scheduling a tender stop at a Caribbean port that has a dock which could have accommodated the ship.

Our experience has been on the QE2 and QM2 in the past, tendering when space was not available.

Either in Crown Bay or Havensight, when tendering to Waterfront Highway in front of Town we have seen all the Docks taken up. Causing us to tender directly to middle of town which was very convenient to go shopping or dining/

4 minutes ago, BklynBoy8 said:

DW friends once wanted to book the QM2 and the only cabins available at the time were the Shelters and they liked it very much for a first time sailing.

We prefer higher decks with open Balconies when booking. Personal Preferences.....

1 hour ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Well, you can go back, but it's a modified version, just as you experienced on the Norway. I sailed on the Norway late in her life. People kept saying that if I liked QE2 so much, I should sail on the Norway. What a disappointment, NCL was sailing her on the cheap. The teak open promenade deck had been replaced with some sort of foam jogging track material that was crumbly and patched. The upper sun deck had astroturf that never dried out after a squall. Yes, there were a few bits of her days as the France--the dining rooms, the bar with the neptune statues, the kids' playroom, the hidden "secret patio." But she was not loved and it showed. 

 

Your last paragraph sums it up beautifully. My last memory of QE2 is standing at Battery Park watching her final departure from NYC. Lights on, full of passengers, doing what she was born to do. I have no desire to see her as a static hotel.

 

We said Goodbye with her going under the VZ Bridge. 

1 hour ago, roving5893 said:

November 2022 we sailed on the QM2 and the Captain's and Senior officers' parties were not on the program.  We always enjoyed, in particular, the Senior officers' party and wonder if they have been reinstated.  Does anybody know?

We were on the June 30th Sailing on the QM2 and we did have the Captain's & Senior Officers Party.

But it was so crowded that we didn't even bother to attend. The attendance to the World Club Gathering was even more crowded than the Officers Party. Since we have been to those in the past, we opt out to enjoy the other activities. 

1 hour ago, Slc334 said:

I am wondering whether the priority boarding for world club members is for the time you are given, so you don’t queue. BUT it doesn’t give you a priority/early time. We are diamond and have 3:45 boarding- been assured we can skip the queue (what queue at 3:45!) 

WOW.....we are Diamond and Priority Boarding was given to us for 1245PM....Interesting...Would ? That.

59 minutes ago, 57eric said:

Surprised to hear about this.  What are some examples?

Nothing new with this. Even experienced this when on the QE2.

Not that big a trip by tender.

1 hour ago, TowandaUK said:

Thank you both for your help. We have previously cruised with Celebrity, and with them you could use obc before cruising. Getting used to the way Cunard do things and really looking forward to this cruise. I think Cunard will be a good fit for us. 

Yes, Cunard is another type of Line with their procedures on handling purchases.

There are parts of the ship you will find difficulty to connect, but all the public areas there were no problems connecting. I couldn't connect in my Deck 12 cabin but went to the Pavillon Indoor Pool connected and even enjoyed a Chilled Pina Colada while on line....

3 hours ago, TowandaUK said:

We are new to Cunard and would appreciate advice regarding WIFI. We would only need the essential WIFI, our cruise is next May. Is there any advantage to buying a package now- are there ever any price reductions or sales on packages, or may the price rise as we near sailing?  Can you use obc to purchase pre cruise?  I had a quick look at purchasing and it only seemed to offer the credit card option. 
Thanks in advance. 

Any purchases like internet,  wine packages, spa, excursions before boarding is on credit card. Your OBC does not start till you are on board.

For internet,  I would personally wait till you board and see their offerings.

The rates are either daily basis or a lower cost for entire sailing

1 minute ago, SilverHengroen said:

I understand a lot of the cabins have been knocked together 2 or even 3 into one to make them an acceptable size for a hotel stay, and all have been significantly refurbished/ modernised - I think they generally look good, but traditionalists may well be disappointed, particularly if hoping to see 'familiar' places on board. 

Not really........memories are still there and recall would not be too hard.

Seeing pictures posted even since then, I really recall a lot to mind.

Thank you but not to hard to remember her so well. Even a bare wall and what was there to a traditionalist is good memories..

1 hour ago, fourmile.ranch said:

After 10:30. We also had the option of a flight later this afternoon but weather forecasted all day and there aren't many connecting flights to our local airport if there were delays later.

NYC is suppose to be active from 2PM to 8-9 with storms and small hail. Isolated tornado.

Best to leave when early as possible.

It would be fun to stay on board after sailing on her so many times.

Back seeing restaurants, public rooms and even in our old cabins.

3 hours ago, JVes said:

I hope 'thank you' posts don't clog up your bandwidth.

I've read everything suggested, and viewed that Royal Caribbean video. Thank you for all those ideas and sources.

 

I feel very welcomed.

 

I think that's all I have. Thank you, and I feel welcome here.

After sailing for 54 years, you will learn from one cruise to the other cruise what you will experience and you will need. Go with the flow.....

2 minutes ago, EvaBME said:

And that's a communication problem right there.  I too was on a Priority Line but when we got on the ship, they told us to go to our Muster Station, which was on the 7th floor, King's Court.  The three of us sat there, had something to eat in King's Court and then went to our cabins.  We didn't even know that the BC restaurant was open.

We too heard the announcement about the Muster Station having your Ship's Card be scanned.

But since we were very hungry, we dropped the carry on off in the cabin and proceeded to the BC Dining Room. NEJohn told us earlier messaging to each other that the restaurant would be open till 1030. Our M'd in the restaurant told us that were going to serve anyone that was coming in and showed up. 

We also heard the announcement again about Muster Station but thought if we had to, we would attend a makeup session tomorrow. Thru the understanding of the mix up going on, we were told that the scanning was not urgent as long as you watched the safety video in the cabin.

Believe me, since we last ate at 3PM, we were not going to give up the dinner in BC and was not going to show up at KC and not know what was left. BC opened at their regular time of 630.

When we finished dinner, we looked for Station E and there were no staff there to scan cards. 

8 hours ago, Pushpit said:

I think this is the trick to getting orientated quickly - get the hang of the lifts / elevators, not the decks. For QV and QE there are just 3 banks of lifts, A, B and C, front to back. Once you are in the lifts waiting area then the signs say which deck you need, so no need to memorise that, and if it's just a deck or two away you can use the nearby staircase instead.

 

Then for your own stateroom there is probably one lift nearest to you, maybe a second not so far off, so you will know that some places are easier to get to than others. Grills passengers need to know that their lifts have some idiosyncrasies but once you know which lifts connect into Grills then it's relatively straightforward.

As the old saying " As a Duck out of Water"...since 2006, once I step foot on board I'm back home and never get lost. Always know where all is and how and easy to get there.

Wish many would have the same internal GPS I have to instant recall..I'm just lucky.

2 hours ago, NE John said:

In other cruise line posts, there are also numerous and harsh complaints about Red Hook. Huge problems reported when the 5,000 pax MSC monster ships arrive in Brooklyn. 
Something needs to change at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal!!

 

I knew when we left the ship that day at 6:30pm with a long line still behind us things wouldn’t be working out for you guys. Cunard was telling us that restaurants would be open until 10:30. I feel horrible for your experience. 

John,

We were lucky our Priority Line moved fast and we got to sit in the BC restaurant at 910 with a full 4 course dinner. But when we walked the ship afterwards, it was like a Ghost Ship that night. Passengers on board but Where?

Hoping 2025 will be like the old days checking in.

8 hours ago, exlondoner said:

I understood that was any US port of entry, not just Brooklyn.

First Port Back from Halifax was Boston. Had to clear to walk off the ship in Boston.

We had on our ship the title called Entertainment Director.

Or Hostess........Cruise Director title is long GONE.....

We did sort of the same type of path.

In September we too from Pier 22, taxi outside of the terminal to the corner of the Public Garden.

Then walked thru the Gardens down the street aside of the Citadel. We saw it many years ago.

Down thru the town and then enjoyed our favorite lunch at Salty's Lobster House along the riverwalk.

Back to the Pier and into the Terminal Shopping Stalls.