Capnpugwash is on the QM2 to New York, May 10 2011

[Salacia]

Hi Capn. This morning I watched QM2 entering the NY harbor from onboard Princess Caribbean. As you sailed to the West Side, we docked in Redhook. Happily, our disembarkation went smoothly (ours was the first group after self-disembarkation was called) we were ashore by 8:45am just as the rain let up a bit. Then we drove past your dock as passengers were disembarking. The majestic QM2 looks even bigger docked in Manhattan than she does in Brooklyn!

 

Glad to hear your enjoying your voyage. Looking forward to reading about your homeward bound voyage.

 

Cheers,

Salacia

[rafinmd]

Hi Jonathan, Thanks for the 2 photos of QM2 in New York, brilliant. The other ship looks very small next to QM2.

 

Catherine

 

Catherine, I've been on the Silver Whisper (the even smaller ship on the other side of QM2 as shown on the city web cam:

 

http://www.wirednewyork.com/webcam3/

 

Even that was plenty big for me although I was not impressed by the ship's crew.

 

Captain, congratulations on getting invited up to the bridge. It must have been awesome. Sorry the US didn't give you better weather for your day in Manhattan. With regard to cabs, I think the issue is that they compete with the rest of the city and there are usually enough to go around except when it rains. I know I had a long wait also when I arrived there on a rainy morning.

 

I think somebody was making excuses for the delays at immigration. Prinsendam and Silver Whisper combined are less than half the capacity of QM2 and at least the Prinsendam was mostly a port call with passengers coming from Ft. Lauderdale. I think the problem is mostly that Manhattan cruise terminal is outdated for a ship the size of QM2.

 

Have a wonderful return crossing.

 

Roy

[capnpugwash]

Thank you all very much for your kind responses, it was a real thrill that I will treasure.I do agree about the age of the terminal, it does seem dated but embarkation was a breeze other than the cab dropped me the other side of the Westside Highway as he said access was a problem, not sure that it was. It seemed that he didn't wat to go north and turn around. Anyway it was reall no big deal.

[_kerry_]

Hello

It was so exciting watching the Queen make it's way up the Hudson River this morning. I thought you would have been docked by the time I was driving to work. I did pull over and watched the ship pull towards the dock. I wanted to get out and take a picture but it was raining something fierce. It was exciting to see all the flashes going off from the ship.

Sorry for this dreary day ~ glad you still got to enjoy the city.

We are counting the days til our Grand Fjords trip this summer.

Safe travels :)

Kerry

[Mr_Phoebe_Cat]

"On the bridge"!!! Fantastic! Really enjoying your TA vicariously Cap'n. A well-deserved honour. But I am jealous ;-)

[Post Captain]

It was pouring with rain but we had a great view of the harbour, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis and Governor’s Island and of course the magnificent skyline of Lower Manhattan with the tops of the skyscrapers invisible as they were shrouded in low cloud. We turned to starboard and made our way slowly up the Hudson River to pier 88, right next to USS Intrepid and a very old submarine, which may have been the Nautilus.

Cap'n, Many thanks for your brilliant dispatches from the Queen Mary 2, which I've been reading with great pleasure. Sorry about the dreary weather in New York today--yesterday was much the same, and in fact the entire week is supposed to be rather dark and damp. It reminds me of England.

 

One detail that might be of interest to you--just to round out your account and ensure that the Captain's Log is all ship-shape, so to speak: The submarine docked next to the Intrepid is U.S.S. GROWLER SSG-577, about which you can read more here at your leisure:

 

http://www.wa3key.com/growler.html

 

She's now part of the Intrepid Air-Space Museum.

 

Many happy returns, & cheers,

 

PC

[conniedoug]

Catherine, I've been on the Silver Whisper (the even smaller ship on the other side of QM2 as shown on the city web cam:

 

http://www.wirednewyork.com/webcam3/

 

 

Roy

 

 

 

Cheers Roy

I was just about to do a search to find a suitable webcam to watch her ladyship sail out of Manhattan. Serendipity!

Anamaria

[rafinmd]

Cheers Roy

I was just about to do a search to find a suitable webcam to watch her ladyship sail out of Manhattan. Serendipity!

Anamaria

 

Thank you Anamaria, but credit for the link belongs to Nyc2tropics, along with a couple of great stills from cruiserking.

 

Roy

[mheslop]

No problem. The wifi is fine, it is in all cabins and is not the fastest but in the middle of the Ocean what do you expect. Rates are between 40 and 75 cents per minute depending upon what plan you buy, the more minutes the cheaper.

 

Thank you so much for confirming this. Enjoy the rest of your voyage.

[dc-farer]

Update No 17

 

We had dinner and left fairly promptly to watch Mr Daltrey in the pub, he and his entourage arrived at around 10.30 and he started to sing at 11pm, he was marvellous and at 67 still has a great voice, he sang without stopping until gone midnight. My Generation, Pinball Wizard, Who Are You and a host of other songs, it was the absolute best last day that I have ever had on board. Normally they are flat and fairly dull, well not this trip. It gave a great finale to a great trip.

 

I got to bed around 1am and there was a total power outage throughout the ship, this only lasted 5 minutes but it made preparing for bed very interesting. I set my clock and was up at 4.30am. Because I am doing a few back to back transatlantic crossings this year Captain Wright graciously allowed my request to be on the bridge as we sailed into Manhattan, I was admitted at 5am as we were approaching the Verrazano Narrows bridge, we had to have some discussion with a tanker that had been moored by the bridge, in such a way that if she swung at anchor she could quite easily have seriously impeded our passage. We surmounted that little problem and cleared the underside of the bridge by about 3 metres. There was a pilot on the bridge and about 20 minutes later another pilot boarded and assisted our progress. The Captain remains in command and responsible for the vessel but is given advice by these very experienced men who are so very familiar with the subtleties and nuances of the Port.

 

It was pouring with rain but we had a great view of the harbour, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis and Governor’s Island and of course the magnificent skyline of Lower Manhattan with the tops of the skyscrapers invisible as they were shrouded in low cloud. We turned to starboard and made our way slowly up the Hudson River to pier 88, right next to USS Intrepid and a very old submarine, which may have been the Nautilus. QM2 is so very wide that we were assisted to turn the 90 degrees to enter the pier by 2 tugs. The area available seems so very small when this ship is sailing slowly into the berth. Lines went ashore at just after 7am and having thanked the Captain I went down for some coffee and a hard earned breakfast. How lucky am I? The memory of this entire voyage is indelibly etched on my brain and this morning is without doubt the icing on the cake.

 

With the Prinsendam also being in Manhattan the Immigration Hall was quite swamped and they were only letting passengers disembark in small batches to minimise the wait, of course all this achieved was to switch the wait from the hall to the ship. I got off at just before 11.30 and as a transit passenger I was fast tracked to the front of the extensive queue and within 5 minutes was walking to 9th Avenue to get a cab. The terminal was very poorly served with cabs and I think that Brooklyn does a better job. This may be contentious but I believe that it is true. I went over to Central Park South and waited the arrival of my friend. A few beers later he arrived and I discovered that this bar no longer does bowls of chilli, this was why we had gone there. Anyway we survived that and had a Philly Cheesesteak sandwich that was ok but not a satisfactory substitution.

 

Back in the cab, I dropped him at Penn Station and headed to W 48th Street where I got dropped, a short walk to the terminal and I am now safely back on board again. It rained a little but not on me so I had a successful day other than the Chilli incident.

 

More later

 

WOW!!!! What a special treat to be up on the bridge as the ship sailed into Manhattan -- you're one lucky man...and I'm sooooo envious!!

[Cruise Liner Fan]

Cap'n, Hope that you had an enjoyable day in New York :) Regards,Jerry

[Boytjie]

Alas, cabs are scarce anywhere in Manhattan on a rainy day. :(

 

What a great end to the first leg: Roger Daltry and being on the bridge sailing into New York harbor. Color me jealous! ;)

[Salacia]

We are trying RCI next year, I keep thinking I hope I havn't spoilt myself by starting with Cunard first. Will just have to see, will be keeping an open mind.

 

Catherine

 

Hi Catherine. Just my personal opinion, but I found that starting with Cunard is a good launch pad for other cruise lines. I just returned from my first non-Cunard voyage on Princess. I was very much surprised and delighted. Please let us know what your experience was like on RCI. Thanks, Salacia

[capnpugwash]

Update No 18

 

I visited the spa this afternoon and it was delightfully empty, I was chilling in the Relaxation Room as we sailed down the Hudson so I had a great view of the Statue of Liberty through the windows, I must admit that it felt quite decadent but I soon managed to ignore this guilt.

 

I got ready to go to dinner and I was very surprised to find 6 ladies already seated at my allocated table. They were all German and had very little English between them not that it mattered as they only spoke to each other throughout the entire meal. The last person to arrive was a charming American lady from just outside Boston who works as a tugboat captain; she was a real hoot and has got some great stories to tell. Tarun, the Maitre D’ has offered me a spot on the table of John Duffy who is the Hotel Manager, which I have accepted, it seems that these ladies have basically hijacked the table and no-one seems willing to do anything about it. It was quite funny really because my dinner companion was telling me that when she gets to Hamburg, she has booked a tour of the Concentration Camps. Perhaps it is just as well that the Germans were so rude by not speaking to us as this discussion may have caused them some embarrassment. She will be joining me in our escape from our Teutonic friends onto the other table.

 

It is 11.30pm and I am heading for an early night as I am so tired after this excellent couple of days, we will start the burdensome task of advancing our clocks and watches by one hour tomorrow night.

 

More later.

[Salacia]

Crikey Capn, you do meet the most interesting people on board. Hope you have a good rest...looking forward to your next post.

 

BTW, while I was on board Princess Caribbean last week we had a 4 hour tour of the private areas of the ship, including a tour of the bridge by the Captain. I don't want to hijack your thread, but just to mention that some things Cunard might want to adapt from Princess (other things,not so much). Cheers, Salacia

[BigMac1953]

Hi Cap'n

 

My great arrival story was sitting in the cockpit for the landing on a 737 (LHR - GLA), but I reckon you've just trumped it! Fabulous.

 

Please ask Capt PW not to hang around as we're quite anxious to get aboard next week.

 

Have you done the shampoo tasting yet, I don't remember reading about it?

 

Warm regards

Stewart

[north east girl]

Catherine, I've been on the Silver Whisper (the even smaller ship on the other side of QM2 as shown on the city web cam:

 

http://www.wirednewyork.com/webcam3/

 

Even that was plenty big for me although I was not impressed by the ship's crew.

 

Captain, congratulations on getting invited up to the bridge. It must have been awesome. Sorry the US didn't give you better weather for your day in Manhattan. With regard to cabs, I think the issue is that they compete with the rest of the city and there are usually enough to go around except when it rains. I know I had a long wait also when I arrived there on a rainy morning.

 

I think somebody was making excuses for the delays at immigration. Prinsendam and Silver Whisper combined are less than half the capacity of QM2 and at least the Prinsendam was mostly a port call with passengers coming from Ft. Lauderdale. I think the problem is mostly that Manhattan cruise terminal is outdated for a ship the size of QM2.

 

Have a wonderful return crossing.

 

Roy

Hi Roy thanks for the link,I think I missed the smaller ship. I see you are doing a cruise yourself today. Have a great trip.

 

Catherine

[north east girl]

Hi Capn, Just read your marvelous post, how amazing to be on the bridge coming into New York. Your first week seems to have lasted ages, hope your return does also.

 

Glad you got the chance to see Roger Daltery sing, wish I could have been there.

 

Looking forward to hearing all about your return.

 

Catherine

 

Just noticed I've hit 1001 posts, wow

[capnpugwash]

Hi Cap'n

 

My great arrival story was sitting in the cockpit for the landing on a 737 (LHR - GLA), but I reckon you've just trumped it! Fabulous.

 

Please ask Capt PW not to hang around as we're quite anxious to get aboard next week.

 

Have you done the shampoo tasting yet, I don't remember reading about it?

 

Warm regards

Stewart

 

Hi Stewart, did the fizz tasting on same day as I had the TE lunch, it was great fun and lasted around 2 hours. There were only 4 of us but they still went ahead, which was good.

[capnpugwash]

Update No 19

 

It is Wednesday May 18 and the decks are soaking wet from intermittent rain overnight, there are low clouds/fog down to the sea about 250 yards away, not bad enough for the foghorn but disappointing if you were expecting some sunshine. There is very little movement on board with slight seas continuing. There is a reasonable wind blowing but I don’t know its strength. The navigation screen is not currently working. There appears to be an electrical gremlin on board, in the past two days we have experienced 4 total power outages across the whole ship, not just a single zone. They are soon repaired, if that is the correct term, but there must be a continuing fault for it to keep recurring.

 

I didn’t want to wait for Britannia to open at 8.30 this morning so I ventured up one deck to King’s Court for breakfast. It was quite empty which makes a pleasant change. I had some fruit and Weetabix followed by two coffees. I was right! There were stacks of plastic pots of marmalade available and the brand name was Smuckers.

 

It is almost 9am and I intend to steal a march on the others by getting to the spa early today.

 

More later.

[missfrankiecat]

Update No 19

 

It is Wednesday May 18 and the decks are soaking wet from intermittent rain overnight, there are low clouds/fog down to the sea about 250 yards away, not bad enough for the foghorn but disappointing if you were expecting some sunshine. There is very little movement on board with slight seas continuing. There is a reasonable wind blowing but I don’t know its strength. The navigation screen is not currently working. There appears to be an electrical gremlin on board, in the past two days we have experienced 4 total power outages across the whole ship, not just a single zone. They are soon repaired, if that is the correct term, but there must be a continuing fault for it to keep recurring.

 

I didn’t want to wait for Britannia to open at 8.30 this morning so I ventured up one deck to King’s Court for breakfast. It was quite empty which makes a pleasant change. I had some fruit and Weetabix followed by two coffees. I was right! There were stacks of plastic pots of marmalade available and the brand name was Smuckers.

 

It is almost 9am and I intend to steal a march on the others by getting to the spa early today.

 

More later.

 

I love Smuckers. Can you squirrel a few away in a secret location for my arrival on 24th June?!

[dc-farer]

Hi Catherine. Just my personal opinion, but I found that starting with Cunard is a good launch pad for other cruise lines. I just returned from my first non-Cunard voyage on Princess. I was very much surprised and delighted. Please let us know what your experience was like on RCI. Thanks, Salacia

 

Glad you liked Princess, Salacia! While I prefer Cunard, I've actually sailed more often with Princess -- they are a good choice for the money and have more itineraries from which to choose. Still, if I had the dough, I would spend the rest of my traveling days on the QM2!!

[north east girl]

Hi Catherine. Just my personal opinion, but I found that starting with Cunard is a good launch pad for other cruise lines. I just returned from my first non-Cunard voyage on Princess. I was very much surprised and delighted. Please let us know what your experience was like on RCI. Thanks, Salacia

Hi Salacia, We will not be on RCI until Nov 2012. Can you expand on your Princess cruise.

 

Catherine

[FoghornLeghorn]

Capn,

Just wondering if there are sugar-free desserts on the QM2??

[missfrankiecat]

Yes there is at least one sugar free option for desert on each lunch and dinner menu.