capnpugwash is going to New York to celebrate Thanksgiving

[Cruise Liner Fan]

Hi Capn and others on board. Regarding the pier that QM2 will be using on 1July, my e-ticket specifies "pier of embarkation NY Cruise Terminal, Pier 92, 55th St, 12th Ave". If you hear otherwise, would you let us know please? Thank you.

Hope all is well and that you're having a good time. Cheers -S.

Salacia, Enjoy your 4th of July QM2 cruise :) Regards,Jerry

[Lady Hudson]

Looking forward to meeting you at the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet on Saturday. Safe journey to the ship.

[Salacia]

Thanks very much Jerry and Lady Hudson. I'm now in panic mode...the beautiful gown I bought a couple of months ago shrunk while hanging in my closet!:eek: -S.

[Underwatr]

I have it on good authority that they shrink more quickly in the sea air...

[bluemarble]

Maybe we can start to wrap up this thread on a pleasant note with a webcam shot of the QM2 in Manhattan.

 

 

Best wishes to those of you departing this afternoon on the voyage to Halifax and Boston!

 

Regards,

John.

[north east girl]

Maybe we can start to wrap up this thread on a pleasant note with a webcam shot of the QM2 in Manhattan.

 

 

Best wishes to those of you departing this afternoon on the voyage to Halifax and Boston!

 

Regards,

John.

Thanks John for posting this picture, wish I was there.

 

Catherine

[Norine]

Fond memories. The very first time I was on board it was TA and Manhattan was where we docked, it was fantastic to come up river and see Manhattan appear from the mists - almost ethereal in its beauty.

[BlueRiband]

Wonderful photo! Her size in relation to the buildings shows what a big girl she is! My first sight of her was from the West Side Highway as the car service was taking me to board her. How exciting it was to know that I would be sailing on that beautiful ship instead of just gazing upon her.

[bobby1119]

Maybe we can start to wrap up this thread on a pleasant note with a webcam shot of the QM2 in Manhattan.

 

 

Best wishes to those of you departing this afternoon on the voyage to Halifax and Boston!

 

Regards,

John.

 

Thanks, John!

 

Always great to see a Cunard ship (and right proper liner) tied up in Manhattan - where they should be if Cunard really cares about history and tradition and really can justify their use of the word iconic when describing the transatlantic experience.

 

IMHO, of course!

 

Bobby

[RJChatsworth]

I am a bit surprised that Cunard would want the iconic QM-2 to dock any where else but the heart of Manhattan! What a picture she looks.

 

I wish I had a balcony apartment with that view!!

[DKNYC]

Nice evening for a sailaway. She is on her way down to NY Harbor.

 

http://www.cunard.com/Ships/Queen-Mary-2/Bridge-Web-Cam/

 

Denise

[pepperrn]

She is on her way down to NY Harbor.

 

I thought she was in New York Harbor and was now sailing out of it? :confused: .

[capnpugwash]

Extended Update No 10

 

I spent a couple of hours in the spa this morning and it seems to get busier and busier as the crossing progresses, there were more customers than seats around the pool area. We are currently south east of Newfoundland and have only 1190 nautical miles remaining to New York. The weather is unchanged and our speed has increased a little to 22 knots. It was rainy and quite foggy earlier. Unfortunately the bridge camera has not been operational since I boarded in Southampton so I have no real way to see exactly what is going on outside without popping up to deck 7 and looking out, this is one of the downsides to an inside cabin.

 

Tonight is the third formal evening of the trip and is also the CWC Gold, Platinum and Diamond members’ cocktail party in the Queen’s Room, there will be about 800 passengers there but I shall be at this little soiree that I had a hand in arranging. Rob Camby won’t be at the table tonight and his place as host will be taken by one of the other Deck Officers which should be interesting. It is always nice to meet some other officers as they normally have a different perspective on matters from the very senior ranks.

 

The cinema has been upgraded recently so it can now show 3D films, which I believe is a first for a ship. Tonight the show is a 3 hour presentation of Carmen which was filmed live at the Royal Opera House in London. That seems a little too long for my liking but it has certainly proven very popular.

 

The time is 6pm and the wind has reduced to a force 5, the other conditions are unaltered and our speed is 21 knots. I am now going to put on my glad rags for this get together this evening.

 

The cocktail party was great fun which was evidenced by our urgent call to the butler to replenish the stock of gin. There were only 9 of us in attendance but we managed to use one and a half litres of Bombay Sapphire. I tended bar and kept everyone well supplied and I thoroughly enjoyed shaking a few cocktails, I wouldn’t necessarily want to do it for a living but for an hour or so it was ok.

 

It was very hard getting the attendees to leave at 8.30 for dinner and we arrived a little late to find our host seated at the table, patiently waiting for us. He was Glenn Cairns and is the Chief Security Officer on board. He was a very nice man, an ex-policeman from the Hampshire Constabulary. He kept us entertained and supplied with some pleasant wine. We had only just been given the menus when there was a Code Alpha call over the tannoy so he quickly slipped away to check on the status. He was soon back as the call was in response to a medical emergency where a passenger fainted in his cabin. We ordered our meals and I had lamb fillet which basically is rack of lamb without the bones and it was very nice.

 

We didn’t leave the table until after 11.30 as we were having such a good time. I went to the Commodore Club and was sitting at the bar nursing a little more gin when Alan Cummings, the actor sat down next to me. We seemed to hit it off straight away and sat chatting about all sorts for 2 hours. He lives in New York although he is originally from Dundee in Scotland; he was a really nice person. We said our farewells and left the bar, I thought that as we were going to gain an hour I would pop into G32 for a nightcap, I had been there about 5 minutes when he walked through the door so we resumed our conversation for a while and then he went to join a crowd of youngsters who were tripping the light fantastic on the dance floor. I declined his invitation to join him and I last saw him jigging away surrounded by a host of 20 year olds.

 

I got talking to a young guy from Manchester who is a professional poker player on his way to New York and beyond to see if he can make his fortune, he told me that he had made a good start on board and was $1500 richer as a result of his skill at Texas Holdem. That has to be a hard way to make a living although it is quite a good game.

 

Today is Wednesday June 27 and it is a quite balmy 66/19 degrees on deck this morning and I stood by the rail on deck 7 for half an hour just watching the deep blue of the almost flat calm water only disturbed when the flock of seabirds that surrounded us dived into it seeking some tasty morsel for their breakfast. We have a westerly force 4 breeze and the humidity is 85%. We are 793 miles from New York and are making 18 knots.

 

After breakfast in King’s Court I went to the spa and it was nicely empty for about 20 minutes and then it filled up so quickly it was as though a bus had disgorged the passengers outside. I was ok as I had a chair but there were many just wandering around looking for somewhere to sit. There are 10 seats with footstools and 8 chairs by the poolside which isn’t very many for 2600 passengers, of course space on board is at a premium so maybe it is a compromise. There are another 12 chairs and stools in the relaxation area and 10 armchairs, but I have to wonder at the logic of selling day passes to numbers that exceed the regular number of seats, of course no-one stays for the entire day so there is some wriggle room for the staff.

 

Having finished there around 1pm I took my customary stroll along the promenade deck and the feeling was quite tropical even with the light breeze across the deck. The temperature was 66/19 degrees with high humidity at 90%. We only have 38 hours left until we sail under the VN Bridge entering New York harbour; we are docking in Manhattan this time so we will be passing much closer to the Statue of Liberty than we normally do. I don’t think that the pier that we will use has been allocated yet, last time it was 88 which is at around W 48th or W 49th. I am staying in the city overnight at W 63rd so I could probably walk there from the ship although I think that the weather might be a little too warm and sticky for my liking.

 

I want to thank those of you who have emailed me about the little problem that has arisen recently, thank you so much for doing so and I truly appreciate your concern and support. You know who you are and for obvious reasons I won’t mention your names.

 

I have just returned to the cabin to find a Customs Declaration form in my mail slot so this is the first sign that the voyage is coming to an end. While I was out I went to Sir Samuel’s and had a welcome cup of coffee. This bar is a mixture between a wine and coffee bar, quite anachronistic really and I understand that the plan during refit in November is to separate the two entities by putting the coffee bar aspect up in the Winter Garden on deck 7, leaving a specialist wine bar on deck 3 opposite the Chart Room bar.

 

Tonight is the last formal evening and we will have the parade of chefs after the Beef Wellington and lobster, I imagine and there will be the option of Baked Alaska to follow. All fairly standard stuff really. Tonight will be my opportunity to distribute a few dollars to thank those individuals who have made this trip the delight that it has been.

 

I think that I am overdue a short nap which I am about to remedy.

 

I have just finished dressing for dinner and will be heading into the Queen’s Room for cocktails with the Senior Officers which is normally a much more pleasant experience than the other parties which are so crowded that they feel like bun fights. At least this evening you have the opportunity to speak to these officers and raise whatever points that you may have, they answer your questions quite openly I feel.

 

The party was very hot so having spoken to the officers that I wanted to, I left after 30 minutes and headed for the cool of Sir Samuel’s before going into the restaurant, dinner went very well and the whole table has been invited this evening for cocktails back in the cabin where we had our soiree the other evening, but this time the hosts will be the American couple whose suite it is.

 

After dinner it was the Commodore Club for a couple of small martinis and then as we gained an hour, I went down to G32. Walking along the deck the ship was surrounded by dense fog, the foghorn was sounding and the air was laden with moisture, it felt like summer in Florida. Reaching the cool air of the disco was very nice. There was quite a large crowd there and I have met quite a few of them before, there were 5 from the Headliners, 4 or 5 from Chris Difford’s group and Alan Cummings. It was a lot of fun but I was determined to leave at a more reasonable time and managed to get away just after 1am.

 

Today is Thursday June 30 and it is a lovely day on board, but of course there aren't many days on here that aren’t lovely. The sea is fairly calm with a force 4 breeze from the south west. The sun is shining brightly and having had breakfast early this morning I was stood out on the deck enjoying the balmy 73/23 degrees, it is very humid at 95%. Suddenly off the port side a spout appeared about 200 yards away and it was a fairly large whale just breaking the surface, I was able to watch it for a few minutes as it slowly passed into the distance and it was a wonderful start to my day. I did wonder why I should get so excited by spotting passing marine life but it always happens, whether it is dolphins, flying fish, porpoises or whales. I have yet to see a large whale dive under the water and lift its tail into the air, which would be something truly special.

 

Today is packing day but I will delay it until later as I am fortunately able to store my large case and some hanging clothes in the cabin of missfrankiecat whilst I am ashore in the New York area, I will then collect them upon my return on July 6th. It is very kind of her to let me do this and I really appreciate it.

 

Chris Difford is performing tonight at 10.30 in the pub so hopefully he will replicate the pleasure that we all got when Roger Daltrey performed a month or so ago. I will have to get out from dinner promptly so ensure that I am able to get a stool at the bar.

 

I had a delightful few hours in the spa area and got back to my cabin in time for me to hear Christopher Rynd giving his noon announcement. The forecast for our arrival is sunshine and 24/78 degrees which sounds quite comfortable. We should dock at Pier 88 at 6am which means that we will go under the VN Bridge at 5am. We have 290 nautical miles to run to Ambrose Lighthouse. The sea is slight and there is a force 4 breeze from the south west. The temperature on deck is a pleasant 72/22 degrees.

 

It seems very strange to be writing these notes in the knowledge that you won’t be seeing them until tomorrow evening when the westbound portion is over. I hope that you have enjoyed reading about it as much as I have enjoyed actually doing it. We must do this again sometime soon. Oh I know let’s start it again on July 6.

 

It only remains for me to wish the US readers a happy July 4th and to wish those in the UK a happy thanksgiving. 

 

Speak to you soon

 

Fin.

[bluemarble]

Welcome back, Cap'n!!!

 

I am happy to see that my attempt this morning to start wrapping up this thread with the webcam shot has turned out to be very much off the mark.

 

Thank you once again for another enjoyable and informative trip report.

 

Regards,

John.

[Andiamo]

Hi Cap.

 

Just got off the phone with Brigitte and enjoyed hearing about what a great chap you are. I kind of already knew that from following your travels on Cruise Critic.

 

Thanks for the Happy Fourth wishes. Enjoy your stay in New York.

 

I am looking forward to your voyage home.

 

Regards,

 

Jeanne

[imacruizer]

Thank you for allowing us to sail with you again. One of these days, I hope to have the honor (honour) of sailing with you. Enjoy your time in New York. I look forward to your posts when you sail to Southampton next week.

 

Beth

[cruiserking]

Wonderful as always to read your shipboard posts Cap'n and bringing all of my favorite QM2 haunts back to life for a few moments.

 

Have a fine stay in New York City and look forward to your next installment of reports in five days time.

 

Jonathan

[PunkEwok]

Welcome back capn! Thank you so much for ur posts. I have yet to cruise but feel like I've done it. QM2 is definatly topping my list!

[brigittetom]

Captn...Have a wonderful time in NYC. Once again, thank you for taking us along. Have a Happy Thanksgiving. :)

[safarigal]

Thanks so much for your wonderful posts Capn - they are very much appreciated! Oh to be on QM2 again!:)

[Underwatr]

Good to see you back, sir. :)

[heywood]

Great sighs of relief that all is well :)

[southwestie]

Wecome back.

Always good to read your posts, make us feel that our B2B Ta in Ocober is not far off, Qe is just a few weeks aways as well.

 

:)

[north east girl]

Hi Capn, Nice to read your post, have a great time in New York. Looking forward to hearing all about your time there.

 

Would love to do a back to back if we can fit one in next year.

 

Catherine

[rgaudet]

Good to get you posts again capn. Sounds like another great voyage.

 

Happy Independence day to my neighbors to the south. And a one day belated Happy Canada day to my fellow Canadians!

 

Ps I missed William and Kate by two hours as they made their first stop in Canada to my home town of Ottawa! Its not related to this post but...oh well!