capnpugwash is heading home from New York

[dreamgirl1]

Hope you're enjoying the crossing!

When I read your description of the insurance business today, I could not agree more. I'm in the business and we're now all totally colorless, unlike the swashbuckling types my husband describes as the true pioneers of the industry. He misses the great minds at Lloyds, which we all know, for various reasons, no longer exist.

Since you are on board our beloved QM2 so often, I want to ask you a business question. On board a couple of years ago, at 48 I think I was one of the three passengers on the crossing under the age of 50. The next year, there were plenty of young people on the crossing. Do you think Cunard is doing a good job of attracting younger people so the concept of transatlanatic crossings will continue say, 25 years from now?

Finally, do they still play cricket in Claygate? My husband, who grew up in Banstead, has many fond memories of cricket in Claygate!

Many thanks for your thoughts and may I tell you we love your postings!

Dreamgirl

[capnpugwash]

Hope you're enjoying the crossing!

When I read your description of the insurance business today, I could not agree more. I'm in the business and we're now all totally colorless, unlike the swashbuckling types my husband describes as the true pioneers of the industry. He misses the great minds at Lloyds, which we all know, for various reasons, no longer exist.

Since you are on board our beloved QM2 so often, I want to ask you a business question. On board a couple of years ago, at 48 I think I was one of the three passengers on the crossing under the age of 50. The next year, there were plenty of young people on the crossing. Do you think Cunard is doing a good job of attracting younger people so the concept of transatlanatic crossings will continue say, 25 years from now?

Finally, do they still play cricket in Claygate? My husband, who grew up in Banstead, has many fond memories of cricket in Claygate!

Many thanks for your thoughts and may I tell you we love your postings!

Dreamgirl

 

Your comments are very kind and I thank you for them. To be honest I don't know if Cunard attract youngsters on or if the youngsters that arrive do so because they seek the mystique of the good old days, I certainly hope that it will continue and they do still play cricket in Claygate, they use the Recreation Ground and also the funny little pitch by the White Swan.

[capnpugwash]

Update No 8

 

It is 6.15pm and nothing much has changed; the temperature, the wind, and the sea state are the same as they were earlier, the speed of the ship has reduced to 18 knots. One strange statistic worth mentioning is that the sea temperature is warmer than the air at 72/22 degrees. We have now completed 1010 nautical miles with an overcast sky and we are about to start the Great Circle. If you were to head due north from our current position you would make landfall at Greenland and heading due south you would hit Colombia. It is Friday evening and I think that it will soon be time for cocktails.

 

The Chart Room was very popular with people standing 2 or 3 deep at the bar and there was not a seat to be had, Russell Holmes was the pianist and he is so very good. I was speaking to a retired doctor who used to work at St Marys Hospital in the west of London, this is/was a teaching hospital and her responsibilities included biopsies on kidneys. She was a qualified pathologist and would be called upon to identify any rogue cells in the various samples that were presented to her, thankfully there were no offal dishes on the dinner menu although the rack of lamb was quite nice. The table was hosted by Chantal, Chief Purser and she is absolutely charming, although she does seem awfully young but maybe that is more of a reflection on my perception than on her age.

 

I had a quick after dinner drink at the Commodore Club before venturing to G32. There was a good crowd in the disco and Vibz, the Caribbean band were playing. At least 35 to 40 people were dancing and the atmosphere was hopping. This band does get a lot of criticism on these boards but perhaps because they are still very fresh having only just come back on board on July 6th, they were really pretty good. They finished their set at 12.30am and most of the crowd melted away unfortunately.

 

I stayed for an hour or so before retiring to my cabin at a little before 2am, which of course was 3am after the clock adjustment.

 

Today is Saturday July 9th and I didn’t wake until 8.30 this morning, the current time is 9.35 and after breakfast in the buffet I took a walk on a very damp deck under an overcast sky, the sea remains slight and the air was a little cooler at 65/18 degrees. Humidity is high at 89% and we have a force 4 breeze coming from the south west across our starboard side. We are making 20 knots and have 1892 nautical miles remaining on our eastbound voyage.

 

When I returned after breakfast I found that I have received an invitation for drinks this evening with the Commodore and his wife in their cabin before dinner, so I am looking forward very much to that soiree.

 

I am heading to the spa now to try to rid myself of a few of the toxins that I imbibed last night, not that I am embarking on a health regimen but I need to make space for some more today.

 

More later.

[north east girl]

Wow Capn, How good is that to be invited to take drinks with the Commodore and his wife. You will have some lovely memmories to take home with you after this trip.

 

Catherine

[capnpugwash]

Wow Capn, How good is that to be invited to take drinks with the Commodore and his wife. You will have some lovely memmories to take home with you after this trip.

 

Catherine

 

I know, I am so fortunate.

 

Update No 9

The spa was great and I actually met a lady from Abilene, Texas who is a schoolteacher and a member off CC so it proves that it is a small world and that you should be careful what you do as you never who is next to you. Having steamed out some of the excesses of yesterday I was relaxing when I remembered that I am due at Todd English today for lunch, I had to rush through the shower and am back in the cabin to prepare for this meal. The sea looks like a sheet of very old rippled glass, it has a greenish tinge but the surface just contains the merest of ripples as though a seabird has landed and disturbed the calm. It demonstrates that the Atlantic can be good, bad or downright terrible and that we can exercise no influence whatsoever over it. Personally I am ready for a little more movement in the water but it seems that there is none of that in the foreseeable future.

I had a very nice lunch with missfrankiecat to thank her for acting as a left luggage facility for my case whilst I was ashore in the USA. It was good fun and we saw some dolphins and ten minutes later there was a school of porpoises cavorting off the starboard side. The meal was quite rich as usual so it seems appropriate to have a little rest this afternoon. I did go to the future voyages office but there was a long line waiting, Dragana has told me to call to make an appointment when they are closed but I never think of it until it is too late.

More later.

[lannp]

And what was dessert this time? Black Bottom Tart or Fallen Chocolate Cake?

Linda

[Andiamo]

And what was dessert this time? Black Bottom Tart or Fallen Chocolate Cake?

Linda

 

Hey Linda! You are such a tease.

 

Regards,

 

J

[capnpugwash]

And what was dessert this time? Black Bottom Tart or Fallen Chocolate Cake?

Linda

 

I was tempted by the Black Bottom, less rich that the Chocolate Cake albeit marginally.:eek:

[capnpugwash]

Update No 10

 

It is now 5.20pm and the sky is still overcast, the wind has shifted and is now a headwind from the east at force 4, the sea is slight and humidity is steady at 92%.we are only making 20 knots into the breeze. The barometer is steady. It would be nice to see a little sunshine some time in the next day or so but I am not holding my breath. In 110 nautical miles we will be exactly half way across the ocean, what a nasty thought. That should be at approximately 11pm tonight.

 

Currently when you purchase a cup of coffee in Sir Samuel’s, that is all that you receive; after this visit to Southampton the service will be changed to include a glass of water and some biscotti. I also understand that the Champagne Tea service will be started at the same time, probably up on deck 7 in the Winter Garden. This will attract a charge that will cover the cost of the champagne but I am not sure what the charge will amount to. I have had this on QE and it was a nice experience, the sandwiches and cakes were a little bit better that those available in the Queen’s Room and because you require reservations the long queues are dispensed with.

 

More later.

[FoghornLeghorn]

Capn...

can you 'splain something to this blonde, please :D

Who is the Captain of the QM2? or are they called Commodores?

Or are there Captains of each of the Queens and one Commodore??

 

I remember reading and hearing about Bernard Warner...he was the Commodore of the 3 ships?

 

I shall take notes, in case there is a quiz later :)

 

THANKS!

[capnpugwash]

Capn...

can you 'splain something to this blonde, please :D

Who is the Captain of the QM2? or are they called Commodores?

Or are there Captains of each of the Queens and one Commodore??

 

I remember reading and hearing about Bernard Warner...he was the Commodore of the 3 ships?

 

I shall take notes, in case there is a quiz later :)

 

THANKS!

 

No problem

The Captain of the QM2 is currently Christopher Rynd who is also the Commodore of the Cunard fleet. Each ship has a Captain but there is only one Commodore who may or may not be the Captain of any of the three ships at any time as he ocbviously has periods of leave. Commodore Warner was Commodore but has retired. Quiz to follow., :)

 

Update No 11.

 

The drinks party up in the Commodore’s cabin was very nice; there were 6 passengers present and about 8 of the ship’s officers plus the Commodore and his wife, Julie. We all had a very nice chat about things in general and some QM2 specifics and it was a thoroughly nice experience that I feel very honoured to have been invited to.

 

Dinner was also nice tonight and I spent the evening at dinner chatting to a California based couple who have a winery in the Napa Valley at St Helena. After dinner I met up in the Commodore Club with Shannon and David who are CC members on honeymoon. She is the young lady with the black and white dress that you may be familiar with. We had a lovely time and ended up in G32 for an hour or so. The dance floor was quite busy and the DJ Shaun was doing a good job playing music that actually got and kept people up dancing. The honeymooners left a little before last call which announcement must have reminded one of the customers at the bar as he fell to his knees and proposed publicly to his girlfriend, she accepted with alacrity, quite possibly just to get him up from his knees. There wasn’t a great deal of champagne ordered in celebration so I headed up to my cabin. It is now 2.30am which in real money is 3.30am. I believe that this is my last late night of this voyage, at least that is my plan but as you may know the flesh is weak in spite of good intentions.

 

Nothing has changed in the weather or speed of the ship.

 

More later.

[moniquet]

Many seem to agree that some Cunard staff read these boards (hey I think it's possible that some post;)) Cap'n do you think this is the reason why you are invited to so many special events because they read your blog? If so I can't see myself ever getting an invite.

 

If you are reading Cunard I didn't really mean it about surly waiters in the dining room and I must have been mistaken about the stain on the bedcover;):D

[bobby1119]

Update No 8

 

The table was hosted by Chantal, Chief Purser and she is absolutely charming..

 

Yes, she is, indeed, lovely and charming. I have often dined at the hotel manager's table which she has hosted many times, along with, of course, the wonderful John Duffy. You are fortunate to be with her and with John Duffy, both of whom I know quite well.

 

Enjoy reading your posts. It's the next best thing to being onboard.

[capnpugwash]

Update No 12

 

Today is Sunday July 10 and the time is now 9.10am. The weather is partly cloudy with a steady barometer, the sea is slight and we are currently making 21 knots. The temperature is 61/16 degrees and we have an easterly force 4 breeze.

 

I have just had a quick buffet breakfast of birchermuesli and fruit salad which was delicious, I am not sure whether the muesli portion is healthy or bad but it should be good for you although it does taste nice which makes me think that it can’t be. It has to be healthier than Eggs Benedict I believe.

 

We have sailed 1819 nautical miles since leaving New York and only have 1407 remaining, whilst I dislike the idea of thinking ahead to Southampton in 3 days time, I have just registered for self disembarkation at the Purser’s desk which should mean that I can be off a little after 7am and hopefully home by 9 on Wednesday. It is a working day so there may be traffic as I head up towards London but there has been a tunnel built at Hindhead in Surrey which should be open and will alleviate a nasty bottleneck. It has been finished for some months and is set to open “in July 2011”, whatever that really means.

 

I went to the spa and it was empty but within an hour the seats were all taken, the steam room was very warm and certainly managed to revitalise my tired frame. The sun has finally made an appearance and it is quite toasty on deck in the sheltered areas, the weather has not changed at all apart from the emergence of the sun. The sea is a deep royal blue and is glasslike again. We have sailed 1905 nautical miles already and have 1317 remaining. At 20 knots we should achieve this distance in 66 hours and we are due to arrive at Southampton in 66 hours time. How spooky is that?

 

More later.

[Husband & wife who cru]

Update No 2

 

despite visiting New York on two occasions the USPH has not bothered to come on board to re-inspect this ship that they were so very critical of. My view is that they should have taken the earliest opportunity to do so to ensure that the high standards formerly achieved had been regained and I cannot understand why, if they were truly as concerned as their report purports to say they were, they have not been bothered to revisit and re-evaluate the condition of the ship.

 

Inspectors would not normally come "right back" and see if everything has been fixed. Carnival is allotted a certain amount of time to get their act together onboard QM2 before she is re-inspected. That policy is standard no matter the cruise line or ship, because it is the QM2 holds no weight with the USPH. As far as how critical the report was the standards are the same no matter the ship. At the end of the day things slipped on the Queen Mary 2 and she was caught with an unkept house.

 

I am sure when she is re-inspected Carnival will make sure her house is in order.

[FoghornLeghorn]

Thank You, Capn for your response about the Captain/Commodore question. :)

[Salacia]

It says on the programme that "the dress codes for the a la carte venues does not require a jacket for gentlemen". This is on today's programme and tonight is a formal so I can only imagine that i applies to every evening.

 

Hi Capn. When I noticed that apparent change in the dress code for Kings Court al la carte venues on my recent voyage, it seemed to represent a more encompassing dress code change in that previously, the evening's dress code applied through out public areas of the ship (exception being the buffet area).

 

Does this change mean that if the dress code is formal, semi formal or elegant casual (Jackets required), that evenings dress code applies only to the main dining room, Grills dining rooms and Todd English - and not all public areas of the ship? If so, this seems to be to be a substantial change, doesn't it? I'm just not clear on what the evening dress code is in public areas of the ship - any clarification would be appreciated. Thanks, -S.

[capnpugwash]

Hi Capn. When I noticed that apparent change in the dress code for Kings Court al la carte venues on my recent voyage, it seemed to represent a more encompassing dress code change in that previously, the evening's dress code applied through out public areas of the ship (exception being the buffet area).

 

Does this change mean that if the dress code is formal, semi formal or elegant casual (Jackets required), that evenings dress code applies only to the main dining room, Grills dining rooms and Todd English - and not all public areas of the ship? If so, this seems to be to be a substantial change, doesn't it? I'm just not clear on what the evening dress code is in public areas of the ship - any clarification would be appreciated. Thanks, -S.

 

Sorry, no idea

[capnpugwash]

Update No 13

Tonight is formal night number 3 of this voyage and the opera Carmen which was filmed at the Royal Opera House in London is being shown in 3D in Illuminations. It lasts for 3 hours and the show starts at 8.30pm, it seems a very long time to watch something like that and whilst there is a short intermission it is too long for me I think.

John Duffy should be at the table tonight and it will be good to see him again. He was in great form and the meal passed very quickly, we finally left at 11pm. I popped up to the Commodore Club via the pub, where the Karaoke was being performed. There was a little old lady singing something but as she was performing acapella and singing so very quietly I couldn’t hear a word that she was singing.

Up on deck 9 I bumped into a couple of men who were on their honeymoon on board, they currently live in Birmingham, Alabama and seem very happy with each other.

I went to G32 for half an hour afterwards but it was very quiet, you would think that we were losing an hour each night! Having distributed a little cash to some staff there I made the decision and headed for my cabin at around 1am.

Today is Monday July 11 and it is a lovely morning, the sun is shining weakly through scattered thin clouds, it is 60/15 degrees and there is a force 2 easterly breeze. We are doing 21 knots as we eat up the remaining 920 nautical miles to Southampton.

I am just back from King’s Court where I had breakfast today, Nancy my cabin steward is so efficient that in the 25 minutes that I was away, she cleaned and remade the cabin. It is really marvellous service I think.

I am going to the spa this morning for a while and this afternoon I am attending the wine tasting in the Britannia Restaurant, I haven’t been before so it will be a new experience for me.

More later.

[capnpugwash]

Update No 14

 

I had the spa to myself for about 1 hour and then a few regulars drifted in, as I went into the steam room the inside glass door knob came apart in my hand, almost as though it had fractured because of the heat. To my certain knowledge this is the third time that this has happened since May 2011. I used the steam room and took the broken glass handle to one of the attendants who dealt with the matter. It was only then that I noticed that blood was pouring from a wound on the back of one of my knuckles. I have no recollection of striking the handle so perhaps it is just coincidental. My thought, months ago was why you would use a glass knob on a door when it would be so simple for one of the carpenters on board to craft one from teak or some other hardwood that they have on the ship.

 

After the spa I went out on deck for a while but found it impossible to relax with the walkers and joggers out on deck. It was quite nice out there, weather wise but the sea is flat calm and the breeze is almost non-existent. Some passengers love it but I yearn for a bit more wave and wind action. I don’t think that it is going to happen this week unfortunately.

 

It is noon and I am eagerly awaiting the address by the Commodore, we are about to complete our great circle route and begin our rhumb line track into the western approaches of the English Channel. He reported that a whale had been sighted fine on the starboard bow some 1 mile distant, I went up to try to see it but it had dived upon our approach.

 

We are sailing at 20 knots with a force 2 south westerly breeze, very slight seas and an air temperature of 61/16 degrees, the sky is partly cloudy.

 

More later.

[Ray66]

Hi Capn. When I noticed that apparent change in the dress code for Kings Court al la carte venues on my recent voyage, it seemed to represent a more encompassing dress code change in that previously, the evening's dress code applied through out public areas of the ship (exception being the buffet area).

 

 

It's always been Elegant Casual in King's Court/The Lido every evening no mater what the dress cose is.

[capnpugwash]

It's always been Elegant Casual in King's Court/The Lido every evening no mater what the dress cose is.

 

Ray, the difference is that now, no jackets are required up there on any evening which is quite a sweeping change.

[capnpugwash]

Update No 15.

 

You may recall that a few days ago I mentioned that I thought we had a couple of passengers from Bhutan or Nepal travelling on board, I finally grasped the nettle just now and asked them where they were from, of course it was California and they wear the costumes as a demonstration of living art. Why didn’t I think of that, hardly strange behaviour at all!

 

I met up with Lady Hudson and after a quick coffee we went into the wine tasting and we tried 2 French whites, a German Riesling, a French pinot noir from the Languedoc and lastly an Italian Barbera. They were all very tasty and I think the most expensive bottle was only $48.

 

They have arranged a galley tour for the first time this afternoon, I thought that it was to start at 3.45 but in fact it is starting at 4.15 so as I am back in my cabin, I will probably give it a miss. I am sure that it would be very interesting and a surprisingly extensive facility.

 

Tonight is the final formal night, the parade of chefs and Beef Wellington followed by Baked Alaska are three of the traditions of this day. It is also the last adjustment of the clocks and we lose our final hour, this brings us smoothly to UK time without an ounce of jet lag.

 

The current weather is pretty much the same as it has been for the entire crossing except the humidity is down to 85% and the sky is partly cloudy with bits of blue showing through. We are left with 768 miles to run and have 38 hours left on board, so the maths still works at 20 knots, and we are on target for an on time arrival.

 

More later

[Salacia]

Sorry, no idea

 

Ok, thanks Capn. I just had a look at Cunard's website and found this: "...Evening attire for the ship's main restaurants, effective from 1800 hrs (6:00 pm), will be specified on your ship's Daily Programme..." source:http://www.cunard.com/FAQs/General-Questions/

 

One could take that as meaning the evening dress code applies only to the ship's main restaurants and no longer applies to all public areas (the only past exception being the buffet area) of the ship. If so, I agree with you that this represents a sweeping change.

 

BTW, how's the cut on your hand? Did the Doc patch it up for you I hope?

 

Enjoy that Baked Alaska! :)

Salacia

[rgaudet]

Update No 15.

 

They have arranged a galley tour for the first time this afternoon, I thought that it was to start at 3.45 but in fact it is starting at 4.15 so as I am back in my cabin, I will probably give it a miss. I am sure that it would be very interesting and a surprisingly extensive facility.

 

 

Would love to do that, never saw it on the daily program, or more likely, I didn't read it closely enough. Too much on there every day!