Capnpugwash is making his last crossing of 2011 on QM2.

[goldengatecruisers]

Jim, it was a pleasure meeting you on last weeks transatlantic and chatting in the Commodore Club. I am back at home in California and it all seems so long ago already. I hope you have a wonderful sailing back to Southampton and enjoy your upcoming holiday cruise that we discussed. I hope that our paths cross again. I will enjoy following along with your blog.

 

Regards,

 

Ashley.

[capnpugwash]

Update no 18

 

Today is Friday November 18 and the weather has continued fairly unchanged, the wind is whipping small white horses as the swells crest, there is some fore and aft pitching and in the spa pool it was resulting in about a 12 inch wave washing back and forth throughout the length of the pool, quite a pleasant action really.

 

This afternoon is the CC get together and there are 22 enrolled, hopefully a good few of them will turn up so that we can meet each other and put faces to names.

 

The Captain has just made his noon announcement welcoming all the passengers on board, our position is 66 degrees west so we have travelled 8 degrees from New York, we have 2300 metres of water beneath the keel, medium north-west swells and a force 7 tail wind. The sky is partially cloudy but the sun is shining and it is pleasant on deck albeit a touch chilly at 12/54 degrees.

 

More later

[JWB.ESQ]

Jim, I sent you an email.

 

Best wishes for a delightful eastbound ride, despite the short days.

 

John

[capnpugwash]

Update no 19

 

I was doing a little work prior to the meeting and had a little problem logging out but ultimately I thought that it had worked. I went up to the meeting and was joined by 12 others at around 2.30 and they were a very charming, interesting and well-travelled crowd, we sat chatting until past 4pm and then I went back to my cabin. Upon arriving there and checking my laptop I was horrified to find that I was still logged in to the ship’s internet and had used 135 minutes during the time that I thought I had disconnected. I thought that I should go and speak to the Internet Manager, I explained the situation to him and he was very gracious and with a few clicks of his mouse he altered the records and deleted the wasted minutes. Wasn’t that a great thing for him to do.

 

It is now nearly 6.30pm and tonight is the first formal evening and will be the Black & White Ball, it is also the first night of 5 consecutive nights where we lose an hour at 2am. Our current position is due south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, the temperature is 53/12 degrees and we are being blown along at 23 knots by a force 7 near gale through a moderate sea.

 

The Captain’s cocktail parties are tonight as well but as usual I will be avoiding the event. I am looking forward to joining my new table for dinner and hope that there are some interesting companions there. With some luck there may be an odd one or two as I do seem to have been blessed recently with normal non-contentious people and I think that my luck has to run out soon.

 

I am just getting changed and am going to venture to the Chart Room but I must try to remember not to order any margaritas later on, tequila always seems like a good idea to me until the following morning, maybe I am just a very slow learner!

 

More later

[capnpugwash]

Update no 20

 

The meal and the table mates were excellent, we had a Deputy Engineer named Ian hosting who I have met before and he is utterly charming, there are 3 ladies from the New Forest in England, a Canadian lady and an American from New Jersey named John they were all very pleasant. There were two absentee men who were at the Captain’s Table tonight which makes 9 in all. We were having such a good time that we didn’t leave the table until nearly 11pm so I went up to the Commodore Club for a nightcap and bearing in mind the overnight clock adjustment I didn’t dwell there for very long.

 

Today is Saturday November 19 and it is 7am. Our position is 57 degrees west; we have a north-westerly force 5 wind with temperatures of 52/11 degrees. The sea is slight to moderate and there is virtually no on board movement, the barometer is rising and the sky is partially cloudy.

 

Overnight I have received information concerning transfers once we arrive in Southampton, if you choose to travel by bus the charge to either Heathrow or Gatwick is $80 each, Victoria or St Pancras is $89 per person. When it comes to cars the prices rocket and the same journeys by sedan would cost $295, a luxury sedan costs $420 and an ultra luxury car is a mere $608. I have no idea what an ultra luxury car is as it is not a phrase that I am familiar with. You may know that Southampton has an airport which is less than 10 miles from the dock, a local cab arranged by Cunard will only cost between $165 and $199 depending upon the vehicle category. If I were to guess I would say that a local taxi would charge no more than £25 to £30 for the same journey and I think that Cunard should be ashamed of themselves to get involved over-charging their customers.

 

I am going to King’s Court for breakfast now as I feel a little hungry.

 

More later

[Lake Barcroft Sailor]

Jim,

 

So good to hear about your table mates. It seems your luck is holding fast.

 

Couldn't agree with you more on the cars. That's why it's Smiths for Airports for us. After our last trips, where the luck of the draw worked so that we got this wonderful driver from SOTON to London and London to LHR both times, we even have a driver to ask for by name (if I can find the card).

 

Looking forward to you future posts.

[Underwatr]

You may know that Southampton has an airport which is less than 10 miles from the dock, a local cab arranged by Cunard will only cost between $165 and $199 depending upon the vehicle category. If I were to guess I would say that a local taxi would charge no more than £25 to £30 for the same journey and I think that Cunard should be ashamed of themselves to get involved over-charging their customers.

The Southampton airport price is the price for a "car", not simply for arranging a cab, isn't it? I'm sure I recall seeing on a flyer that Cunard would save you the indignity of queuing by reserving a cab for you for only $10 (plus the cost of the cab, obviously).

 

Since we're not proud we opted to queue with the rest of the unwashed for free.

[Dutchtreat19]

Update no 20

 

Overnight I have received information concerning transfers once we arrive in Southampton, if you choose to travel by bus the charge to either Heathrow or Gatwick is $80 each, Victoria or St Pancras is $89 per person. When it comes to cars the prices rocket and the same journeys by sedan would cost $295, a luxury sedan costs $420 and an ultra luxury car is a mere $608. I have no idea what an ultra luxury car is as it is not a phrase that I am familiar with. You may know that Southampton has an airport which is less than 10 miles from the dock, a local cab arranged by Cunard will only cost between $165 and $199 depending upon the vehicle category. If I were to guess I would say that a local taxi would charge no more than £25 to £30 for the same journey and I think that Cunard should be ashamed of themselves to get involved over-charging their customers.

 

The charge for the transfers was interesting. I purchased our transfers to Heathrow prior to the cruise and we were only charged $49 pp, not the $80 they're charging onboard. I'd love to know why the price discrepancy between pre-cruise and onboard. Lovely meeting you yesterday.

Tania

[Pennbank]

The Southampton airport price is the price for a "car", not simply for arranging a cab, isn't it? I'm sure I recall seeing on a flyer that Cunard would save you the indignity of queuing by reserving a cab for you for only $10 (plus the cost of the cab, obviously).

 

Since we're not proud we opted to queue with the rest of the unwashed for free.

 

But Happy to chat ,drink and mix on board with them no doubt !

Would you call these "Unwashed" when they queue Taxis ?

[Jimsgirl]

The charge for the transfers was interesting. I purchased our transfers to Heathrow prior to the cruise and we were only charged $49 pp, not the $80 they're charging onboard. I'd love to know why the price discrepancy between pre-cruise and onboard. Lovely meeting you yesterday.

Tania

 

What a strange situation, charging more on board than if you book ashore. I never can understand the logic that governs some of Cunard's ideas.

 

There certainly seems to be strong evidence that Cunard "gouges" their passengers.

 

In the past few days I have had occasion to think re Cunard's relationship with the public in general. I noticed that although every other major cruiseline advertises their product, Cunard does not. Also although I get flyers from local agents re every other cruise line offering group bookings, none of these are for Cunard.

 

How can they expect to "sell the product" when they ignore the "buyers" in the market place, then overcharge those that do book with them?

[juicyjuju]

I didn't know they will negotiate. Is that normal or did you just come across an inexperienced staff member mistakenly charging you more?

 

 

 

If the band was 'Vibz', why would anyone want to minimise the chance of their being electrocuted? :D

 

Oh.... that's bad of me. I will be going to confession after all. :o

 

 

 

Exactly!!!!! I don't understand it either. And that's because it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

 

 

Cunard makes a big deal about it's British heritage; It would be more appropriate to have a Beatlesque band.

 

Strange indeed about the missing DJ. I hope he's coming back; he's not the world's greatest DJ, but he's a million times better than 'Vibz'.

 

We did a TA last month and I was happy Vibz was on board because the singer was really good the last time we were on (although they play WAY too much reggae, IMO). Well, it was a different singer and he wasn't very good. I did a little research and apparently these bands are arranged by an agent and they just keep the name and trade out musicians.

[capnpugwash]

Update no 21

 

It is an absolutely cracking morning, the sun is shining brightly and reflecting off the blue/black shiny sea, there are slight swells but the surface of the water is unbroken. The Atlantic in its different guises never ceases to fascinate and enthral me; it remains utterly unpredictable and untameable.

 

Breakfast came and went, they do have nice bagels on board, I don’t know if they make them fresh or if they are bought in frozen. They taste fresh but they only have the plain ones, I will have to try to find out. I was sitting in the relaxation lounge of the spa and the walkers are out in force, some clockwise and some anti-clockwise. Some are dressed in overcoats, caps, hats, scarves and thick gloves while others are in Lycra vests and shorts. It is not warm on deck although where the sun is shining in sheltered areas it feels warmer than the 54/12 degrees. We are making 22 knots due east and there is a force 5 north-westerly tail wind. Humidity is low at 65%.

 

The UK Immigration Service is on board and today is my day to have my passport checked but I will go later to let the lengthy queues die down. It is Sheldon’s birthday today, he is one of the barmen and bar waiters so I popped to the pub at lunchtime via the Immigration and there were only three people waiting and two officers dealing so I went in and a minute later I was through and finished. The pub was crowded as there were a couple of quizzes taking place but I stayed for a beer or two and had a very nice cottage pie. Thus far the day had been quite productive so I thought that I would continue and do some laundry, I have saved another $15 by doing so and fel that I am doing my bit for the economic situation.

 

The noon announcement was just made and there was no real news or changes, the wind has backed to become more northerly but the strength has reduced to a force 4. The sun continues to shine, it is all quite idyllic. For those of you who are interested, at 10pm tonight we will pass 72 nautical miles south of where the Titanic rests. We should be mid dessert by then and will in all likelihood forget all about it.

 

More later

[MaineTraveler]

The bagels are a mystery. One would think that they are too time- and labor-intensive to make on board, but they are consistently reported as being fresh and excellent. You can't quite get that response with frozen ones.

 

They are also proper bagels, not beigels (cue moans about non-British-ness!). One thing that is annoying is that they are always listed on the menus as being accompanied by "Crème Cheese", which is quite silly, but it's perpetuated from year to year.

[Underwatr]

But Happy to chat ,drink and mix on board with them no doubt !

Would you call these "Unwashed" when they queue Taxis ?

You'll notice I said "the rest of the unwashed" who were queueing. - We're in that group as well! :)

 

(are you new here?)

[Pennbank]

You'll notice I said "the rest of the unwashed" who were queueing. - We're in that group as well! :)

 

(are you new here?)

 

"the unwashed" as you call them are you fellow passengers.

Thats why that virus gets about the ship. People do not wash their hands!

Why were all the public toilet door entrances left open last week ?

You dont often get ill catching a cab

But it often happens when you get on a ship!

[Underwatr]

Hi, Pennbank,

 

I thinkyou are from Germany so I think there may be a language barrier, or difficulty with my use of idiom or humor.

 

"The great unwashed" is an expression denoting common people.

 

Frequently we who do not journey in suites call our situation onboard "steerage" or talk about having to help row. It's all in jest.

[Lake Barcroft Sailor]

How can they expect to "sell the product" when they ignore the "buyers" in the market place, then overcharge those that do book with them?

 

I do not know. It is a mystery to me as well. No adverts, yet consistently full ships. Must be the last minute flash sales, word of mouth, and loyal passengers who keep coming back, no matter what.

[Ray66]

I got both an email off Cunard today and a mailing through the door directly from them advertising a few cruises.

[brigittetom]

But Happy to chat ,drink and mix on board with them no doubt !

Would you call these "Unwashed" when they queue Taxis ?

 

It's just a common expression used in the US to discribe the "average person" versus the "wealthy elite". It's not meant to be offensive. :)

[capnpugwash]

Update no 22

 

I went up to the laundrette and had a soap scum problem on one tee-shirt so I thought that it would make sense to rewash it, of course this adds to the time required so I found myself with 50 minutes to kill and being only 60 paces from the Commodore Club I decided to go there for a couple of cappuccinos accompanied by two Courvoisiers, what an absolutely charming way to do laundry. The rewash worked perfectly and I am all clean now, at least for the next few days.

 

The time is 4.15pm and the sun has set, our course is slightly north of east and we are making 23 knots across moderate seas. Our position is 52 degrees west which roughly puts us due south of the eastern tip of Newfoundland. We have a force 4 north-westerly wind blowing across our decks. The sea remains strangely glasslike with not a sign of white horses or wave crests.

 

After some early cocktails I joined our table for the second formal evening and our host was actually the Chief Engineer, Phil Aldridge who is a very pleasant officer recently arrived from P&O. We had a full table and the evening was very convivial. I had lamb chops and they were so tender that I really didn’t need to use a knife. By way of a change I went to the disco straight after the meal and I was soon joined by a whole crowd of friends and acquaintances, it was a very funny evening and before I realised the time, 3am had come and gone. That was time for me to leave and after adding the hour I got to bed at just after 4.25am. Most of the assembled company agreed to meet today at 1pm for a lunch at Todd English, it seemed like a cracking idea last night and should be good fun I think.

 

Today is Sunday November 20 and it is 8.30am. The sea remains slight and quite unbroken, there is a north-easterly force 4 breeze, the temperature is 54/12 degrees. Our position is 45 degrees west and we are making 22 knots. The sky is clear with very few high clouds. We are on a rhumb line course of east north east which should bring the ship to the western approaches of the English Channel. I am off to breakfast now and think that it is time to venture into Britannia and see what is on offer there.

 

More later

[Davidonaboat]

Ahhh the famous Capnpugwash! ive heard about your posts so i thought id join your list of followers..... i like your style of story telling, fun, witty and informative...looking forward to reading more! do you have a blog?

[capnpugwash]

Ahhh the famous Capnpugwash! ive heard about your posts so i thought id join your list of followers..... i like your style of story telling, fun, witty and informative...looking forward to reading more! do you have a blog?

 

No, sorry

 

Update no 23

Breakfast was great, porridge and Eggs Benedict and about 6 cups of strong black coffee. I admit to feeling a little jaded and I seemed to be surrounded by quite loud companions. Anyway I survived it and was heading up to deck 8 to book Todd English when I bumped into Zoltan who is the Maître D’ in that establishment and was able to take the details and book a flexible table, I don’t know how many will turn up but it should be between 7 and 12 which he can comfortably handle.

I stumbled along to the spa to recuperate, bubbly water, massage jets, a sauna and a steam room totally revived me in slightly less than 3 hours. I feel human again now.

The Captain has just announced that there has been little change, it is still cool at 12/54 degrees, we are now at latitude 43 degrees west with 15510 feet beneath the keel, the weak wintery sun is shining through the broken clouds but it is so low in the sky as to have little warmth although it is still a welcome sight. We are 1395 miles from New York and have 1880 to go. The sea is noticeably warmer than the air at 64/18 degrees so we may be in for some fog although none is forecast.

I am off to TE for lunch soon as it is now 12.40 and the restaurant is way down the other end of the ship, still I will take a stroll along the promenade deck to blow some more cobwebs away.

More later

[Jimsgirl]

I got both an email off Cunard today and a mailing through the door directly from them advertising a few cruises.

 

Yes past passengers do get information -sometimes- I was refering to the general public, that is where new business will be found.

 

I received a copy of the Cunarder, decided I needed further information on cost of an Aug 2012 Grand Voyage QM2 before contacting my agent.- why bother her if I knew I could not afford the trip- I have to calculate and save.

I went on line, the voyage is not on Cunards web page.

 

So I contacted my agent but even my agent has problems,- the trip can be booked, a "special unadvertised price available only for a few days" so it was book now or pay an unspecified higher rate, when Cunard gets its act together

 

There is a price quoted for booking it as 3 seperate trips, but the cost is almost $1000 .00 more for a D7 Gty cabin.than the "special unadvertised price" As said Cunard's logic beats my understanding. Fortunately my agent understands my finances. that if things go wrong I will have to cancel so I have booked hoping all will go well.

 

If the price goes down, since I live in the USA , my agent will cancel and rebook me at the lower rate, for which I will be duly thankful. That happened for my upcoming Feb cruise,the price went down by a very large amount compared to my booking 12 months in advance.

[capnpugwash]

Update no 24

 

It ended up being 8 for lunch and we had a very good time, I did alter my normal selection and had the Portobello mushroom flatbread followed by the peppered salmon, they were both very nice and tasty but I think that the prosciutto and fig flatbread wins by a short head. We were drinking a delicious white Cotes du Rhone wine made with the Grenache grape. 3 bottles of that and some dessert wine completed the event. We met at 1pm and parted at about 3.30 so you can tell how well it went.

 

I have been invited to a small cocktail party this evening in the Winter Garden; it is hosted by Rob Camby, Deputy Captain and Robbie Howie the Hotel Manager. There will only be about 30 of us there so I will go to that. After the TE lunch I felt the need for a nap but wasn’t able to get off, probably due to the rich food and the almost terminal indigestion that has developed.

 

The time is just after 7.30pm, the air temperature is 60/15 degrees and the barometer is falling. The sea is smooth with tiny wavelets and we have a north-westerly fore 3 breeze. We are making 23 knots and we are 1544 miles from New York and have 1728 to go. This means that in 92 miles we will have passed the halfway point on the eastbound section.

 

More later

[capnpugwash]

Update no 25

 

I went to the cocktail party but I was suffering too much so after half an hour I excused myself and went to the cabin to rest up and try to feel better. To a great extent it worked and I had a bowl of Lobster Bisque followed by a piece of Haddock, a nice light meal and I was back on form.

 

After the dinner I went to G32 until 1.30 and am now back ready to head to bed. It is really strange losing an hour each night and the cumulative effect is really no easier than losing 5 at once in some ways.

 

Today is Monday November 21 and it is the anniversary of the birth of Sir Samuel Cunard, we have 1413 miles remaining and our position is 33 degrees west, we are speeding through the moderate sea at 24 knots. The temperature is 57/14 degrees and the barometer is falling. The sky is partly cloudy and the force 4 breeze is from the south west.

 

There are 2415 passengers on board this week; the largest contingent is 1838 from the UK, with only 301 from the USA. The balance is from 30 other countries including Namibia, St Kitts and Nevis and New Zealand.

 

I am just heading to the Senior Officer’s party which is being held at 11.30 in the Winter Garden, it is a little early but Bloody Marys and Pimms may be the order of the day.

 

More later.