Review of first Cunard experience

[keithm]

Despite it being almost a year late (!) here is the next installment of my QM2 trip report.

 

These chapters cover days 6-12 of the 19 day voyage, ending with the return to NYC after 12 nights in the Caribbean.

 

I will post some accompanying photos shortly.

 

...

 

 

Day 6 - Thursday 27 December 2012 (in the port of Roseau, Dominica)

 

Late morning shore excursions are wonderful! Not having to be in the Royal Court Theatre until 9.45am meant I could sleep in and have a leisurely breakfast in the Main Dining Room. I only ever ate breakfast and dinner there and I must say that I was pleased with the food and the service. The breakfast menu is extensive: there is plenty of variety in the eggs department and I imagine that vegetarians and vegans were well catered for. I can confirm the latter solely by the fact I didn't hear a single outcry, protest or a condescending monologue from any passenger. My only complaint would have to be that the pastry wait staff kept bringing around delicious danishes, croissants and other carbohydrate delights. I felt bad that they kept coming around and felt I had to accept more pastries for fear of being rude (yes, that's the story I'm going with).*

 

I am a big supporter of cruise line organised shore excursions. Yes, I know they can be more expensive, but sometimes I like to not have to plan something myself. I'd already had a week prior to embarkation in New York to plan and I had organised a number of activities for the 10 days in the UK I would spend after the upcoming Transatlantic voyage. Today I was participating in river tubing. While I'd have much preferred to have done a whitewater rafting expedition I had to make do with tubing down the Layou River. It wasn't anywhere near as rough as whitewater rafting, but it was a lot of fun! Before arriving at the site the small tour bus winded through lush surroundings before stopping off at a stunning waterfall location. Everyone disembarked the bus and walked down the steep steps to get photos up close. I was rather amazed at how many people acted surprised when they slipped on the wet flat stones at the base of the waterfall. But hey, wet flat stones should have built-in grips right? It's just poor planning on Mother Nature's part really.*

 

The tubing took around an hour; despite quite a few people participating in this activity the river didn't feel crowded. The flow kept us moving downstream, although people were stationed every so often to ensure bottlenecks didn't occur. At times they would deliberately push people towards little rapids. It was quite funny to hear some people scream at what I imagine to them was the scariest experience ever! For me it was a really enjoyable, relaxing experience to glide down the river. The water was also cool and refreshing. A few guides along the river refreshed themselves downstream by jumping off rocks and tall trees into the deeper parts. I had to admire them as I certainly wouldn't have done it!*

 

At the end of the day I was glad I'd put on sunscreen as it turned out quite warm (and humid). Heading back on the bus gave me time to talk to a couple I'd previously met on board. Before long we were back at the pier with the Queen Mary 2 dominating the landscape (Only in New York was she somewhat overshadowed by the famous Manhattan skyline). A quick shower followed by pre-dinner drinks in the Commodore Club as the ship left port had me ready for the night's festivities.*

 

Unfortunately, due to an accident during the early entertainment session (for those dining first sitting) the acrobatic act organised for the evening was cancelled. If I recall, the singers and dancers were brought out to perform for the second entertainment session. I have to say I am impressed that they can pull a show together at such short notice. Wandering around after the show I found myself having a late night scotch before calling it a night. It had been a long couple of days and I am not that young anymore!*

 

 

Day 7 - Friday 28 December 2012 (in the port of Castries, St Lucia)

 

One of my only real complaints about this voyage was the concentration of all port calls into five successive days. A sea day in between would have been nice, but I realise it would have meant missing out on a port (since a 2 day sailing from New York to the Caribbean would inevitably have been costly to Cunard).*

 

Today we were in St Lucia, which is a beautiful little island with French and English influences. This was a tender port on account of there being quite a few cruise ships in port. I was quite excited about my first ever tender experience. After a hearty breakfast of bircher muesli (addicted by this stage) and scrambled eggs I decided to take a walk around the promenade deck for some air and to help digest my meal. I happened to be in the right place at the right time as the crew were launching tenders from the stations above. Luckily I was carrying my camera and got photos and video footage of the lowering of several tenders. It certainly took a lot of time for the equipment to be sorted, which did make me wonder how fast they could lower the boats in the very unlikely event of the ship sinking. Given that it was unlikely and that my stateroom was a deck below and close to the stairs (allowing quick access to my evacuation point) I didn't think much about that.*

 

I'd chosen to participate in the chocolate making experience run by Hotel Chocolat. While the scenery was stunning, I admit the bus ride to the venue took an awfully long time. However, on arrival the view of the Pitons made sitting for so long very worth it. Learning about cocoa and the chocolate making process was really educational and a different experience to the more active excursions I'd taken on Wednesday and Thursday. Making chocolate was difficult. It required a lot of patience, endurance and muscle. Although I may feel old at 28, I was a good few decades younger than many of the people who'd journeyed out to the hotel compound where the chocolate experience was held. Quite a few people struggled to grind the cocoa and to mix the ingredients. Fortunately, my days in the gym had paid off and I successfully made enough chocolate to pour into a little plastic mold. Oddly, it was quite a satisfying experience (almost as satisfying as eating chocolate)! After the gruelling mixing and pouring was done we headed to the hotel's restaurant which overlooked the Pitons. Just as we walked up it began raining, but the rain stopped halfway across the view! So, one half of the view had rain while the other half was clear. It was another first time experience for me and while I'm sure many of you are saying 'big deal', I had to marvel at how random Mother Nature can be.*

 

At the end of a most delicious lunch (my gourmet beed burger included very tasty thin and round cooked potato chips) we received the chocolate made earlier. A number of us enquired about purchasing some of Hotel Chocolat's store quality chocolate. However, we were informed that Hotel Chocolat (the place) didn't actually sell their own chocolate! - rather ironic, I thought. By this stage we were ready to re-board the bus and head back to the pier for tendering back to the ship. Although we were moving too fast to snap any quality photos, I did get to see the ship from the top of a cliff area. She looked amazing sitting out on the blue waters of the Caribbean.*

 

The tender ride back to the ship was a little choppy. Pulling up to the side of the ship for re-entry was a bit of an experience - a number of passengers found it difficult in the slightly rough water. I managed to get some photographs and film footage of boarding from the tender.*

 

Dinner, as always, was delicious. I admit that I do not recall exactly what I ate, but I never had a bad word to say about food in the Main Dining Room (despite some other passengers assuring me that 'standards have slipped' and the food wasn't 'as good as it was on the QE2'). After indicating that we would like extra vegetables on the first night, each evening a couple of plates of extra vegetables were brought out by the wait staff without fail. The attention to detail was apparent even to the smallest detail: noting that the Cunard crest on my empty plate was slightly out of alignment to the usual 12 o'clock position, my plate was promptly put in its 'correct' place. To be honest, I'd hardly noticed! So, if standards have slipped as some insist, I have to wonder what kind of service and food were to be had in previous years. I felt Cunard had the right balance of formality and friendliness (such as calling passengers by their first names - a nice contrast to the polite, but formal 'Sir' at my London Hotel or the slightly uncomfortable 'it is my honour to serve you, Sir' that I received from the attendant on my Etihad flight from Sydney to Abu Dhabi).*

 

That night's entertainment was a shipboard production titled 'Crazy in Love'. It was quite well done and it was certainly popular as the theatre was practically packed out. Although I only have Princess Cruises for comparison, I really do feel that Cunard offers terrific nightly shows and books entertaining individual acts.*

 

 

Day 8 - Saturday 29 December 2012 (in the port of Phillipsberg, St Maarten)

 

I was meant to go on an America's Cup yacht today, but I decided that I was all excursion[ed]-out and chose to just explore the shopping areas. Phillipsberg was quaint; as was the case with many of the Caribbean islands, the main streets were dotted with tax free jewellery boutiques and alcohol stores. While American passengers were non-fussed about these, I was amazed at how cheap watches and spirits were in these places. On my return to the ship I carried with me a new watch that retails for a great deal more in Sydney stores and a snow dome for work (my office has a snow dome collection spanning three shelves of a bookcase - a reminder of the places we've all visited and a reassuring visual for when we are tired or stressed). I decided to have a pub lunch in the Golden Lion and easily got a seat being a port day.*

 

I spent the afternoon walking around the ship and admiring some of the art on display in the gallery. A trip to the gym was in order before preparing for pre-dinner drinks. I have to say that although the gym is quite small, there is a range of cardio equipment and free weights. On a port day there was no movement; on sea days using the gym requires a little more coordination as it's up high and forward.*

 

The nightly entertainment turned out to be a stand-up comedian. I thought he was funny in parts, but that he overdid some of his jokes (such as him going up to people who came in late - it gets dull after the 10th passenger!). The joke about the nature of Carnival passengers (which I mentioned in my day 5 recount) was one of his better attempts at humour and he also scored points by making light of the excessive hand washing on account of the Norovirus (which by this stage was being reported across world newspapers, many of which - so unsurprisingly - blew the situation out of all proportion).*

 

 

Day 9 - Sunday 30 December 2012 (in the port of Charlotte Amalie, St Thomas)

 

Today was the last day of the Saints and our last port day before returning to New York (which we had been informed was getting colder and colder by the day). As was the case the day before, I decided to do a little shopping, picking up another watch (for far less than what I could get it for at home) and a little something at Tiffany and Co. Along the way I happened upon the snow dome of all Caribbean snow domes with the base in the shape of a black pirate hideaway. Naturally, I said to myself that I'd pick it up on my way back to the ship. Little did I realise that it was Sunday and by 2pm when I began heading back to the ship the store was closed. I was disappointed, and while I'd love to say I lost many nights' sleep over it to stress how important the bringing of snow domes is to my workplace, I was over it by dinner time.*

 

Pre-dinner drinks in the Commodore Club was a pleasant daily experience. The company was excellent and I rarely had to ask for a drink - I really don't know how the bar staff remember individual orders for so many people. 'Singers in Concert' was the night's entertainment. It was my least favourite performance of the voyage, perhaps because the music wasn't to my personal taste.*

 

As I fell asleep the Queen Mary 2 was making roughly 19 knots en route to New York City and into much colder weather. The past 5 days had been wonderfully warm and although I love the cold, I would miss the sunny Caribbean climate.

 

 

Day 10 - Monday 31 December 2012 (en route to New York City)

 

The end of another year, and what a year it had been! Although broken by short breaks, 90 hour working weeks had been the norm since February and free time had been sparse. As Queen Mary 2 made her way back towards the city that never sleeps I lapped up the buoyant atmosphere as everyone prepared for New Year's celebrations. I emailed my father to wish him a happy birthday and to recount some of what I am recounting to you before heading to breakfast and planning my day.*

 

I decided to visit the spa before the 11am lecture given by former astronaut Rusty Schweickart. At dinner that evening I heard that I'd not missed much at the 9am lecture titled 'How to be the person your dog thinks you are'. Not very Cunard, I thought. The 50 minute massage was a pleasant experience, although I decided to return to the therapy pool before pre-dinner drinks as I didn't want to miss hearing about Earth's asteroid challenge. It's a good thing I'm not a worrier as apparently it is inevitable that a giant asteroid is likely to hit our fair planet at some unspecified point in the future. Not so much inevitable as predictable is the fact that world governments are hardly taking an interest in this issue (without getting too political here: when do governments ever take interest in anything serious?). It was certainly an interesting talk, and although I wasn't left paranoid and fearing for my life, it did leave me thinking about life in general and how important it is to make the most of the days given to us. Being New Year's Eve this had an especially deep impact on me (sorry, couldn't help myself there!).*

 

At 12.15pm I attended another Bill Miller lecture, this time about the extraordinary 30s liner Normandie. She has to be my favourite ocean liner (as a neat freak I totally approve of her clean lines and uncluttered open decks) and I really enjoyed learning more about her short Transatlantic career. While the Queen Mary 2 is a stunning liner, I can't help but feel like I missed out on something special by being born a couple of generations after. That said, the conveniences of the modern era are definitely worth living now for. After lunch in the Horizon Court (burger and fries) I made my way to Snowball Jackpot Bingo (one of the highlights of my sea days). It's weird how such a simple game of chance can be so thrilling. I'm not a gambling man, but it's rather fun crossing off numbers in pre-determined patterns. I never win, but it's not about that. It's just an oddly fun way of spending 45 minutes on a sea day. It's also a lot of fun hearing people cry out 'bingo' only to find out they're wrong (don't pretend you don't at least smile or smirk when this happens). Actually, that's my greatest fear (well, top 3): thinking I've won only to discover I'd forgotten one number. The shame, oh the shame!

 

Following the rather disturbingly titled lecture 'The History of Forensics: How to bump off Granny' I made my way to the back of the ship for afternoon tea. For some reason I never had trouble getting a table on the several occasions I took tea in the Queens Room. Unlucky at bingo, but lucky with Earl Gray and scones. It's a trade-off I'm willing to accept.*

 

Being New Year's Eve the second sitting entertainment, 'Apassionata', was scheduled for 7pm. I really like this show (although I know many regular passengers have long tired of it) and felt the dancers were especially talented in this performance with many difficult moves (made more difficult by the fact we were at sea).*

 

Dinner was a grand affair, with the Main Dining Room decorated with streamers and balloons. Almost everyone got into the spirit by blowing the little whistles that were put on each table. Throughout dinner there was a succession of musical Mexican waves. Our table tried to initiate on several occasions, but to no avail, leaving me wondering how does one set a whistle blowing trend? One person who certainly wouldn't know and who certainly wouldn't care was the lady sitting at the table behind mine. Every time the dining room came alive with whistles she would roll her eyes or cover her ears. She was quite the party pooper, even having decorations removed from her table upon discovering the offending balloons, streamers and whistles signifying the end of another year. And this was to be the best year ever, what with the world not ending the week before Christmas and all.*

 

Following dinner, all throughout the ship balloons hung from nets attached to the ceiling and people walked merrily between public areas. Big screens were set up showing New Year's celebrations in cities in time zones ahead of ours: Sydney was one of the first (we really do do New Year's best), followed by Paris and London. By the time New Year rocked around for Queen Mary 2 I was in the Queens Room with the greatest concentration of passengers I'd yet seen in there. I must say that the ballroom handled a lot of people really well. With only 2 seconds to go the balloons prematurely fell from the ceiling. I immediately thought of the disapproving lady at the dinner table next to mine, but figured that she had probably retired early so as not to be offended by the mass of celebrations that flooded through the ship.*

 

While I had a few drinks in G32 I couldn't not notice the barman downing half a bottle of champagne right out of the bottle! Being New Year and all I didn't look down on this too much. Actually, having a tipsy barman could've worked out beautifully for scoring higher alcohol content beverages. But I was actually too tired to stay up beyond 1am.

 

As I prepared for bed, which had been beautifully turned down by my steward, I began 2013 on board the largest ocean liner ever built, en-route to New York City :)*

 

 

Day 11 - Tuesday 1 January 2013 (en route to New York City)

 

I woke up a little later than usual and decided to eat breakfast in the Horizon Court. It wasn't bad, although it seemed everyone else had had the same idea about waking up late. Getting a table was a little difficult, akin to finding a shopping centre parking spot at lunchtime on a weekend. I managed to find one by the window and read the different news print outs sent to my stateroom every morning.*

 

After another Bill Miller lecture on the liners of the 50s and 60s I had a quick lunch before not winning again at bingo. I hit the spa in the afternoon and relaxed in the hydro therapy pool for an hour or so. I found that late afternoon was a very good time for using the spa facilities as first sitting diners were off getting ready and partaking in pre-dinner drinks.*

 

Tonight was formal night again (NYE was also formal) and I enjoyed suiting up in my tux. Part of me wishes that every evening was formal, but admittedly it would probably lose its special feel if enforced daily. A musical showcase titled 'Beyond the Barricade' followed dinner. It was quite good, featuring songs from a number of famous musicals. At the same time the Masquerade Ball was taking place. I have to say that the themed balls didn't seem that popular. Whenever I passed through the Queens Room on a themed night I didn't see many people there, and of those very few were dressed up according to theme. I do wonder whether this is something Cunard should review. I was told that themed balls are more popular on World Voyages. To me, they were a poor spectacle in comparison to the balls held in Vienna during the winter months.*

 

 

Day 12 - Wednesday 2 January 2013 (en route to New York City)

 

Today was a special day as it was the final day of the Christmas voyage, but also a double bingo day! I attended the mid morning lecture on the assassination of Julius Caesar before having lunch in the Golden Lion (which was rather crowded, so I ate at the bar). Double bingo in the afternoon and then at 5pm was good fun. A lot of people turned out for the final bingo of the 12 day Christmas voyage in the hope of winning the big prize (which came to $1,400 if I recall).*

 

Dinner was not a farewell occasion at our table as everyone was continuing on to Southampton. It was arranged that we'd all keep the same table for the next 7 days. Everyone got along really well, so it naturally made sense.*

 

Following a variety show in the Royal Court Theatre I walked the ship, noting the suitcases dotting the long corridors as I moved between decks. While everyone knows Queen Mary 2 is a long ship, it is difficult to gauge just how long until you've walked from one end of her to the other! It takes a while and I feel sorry for elderly passengers with mobility issues. However, there are plenty of elevators and the stairwells are evenly placed along the length of the ship so it's fairly easy to access the public spaces. My favourite space on the ship had to be the Commodore Club. It was the bar I used every day and its refitted decor was really classy, creating a warm and comfortable environment for pre dinner drinks and a late night scotch. The windows are drawn at night to stop the glare from the lights affecting visibility from the Bridge above. What I liked especially was the professionalism and competency of the bar staff. I couldn't be more complimentary by saying they are exemplars of hospitality (pun intended).*

 

Another public space that I occasionally visited while waiting for the dining room to open is the Chart Room. It's a small, but tasteful lounge area (I don't think there was a place on the ship that wasn't tasteful) and quite popular with passengers waiting for second sitting dinner. The only space I wasn't so keen on was the main corridor where the photographers sat waiting to take snapshots in front of an anachronistic Titanic grand staircase backdrop. It was like running the gauntlet every formal evening as passengers lined up to have their photographs taken against this particularly ironic backdrop, considering Titanic was operated by White Star - Cunard's principal competitor for many years (granted, she merged and then absorbed White Star, but still I find it unusual and a little tacky).*

 

Sadly, for some, the Queen Mary 2 kept sailing for the Big Apple. It was definitely chilly out on deck and windy. So much so that the top open deck was closed and warning signs posted on the roped off doors. I went to sleep that night excited to be returning to a city I had come to love after just one week prior to sailing. I would get to catch up with a friend I'd made a couple of weeks earlier and get in more shopping…why not, when one Australian dollar bought more than one American dollar for the first time since the 80s!*

 

Coming up next: my first Transatlantic (eastbound) crossing on Queen Mary 2!

We did the tubing tour In Dominica as well. Loved it. This was late 2010. We were supposed to go to Grand Turk, but there were some really rough seas, so we did Dominica instead.Glad we did! Beautiful island. Some of the huge waves coming ashore actually pushed our troop of tubers back up stream about 500 yards. It was like riding a tidal bore! You could hear the waves crashing on shore, but were to far to see them.

[Pushka]

Goodness me, why did you requote all that?

 

I'm thinking the Horizon Court is on Princess not QM2. I'd love QM2 to have Horizon Court and not the current Kings Court. :p. The Horizon Court is lovely.

 

I could always find Milo in the buffet but rarely the ovaltine.

[Austcruiser84]

I'm thinking the Horizon Court is on Princess not QM2. I'd love QM2 to have Horizon Court and not the current Kings Court. :p. The Horizon Court is lovely.

 

I could always find Milo in the buffet but rarely the ovaltine.

 

Yes, massive mistake on my part! I guess I've got my upcoming Princess cruise on my mind haha!

[Whitemarsh]

I've seen Milo offered on both QM2 & QV. Usually it was in the lido & Kingscourt area. I'm sure you order it in the dining room if requested.

 

I shan't be ordering Milo in the dining room. I shall have some brought to my room. :cool:

[maggiemou]

We are the Ovaltineys, little girls and boys

Make your requests, we'll not refuse you

We are here just to amuse you

Would you like a song or story?

Will you share our joys?

At games and sports we're more than keen

No merrier children could be seen

Because we all drink Ovaltine

We're happy girls and boys.

 

Do you remember singing this each week to the radio?

I love Ovaltine and if I see it in Kings Court I take a sachet to my cabin for later:D

[keithm]

Goodness me, why did you requote all that?

 

I'm thinking the Horizon Court is on Princess not QM2. I'd love QM2 to have Horizon Court and not the current Kings Court. :p. The Horizon Court is lovely.

 

I could always find Milo in the buffet but rarely the ovaltine.

Sorry, not the most computor literate,I guess.

[keithm]

We are the Ovaltineys, little girls and boys

Make your requests, we'll not refuse you

We are here just to amuse you

Would you like a song or story?

Will you share our joys?

At games and sports we're more than keen

No merrier children could be seen

Because we all drink Ovaltine

We're happy girls and boys.

 

Do you remember singing this each week to the radio?

I love Ovaltine and if I see it in Kings Court I take a sachet to my cabin for later:D

That was before my time(well here in the USA, anyway)

[keithm]

I shan't be ordering Milo in the dining room. I shall have some brought to my room. :cool:

"Shan't?" You're so polite! Haven't heard that word in a long time.

[Whitemarsh]

"Shan't?" You're so polite! Haven't heard that word in a long time.

 

Aren't I just. ;)

 

It's probably all those Enid Blyton books I read when I was a small child.

[pmb1]

"Shan't?" You're so polite! Haven't heard that word in a long time.

I had an English master once long ago who claimed that the contraction for "shall not" was properly spelled "sha'n't".

[Salacia]

I had an English master once long ago who claimed that the contraction for "shall not" was properly spelled "sha'n't".

 

I was taught that shall not was clear enough; no need for a contraction in a simple sentence.

Edited November 27, 2013 by Salacia