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QM2 Christmas Cruising live thread

Underwatr

By Underwatr,
in Cunard Line

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brigittetom

brigittetom

Posted
Posted
I believe Customs agents won't be there till the morning to conduct their business.

 

 

Thank you....that bit of common sense did occur to me after posting. :)

 

We were coming in with the threat of Hurricane Bill a few years ago and made me wonder about just dumping a whole shipload of passengers into nasty conditions. That has to be a cruiseline nightmare.

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cunardaddict

cunardaddict

Posted
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Thanks for the update. Although the snow storm would not directly impact a ship the size of QM2 the harbor might be closed to smaller vessels such as pilot boats and tugs. If winds go above 20 knots (if I remember the number correctly) at least one tug is called in to assist docking as a margin of safety.

 

She's not yet in VesselTraffic range and the latest Sailwx report from midnight shows her doing 19.9 knots. She'll be speeding up. At times like these one can see the foresight in planning reserve speed for the ship.

 

The onboard webcam shows cleary the clouds coming near. QM2 will meet the blizzard probably at 4pm, exactly as on Dec 20th, 2009. Try to have your cases packed by then. It is not nice to bent over a suitcase when beeing seasick:D

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Underwatr

Underwatr

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It's good news for the crew, at least they have the chance of an overnight in New York although getting around may prove a challenge.:)
As others have noted, US Customs/Immigration and other shore services will be working their normal Friday schedule.
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lannp

lannp

Posted
Posted

If it is anything like the storm we are having today it is even worse than 2009. We have bitter cold and high winds. At least in 2009 it wasn't that cold but the airports all shut down and not too many taxis were running. I was there waiting for the ship to arrive.

Here we have been told to stay home because of the cold and drifting snow.

Safe travels to anyone involved.

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brigittetom

brigittetom

Posted
Posted
If it is anything like the storm we are having today it is even worse than 2009. We have bitter cold and high winds. At least in 2009 it wasn't that cold but the airports all shut down and not too many taxis were running. I was there waiting for the ship to arrive.

Here we have been told to stay home because of the cold and drifting snow.

Safe travels to anyone involved.

 

We also boarded on Sunday which meant very little traffic on the way to the ship. I really thought that was our saving grace.

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BlueRiband

BlueRiband

Posted
Posted
In NYC there should be about 6-10 inches of snow w/ hi winds(blizzard conditions north & east of NYC w/ up to 16" of snow. Tomorrow morning(Fri) it will be 5 degrees w/ a wind chill factor making it feel like -8 below zero. The winds will be quite strong all nite long.

 

As far as getting off the ship =-you better have a plan..the Governor is already shutting down roads and it doesn't seem like there will be may taxis out late tonight. THe other problem will be clearing customs...enjoy the nite in NYC onboard....

 

Thursday night forecast as of this writing reads: "Snow with widespread blowing snow. Low around 14F (-10C). Windy, with a northeast wind 20 to 28 mph.."

 

Even if Customs and Immigrations were present upon docking there is the liability risk of disembarking passengers into known dangerous storm conditions. (We're likely to get complaints here from passengers who wanted to get off tonight but were not permitted. So this is a lose-lose situation for Cunard.)

 

Neither MarineTraffic nor Sailwx have updated her position or speed since this morning.

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RevCo0219

RevCo0219

Posted
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I'm in Manhattan and it's supposed to start within the hour.

 

It feels like snow, the ground is definately frozen (saw that this morning) and it's going to be nasty.

 

Will be rough getting off in Brooklyn tomorrow because cabs won't be there like normal, that's my hunch.

 

The new Mayor has a lot to prove so he's going to take all sorts of precautions. I hope Cunard had the good sense to contact the City and beg for some help, even buses to get folks to hotels or at least into Manhattan to some drop point, or I'm afraid it could go very badly.

 

I'm sure Cunard is on it. From snow tans to wind burns. Welcome home folks!

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Salacia

Salacia

Posted
Posted (edited)
I'm in Manhattan and it's supposed to start within the hour.

 

It feels like snow, the ground is definately frozen (saw that this morning) and it's going to be nasty.

 

Will be rough getting off in Brooklyn tomorrow because cabs won't be there like normal, that's my hunch.

 

The new Mayor has a lot to prove so he's going to take all sorts of precautions. I hope Cunard had the good sense to contact the City and beg for some help, even buses to get folks to hotels or at least into Manhattan to some drop point, or I'm afraid it could go very badly.

 

I'm sure Cunard is on it. From snow tans to wind burns. Welcome home folks!

 

Kasius, I think you're right about there not being the usual number of cabs at the terminal tomorrow. My guess is that there also won't be the usual number of stevedores to transport passenger's luggage from the terminal to the parking lot or pick up areas. With so many flight cancellations, I suppose hotel rooms will be hard to come by.

 

I wonder if those disembarking first will be in a better or worse position than those disembarking later?

 

Yup, the new mayor is on the hot seat for the duration of the storm. Perhaps one lucky thing for those in Brooklyn is that since the mayor lives in Brooklyn, snow plows won't forget the borough :) I checked the website for the terminal parking lot in Brooklyn, and as of now, there are no notices posted regarding delays or restrictions due to plowing the lot.

 

Best of luck to those disembarking or embarking tomorrow, and to all who will be travelling.

 

@Underwtr, thanks for the update. I hope you're not planning on driving home to PA tomorrow, but if you are, I wish you a safe trip.

 

Salacia

Edited by Salacia
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Rotterdam

Rotterdam

Posted
Posted

I just returned home from a dinner w/ friends...its very cold & windy & snowing..it started around 6 pm and with the freezing temps the ground is already covered w/ about 3/4 inch of icy snow...traffic is light & the roads slippery..I wouldn't get in a cab due to the conditions of the unplowed road(6th & 7th avenues).

 

Its silly to think about disembarking...you cant get anywhere, the airports are a mess and passengers were not expecting to disembark until tomorrow anyway.

 

Hopefully thinks will improve tomorrow - the poor people starting their cruise tomorrow,,,,

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Underwatr

Underwatr

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I ran across another of last year’s tablemates so all six of us from last year enjoyed lunch together in Britannia today. We had hoped to meet in the Golden Lion but with the weather turning colder there wasn’t a six-top to be found there.

 

I examined the automatic Purell sprayers more closely and they also dispense the VF481 anti-viral variety of Purell contained in the handheld pumps that the waiters wield. If I read the rating on the label properly it requires 90 seconds of scrubbing to reach full effectiveness.

 

It was raining lightly this morning but since then the rain has let up. As of 4:00 this afternoon I’m estimating the air temperature to be in the 40s with some blue sky showing through the clouds. It appears that they only update the weather display on the Ship Information Channel once or twice a day, because it’s still reporting the same temperature as this morning. I know that t’s not 63 degrees at the moment.

 

It has occurred to me that the casino will not be open this evening since we’ll be in port.

 

This afternoon I received an email from my travel agent confirming my onboard booking for next Christmas. Interestingly, the TA has confirmed a total fare several hundred dollars below the fare I was quoted onboard during the booking process, with the same OBC.

 

Turns out that a pair of last year’s tablemates and a pair of this year’s tablemates live in the same city on the Hudson and have booked the same limousine service to and from the pier. Due to the weather they might end up sharing a car. Small world!

 

As of this writing (11:00 PM) we’re pulling alongside the Red Hook terminal. There are a few inches of snow on the ground and it appears that the wind is blowing. I briefly went up on deck 7 to take a photo and it was snowy on deck and getting slippery.

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Underwatr

Underwatr

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We're parked off-airport at EWR so we'll take the Cunard shuttle to the airport and will retrieve our car from there. I expect it will be late morning before we're on the road and since we're heading south I don't expect it to be too bad.

 

I'm hoping to update this thread with some photos over the weekend.

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Andiamo

Andiamo

Posted
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Hey Jeanne.......I'm glad to hear you made the trip again this year.....and that the ship was healthy. Norovirus puts a damper on the fun, doesn't it?

 

We are in NYC this holiday season...nice and quiet...and cold.

 

Enjoy the trip north......snow predicted for Friday.

 

And Happy New Year to you and yours,

 

Jim

 

Hi there Jim. So glad you stopped by Underwatr's thread. I responded the same day, but it did not go through. I hate when that happens!

 

Anyway, as Underwatr has reported, we are here in NY and I just want to go home now. Forty minutes away to my own bed in White Plains, but have to wait. Hoping for clear roads tomorrow. Westchester roads are usually pretty good. Hoping the new Mayor takes care of this area.

 

You have always been one of my favorite QM2 shipmates and I was so happy to see your post. Hope all is well with you and your family.

 

Kindest regards,

 

Jeanne

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brigittetom

brigittetom

Posted
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I examined the automatic Purell sprayers more closely and they also dispense the VF481 anti-viral variety of Purell contained in the handheld pumps that the waiters wield. If I read the rating on the label properly it requires 90 seconds of scrubbing to reach full effectiveness.

.

 

 

Wow....that's about useless. I'm lucky if I manage 5 seconds walking into Kings Court.

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Underwatr

Underwatr

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I took a photo of the Purell instruction label stating the standatds it met so I'll try to research more on the time to be effective.

 

Things I always suspected: I like a bit of syrup on my sausage. This morning in Kings Court the "Maple Syrup" pitcher hadn't been filled so I pointed this out to one of the cooks. He dutifully filled it from the plastic bottle of Golden Syrup that was also there.

 

Disembarkation has been delayed, apparently due to the weather and the lack of available taxis.

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brigittetom

brigittetom

Posted
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You'd think they would be a little discreet about filling containers from the wrong bottle. :)

 

I hope disembarkation goes smoothly for you....rather a rude awakening after such a beautiful trip.

 

Have a safe trip home and we look forward to seeing your pictures.

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turquoise 6

turquoise 6

Posted
Posted
Sailaway will probably be delayed between late disembarkations and late flights. Outside temperature at 5PM is predicted to be 12F (-11C) with a wind chill of -7F (-22C).

Very cold and it looks like the QM2 will have some rough seas ahead

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