QE Transatlantic Dec 2004: tips/ thoughts

[transat_jon]

Hi Gary

ebay is the place to find QE2 tat...err memorabilia. Just do a search for "QE2" and make sure you have "items worldwide" box checked. The videos I mentioned are from the US so are NTSC; most UK video recorders should play them though.

A UK one worth getting is "The Liners" series that was on Channel 4 (narrated by John Peel I think). "Floating Ocean Palaces" is probably better though.

There are a few QE2 tapes I've not managed to get. I'll put a posting on to ask others if they are worth getting.

[Gary B]

Jon - thanks. I have been watching ebay and bidding for far too much stuff I suspect!! Will try and track down the "Liners" video. It sounds great. Gary

[sfo-john]

[quote name='signman']John, There will be a group aboard from the Steamship Historical Society. I can almost guarantee that there will be several lectures dealing with ocean liner history. Stop by and say hi to me in cabin 2130.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the info. Looking forward to attending the lectures. I'll be in cabin 3053. We'll have to meet up for a drink.

Does anyone know if the ship is going to be soldout? A friend of mine was thinking of going, but I thought that I'd head that it was fully booked..

[Gary B]

They are still advertising/ promoting the crossing on their site in the UK and most of the Cruise Travel agents still have the deal listed (including the one with the 2 nights in NYC hotel). Gary

[Gary B]

SFo-John - there is a roll call for the crossing at: [url="http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=69846"]http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=69846[/url]

[Ken_W]

Another fun book to read is Basil Woon's [I]The Frantic Atlantic[/I], which is very helpful when trying to decide between taking Cunard's Mauretania or smuggle booze on board the United States Line's Leviathan, or whether to stick with the French Line and board the brand new Ile de France.

Published in 1927, so it's a little bit out of date, but it's a fascinating window on how to cross, when to cross, and how to suit the line to your personality. I found a copy for under $20 on a used-book website, if you can find one it's a great read!

[Transatlantic Tom]

Vic continues to amaze me !!! He is very correct -- The Only Way To Cross is THE book for a history of the great Transatlantic linersof the 20th century. I purchased my copy in 1978, and I re-read it every few years. Especially enjoyable is the section -early in the book- about the building of the Mauretania. It gives one an added appreciation when one stands before the HUGE and magnificent model of the Mauretania aboard "QE2" near the entrance to Caronia Restuarant.

Tom

[Blazerboy]

Indeed a great book- just got a copy signed by the author, who lectured on the Transatlantic crossing we just finnished (Celebrity, not Cunard). If you ever have a chance to hear him lecture, he's quite entertaining, and like Bill Miller, a font of knowledge. He has several other books out, but this is the classic.

Andrew

[Gary B]

I managed to track down most of the books that people have recommneded and at great prices via either [url="http://www.alibris.com"]http://www.alibris.com[/url] and [url="http://www.abebooks.com/"]http://www.abebooks.com/[/url]A big pile of reading now...

[cbr47]

[quote name='Gary B']My partner and I are off on our 1st proper cruise, the transatlantic crossing on 15 December from Southhampton to NYC. We are going on a short cruise over the holiday weekend end August (with P&O Aurora for 4 nights). I have always wanted to go on the QEII and am very excited. Can any people give us any thoughts and tips on what to expect, prepare etc. We are going Queens Grill level (although that is probably the wrong way of expressing it). I am 45 and my partner is 35.[/QUOTE]
We took the QE2 transatlantic cruise during the summer 2003 and I didn't expect it to be as wonderful as it was. :) The ship, though aged and showing it, is nicely cared for and the service is wonderful. I was very impressed with the size of our stateroom, though disappointed that our beds couldn't be moved together. We had a quad, with our daughters in 2 of the 4 singles. The duvet/quilt was amazingly comfortable and cozy, the pillows fabulous. I never slept as well as I did on that ship! The closet was spacious. There are numerous fitness programs offered on the ship and the gym is beautifully equipped. There's even an indoor pool that is nicely heated. I had alot of fun in the on board casino as the staff members are friendly. :rolleyes: You won't be bored, you'll meet interesting and varied people and you'll even enjoy the library and book shop, where some gift items are unique and competitively priced. Personally, there were a few (and I stress "few") disappointments.As a vegetarian I was sorry there weren't more choices. But what food I was able to acquire was delicious and nicely presented. The childrens' program wasn't the best as I was on a cruise that Cunard marketed as a "family reunion" but they did not anticipate they would have 200 children on board. Sometimes the staff did not know where the children were, which is unacceptable to any parent. And lastly, the entertainment was not the calibre I've come to expect while cruising. I've been on Royal Carribean, NCL, Disney, Carnival (and Premier, may it rest in peace), but the entertainment on the QE2 was the worst. :cool: Overall, though, I'd say our transatlantic journey on the historic QE2 was a terrific experience. So we're doing the QM 2 in February 2005. Enjoy your cruise. You'll have a great time. :) :)

[Gary B]

Thanks for the posting and thoughts! It is about 50 days to go now...... hooray! I think the one common theme in all tips/ thoughts people have given me is that the entertainment on the QE2 is not that great. Gary

[Rotterdam]

I love the QE2.....sailed 3x on her.

One thing I did each day was walk the Boat Deck...its great to get the sea air & the people are very nice. The walk also helps me sleep...counting the stars & the fresh ocean air ...does it every time.

Bon Voyage.

[mtbny7]

Gary,

I've sailed on QE2 fourteen (or 15?) times... and the shows are usually really bad. They are geared toward the "blue hair" set.... cheezy!

This is how I plan my evenings:

1. Nap until 6:30
2. Dress for dinner
3. Cocktails 8 to 8:58
4. Dinner at 9 PM
5. Eat, drink, and be merry
6. Catch the end of Queen's Room "ballroom action"
7. Yacht Club

Michael
New York

[mtbny7]

Gary,

I will be boarding in New York the same day you disembark.

Please leave the ship in decent shape for the Xmas cruise! :)

Michael

[Rotterdam]

Wake up ...whenever(usually coma-esque till 11a.m.)

Stroll boat deck(need oxygen)

Breakfast & lunch run together ......til 3

nap 3-4 pm

tea & biscuits in cabin @4(thank you steward)

sauna & swim 5-6

dress for dinner 6-6:10

coctails 6:15 - ???????

dinner sometime after coctails.

then ther are the lectures & painting sessions, movies, the slots after dinner...the history trail, the library & all the wonderful people I've met!

[Gary B]

Michael - will certainily try and leave the ship in good order! We are kicking ourselves as we had never thought of staying on at NYC and doing the next leg until it was too late and we had made other plans (going to Washington) for Xmas into New year. The leg you on looks and sounds amazing!! I also like you plan for the evenings....

[Richard Schmidt]

Another GREAT read is John Malcolm Brinnin's excellent work, "The Sway of the Grand Saloon: A Social History of the North Atlantic". It is an excellent history of the trans-Atlantic ocean liners. Brinnin is a poet by profession, and this prose work reads all the better for his poet's sensibility. The last two pages, which describe the last mid-Atlantic meeting of the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, contain perhaps the most moving passage I have ever read about the lost grandeur and majesty of these wonderful ships. The book is also a testament to the fact that the age of the great ocean liners will live now only as long as does the Queen Elizabeth 2. She is the last of her kind.
Brinnin's book, long out of print, can be had in hardcover for a few dollars through alibris.com. I will be crossing again on the QE 2 this December, when she makes her way from Southampton to New York. I am determined to make every crossing she has left in her. Sadly, the Queen Mary 2, built in France to design specifications worthy of a block of condominiums, can never replace the Queen Elizabeth 2.


QUOTE=BrianBoru]Gary, I second Vic's recommendation of The Only Way to Cross. The book's more about the history and experience of crossing rather than a particular ship, and it helps explain--at least a little--why so many of us are so excited.

Best,
Chris[/QUOTE]

[Transatlantic Tom]

Yes, I agree with Richard when he suggests that "The Sway of the Grand Saloon" is worthy of picking up, too. It takes a longer view in that he starts his history of the North Atlantic with passenger ships in the 19th century, looking at ships of the Collins Line, for example, and does indeed take you up to "Queen Elizabeth 2". (If I remember correctly, either in the text or in a photo cation he refers to QE2 as "...Cunard's magnificent QE2...") The book REALLY gives you a deep sense of the tradition on the North Atlantic. "The Only Way To Cross" focuses on the great liners of the 20th century, from the "Mauretania" up to the "France"(1960) and "Queen Elizabeth 2", and is just plain wonderful, in my opinion. I would HIGHLY recommend it to all our fellow passengers who love QE2, and sailing on the North Atlantic.

Tom:)

[Gary B]

Thanks for all the book recommendations. I manged to get a copy (which arrived this past week), plus the 4 part Tv series "Liners". Gary

[mtbny7]

I seem to remember the author disliking the FRANCE and QE 2...

Michael

[Jeanne S]

Gee Michael sometimes I think we must have been seperated at birth (I was also born in NYC) as my evening schedule is the same as yours. Those shows! I was impressed with the QM2 though. I miss the Yacht Club - my all time favorite lounge. Am wondering if the Commodores (have yet to make it their) on QM2 will be similar only Foward in lieu of Aft.

[signman]

Richard, I think there is a copy of "Grand Saloon" in the QE2 library. Sometime during the crossing I'd like to show you the passage that always brings tears to my eyes, although the words are actually those of Frank Braynard, but quoted by Brinnin.

[Vic The Parrot]

Happy birthday, sfo-john!


A round of pints in the Golden Lion!


:-D

[Vic The Parrot]

I have been watching ebay and bidding for far too much stuff I suspect!!



We've created a monster.




:-D

[Vic The Parrot]

Hey Gar


You're not planning on bringing all THAT with you, are you??

By the time you're thru, you'll need a U-Haul to take everything.