Greetings from Queen Mary 2 - Westbound Trans Atlantic

[imacruizer]

Peter,

 

Thanks for your "live from" posts. They are wonderful.

 

One quick question. Is Amanda Reid on board? The last time we were on the ship, she was the Assistant Cruise Director.

 

Beth

[happyscot]

Ship's position: 50 deg 37.21' N, 022 deg 10.94' W

 

 

 

The presence of this genus had led me to completely overestimate the number of cousins onboard - I had thought they were in a comfortable majority - while in fact the Brits out number them 1100 : 800 - with the Germans third - and surprisingly few French.

 

 

 

Sounds like D-Day all over again.

[guernseyguy]

Ship's position: 45 deg 18.29' N, 050 deg 35.28' W - off the coast of Newfoundland - in fog - and north of where you know what sank.

Speed : 22.9 knots

Sea State: Slight (1.5 - 4') - the queasy one is fully recovered....as you shall read about in dinner in Todd English....

 

Breakfast in Britannia

Was in complete contrast to Day 1 - fast efficient service (after the waiter found our table - he marched us from one end of the dining room to the other looking for it.....). Why this could not have happened on day 1 I don't know - they must be used to rushes on the first day - so not coping with them must be a way of deflecting traffic into the Kings Court on subsequent days......

 

Mr Nitpicker gets it wrong - Senior Officers' Party

I had expected the Senior Officers' Party to be a bit of a come down after the last one on the final Formal night - but it actually worked pretty well (and the reason for the timing became clear - its previous spot has been nabbed by the Cunard World Club Party this evening - they always used to have the lunch time spot). There were several reasons behind this - one, the people attending (which included quite a number of TAs to swell the numbers) 'made an effort' and not a shell suit or crushed velour outfit were to be seen - people dressed elegantly - in contrast with what is to be seen about the ship during the day. Second - Cunard put on a bit of a show with a lovely buffet complete with ice sculpture - and third the 'cocktail' party for once involved 'cocktails' - Bloody Marys on arrival (along with Pol Pot - (mercifully chilled, unlike the Captain's 'cocktail' party) and red/white wine & juice - AND there were sufficient waiters willing to take orders for proper drinks - and deliver them promptly. It was all organised by Paul Hamilton of the Commodore club - so no surprise that it went well. So Mr Nitpicker's expectations were confounded and it all worked rather better than feared. As a bonus there were no speeches - the only downside was that one officer I had hoped to talk to - Ben Lyon - appeared briefly then left - but he'd just come off watch as the party was ending.

 

World Club Wine Tasting

Which unfortunately clashed with the Whisky tasting in the Commodore Club but was a nice touch - three whites, three reds - and an interesting selection of wines I might not have otherwise ordered - but will certainly consider now.

 

Dinner in Todd English

The queusy one's recovery is complete as we had our table changed four times in Todd English before they were happy - I'm usually pretty happy where I sit (I'm in a restaurant for the food), but views of the pool (apparantly thought of as the 'best seats in the house' by the staff) were rejected, as was another table - until we alighted on a banquete just the other side of the kitchen - which was deemed wonderful - even if it did include some rather curious - and rather personal - conversations from the kitchen. Food however was superb - I had the Maine crab cakes, followed by Tenderloin, then a slightly less spectacular creme brulee, while grilled squid, rack of lamb and tiramisu confirmed that a full appetite had returned. Service was also excellent.....which brings us to Mr Nitpicker.

 

Mr Nitpicker Reports

 

Dinner in Britannia

Has definitely slipped - Its still pretty good - but not as good as 4 months ago - yesterday I was struggling to work out if this had occurred - but did not really have a point of comparison - after dinner in Todd English - I did. In June dinner in Todd English was equally superb - but the gap with food in Britannia was not as great - in June Todd English was a lovely treat - but as the food in Britannia was so good, one that I could happily do only once. This voyage I definitely want to go back to Todd English again......once I get home I will compare menus from the two sailings to see if its possible to work out what has changed....but something has, and not for the better.

 

Morning Newspapers

Are being delivered in the evening - one of the delights of the QE2 is the newspaper sliding under the door in the early hours - something to read as t'other half slumbers on......now it arrives with the following day's daily programme after turn-down service in the evening - so "news" that was already pretty out of date is a further 12 hours out of date.......

 

 

Thats all for now - this afternoon has the Commodore Club's final Martini Mixology Class conducted by Paul - so thats a must-do.......

[3rdGenCunarder]

Thanks for the updates, Peter. Glad to hear the 'queasy one' is doing better. (Rack of lamb, my favorite!)

 

As an American, I am embarrassed to hear that you have been exposed to the Foghorn Woman. I usually encounter such creatures when I am standing in line for something and am trapped with no hope of escape. My pet theory is that the woman is loud because her husband's hearing is going bad. (It is a fact that mean lose their hearing earlier than women do, and that the higher range goes first--my husband says it's God's way of protecting the sanity of older men.)

 

How is the lecture program now that it isn't Oxford at Sea? And is RADA still on board?

 

I'm pleased to hear that the afternoon cocktail party was nicely done. The senior officer's party is for platinum and diamond, so they should make a decent effort.

 

Just checked the webcam--doesn't look like a nice day. I hope you get some sunshine.

 

Kathy

[seabourndt]

glad the seas have got calmer, wondering what irts going to be like on qe2 in january. have an outside on deck 5. sorry to hear the creme brulee was not so good. i have had good ones and not so good.

dave

[Kindlychap]

glad the seas have got calmer, wondering what irts going to be like on qe2 in january. have an outside on deck 5. sorry to hear the creme brulee was not so good. i have had good ones and not so good.

dave

 

Unless it is really calm, don't expect to have an outside on deck 5 on a winter crossing.

 

Matthew

[calikak]

Thank you for the excellent posts. This is a wealth of information for those with upcoming sailings!

 

The non-stop talking women remind of a character in the Emma Thompson-version of Sense and Sensibility. I don't believe this is a strictly American personality type, although we probably have perfected it. :D

[guernseyguy]

Ship's position: 42 deg 06.87' N, 063 deg 37.05' W - due south of Halifax

Speed : 22.3 knots - I've no doubt plodding Bernard retains the crown for 'most economical crossing' - we have occassionally been up at 24 knots....but not much more - looks like a great circle track most of the way across.

Sea State: Moderate (4 - 7.5')

Distance to NY: 510 nautical miles

 

Talks

Watched Stephen Payne's interesting presentation (first given on the QE2 at Glasgow on her recent 'round Britain') which was very informative - if a little unconvincing & brief when he tried to explain why the QV was a 'liner' not a 'cruise ship' - all down to extra steel in the bow - which will be useful when it goes slamming into the swells as so graphically illustrated in another presentation by deck officers on comparing the QM2's liner characteristics (long bow and greater draft) with the Freedom of the Seas and other blunt nosed shallow draft cruise ships - which are characteristics not disimilar to those of the QV.......

 

Dining in Britannia

Typical. Absolutely typical - just when you thought it was safe to conclude that the food was not quite as good as before they serve a blinder for dinner - Chateaubriand - excellent - and for the gluttonous with initiative - Lobster tail - which was delicious and not at all chewy as it had been in the past. And the Chef's parade was this time better timed (between courses) and mercifully brief. Breakfast is also now much more efficient after the first day's slow progress......so I don't know. Dinner companions have been great fun - two older British couples - so we'll have to see what tonight's 'Homecoming' dinner serves up - in the past its been rather dry Turkey.......

 

Cunard World Club Cocktail Party

And yes - they did do cocktails - strategically seated near the entrance to G32 we were able to stop passing waiters and order what we liked. The world club is so exclusive - now over 2 million members! Bernard droned (or was it burbled) for Britain - why use one word when six will do - and the Queen's Room was got up in Halloween decoration - fake cobwebs & black & orange balloons.

 

Martini Mixology

Paul Hamilton's final Martini Mixology on the QM2 was great fun - he leaves the ship in New York to join the QV - so this was his last on the QM2 which has been his home for over 4 years. The classes will continue with a different bar tender and the Commodore Club will be in the capable hands of Julie, from Scotland. We tried a classic dry, a chocolate martini, (tastes a lot better than it sounds - think of a not too sweet after-eight mint) appletini (lovely & fresh )and ginger cosmo (only available in the Commodore club, as we discovered when we tried to order elsewhare). Highly recommended - and a very convivial afternoon was had by all!

 

Cruise Critics

While some made it to the first gathering (I did, if briefly) I have only occassionally seen them again about the ship - and many of them not at all. On the June crossing when someone (I suspect the Captain's wife - Julie Rynd) put it in the Daily Programme more showed up - so if your pre-arranged gathering has a low turn out it might be worth considering asking the cruise staff to put it in the daily programme to see if that helps.

 

Mr Nitpicker Reports

 

Afternoon Tea

As Paul mentioned - it does look as though Afternoon tea is at 3.30 on all days except the first sea day - so why not have it at that time on the first day too? I could live with it being at 3.30 - early diners will want time for it to settle before dinner - but why not be consistent?

 

A Compliment

On his first crossing on the QM2 Mr Nitpicker noticed how neither the marmalade (from California) nor the toiletries (from Canyon Ranch) were remotely 'British' - now they both are - with great Gilchrist & Soames toiletries and, I think, Tiptree preseves - I'll have to look more closely at breakfast, which I'm off to now!

[exlondoner]

Tiptree tawny marmalade is sans compare. I think they always had it on QE2

[highcbob]

If Paul Hamilton is leaving QM2 in NYC to join QV, does that mean he has almost 2 months off?

 

Also, do you know who is Maitre d' on QV in Princess and also Queens Grill?

 

Thanks.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Tiptree tawny marmalade is sans compare. I think they always had it on QE2

 

I love it. Most marmalades made in the US are too sweet. My father calls ginger cats 'mamalade' cats. We named on Tiptree in honor of their excellend products.

 

Kathy

[exlondoner]

I love it. Most marmalades made in the US are too sweet. My father calls ginger cats 'mamalade' cats. We named on Tiptree in honor of their excellend products.

 

Kathy

 

And actually Tiptree make, or used to make a delicious ginger marmalade. I don't know whether it is still available.:) Jane

[guernseyguy]

If Paul Hamilton is leaving QM2 in NYC to join QV, does that mean he has almost 2 months off?

 

Far from it - he flys directly to Venice to help with finishing the fitting out - mainly moving chairs, tables, glasses etc etc.

 

Peter

[Cruiser765]

Loving the onboard reports from yourself Peter and Mr Nitpicker, thank you for sharing.(Particularly love Mr Nitpicker!!;) )

 

Looking forward to our EB T/A next year on her, and the information is truly invaluable.

 

Jackie

[guernseyguy]

Position: New York, NY - looking across at the New Yorker Hotel Sign and the West Side Piers - where I watched a QV Cousin sail last night.

 

Talks

Caught the final talk by a Woods Hole Oceanographer (forget her name & the Daily Programme is packed away with the stuff I won't be needing in New York) about the Ocean Currents in the North Atlantic - fascinating stuff - wish I'd seen her earlier ones - and a Q&A session with Lyne Truss and Cruise Director David Pepper - Lyne was great fun - I hope they bring her back on Cunard - though I doubt she'd approve of the punctuation in this paragraph, for starters......(let alone the variations seen in Queens Room, which she was asked about.....)

 

Final Sea Day

And so it starts - Immigration forms delivered - though not already filled in, as they had been in the past - but since my filled in one had had a mistake and I had to re-do it by hand, may not be a great loss. These and the customs forms were filled in before lunch and the first electric soup of the day.......The second sign of course is the luggage mat placed over one of the made up beds.....and then the luggage labels.....and the guest satisfaction questionaire........so eventually we give in and start packing before dinner - but after the 'suitcase full of dirty clothes' is done (hardly the most challenging of packing problems) we decide to head to the theatre for the fairwell show - a bit from the excellent Cunard Singers & Dancers and a flautist - in general the quality has been very good - and the onboard crew excellent - a bouquet one would rarely extend on the QE2! Commodore club for Martinis, then final Dinner. Mr Nitpicker will report. Final packing, after dinner, was pretty painless, and cases whisked away within moments of being put outside so the inevitable 'did I put it in that suitcase?' remained unanswered until we were unpacking in New York.

 

Final checks earlier in the day had included SIGNING THE CRUISE CRITICS VISITORS' LOG in the Library - which has had very few signatures since I was last onboard in June....and posting my questionaires - the winner will apparently get their bar bill paid - but since in my case this would involve Carnival Corp having to file a 'Material Change' with the SEC I guess its not going to happen (it doesn't). A quick sweep of deck 3 showed the bars pretty quiet - so I retired for the night - while the now fully recovered queasy one (finally) did well in the Casino by matching the bets of a completely sloshed Frenchman (I knew there was a winning strategy out there somewhere....) before deciding it was too late to go to bed and decided to stay up all night.....a decision paid for heavily in New York.....

 

Arrival

Having arrived in NY twice already this year I decided to do my viewing from my balcony - if anything watching us sail under the Verazzano Narrow's bridge is more startling as it barely looks as though the Ship's Bridge will make it..let alone the mast or funnel......then as there's nowt much to see as we arrive in Brooklyn it was back to bed.

 

Disembarkation

Although entitled to use Todd English as a waiting lounge its a bit of a trek from the Lobby - so we decided to malinger there instead, so we could be off quickly to try to get near the front of the Imigration queue - which we managed to do - and got out in time to see the one taxi taken.....but since the town car (with a bigger boot) was only a bit more - decided to take that to mid-town, where I now write this.

 

Mr Nitpicker Reports

 

Britannia

Typical. Absolutely typical - you praise a place for having sorted out breakfast - then on your penultimate day you wait over half an hour.....I wonder if its the location in the restaurant that is the issue - as on both occassions where we had slow service we were forward port-side - and fast service aft, starboard.....or it could be a complete coincidence.

 

Arriving for disembarkation breakfast I skimmed over a section described as 'Express Breakfast' - reminds me of cool coffee and stale criossants in a hotel lobby - but once, after questioning the waiter, it became clear that 'Express' meant 'express' service - i.e. I could have the food quickly - I opted for that. While I'm not at my sharpest at 6.30 in the morning.....I do wonder if others were similarly confused - I think it could be explained more clearly. Anything involving eggs appears to slow things down at Britannia breakfast. And as for dinner - after the penultimate night's barnstormer we were back to 'good, but not great' - I've got the menus, so once I am back home I can compare and contrast.

 

Whatever the vicisitudes of Britannia breakfast.....and while it was slower....it will probably beat today's breakfast.....now where did my friends (now out to work) say they kept the cereal bowls......;)

[stowaway2k]

Motormouth Matrons

The cousins will be able to advise, as I have not observed this species on my side of the pond (possibly they are there - just quieter) but there appears to be a certain genus of late-middle age North American female who appears to believe if she stops talking she will die.

 

:eek:

The last time I was on QM2, this very subject came up... ;)

Perhaps it's the sea air?

[Wadadli1]

 

:eek:

The last time I was on QM2, this very subject came up... ;)

Perhaps it's the sea air?

 

Nope. There are plenty of the land-based variety as well!

[RobertQM2]

Position: New York, ............... had included SIGNING THE CRUISE CRITICS VISITORS' LOG in the Library - which has had very few signatures since I was last onboard in June........

 

Hello Peter, I really enjoyed your diary which ist great to read through. I made the same experience with the CCs Log in Aug., very few known are to find in there. Maybe some who just marked with their real name and not their nick. So I wrote mine both in big letters.

 

Have a great time in NYC and enjoy some of the broadway shows.

[Jimsgirl]

Hullo guernseyguy

 

Like you was on the QM2 , must agree with your comments on the breakfast, first day, after three attempts to get waffles , I gave up. Then on another day I order the Melon plate, followed by bacon, eggs and sausages, and a toasted bagel- no melon but got the ordered hot breakfast, then after I had eaten that but before the bagel, got the missing melon plate!

 

As for the last day, asked for just a toasted bagel, waited 30 mins, then asked "where is my toasted bagel" told "it is coming, another 15 mins, then asked again (getting anxious about time by now) finally after 55 mins I got one toasted bagel, but by this time there was no butter or jam left on the table!!!!!!

 

Thank goodness dinner was altogether different, great waiter, food was 95% good, though they certainly did not put the Grand Marnier in the souffle.

 

I enjoyed the cruise (did B2B from 19th) to my suprise I did get invite to THAT TABLE under the tapestry.

 

Booked to go again in March, to the Caribbean , it will be interesting to see if the ambience is different .

[guernseyguy]

Position: New York, NY - looking across at the New Yorker Hotel Sign

 

One thing struck me this evening as I watched the sign light up as the sun set - this (formerly) very grand hotel has a sign, proclaiming its name to the city:

 

 

So which way does it point? South, towards Wall Street? North, towards the hustle and bustle of Times Square? No, it faces West - across about 4 blocks to the river. And why would it face that way? Because thats where Luxury Liner Row lay.....where passengers disembarking from the Normandie or the Queen Mary would see its 6 storey high illuminated sign welcoming them to another triumph of Art Deco. But now, no one arrives there - they merely disembark from a cruise. Sic transit.......

 

Peter

[Finch]

Thank you, Peter. I really enjoyed your report. Hope that you have a safe trip home.

[Wadadli1]

Peter! Come up for a visit. We're only an hour away from NYC. Go to Grand Central and get on the Harlem Line train to Brewster or Southeast or Goldens Bridge. Any of the above are in the "hour away' category. Goldens Bridge is the cheapest, Southeast is closest to where we work. Come on up and have a visit!

 

We've got no museums or sites to see, but we'd love to consider you as something to behold. :p

 

 

PS: sparky.angela AT gmail.com--why not see some more of the beloved cousins' country? I think you should. 0_o

[Calliope]

Thanks, Peter, and Mr. Nitpicker, I enjoyed each and every one of your words!

 

Frank

[Captaintandem]

Welcome to New York, and thank you for a most entertaining and informative transatlantic run! Hope your visit is good.

[Toffeegirl68]

....before deciding it was too late to go to bed and decided to stay up all night.....a decision paid for heavily in New York.....

 

Ah yes, been there, done that, but it seems such a good idea at the time!

- It was fascinating to see the pilot and armed police escort climb on to the ship via a rope ladder though.