ddgarner1

Do QM2 passengers wear their workout clothing to the fitness center?   I've seen a reference to lockers in the spa area and am curious is there are lockers available in the fitness area.   

I’ve been diligently practicing scone deconstruction for the past month.  Now I’m concerned that I won’t fit in my tux next week on the QM2!  

12 minutes ago, Underwatr said:

I'm not gonna say that I hate it yet, but somebody has definitely moved my cheese.

There is always the potential that our cheese has not been moved, but consumed by the dreaded IT gremlin who had no idea the cheese was important, like ALL the links in Hattie's "Welcome to the Cunard Board" posting, some of the most valuable information for new Cunard TA travelers like myself. 

It would appear that the Roll Call database has yet to be migrated.  Ugh.

We always endeavor to be punctual on the first evening. After that, on many voyages, we've been able to convince our table-mates to meet in one of the bars/lounges before dinner and then enter the dining room together, usually fashionably late (no more than 10 minutes). Doing so allowed our wait staff to take orders from their other tables and decant our wine before we arrived together. More than one head waiter expressed his appreciation for our "efficiency." The occasional mistake aside, if one is dining at an 8 or 10 top, it's just rude to keep others waiting.

That number also does not ring via cell phone or land line from Denver. (at 1:30 pm MDT)

When I booked a solo TA (Oct. 25) from NY to Southampton on the QM2 a couple of months ago, I did it directly with Cunard. The agent asked several questions about my large table preference which suggested to me that there might be a "notes" section in the electronic reservation which would be of use in table assignments.The agent was particularly interested in the fact that I've lived in France, Belgium and the UK with experience in the US diplomatic service and normally spend most of September in London every year for the Proms.

There certainly is no harm is anyone discussing with one's travel agent or Cunard rep the specifics of one's dining preferences.

Here is a link to the real time conditions in the Atlantic:

http://www.surf-forecast.com/weat her_maps/North-Atlantic?type=htsgw&&over=none&

Phil, if you are returning to the UK aboard the QM2 on Oct. 25th, I hope I run into you on board and have the opportunity to buy you and your lady a celebratory birthday drink. It's my first time on the QM2 myself and am looking forward to it. I'm frankly a bit jealous that you shall have been in the company of the National Symphony. If I had researched the schedule better, I could have booked Southampton to NY and return.

My wife and I have been cruising for over 25 years, mostly on RCCL. More often than not we have occupied either the Royal Suite or the Owners' Suite and have enjoyed the sitting at the Captain's table on many nights. My wife has most often been happy with our accommodations and our dining companions. In Oct., I'm beginning to attack my bucket list beginning with a TA crossing on the QM2, in steerage, inside, solo. My wife is staying home, believing that absent numerous ports of call for shopping and sightseeing, the thought of "just me" and lots of ocean would make her uncomfortable at some (early) point during the 8 days at sea. I've always been perfectly happy roaming the ships, making new friends among both passengers and crew, particularly in the bars, library, casino and at a large table for dinner. I've always found that some combination of sincerity, humility, courtesy, as well as a smile and ready laugh overcome almost all things otherwise offensive to proper decorum. In fact, some of the best times I've experienced afloat have been with the crew when a couple have sneaked me into the crew bar or one time I was invited to join some crew members in Georgetown at a local bar they frequented during a brief opportunity for them to escape the ship. We've lived in Europe, and in the UK we have experienced the vestiges of those who are "class conscious." (Many were all-too-kind to explain such things to their poor Colonial cousins from the Americas... ) Perhaps I'm naive, and will be enlightened during my crossing, but I don't expect that my election of an inside cabin, eschewing Queens Grille, will make one bit of difference to me or to those with whom I interact.

My boarding time in NYC is 3 pm. Perhaps, by then, with so many others having boarded early, my boarding shall be absent any long queue following a late leisurely lunch in Red Hook.

Remember you should avoid alcohol with these drugs.

There you go, taking away all the fun of watching people who took their meds and still enjoyed the wine. ;p

If you are on the October 25th from NYC, you will see me there! I'm staying on deck 10 - no where near the old or newly rich - staying in an inside ;-)

I'm also scheduled to occupy an inside cabin on deck 5, solo, on Eastward Oct. 25 crossing. Thankfully the wife has other obligations that week or she would be breaking the bank for one of those very nice Queens Grill suites.

Daily notes and tips.

 

 

 

 

• We received new CWC pins in a new design
  
• Tip (especially if you have difficulty with stairs) Sit in a side section in Illuminations (non-Planetarium). When leaving Illuminations, rather than joining the crowd of salmon swimming upstream, go to the less-used side aisles and walk down to the exits on either side of the stage. (Not the doors marked, "do not open") - the second set of doors have a bar on the right door to open. This lets you out right next to the A stairwell elevators - thus saving not only the walk up the auditorium stairs, but the walk down the 3L corridor past the theater to the B elevators.
  DO NOT ever enter through the doors (which should be locked in that direction anyway)
  
• Passing on another tip from a very frequent cruiser - If you have trouble finding available washing machines, try the laundrettes on Deck 10 & 11. As he explained, "the rich don't wash their own clothes."
  

- Mark

Good stuff. Thanks, Mark, although I'm reminded that maybe the newly rich became that way because they washed their own clothes. I'll use the ones on deck 10 and 11 at the end of October, do a user survey and report back accordingly.

Properly baked scones abhor a knife. Twisting the scone slowly, left hand clockwise and right hand counter-clockwise while raising the score below one's nose allows the aroma of the scone to delightfully defuse. A knife, my friend from the 22nd Regiment once instructed me, holds to an entirely different purpose unfit for civilized company.

Other important lessons from the Desert Storm era: "Jam then clotted cream, milk then tea. We're soldiers, not savages!" Thank you, Sir Peter!

"We had a kettle: we let it leak:

Our not repairing it made it worse.

We haven't had any tea for a week....

The bottom is out of the Universe!"

~Rudyard Kipling, "Natural Theology"

Our only celebrity cruise ship encounter was with Susan Anton (a Dudley Moore Ex) over a decade ago on a long Royal Caribbean cruise out of Miami. We were in signature suite opposite the one occupied by Ms Anton (which had a grand piano) and we quickly became acquainted. In short, her accompanist came down with the flu and my wife volunteered my services to Susan as I'd been a performing musician for four decades. She accepted, and I spent about four hours in rehearsal with her over two days. Her pianist recovered and played for her two concerts toward the end of the week. During the last one, she unexpectedly asked me to accompany her on one song (The Beatles "In My Life) which was incredibly kind of her. She is a lovely woman with a charming voice.

As a former Hollywood TV Production company owner, I've encountered lots of celebs. The humble and grateful ones were nearly always friendly if not too busy corralling children or being followed around by tourists or paparazzi. The funniest encounter I've witnessed was in a Santa Monica, Calif., bank. My business partner, who was a major MTV personality years ago, and I were there to sign account signature cards. As we approached a teller, the young woman recognized my business partner and screamed, then shouting, "It's Beth! Oh, my God, it's Beth!" People in that area of the bank area immediately came to a halt and worriedly looked in our direction. Beth immediately laughed, and the teller was embarrassed when she realized what she had done. The branch manager came over, very concerned that we would be upset, but Beth's response was typical, "With a few thousand more fans like her, I'd have my own show." I would have thought bank employees in the LA area who see celebs all the time would be immune, but it was a good reminder that talented actors do make personal, one-on-one connections with people through TV and film. By all means, approach any celeb. If they don't respond warmly to you, it's their loss, not yours.

With the exception of the Woodford Reserve, I'm not particularly excited about the QM2's bar. I shall have to bring a bottle of Knob Creek 2001 for my late Oct. crossing and hope for at least one very dark and stormy night.

One practical solution I've used in the past, should your luggage not fit under the bed when closed, is to leave your luggage opened when pushing it under the bed. You only need 1/2 of the depth of your luggage, although it does take up twice as much floor space under your bed (Not like you were going to use that space for anything else!)

I don't do afternoon tea as I can't eat four meals a day - I sometimes skip lunch as well. The late sitting is too late for me to eat and it also clashes with the ballroom dancing in the Queen's Room.

 

Daisy

Then the first seating is perfect for you. Enjoy!

I'm in the fitness center 90 minutes in the morning and again, 90 minutes, in the afternoon. The late seating is perfect for my metabolism and gives me sufficient carbs to be on the dance floor for a couple of hours.

I agree, I fail to understand why the first sitting is so popular. After all it's only two hours between afternoon tea and dinner.

This fact was the reason I opted for the late seating. The logic is unassailable. :halo:

Not at all! I thought about making a new thread for them just to help future searchers even.

These programmes were not easy to find a 2nd time. I wish I had saved them after the initial discovery. So, you now have further evidence that your substantial contribution here lives on. As a first-time Cunard crossing novice (Eastbound, Oct 26), I have plenty of time to become familiar with the type and number of events. Clearly I'll need more than one crossing to benefit from all the options which apparently are available.

Good luck, zhuskers1, you'll have no power problem given the location of the 110 outlet by the bed.

BTW, I did use our upcoming May journey onboard the LS Vidar to upgrade from a CPAP to a new dental appliance to increase the airway opening and airflow. It's fully medicare covered and light years ahead of the CPAP I'd used.