Jack E Dawson

Richard,

Thank you for responding to my question and for the excellent information. 

The pictures of the Britannia Club dining room are very interesting. I had not realized that it is quite a bit nicer then the area allocated for BC dining on the QM2.

Jack

David,

I also fretted about this prior to our first crossing on the QM2 in 2017. We had booked a year in advance and it seemed that I worried about seasickness every day for that year. As it turned out, much to do about nothing. Even on the one day when we had gale force winds and rough seas, there was no sense of motion sickness and our cabin was on deck 12 forward. No medication, patch or shot from the infirmary was required. The QM2 is an amazingly stable ship. We have done 2 crossings now and have a third voyage booked. While this is purely antidotal, I do think that it helped that part of our daily routine on the ship was to take a brisk walk on the promenade deck each morning shortly after breakfast. Being out in the fresh cool air with the smell of the ocean and being able to see the horizon provided a quick learning curve for our sea-legs. 

You will have the time of your lives. Enjoy.

Jack

On 5/6/2019 at 11:59 AM, fizzy1 said:

I thought Southampton to Ny was Westbound when clocks go back and Ny to Southampton is Eastbound when you loose time as clocks go foward ?  

Fizzy1,

You are correct, SH to NYC is Westbound, or as I put it "East to West". I think we are both saying the same thing, that going from the East side of the Atlantic to the West side offered an extra hour on 5 of the at-sea days.

Jack

Richard,

What a GREAT review of a GREAT voyage. Thanks for taking the time to cover so many aspects of the trip that will be helpful on future bookings.

I do have one question. I recently booked a 17 night cruise on the QV for 2021 going from Ft. Lauderdale to San Francisco via the Panama Canal. There will only be 5 port days so we are looking forward to all of the warm sunny sea days. We are currently in Britannia Club (for the anytime dining) but wonder if we need to try and upgrade to Princess Grills for access to the Grills outside deck? Lounging in deck chairs and watching the ocean go by is our favorite onboard activity. I don't think we will be interested in the Grills alfresco dining since it didn't look like there was a view of the ocean. Your advice on this will be greatly appreciated as well as from anyone else who wants to weigh in.

Jack

princeton123211,

Thanks for the tip.

Having stayed there, your rooftop restaurant recommendation carries a lot of weight. We are looking for some place to organize a dinner for our group of 8 the night before the voyage begins. 

Thanks

Jack

Thanks TrapperZimmy. Actually, 75-90 euros is less than I expected, however, I will still take your advice and have that glass of wine. 

No, that was not me who had the SeaDream luggage tag. Before retiring 4 years ago I was Director of International sales for the company I worked for and spent considerable time on airplanes over that 27 year period. So it is likely we shared a flight somewhere. 

JES4845, thank you for your good advice as well. Perhaps I can return the favor here. Having seen The Hotel Danieli in the movie The Tourist, starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp, my wife and I have wanted to stay there if we ever visited Venice. While looking at their web site, I was surprised to see that it is owned by Marriott. So we were able to use Marriott points for our stay. 

Jack

A few questions please.

What is the cost of hiring a gondola for a romantic tour? (I suspect I should be sitting down when I read the answer)

What is the approximate cost to take the Alilguna (is that the same as the vaporetto?) from the airport to the Hotel Danieli and about how long will it take.

Thanks

Jack

So here we are in May Airugo. How was the crossing? Was the dress code too much for you or was it one of those "jump in the deep end" experiences that you will always remember. Please share your adventure with those of us between QM2 sailings.

Dee

Lovetotraveltx,

DON'T DO IT, don't go west to east. For 5 of the 7 days, at 1:00PM in the afternoon, the ships clock will be moved forward one hour to 2:00PM, robbing you of one hour of the most primo time of the day. If you go East to West (SH to NYC), on 5 nights the ship's clock will be moved BACK from 2:00AM to 1:00AM, giving you an extra hours sleep, You may pay more for an East to West crossing but you will NEVER regret it. 

Jack

Sorry that this picture is so cluttered but I hope it helps.

Jack

On 3/22/2019 at 3:33 PM, MCC retired said:

In the US , yes you can specify if you are willing to take either Any Upgrade or only a upgrade to the next level (ex: Oceanview to Balcony)

Can be done by your TA or calling .

MCC retired,

Thanks for the excellent information. I did not realize that I had choices. Last Friday I called Cunard directly (in California) and spoke to an agent. She explained that I had 3 options in requesting an upgrade. 1. Take anything that is offered, 2. Specify only accept an upgrade to the next major category and 3. Specify that you will only take an upgrade if you stay on the same side of the ship (port or starboard). Of course the Cunard Upgrade Fairy is one of the most mysterious and elusive creatures in the world but we will see what happens. Regardless, we have booked a great cabin that I know we will be happy in. 

Thanks again MCC retired.

Jack

5 hours ago, babs135 said:

I've been following this thread with interest.   I have often wondered about joining the class but as someone who cannot draw a straight line even with a ruler I've been a little worried that I might make a complete fool of myself.

 

Jack, you have gone some way to allay my fears, but can you give me an idea of how many out of the class you attended were absolutely complete novices?  I keep thinking I might be the 'one' in a class of budding Rembrandts 🤣

Babs135,

It was split pretty evenly, 1/3 never evers, 1/3 I've done a little and 1/3 very accomplished. I wish I had taken some pictures of the art show so you could see the range of talent. I was clearly the worst but enjoyed every minute of it and learned much more then I thought I would. Our instructor was amazing at pulling the creativity out of each student. The whole atmosphere of the class was very encouraging and supportive. But it is a commitment and there is a lot of work involved. It was probably day 3 before all of the techniques and lessons started to come together to be able to create a satisfying painting. 

Hope this is helpful.

Jack

Here is what the kit includes. It's my understanding that the brushes were of very good quality.

13 hours ago, LongRiver said:

Joining the Sky tomorrow and I agree with Captain Morgan.  If you think how well the rooms and ship are maintained when we are on board, without passengers and everyone getting involved I have no doubt everything we be fine.  

I hope you will be able to post an assessment.

Thanks

Jack

On 4/2/2019 at 11:26 AM, Bubbalikesme said:

Still a bit concerned that they are rushing this to get us on ship for sat. Would have preferred they take another week to fix everything. I think it becomes a money issue for them

We leave tomorrow for Copenhagen . Hope to see a lot of the sights before we transfer to ship on sat.

I hope you will be able to post your assessment of how well the ship was repaired.

Thanks,

Jack

VintageCCG, I think we are both saying the same thing, the QM2 is an incredibly stable ship. On the day we hit the gale force winds and rough seas, I estimate that the seas were 20'-30' high but it's hard for me to tell since the QM2 and the North Atlantic are both so larger than life but in any case, the motion was insignificant. If you check out  HGQM2-2017 on YouTube you can judge for yourself. 

Getting back to Just2guys original posting, I would strongly recommend an East to West crossing in Club with a port side cabin. Cabin 12033 is a starboard side cabin and is somewhat close to the pool area and the afternoon live music. We sailed in 12022 and the location was excellent. A port side cabin on a west bound crossing ensures balcony sun and a great view of he Statue of Liberty upon entrance to New York harbor. 

Jack 

I took the water color classes on our last crossing, this past September, and throughly enjoyed them. On our trip, there was no actual sign-up. You just showed up for the first class but would recommend showing up at least 15 min early so you can gather your materials, get settled and organized. The classes are held in the Britannia main dining room on the top level, port side. The option of morning classes and afternoon classes are offered. The classes are an hour long and are every day. The first 20 minutes was usually devoted to a specific technique or two and the last 40 minutes to a project involving that day's technique(s). There is usually about 30 minutes of homework which I did before class each morning. We started with about 30 people in our class but lost about 1/3 of the class after the first day when they found out what the commitment was. Over the week we lost a couple of more people. The last day is actually an art show combining both morning and afternoon classes. The skill level of the participants varied from complete novice (like me) to extremely skilled artist. Our instructor was amazing. After the technique lesson, she would spend the rest of the class working individually with each student. I always felt that I received plenty of individual attention. All materials are provided but there is a small charge. 

MY DAY ONE PROJECT - Blending colors

MY DAY FIVE PROJECT 

ONE OF THE MORE ACCOMPLISHED STUDENT'S PROJECT

It was all great fun, very satisfying and made many new friends. 

Thanks MT, exactly the information I was looking for.

We will be taking the Empires of the Mediterranean cruise departing out of Venice. This will be our first time on Viking. The schedule shows an 11:00PM (23:00) departure. I was wondering if we will be able to check-in around 11:00AM, drop our bags (I know our room won't be ready till mid afternoon) and then depart for some additional Venice sightseeing. Our plan would be to return to the ship around 5:00PM (17:00). Is that something Viking will allow us to do? Is the dock location such that we could easily get back to the sight seeing areas?

Thanks,

Jack

Bluemarble is correct, that is the old Veranda menu on a poorly updated Cunard web site.

Jack

Deimos,

I can't imagine anyone not enjoying a crossing on the QM2, even if on the three formal nights you eat at one of the four alternate smart casual dining venues. On the other four non-formal nights of the crossing, a sports coat is all that is required in the main dining room. (tie optional but no jeans). If you do decide on Cunard, I would encourage you to consider bringing a tux and giving formal nights a try. Putting on a jacket and bow tie really isn't all that bad. Who knows, you might even like the atmosphere and people you find yourself with. If you don't own a tux, you can buy one from a reputable rental shop for under 250 pounds. On the other hand, Cunard may not be for you (e.g. I'll never eat Brussel sprouts). There are many great cruise lines out there doing crossings where smart casual is the dress code. Traveling on the QM2 is a unique experience in many different ways, best enjoyed if you are open to embracing new experiences and stepping a little bit out of your comfort zone. 

Jack

The 

I might be able to shed a little light on this, based on our own recent experience. The Auckland to Brisbane trip is a segment on the QV Around the World Voyage. When these World Voyages were put on the market last month, Cunard (or their computer algorithms) first allocated cabins for passengers making the entire voyage, then cabins were allocated by segment. In this way it would avoid a situation where someone wanted to book the entire World Voyage but couldn't get on because all of he cabins were taken on the Auckland to Brisbane segment.

So far, my wife and I have only made crossings on the QM2. On our last one, this past September, we set out a goal(dream) to try and sail completely around the world east to west), in annual continuous segments, and to experience all three (four?) Cunard ships. When we tried to get on the Ft. Lauderdale to San Francisco for January 2019 it was already sold out. Unfortunately that segment, sailing east to west, is only offered every other year. So when they had the 2021 World Club pre-sale a few weeks ago, I was on the phone with Cunard 30 minutes after their California offices opened at 5:00AM their time, 7:00AM my time. The booking was quickly made but there were only 4 cabins to choose from. Fortunately we were able to get a good cabin location. That afternoon I called Cunard back with a minor question and happened to get he same agent. After answering my question she also mentioned that that segment was now sold out.  Sure enough, when I checked on line, that segment wasn't even shown. Then the next day it was shown but all categories were marked as sold out. My guess is that when it gets closer to final payment time, there will be cancellations and cabins will become available, but who knows. 

Hope this helps.

Jack

Here is some quick math based on estimated deck heights above the waterline showing the amount of motion (side to side) one would experience for various degrees of roll on the QM2. 

                    1 degree of roll*             3 degrees of roll*            5 degrees of roll*         

Deck 4               1.5' (.46m)                     4.5' (1.38m)                   7.4' (2.28m)

Deck 8               2.9' (.89m)                     8.7' (2.62m)                 14.5' (4.45m)

Deck 12             4.0' (1.23m)                 12.0' (3.69m)                 20.0' (6.15m)

*each way, e.g. 1 degree of roll to port followed by 1 degree of roll to starboard

Please allow a wide degree of margin for errors in my math. 

With that said, when we stayed on Deck 12 and experienced gale force winds and rough seas, the motion in our cabin still allowed for the pouring of a properly filled glass of champagne. In my mind, this is probably the best way to measure the stability of this great ship.

Jack

We have two favorites in London. The first is the Trafalgar St. James. As the name indicates, it is located right on Trafalgar Square. This hotel is part of the new Hilton Curio Collection. Hilton has been buying up classic hotels around the world and restoring them to their original grandeur. The St James is more of a boutique hotel and the location is excellent. 

The second hotel is the Marriott London County Hall. This grand hotel is located in the old London City Hall building behind the London Eye and is a 3 minute walk to Parliament and Westminster Abby. The law library has been preserved and is used for a grand afternoon tea. Should you stay at either hotel, we highly recommend enjoying a pint of two at the Lord of the Half Moon pub on Whitehall, 1/2 block from Trafalgar Square. 

Jack

WELL DONE!!!!!!

I hope you will post a trip review.

Jack