steve1young

5 hours ago, frankp01 said:

...and it's about a 5 minute Walk (if even that) from the ferry dock to the cruise terminal. 

It’s literally a 3 minute walk, but only if you walk very slowly. There are no issues with over-crowding on this particular line. There’s plenty of room to maneuver luggage. The ferry is logistically very ‘easy on’ and ‘easy off’ with luggage, and the crew is very helpful/patient. The ticket vending machine is easy to use and credit card chip compatible, and the app is the best way to go.

It’s truly a beautifully stunning site/experience to approach the QM2 from this ferry. Takes your breath away. Enjoy!

Too funny. 

Gentlemen’s Haircut $38

31 minutes ago, Cathygh said:

I am going on a Cunard cruise soon. Before I saw this thread I was worried about being under dressed. Now I think I might be ott for the smart attire nights.

I’m planning a dark blue suit with a different mix of ties/vests/pocket squares for each of the smart evenings, and ordering a fresh boutonnière for a navy tuxedo for each of the gala evenings. It’s all totally out of character for me. I never dress up, and despise wearing ties. But I couldn’t be more excited to dive into this and have a blast. The point is, do your thing and enjoy yourself. And please do tell us about it. 

Hello Roy, I so appreciate you posting the Daily Programmes. They’ve been fun to follow. Will you be correcting the links to May 19, 20? They repeat the May 17, 18 links. Thank you, Roy. Hope all is well!

10 minutes ago, Newleno said:

Hello and good day, We have not traveled  on Cunard (we are frugal travelers with only undergraduate degrees).  I dont think Cunard passengers (during specified seating times for dinner) would be interested in conversations on how we save money by  taking the megabus instead of amtrac or how we save money by walking from penn station to the pier instead of a taxi. etc.   Frankly I think you would find us boring and possibly low class dinner companions.  So as not to bother anyone we would just eat all our meals at the buffet, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  So my question is, is this possible?  Can we just eat all meals at the buffet by ourselves?

 

(There is a decent priced cruise from nyc to hamburg, with a stop in southhampton, we would like to go to stonehenge (southhampton), this cruise seems like a very econmical way.  I priced out hotels, airfare, etc and this cruise well the numbers seem similar (as opposed to just 3 nights in england if we flew round trip), we have been to London before and we just need a day trip to see stonhenge (heck taxes on airfare alone coming out of London is about $181, plus the trains back and forth to London,  expenses etc, well like I said this cruise may be the way to go)

 

Thank you 

Personally, I think it would be a pleasure to share a table with you. How long do you plan on staying in Hamburg? And where?

On 5/14/2019 at 9:57 AM, orvil said:

Call me a rebel.  I love to dress for dinner.  But on the night of the Black and White ball, I wore bright red chiffon.  It was fun amongst all those beautifully black and white clad people in the ballroom.  Someone had to make a statement.  

I'm sure you looked absolutely stunning. Would love to have been there. Cheers, Orvil.

Hello David, Everyone is different, and different people experience different levels of sensitivity to motion sickness in different types of situations. Likewise, what works for some does not work for all. I would recommend conducting a few experiments in plenty of time before you sail. You may want to try one of the 'over-the-counter' remedies, and replicate a motion sickness situation for yourself: possibly trying to read a book in a vehicle while someone else is driving. First, see if that does indeed bring on your motion sickness, and then see if the remedy works works for you. Consider experimenting a few different times with a few different remedies, including the patch. That's my plan. I hope you find a plan that works for you, and provides you a level of comfort for your upcoming adventure. Enjoy!

Hello, My strategy would be to obtain phone coverage (talk and text) via AT&T, and use it while in ports, and travelling through Panama. And then possibly augment that by renting a portable wifi unit. Neither of these options would work for you when you’re at sea, but it sounds like your trip is relatively Panama and port intensive, so that’s what I would focus on in order to stay as closely linked to my 11-year old as possible. Well, within reason. [insert wink, wink]

I have AT&T as well. I would recommend their 'International Day Pass' option, which charges you $10/day per device, per 24-hr period, for only the days you use (covers you in Panama, and more than 100 other countries). This would allow you unlimited Talk and Text. Your Data use would follow your current domestic data plan. For more information, simply search for "International Options" after signing on to your account via the AT&T website. If using more than 6 days, I go with the 30-day International Plan option at $60, Talk at an additional $0.35/minute and unlimited text. When you start exploring your options on the AT&T website, choose the ‘Land Travel’ option, and go from there by choosing the relevant countries for your adventure.

In order to have more wifi/data options, I usually supplement this by renting a portable wifi unit. This can be a bit pricey, but might be worth looking into. You can google "panama enabled portable wifi" to explore your options and pricing. You could have the device shipped to your home address before leaving, and then return it by post upon your return to the states. Some of the options are Panama-specific. Some are global. Personally, I love using these portable wifi units. But again, you’re only going to have access to a wifi signal when you’re in a port or travelling through Panama. Same with the phone services via AT&T.

Happy and safe travels!

Phenomenal pictures! Thank you for sharing.

16 hours ago, Radar boomer said:

 

Maybe it's just me, but somehow I don't think Shelley Winters would have fit in and up that skinny a tree.

On 11/18/2018 at 9:50 AM, BklynBoy8 said:

Ditto to how steve1young describe the feeling.

 

Being a survivor that morning's attack on 9-11, how beautiful they designed the memorial site. If you get a chance try to include the Museum at the site. It will truly give you a the true meaning and visible results of the attack itself. A true reflection of what was experienced that morning.

 

If you are walking from the Wall Street Ferry/Staten Island Ferry you can walk thru Battery Park and view the Sphere with it's memorial flame that once stood in the middle of the World Trade Center Plaza till that morning. It was moved to that site but was thought to be included in the memorial but space was not available. You will see the damage to it from the falling building debris.

 

Enjoy NYC, the Big Apple..... 

Hi BklynBoy8, They've finally moved the Sphere to what I think to be a beautiful and honorary spot in Liberty Park (the elevated park across the street from and overlooking the south side of the 9/11 Memorial Park). It sounds like the Sphere was very important to you. I'm hoping you get to see it there, and approve of its new position. Regards, Steve

Hi Ann, St. Paul's Chapel is just East of the 9/11 memorial site, so figure about a 16 minute walk from the Wall Street Ferry Terminal. St. Paul's Chapel is a very moving place to visit. I haven't been there in a while, but I'm welling up just thinking about it. I'm interested in hearing more about the walking tour you found. Cheers, Steve

Hi Smokey, Good question. I just ran a little test by placing my phone in airplane mode and trying to access the ticket purchase feature, and it appears to work fine. So you should be good. Regards, Steve

Hi Ann, What he said. Plus, you can use a cc at the ticket machine at the ferry terminal, or simply use the NYC Ferry app, which I recommend. It's actually pretty cool, as far as those types of apps go. Enjoy! Steve

Hi Bigmike, The deck plan is actually on the US site, but they sure don't make it very easy to find. LOL. From the Cunard homepage, click on 'Our Ships', then click on 'Overview' for the ship you want to view further, then scroll down a bit until you get to the group of square pics outlined in bronze, then click on the bottom right-hand square for 'Deck Plans'. Then have a drink! You've earned it. Cheers, Steve

The ferry is only a 2-3 minute walk from the cruise terminal. The World Trade Center Memorial is only an 18 minute walk from the Wall Street ferry terminal (a little less than a mile).

Hope you enjoy thee museum. I'm a fan of the above-ground memorial space, but I was hesitant to visit the below-ground museum. I finally booked a tour, and found it to be one of the best tours I've taken. It's certainly emotional, but amazingly well done. If possible, I highly recommend booking tickets in advance for a tour of the below-ground museum.

Hi Syracuse, I found these two discussions very helpful in formulating my own Southampton plan. Hope you do too!

There's actually a subway station (Wall Street Station, Subway Lines: 2 and 3) just 5 blocks from the Manhattan pier (Manhattan Pier 11 / Wall St.); roughly the same distance from the pier as South Street Seaport.

4 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Thanks for that.  I was watching QM2 sail out of the harbor yesterday on

http://nyharborwebcam.com

and could not figure out why QM2 suddenly stopped and rotated 360 degrees.

Roy

I too was watching her little pirouette on the webcam, and couldn't figure out what it was all about because the aircraft carrier wasn't in the webcam view. Now it makes sense. She sure does look elegant when she 'turns on a dime' like that. :)

Thanks BlueMarble. This is very exciting. I'll be in Hamburg to see her arrive and depart on 27.10.19, and then arrive and depart on 01.11.19 (onboard).

If anyone is interested, following are my notes on one of the Hamburg harbor tour companies that runs a 'QM2 Departure Escort' party for most of her Hamburg departures. I'm hoping to do this on 27.10.19. It sounds like a blast.

QM2 Departure Escort!
•    Departure Escort with ‘Gregors GmbH & Maritime Circle Line’, board at St. Pauli Landungsbrücken (Brücke 10), usually 18:30-20:30, €29
•    “Begleitfahrt der Queen Mary 2” (Accompanying cruise of the Queen Mary 2)
•    “Who has not heard the muffled, heavy and unmistakable Tuten of Mary? On board the barge you can feel it even close up in the stomach tingling ... We drive from the Landungsbrücken to observe the depositing maneuver up close. Afterwards we accompany the queen of the seas down the Elbe and swing the handkerchiefs to the passengers high up on the railing.”
•    Book Online, Cash Bar, Red Boats “Maritime-Circle Line”, maybe ‘Ballinstadt’
•   https://gregors-hamburg.de/feste-und-events/highlights-des-jahres/begleitfahrt-queen-mary-2/
 

Pepperrn, I'm not sure if I've expressed to you how much I thoroughly enjoy your sets of Cunard pics on Flickr. If I already have, then please forgive me, but it certainly deserves repeating. And, I'm sure many here feel similarly. I especially appreciate the way you present the pics in continuity. For instance, I can look through your pictures one-by-one on one screen, and follow along 'virtually' walking through the ship's deck plans on the other screen. It really brings the tour to life. Just love it. Thank you so much!

1) What is the earliestfeasible ferry to catch from Red Hook taking into account thedisembarkation time and the time to clear immigration. On the weekendthere is a ferry departing Red Hook at 7:32, would this be 'doable' ? Or wouldthe next one at 8:17 be more practical?

You don’t have to choose a time when you purchase a ticket, as you will purchase a general admission ticket. If you purchase your ticket on the NYC Ferry app, which is actually pretty swell, you’ll ‘activate’ your ticket on your device just before you show it to the ticket-taker upon embarking the ferry. The ticket will remain active and reusable for a full 90 minutes after activation.

Hope you have a wonderful journey.

I've found that in general, celebrities appreciate being treated no differently than regular people that you meet onboard. They generally don't like to be approached just for the sake of their being a celebrity, but they enjoy engaging with you in the same way you would engage with anyone else you happen to meet on board...in a natural way.

Thank you, Safarigal!