Joe33472

2 minutes ago, Jack E Dawson said:

Joe, 

Just 2 weeks ago we also arrived into NY Harbor 4 hours late on the QM2. It was not a mad house but here are a few tips:

 

Arriving late allowed us to pass under the Verrazano Bridge at 9:00AM and the by the Statue of Liberty at 9:30AM. We went up onto of the top of deck 13 cabins for the bridge experience. NOT TO BE MISSED. I suggest getting there around 15 minutes early. Take the A lifts, then go out of the port side stairs and up top. For the Statue of Liberty we had a port side cabin so we viewed the passing from there. There had been an announcement that everyone needed to be out of their cabin by 9:00AM but our steward told us that 9:45 was fine. So after watching the Statue of Liberty go by at 9:30AM we left the cabin.

We had applied for and received  Fast Track departure early in the Crossing. By the time we left our cabin and got to Deck 3 (around 9:45AM) the Fast Track line went from the Grand Lobby, all the way down the hallway and into the Britannia Restaurant. We took a seat there and eventually the line went all the way into the Queens Room then back through the MDR, down the main hall way and back to the Grand Lobby. The good news is that once the ship docked and disembarkation started, we were off in 10-15 minutes. That line moves very fast. The staff did a great job communicating to the passengers and keeping the line orderly. 

We were at Laguardia Airport and through security at  about 11:45AM.

Bottom line, just stay calm.

Jack

Thanks Jack!  I wish I had read your post prior to my recent post.   I was already stressing about.  I  was really hoping to see the approach to NY Harbor and the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and the Statute of Liberty, especially since it will be later than normal.

You've made me feel so much better about tomorrow.   The 10-15 minutes in the queue sounds great.  

The new disembarkation information was just dropped off and I spoke with the concierge in the Grills Lounge, and he pretty much said that tomorrow is going to be a horror show. 

The new disembarkation guidance says we're to vacate our stateroom by 9:00 a.m. but the first fast track disembarkation isn't until 10:30 a.m., so we'll have to find a place for 1.5 hours to sit around with our luggage.  He suggested the Grills Lounge or better yet the Champagne Lounge so we can "monitor" the departure line.   Originally, we were going to walk off with our stuff at 7:00 a.m. going right from our stateroom. 

The concierge also said that the last time this happened (late arrival), which I think was just last week, that people started lining up at 6:30 a.m. in the fast track line.  And that the line was HUGE and CRAZY.  

Something to look forward to tomorrow.  There has to be a better way.   If we're late 4 hours late arriving then the normal time that people were to vacate their rooms should be pushed back 4 hours.   And the embarkation should be pushed back 4 hours.   Based on a recent post, embarkation was only pushed by 2 hours.  So, there's the 1.5 hours we will be standing in a long queue tomorrow.  There is absolutely no way we're getting in line at 6:30 a.m. for a 10:30 a.m. "fast-track" departure.  Absolutely NOTHING fast-track about a four hour wait in a line. 

I feel like they don't care about the departing cruisers in favor of those embarking.   What if you're on the list for 12:30 p.m, you're going to vacate your stateroom for 3.5 hours? 

18 minutes ago, Kordy said:

 

Any standout dishes you recommend on QM2?  I wonder if they do lamb well. I find that lamb in the UK is cooked better than lamb in the USA.  

Osman made us Turkish Style Salad and it was absolutely delicious.  I was reviewing some old menus last night and saw it on one of the regular menus, but don't remember seeing it this week on any lunch or dinner menu. 

The last set of QG menus for this cruise! 

6.27.24 Queens Grill Menus .pdf

5 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

Sorry to hear about your delayed arrival, I hope it doesn't ruin your plans too much.

Thanks again for all your posts and enjoy your last day on board. 

Thanks!  We're having a great last day!  Very relaxing.  We're spending through our OBC like we're on a shopping spree.  Not that we really have any room in our luggage for all this stuff.  

We have no connection deadline so we're good.  Hopefully with those with connections and grounds plans are able to adjust.  Long lines at the Purser's desk. 

43 minutes ago, Kordy said:

In a way, you guys are lucky - you get to spend extra 4 hours in an "all-inclusive"!

I wonder if the restaurants will stay open for longer and how it will affect the food venues for lunch and dinner.

The sommelier at lunch today says that it will likely be a mad house disembarking tomorrow, so I'm not sure if 4 extra hours is worth the headache on the departure.   We were originally thought we go to Kings Court for breakfast and be ready to depart at 7:00 a.m., but know we will definitely go to QG instead. 

Our plan is to carry our own luggage off the ship, so hopefully there is still some priority with that.  Since we won't have to wait for our bags, I'm hoping that immigration and customs won't be too crazy.   New disembarkation paperwork is supposed to be delivered early this afternoon, but people will probably rush to disembark despite the new guidance, and I'm not sure if there is much, if anything, Cunard can do to make it a little more civilized. 

1 hour ago, Kordy said:

What would be useful is to also hear your top-5 most favourite entertainment options that you experienced on the ship ... was is the big ticket items shows? was it the Comedy show?  Was there a magic show? or maybe it was the Live Lectures?  I see the daily programme is enormous and I wish there was some way to filter it, to just the most well-received events. Something like we do with Reviews of restaurants, each gets a "score" 🙂 and we can choose a restaurant based on how others have reviewed it and what score they gave it. 

Hey Kordy, I didn't mention this during the prior posts, but my SO's sister went into the hospital just before the cruise and during the cruise was admitted into the ICU.  She's still in the hospital (out of ICU) and doing a little better, thank goodness, but a good portion of our time onboard has been calls to family members, the hospital, etc.  We also felt a little guilty having too much fun and really not in the mood for entertainment.   So, I wouldn't be the best judge of what entertainment was best.  I also think that entertainment is largely about personal preferences. 

13 minutes ago, olegna said:

just received the following.What happened?

 

The captain announced around 11:15 a.m. that because of the weather we are delayed getting into NY.   That we're really only about 1.5 hours late, but because of the tides, we can't access the harbor until 4 hours late.  We did hit some rough weather along the way, but it seemed like we went 24 knots or 23 knots most of the crossing. 

5 minutes ago, DaisyUK said:

Really enjoyed reading of your experiences, thank you for taking the time to post. If you're still onboard I'm sure you could get a peep into some of the other cabin categories; we've done that on various lines including Cunard on disembarkation day, although I think you said you were leaving early so perhaps not. 

Yes, the plan at this point is for fast-track departure.  We're thinking that we might walk down the halls when cleaning is happening this morning to see if we can peek in a cabin.  We might get a good sense just looking through an open door of the size. The good thing about QM2 is that she's been around so long, there are so many room tours on YouTube, reviews galore, etc.  Easy to do research. 

Thanks for following along.   Our last day onboard today and we're looking forward to checking off some bucket list experiences.   But there is always next time 🤣...

2 hours ago, techteach said:

This has been a great string of fun to follow. I have enjoyed seeing new names posting, and some will be with me on the 18 day Dec. TA, and I hope we meet. Thanks to @Joe33472 for all of the hard work of posting such great information. I hope your SO has ended the voyage happy.

Thanks for the post.  I had a really great time posting and sharing things along the way.

I think my SO had a good time and that she can definitely see us taking the QM2 again.  She keeps mentioning that she wants to see some of the other cabin classes, in particular a sheltered balcony. 

QM2 TV Guide.   I think that the channels offered was really great.   A good number of stations and programming in many languages.

Printed materials left in the stateroom this evening:

Day 6 Programme .pdf

Disembarkation Information.pdf

Our plan is to do the early self disembark option at 7:00 a.m. to 7:15 a.m.  I hope we're on time. Rather than order a car service or other transfer, I'm just going to use Uber or Lyft from the cruise port.

2 minutes ago, BklynBoy8 said:

 

Hello Joe,

I know time is getting short but please take advantage of the time you still have to enjoy.

 

Watching Weather Channel and wanted to share Brooklyn Weather for Saturday for the Day of your Arrival.

BROOKLYN, NY  Mostly Cloudy 81/74 with 20% Rain for the Day.

 

Wish you Smooth Sailing with your Arrival into NY Harbor...

Thanks Eddie for the weather update!  We're having a great time and actually looking forward to the cruising into NY harbor.  If I understand correctly, that usually happens under the cover of night.  So, not sure if we'll be up at that hour.  Cruising into NY will be a first for us.  We usually enter or leave NYC over a bridge or through a tunnel.  

To be quite honest, this cruise was really planned as a relaxing way to end our European vacation rather than flying home.  It's been a very relaxing and luxurious time, but at this point, we're also looking forward to getting home.

Really cool that you can observe the bridge on QM2.   They don't want you to take pictures, so I don't have any and I followed the rules.   But below is an information booklet that was available at the entrance to the viewing area. Really cool feature on QM2.  

QM2 Bridge & Navigation Information .pdf

On 6/25/2024 at 10:59 PM, vieux_carre said:

Curious if you have visited the Mareel Spa and aquatherapy center yet.  Before the refit last fall, there were reports of various areas not working or in need of a good sprucing up, but I suspect that this was addressed.  Do you know what the charge is for a full voyage pass to the aquatherapy center would cost?  I've heard that the price for such a package sometimes varies as Mareel, being a separate entity, sets their own rates...

@vieux_carre we were up at the front of the ship this afternoon and popped into the spa.  So, I asked for a price list.  Not sure if this is helpful or not.   I now see as I'm posting that you were looking for full voyage pass prices.  Maybe that list is already done because we're almost at the end of the cruise. 

36 minutes ago, missson1967 said:

Maybe you could ask Osman for an off-menu Banoffee Pie flavoured macaroon ... to go?!

OMG, that's too funny.  I'll put the request in at dinner tonight and let him know that @missson1967 recommend banoffee flavored macaroons, but that I can only take them to go. 

Edit to say:  And you know what.... He'd probably make it happen.  It's not a big deal to get something to go, even Banoffee Pie.

2 minutes ago, Tattycoram said:

"the US loves things like banoffee"

 

For what it's worth, this New Englander had never even HEARD of banoffee anything  until fairly recent trips to the UK!

Had to Google "banoffee" as I never heard of such a thing in my life, but sounds delicious to me.   Haven't seen that on a menu yet.  Maybe tonight in Kings Court. 

Britannia Gala Night Dinner Menus:

Britannia Gala Dinner Menu 6.27.24 .pdf

24 minutes ago, King Amo said:

The biggest difference between UK-focused and US-focused cuisine that I've noticed on ships is the ratio of main protein to vegetables and sides. There is generally more of a balance on ships that cater to a majority of UK customers, whereas on US ships it is much more a case of a large piece of meat with vegetables pretty much as garnish only. UK-biased ships also have a tendency to include a lot of classic French preparations as standard, whereas on US it tends to be some very specific dishes as a special.  

Too funny you say the things about the vegetables.   Last night we ordered filet mignon and let the waiter know that all we wanted for sides was mashed potatoes and french fries to split.  And a lot of Bernaise Sauce.   No appetizers or soup or salad.  Just meat and potatoes. 

We receive the meal and there is an asparagus spear, a couple of onion preparations, rosti potatoes, a carrot, some spinach, some coleslaw, and something on top of the rosti that we think was meat, but not sure what it was, but it was sure tasty.

The steak was a perfect size.   We laughed about the vegetables and okay.  We really should be eating our veggies.    And we did eat most of it, except the rosti since we already had potatoes two ways.  But, yes, we would have been fine with the meat on the plate alone. 🤣

17 minutes ago, Pushpit said:

I don't want to distract you from your report so I'll only give the terse URL below, but my last crossing was in December 2023 and I had a Sable Island interest too (posts 57 then 66). Unfortunately we didn't pass close enough to see Sable, plus it was dark given the time of year. Hopefully you will have more luck. But I remember talking to the officer working the bridge that afternoon, and he said that because Sable has quite a footprint and is in shallow waters, they have to give it quite a wide berth anyway.

 

Incidentally this was in Britannia Sheltered and I put every menu and every meal I ate in this thread below.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2979346-qm2-voyage-m338-15-december-2023-7-nights-westbound-transatlantic-crossing-reports-onboard/#comment-66589387

 

Thank you so much!  This is so awesome.  Last night when I was researching Sabel Island I saw your post from Dec 2023.  Thanks too for the menus in Britannia!  I'll definitely download those today to take a look.  

3 minutes ago, King Amo said:

Very pleased to hear that the initial advice from people here, of talking to someone and making the problems known, seems to have resulted in some positive reactions. 

 

Will be very interesting to see what you think if you were to sail in Britannia class. For me, it gives me everything I need, and I could never see me spending the money required for QG, as while I'd like the restaurant, I simply don't need a cabin that big, nor a butler, nor any overly personalised or attentive service. Like several others have posted above, I would prefer to put the extra money towards other holidays. It's important to realise, though, that Britannia is higher end banqueting food and service, and while the menus are great (particularly for a large cruise ship MDR), there will be the odd dud, where either the ingredient choice or method of cooking will be too focussed on repeatability, visuals and ability to 'hold', rather than flavour. Trick is to spot them on the menu before ordering, so either a restaurant background or a lot of experience helps here! 

I was thinking yesterday that we probably have to travel on QM2 in other classes to properly evaluate the cost v. benefit of QG versus PG or Britannia for example.   Although there have been some bumps and some may think I'm being overly critical, we really have enjoyed ourselves and there are plenty of positives about QM2 and Cunard. 

Yes, food is something that varies by individual tastes and preferences.  And as you mention, you can always get a dud even in great restaurants.  I do think that the menus overall are catering to UK tastes and preferences (as the menus should).  I think that UK folks are probably primary customers or a significant base for the line, so they definitely should make things palatable for their main customers. 

Good morning!   No time change overnight, which is really great.  We still have two time changes, so there must be time change tonight and tomorrow.

Seas are a little rough this morning and the wind sounds very strong.  Cruisemapper says light breeze and rough seas.  We're still moving quickly along at 24 knots, which has been the average speed for this crossing.  With one less day than on a typical crossing, we probably have to keep this pace to make it to NYC on time. 

On the cruise planner for today it mentions that we'll be passing by Sabal island, a small archipelago off the coast of Nova Scotia that apparently has a feral horse colony of about 500 horses.  I hope we are close enough to see the island, that would be so cool.   I sent back our binoculars from Italy and wish we had them now.  It looks like we come really close to the island.

I think we're going to go to QG for breakfast this morning to give it a try.  We're not huge breakfast people, but we might as well try it at least once.   We're also going to make a concentrated effort to participate in more of the programming today.   We've found a few things already that we'd like to do.

6 minutes ago, BklynBoy8 said:

Yes, not like the Mega ship out there but there is plenty for all to find to occupy time. Even the selections especially in the Chart Room in the evening. On our bucket list in 262 days from now. 

Totally agree!  More than enough things to do and entertainment to cater to a variety of tastes.   Even lots of folks playing games and doing puzzles in the hallways on floor 2, I think.   Also, during the day, lots of reading all over the ship.   Although we're not much into classical music, the music played in the grand lobby is very nice.  We sat and enjoyed the automatic piano for quite some time this afternoon.  

Dinner was very nice.  We ordered beef filet, mashed potatoes, french fries and Bernaise sauce.  All was great.   Osman heard about "macaroon-gate" and came over at the start of dinner tonight to talk with us about what happened.    It was all positive.  

These were in our stateroom when we got back from dinner:

Day 5 Programme .pdf

Immigration Information .pdf

7 minutes ago, Judyrem said:

Thanks Joe! 🙂

 

I am a Cunard newbie and this provides me with some new perspectives for  my July 27 TA to Hamburg.🤔

 

 

I'm sure you'll have a great time!  Enjoy and safe travels!

We didn't make it to the comedy show (both of us having stomach pains), but we went to the casino for a little bit and then to the Queens Room to watch people dancing.  It was modern dancing and people were having a great time on the dance floor.  It was packed and the band/DJ was good playing favorites of the 70s and 80s.   Lots of people out and about.   Pretty good nightlife of QM2.   No night time shopping.  All stores closed at 9:00 p.m.