steve4031

Well I waited too long to book the steakhouse for dinner. I called and was able to get in for lunch today. I enjoyed it. I suspect it would be better for dinner. I was careless filling out the laundry form for GF’s laundry Sunday. We could not figure out the category for some of the items. So I chose the 15 items for 52 dollars. The laundry was returned undone and a terse note that we needed to itemize. Initially I was irritated and raised a fuss. The head laundry guy came and explained the reason for returning the laundry. Their view is itemized lists protects from lost items. I regretted yelling at the room steward. I apologized profusely and tipped him. This was not his fault. I’m experiencing difficulty making posts. I complete one and submit only to come back later to find it didn’t post and only half of it was saved.

The last two days the temperature has been 72. It was foggy or sunny. I have been out in my balcony. Not on the deck. The clocks move forward at 12:00. There’s one on hurricane alley today that is interesting. There was one on crime investigation yesterday. I’m going to the hurricane alley.

The musicians in the ballroom are amazing. My GF requested Simply the Best by Tina Turner. The lady singer pullled it off like a champ. The band rocked it. Then they play every Breath you Take by the Police. The dancers filled the floor for both songs. Amazing talent everywhere.

The old-school art deco decor really makes this ship special. We are in the ballroom watching the dancing. Amazing. Dinner was good. The roll guy is a little off in our section. I had to ask for him to come buy. Once delivered the rolls were excellent. I had one of each type. The Beef Wellington was good. The ice cream exquisite. The seas have been pretty smooth. The ship glides. You don’t feel anything. Last night we saw a full moon from the balcony. First through fog and the the fog cleared. Today it’s been foggy or a combination of fog and sun. I heard the horn a few times.

I forgot to inform Cunard about my CPAP machine. I went to the Pursers desk and asked for an extension cord. I got one within the our. It had the UK outlet. I had a converter plug and used that to plug in my cpap. The first day has been spent resting and eating. I did go to the planetarium. That was cool. I’ve had no problem finding my way around. The key for me is noting which elevator/stairway to use. A/b/c/d.

The AC struggled to keep our cabin cool in the hot humid weather of NYC. It’s cooling off now. We woke up and went on the balcony to get some fresh air. We saw fog shrouding the moon. After awhile we emerged into clearer views. The moon reflected off the water.

We made it under the bridge. There is a lot of boat traffic in and out of NYC. GF and I enjoyed the Chart Room. Those maps on the wall are cool. I made the rookie mistake of forgetting to notify Cunard that I had a CPap machine. So I went to the purser’s desk and they said they would have housekeeping deliver one.

At some point while I was eating we started moving. I didn’t feel a thing. I looked up from my book I was reading on my phone and we were in the middle of the bay heading out. The lamp chops were perfect. I enjoyed the cheese and petit something or other. Heading back to out cabin to see if the captain was right about fitting under the bridge.

The captain gave his departure announcement. We should be leaving in about 10 minutes. The ship will have plenty of clearance under the Verrazano bridge. Then a bunch of nautical terms and then a prediction of a calm crossing. Everyone in the dining room quieted to here the announcement.

My GF is adjusting to a challenging travel schedule. Her stomach said eat at 4:00 and I said go ahead. You are on vacation. I wasn’t surprised when she was ready to unwind in the cabin. So my first night in the Britannia is a solo effort. I’m cool with that. The other two tables in our group of 6 our empty. So I think others our doing their thing. We are still docked. No big deal to me. Just giving info that will help future crossing passengers.

It is hot and humid. And a long day. We decided not to sit on the balcony because of f the heat. It’s 5:30. I’m not sure when we are supposed to leave. The captain gave the safety announcement at 4:30. So I’m thinking they are about ready.

I also couldn’t find the remote for the tv. I called and asked for assistance in finding it and the towels. As soon as the room attendant started looking for it I spied it peeking out from beneath the bed. The attendant got the towels. I’ve spoken with several crew members now. I’ve observed a difficulty communicating. They are polite and helpful and the long run. We watched the safety video and found the muster station. I think I went the long way. I knew the approximate area but ended up walking around a bit to find the muster station. I’m now eating pizza in the buffet area. Much nicer. And I got a bottle of coke.

Walking onboard the ship is amazing. The elegance as soon as you enter is immersive. We settled into two comfortable chairs by the shops. After we got our breath we headed to the cabin. One of our three pieces of luggage was already there. The other two arrived 10 minutes later. We are adjusting to the cabin size. We had a huge aft balcony on HAL last year. The cabin seems to be similar to balcony cabins I’ve had on Carnival. But a much more elegant decor. I easily logged on to access my Wi-Fi. I’m reporting using the ships Wi-Fi. I did a test Skype call to my father. That worked well too. I’m sure from the middle of the Atlantic will be different. I explored the bathroom briefly. I started to think about a shower but noted the here were no bath towels. Or I hadn’t discovered them.

We are on board at 2:01. Overall an efficient process. Everyone was pleasant and professional. There is a sign right before you board the ship that says “Leaving Brooklyn? Fugeddaboutit.” The sign’s humor attracts photos. I got a scold for taking a photo in the customs zone.

We arrived at 12:56. It took us 30 minutes clear security and complete the check in process. There was a brief delay when one of our passports wouldn’t photograph. Eventually it went through. We are in boarding group 59. They were calling 50 when we sat down. At 1:40 I heard 55. I took the photos. I don’t see rust. That big Queen Mary 2 sign says it all. Bon Voyage.

Your uploads of those schedules from your recent cruise were helpful. We prefer paper for this.

I wear an Apple Watch. My understanding is that best practices for cruising with a smart phone is to use airplane mode and then WiFi to reach the ship’s internet. Iirc the daily schedules are not printed anymore. So at the minimum we would use the phone for that.

Another rookie moment. I’m wondering how our iPhones will work with the time changes at sea. I’m thinking worst case is we manually adjust each day when the ship changes the time.

A I’ll have to check that out. I have 7 days to explore the ship. And I know I won’t get to a lot because just relaxing will be fun. And listening to British accents. My first time in England years ago when I was in my 20s I was on a bus tour with my college group. The tour lady said Wiltshire and I was in love.

I’ll have to check that out. I have 7 days to explore the ship. And I know I won’t get to a lot because just relaxing will be fun. And listening to British accents. My first time in England years ago when I was in my 20s I was on a bus tour with my college group. The tour lady said Wiltshire and I was in love.

Cool. I’ll do that. I’ll be easy because I don’t drink alcohol. It doesn’t go well with my medication. But it will still be fun. I am sitting in my hotel room enjoying relaxing and not having to rush. We had a great meal at Tribeca grill.

I’ve been on several cruises on Carnival, NCL,HAL, and this is my first crossing on Cunard. I understand this is different. I even bought a tuxedo. And I promise not to do the percolator dance in the queens ballroom.

My title says it all. My first Crossing.

This is getting real folks. We have successfully arrived in NYC. We live in Chicago and flew into LaGuardia. We started it spending Wednesday night in the Hyatt Regency Ohare. This is an excellent hotel for pre-trip stays. I booked a park and fly rate for 10 days for one night. We would be gone 14 nights. When we checked in the agent comped the additional 4 nights. Wow! The Rideshare system at LaGuardia was perfect. You have to walk to the parking garage near terminal 2 Which is about a 5-minute walk. Once there we requested an Uber. The app directed us to 2j. There are several letters in the area. J was the closest. We walked over and our Uber was there. No wait. We are staying at the Andaz 5th Avenue on points. This is an NYC efficient elegant hotel. The room is smaller but there is enough room. A complimentary minibar for snacks and nonalcoholic beverages. We are in a Britannia class balcony on the port side near the rear of the ship. This ongoing review will be a test of the new Wi-Fi onboard QM2. We have a 2:30 boarding time. We will leave our hotel at 1 pm.

Don’t worry. I’ll do my best to respect the grand lady of Ocean Liners.