Cruise Liner Fan

11 hours ago, PurpleMoonlight said:

I've been considering the QM2 cruise to the Caribbean in Jan 2025, and have been watching the prices. With the 10% off it's quite a good deal now.

 

However I am concerned by apparently misleading prices. On the fares page for the cabin type I want it shows the Cunard Fare as £8834, but when I proceed to the Book Now page the price jumps to £9511. Looking at all parts of the ship and decks, I cannot find any cabin available for £8834.

 

 

Would you consider the November 13,2024 QM2 Caribbean Cruise. Maybe it is less expensive than the January, 2025 Caribbean Cruise. There is also the QM2 Christmas Caribbean Cruise but it is more expensive than the November cruise because of the Christmas/New Years holiday.

33 minutes ago, foodsvcmgr said:

Lots of chipping and repainting of balcony fronts today in Toulon as well as indoor maintenance being performed in the Lido.

It is a good thing that Cunard is keeping the Queen Victoria in mint condition. I hope that Cunard is doing the same thing with the QM2, Queen Elizabeth & Queen Anne

21 minutes ago, carlmm said:

 

The captain did attend bothe parties last week. Yet, this is never guaranteed, he might have other responsibilities. Yesterday, the staff captain stood in for him at the CWC party. The captain joined only towatds the end.

 

The behind the scenes tour is curently offered 

 

 

Thanks for your response and I'm happy that things seem to have gone back to normal.

16 hours ago, foodsvcmgr said:

A few updates re: topics of recent interest here.

Having boarded Monday I’m very impressed with food and service in Late seating thus far.

Excellent Beef Wellington tonight.

No evidence of any cuts since last year other than the evening canapés, however three different bowls of snacks are presented with your cocktail in Commodore Club.

World Club party tonight, Sr. Officer’s Party coming Friday at 7PM in the Yacht Club, a nice time and venue.

As others have mentioned Casual nights are shirt and slacks for most, I’ve added a sport jacket.

Tonight’s formal night was almost entirely black tie in the party and Britannia with a few dark suits with ties.

Great cruise so far!

Is the Senior Officer's Party also have the Captain of the Queen Victoria attending this party? Since I will be aboard the QM2 on November 20th of this year, I hope to see that things are back to normal before Covid 19. Also are the behind the scenes ship board tours that cost $120 being offered aboard the Queen Victoria for this cruise? When I was last aboard the QM2 in October,2022 I was told that there would be no behind the scenes ship board tours on this crossing but they maybe will be offered again in the future.

58 minutes ago, sfred said:

 

Sad to hear that a better fate was not financially viable.  But I suppose continuing to rust in Philadelphia isn't much better.

I have to and want to drive to Philadelphia to take a few pictures of the SS United States before she is towed away on September 12th to become an underwater artificial reef. If there is anyone interested in making this trip the SS United States is at Pier 82 on the Delaware River on the Philadelphia waterfront

4 hours ago, Codakrome said:

My husband and I have a transatlantic cruise booked from Southampton to NY on the Queen Mary 2 in April 2025 in Princess class.  We specifically want to travel on the Queen Mary 2, but are now considering the Norwegian fjords trip she does in early April instead of the transatlantic.    What is the difference (other than destinations) on the Queen Mary 2 between a transatlantic crossing and a regular port to port cruise?     We are going to spend a few days in London so would like to do the Queen Mary also.  We live in NY so the transatlantic is also our transportation home.  However, I have always wanted to cruise the Norwegian fjords so the other cruise is very tempting.  Would you recommend a transatlantic over a port to port on the Queen Mary 2?  They both have two formal nights I see.  Are the on board activities less on a multi-port cruise?   Just curious to see if we would be missing anything if we didn't do the transatlantic.  What have you experienced with either, do you have a preference, and any other thoughts or suggestions?  And would you recommend Queen's grill class over Princess?  The Princess Grill suite is more than adequate and comfortable for us as far as accommodations.    It looks like the only other difference is in the dining room menus.   Is the Queens Grill preferable?    Thank you! 

I equally like both QM2 transatlantic crossings & QM2 cruises and have done both. My next QM2 voyage is the November 20th of this year 13 night Caribbean cruise. What I like best about this QM2 cruise is that after the QM2 sails out of NY on November 20th, there are then 3 days at sea until the QM2 arrives to the first Caribbean island on this itinerary on November 24th and there are 6 Caribbean islands the QM2 visits from November 24th through to November 29th. Then there are 3 more days at sea for the sailing back to NY and the QM2 arrives back in NY on December 3rd. So that there are altogether 6 days at sea and I really like sea days. And at some or maybe all 6 Caribbean islands there will be other Cruise Ship visiting on the same day and us QM2 passengers can say to the passengers of the other Cruise Ships that our ship the QM2 is the best looking ship in port and that the QM2 is a real Ocean Liner. Some Cruise Ships not all to be honest are ugly looking.

3 hours ago, Winifred 22 said:

Didn’t see any posters. In fact have never seen any posters.  They didn’t even have proper postcards at the Pursers Desk yet. Not a moan  just an observation. I buy one from the shop but they must have sold out as I couldn’t buy a 2nd one. 

Well if that is the case I guess that if it is not printed I will just buy something else. And I have only been on 3 Cunard Ships the retired since 2008 QE2 and the QM2. The last time I was aboard the QE2 was in January 2006 and after I got off the QE2 in Los Angeles I did spend the night aboard the first Cunard Queen the Queen Mary in Long Beach.  It has been only the QM2 since then. I have not ever been aboard the 2 other Cunard Ships before Queen Anne because I would have to fly to Europe to board the other Cunard Ships and I don't care for airline travel. Since I live in Northern New Jersey, I can drive to the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal from my house in Northern New Jersey in about an hour if there is no traffic. The QM2 is a beautiful Ocean Liner.

Speaking of Cunard branded merchandise and since I'll be aboard the QM2 on November 20th of this year, are they selling any posters aboard the Cunard Ships with the Queen Anne on them? I have two posters that I bought aboard the QM2, one has a picture of the QM2 in the middle with the current Queen Elizabeth on one side with the Queen Victoria on the other side. The other poster is titled Cunard Queens that has all the 3 current & 3 previous Cunard Queens on it. Are they selling any posters with the Queen Anne added to what would now be the 4 current Cunard Queens and 3 previous Cunard Queens poster or the Queen Anne added to the poster that has the QM2, QV and QE on it?

My attire on QM2's Red & Gold Gala Night during the November 20,2024 Caribbean cruise will be a double breasted black suit, white shirt, red neck tie and black shoes

5 hours ago, mking8288 said:

@Cruise Liner Fan  slightly off-topics:  does this old, old picture of NY's West Side from 1965 of the cruise ships & ocean liners ... midtown West bring back memories for you (and others)  I remember the elevated West Side Hwy from the early 70's - growing up/living in the Bronx (wow) then - get on to the Cross Bronx Expy (I-95) and zip across & then downtown late night, to Canal Street & get to Chinatown/Little Italy for 3 AM late night food ... in 20 - 25 minutes flat, then drive home to sleep until noon or later. 

 

 

Both the QM2 and QE were docked at the "new" (look different) Pier 88/90 in 2010 for the first time after a TA crossing instead of docking Red Hook, Brooklyn (due to some sort of pier damages caused by a different ship using that East River pier.)  

 

I have a feeling we will either sail Cunard or Prince over in Red Hook, sooner than later - not if but when, maybe a question of whether it's a TA or not, east or west bound.  

 

 

As a little kid living in New Jersey as I do today, though in the 1960s I was living in West New York,N.J. across the Hudson River from Midtown Manhattan where there was a park overlooking the Hudson River where there was a view of the Passenger ship piers. I remember seeing one of the Italian Line ships either the Michaelangelo or the Raffaello docked there more than once and maybe also the 1st Queen Elisabeth. I also remember seeing the SS United States docked at the same piers and also the Holland America Line ship Rotterdam of 1959 docked in Hoboken,NJ once. My parents moved us out of West New York,NJ to where we live now in Northvale,NJ in 1972 when I was 12 going on 13. My father was also a longshoreman in which he had to help unload the cargo ships. He did work on the docks on the NJ side of the Hudson River in Weehawken where the United Fruit Company ships docked carrying bananas. Sometimes he did come home with some bananas.

8 hours ago, dexddd said:

@mking8288Found a photo of your ship in last drydock.

Is that ship the Titanic or is it her sister ship the Olympic?

The NY Cruise Terminal is Piers 88 & 90. Pier 88 is the former French Line pier, Pier 90 used to be the Cunard Line pier and Pier 92 which is longer used is also used to be the Cunard Line pier. The QM2 now docks at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal and I'll be going back aboard the QM2 on November 20th of this year for a 13 night Caribbean cruise. Enjoy your Alaska cruise aboard the Queen Elizabeth.

5 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Yes, the S.S. Sea Breeze and we're on her (Inside cabin, no-frills) around that time too, for a weekend CTN when the ship was in NY, not the 1st cruise for us.  We're on a # of other small cruise ships before this (also went out of business) but definitely nowhere near the classic Queen Mary docked & refurbished as a floating hotel ... and, the Spruce Goose.  

 

Remember how the old NY ship terminal then and ship's buffet dining experience.  

I was also at the Queen Mary in Long Beach,California in January of 2006. I got to California aboard the QE2 for the QE2's NY to LA via the Panama Canal World Cruise segment. I got off the QE2 in LA and spent the night aboard the Queen Mary. I spent the night in the cabin with the TV on all night well there are stories that the Queen Mary is haunted, Concerning that when the Premier Cruise Line went out of business, I read in a newspaper article that one passenger forced off of one of the Premier Ships is quoted as saying "that last night was Pirate themed night aboard ship and today they're making us walk the plank"

1 hour ago, mking8288 said:

 

Hahaha, really - which ship ... you barely had me for a moment, look somewhat similar but not quite.  Reminds me of the QM in Long Beach, CA  - the floating hotel in the 80's for a corporate convention (didn't - ended in choosing the Westin Bonaventure in downtown LA) ...

 

Slow afternoon, this one for you - once the Big Red Boat with Disney branding. DW never cashed in a $5 casino chip - now, a collector's item.  

 

This is the 1st Ship named Sea Breeze that I went aboard in August 1999 for a New England/Canada cruise. It was called the Premier Cruise Line. Premier used old second hand ships in their fleet. Sea Breeze was formerly named Frederico C of the Costa Line built in Italy in 1958. Unfortunately Premier Cruise Line went bankrupt and out of business late in the Summer of 2000. The Sea Breeze sank off the coast of Virginia late in 2000 in a storm. There is reasom to believe that the Sea Breeze was intentionally sunk because the insurance for the ship was worth way much more than the scrap value.

Just last night I did find this book I bought aboard the QM2 in June of 2009 when I did a NY-Southampton-NY round trip transatlantic crossing. It is during this crossing that I did buy this book titled "Bravo Diva of the QE2" It is written by Mary Mastony aka the QE2 Diva and book was about the QE2 Diva aboard the QE2 doing the 2003 World Cruise. On the Special Tributes page she does thank the QE2 Captains Ronald Warwick and Paul Wright, Hotel Manager John Duffy, Cruise Director Trevor Stephenson and Cruise Hostess Elaine MacKay. There is even special tributes to the passengers and one of the passengers she does mention is Beatrice Muller. Mary Mastony was aboard the QM2 for this crossing and she did sign my copy of her book. And when she did sing opera at the passenger talent show aboard the QM2 during this crossing while yes her voice may not been able to carry a tune because she was older and her vocal chords just did not have it anymore, the passengers still respected her act and applauded her at the end of her act. Does anyone know if the Mary Mastony aka the QE2 Diva did any World Cruises aboard the QM2, Queen Victoria or the current Queen Elizabeth after the QE2 was retired in 2008?

15 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

There is nothing in the SOLAS construction requirements that would disallow wood paneling, as long as there is sufficient fire suppression available (sprinklers).

 

Actually, no.  Changes in IMO conventions like SOLAS are never retroactive, so ships built before the enactment of the changes do not need to meet the changes. This is why the retirement announcement came as a surprise to many.

I agree with you that Cunard/Carnival Corp. could have kept the QE2 going for at least another 15 to 20 years. Before the sale of the QE2, there were stories of the QE2 going into drydock for more renovations to keep the ship in service beyond 2008.

7 hours ago, roscoe39 said:

Dr Fred Blanchard is currently  living permanently onboard the Queen Victoria. He moved over from the Queen Elizabeth a couple of years ago and intends on staying onboard "until the money runs out or they take him off in a box" as quoted to me a couple of years ago. He's a very interesting guy, ex-engineer who moved onboard when his wife died and he didn't want to give up travelling. He's very approachable and always good for a laugh over a drink.

 

Mary was a treat, she used to sing at the passengers talent contests dressed in an old worn wedding dress and at the end of the aria she would have crew throw plastic red flowers at her from the floor. Her talent at singing was .....questionable. Mary  traded very much on her title of "the Qe2 Diva" and wrote several books under the pseudonym. They used to carry them in the bookshop but not more recently which is a shame as they were a real "Hoot".

 

Bea was another old character, and everyone seemed to have a different experience with her.

 

I interviewed them both and wrote an article for a magazine about them a couple of years ago,

https://roscoesseafever.blogspot.com/2014/08/around-world-with-diva.html

Roscoe39, Thank you for the link to your magazine article. It was an interesting read. And I hope that Dr. Fred Blanchard enjoys his forever home aboard Queen Victoria. And if there are any other unknown persons living permanently aboard any of the 4 Cunard Queens I wish only best wishes for them also.

11 minutes ago, Pushpit said:

There was a recent Queen Beatrix, she abdicated in 2013 so she reverted back to Princess Beatrix. She is related to the UK royal family.

 

We have a Princess Beatrice, daughter of Prince Andrew, she is 9th in line to the throne.  There have been other princesses of the same name, notably Queen Victoria's final and favourite child, who died in 1944. I think she was the last member of the Royal Family whose native tongue was, like Victoria, German.

Thank You for the information

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

I have heard she was at her worst with bridge, but nice to babies. Either way, it is not good to have treated the crew as if they were her servants.

So I guess it is ok to think that Bea let her status of being the resident of the QE2 go to her head that she thought that she was the Queen of the QE2. Maybe if and when Cunard builds another ship and Cunard can not think of any new names for this new ship, Cunard could name this new ship Queen Bea or actually Queen Beatrice. This suggestion of mine is just a joke but does anyone know if the UK ever had a Queen Beatrice? Remember that I'm just an American who does not know much UK history. 

3 hours ago, exlondoner said:

I believe that is Aida.

So I guess there is not one washing machine aboard the Aida. LOL

19 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

It could have been worse...

I guess it would be this husband jumping into the pool stark naked. The Cunard Ships are not floating nudist colonies

32 minutes ago, david,Mississauga said:

Although I did not meet Bea Muller she was pointed out to me on one of the crossings of the last year QE2 was in service, 2008. 

 

Our outside cabin (they call them ocean view cabins now) had some inside cabins across from it. One day we heard sawing and hammering coming from one of them. The door was open so we had a look and said hello to the two carpenters.  My wife said: "It looks like this cabin is being rebuilt."  One of the men said this was the cabin of "the lady who lives on the ship."  She wanted the bed relocated to the other side of the cabin.  Of course cabins on older ships had furnishings that couldn't be simply moved around. So it was a big deal. 

 

Later I was chatting with the Hotel Manager (who was a friend of my travel agent) and I asked him if there were any other permanent guests on board. He confirmed it was Mrs Muller. Apparently no-one dared to ask her why she wanted her cabin re-organised when there were only about six months left before the QE2's retirement.  

It looks like Beatrice Muller was such a headache to these ship's carpenters to demand that the furniture to be re-arranged with only 6 months left til the QE2 leaves service.

Aboard the QE2, I did see at the pool located at the QE2's stern there was a husband & wife. The husband then stands up and takes off his clothes and jumps into the pool wearing just a colored brief underwear. How low class can anyone get I remember thinking to myself?

4 hours ago, Pushpit said:

I occasionally met both of them, they were both friendly and pleasant to me, but the crew tended to divide into 3 groups - those who really got along with them, those who could manage about a week in their company, and those who thought it best to steer well clear. They did have their own world despite being on a mass transit vessel, and usually someone from Cunard keeping a bit of an eye on them - not sure whether they were protecting them or the other passengers or both.  There is one lady in that category on QV a lot, sometimes QM2, who I won't name to protect her privacy, and she has been known to peek into this board. But she is a much nicer character and much loved by the crew.

This lady who is aboard Queen Victoria a lot and sometimes QM2, Does she know of the stories of Beatrice Muller and Mary Mastony aka the QE2 Diva?

Mary Mastony was also known as the QE2 Diva a name given to her by a wife of one of the QE2"s captains because Mary always liked to sing opera at the passenger talent shows aboard ship. Mary was also aboard the QM2 and maybe Queen Victoria. Mary passed away on June 27,2018. Beatrice Muller was known as the lady who lived aboard the QE2. In January, 2000 she and her husband boarded the QE2 for the world cruise. During this world cruise Bea's husband passed away and after his funeral Bea's sons suggested that she would be much more happier living aboard the QE2 full time than living in an old folks home. Bea agreed with her son's suggestion and sold her house in New Jersey to move aboard the QE2. She stayed aboard the QE2 from 2000 to 2008 when the QE2 was sold and taken out of service. Of course when the QE2 was placed in the drydock during this 8 year period Bea had to leave the ship. Bea was not happy when the QE2 was sold and taken out of service that she wrote an angry protest letter to Micky Arison who is the chairman of the Carnival Corporation which is the parent company that owns the Cunard Line. She was offered cabin space aboard the QM2 and Queen Victoria. Bea tried both ships but did not like either ship and turned down Cunard's offer. Beatrice Muller passed away on October 4,2013.