Cruise Liner Fan

I found this on another Cunard Messageboard. This woman wrote that she and her husband are big Cunard fans and sailed with Cunard many times. She and her husband were aboard Queen Victoria on July 16th and they attended the Captain's Cocktail Party. Later they left the Queen's Room and then encountered the Captain. Her husband held out his hand and said "Pleased to meet you" and the Captain replied "I don't shake hands on the first occasion". The woman wrote that her husband was so embarrassed by the Captain's response and they both felt that the Captain was ignorant and rude and that the Captain's behavior is not a good way to treat loyal passengers. I do understand that the Captain may not want to shake hands because of the norovirus and there were other people on this messageboard who answered that norovirus was probably the reason why the Captain did not want to shake hands. But I think that the Captain should have politely tell this husband and wife please no hand shaking because of the norovirus threat. The Cunard Captain in question is Commodore Christopher Rynd. Anyone here ever have a bad experience with a Captain? Regards,Jerry

:)Speaking of having more time to work on his fastball...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwK98r5dHGs

Captain Oprey needs more practice on his fastball. But then again when I was little I threw it much more worse than Captain Oprey. I guess that's why I never did try for the high school baseball team because I know that I would get cut from the team :eek: Regards,Jerry

Hi Jerry. Here is a video of a Roaring 20's Ball on QV:

 

If you advance to 2:25, you will see a Charleston lesson being given on the dance floor (7 minutes total). Looks like fun, but I'd have to watch that video several times before I got the hang of it! - Salacia of the two left feet

 

Thanks Salacia, though I am a lousy dancer :eek: I will try to learn the Charleston. Regards,Jerry

Roaring Twenties All Ships

Tonight we celebrate the era of the Charleston!

 

Awards for the best costumes.

 

Formal Wear

 

Gentlemen – Double breasted pin-striped suit or tailcoat & waistcoat. Fedora or top hat

 

Ladies – Flapper dresses, feather boas, beads, headbands and gloves

 

From askcunard.com. I hope you have a wonderful voyage!

Will Cunard also offer dance lessons on how to dance the Charleston? The only movie that I saw in which people were dancing the Charleston was in the 1946 Christmas movie It's A Wonderful Life. George Bailey portrayed by Jimmy Stewart was dancing the Charleston with Mary Hatch portrayed by Donna Reed and then they accidentally fell into the swimming pool :o Regards,Jerry

I will be aboard the QM2 for the October 11,2016 Eastbound Transatlantic crossing and then stay aboard the QM2 for the October 18,2016 Westbound Transatlantic crossing. The last formal night on the October 11th Eastbound Transatlantic crossing is called the Royal Masquerade Ball while the last formal night on the October 18th Westbound Transatlantic crossing it is called the Roaring Twenties referring to the decade of the 1920s. Is this Cunard's attempt to make each Transatlantic crossing different? Regards,Jerry

Is there anyone else on here that has sailed on both? I sailed on the QM's last voyage from New York to Southampton when I was just 2 years old and moving from the USA to the UK. Some 50 years later I am getting to sail the same journey just now on the QM2. I am somewhat excited, to say the least. I have visited the QM and stayed in the hotel on Long Beach. Just curious to see if anyone else has done the same

 

I have not sailed aboard the Queen Mary but in January of 2006 I did spend one night aboard the Queen Mary after sailing on the New York to Los Angeles segment of the 2006 World Cruise of the QE2. The highlight of that cruise was the QE2 going through the Panama Canal :) Anyway when I go back aboard the QM2 in October I'll bring photos of the Queen Mary I took when I was aboard the Queen Mary in January,2006. Regards,Jerry

It's CGI.

 

 

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I don't think it CGI. If it was CGI it would look animated like a animated cartoon at a movie theater or on TV. It looks too realistic to be a CGI. Such as flying a camera attached to a drone flying over the QM2. Regards,Jerry

Great shots of QM2 docked at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal..I'm wondering if they had to get permission ?

https://youtu.be/gGsYWlJl_h0

I do think that flying a drone over the QM2 or any other Ship or building is illegal unless the drone operator got permission from the authorities such as the local police and or the QM2's owners the Cunard Line. Regards,Jerry

I usually book as soon as the itineraries are announced. Agreed this give me the first choice of cabins, but I am now beginning to wonder if it makes more sense to wait a few months as then Cunard appear to offer quite a bit of additional onboard credit which more than covers any possible slight fare increase. Once upon a time the early booker got the best deal, but that doesn't appear to be the case today.What do most members think is the sensible/best approach - wait or book immediately?

 

In my opinion I would say wait because it's not really worth it anymore to book early. This year on April 1,2016 I checked with Cunard concerning the October 11,2016 Eastbound crossing and the October 18,2016 Westbound crossing and I would do both crossings aboard the QM2. The fare I got from Cunard for both crossings and each crossing would be a separate booking. The grand total for both crossings including taxes, fees and port expenses turned out to be $3,645.12,Each crossing would be in a inside Britannia stateroom,$2,086.68 for the Eastbound crossing and $1,558.44 for the Westbound crossing and I decided to wait for the good possibility of waiting a few months to see if I could get a good discount from the fare quoted on April 1st. Well good things do come for people who wait. A few weeks ago on August 5th I checked with Cunard again for the October 11,2016 Eastbound crossing and the October 18,2016 Westbound crossing. Both crossings again would be a separate booking and in a inside Britannia stateroom in each crossing. For the October 11,2016 Eastbound crossing the fare is $1,466.68 and for the October 18,2016 Westbound crossing the fare is $1,177.57. So for both crossings the grand total is $2,644.25 including taxes, fees and port expenses. So a few weeks ago on August 5,2016 I booked both the October 11,2016 Eastbound crossing and the October 18,2016 Westbound crossing for $2,644.25 and saved $1,000.87 by waiting a little over 4 months to finally pay for the 2 crossings :) Regards,Jerry

Jerry, I'm having a great time thanks, packing tomorrow sadly :( and sadly no more Mary until next year. Enjoy your trip as I know you will.

Thank You,Cap'n Regards,Jerry

Just as well probably in that small pool, plus it is used a lot by kids so I can't vouch for the composition of the water. :eek::eek::eek::eek:

Capn, Are you enjoying your back to back crossing? Anyway that pool is my favorite :eek: and when I am aboard QM2 next October 11,2016 to October 25,2016 for another back to back round trip transatlantic crossing, I hope the maintenance people use the right amount of chlorine to keep the pool water clean. Are you doing anymore crossings later this year? Regards,Jerry

QE2's owners refuse to talk to anybody and will only say vaguely that there are "plans" for the ship. The way things are going it appears that those "plans" are to make her look decent will she's sitting there until the 10-year "no forward sale" clock runs out. Then she'll be towed to Alang.

Sadly with only a little over 2 years left in the 10 year no forward sale clock, I would not be surprised that your prediction becomes true. Regards,Jerry

The few who have manged to board QE2 in recent months claim that she literally stinks and is rotting from the inside out. Her air conditioning has been turned off since the initial caretaker crew was dismissed and her diesels shut down. While her exterior has been cleaned up and shore side power makes her look alive, the images are very deceiving.

 

Well now it does look like the future for the QE2 looks very bleak too and now the QE2 joins the SS United States into the sea of lost causes. Regards,Jerry

As a ship lover all my life- even I can see that there is no point in bringing the " Big U" back to service! Totaly outdated main structure. I hope they put her to rest and use the steel for someting else! No point in keeping the Ship rusting away. Not a pretty sight anyway! Inside dark and gloomy with no big windows...! Well the Big U had her time - but it´s a bygone area!

Sooner or later the same happens to the old QE2 - outdated and no point in bringing her back to service!

Well the QE2's interior is still intact so it would be much cheaper to put her into service as a floating hotel/convention center as compared to the SS United States whose interiors have been stripped down to the bare metal bulkheads and it would cost hundreds of millions of dollars to rebuild her interiors. Sadly I don't see the SS United States being converted to a floating hotel/convention center. The QE2 maybe but the SS United States No. Regards,Jerry

Hello

 

Tried to book eastbound crossing with QM2 on 8th september.

Is it completly sold out?

Why so popular compared to other dates?

bompah, I tried to check the Sept. 8th Eastbound crossing on the Cunard website and on the webpage for Sept. 8th Eastbound crossing which is voyage #M617 it says that M617 is no longer available on this website meaning the Sept. 8th Eastbound crossing is probably sold out. I am going on both the October 11th Eastbound crossing and the October 18th Westbound crossing. There are still cabins available on the October 11th Eastbound crossing for $699 per person and cabins available for $599 per person on the October 18th Westbound crossing. Why not try for the October 11th Eastbound crossing and or the October 18th Westbound crossing? Regards,Jerry

Well, the trustees of the Hale's trophy ruled that the ferries met the definition of a "passenger vessel", which was what the trophy was originally defined for. And why would it go to Cunard, unless the QM2 could beat the SSUS's times? If you want to disqualify the INCAT's (like they did for Branson's speed boat attempts), then it should rightfully revert to the SSUS. While the Blue Riband was defined as the award to the fastest ocean liner in regular service, even if the QM2 could cut in the afterburners and get above 34 knots, she is not in "regular service" as the crossings are only seasonal now.

But then even the original Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth would end up doing about 10 or 11 Eastbound crossings and about 10 or 11 Westbound crossings per year because after doing a crossing either ship would spend about 4 or 5 days in the Ports of New York or Southampton before turning around and sailing across the Atlantic in the other direction. This year QM2 is doing 10 Eastbound crossings and 11 Westbound crossings. Regards,Jerry

Prudent indeed, when you consider the Normandie. Conversion to troop ship was quite a deal. Even the QE2 had a warehouse full of plywood cut and labeled to fit over the carpeting just waiting for use, which it was during the Falklands War. Also, consider that the RMS Queen Elizabeth was designed for just 2300 pax, but carried 11,000 troops at a time.

 

Yes, the Hale's trophy was at Kings Point until claimed by the INCAT ferries in 1990. The Fjord Cat claimed the trophy in 1998.

 

Since those ugly looking INCAT Ferries are not Ocean Liners or even Cruise Ships, Why not just give the Hale's Trophy to the Cunard Line for continuing the transatlantic run and building the Queen Mary 2? Regards,Jerry

This was just the latest no hoper. Never was even a possibility. By the way , anyone know of progress on Titanic 2. Gone a bit quiet lately.

 

Anyway, we can now give full attention the QE2, another lost cause.

 

David.

David, Here is the latest news from the vintage news on March 30,2016 concerning the Titanic II and let's just sat that Titanic II will never be built. Clive Palmer the alleged Australian billionaire who first proposed the Titanic II project in 2012 is just a fake, phony, fraud. Here is the link https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/03/30/titanic-ii-plans-put-hold-likely-wont-ever-go/ Regards,Jerry

I know that this is the Cunard Line message board but this news means that the Queen Mary 2 will not have any competition after all on transatlantic crossings and other cruises.Remember that last February Crystal Cruises announced plans to return the SS United States to service pending a feasibility study. 2 days ago Crystal Cruises announced that they will not go forward to renovate the SS United States because of price and technical issues. The technical issues were about the stern section of the SS United States would have to be rebuilt from 4 to 2 propeller shafts and the problems of finding similar new steel to match the older steel from the early 1950s that forms the stern section of the SS United States. If Crystal Cruises did go forward to renovate the SS United States the project would have also transformed the SS United States from a Steam Ship to a Motor Ship meaning replacing the steam plant with a diesel-electric plant like what was done to the QE2 in 1986-87. Here are 2 links to the news http://www.torontosun.com/2016/08/05/crystal-cruises-ss-united-states-ocean-liner-restoration-too-pricey and http://www.travelweekly.com/cruise-travel/crystal-wont-proceed-with-ss-united-states-revival Regards,Jerry

Thank You Hattie. Regards,Jerry

They offer tours in Southampton, details are here

 

 

 

I couldn't find reference to tours in New York for QM2 but there may be a similar page on the US site.

 

Hattie, Thank you. You see I was referring to the tours of the ship the passengers pay $120 to go on while the ship is sailing during the voyage. Regards,Jerry

Just today I booked the October 11,2016 Eastbound & October 18,2016Westbound Transatlantic crossings of the QM2. Anyway does Cunard still offer the $120.00 tours of all 3 Queens? The last time I was aboard the QM2 in October of 2013 I was able to do the tour of the QM2 and all the passengers had to pay a $120.00 fee to be able to be on this tour of the ship. Regards,Jerry

I was able to find through the internet The QE2 Diva aka Mary Mastony's New Jersey address and New Jersey phone number. I dialed the phone number and all I got was a recording saying that the number I dialed is not in service. So unfortunately she must have passed away. But at least she did have a long happy life. Regards,Jerry

Years ago, in the hey day of Cunard Characters who regularly sailed on the QE2, I had the privilege to take afternoon tea with both Bea and the Opera Diva at the same table. Both of the ladies while in their later years of life had egos way too large for a single tea table in the Queens Room on the QE2 so it was great fun observing the posturing and fained attempts at being polite etc.

 

Bea had a double inside cabin that had one of the beds removed and replaced with a sofa and floor lamp to make it more of a living quarters than a simple inside cabin. (I never was inside but did see this much one day when her door was open for cleaning.

 

Her children had to book passage to visit her. One son is quite an accomplished musician and we enjoyed a few chats as he lives close to where I used to reside. One day I overheard Bea telling the son that she was tiring of ship living because while she had loads of acquaintances, she had no friends. No one stayed long enough to get to that level of social acceptance.

 

When the QE2 was sold, Cunard made it quite difficult to book extensive trips on the QM2.There were no long term residence discounts as had been offered on the QE2. One got the impression that they really preferred not to have year round passengers. One of the problems is such. When on a cruise even a world cruise one makes every effort not to have a bad hair day in public. Bea on the other hand saw the QE2 has here home and had no problem calling out staff and management if she thought things were not up to snuff. Towards the end when little cut backs that all lines have been making of late were being made, Bea was incensed by them and stated it rather loudly to all who would hear. One day the piano player was quite late in arriving for afternoon tea playing and she gave it to him with both barrels. Cunard most likely feels they do not need this just to sell a cabin 52 weeks straight out.

 

She was a diamond in the rough and I am most happy to have sailed with her.

Was the Opera Diva also known as the QE2 Diva or are they 2 different women? I do know that the wife of one of the Cunard Captains gave her the name QE2 Diva. I met her aboard the QM2 and she was very nice and sang some songs from famous operas in the Queens Room aboard QM2 during a passenger talent show. Does anyone know if the QE2 Diva is still alive? Regards,Jerry

I believe Pier 90 (had been the "Cunard" Pier) is still used:

 

 

Although when I arrived on QM2 in 2011 (on that crossing she used the Manhattan Cruise Terminal ("West Side Piers") instead of Redhook), QM2 tied up at Pier 88 (had been the "French Line" Pier)

 

 

Hope this helps :)

When I first boarded a Cunard Ship it was September 17,2000 and it was the QE2. The cruise was a New England/Canada cruise and on that day the QE2 sailed from Pier 92 which is to the left of Pier 90 in the picture that Pepper posted. When I first boarded the QM2 in June of 2004 again the sailing was from Pier 92. In March of 2005 the next QM2 cruise I went on, the QM2 then sailed from Pier 88. Since both Piers 88 and 90 were renovated about 8 years ago and Pier 92 has been permanently closed to Ship dockings, In the pictures that Pepper had posted, it looks like there were better improvements to Pier 88 than to Pier 90. Regards,Jerry