QM2 Arrival in NYC on my 50th Birthday!

Thanks Wenlyn,

 

Hooked, who me??? Only gone and booked a Baltic cruise on Queen Victoria for next August :-)

 

And that's before we've even sailed with Cunard, but I'm that confident we'll love it!

We love the Baltics been numerous times it is our favourite cruise but never with Cunard and QV is a lovely ship totally different from QM2 in size and appearance.

Thanks Wenlyn,

 

Hooked, who me??? Only gone and booked a Baltic cruise on Queen Victoria for next August :-)

 

And that's before we've even sailed with Cunard, but I'm that confident we'll love it!

I hope you do. We are taking our first non QM2 trip next week for our honeymoon (QE to venice & Adriatic) I'm hoping we love it as much as our crossings (though confident it'll make us feel special & enable us to relax after all the organising as QM2 does) So excited its silly :D

Hi Phil50 we are also on the same trip as you & we are getting really excited! Although we have cruised before we have never been aboard QM2 or been to NYC so it will be different to what we are used to. Looking forward to The National Symphonic Orchestra & there also seems to be some very interesting speakers onboard aswell!

Hi Benny, Yes it’s not far off now eh!? Are you doing it both ways or just WB?

How did you find out which speakers are on board???

Hi Benny, Yes it’s not far off now eh!? Are you doing it both ways or just WB?

How did you find out which speakers are on board???

It's definitely coming around fast, I've even thought about packing! If you go to the Cunard site & look for enrichment programmes you can download a list for QM2 for all the speakers that will be onboard.

I'll never forget my first sailing-in Manhattan (and the only one) on QM2.

 

It was a very cold November morning, probably around 3:00 and the city lights where very far, maybe 50-75 km away still. What stroke me and still does was that I could already hear a lonely church bell from the shore.

More likely a bell buoy that the ship passed.

Otherwise that "church bell" must have been pumping out some ear-splitting decibels, to be heard 50-75 km away!

It's definitely coming around fast, I've even thought about packing! If you go to the Cunard site & look for enrichment programmes you can download a list for QM2 for all the speakers that will be onboard.

Looks like a very interesting set of speakers for roundtrip TA really looking forward to it.

Looks like a very interesting set of speakers for roundtrip TA really looking forward to it.

I’m particularly looking forward to John Peters on the way there and Geoff Hughes on the return journey. I think we may need to get in the theatre early for those lectures.

I’m particularly looking forward to John Peters on the way there and Geoff Hughes on the return journey. I think we may need to get in the theatre early for those lectures.

On our last QM2 cruise all the speakers took place in Illuminations and not the Royal Court Theatre dont know whether this has changed since or they might move it to the theatre for speakers where they expect a large audience.

On our last QM2 cruise all the speakers took place in Illuminations and not the Royal Court Theatre dont know whether this has changed since or they might move it to the theatre for speakers where they expect a large audience.

That's correct. On our recent QM2 voyages, most of the speakers were in Illuminations as usual. But we also had celebrity speakers and their talks/Q&A sessions were held in the Royal Court Theatre. For our three voyages in June, we had Robin Oakley, Emma Samms, and Celia Imrie as celebrity speakers in the Royal Court Theatre. There were also screenings of a couple of Celia Imrie's films in Illuminations which she introduced there.

We had an extra sea day added to our Norway voyage because we had to skip our call at Alesund. On that day, the impromptu lectures that were added to the schedule were also held in the Royal Court Theatre instead of Illuminations.

It's definitely coming around fast, I've even thought about packing! If you go to the Cunard site & look for enrichment programmes you can download a list for QM2 for all the speakers that will be onboard.

Thanks, found it. Yes looks very interesting, looking forward to hearing John Peters and the Historian chap seems to be an expert on Normandy/Dunkirk so looking forward to that too. To be honest, it's not something I've ever really done, apart from Mark Beaumont - the man who cycled the world, so it will be something different for me. I'm now getting worried I'll run out of time!

Thanks, found it. Yes looks very interesting, looking forward to hearing John Peters and the Historian chap seems to be an expert on Normandy/Dunkirk so looking forward to that too. To be honest, it's not something I've ever really done, apart from Mark Beaumont - the man who cycled the world, so it will be something different for me. I'm now getting worried I'll run out of time!

Historian and author Joshua Levine is a very interesting speaker indeed. He was an insight lecturer on one of our crossings in 2016 and his topics then were "The Battle of the Somme" (two parts), "1940--Britain's Fateful Year", and "Bombing--Right or Wrong". I was not familiar with his work prior to hearing his talks on board, but since then I keep seeing him on TV adding his expert commentary to various history programs. And since he was a consultant on the 2017 film "Dunkirk", it would not surprise me at all if that would be one of his topics on your crossing.

And yes indeed, trying to fit in everything you want to do during a crossing can be a challenge.

Congratulations Phil on your 50th and your first QM2 cruise! You will be spoiled and thereafter disappointed in other cruise lines should you try them because this was your first on Cunard. You're going to be bowled over.

BTW: We're leaving in just a few days on the QM2 for a transatlantic from NYC to Southampton. This will be our second QM2 cruise.

Someday you may want to try an RT over and back. We're doing that now but coming back on another cruise line. The good news is: NO FLYING!

Thanks John for the info on Joshua Levine, sounds very interesting. I am currently reading John Peters book, "Tornado Down" which is fascinating so really looking forward to seeing him.

Thanks Dory - I am ready to be bowled over!!! .....less than 3 weeks to go now and I am seriously excited, more so than any other holiday I've ever done in my (nearly) 50 years....

I do have a few questions still......

Whilst I understand we will be allocated a table in the Brittania restaurant for dinner, will we use that same table for breakfast? I'm guessing tea and coffee are included with breakfast?

What are the opening times for the gym?

Is the promenade deck open 24 hours and in most weather conditions?

Can you take books from the library, to your room for example?

I will probably have some further questions but I do try my best to look through all the fantastic information available on here first.

Thanks John for the info on Joshua Levine, sounds very interesting. I am currently reading John Peters book, "Tornado Down" which is fascinating so really looking forward to seeing him.

Thanks Dory - I am ready to be bowled over!!! .....less than 3 weeks to go now and I am seriously excited, more so than any other holiday I've ever done in my (nearly) 50 years....

 

I do have a few questions still......

 

Whilst I understand we will be allocated a table in the Brittania restaurant for dinner, will we use that same table for breakfast? I'm guessing tea and coffee are included with breakfast?

 

What are the opening times for the gym?

 

Is the promenade deck open 24 hours and in most weather conditions?

 

Can you take books from the library, to your room for example?

 

I will probably have some further questions but I do try my best to look through all the fantastic information available on here first.

If you use MDR for breakfast you will be allocated any table and you dont use same table as dinner.

Promenade deck is usually open but parts might be blocked off for occasional maintenance or deck washing (usually at night). If the weather or sea conditions are rough they block exit doors onto promenade for safety reasons.

Yes you can take library books back to your cabin or to read elsewhere on the ship.

Thanks John for the info on Joshua Levine, sounds very interesting. I am currently reading John Peters book, "Tornado Down" which is fascinating so really looking forward to seeing him.

Thanks Dory - I am ready to be bowled over!!! .....less than 3 weeks to go now and I am seriously excited, more so than any other holiday I've ever done in my (nearly) 50 years....

 

I do have a few questions still......

 

Whilst I understand we will be allocated a table in the Brittania restaurant for dinner, will we use that same table for breakfast? I'm guessing tea and coffee are included with breakfast?

Same table for dinner, open seating for breakfast and lunch

What are the opening times for the gym?

 

Is the promenade deck open 24 hours and in most weather conditions?

Some entrances may be closed in adverse weather conditions. For example, last year we had force 11 winds. The deck 7 doors to the promenade were closes (as was the ‘lookout’ and the ‘observation deck’). The deck 6 and.8 doors to the aft terrace and pool deck were open, and hardy folks were walking the promenade (enjoying the invigorating 90 mph breeze)

Can you take books from the library, to your room for example?

I think there are some references that stay in the library- tour guides for the next port can go quickly.

 

I will probably have some further questions but I do try my best to look through all the fantastic information available on here first.

Excellent, thank you both.

... What are the opening times for the gym? ...

The hours for the gym on QM2 are stated in the daily programme as 6:00am to 8:00pm. The Cunard UK FAQ states "The gym is typically open from 8am - 8pm every day." But I believe the 6:00am opening time as stated in the daily programme is correct based on other posts I've read on this forum.

The hours for the gym on QM2 are stated in the daily programme as 6:00am to 8:00pm. The Cunard UK FAQ states "The gym is typically open from 8am - 8pm every day." But I believe the 6:00am opening time as stated in the daily programme is correct based on other posts I've read on this forum.

Yes I think that's where I'd got confused. Thank you for that - I "intend" to get to the gym quite early, but good intentions and all that......

I'll never forget my first sailing-in Manhattan (and the only one) on QM2.

 

It was a very cold November morning, probably around 3:00 and the city lights where very far, maybe 50-75 km away still. What stroke me and still does was that I could already hear a lonely church bell from the shore.

Perhaps it was not a church bell- I say that because I have experience bell sounds also but they were coming from "buoys" in the water.

Going back to post 14 - you’ll have to be at the tour desk early to book the ships tour. It goes on sale on the 1st morning after you leave Southampton at 9.00am. We had been told to get there early as places were limited. We arrived at about 8.10am and we 3rd and 4th in line. We signed a form that expressed an interest I. The tour, and later that day got an official invitation to the tour which would happen a few days later. People arriving at 9 were disappointed not to get on the tour. It was $120 each but well worth it.

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Going back to post 14 - you’ll have to be at the tour desk early to book the ships tour. It goes on sale on the 1st morning after you leave Southampton at 9.00am. We had been told to get there early as places were limited. We arrived at about 8.10am and we 3rd and 4th in line. We signed a form that expressed an interest I. The tour, and later that day got an official invitation to the tour which would happen a few days later. People arriving at 9 were disappointed not to get on the tour. It was $120 each but well worth it.

 

 

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Can i ask you what was the tour?

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Can i ask you what was the tour?

 

 

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It's the Behind the Scenes tour, there is more detail in this thread

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2647678

Going back to post 14 - you’ll have to be at the tour desk early to book the ships tour. It goes on sale on the 1st morning after you leave Southampton at 9.00am. We had been told to get there early as places were limited. We arrived at about 8.10am and we 3rd and 4th in line. We signed a form that expressed an interest I. The tour, and later that day got an official invitation to the tour which would happen a few days later. People arriving at 9 were disappointed not to get on the tour. It was $120 each but well worth it.

 

 

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Thank you so much. I certainly do not want to miss out on this - I’ve been reading a few books on the QM2 including the Haynes Manual one, so I’m really interested in everything QM2 now. Looks like I’ll be queueing up at about 0745!!!

Just reading the thread HH put a link to and it seems that you can register for this tour on the first morning after the ship departs port. Our crossing from Southampton actually starts in Hamburg so I’m hoping it’ll still be the case that they will be available on OUR first morning???