December WB TA log

[Host Hattie]

Thank you for taking us along again.

[Oahucruiser]

Thoroughly enjoyed your wonderful crossings. We love that ship too and appreciate the time it took for you to report on each days happenings. Have a joyful Christmas.

[tv24]

First sea day

Rough seas, swells

 

 

What happened to stairway C? Right behind the fire door that closed when the ship was rocking.

 

 

About 3AM on our first night out of Southampton the ship started to rock. Most noticed it when books fell from the shelf. During the day water was sloshing out of hot tubs and it was a challenge to walk down halls and stairs. It wasn’t as bad as I recall on my first ever TA when the props sometimes cavitated. For a brief period in the afternoon the sun came out but the swells continued. I was in the spa and at times the ship really smacked down.

 

 

 

Due to the ship pitching, the Planetarium shows were cancelled due to “safety concerns” with the dome. They were probably worried that it could get stuck in the down position and they’d be really screwed without Illuminations. Unrelated to the pitching, scheduled West End performer Phillip Browne didn’t board the ship and a production show had to be substituted. It’s my guess that unless Mr. Browne is in a hospital bed he’s not getting any more ship contracts.

 

 

Tonight was the Captain’s Cocktail party for the Grills. Captain Oprey mentioned that the bow was ballasted to minimize pitching and he took the ship further away from the storm system and the re-route added 200 miles to our course. Tomorrow things should improve but there may be another storm system on the 18th.

 

 

 

At the reception it was delightful to also meet tv24 and Francophile. (I had not signed up for the roll call after observing that it was being actively managed by a Madame Superorganizer. Better to let the people who enjoy cabin crawls and slot pulls to enjoy themselves rather than be the party pooper.)

 

 

As I write this late at night the wind is down to force 4, moderate sea state while the pitching is still there it’s much less pronounced.

 

Blue Riband: I don't think you could ever be accused of being a party pooper! And it was great sharing cocktails with you at the party a few nights ago. Welcome home to NYC. Beautiful day today.

Tom

[BlueRiband]

The only wrinkle to the whole experience was disembarkation, which we were told was due to US immigration taking a very, very long time to clear the Cunard excursions and transfers. I was due to disembark at 9 but didn't get off the ship until 10:45. Another 20 minutes to collect bags, clear, and get outside. It really fouled up car service and disembarking passengers were still coming out as embarking passengers were arriving. (I counted 9 immigration stations open. By my math that's over 270 passengers per agent, and 4.6 hrs if each one take one minute. :eek:) If somebody arriving for the Christmas cruise was wondering why boarding started to late this would be it.

 

FWIW, I noticed that baggage for decks 2, 3, and 4 were grouped in the same area of the baggage hall. Since deck 4 has the greatest number of cabins these passengers have the needle in the haystack search.

 

It was disappointing to see that somebody on deck 13 had attached a huge national flag banner to their balcony. National pride is laudable but not in this manner. I hope it's an isolated incident and we don't have banners and flags turning an elegant ship into a floating project house with laundry hung out over the railings. :mad:

Edited December 22, 2016 by BlueRiband

[canoncruiser]

Hi all,

I disembarked this AM from QM2, the world’s greatest ship, after a R/T. They have done a superb job in the re-fit. The new King’s Court is excellent, Carinthia is beautiful though I did not use it. All stewards and stewardesses were very much up to standard.:)

Glorious heavy winter seas-had sheltered balconies which are best for winter crossings. ;)

I am really sorry Captain Oprey is retiring-he exudes quiet confidence and competence.

The food was very good but the new night chocolates are far too small.:(

 

Disembarkation this morning was a Pig’s Breakfast-it was absolutely disgraceful. Not enough Immigration Officers, and those on duty kept taking breaks with long,long lines waiting. Everyone was held up. :mad: Terrible first impression to visitors not to mention taxpayers.

Starting to save the shekels for my next voyage.:D:D:

[sassy12]

BlueRibaND

 

I'm sorry to tell you that when we were docked next to QM2 in St. Kitts a few years ago, we saw men's underwear and shirts hanging from several places on the balcony that must have been for a suite as it was at least double in size and looked like it had two sliding doors. I knew nothing about the QM2 at that time but figured they spent all their money for the suite and had no money for laundry.

 

We will be on our first Q cruise on her next sumber and enjoy reading everyone's thoughts.

[tv24]

Blue & Others: We managed to avoid a lot of the stress by staying on board as long as possible. And then once we had retrieved our luggage (after 11:00), we hired a porter and that allowed us a somewhat expedited immigration experience. Still it was over an hour from leaving the ship until we got into our cab. For those without porters, it appeared that it was taking 2 to 3 hours.

 

There was a vague announcement at 7:30 on the ship that there was a problem with unloading the luggage that was causing a delay in the start of the disembarkation. No explanation as to what was the cause. This left us with the vague impression that part of the issue was caused by incompetence from Cunard, something that we have encountered time and again on Cunard embarkation and disembarkation.

 

Otherwise, the US immigration service situation was deplorable. Certainly some QM2 passengers will reconsider taking a ship in the future, since the immigration process at NY airports is way, way more efficient than a 3-hour wait standing in line. This will kill future patronage. Something needs to be done.

 

I am sure some PAX missed their flights and trains. I am sure some PAX missed lunch dates with friends and family. I am sure some PAX never made it to their Cunard-sponsored excursions and NYC shopping trips. I am sure many boarding PAX in Brooklyn were delayed enormously while management waited and waited to get a "zero count" showing everyone who needed to had disembarked. A horrible breakdown. Never experienced this on any other cruise line.

[Underwatr]

FWIW, I noticed that baggage for decks 2, 3, and 4 were grouped in the same area of the baggage hall. Since deck 4 has the greatest number of cabins these passengers have the needle in the haystack search.

AFAIK there are no staterooms on 2 or 3 so maybe the Deck 4 passengers had an easy go of it?

[Host Hattie]

AFAIK there are no staterooms on 2 or 3 so maybe the Deck 4 passengers had an easy go of it?

Are the new single staterooms on 2 and 3 ?

There aren't many of them so I shouldn't think it causes too much of a problem for those on Deck 4 to share space with them.

[BlueRiband]

AFAIK there are no staterooms on 2 or 3 so maybe the Deck 4 passengers had an easy go of it?

 

Solo staterooms were installed during the refit, all on the port side: former photo gallery on 2 and part of the casino on 3.

[Pennbank]

Solo staterooms were installed during the refit, all on the port side: former photo gallery on 2 and part of the casino on 3.

 

In total though on 2 and 3 its only 15 Guests. So would not a lot of difference.

Edited December 23, 2016 by Pennbank

[Solent Richard]

Hi all,

I disembarked this AM from QM2, the world’s greatest ship, after a R/T. They have done a superb job in the re-fit. The new King’s Court is excellent, Carinthia is beautiful though I did not use it. All stewards and stewardesses were very much up to standard.:)

Glorious heavy winter seas-had sheltered balconies which are best for winter crossings. ;)

I am really sorry Captain Oprey is retiring-he exudes quiet confidence and competence.

The food was very good but the new night chocolates are far too small.:(

 

Disembarkation this morning was a Pig’s Breakfast-it was absolutely disgraceful. Not enough Immigration Officers, and those on duty kept taking breaks with long,long lines waiting. Everyone was held up. :mad: Terrible first impression to visitors not to mention taxpayers.

Starting to save the shekels for my next voyage.:D:D:

 

So sorry to hear many disembarkations were not satisfactory, my experience was completely the opposite.

 

From leaving the Grills Lounge at our designated time of 8.15 to completion of checking in at our Manhattan hotel at 0905 everything went smoothly.

 

We utilised a porter for luggage, we had four cases, and a black cab for a fixed price of $51 + $8 for the tunnel.

 

Cunard don't always get it right and I have a few personal observations to make later in my full cruise blog.

 

However, one thing they did get correct was their regulation of the colour coded disembarkation tickets. The numbers being turned back for not following the procedure was astounding: folk will try it on to the detriment of the majority.

 

...but more about that later. I love New York and have a busy day sightseeing.

[Calliope]

However, one thing they did get correct was their regulation of the colour coded disembarkation tickets. The numbers being turned back for not following the procedure was astounding: folk will try it on to the detriment of the majority.

 

Perhaps, these interlopers should be allowed to leave, and then wait in the baggage hall while the last piece of their luggage slowly finds it's way to them. Standing and waiting rather than sitting on the ship might knock some sense into them, but then again they would probably be the first to complain Cunard didn't get their luggage to them in a timely manner! ;)

[canoncruiser]

Prior to yesterday’s mess, as a Diamond member, we usually were off the ship by 8:15 and I was home in an arranged car by 9:30. I am glad the Grills got away promptly, but those of us in the Verandah got going at 8:40 and at 10 I was still in the endless line. So much for Priority Disembarkation.:mad:

 

Between Cunard, the port service managers and Homeland Security the cock-up needs fixing. Quick!

[hihilo]

As we saw it ( experienced it) on 11/26/16) ~~~ disembarking at Red Hook is very simple --- I F you get one of the porters with the big wheeled flat luggage carts once you get your luggage.

They Z I P you thru a fast line for customs ( Immigration) and you are out of there in a VERY short time. For those who wait in the line.... its a L O N G and slow moving line.

Its the best 5$ tip ever spent.

[Solent Richard]

As we saw it ( experienced it) on 11/26/16) ~~~ disembarking at Red Hook is very simple --- I F you get one of the porters with the big wheeled flat luggage carts once you get your luggage.

They Z I P you thru a fast line for customs ( Immigration) and you are out of there in a VERY short time. For those who wait in the line.... its a L O N G and slow moving line.

Its the best 5$ tip ever spent.

 

Well I guess the secret of my speedy disembarkation and lightning passage through immigration is out.

 

As Blueriband said earlier in the thread: you get what you pay for.

 

With Four cases I was more than happy to pass the porter $15: money well spent.

[BlueLadyBlue]

Perhaps, these interlopers should be allowed to leave, and then wait in the baggage hall while the last piece of their luggage slowly finds it's way to them. Standing and waiting rather than sitting on the ship might knock some sense into them, but then again they would probably be the first to complain Cunard didn't get their luggage to them in a timely manner! ;)

 

Love your Mark Twain quote. :D

 

I don't remember coming across it before. Made me smile, big smile.:D

[tv24]

We were traveling in Grills and did have the opportunity to depart at 8:15, but we turned it down since we were in no big hurry and since we wanted to sleep in a bit later. We did not leave the ship until 11:00, and at that point folks who had been sitting in waiting lounges were still waiting. We did take advantage of the stroke of genius of hiring a porter. A good investment. But even with the porter and the quicker immigration line, it still took over an hour to get to our cab. The poor folks in the slow immigration line really suffered. We were told that at one point the computers went down and everything came to a halt. I fear that Homeland Security/Immigration is being starved for resources and cannot access modern electronics. I do hope this issue can be solved.

[Calliope]

Love your Mark Twain quote. :D

 

I don't remember coming across it before. Made me smile, big smile.:D

 

 

Thank you very much. It's from Chapter 5 in "Life on the Mississippi,'' and it's Twain's description of how he felt departing Cincinnati for New Orleans on the Str. PAUL JONES.

Edited December 24, 2016 by Calliope

[SellaVee]

We went on a ranger tour of Ellis Island the day before yesterday and were told that when ships arrived first and second class passengers had already been cleared by immigration officials on board and only steerage passengers had to be ferried to Ellis Island. So why, in 2016, did we have such a long wait to get through immigration? It certainly felt like steerage! Must say, by air or sea, the getting through immigration really puts me off travelling to the States.

 

On a happier note, I loved the end of cruise carol singing in the grand lobby. Did anyone manage to take any pictures? I had hoped my husband might but he was laid low with a nasty cough. There were some marvellous voices and a great atmosphere.

[Lakesregion]

First sea day

Rough seas, swells

 

 

What happened to stairway C? Right behind the fire door that closed when the ship was rocking.

 

 

About 3AM on our first night out of Southampton the ship started to rock. Most noticed it when books fell from the shelf. During the day water was sloshing out of hot tubs and it was a challenge to walk down halls and stairs. It wasn’t as bad as I recall on my first ever TA when the props sometimes cavitated. For a brief period in the afternoon the sun came out but the swells continued. I was in the spa and at times the ship really smacked down.

 

 

 

Due to the ship pitching, the Planetarium shows were cancelled due to “safety concerns” with the dome. They were probably worried that it could get stuck in the down position and they’d be really screwed without Illuminations. Unrelated to the pitching, scheduled West End performer Phillip Browne didn’t board the ship and a production show had to be substituted. It’s my guess that unless Mr. Browne is in a hospital bed he’s not getting any more ship contracts.

 

 

Tonight was the Captain’s Cocktail party for the Grills. Captain Oprey mentioned that the bow was ballasted to minimize pitching and he took the ship further away from the storm system and the re-route added 200 miles to our course. Tomorrow things should improve but there may be another storm system on the 18th.

 

 

 

At the reception it was delightful to also meet tv24 and Francophile. (I had not signed up for the roll call after observing that it was being actively managed by a Madame Superorganizer. Better to let the people who enjoy cabin crawls and slot pulls to enjoy themselves rather than be the party pooper.)

 

 

As I write this late at night the wind is down to force 4, moderate sea state while the pitching is still there it’s much less pronounced.

 

Interesting observation about the ship pitching about. Must be those cheapee PG suites. I on the other hand enjoy a most relaxing inside funnel deck cabin (13th deck) that showed little to no roll or pitch. Oh well as you say one must pay for the pain.

[Lakesregion]

Yesterday was another full on day and despite the motion mentioned by Blueriband life onboard Queen Mary 2 carried on much as normal - okay, the Planatarium was cancelled for safety reasons but most seasoned Cunarders have that ticked off anyway.

 

The Christmas spirit is in full flow...

 

 

The Gingerbread village even having a working railway and carousel...

 

 

Our pre-lunch drinks in our friend's Duplex went off well- indeed we were grateful to the Butlers canapé service as we continued to party well after lunch had finished.

 

WE were rather amused to see the Christmas tree Cunard had provided for the Duplex...

 

 

...which kind of put our own personal one somewhat in the shade...

 

 

One tree we aren't too pleased with when ordering my wife's slimline tonic for her gin in the Commodore Club or Royal Court Theatre...

 

 

Late afternoon was the Christmas Tea Dance in the Queens Room....

 

 

...and the queues prior to opening were quite long.

 

What a shame so many make no effort at a reasonable standard of dress to enhance the ambiance.

 

I was of the same opinion until I learned where Cunard placed their last minute marketing efforts.

[Lakesregion]

We were traveling in Grills and did have the opportunity to depart at 8:15, but we turned it down since we were in no big hurry and since we wanted to sleep in a bit later. We did not leave the ship until 11:00, and at that point folks who had been sitting in waiting lounges were still waiting. We did take advantage of the stroke of genius of hiring a porter. A good investment. But even with the porter and the quicker immigration line, it still took over an hour to get to our cab. The poor folks in the slow immigration line really suffered. We were told that at one point the computers went down and everything came to a halt. I fear that Homeland Security/Immigration is being starved for resources and cannot access modern electronics. I do hope this issue can be solved.

 

Homeland Security is not being starved for anything other than competent people who wish to actually work a full day.

[Solent Richard]

We were traveling in Grills and did have the opportunity to depart at 8:15, but we turned it down since we were in no big hurry and since we wanted to sleep in a bit later. We did not leave the ship until 11:00, and at that point folks who had been sitting in waiting lounges were still waiting. We did take advantage of the stroke of genius of hiring a porter. A good investment. But even with the porter and the quicker immigration line, it still took over an hour to get to our cab. The poor folks in the slow immigration line really suffered. We were told that at one point the computers went down and everything came to a halt. I fear that Homeland Security/Immigration is being starved for resources and cannot access modern electronics. I do hope this issue can be solved.

 

Good morning tv24.

 

I hadn't realised you too were in the Queens Grill: what a small world.

 

Not sure that 'sleeping in a bit later' would really alter so much as I seem to recall that even those of us in Queens Grill were requested to vacate our staterooms by 08.30: with breakfast in the Grills ceasing at 08.00.

Edited December 27, 2016 by Solent Richard

[tv24]

Good morning tv24.

 

I hadn't realised you too were in the Queens Grill: what a small world.

 

Not sure that 'sleeping in a bit later' would really alter so much as I seem to recall that even those of us in Queens Grill were requested to vacate our staterooms by 08.30: with breakfast in the Grills ceasing at 08.00.

 

Well yes, Richard. We were good citizens and vacated our stateroom on time. In fact our butler was banging on our door at 8:15 to give us the bum's rush, so we left, went to King's Chaos for some food, and then hung out in the Concierge's Lounge sipping coffee until almost 11:00, since we were in no rush. But now I see that the best solution for avoiding the immigration lines was to leave as you did with the early priority disembarkation for Queens. Live and learn. Tom