On Board and About To Sail !!

[Winchester Ranger]

Beautiful day in New York, spent 2 wonderful days at The Michelangelo hotel on Broadway, saw Miss Saigon with a friend (it was incredible), Twin Towers Memorial, Empire State Building (bucket list item - check, and no sign of a big monkey) and now lifeboat drill in 15 minutes and 7 days of solo cruising. Sad to say that Cunard still attempts to poison guests with a free bottle of Pol Acker Headache Reserve on arrival at your stateroom, a free bottle of water would be cheaper (barely) and far more welcome. Oh well, it's a tradition now.

 

Fair winds and fine weather to us all.

[Lanky Lad]

I hope you have a great crossing.

[easyboy]

Happy sailing!!!

 

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Forums mobile app

[Winchester Ranger]

Departure delayed until further notice - FBI on board the ship.

 

Trust the Feds to muck up my vacation !!!

[Keuka Lake Sailor]

I was just looking at the NY Harbor Cam to see the ship has not sailed and was wondering why. Thanks for the info

[Lanky Lad]

Thanks for the update, although raises questions as to what the FBI are up to. On the plus side of sailing late, you will get to travel a little faster to make sure you arrive on time. Still a long way of her top speed though :(

[Winchester Ranger]

7.15pm and we are sailing now - a solo female passenger disappeared on the westbound leg and did not disembark from the ship in NYC. Although the captain didn't state the obvious, there can be only one explanation - for reason or reasons unknown she went overboard.

[Salacia]

7.15pm and we are sailing now - a solo female passenger disappeared on the westbound leg and did not disembark from the ship in NYC. Although the captain didn't state the obvious, there can be only one explanation - for reason or reasons unknown she went overboard.

 

Thanks for the update Winchester Ranger. Very sad news. Thoughts & prayers for the missing woman and her loved ones, as well as the crew and her fellow passengers.

[ricki]

Very sad news for her and her family. Distressing for the guests, crew and officers.

 

Ricki

[harpy3]

Sad news start to your crossing. We're on the July 15 crossing and excited about our first Cunard voyage.

[Winchester Ranger]

Very sad - no more news onboard. I hope she's in a better place, ultimately it's a crossing we all have to take.....

[sppunk]

Wait a soul went overboard and Cunard didn't know?! They don't have monitoring cameras on all outside decks?

[Underwatr]

Wait a soul went overboard and Cunard didn't know?! They don't have monitoring cameras on all outside decks?

They do, but I don't think they have someone watching or automatic detection of someone going over.

 

If someone is missed within a short period of time I think they can review security footage and determine the time (and therefore the approximate location) that someone went over.

 

A woman went missing on the first night of QM2's Christmas trip to the Caribbean last year. They were able to determine that she went from her balcony and we spent the day doing a search pattern aided by the Coast Guard but to no avail.

[Solent Richard]

Wait a soul went overboard and Cunard didn't know?! They don't have monitoring cameras on all outside decks?

 

This is Cunard, not 'Big Brother'.

 

They are where they are needed most.

[Winchester Ranger]

Back to happier thoughts - what I have noticed from the refit....

 

Very little actually, but then there are areas of the ship they revamped that I don't really visit. One I did visit however was the spa, some mixed thoughts on that. The ceiling has been completely redone and is much better, although the new glass panels are already getting stained and one is clearly broken and happens to be hanging right over the pool. The jacuzzi has been re-tiled and looks 10 times better - except it is broken and out of service, and unbelievably one of the 2 showers by the herbal sauna is broken - the same one that was broken on my last cruise several years ago ! A young french grad student wearing the skimpiest of bikinis and who is escorting her 90 year grandmother on the crossing decided to join me in the steam room for a smile and a chat, and let's just say I really needed that cold shower.....

 

The food in Brittania is very good, a little better than my last crossing in fact - I had a pork fillet wrapped in bacon served with potatoes dauphinoise and shallots that was absolutely delicious, and a lamb shank that literally fell off the bone it was so tender. Portions are definitely "British sized" but quite adequate when combined with all the other fare.

 

Today's weather is fantastic, shorts and sunglasses, more like hot caribbean weather - everyone is up on deck. I had the bridge viewing window to myself when the master safety console suddenly went bonkers, it was interesting in there for a while until they resolved it. I brought a monocular with me and was able to see everything on the screens in some detail - a bit cheeky but then that's me.

 

Loving the trip, already thinking about the next one. This is a way of life on Queen Mary 2, and I slid right back into it as if I had never been away from her, I love it.

[Salacia]

Wait a soul went overboard and Cunard didn't know?! They don't have monitoring cameras on all outside decks?

 

If a passenger went overboard, it would be expected that the Captain made an announcement to that effect, and a search and rescue mission immediately instigated. But a reliable poster on that crossing wrote that no mention was made of a passenger overboard. Nor have I been able to find any account of such an event in various news sources.

 

An equally reliable passenger on the current crossing reported that departure from Red Hook was delayed due the investigation by the FBI of an instance whereby " a solo female passenger disappeared on the westbound leg and did not disembark from the ship in NYC." He also pointed out that the Captain did not say she went overboard.

 

Hopefully, events will be clarified.

 

Best wishes to all concerned,

-S