Part II - A rather long and somewhat belated review of TA crossing September 05

[Patch Nelson]

Saturday

 

 

Room Service can pretty much go without comment. It was on time, the food was good. Perhaps the only interesting feature of the morning was that we awoke to the sound of the horn blowing. The ship was in quite a bit of fog and the horn sounded approximately every 10 minutes or so. It was quite surreal to look out through the balcony doors and be able to see absolutely nothing, other than fog. We couldn’t even see the edge of the balcony, although this didn’t last very long.

 

Saturday was a fairly big day on the daily programme. It included the final art auction, (we hadn’t been to any) the Ascot Ball in the Queen’s Room and the ‘Rock at the Opera’ in the RoyalCourtTheatre. Every member of staff with whom we had spoken on board had recommended the Rock at the Opera show to us as being the best show of the lot, so we were determined not to let our meal take too long and to watch the show in full.

 

We started off the day with the dance class as always before finding ourselves in two minds about the OxfordUniversity lectures that were on that day. I omitted to mention that the previous day we had attended a lecture given by Robin Neillands, about the cracking of the Enigma code. Mr Neillands was very knowledgeable and very passionate on the topic and the lecture was very interesting, although probably about 15 minutes too long. I could have wept at some of the questions asked of him, as they had been covered in his lecture only half an hour earlier, so it was quite obvious that some people really weren’t listening to a word he was saying.

 

We were surprised to see that the scavenger hunt was on again, but this clashed with a lecture on the Development of New York’s Neighbourhoods and its ‘MotionPicturePalaces’. The lecture was actually very good and over the following week in New York, we spent quite a bit of time trying to spot some of the old buildings featured in the lecture and it made quite a change to actually have a bit of knowledge on the topic!

Following the lecture, we stayed in Illuminations for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts 3.30 pm production. It was the first time that we had managed to attend anything that they had done through the week and although there was nothing at all wrong with what they did, I didn’t really feel that we had missed out on anything. I would have perhaps preferred to have seen a full length play, as opposed to a lot of short features, but I suppose they have time constraints to work within.

 

The evening’s entertainment was a bit of problem for us on this particular night. The Ascot Ball ran from 10.00 pm to 12.30 am and Rock at the Opera started at 8.45. If we wanted to catch both events, we were going to have to eat very early, which is exactly what we did. What we didn’t realise is that one of the cast of the Rock at the Opera show had apparently taken ill and the show was cancelled. In order to put on entertainment for the final night, there was a bit of a switch around, and the Farewell Show was brought forward by a day, and Rock at the Opera put back for the final day. Luckily we found this out from the couple who sat next to us, so we stopped rushing our dinner and wandered about, thirty minutes late, to the Farewell Show, taking up our usual seat in the far corner.

 

Everything we saw in the theatre was all very professionally done. Watching the technical side of things can be every bit as interesting as the shows themselves. The theatre has a number of motors and such which move the stage around in various ways, and the lighting really has had no expense spared upon it. Generally speaking, the entertainment on the Farewell Show wasn’t too bad. Quite a lot of it was done by a vocalist by the name of Greg Bonham. A fair number of people seemed to love what he did, but, whilst I wouldn’t want to insult him, he really didn’t sound much better than an average club singer to my wife and I.

 

We weren’t hugely impressed with the Farewell Show and left a little early to watch people arrive at the Ascot Ball.

 

A word of warning, if you attend this event. It gets extremely busy. In some areas there was standing room only and when the preparations were being put in place for the Champagne waterfall, almost everyone was up on their feet, trying to get a good look. In the end, my wife and I decided to give the rest of the ball a miss and made our way to G32 again, which, to our surprise, was reasonably well populated. I can only assume that quite a few other people got bored with the Farewell Show on the second showing and decided to make their way over to the nightclub instead. We took a seat towards the back of the club which I can only assume was done so my wife could renege on her promise of singalong with the band.

 

We didn’t stay quite as long as the night before, but again kicked ourselves for not trying G32 earlier.

 

The final thing that I would advise anybody to do, and it is something that we took advantage of earlier in the day, is to take part in the express checkout service. Rather than queuing up at the Purser’s Office on the morning of arrival in New York, the staff suggest that you register your credit card with the Purser’s Office. Once your credit card is registered, the room’s account is charged to the card automatically and there is no need for you to queue up and get a final account. The account is sent up to your room for you to double check first, although more about that later.

 

Sunday

 

 

Sunday morning was probably tinged with a bit of sadness. We were both excited to be nearing New York and at the same time, I was looking forward to phoning home, just to check up on everything, as I had opted not to use the ship to shore phone whilst I was on board because of the expense. At the same time, the harsh reality of having to pack and the fact that this was our final day on board meant for a bit of a sombre start to the day. Having said that, I am sure you will all be pleased to know that I managed to finish off the Room Service breakfast with my usual vigour although I was horrified to learn that there would be no Room Service available the following morning. Oh well, I suppose one morning’s breakfast in the Princess Grill wouldn’t be too much of a trauma to overcome.

 

We also had a decision to make on the luggage, which could either be left outside the room at the end of the evening to be collected overnight and taken away, or alternatively could be taken off by the owner the following morning. Considering the lift was not particularly far from our room and that I would sooner pack everything in the suitcase rather than have another bag with me, we opted to simply take our own suitcases, which also meant we didn’t need to be called by any card number and could leave the ship pretty much straight away the following morning.

 

Also, it was a little bit of disappointment, when we learned that we would be arriving in New York at about 4.00 am. Whilst getting up early wasn’t too big of a problem for us, we had both envisaged sailing up the Hudson River and waving to the crowds on Liberty Island and Ellis Island. Oh well, it wasn’t to be.

 

Even though it was the last day of the voyage, the daily planner was still packed full of activities. It seems that the final Art Auction was a bit of a red herring, from the previous day, as there was yet another final auction taking place today; this one labelled ‘The Sequel’.

 

We chose to simply have one final dance class, which was the Rumba and other than that decided to leave our schedule free until 5.00 pm when the Guests Talent Show took place in the Queen’s Room. For the record, I was hopeless at the Rumba, as well. At the end of the last class, we made a point of thanking Nicola and Jacek for the fun that we had enjoyed at their lessons throughout the cruise and also we bought an instructional DVD that they were selling. I have to say though, that your average living room really doesn’t compare to the grandeur of the Queen’s Room, no matter how hard you try.

 

We took in a final show at Illuminations, before going back to our room for a bit more packing and venturing back to the King’s Court, or more specifically the Chef’s Galley for a Hamburger and Chips. We felt it fitting to finish as we started!

 

The Guests Talent Show was a real highlight, too. One of the things that did surprise me about the ship was how laid back a lot of the passengers were. I suppose that before we departed, we expected a ship full of well off snobs, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Having said that, there were one or two of them on board, but generally speaking the vast majority of the passengers were very friendly people.

 

My personal favourite on the Guests Talent Show as a fairly elderly woman, from Pennsylvania, who did her own stand up comedy routine. A few of her jokes were close to the bone and rather on the blue side, which was fine by me, although I do believe that one or two others complained directly to her, which left the poor lady a little upset, thinking she had offended people. I couldn’t help but think at that point how welcome a feature some regular stand up comedy would be on board. I don’t know if it’s everyone’s cup of tea, but personally, I would have loved to have gone to stand up comedy in the Illuminations, whilst some of the shows in the Royal Court were going on, that I wasn’t all that interested in. I suppose it may not be to everybody’s taste, but I would certainly like to see it at some point in the future.

 

We had a very relaxing dinner in the Princess Grill and everybody seemed to be excited at the prospect of seeing land in a few hours time. We splashed out on a bottle of champagne and, oddly, for the first time during our journey, had the chance to have a fairly long conversation with the couple next to us. Because we tended to eat at different times we very often arrived as they were leaving and vice versa; whereas today we had started our meal at the same time. They were a fascinating couple, originally from Germany, but able to speak flawless English, probably even better than mine, with my Barnsley accent. I couldn’t help but feel a tinge of envy, when they told us that this was their third month in a six month tour of the world; that they were doing to celebrate their retirement.

 

After dinner, it was straight to the RoyalCourtTheatre for Rock at the Opera, which can only be described in the words of the daily programme, those being: ‘spectacular’. The costumes, music, lighting, choreography, everything about this particular show was absolutely fantastic. The last time we were in New York we went to watch a stage production of ‘Chicago’ on Broadway and frankly, this blew it clean out of the water. It was one of those shows that as the performers moved from one routine to the next almost everybody was turning to each other and commenting upon how excellent the earlier performance had been. I could have very easily given it a standing ovation, if it hadn’t been for the bottle of champagne and the three course meal I had put away earlier that night.

 

My wife and I both agreed that this show really ought to be the finale to the cruise as to watch that on day 5 and then the Farewell Show on Day 6 would leave the Farewell Show looking even more tame than it actually was. If anyone from Cunard does regularly read this board, I sincerely hope they think long and hard about moving the shows permanently.

 

Almost out of a sense of duty, we decided to go and have one last drink in the G32, although tonight it really did live up to the reviews I had read previously.

I think almost everybody had gone for an early night, and there were probably only about 20 or so people in there. I can happily report that the old chap with the white hair was still dancing away with his considerably younger girlfriend, and still looking utterly delighted.

 

We were told that we would arrive in New York at around 4.00 am so I set my alarm clock for 3.30 and finished off the last of the packing, just leaving the clothes in which I intended to disembark.

 

 

Monday

 

 

I woke up feeling as though I had never gone to sleep at all, but made my way out on to the balcony to see if there was any sign of land yet. I was met by Tim and Fiona, our neighbours for the journey, who I haven’t really mentioned, but who were very interesting to talk to, and it turned out have relatives who live only two miles from us. It wasn’t too long before we saw the glimmers of light in the distance, and I returned to the room to drag Andrea out of bed, kicking and screaming.

 

The ship was absolutely alive with activity, despite it still being very dark. Commodore Warwick was giving a history of New York over the tannoy as we approached and seeing the Manhattan skyline lit up as we sailed in was a spectacular sight, although the last time we were in New York, we did do a Harbour Lights cruise, so it was something we had seen previously. As enjoyable as it was, seeing it by night, I still couldn’t shake the feeling that it would have been nicer to have arrived five hours later.

 

The Observation Deck was almost impossible to get on to, and instead, people tended to move from one side of the deck to the other, lifting their cameras over the glass screens to take a few pictures. It wasn’t too long before we pulled into the dock at New York and I have to say that I am not all surprised that the decision has been taken to move away from the old dock. It is not particularly a welcoming sight, looking very old and very tired, but I suppose it did make for a good contrast of the old and the new.

 

We made our way to the Princess Grill for breakfast and were the butt of a few jokes from the waiters. I don’t know if it was the shock of seeing us there for breakfast, or if they were still giddy from the tip we had given them the night before. The one breakfast I did have was very good but it convinced me that our decision to use Room Service throughout the cruise had been a good one, because I couldn’t possibly have managed the dance class after polishing off one of the three course breakfasts in the Princess Grill.

 

Although the ship had docked some time before, it was still a hive of activity with people making their way to the Purser’s Office to check out, and those like us, would had opted to take our own bags, wheeling suitcases behind them.

 

Unfortunately, my master plan to take advantage of the express checkout and avoid the queues failed dismally. Whilst we had been on board, we hadn’t made many purchases, other than wine at the table and such, but we had purchased the photograph taken of us at the Captain’s table by the official photographer and we had also seen ourselves feature on the cruise DVD (our friend with the video camera) so decided to buy a copy of that. To my surprise, the soft drinks package that we had purchased the very first day had been charged to our account on four occasions, and we had been charged twice for the DVD and for the photograph. I had spoken with the Purser’s Office the previous day, and been assured that a fresh account would be waiting under my door, but nothing had transpired. It took two further visits before this was finally sorted out, although the staff were very apologetic for the inconvenience.

 

Before disembarking, we were left with a bit of time to wander round, taking some last minute photos. In a twist of fate, Roy proved surprisingly elusive on this final day, although we did manage to track him down and give him a tip for all of his patience over previous week.

 

Closing the door to our room really was quite a poignant moment. We had spent the first week of our honeymoon in room 1008 and had had such a fantastic time; as we closed the door we both realised that we would both never see the ship or that room again, which did leave us feeling a little down.

 

Dragging our suitcases behind us, we said our goodbyes to members of the crew that we recognised and had spoken to at one time or another. It would have been nice to catch up with Commodore Warwick and Kim, but they were both of course, naturally, busy. As we walked off into the terminal building in New York, we seemed to walk from serenity into chaos, but I suppose that’s always the best way look at New York.

 

Taking the chance to get a good view of the ship whilst she was still in dock, we took the pictures that I referred to earlier and debated whether or not to come back that evening to watch her sail away. We decided that we would probably only depress ourselves by doing that, so went to get on to our coach transfer.

 

I won’t say too much about New York. It is difficult not to enjoy it, but the one area that was a real let down with the holiday was the whole transfer between the ship and the hotel.

 

We hadn’t asked for, but had been given, a coach ticket, which allowed for a bus tour of New York, before arriving at the hotel. We had already done the tour before and really just wanted to get to the hotel, so had a word with the Cunard rep by the coaches, and they were quite happy for us to swap to the coach that had a direct transfer straight to the hotel as opposed to the tour and transfer.

 

Unfortunately we got a taste of things to come, as we sat on a bus for almost two hours before we finally got away. On more than one occasion we contemplated taking our luggage off and simply getting a taxi to the hotel, but every time we asked, we were assured by the driver that we would be leaving shortly. It did get very hot and uncomfortable on the coach though, certainly a contrast to the luxury we had enjoyed all week.

 

The only one thing I would mention about the hotel was the Cunard rep who ‘helped’ when we got there. Her name was Molly and sadly, although I am sure she tried her best, she was very possibly the most inept person that I have ever encountered in my life. Despite telling her on three separate occasions that we were staying at the hotel, she continued to mix us up with those who were getting a flight immediately back to the UK. On the fourth occasion, she assured us that she had made a note of everything and if we left our cases with her, everything would be sorted out. This, after around another hour and a half in the hotel, queuing and then trying to explain things to her. One or two of the passengers were getting rather irate with her, which isn’t our style, but I could well understand those who did. In the end, we decided that we had so little faith in her abilities that we unloaded our suitcases from the hotel trolley and decided to simply deal with check in ourselves. We had a word with the staff at the counter and were told we couldn’t take the room until 2.30 pm, so checked our bags for storage and took a wander around New York.

 

The hotel actually managed to give us a twin room first of all, which was interesting considering this was the second week of our honeymoon, but sorted it out without any real fuss. We had a week of amazing weather and sitting in Central Park whilst the sun is beating down, certainly made for a great experience, amongst many others.

 

A few final points on the QM2. Firstly, the staff really are a jewel in the Queen’s crown. Even if they get things wrong, they do their best to put them right, and I don’t think you can ask for more than that. There was one lady we got speaking with in the Queen’s Room who was blind and travelling alone with her guide dog. The staff made such a fuss of her and her dog, that she must have had a wonderful time and it was quite touching to see just how far they went out of their way to help them both.

 

The ship, as you would expect, and as you can see from the pictures anyway, is utterly spectacular and for those people who write reviews pulling it apart, I really must travel on some of the ships that you people must be comparing the Queen Mary to, because they really must be something.

 

One final comment, saved for Commodore Warwick and Kim. About the time of the propeller incident. I read a lot of angry messages on the message board, which is of course understandable. However, quite a lot of these messages were a personal attack on Commodore Warwick, accusing him of being very arrogant and of not caring. I really think that those people who write such personal attacks really ought to stop and think. Commodore Warwick was in the middle of a very stressful time and I am sure that if anybody had had the chance to speak to him as we did that night, they would see that he is anything but arrogant and that he cares deeply about what people think, more about the ship than they do about him. I know he used to read this board, and I do wonder what he must have thought, reading a lot of those personal attacks. Anyway, the point of this wasn’t to have a go at people, but merely to share what was a fantastic experience, so I will say no more on that.

 

I am sure that some of you reading this may wonder why it took me so long to put a review together if we enjoyed it so much. Well, in my defence, we did move house after we got back and I was quite happy being selfish and keeping it all to myself anyway. The real motivation for doing the review is because I did say to a few of the people on this board that I would write up a report of what I thought and if I am honest, my main reason is that we are now lucky enough to be sailing on the QM2 again.

 

Despite thinking that our honeymoon would be our first and only time on board, we have managed to scrape enough together to afford one of the deals that Cunard are offering on the Sunshine Retreat cruise from Southampton to Fort Lauderdale, and will be back on board on 18th November this year.

 

Unfortunately, we haven’t got the fantastic upgrade to the Princess Grill again, but nonetheless I am sure that won’t spoil our enjoyment any. I suppose if anything, a sheltered balcony might come in handy if the weather is anything like it was last year!

 

I am sure that as I read this back, I will think of plenty of things I forgot to mention, but I think you have probably had enough to be going along with. I really haven’t had the time to properly proof read it so I hope you’ll forgive any typing errors etc.

 

The only advice I would give anybody travelling is, don’t listen to whatever anybody else says and try everything. Stop worrying about the dress code, getting dressed up in the evenings is part of the thrill, do you really love jeans so much that you can’t forget them for a few days?

 

Probably the best piece of advice I can give you is enjoy every moment and it will give you a lifetime of memories from your time on board.

 

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading the re-cap as much as I enjoyed putting it together and if you’re on board on the 18th November I may see you soon!

[Therapst]

What an excellent review! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experiences on the QM2 with us. We very much appreciate your perspective, descriptions of events, and your photo gallery. It made for very informative and enjoyable reading.

 

Again, thank you!

[pepperrn]

Just read and enjoyed this second part. Again, simply superb. Thanks so much for taking the time and trouble to share.

[legospice]

Best review ive ever read!! Now i really, really cant wait till November.

 

Donna

[travel-to-go]

Patch,

Thank you ever so much for a simply delightful review. I'll bet you and your lovely bride are two of the nicest, kindest people. Even your negatives are made to sound positive! That is the kind of attitude I love to see. Life is too short to spend it getting upset, angry, and short with others, who are probably trying their best, and maybe having a really bad day. One never knows what their "backstory" is

 

And one last thing, not to belabor a point. I did not feel the posts on this board were totally as negative towards the Commodore as all that. Though some, undoubtedly were. Again, I feel he is a gentleman, and a very private person. I feel he is the consummate professional. It is difficult to do a job and also be expected to be under the stagelights' glare. Some people are more humble and do not wish to be in the spotlight. I suspect, were he not the Master, he would be arguing to wear jeans- Well, or at least to be comfortable! I suspect he probably stopped reading these boards long ago, when it got too painful and he had a lot on his plate. I suspect I wouldn't change my words, were I to become aware he still glances at them from time to time (though I would surely be embarrassed) I still say that the Commodore's sterling career overshadows, to me, any single incident, whether there was fault assessed or not.. but which, unfortunately, is the last thing many people will remember about him. Those of you on the Independence Day cruise (Gee, is that impolite to say to British Citizens, from whom we gained our independence? <G>) You are most lucky to be traveling with him, and for the presumed cermonies at the Halifax museum. If youo get the chance, engage him about the Titanic, he is quite the ardent follower of Titanic lore, and has been down to it himself. He gave me a marvelous article, which I cherish for showing me a side that I did not know, and have (and will) explored further about the tragedy and the wreck's discovery. Do ask about it. He has strong feelings on the subject. I am surprised more has not come out about the controversies about the ship, her treasures, and the claims of the crews that located her.

 

Anyway. If he is still reading, I wish Him and Kim the best in their retirement. If he isn't, and one of you has the opportunity to do so, please give them our best regards.

 

Patch, I am so delighted that you and Andrea will be able to cruise/cross on the QM2 once again. Have a fabulous time! And we expect another review- Titled something like "view from the other side" since you will now be down with us mere plebes!

 

Thanks agin,

Karie.

Who feel wrung out from experiencing your highs and low, and sad to have left the ship, but glad you will be able to sail her once more!

It's nearly 2 AM I have to get to bed!

[trams]

Very interesting review with useful tips.

By coincidence we will celebrating our 40th Wedding anniversary in suite 10008 on the 30th July Med cruise.

[Cardinal999]

That was an utterly wonderful review! Definitely the best I have read yet, though that’s not to derogate any other reviews I’ve read here so far as they have all been excellent.:)

As has already been said, you come across as a very laid back and down-to-earth person and your style of writing is so easy-going and a pleasure to read. And your having managed to book another cruise on QM2 after all the thoughts of your initial voyage being a one-off meant that the review ended on a real high which was so nice.:)

Thanks so much for taking the time to write and post; it’s made me even more excited and enthusiastic about our Transatlantic on QM2 next year – if that’s humanly possible! :D

[Patch Nelson]

Glad you enjoyed the write-up ... shame I couldn't put it all in as one long post but I guess they have a built in 'waffle-filter' on the board!!

 

By coincidence we will celebrating our 40th Wedding anniversary in suite 10008 on the 30th July Med cruise

 

I am envious trams, we both really loved that room during our brief stay ... watch the step into the bathroom though, your big toe can get quite bruised if you aren't fully alert!

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to write and post; it’s made me even more excited and enthusiastic about our Transatlantic on QM2 next year – if that’s humanly possible!

 

Well Cardinal, as I'm sure you'll have guessed I'm a huge fan of the ship ... love to think that in the distant future when retirement looms that I'd have enought put away to do a world cruise ... how's that for dreaming! I'm sure you'll love it though ... frankly I can't understand why anyone wouldn't??

 

Except course when your balcony is covered with sea-spray!!! - I'll never forget that one as long as I live!

[travel-to-go]

Except course when your balcony is covered with sea-spray!!! - I'll never forget that one as long as I live!

 

Reminds me of the list of dumb questions crew get asked.

 

"Do the crew go home at night?"

And similar misguided (DUH) questions/complaints

Seems to me there's one in there about controollling the weather or something equally impossible, that cruisers have complained about.

 

Karie,

who has NEVER asked a dumb question! <DOH!>

[flandre58]

Thank you for such a wonderful account of your crossing. Coincidentally, my wife and I were on the same crossing, and it was lovely to have your take on some of the particulars of that voyage. I would add that despite a few patches of rough seas, we had the bookends of delightful weather for sailaway and our last day at sea, when the ocean was smooth and the sun shone the entire day. It was a classic North Atlantic sailing experience with a little of this and that giving variety to the voyage. May you continue to enjoy the delights of QM2 for many years, and congratulations on your decision to sail on her later this year!

[Hobbit]

I have finally read your review. Marvelous. After you take your cruise in November, please do another review comparing traveling Princess Grill level with Britannia level.

Our review is posted on http://www.evilscoutmaster.com/EurDay35.htm days 35 through 41, if you’re interested.

Hobbit

QM2 May 17th 2006

[guernseyguy]

Those of you on the Independence Day cruise (Gee, is that impolite to say to British Citizens, from whom we gained our independence? <G>)

 

Thats alright Karie - we call it 'Thanksgiving' ;)

 

Patch,

 

Great review - well worth the wait!

 

Peter

[Patch Nelson]

Thank you for such a wonderful account of your crossing. Coincidentally, my wife and I were on the same crossing, and it was lovely to have your take on some of the particulars of that voyage. I would add that despite a few patches of rough seas, we had the bookends of delightful weather for sailaway and our last day at sea, when the ocean was smooth and the sun shone the entire day. It was a classic North Atlantic sailing experience with a little of this and that giving variety to the voyage. May you continue to enjoy the delights of QM2 for many years, and congratulations on your decision to sail on her later this year!

 

Oh definately ... the day before arrival in NYC was fantastic ... I would have loved to have been in the hot tub on Deck 12 with a glass in hand on a day like that one ... shame we didn't have more of them!

[jp2001]

I have only one thing to say about your review: WOW!