Westbound Crossing 24th Sept 2006.

[Therapst's Lady]

Hello, Pepper:

You should consider writing an article about your experiences aboard the Queen Mary 2 for magazines such as Cruise Travel or Conde Nast! You're that good! :)

Please answer a question for me--does the r n after your name stand for Royal Navy?

Just curious,

[cusyl]

Great writing, can hardly wait for the next installment!:D

[DFD1]

Remarkable, Pepper, Absolutely remarkable....and delightful to read.

 

I feel like I am reading a first class novel about these interesting characters at sea.

 

Thank you so much.

[travel-to-go]

Pepper,

 

I agree with Mary. You should consider a late career, (or maybe a retirement hobby) as a writer. You have so much attention to detail, you are erudite, yet approachable. It is an easy read that flows and brings the reader right there, as if they were standing behind or beside you!

 

I am on the edge of my seat for the next installment.

 

Youknow they pay people or pay the cruising costs of people to do what you are doing for the joy of it?

 

Karie,

Who wishes she could REMEMBER this much, much less write it in a readable and interesting fashion!

[Norfolk Brit]

You have a wonderful eye for detail; must be the naval training. Can't imagine why you apologised before you started writing as this is just about the best review there's been on here (and I've read them all).

 

Love the dry sense of humour, Mary

[pepperrn]

gbc wrote

 

"I was there! Thank you for this Herculean effort and the wonderful rush of memories it is bringing back!"

 

Thank you, I meant every word about our little group, you are all a huge part of my memories of the crossing (gbc, if you'd like a copy of the photograph of our meeting, write to me... pepper @ royal . navy . org. uk ).

 

Therapst wrote

 

"Thank you so much. Please keep 'em coming!"

 

Thank you for reading all this, and for your encouraging comments. There are a few more parts to come, I really should edit more often.

 

Cardinal999 wrote

 

"I could quite easily read it twice"

 

Thanks, I wish I had before posting. There would be less spelling and grammar errors!

 

Therapst's Lady wrote

 

"You should consider writing an article about your experiences aboard the Queen Mary 2 for magazines such as Cruise Travel or Conde Nast! .Does the r n after your name stand for Royal Navy?"

Thank you for that amazing compliment. This is the first time I've ever tried to write somthing like this (although years ago, in a previous job, I did write situation reports). I am no writer however. I've re-read my posts and my dreadful grammar would rule out that career. And yes, the r n does stand for Royal Navy. You have been for too kind with your comments.

cusyl wrote

"can hardly wait for the next installment"

 

Thank you, the next bit is coming up, you are really good to comment on my posts.

 

DFD1 wrote

 

"I feel like I am reading a first class novel about these interesting characters at sea".

 

Thank you, I can assure you there were many interesting people on my voyage, a real cross section. I've tried to avoid any observations of them in case they post their observations of me!

 

Travel-to-go wrote

 

"I am on the edge of my seat for the next installment. You know they pay people or pay the cruising costs of people to do what you are doing for the joy of it?

 

Karie,

Who wishes she could REMEMBER this much, much less write it in a readable and interesting fashion!"

 

Karie, thank you. This is a huge compliment from the master of "readable and interesting". Your daily comments are the most enjoyable and informed posts here. I always look for your name because I know I will be entertained. Thank you again.

 

Norfolk Brit wrote

 

" Can't imagine why you apologised before you started writing. Love the dry sense of humour"

 

Thank you Mary, I said sorry because I knew that my speeling and sentannce consrucction is real badd. Seriously, it is dreadful.

 

I'm very aware that humour is very difficult to write down, esp for an international audience. I've cut many jokes. I've no wish to offend anyone.

 

 

Part 6.

 

The next morning’s weather was very different from the day before. Thick fog meant that you couldn’t see more than a few dozen feet down the deck. Almost all surfaces were soaking wet. The fog horn sounded every couple of minutes. We were running at a reduced speed (so it seemed, as you could hardly see the ocean, way below you, it was difficult to be sure). As the fog cleared slightly on occasions, you became aware of long slow swells (27 feet high we were told later) in the water. This was causing the ship to noticeably pitch her bow and stern. Towards the bow, it was occasionally difficult to keep your footing as the ship rose and fell. I loved it. At last this 5 star hotel felt like a real ship.

 

We went up to the Deck 12 pool, “The Pavilion”. But, because of how the water was sloshing around in the pool tank, it was closed. I had noticed that the two pools at the stern were open (being lower down, there was less movement here) so that’s where I went. After changing in a small room to one side of the deck, I got into one of the hot tubs. I sat there, with the rising steam from the water being whipped away horizontally by the wind. The decks were almost deserted. A few brave souls, wrapped up against this wind, while passing, looked at me and thought, I’m certain, “he must be mad”.

 

I was sitting, outside, in a hot tub, in a thick fog, on the deck of a liner, speeding across the ocean at over 20 knots. A truly unique experience.

 

And to think, some people fly across.

 

After lunch I decided to investigate more of deck 7 and then go the Grand Lobby and have a look at the shops.

 

The gym stretches across the front of the superstructure of the ship, forward on Deck 7, almost the entire width. I confess here that, whilst I had every intention of using it, I never did. I always seemed to be able to say “tomorrow”. There were always people in there, even very early in the morning. Moving aft you pass the entrance (or, at least, I passed the entrance, another facility I didn’t use) of the Canyon Ranch Spa complex. Inside, there is a pool on this level with its attendant massage and therapy rooms and above on Deck 8, the hair and beauty salon. A passageway takes you further aft until it passes the “Winter Garden” room. This large area was frequently either closed off for a private function or otherwise an “Art Auction” was going on. The only times I was there was once during lifeboat drill before we left Southampton and, on the last day, I sneaked in when staff were moving furniture around after such a function (an Art Auction, not a lifeboat drill).

 

It’s a most unusual room, poorly decorated and laid out. Opposite the bar, along the back wall, there are the rusting remains of a water feature (looked as if it hadn’t worked for years). I can see the need for a large room to hold these Art sales and the like, but feel (hope) that the décor of this room will be changed very soon (please?). Because of its width and the fact that, unlike the Queens Room, it is only one Deck high, you really feel that the ceiling is low above your head. This, despite having a blue sky painted on it! I really didn’t like this space (like you hadn’t guessed).

 

Beyond that is the Kings Court and in the middle of this complex (!) I took a scenic lift down to deck 3 and the shops. Here, around the Grand Lobby, are branches of H Stern, Chopard, Hermes etc. (i.e. the sort of shops where you go in to be appalled at the prices). They must take money but I never saw anyone in them buying. However it is a nice area in which to window browse. On the port side is the large gift/souvenir shop, and, astern of that, the “duty free” area. The gift shop had a large selection of “QM2” or “Cunard” marked items for sale. There was an area devoted to Harrods and, further inside, lots of clothing (tee shirts etc.) all printed “I’ve cruised on the QM2” or such like. There were big selections of mugs, ‘fridge magnets, key rings, towels and tea pots. Some of the goods were quite tacky, much of it was better (obviously, all the items I selected were the very height of good taste).

 

You can then pass into another shop where there are many things for sale that you might have forgotten to pack, such as men’s and ladies clothing, watches, ties, scarves, chocolates, toiletries and non-prescription medicines. There is also a (duty free) selection of spirits, wines and cigarettes. Any duty free items you purchase are delivered to your cabin on the last morning. If you smoke, you cannot buy cigarettes here for consumption on board but can purchase them at the bars around the ship. As I don’t, this wasn’t a problem.

 

Beyond this useful shop you enter “Sir Samuel’s Wine Bar”. This comfortable room, with its modern decoration and wood floor, was just what I needed after all the frantic retail therapy I had just “endured“. So I had a glass of wine. Purely for research purposes you understand. Verdict: All shopping centres should have a wine bar at the end of them. To one side is the “Photo Shop” where you can buy cameras and film (remember film?).

 

After that I made my way to “Illuminations” for a planetarium show. You have to get the (free) tickets early in the morning of the show from “Cunard connexions” on Deck 2 forward of the Royal Court Theatre. Narrated by Laurence Fishburne, this 22 minute show was great. I got there early (no reserved seats) and was first in. I sat under the very centre of the dome that drops down from the ceiling of this theatre. There are 150 reclining seats (coloured red) in the middle of this room (for films and lectures Illuminations seats over 450) that are used for these planetarium shows. In very rough weather they cancel these presentations in case any slight flexing of the hull results in the dome getting stuck in the down position. Due to the slight disorientation caused by some fast movement on the huge screen that fills your field of vision, a glass of wine, and being this far forward (with the bow rising and falling), at times I felt I really was flying in space!

 

Dinner that evening was again formal. I was beginning to feel that from now on I will always dress for dinner! There were noticeably less people dining tonight, our waiters suggested that sea-sickness was the reason. Afterwards we made our way to the ‘Club for an after dinner drink, met up with our American pal and then went down to the Royal Court Theatre.

 

We found seats in the front row of the lower level of the theatre. The entertainment here this evening was provided by Jon Courtenay. This guy is brilliant. Multi-talented. He has a great voice, can play the piano astoundingly well, and his joke delivery was so good there were tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. He had a way of looking at the audience that made you laugh when he’d almost said nothing at all! If you see his name on of any cruise or crossing, do yourself a favour, do not miss this guy.

 

Afterwards it was back up to the ‘Club for a few glasses of “falling over water” and then to G32, this night, a little less busy.

 

The next day started overcast but the swell had gone. The speed had picked up again (we would be doing 25 knots for the remainder of the crossing). We went up to the “Pavilion Pool” on Deck 12. This pool is under a retractable glass roof (although we never saw it open) and, once the sun had come out, the whole area became quite warm. I swam a lot and then sat in one of the hot tubs next to the pool. I got chatting to a lady who was travelling “Queens Grill” She said the service in her dining room was “astounding”. She hadn’t travelled with Cunard before or, indeed, crossed transatlantic but had taken many cruises. I told her that I was eating in the Britannia and she said how much she preferred the look of that room to her own restaurant.

 

Before sailing I had been concerned that the Cunard “Class” system (Queens Grill, Princess Grill, Britannia Restaurant) on QM2 would make itself obvious. How wrong I was. As a “Britannia” passenger there are only two small restaurants and a bar, a travel/tour booking office (the “Concierge Lounge“) and a tiny deck area that you can’t use. Other than that you have the complete run of this huge ship. At no time, as you walked about, could you tell in which type of cabin grade your fellow passengers were travelling. OK, on deck 7, “D” staircase foyer, there were discrete signs “Queens/Princess Grill guests only” outside their restaurants and bar. And as I descended outside from deck 11 to deck 8 (towards the stern) I passed through the tiny area of the “Queens Grill Guests Only” deck 10 and noticed the rolled towels on the deck chairs emblazoned “CUNARD”, whereas the ones on the other decks were plain. But it would be very easy for passengers to miss these remnants of a bygone era. The days when huge parts of a liner were “off limits” are gone. Everywhere I went I was treated by all the staff as if I was the most important person aboard. I don’t know if the bar staff can tell when they “swipe” your “sign and sail” card which cabin you are in. And, therefore, which “class”. But, if they can, it was never obvious. All the crew were supremely professional, courteous and polite.

 

Lunch was taken in the “Golden Lion” pub on Deck 2. It was busy but we managed to find a table easily. Later I returned to the Library and borrowed a couple of books (you are allowed 2 at a time). Both about Ocean Liners. There are 8,000 books here (the largest collection at sea) so you’ll find something to interest you. There are several computer terminals here (as well as those down on deck 2 at the seven room “Cunard Connexions” computer centre). At the front of the library are highly prized seats placed in front of windows looking out over the bow. Anyone sat here seems glued to their chair, unwilling to get up (unless nature calls) and lose these coveted positions. You could hear a pin drop in this room. It was always busy and clearly not enough seats had been provided. I loved it. Big sofas, magazines, great books and staff who couldn’t have been more helpful. Yet another reason (yes, there is another!) I booked my cabin where I did, was because I knew that I would spend a lot of my time on board in the Library and the Commodore Club. Both only a lift ride away from my cabin!

 

That evening, dinner was taken in the Carvery of the Kings Court. After eating we went straight to the Royal Court to see a one hour version of “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde performed by students of RADA, the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. I thought that there would be so much taken out in order to condense it to sixty minutes that all my favourite lines would be cut, but not so, most were there. My only concern was that they rushed some of the wittiest lines. But as I can’t act to save my life, what do I know. I thought they put lots of energy into their performance, and having a man play Aunt Augusta was a master stroke. They tried very hard to connect with the audience and received great applause.

 

Afterwards, by way of a change from the Commodore Club, we made our way to the “Chart Room” bar on Deck 3. This bar is elegant and sophisticated. A jazz band plays next to a small circular dance floor most evenings. There are huge glass maps on the walls of this bar which, like several others, looked better at night when lit properly rather than in the full light of day. A lovely room in which to “people watch” over a glass of scotch. Forward of this is the “Veuve Clicquot Champagne Bar”. I passed through this room on several occasions but never found the time to stop and enjoy a glass.

 

 

 

 

[patwell]

Pepper....once again, thoroughly enjoyable. You have helped to make a rainy, gray South Carolina day bright and cheerful as I anticipate my own upcoming voyage by reading all of your insights and experiences. You have also set the bar pretty high for the rest of us who might attempt a synopsis of our trips and I fear we may all have to preface them with a disclaimer...."not as good as Pepper's review so please be kind..."

 

Do keep writing as we'll all keep reading and hope your trip doesn't end too soon.

Cheers, Penny

[travel-to-go]

Pepper,

Reading this I feel as though I should be sitting in an overstuffed wing chair next to a mesmerizing and flickering fireplace, wearing a houndstooth jacket with suede patches on the elbows and smoking a briarwood... And I don't even smoke! And I'm a woman!

Oh, and of course I should be reading it from a slightly musty, well-worn and loved heavy tome, with pages lovingly turned so many times as to be indented where the fingers rest, like old friends who have found their comfort.

 

As for spelling and grammer. I have an acquaintance who is a famous and well known writer, editor and pundit. This gentleman is known (at least on this side of the big pond) as a Wordsmith. He is looked upon as the quinessential expert, bar none, in usage and vocabulary. He and I have had the occasional exhange via email, where his writing is purely his own. Even with spell check, the man's spelling can be off (typing, I am sure) and his delivery can be atrocious! He sends me every new book he writes, always personally signed; once an author's edition, first edition (gold leaf on the leaves) I have yet to be able to read a single inscription. For all I know, it could say "Your mother wears Army boots!" I've passed them around to my coworkers when they arrived and none can decipher his chicken scratchings!

Here's a little secret! That's what they have proof-readers and editors for. So the writer can use his talent at turning a phrase and skill atgetting across a point in an interesting succinct, but never mundane manner, while someone else worries about the mechanics.

 

You do the driving. We'll find you a mechanic!

 

And I, too, kind sir, thank you most profusely for your abundant praise. Mostly, I throw out enough words that some of them are bound to stick. A gatling gun with no sights is bound to hit the broad side of a barn sooner or later, no?

 

 

Karie,

who is ready for the next chapter, and agrees wholeheartdly with your critique of the Winter Non-Garden. What a waste of space and odd, washed-out decor. And I envied you so, in the silence of the fog, occasionally punctured by a shift or let-up of the winds that would carry the sound in odd puffs, warm in the steaming hot tub, alone in your close paradise. How marvelous. People don't realize that nirvana is there for the asking. You just have to slog the occasional muddy road to get to the portal!

[pepperrn]

Patwell, I'm not going to start this part with "Patwell wrote....". I won't quote you because I can't agree. There are many, many better reviews here than mine (shorter too). I cannot thank you enough for the compliment you pay me. If you have as good an experience as I had (and I hope your's will be even better than mine), you will have the time of your life.

 

Travel-to-go.

 

Karie.

 

What can I say? I've re-read your last comment again and again. Here, in one post, you show me how to write. You paint with words.

 

"Thank you" doesn't come close.

 

 

Part... (what bit am I up to? Oh yes) ahem, Part 7.

 

The following morning was so good that I took several photographs from my balcony and a few more from the promenade. The day was bright and clear. Again, I spent the morning on deck 12 in the Pavilion Pool. I love to swim. After many lengths of this pool I laid out on the lounge chairs, totally relaxed. Eventually, I dragged myself over to the bar and ordered a coke. I read one of my library books and then I dozed for a while. Upon waking, I got off the very comfortable chair and back in the water. Later, in the hot tub, I got chatting to a lovely couple who were also staying at the Sheraton Hotel in New York. We would run into them there on the last day of the hoilday. A band turned up and started to play. I only heard a little as by then I was hungry.

 

After lunch I returned to the Library and read for a while. I could get easily accustomed to this life of indulgence. Some days I live entirely for pleasure! As the weather was so good, I took many more photographs around the ship, inside and out. They had re-opened three outside areas that had been closed so far because of high winds. The observation area just below the Bridge, Deck 13, and an area at the foot of the “bridge screen” behind the cranes on the bow.

 

The observation area (forward on Deck 11) follows the curve of the Bridge above it. It is a great place to really enjoy the ocean. From here I was lucky enough to see many of the dolphins that swam alongside the ship on several occasions. And, there, yes, it’s a whale! As we sped past it seemed to play in the water off the starboard bow, just for us. I tried to get a picture but, by time it had surfaced and I’d pressed the shutter button…. it had gone, back below the waves. Time and again I tried. Marvelous. Immediately behind this open deck is the “Atlantic Room“, a small semi-circular space used almost daily for bridge and other card games.

 

I went up two more decks and came outside on Deck 13. Here, above the Bridge, is another forward observation area, this time protected from the wind by a thick glass screen. Moving aft you find some sports courts. Beyond these is the “Regatta Bar”, an outside bar that didn’t open on this crossing. There are more hot tubs here and a very shallow “splash pool”. The pool was drained of water but the depth when full could only have been a couple of inches! The hot tubs were open and working however. Moving onwards, towards the stern, there is a large open deck area that once had “hover only” marked on it (for helicopters). Next, we come to an observation platform reached by way of some steps. It is not large but is the highest public part of the ship (I liked to refer to it as “Deck 14” but that makes it sound larger and grander than it is). This is where I would be when we entered New York Harbor.

 

You then come across the glass roof over the deck 12 pool and have to decend to this deck. After passing alongside this pool area (which also has golf simulator ranges, ping-pong tables and a comfortable bar) you pass the massive bulk of the huge black and red funnel towering over you. You then walk past the huge illuminated signs “Queen Mary 2”. Again, the largest at sea. Aft of this (port side) is the “Boardwalk Café”. This also didn’t open while I was onboard.

 

To starboard are the Kennels. There were several dogs travelling on this voyage. No sign of a lamp-post however. In fact, there was evidence (like the mess surrounding the photographers earlier) of things not being thought through. The kennel door was propped open by the base unit of a parasol from one of the tables of the Boardwalk café. Maybe few notice these little things. Someone at Cunard could supply a heavy door wedge, so they don't “make do” with part of a table.

 

As you’ve now reached the rear of deck 12 you have below you the terraces of decks cascading all the way down to deck 6. What a sight.

 

I went down to deck 7 and then forward. The promenade is open almost all the way around. But at the bow it curves around the front of the superstruture at the base of the bridge screen in a sort of “tunnel”. This enables you to walk right the way around deck 7 in all but the very roughest weather (when, I think, they close the promenade off). There are windows looking into it from the gym and windows looking out towards the bow. Two doors give access further forward. Here there are spare propellers (two missing on this trip). They are arranged like a modern art installation. There are two cranes and the cargo hatch in front of you. It was a popular place once it was re-opened.

 

I went there at night once or twice for a breath of air. The rest of the ship was brightly lit but here, so that no light could be seen from the Bridge and spoil night vision, was pitch black. Above me the night sky was alive with more stars than I’ve seen for years.

 

That night was the last formal evening and I had booked the “Todd English Restaurant” for dinner (at 7.30). I had a pre-dinner drink in the Commodore Club and then made my way aft on deck 8, starboard side. The entrance hall is circular with a red, buttoned and stuffed, circular sofa in it. The décor is unlike any other room on the ship. Inside there is a large bar area. I approached the Maitre d’ (is that the correct spelling) and gave my name. He looked disdainfully at me (I knew immediately that I was in for a gastronomic delight there and then. Any restaurant that employs head waiters who wouldn’t normally allow me in their dining room must be good). He waved a waiter over and, after deciding which corner of the room I would be the least offensive in, told the waiter the table number. He couldn’t have been less welcoming. I was in heaven.

 

After the huge Britannia Restaurant I got a taste of what it must be like dining in the smaller, more intimate atmosphere of the Grill rooms (although even they are larger than Todd English). The restaurant is wonderfully lit and decorated. Every little detail of the table setting had been well thought out.

 

The meal was beyond my expectations. I cannot put into words the flavours and tastes that I savoured that night. There is a $30 per head additional charge for dining here and it was worth every one of those dollars. The service was outstanding. I knew before boarding the ship that the last course was going to have to be “Chocolate Fallen Cake”. I’d heard so much about it. My god was it good. I didn’t want to leave. I’d eaten so much and so richly that I very nearly couldn’t. The restaurant was full when I did, eventually, make my way, reluctantly, out.

 

I’m probably not giving the game away here by answering a question I was going to leave till the very end (yes, I will stop eventually). “Will I have another voyage on the Queen Mary 2?” The answer, of course, is “YES”. And next time I would like to have someone with me that I can take to the Todd English with romantic intentions. There would be no finer place in which to wine and dine that “special person”. And, after dinner here, out on deck, against a spectacular sunset, no better ship on which to propose. Don’t wake me up at this point.

 

I had missed the show (“apassionata”) in the theatre (I didn’t rush dinner). We three guys came together later, by accident, in the ’Club (Alright. OK. As you’ve gathered by now, if we couldn’t find each other, we would hang around the ‘Club. Sooner or later we would all turn up). My American friend, who had seen that night’s show, said it was largely a dance show and that he had really enjoyed it. In the Queens Room it was “Ascot Ball” night. Many ladies wore outrageous hats. I understand they had a great time. We saw them as we went (for the last time) to G32. I was so relaxed, well fed and mellow that I did something I said I’d never do. I undid my bow tie and took off my dinner jacket. I sat there with my drink, smiling, happy simply to be on this wonderful ship.

 

At dawn on Friday it dawned on me that this was our last day on the QM2. BooHoo. I rushed around the ship trying to visit and photograph all the public areas that I’d not seen properly yet. I went first to the “Empire Casino” on Deck 2. This is a series of rooms along the port side, it’s main entrance is off the Grand Lobby, opposite the Purser’s Desk. It looks fabulous, and made me wish I was a gambling man. Then forward to see again the four passageways on decks 2 and 3 that run alongside the Royal Court Theatre, seemingly just above the water. In two of these corridors there are large windows with tables and chairs alongside. Jigsaws, chess sets, packs of cards etc. are available here. Or, in the other two, chairs are positioned in front of picture windows allowing you to sit quietly gazing out over the ocean.

 

I didn’t get to see large parts of the ship and many of the public rooms. Areas such as the “Video Arcade”. Or the rooms set aside for any children onboard (very few on this voyage) at the rear of deck 6. The beauty salon. The Canyon Ranch Spa. The Gym. The golf simulators. I didn’t get to see a film in Illuminations (but intended to). Cunard Connexions: although I went to the area several times on brief visits, I didn’t use the extensive facilities here. My biggest regret?. I didn’t attended a single one of the “Oxford Lectures” in Illuminations. This is a serious ommision. I really wanted to go to at least one. There are no excuses. There is no-one to blame except myself. I hang my head in shame.

 

Before lunch I went to one of the many self service laundrettes aboard. There is a temptation to look for one on your own deck. In my case, this would have meant a long walk (as is was near the stern and I was near the bow). Instead, look for one below or above you, it may be a deck or six away but it could be closer than one on your deck. And so, I found myself, loading a washing machine. I’d been to this room several times to iron/press shirts but, with New York to come, I figured “get the laundry done for free”. The instructions on the wall were less than clear (at least to this cerebrally challenged writer). Actually, if you looked at the instructions on the machines, all is clear. But there I was, gazing at this list of do’s and don’ts when this (slightly) older guy, who was also there doing his laundry, offered me some assistance. My thanks goes out to him, he was most helpful. He told me he was a member of the crew, and his cabin was way forward on deck 5. I think he was one of the “gentlemen hosts” that dance with unattached ladies in the Queens Rooom.

 

In the afternoon we had a invitation, given by our American pal and his mother, to tea in their cabin on deck 8. This was my only experience of room service. Right on time there was a knock on the cabin door. Tea and cakes were served. Very good, I can recommend room service, and remember, there is no extra charge. After this we returned to our cabin to pack. It was then time to go to dinner, our last on QM2. I wanted this crossing to never reach port but, there it was, ending tomorrow. No. Please let me stay aboard. Please?

 

You leave your suitcases outside your cabin on the last evening. We would next see them on the quayside in Bayonne, New Jersey.

 

That night, after dinner, we returned to the Royal Court Theatre. It was a “Farewell” performance. As well as “The Royal Cunard Singers and Dancers”, we were entertained by singer Renato Pagliari, who appealed, it seemed to me, to a certain, slightly more mature part of the female audience. He was followed by “top of the bill” Jon Courteney. Once again, he stole the show, simply the best all round entertainer I’ve ever seen. We all loved his piano playing, his singing, his jokes. I beg you to look out for his name.

 

Later we took the lifts up to (you guessed it) the Commodore Club. I gave “our” waiter a cash tip for looking after us for a week. I’d also tipped our waiters in the Britannia Restaurant earlier. Now, I know tips are included and some may say “why tip twice“? Well, I tipped twice because these guys really looked after us. They were superb and I wanted them to know that I appreciated it.

 

There is still one more part to go (sorry ’bout that). Last bit tomorrow.

[patwell]

No, No, Pepper...DON'T get off...please!! Just keep this going so the rest of us can salivate. I'm sitting here re-reading with my coveted tickets in hand. YES...my tickets for Dec 2nd came today...I am euphoric!! I am verging on the idiotic. And then I read your saga again and know that I have good reason for my lunacy!! ;) Thank you...Cheers, Penny

[cusyl]

. I wanted this crossing to never reach port but, there it was, ending tomorrow. No. Please let me stay aboard. Please?

 

I feel your pain, the only way to heal the pain is to book another one!

We have a short 7 day in December, but am really looking forward to our back to back Transatlantic next year. Thank you so much for letting us share in your journey.

[imacruizer]

There is still one more part to go (sorry ’bout that). Last bit tomorrow.

 

The only thing we the readers are sorry 'bout is that there is only one more part to go. We want it to continue forever. I have been reading this as if I had never been on the ship!!! Thanks so much!

 

Beth

[imacruizer]

I’m probably not giving the game away here by answering a question I was going to leave till the very end. “Will I have another voyage on the Queen Mary 2?” The answer, of course, is “YES”. And next time I would like to have someone with me that I can take to the Todd English with romantic intentions. There would be no finer place in which to wine and dine that “special person”. And, after dinner here, out on deck, against a spectacular sunset, no better ship on which to propose. Don’t wake me up at this point.

 

Oh, Pepper!! How romantic!! We can't wait to hear about the next voyage!

 

Beth

[travel-to-go]

Ah, Pepper,

You flatter me! (and also entertain me! an for that I verily thank you!)

My writing is inspired, in this case, by you!. I just don't know how else to describe the enchanting effects of your telling of your tale! You bring everything alive! I'm jealous of the things I missed, and reminiscing about the things I experienced! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

 

You know, I am grateful to you for your fiull descrioptin of Decks 12 and 13. Although I stood out in the freezing wind and sometimes rain the night of our embarkation on 3 January on 12 and 13, (and yes, "14" deck!) I realized that I never saw half of it! We sheltered ourselves (NBC News Guy, his friend and his mother) in the entrnce of the changing area/showers. Do you think it ever occured to me there was a (splash pool or hot tubs? Well, yes it was dark, but I had no clue! I went up to the forward observation area, around the tennis (?) courts (again, it was dark, cold and windy- I didn't linger to figure out which sport!) but I never went aft! Not once! Never saw the kennels, never saw the Broadway cafe, We did go to the "indoor" pool area- They were having the sailaway party there. We had some champagne, watched a few marvelous couples dancing! But then had to get ready to dine, as we were late seating. Maybe it was the bubbly, but I never realized there was an aft half of that deck! <G> We did go up there to experience the sunset leaving Panama, and to take some pictures from that raised portion. I even have shots of that lovely funnel from there, and lowering the flags and ensigns forward of that area. Thank you for describing what I have missed, and reminding me that I MUST book again soon!

 

Dolphins AND a whale! I am so jealous! I have never managed to catch them cavorting.

 

Todd English. Never tried it. I was too afraid I would miss something fabulous in the Brittania

 

Wow! I am exhausted! I told Marc he had to read this thread, as it is SO good. I ended up reading parts 7, 6, and 5 out loud to him! (well, I only meant to read him the latest one, but it is all just too good! We simply couldn't stop! Finally, I needed something to whet my whistle (or wet it- one or the other, I guess my whistle was already pretty sharp!) I needed to come up for air!

 

Pepper, are you planning to make this into a movie? <G> You needn't as I can imagine every scene as you describe them.

 

Don't worry about the washers. I've used them before, and still felt silly when I called maintenance because two of them didn't work (Someone else was using the third) Well, I finally figured they don't start filling til you close the lid! No matter, as one was missing the knob, so you'd need pliers to turn it off and on! <WHEW!> I would have been so embarrassed to have called maintenance only to find I had to shut the lid for it to start filling!

 

 

Karie,

who does her own laundry at home...REALLY!

[PatrickS]

Pepperrn thank you for taking the time to write such a great review of your crossing. I was on the same crossing. I did spend every night at G32, sat at the bar with my German pal who I met on the first night. He was traveling with his mother for her 75th birthday. I was traveling with my Mom & Dad. Did you know there were over 400 Germans on the crossing? Every morning we received a condensed version of USA Today and my German pal received a German paper also his daily programme was in German thought that was a nice touch.

 

It’s funny you didn’t mention the early wake up call on the second day. Everyone I spoke with seems to have received the same call. The North Atlantic calling. Our cabin was swaying back and forth a huge book fell off the shelf and glasses on the table were sliding back and fourth I jump out of bed and pushed them against the wall behind the ice bucket so they would not fall. Got back into bed and was rocked back to sleep.

 

Can’t wait to see what you have to say about Saturday morning in New York Harbor one of my highlights and our disembarkation. I hope it wasn’t you who could not find their way to immigration.

 

Thanks again for your interesting review.

 

Patrick

[lannp]

I too was on this crossing. Was it swaying? I guess I'm to accustomed to it.

On my first crossing there were a lot of things I didn't see including the outer decks above. She is so big that it takes more than 6 days to appreciate everything.

And I heard Pepper's description of the chocolate dessert in person and I think the entire CC group were all drooling when he finished.

Linda

[pepperrn]

Patwell wrote

 

"I'm sitting here with my coveted tickets in hand. YES...my tickets for Dec 2nd came today...I am euphoric!! I am verging on the idiotic. And then I read your saga again and know that I have good reason for my lunacy!!"

 

Penny, You lucky, lucky person. I wish I was getting back on board soon. Next I'm on the QE2 (2 nighter). Can't wait.

 

cusyl wrote

 

"We have a short 7 day in December, but am really looking forward to our back to back Transatlantic next year"

 

Again, I wish I was getting back on board this year. I am really tempted by a back to back, or maybe a crossing, a week in America (while she goes to Newfoundland say) and then cross back. Heaven.

 

imacruizer wrote

 

"We want it to continue forever."

 

Just how I felt about the voyage I can assure you!

 

"We can't wait to hear about the next voyage!"

 

That's a year away I'm very sorry to say Beth. Got to pay for this one first!

 

Travel-to-go wrote

 

"are you planning to make this into a movie?"

 

Karie, if I did, it would have to be re-written so that a glamourous lady could have a role in it with her partner. Films are not box office without a romantic angle. You and Marc interested? I'll ask the wonderful, glamourous ladies from the CC group aboard to play themselves in the film. All of you would jointly star. The script would be terrible but the film would at least look fabulous.

 

lannp wrote

 

"On my first crossing there were a lot of things I didn't see including the outer decks above. She is so big that it takes more than 6 days to appreciate everything."

 

Linda, you are so right. I missed so much.

 

"And I heard Pepper's description of the chocolate dessert in person and I think the entire CC group were all drooling when he finished."

 

Linda, thank you for remembering our chat in Sir Samuel's Wine Bar in detail. I'd forgotten that I'd told you of the meal in Todd English. You were so kind to arrange our get together on board, to let us use your cabin for our meeting and you were the perfect hostess. Thank you so much.

 

PatrickS wrote

 

"It’s funny you didn’t mention the early wake up call on the second day. Everyone I spoke with seems to have received the same call. The North Atlantic calling. Our cabin was swaying back and forth a huge book fell off the shelf and glasses on the table were sliding back and fourth I jump out of bed and pushed them against the wall behind the ice bucket so they would not fall. Got back into bed and was rocked back to sleep."

 

Well the Atlantic did call to me. But I was in such a deep sleep (after not sleeping the night before, the balcony door problem), that it took a long time for me to come to. Like you I was rocked back to sleep (several times). Eventually I had to get up.

 

"Can’t wait to see what you have to say about Saturday morning in New York Harbor one of my highlights and our disembarkation. I hope it wasn’t you who could not find their way to immigration."

 

Thank you for the comment, I wish I'd run into you in G32. I'd have bought you a drink.

 

Well you don't have to wait any longer.....

 

Part 8.

 

I’d set an alarm on the TV so that it would switch on at 3.30 in the morning. I didn’t want to miss the entry into New York. I was awake at 3.15 waiting for it. I got up, threw on a bathrobe and went out onto the balcony. The night was clear and mild. The sea surrounding the ship was lit up as, for the first time, as well as all the usual lights, they had turned on the lights that floodlight the hull of the ship. We must have looked spectacular! I gazed forward and there on the horizon was the glow of artificial lights. America! We dressed warmly in case of high winds “up top“. We stopped at the Kings Court, found a coffee machine and got something hot inside us. We went back to the cabin. I’d forgotten my camera (far too early for my brain to work). We made our way up 8 levels to deck 13.

 

There, behind the thick glass windbreak, there were already half a dozen people. And I had thought that we were the only insane ones aboard. It was, of course, still pitch black, except for lights on the horizon and the ship, as dawn was still several hours away. To starboard we could see twinkling lights on Long Island glowing in the blackness. Astern of us we could see the bright lights of a cruise ship, several miles back, also making for New York. Ahead and slightly to starboard, we could easily make out the towers of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. A large freighter, heading out to sea, stacked high with containers, passed by on the port side. We went back along the deck to the high platform (“deck 14”) with the flood lit giant funnel towering over us and waited. More and more passengers came out onto this platform and deck 13.

 

There was a cold wind up here, many were dressed for it. Several, however, were clad only in thin shirts or blouses. A few looked as if they had come straight from one or other of the bars. We were all looking cold. As we came, slowly, ever closer to the lights of Coney Island and Brooklyn, the bridge ahead of us appeared to grow ever bigger. By now there were several hundred people out on deck. The platform was packed. Deck 13, crowded. We glided slowly forward. Would we go safely under? Had they greased the underside of the bridge and the top of the funnel? Everyone, it seemed, had their arms stretched up, cameras in hand. The mast went under, phew. We all turned as one to hold our breath and watch as we slipped under the huge steel underside of the bridge above our heads. There was a fireworks display of camera flashes as the massive funnel…. also cleared the bridge. With less than twelve feet to spare. There was a spontaneous outburst of applause and we all breathed once more. Everyone was grinning or smiling. It was a wonderful experience and so worth getting out of bed early for.

 

As I mentioned before, I was worried that the entry into New York would be less than I had hoped for as we were due to dock in Bayonne, New Jersey, and therefore would not see The Statue of Liberty or Manhattan up close. What I didn’t know was, at least according to gossip on board, Cunard had received so many complaints that, once we had passed safely under the bridge, instead of turning to port and our eventual destination, we proceeded, slowly, straight ahead towards Manhattan Island. I made my way to the port side promenade of deck 7. Around us, police boats kept pace with our progress. We stopped half a mile from the floodlit “Lady Liberty”. Crowds of people were at the rails straining to get a look at her. It was breathtaking and so very memorable. Slowly the queen turned to starboard and the lights of the skyscrapers of lower Manhattan came before us. We proceeded back the way we had come. The Captain had taken us 4 miles out of our way so we could all enjoy this magical moment. Thank you Sir. It was better than if we had been docking at Red Hook (as we later saw when the cruise ship I mentioned earlier, arrived, and kept well to the western side of the harbor and went straight to the cruise terminal there. This ship, the Crown Princess I believe, was the reason we were in Bayonne and not Brooklyn).

 

As the ship moored in New Jersey we went back to the cabin to collect passports and paperwork for US immigration which (for us foreigners) took place in Illuminations. There was a huge line. Where did all these people come from? I swear, except for the Britannia Restaurant, we had no idea there were so many on board! The line moved quite quickly and the whole procedure was over rapidly. There were signs however of the problems to come. Despite clear instructions, printed in several places in the daily programme and on leaflets delivered to cabins, some (and I’m embarrassed to say, mostly UK citizens) came without passports or the correct paperwork and were turned away to go and collect these essential items.

 

We returned to our cabin and showered and shaved (no Karie, not our legs!). We made sure we had got everything and left our home from home. I then went aft and outside onto deck 6. The “red duster” flew once again over the stern rail. I arrived just in time for dawn to break in a cloudless sky. The sun came up over Brooklyn and I took picture after picture. Using full zoom I could bring lower Manhattan close to me. The light was amazing, the sun’s rays hitting the sides of the buildings and, just for a moment, the torch of the Statue (whilst the rest of her was still in shadow).

 

After a while I went up to the deck 7 promenade. A Celebrity cruise ship passed us (standing here, we were looking down on it’s decks and pool!) and tied up. At breakfast, by accident, we found ourselves sitting only a few tables from our friend and his mother. We made our farewells and wished them a safe journey to Tampa.

 

We had been instructed to wait in the Royal Court Theatre. It was full. We had all been given numbered/coloured tickets. We waited. And waited. On TV screens they were showing CNN. The sound was either too quiet to hear or, at one point, deafening. Annoucements were made calling certain passengers to immigration. None of us could leave the ship until all had been accounted for. Again and again the same names were called. At first there were 12 passengers missing, then, bit by bit, the list got shorter. After an hour they announced that they would shortly begin calling out colours and numbers. At each announcement you wondered if it was to be your turn to leave. It was not. We waited. Some grew restless.

 

Then, after almost two hours sitting, ours was called. We went down to deck 1 (my first and last visit) and out through one of the four “tender embarkation” rooms. Our passes were scanned for the last time. At Bayonne there are none of the enclosed “gangways” you find at Southampton or Red Hook (or at airports). Here are good old fashioned open ramps (or “brow“). There were coaches to take us to the terminal buildings which were the warehouses of this ex-military base. The driver was unsure where to stop.

 

We all scrambled off and into the “baggage reclaim hall”. Here your bags are supposed to be assembled under your ticket color and number. Three of ours were, not the fourth. We looked around and then waited till most of the bags were claimed. There it was, under the wrong colour and number. Through customs and outside. It was hot and sunny. After a short walk we found a huge mass of passengers from both QM2 and the Celebrity ship milling about aimlessly. There were also parked coaches but no one here to direct or help. After around forty five minutes (I managed to find some shade but wished I had brought a bottle of water) there was a mad rush as word got about “that one over there is ours”. The driver was unsure. Then an elderly guy (who turned out to be our guide for the trip to the hotel) took charge and we boarded. A word of caution here. Do not board your coach until you have seen your bags loaded onto the coach. Theives will pick up anattended cases. We were off to Manhattan nearly six hours after we had docked.

 

After the complete chaos at Bayonne (never go there is my advice) the coach was cool and comfortable. I won’t go into details of the journey to the hotel but, in order not to arrive before “checking in” time you are taken on a tour of the city. Our guide gave us information about New York. We stopped at ground zero. We were let lose at Macy’s (so we could get some lunch). Back on the coach our guide started again. All he seemed to know were the property prices of various apartments overlooking Central Park. “X Million Dollar” price tags were thrown at us again and again so as to impress us. I just wanted to get off. We came close to the Hotel only to pass it and turn down another street. We went down the same one a couple of times. Eventually we pulled up outside the Hotel. More chaos as, after we had got off, we discovered the coach couldn’t park here and would have to come back with our bags. After a lot of standing about we got them off the coach and checked in.

 

If location is important to you (it is to me) then I recommend the Sheraton New York And Towers Hotel on Seventh Avenue. It’s a stone’s throw from The Rockefeller Center and Times Square. Otherwise it’s huge (forty eight floors) and impersonal.

 

The next day we were talking to a couple we had met on the ship. Their bags had gone missing (they had loaded them onto a coach bound for the hotel but had made their own way into the city). They had been assured that this procedure was usual and had set off to do some sight-seeing. On arrival at the hotel they were told that, due to an oversight, their bags had gone back to the ship and were now bound for Canada. Although it was the hotel’s fault, Cunard accepted responsibility (of course) and told them to go to Macy’s and buy a couple of outfits each (on Cunard) whilst their cases were traced. It was their first wedding anniversary and she was distraught and crying. The next day they told us that the bags had gone to the wrong hotel and had been found and returned to them, just in time for the flight back to the UK.

 

I relate all of this because, from the moment the ship docked, the whole smooth operation that we had experienced for five days and six nights fell apart. I blame the move to Bayonne. By calling (for the first time) at an unfamiliar port, that was clearly not set up to receive two ships at once, let alone one the size of the Queen Mary 2, the terminal’s systems (such as they were) simply couldn’t cope. It was a very sorry end to a great voyage. The difference in operation and professionalism between embarking at Southampton and disembarking at Bayonne was enormous.

 

Talking of contrasts, I will not relate the differences between the crossing out and the journey back (OK, just a taste. Tiny seat, no leg room, no elbow room in which to eat the plastic meal on a plastic tray, man behind me with his knees in my back for 6 hours, no room, no sleep. ie flying). Where possible, I will never fly the Atlantic again.

 

But I don’t want to end on this note. And I don’t want to sound like an Oscars ceremony acceptance speech but…

 

I’ll finish by thanking all of you who’ve read my ramblings. And to those who’ve posted comments, I’m deeply grateful. Thank you. If you need more information and want to message me privately, I will have a go at trying to remember things. pepper @ royal . navy . org . uk

 

To the CC members who were aboard and who allowed me to join them in celebrating our voyage, a huge THANK YOU. You made the trip special, you were wonderful travelling companions. I hope to see you again one day.

 

Can I also thank my travel agent, she was wonderful.

 

My thanks, of course, must also go to the Officers, staff, crew and entertainers of this fabulous ship. You were so friendly, hard working and professional.

 

But my biggest thanks of all must go to a certain lady. She is elegant and sophisticated. She is a Liner for our times, the largest in the world. She is graceful without and beautiful within. I will return to walk her decks again.

 

Thank you, Queen Mary 2.

[pepperrn]

"Several, however, were clad only in thin shirts or blouses."

 

I did not mean "only" of course! God, I'm rubbish at this. Thanks to the person who sent the 'mail alerting me to my blunder.

[travel-to-go]

PEPPER!

Feel free to ramble any time you want!

That was simply marvelous. I feel as though I am leaving a fabulous movie, the lights coming up to soon, not wanting the magic to break. Well, sort of the way one feels as they step off the ship after being scanned for the last time, and rushed by others anxious to get to their bags and get on the way home, turn round to say goodbye one more time... but you have to leave, have to turn forward and walk away. No time for a REALLY proper goodbye.

But it's not really goodbye, is it, Pepper? It's only "so long."

What was the famous line from the Maltese Falcon?

 

Pepper. I'm having a rough day. I'm trying to pack, mindful of the new air regulations, and the lower luggage limits, while taking all sorts of things for our balcony decoration contest that should have been ready (and maybe shipped ahead) weeks ago. My old printer is acting up, I finally break down and decide to hook up the new one, which doesn't want to work. Cables are the wrong length, it isn't working in my router port, I need to print several documents that we need for our trip, such as rental agreement, air itenerary, etc. I am rushing towards panic mode. I haven't eaten, done laundry, I'm getting short with Marc, about to burst in to tears of frustration.

 

I decided to give myself a break and take a minute I could ill-afford (before restarting the computer yet one more time) to check in on cc. There it is! The last unread post: Pepper's part the last! Could I take the time? Dammit I NEEDED this. I was taking the time!

And so glad I did!

 

I start reading. They are getting up at some ungodly hour, getting hot drinks, the hull is lit up! I break into a grin. They run upstairs, on "deck 14!" Yes, the huddled masses, right out there, clustered from the wind on deck 14! They pass under the greased bridge (I wonder what that job pays!) My grin widens, having gone under that bridge a few times myself this year (four to be exact!) They turn to bow to the lady, and pay her homage. Tears well up in my eyes. I can barely read on as my chest swells with pride and pure corn., You know, no matter how cynical and jaded you are, no matter how cold or heartless you may be at other times, this just grabs you by the collar, shakes you awake, and clutches unrelentingly at your heart strings, tugging ever so insistantly.

 

Thanks Pepper!

You made my day, made me smile, made me cry (in a GOOD way!)

 

And as the perfect end to MY story, By now, Marc had managed to find mylar baloons of parrots and palm trees, bought a disposable helium canister, combined them with some sort of alchemy, and put the whole shebang into one of those giant inflatable snowglobes. My anger at him for waiting tiil the last moment on our balcony decorations melts as my shoulders release from their tense high perch and the wonderment of a child unfolds. I come back upstairs to finish my reply to Pepper, and lo and behold, in walks Marc with an MP3 player and speakers, playing the song "Gravity Storm" which is the theme of our balcony this year!

 

I start crying again. Marc says, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry! " to which I replied, "It's okay! I was already crying. Besides, These are the times I love you most!"

 

Pepper, I think everything is going to be alright!

Thanks for helping get me through this trying period. Hey! Maybe I'll restart the computer and the printer will magically work! That's some mojo you've got there, my friend!

 

Thanks again. Til next time!

 

And please tell me you will submit this to some magazine- Porthole, maybe .This is too good for Conde Nast!

 

Karie,

who is still feeling the magic!

[patwell]

Pepper....BRAVO!!! BRAVO!! Well done and deliciously enjoyable. :D I've been waiting all day for this! I felt your journey into NY as if it were me...it brought back memories of childhood crossings when I too would slip out of the cabin and watch those sights from the bow. This was allowed back in the "old days".

 

What a shame that Bayonne was....well, it was Bayonne. Certainly not the stuff of gracious endings for a glorious voyage. I guess something has to bring us back to earth but maybe not that unpleasantly. It would be nice to ooze back into a normal life with just a tad more coddling and perhaps a sympathetic ear to soften the blow of reality.

 

Now that the story is complete I plan to cut and paste each post and add that to "Penny's Book Of Hints and Tips For the QM2"...it will travel with me in Dec. so that I don't miss all those wonderful places you took us to.

 

I hope your trip on the QE2 will give you as many memorable moments and as much joy as this one obviously did. And that you'll come back here and tell us all about it. We'll be waiting.....

 

Cheers....and a huge thank you for sharing!! Penny

[Freckles67]

Pepper, I must add my congrats on a job well done. I was delighted to come to CC this evening and find part 8. So sorry that Bayonne let you down, but at least you saw Lady Liberty from the Queen.

 

Now, where might we see your photos displayed online????

 

Thanks so much for describing your terrific crossing. I felt like I was there with you. :D

[Therapst's Lady]

Bravo! Bravo! Bravo! Roses are being strewn at your feet! (Figuratively) And the crowd goes crazy--much clapping and huzzahs!

Pepper, your thrilling narrative is the stuff dreams are made of. Thank you, again, for taking the time to make us all want to run right out and book the next crossing!

Very appreciatively:) ,

[sailorbill]

A most enjoyable read!

 

Thank you for the time and effort you have put into this narrative.

 

One question. You mention that Renato Pagliari was a singer at the last night's show. Could this be the same "tenor Renato with the wide vibrato" that entertained(?) us on Holland America's Volendam in December 2002? A tablemate, a retired college music professor, and I made some unflattering poetry about him that I have fortunately lost.

[pnhmrk]

Pepper - that was a most enjoyable review. I've waited until you get to the end of your voyage before commenting so that I could comment on the entire piece. Like so many others I am sorry you had to get to New York - I was enjoying it so much.

 

You have done something with your review that I would have believed impossible before you started - you've let me feeling that I would quite like to try the QM2; maybe she isn't just a stage set of the idea of a liner. (You've also left me feeling that I wouldn't want to go into Bayonne!)

 

Thank you for a most enjoyable review

 

(BTW Karie right - a magazine might publish it - I'd try submitting it to a few)

[KenC]

Thank you Pepper for such a witty, entertaining and informative narrative which so captures the essence of a QM2 transatlantic. I'm sure you've got some QE2 diehards squirming in their seats wanting to try the new Queen!!

 

Possibly the maiden call at Bayonne may be the reason for the problems there - Cunard don't seem to be able to get things right the first time for some reason! We sailed in and out of Bayonne on Explorer of the Seas (3,000pax) in September and both were a breeze - RCI seem to have it down to a fine art.

 

Regards

 

Ken