January 3-12 QM2 Rundown

[SeaMatesNYC]

Penny:

 

I will pack the music/lyrics in any case...unfortunately, I will be right there with the martinis and then it would get really messy at the ivories (better than messy on the ivories, I guess:D ).

 

Worst case, if I just can't manage it by next week, I will get it recorded at home and send you the performance (using Ben's video function on his camera). But I will keep practicing!

 

Angela:

 

For formal night, I was planning on a self-tied black and white paisley (white on black - more black than white!) tie and cumberbund (to go with the Black and White ball theme). Should I wear all black to dinner and then change? Oh, the details!

 

Thanks for helping me not make a complete fool of myself on my first Cunard voyage! I for one take great pride in dressing for the occassion and according to the requested attire.

 

Michael

[Highlander0108]

On our Tandem QE2 crossing, we had 5 black tie nights. First and last night was elegant casual, jacket and tie. Since I did not bring a dinner jacket, I worn the tux every night. Perhaps the atmosphere on the crossings, with the traditional black tie nights are different than longer cruises, but we thoroughly enjoyed getting dressed up for the evening. On this crossing, I did not see one person not adhering to this code and it was a truly spectacular sight to see the entire ship dressed. To us, this added to the aura of the QE2 and the Cunard experience and we could easily imagine what it was like in the golden age of liner crossings. We felt like royalty and our crossing was absolutely the best time I have ever had on a ship. Cunard is steeped in tradition and history and we soaked it all up and will be back for more. Dressing to the 9's was part of the experience for us and part of Cunard heritage.

[patwell]

Well said Highlander!!! And it's that feel of the old that I find so appealing too. I truly hope that my TA tandem with QE2 in Oct will have the same level of formality on QM2. It will be a truly nostalgic trip and I hope all will have a feel for the rare occasion it will be....QE2's last TA....what a momentous trip it shall be for all of us on both ships.

 

Cheers, Penny

Penny’s Affair to Remember QM2 Review

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=471053

 

November 10,2007...the “Affair” continued...did it ever!

 

December 9, 2008....the “Affair” resumes again....Life is good!

 

October 16,2008...the “Affair” goes transatlantic as we sail in tandem with the grand QE2 on her final transatlantic voyage...what a thrill!

[cruisegal101]

WOT??? I'm British????? Please tell me when that happened. What a treat~

Acutally a mixed breed here--Welsh, British, Irish, Dutch et al

The Cat Feeder

Bettie

[Wadadli1]

Penny:

 

I will pack the music/lyrics in any case...unfortunately, I will be right there with the martinis and then it would get really messy at the ivories (better than messy on the ivories, I guess:D ).

 

Worst case, if I just can't manage it by next week, I will get it recorded at home and send you the performance (using Ben's video function on his camera). But I will keep practicing!

 

Angela:

 

For formal night, I was planning on a self-tied black and white paisley (white on black - more black than white!) tie and cumberbund (to go with the Black and White ball theme). Should I wear all black to dinner and then change? Oh, the details!

 

Thanks for helping me not make a complete fool of myself on my first Cunard voyage! I for one take great pride in dressing for the occassion and according to the requested attire.

 

Michael

 

Hmm. Do you have a picture of this More Black Than White tie? I admit I go with the traditional black tie in the J. Bond/G. Clooney tradition. And since a self-tied tie can be untied at some point in the evening, well, there's the swooning potential. ;)

 

I hardly think anything you would choose to wear would be foolish! Paulie broke down and wore his pre-tied (black) tie a couple of nights, and that is such a good story you must remind me to tell you it! It's much better when told in person, because, you know, there are gestures involved. :p

[SeaMatesNYC]

Hmm. Do you have a picture of this More Black Than White tie?

 

...going out on a limb here...

[patwell]

Paulie broke down and wore his pre-tied (black) tie a couple of nights, and that is such a good story you must remind me to tell you it! It's much better when told in person, because, you know, there are gestures involved. :p

 

He did what??? Does Matthew know? :eek: Did he grant the special dispensation for handicappedness that we got for Steve? :rolleyes:

 

And here's a huge vote for the 'swoon factor"...aside from the individuals named I can think of a couple of other good candidates who shall remain nameless in the interests of good taste and discretion....which you know Angela, that I have in abundance!:rolleyes:

 

Black Michael my dear....suave, debonair and very un-tieable!!

 

Cheers, Penny...opening a window here after all this swooning talk....

 

Penny’s Affair to Remember QM2 Review

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=471053

 

November 10,2007...the “Affair” continued...did it ever!

 

December 9, 2008....the “Affair” resumes again....Life is good!

 

October 16,2008...the “Affair” goes transatlantic as we sail in tandem with the grand QE2 on her final transatlantic voyage...what a thrill!

[patwell]

...going out on a limb here...

 

It seems we have a habit of posting at exactly the same time...here I am saying black and you pop up with your offering...which I admit has some promise....interesting...Angela??? Over to you?

 

Cheers, penny

 

Penny’s Affair to Remember QM2 Review

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=471053

 

November 10,2007...the “Affair” continued...did it ever!

 

December 9, 2008....the “Affair” resumes again....Life is good!

 

October 16,2008...the “Affair” goes transatlantic as we sail in tandem with the grand QE2 on her final transatlantic voyage...what a thrill!

[patwell]

WOT??? I'm British????? Please tell me when that happened. What a treat~

Acutally a mixed breed here--Welsh, British, Irish, Dutch et al

The Cat Feeder

Bettie

 

Sorry Bettie...see post 72...I have lumped yoou unceremoniously in with the rest of us American snobs.....sorry about that. Perhaps our kind Brtish friends will have pity on you and adopt you?

 

Cheers, Penny

 

Penny’s Affair to Remember QM2 Review

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=471053

 

November 10,2007...the “Affair” continued...did it ever!

 

December 9, 2008....the “Affair” resumes again....Life is good!

 

October 16,2008...the “Affair” goes transatlantic as we sail in tandem with the grand QE2 on her final transatlantic voyage...what a thrill!

[SeaMatesNYC]

Black Michael my dear....suave, debonair and very un-tieable!!

 

Cheers, Penny...opening a window here after all this swooning talk....

 

Okay, I am going to have to come clean now. The black tie I have, Although it is Charvet and silk, is a hook and eye. The good news is, I can always run up to Brooks and get the right stuff and save the hook and eye for that other cruise line I sail named after a small country in Europe...;)

 

Any comments on the white on black paisley?

[Wadadli1]

...going out on a limb here...

 

I think that tie is very handsome and if you wear it I promise not to tell a soul. Except to tell anyone you wish me to that you were handsome, as well. Shh. Secret.

[Wadadli1]

He did what??? Does Matthew know? :eek: Did he grant the special dispensation for handicappedness that we got for Steve? :rolleyes:

 

And here's a huge vote for the 'swoon factor"...aside from the individuals named I can think of a couple of other good candidates who shall remain nameless in the interests of good taste and discretion....which you know Angela, that I have in abundance!:rolleyes:

 

Black Michael my dear....suave, debonair and very un-tieable!!

 

Cheers, Penny...opening a window here after all this swooning talk....

 

Penny’s Affair to Remember QM2 Review

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=471053

 

November 10,2007...the “Affair” continued...did it ever!

 

December 9, 2008....the “Affair” resumes again....Life is good!

 

October 16,2008...the “Affair” goes transatlantic as we sail in tandem with the grand QE2 on her final transatlantic voyage...what a thrill!

 

He DID, and yes, Matthew knows, because I told the story on the Zephyr.

 

Psst. I said I like the paisley tie--it's mostly black and really quite good-looking. Oooh, what have I done???

[Wadadli1]

Okay, I am going to have to come clean now. The black tie I have, Although it is Charvet and silk, is a hook and eye. The good news is, I can always run up to Brooks and get the right stuff and save the hook and eye for that other cruise line I sail named after a small country in Europe...;)

 

Any comments on the white on black paisley?

 

The self-tied tie is always the best. Black is the obvious first choice, but your paisley one is nearly black. It's not like it's some funky colour with matching cummerbund that makes you look like the magician onboard. Bring your juggling clubs and unicycle for that sort of thing. :eek:

[SeaMatesNYC]

The self-tied tie is always the best. Black is the obvious first choice, but your paisley one is nearly black. It's not like it's some funky colour with matching cummerbund that makes you look like the magician onboard. Bring your juggling clubs and unicycle for that sort of thing. :eek:

 

I shall wear the black to drinks and dinner, then do a stealthy quick change for late night (need to have the self tie for someone to un-tie)...that way I can talk again with people I will surely have offended (due to the tie's having been non-self tie) and they won't recognize me. Thanks for the feedback. I am going to take it as genuine, which I am certain it is.;)

[patwell]

Is "left of center" something like being "in the range of normal", which I've been described as being by a very good friend?

 

Not even close!!! :eek: And "normal" is such a subjective term, don't you think? :rolleyes: Face it Angela...neither of us has seen normal in a very long time...in my case, maybe never. After all, I'm the one having an affair with a piece of sheetmetal with a name...how normal is that? Most women my age have discreet affairs with.....well, you know what I mean!;)

 

Michael...the paisley tie is lovely...wear it in good health. You could always carry a self tie bow tie in your pocket...then late at night pop into the men's room, take the one off and casually loop the other around your neck...instant swoon! Easier than running back and forth to your cabin....it's a BIG ship!

 

Cheers, Penny

 

Penny’s Affair to Remember QM2 Review

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=471053

 

November 10,2007...the “Affair” continued...did it ever!

 

December 9, 2008....the “Affair” resumes again....Life is good!

 

October 16,2008...the “Affair” goes transatlantic as we sail in tandem with the grand QE2 on her final transatlantic voyage...what a thrill!

[pb82]

You can have a lot of fun Googling "how to tie a bow tie"; I know I did. The simplest instructions had five steps (I think they missed the essential step), the most complex had sixteen steps (too complex and impossible to follow). Some had videos; a truly clever one had mirror image instructions that you could printout for later taping to yourself as you stood before a mirror, tie in hand.

 

The only instructions that really troubled me observed that the knot that you tie for a bow tie is identical to the knot that you tie for a shoe lace. I don't have enough topology credits to know if this is true, but they lost me by saying something like "Start by imagining your head coming out of your shoe ...".

[Wadadli1]

Not even close!!! :eek: And "normal" is such a subjective term, don't you think? :rolleyes: Face it Angela...neither of us has seen normal in a very long time...in my case, maybe never. After all, I'm the one having an affair with a piece of sheetmetal with a name...how normal is that? Most women my age have discreet affairs with.....well, you know what I mean!;)

 

Michael...the paisley tie is lovely...wear it in good health. You could always carry a self tie bow tie in your pocket...then late at night pop into the men's room, take the one off and casually loop the other around your neck...instant swoon! Easier than running back and forth to your cabin....it's a BIG ship!

 

Cheers, Penny

 

Penny’s Affair to Remember QM2 Review

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=471053

 

November 10,2007...the “Affair” continued...did it ever!

 

December 9, 2008....the “Affair” resumes again....Life is good!

 

October 16,2008...the “Affair” goes transatlantic as we sail in tandem with the grand QE2 on her final transatlantic voyage...what a thrill!

 

Never normal here. Nope. Doesn't look like it's ever going to happen, either.

[Wadadli1]

You can have a lot of fun Googling "how to tie a bow tie"; I know I did. The simplest instructions had five steps (I think they missed the essential step), the most complex had sixteen steps (too complex and impossible to follow). Some had videos; a truly clever one had mirror image instructions that you could printout for later taping to yourself as you stood before a mirror, tie in hand.

 

The only instructions that really troubled me observed that the knot that you tie for a bow tie is identical to the knot that you tie for a shoe lace. I don't have enough topology credits to know if this is true, but they lost me by saying something like "Start by imagining your head coming out of your shoe ...".

 

My Paul went on the internet in hopes of discovering "how to tie a bow tie" and decided to choose the most complicated, incomprehensible video of the lot. I decided to play along and chose a simple one. I can now tie a bowtie even without sticking my head out of a shoe, and he is still, shall we say, working on it.

 

Oh, it is indeed similar to tying shoelaces. It just doesn't seem like it. Unless you wear your shoes on your head...

[emileg]

Sorry for being a bit late jumping into this thread, but I did want to comment on those "plastic walls." The QM2 was designed with nostalgia in mind. While too young to have sailed on the original Queen Mary, we did take a tour of the ship in Long Beach, California, where for at least two decades it has served as a museum and a hotel. Many of the walls on the Queen Mary were veneered with Formica, a new type of plastic laminate that was becoming popular in homes, restaurants and art deco buildings around the time that the Queen Mary was designed. Formica was considered quite elegant in its time. Many of us can probably remember the Formica counter tops from our youth. Thus, the QM2 also uses laminate that is or resembles Formica as its tries to evoke the feeling of what travel might have been like in the early part of the twentieth century, especially aboard the Queen Mary.

 

Then there is the 3L deck that runs from the back of the Royal Court Theater to the front of Illuminations. This deck is pitched upward as you go forward, also similar in design to many pre-1960 ships. Some are still around, like the Princess Danae that was docked next to us in Barbados.

 

Oh, and Angela, regarding the bow-ties. For the first time, at your suggestion, I brought along the traditional bow-tie. On the first formal night, with two different sets of illustrated instructions on hand, we could not figure out how to tie it. So, I resorted to the pre-tied bow-tie that I brought along in an emergency. However, Krys got the hang of the traditional bow-tie the second formal night and I proudly wore it. I still haven't figured it out.

 

Emile

[SeaMatesNYC]

 

Michael...the paisley tie is lovely...wear it in good health. You could always carry a self tie bow tie in your pocket...then late at night pop into the men's room, take the one off and casually loop the other around your neck...instant swoon! Easier than running back and forth to your cabin....it's a BIG ship!

 

Cheers, Penny

 

 

My dear Penny,

 

Sounds like a good plan, just not sure where I would stuff the cumberbund. Really don't mind the walk back to the room after dinner, gives me a chance to freshen up and fix the face.:eek: We will be sure to take lots of pictures...at least of certain things! Can I tell you how much I am looking forward to finding open pools with Angela, et al. at 2:00am? Reminds me of 6 years ago on a Mexican Riveria cruise. Fortunately, this time, there really are no ports to miss.:) I've tendered to Princess Cays before, and have never stayed too long, but maybe this year will be different.

[Wadadli1]

Sorry for being a bit late jumping into this thread, but I did want to comment on those "plastic walls." The QM2 was designed with nostalgia in mind. While too young to have sailed on the original Queen Mary, we did take a tour of the ship in Long Beach, California, where for at least two decades it has served as a museum and a hotel. Many of the walls on the Queen Mary were veneered with Formica, a new type of plastic laminate that was becoming popular in homes, restaurants and art deco buildings around the time that the Queen Mary was designed. Formica was considered quite elegant in its time. Many of us can probably remember the Formica counter tops from our youth. Thus, the QM2 also uses laminate that is or resembles Formica as its tries to evoke the feeling of what travel might have been like in the early part of the twentieth century, especially aboard the Queen Mary.

 

Then there is the 3L deck that runs from the back of the Royal Court Theater to the front of Illuminations. This deck is pitched upward as you go forward, also similar in design to many pre-1960 ships. Some are still around, like the Princess Danae that was docked next to us in Barbados.

 

Oh, and Angela, regarding the bow-ties. For the first time, at your suggestion, I brought along the traditional bow-tie. On the first formal night, with two different sets of illustrated instructions on hand, we could not figure out how to tie it. So, I resorted to the pre-tied bow-tie that I brought along in an emergency. However, Krys got the hang of the traditional bow-tie the second formal night and I proudly wore it. I still haven't figured it out.

 

Emile

 

Oh Emile, I will never understand what is so difficult about tying a tie. But since I believe you aren't one to tell fibs, I believe you, but still am not sure what the actual difficulty is. Have you tried tying your tie without looking in a mirror?

 

I think the reason why those who find the self-tied tie not like tying shoelaces is because with a shoe the end doesn't have to be exactly behind or in front of the bow part. And yes, your head isn't coming out of your shoe.

 

Ok, the reason I asked about not looking in a mirror. I'm left-handed. Another of our dear members said he couldn't tie the tie because he was left-handed and all video/printed directions are right-handed. He's right. I mean, he's correct. And right-handed mirror image directions are NOT left-handed. So once I got the hang of it, not looking was better and was met with almost immediate success. Are you left-handed, by any chance? :) And whether or not, you have your dear Krys who is obviously an expert and takes the heat off of you.

 

Your comments about Formica are interesting. I rather like what's now considered the old-school surfaces. Our kitchen floor is "Marmoleum", which is a new word for linoleum. It's great. Tough as nails, easy to clean, and very pretty, too. The new version of it, that we have, did come in squares, like tile, so we could make a design on the floor. But it also comes in rolls/sheets, just like the original.

 

So we have you on record as also being a Princess Danae fan, yes?