REACTIONS TO MY QE2 VIEWS #4

Some more great thoughts and comments based on my QE2 crossing thoughts and experinces:

TRANSAT JON WROTE:
"You have found out one of the downsides of the QE2 (and most other ships too) is that some of the highest grades of accommodation are high up in the ship so you get swung side to side when there is a lot of rolling going on. There are Q1 cabins on 1 deck and suites on 2 deck that do not suffer so much.QE2 does creak a bit, up in the suites the decks are quite thin and do suffer more than elsewhere with vibration and movement.

QM2 does creak too, the biggest weather I have experienced on her was force 7 so does not compare to force 9, but she has her assortment of creaks and moans which took me aback slightly. I suspect that ultimately the new kid will creak much less than the old girl.

I know what you mean about "holiday camp" entertainment. This can be viewed as crassness or just part of the history of ocean travel. Cunard entertainment is amongst the worst on the high seas but the film and lecture program makes up for it. I have never had much praise for Broadway Bound.I am interested to hear what your opinions are between P&O and Cunard."

REACTIONS TO MY QE2 #3

This was from SimWil on Cruisecritic:

“Have been waiting with interest to hear how your trip went Gary -pleased to read that you had great time and a dramatic crossing weather-wise.

I agree with your observations about QE2 - a wonderfully unique experience but there are some basic things that could be put right with little or no expense to Cunard.

They really must do something about the public loos - they smelt when I was on my last trip in August-particularly the one by The Pavilion - surely it's a case of regular cleaning - no excuse for that not being done. My next cruise is at the end of July so I will be sniffing around then!”
It seems we all are agreeing on some basics needing sorted…..!!!

STATE OF THE QE2: A PASSENGER VIEW..

There was some discussion and comment on the Cruise Critic Boards around the time that we came back from our crossing about the state of the QE2 by people who had been on the crossing, or had got on at NYC for the Caribbean.

RICH RABBET
This was one fairly detailed report about some of the problems and comments (although we did not have the porblems as bad as he reports them) by a chap called Rich Rabbett which is very interesting.

The main comments being: air conditioning, hot water from both hot and cold, smelly public toilets and general shabbiness

" QE2 has been experiencing major HVAC issues and large numbers ofpassengers have been complaining about the lack of air conditioning in their cabins or in other public rooms. My own cabin on 5 Deck hasbeen affected since our NYC departure on 12/21 and in fact all ofthe starboard side of 5 Deck aft of the D stairway is hot.

My cabin averages about 78 degrees and seems to spike at dinner hour at 84-86. I've been to the Purser's Office at least 6 times to complain and so far it's been lip service and a fan brought to the room this morning at 1:30 am. This morning at the Purser's Office I bumpedinto an irate couple from 3 Deck registering their own AC complaints--the digital thermometer in their cabin has read a room temperatureof 26C since departure!!! Apparently the issue they say is widespread along 3 Deck as well.

The Mauretania Restaurant has suffered from cooling problems--we had a dinner 2 nights ago at what musthave been better than 90 degrees. Watching the waiter sweat into your food dishes is not a pleasant sight! The problem has been continuous in the passenger areas since NYC and the party line atthe Purser's Office has been that it takes several days for the ship's AC to adjust to the tropics (an interesting notion since itwas about 20 degrees when we sailed from New York!).

Our shower and sink in the cabin has also produced nothing but hot water since our departure and the promised repairs to the mixing valve in the shower which is supposedly causing the problem have not materialized.

The ship in generally is looking pretty shabby overall despite a dry docking this summer. The funnel and parts of the superstructure have faded paint and the bow is full of rust. Teak decking is not in the greatest of shape on the boat deck and much caulking there is popping up or missing.

One of the hot tubs on the after deck is missing a signicant number of tiles and the public restrooms, particularly those outside of the Theatre and the Travel Office smell terribly --like the bathroom at a bus station--yucko!

A number of crew we've spoken to have indicated that the ship is not in the best of shape. It seems that the Queen is looking very shabby these days and I am one who tries to make the best of things! Good luck to all of you out there looking forward to several weeks on the ship--Cunard's response to our issues has been poor at best. "

SFO-JOHN
He had a different take, writing:

"I was on the 12/15 crossing and for the most part I'd say that the ship was looking great. I only went in the public toilets once or twice and didn't notice anything particularly unpleasant. As for the public rooms, I was quite impressed with the subdued design and good upkeep.

It was my first time on QE2 and I was expecting her to look a bit more worn, dated and shabby.

My only wish would be that the casino was smaller. It seemed too big for the amount of people using it and something nicer could be done with that space. The Queen's Room, Chart Room and Yacht Club were all very attractive rooms, as were all of the restaurants that I saw.

The chairs in the Crystal Bar and the bits that go down either side on that deck from there were kind of worn. The Lido is what it is and I only used it once. I feel that if I'm on a crossing on the QE2, why bother with a cafeteria? One day I had 4pm tea on deck at the Funnel Bar, which was very pleasant even though it was chilly on deck.

My cabin was in very good condition. For an inside single, I'd say it was quite charming. Lots of wood paneling and the bathroom was flawless.

The a/c in my cabin was tricky to get to the right temperature. By the end of the second day I had it down. Sometimes the Mauretania dining room was quite hot and stuffy, so I can imagine it must be pretty bad during warm weather cruises.

Overall, I was quite impressed with the state of the QE2 and I hope she's around for a few more years, as I'd like to do another crossing on her."

TRANSATLANTIC TOM:
He knows the ship very well and sums it up very well I think (with an ending paragraph and sentiment that I think most of us would agree with!!)

"I guess alot of all this stuff depends somewhat on perspective. I was on the Decemeber 15 WB crossing, and thought that all-in-all QE2 looked good. I'm biased though, I LOVE this ship and I don't expect perfection.

She has been in service for 35 years, and yes indeed things can look a little bit shabby......... For example: I noticed in the windowsills in Mauretania Restaurant flaked paint and crumbs that had accumulated. The men's room on the starboard side between the Crystal Bar and the Golden Lion DID INDEED smell awful one night (maybe a toilet overflowed). The ceiling vent near our table in Mauretania Restaurant was shooting cold air a couple of nights.

Yes, I noticed some rust streaks along QE2's flanks as we were disembarking at Pier 90.

I agree with what I think is the sentiment of a previous writer, that basic services such as the ventilation system and cabin water tempeture have to be top priorities. No doubt about it.

Those types of issues aways need to be addressed, regardless the age of a ship.It's a trade-off isn't it?? She's the last of breed. No she's not Queen Mary or Normandie, and yet QM2 is no QE2 either. Each ship is like a hotel; they have their own personalities, and flavor.

I definitely want Cunard to address these serious issues of ventalation, etc, but I appreciate the fact that QE2 is aging, and realistically there's a limit to how much can/should be done to her now. I want to try to enjoy sailing aboard her as much as I can with the limited time remaining."

REACTIONS TO MY QE2 REVIEW #2

Here is another comments and reaction on my review/ observations of our fab crossing that appeared in the Cruisecritic boards:

This is from RJMS, who wrote:

“Gary,Thanks very much for your postings over the last few days and very glad to hear 'in the main' you had a good time on QE2, esp.in the Queens Grill Rest. As I knew you would after having experienced this Rest. For the 3rd time (out of 4 trips I've made on QE2) onboard earlier this year during a Med cruise.

Whilst I too accept & realize the QE2 is not what she once was (I only have recollections from my grandmother & late grandfather + hundreds of photos & video footage from QE2 mainly from QG level from the maiden voyage to 1991 when I gather the QE2 was probably a lot better than it is now), this does add to part of the charm / old world type feel / ambience to a trip on board in the sense that you realize not everything will be just so & brand new so to speak, but I must agree that some of your comments re poor plumbing in the p/house accommodation is totally unacceptable & re the public restrooms & 'towels in the QG Lounge' as are the air con problems re noise & re temp currently being experienced on board.

Friends of my grandparents are onboard QE2 at the moment in a cabin similar to yours and if they are having such problems after many cruises on QE2 & always at QG level they will not be happy at all! I will report back to the board once I hear about their trip upon their return!It is good though to hear that the QG Restaurant delivered once again re food & service. Re the poor weather experienced perhaps this added to the many problems re plumbing, leaking windows, etc - having said this they have many crew members and a chief engineer so surely these issues should be resolved quickly and without inconveniencing guests especially those who are paying a premium for the experience!

I must ask who the Maitre D ‘was during your crossing in the QG - was it Mr James? (He was there on my Oct. cruise).I am back onboard once again next year although this time I wanted to try the Princess Grill so will report back once I have traveled during the summer next year. I can forego a certain amount of problems / issues especially if the food & service levels still remain high & on the mark so to speak which during my October trip was more than evident. In fact friends of mine travel in the Caronia Rest. enjoyed their cruise much more than an earlier trip this year on QM2 - where in 5 days they said 'they never had a good meal' - they have been on QE2 many times & are back again in 2005.

Gary - do you have a link to your photos you took onboard as after reading your cruise blog (very interesting) I only saw a few photos?”

REACTION TO MY QE2 OBSERVATIONS (1)

Here was the first comment to a posting I did to the QE2 Yahoo group about the thoughts / observations on the QE2 and the crossing (which is posted on my blog below):

Marc wrote:
"When I was first on QE2 in May 2002, I was a bit taken by the decor as Gary describes. But I discovered that the faded glory is much if QE2's charm. She is worn and a bit threadbare in places, but that adds to her glamour.

QM2 is so NEW and pristine that she does not show any history (as is to be expected from a brand new ship of course!). QE2 has so many litte pock-marks and bumps and grinds that are utterly charming.

And on QM2 I missed the creaks of the cabins. QM2 was so quiet. When you are on QE2 you know you are at sea because of the way your cabin creaks.

I have grown to love QE2's creaks, rough patches, and faded elegance. Keep in mind that she was built in the late 1960s, "a swinging and hip decade," and her architeture bares that out.

But we do love her so!!!"

OBSERVATIONS ABOUT OUR TRANSATLANTIC CROSSING

I am going to write a proper review of the crossing and then post it on the site and probably onto sites like CruiseCritic.com .

But here are some of the top line thoughts and observations:

Good
· The experience of being on the QE2 and being part of the history. Being on a winter trans-atlantic crossing was a great adventure to have done.

· It was a fabulous experience. Even with the rough weather at the start (which I am sure the QE2 weathered better than any other ship could have). I am so pleased to have done it. It is definitely an experience versus just another trip.

· The "Queens Grill" experience, especially as we did in Q2, is very special. The restaurant is beautiful, the food amazing, the service outstanding. The pampering by the butlers good. Having the Queens Grill Lounge to retreat to is quiet and handy, especially at tea time.

· Our cabin (8006 on the penthouse signal deck level with balcony) was tastefully decorated, and very cosy at night. It is a good size at 350 square feet. It was (however) noisy as it creaked a lot in the rough weather, and the air conditioning was noisy. The people next door did not get much sleep for those 2 reasons. They were added as prefab units and that is possibly why.

· The ship on the outside is glorious. It looks stylish from a distance in spite of the age (35 years). On the decks it looks great with the teak decks, levels at the back. I really enjoyed being out on deck watching the QE2 ploughing through the sea. It was always quiet out on deck and so you had it pretty much to yourself!

· There are some beautiful internal rooms that are classics and hold their own in spite of their age, like the Queens Lounge, Queens Grill Restaurant, bookshop and library, Yacht club bar and the Midships lounge.

· The staff on the QE2 make a real effort to treat you well, get to know what you like and you do feel like individuals even though there are around 1200 of you on board. We both felt we had got to know the people we came in contact with a lot (the room butlers, restaurant staff), and that they had taken care to understand what we liked.

· The gym facilities are good and the equipment modern. It is a good size and was never too busy (although the rough weather may have helped that!)

Less Good
· Most of the ship inside looks dated, and does not have as much style and glamour of a "by-gone age" that the brochures and the image conjures up. It comes as something as a surprise at just how old fashioned an impression you get on entering the ship and seeing the decks like one and two deck which look like an old hotel, and then the stairwells with their red carpets and paintings of the royals etc. We had watched videos and read books and so it was less of a surprise, if we had not I think we would have been almost thrown by it. After a while you appreciate its look and style more, but it must be a shock for people (like the ones sitting at the table next to us) who had not researched the ship before coming.

· The ship is clearly in sadly clearly in the twilight years. There were often signs of her aging, such as towels around leaking windows to the deck, chairs with signs of threadbare arms, sun faded portraits, outdated and pretty rowdy air conditioning and unpredictable plumbing (hot water from the cold and toilet problems on the entire penthouse for a full day). You tend to take them for granted and as part of what the QE2 is, but it does flag up the fact that the QE2 is nearing the end of her time. A fact even the crew acknowledge.

· It was much more "Butlin's Holiday Camp" than we had expected. We had expected based on the advertising and the image that one has of Cunard and the QE2 a different kind of passenger to other cruise ships. The program of events and related entertainment was much more bingo, karaoke, pub quiz kind of stuff than we had expected. We had fun doing them (of course!) but had expected more variety based on the wide cross section of people it attracted. The people at the table next to us complained there was nothing for them to do, as they did not like the bingo, etc stuff.

· It was older passenger wise, and the entertainment was (therefore) biased that way. The music quiz for example full of 50s singers and nothing from the 70s on even it seemed! I think though that this may be more driven by the cruise entertainment team than what the passengers would be happy with!

· Some of the facilities and rooms are very badly in need of some change. The shops were not so good. Very dated in design and not very inspiring merchandise. I had expected an amazing Cunard branded shop, but there was not a lot to excite and we struggled to buy mementos for friends at home. The spa was very shabby.


The ship is working out its last years. And I think you can feel it. Both on the ship and as I reflect on the trip, I have similar sensation and feelings that I did travelling on another travel icon that was in her final years, the Concorde. The regulations coming into force mean the QE2 cannot sail much past 2007 without a massive change to the inside. The inside - in addition to the regulations about wood etc - would really need such an additional massive job to make it relevant both in features and design for the new generation of cruise and crossing passengers.

But in spite of the comments, I want to stress that we had a glorious and fabulous time. The QE2 is fantastic. Going on the QE2 on a winter transatlantic was amazing. You feel you are taking part in a real travel experience. It was such an amazing and pampered 6 days.

Would we go on the QE2 again? Yes! Although as Howard who we met up with on the crossing commented, we are likely to go on the QM2 first to try that out and compare that!

CUNARD E-CHRISTMAS CARD

Cunard have sent an "e-Christmas" card today to their mailing list. It is not that exciting considering what can be done, but at least it is a thought!

I am not sure how long the link will be active so there is a pic above, but here is the link too: http://www.cunard.co.uk/holiday2004/

ALL DONE AND DUSTED.... PITY!!

All done and dusted (written Tuesday December 21 @ 12:30)

As I write this, we are now on the Acela Express train zooming along to Washington for the rest of our holiday.

This morning we had set the alarm for 5am, but awoke just before that and saw us go under the bridge that marks us heading into New York. About 20 minutes later we passed the Statue of Liberty (which we could see from our balcony). It was very dark and very cold.

Then we got dressed, walked on the deck for the last time, had breakfast for the last time in the Queens Grill. We then gave everyone their envelopes with their extra gratuities in. And we then sat in the Queens Grill Lounge until 9am. We were supposed to disembark earlier, having "Penthouse Priority", but the regulations seem to be that all transit passengers had to report to immigration first and a whole pile of them could not be traced for ages.

Once we got the go to go, it was all very easy off. We had a very fast trip through immigration and customs. The car we had booked through Cunard was ready for us. We got dropped at Penn Station right near the ticket area and as we were early got on the 11am instead of the noon train

WINNING GAMES

Winning Games (written Monday 20 December @ 22:00)

Even though we had gone to bed so early, we only got up at about 8am. This being yet another 10 or so hour sleeping night for us!

After breakfast, as Mark had decided to skip his last bridge lesson, we went on a long walk around the ship covering loads of decks and spaces videoing and taking pictures of most of the ship. Then off to the quiz, which was the final part. It was name the singer and we did really badly as it was all old singers from the 50s and 60s.

A bit of gambling, then off to the gym and then lunch yet again. Delicious tomato soup with tortilla chips in for starters, and we had vegetable fritter things for our main.

In the afternoon, we did more filming, more bingo (where someone won $2200 as the jackpot) and then we decided to go to the (free) Laundromat and get all our socks, underwear and gym stuff washed before we head off to Washington. This is buried on 3 Deck and was a bit of a nightmare as took much longer than we expected, so we popped by to see some of the "passenger talent show". This was quite bizarre really, as it seemed to be some very old people doing some poetry readings, some singing, a bit of joke telling and then we gave up.

The nightmare packing had to be done before dinner, as you leave your bags out your door from 7pm and before 1am. Although in the end it went fairly quickly. If we had known what we know now, we could have saved bringing all the smart "daywear" like smart trousers and long sleeve shirts.

After over eating last night, we just had roast turkey and key lime pie for dinner. I had 2 glasses of champagne, and Mark was very restrained and had none. Then we went to the casino and played black jack for ages and ages. We doubled the $100 we started with, and decided to use that as gratuities for the 3 butlers and our 2 waiting staff. We had been debating if we should leave them extra tips, as we had done the gratuities included thing and were not sure what to do. So winning made it even easier to decide. (On the way to the casino we popped into the Grand Lounge and saw about 2 minutes of the truly awful cabaret by some Welsh woman - called Diane Cousins - who I had read about on the message boards about how awful she was. She is rather plump and was squeezed into some sequin frock).

Warren and Adam had collected all of the menus from the crossing and gave them to us at dinner, which was a nice touch!

On this crossing there were about 720 Americans and about the same from the UK. The next largest group was German, and they used to give the Captain announcement in German too each day.

NOT VERY CLASSICAL...

Not very classical (written Sunday 19 December @ 22:00)

Mark joined me after his bridge lesson in the Grand Lounge, and we did part 3 of the music quiz. As I mentioned in yesterday's posting it was classical. So I got only 2 out of 15. Pity as when they had been reading out the cumulative scores I had been doing well. After the music quiz was a cookery demonstration by 3 of the chefs that we were going to watch. We started speaking to Howard, who had been one of the people I had been talking to on the Cruise Critic message boards as he lives in Baltimore and had offered to give some suggestions about Washington. He kindly had brought a Zagat guide for us.

Being good boys, and also worried about all of the fabulous food, tea and treats we are eating, we headed off to the gym and then to lunch. We both had Chicken Yakatori for starter for our lunch, then Mark had lasagne (which he raved about) and I had sweet and sour pork (which was the best I have ever had!).

I went off to one of the lectures live today instead of just watching them on the telly. I went to listen to Stephen Fox in the theatre taking about "The Cycles of Advertising". It seems he wrote a book on advertising in the 80s, and his theory is that there are only 2 types of advertising (reason why and image) and they go in cycles based on the economic trends. The talk was not that well attended, and just before 3pm all these dears came noisily clanking into the theatre ready for the 3pm film which put him off a bit. But the talk was interesting.

While I was doing that, Mark had gone to get a book by Brian Hoey signed (as the lecturers have book signings on the days they are not talking).

We decided to give the bingo a go today. It is held at 3.15pm in the Royal Lounge. You pay $20 for a pile of cards and then play a series of games (the X, BO, 2 lines and then the cumulative jackpot which you have to get a full house in 55 numbers. Today it was up to £1200 and no-one won it and so tomorrow it has to be one). It was really good fun, much more than I had expected it to be.

Every day after tea we go out on deck and play a few rounds of deck shuffle board which I am not sure that we are very good at but play the first to get to 5). Mark is the champion so far, but tomorrow will be the deciding one!

This evening is our last formal evening. 4 of the 6 nights are formal (tuxedo), and the first and last being informal (jacket and tie!).

I ate far too much this evening. We had chateaubriand as main, with a rich chocolate pudding for dessert and for starters Mark had a salad and I had caviar again. We headed off to watch the "Broadway Bound" team do their "can't stop the music" show (a medley of songs from the shows) in the Royal Lounge. It was pretty awful, and they are definitely not "Broadway bound" any time soon - of ever! We could not watch it all, and I was feeling so stuffed we went back to the cabin intending to relax a bit before going to the casino but fell asleep and went to bed by 10

SMOOTH AND PLAIN SAILING NOW...

Smooth and plain sailing (written Sunday 19 December @ 12:45)

It has now been so clam at sea, talk about chalk and cheese! Even the Captain remarked that we seem to have experienced just about all weather conditions, as also apparently it was very foggy at about 5am this morning. It ahs though from about late morning yesterday been very smooth indeed, and the win has dropped below gale force (it had been about 8 and 9).

Last night for dinner we had delicious food again. It is hardly even worth commenting that the food is good. For dinner I had caviar to start, roast beef with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding and all the trimmings with the most divine chocolate soufflé for pudding, Mark had an apple and carrot salad for starter, for main pan fired veal and also the soufflé for dessert.

We then went along to the Royal Lounge and watched a very funny comedy juggler (Pete Matthews). He was brilliant. After that it was off to the casino, where I played a very good and quite long session of blackjack. The dealer was great fun, and we had a good time for about 40 minutes and were up even giving the dealer a lot of tips. This guy who keep going on and on about how he was from Reno joined our table and keep going on and on and we got bored of him and left. After a quick drink at the Yacht Club, a swing past the Red, White and Blue ball in the Queens Lounge it was off to bed with our friendly evening butler dropping by with my decaffeinated coffee.

This morning we had breakfast and walked on the deck. It is much colder out there now, but as the wind has dropped you can go right onto the front observation deck again and look over the bow of the ship. I took a pile of photos while Mark played bridge.

RICKY ROBIN THROUGH THE NIGHT (AGAIN)

Rocky Robin through the night (written Saturday 18 December @ 18:00)

Yesterday during the daily 12 noon Captain's briefing that comes over the loud speaker system, he said that things were going to get rough although things were calm at that time, as we were going to be going through the bottom part of a storm.

And boy oh boy was he right! By the time we went to bed last night it was fairly bumpy, with the ship leaning to one side due to the very high wind that was blowing the port side of the ship making the whole ship list to the starboard (which is the right hand side as you face the front - the stern - of the ship). During the night, things got really "rocky robin" as Mark calls it.

We awoke at various times to the sound of the cupboard doors banging open and shut, our bedside drawers shooting open and closed and the other flower arrangement we had flying onto the floor. The night butler when she brought my bedtime de-caffeinated coffee (they are very switched on as we had ordered it on the 1st night and so every time you head off to bed she asks if you want it) told us to leave the coffee pot on the floor or outside the door or it would go flying through the night! It certainly was very up and down and at times quite shuddering as the ship rose and fell in the seas.

Before all of that, we had headed down to dinner. For dinner last night, I had very yummy sushi and for main I had steak with vegetable parcels and potatoes. For dessert I had crepe suzettes with Grand Marnier (usually they bring them to the table and flambé them, but they did it at the maitre de station as the weather was starting to get a bit rough at that stage). Mark had barbequed turkey and for main herb crusted lamb with dauphine potatoes, and lemon grass sorbet for dessert. All were very yummy as usual.

We popped along to the Grand Lounge to see the "Broadway Bound Theatre Company" show which was supposed to be their "Hit Parade Review". But as the weather was choppy they could not do it so were doing this thing were they sat on chairs on stage and one of them "interviewed them" one-by-one and they each sang a song. They had not rehearsed the questions and so it was a bit stilted and the singing was a bit varied. But it was entertaining enough.

Then (as usual) we headed to the casino and proceeded to loose on both the machines and then $50 on roulette which I am not sure we really understand how to play!

This morning Mark was feeling a bit queasy at breakfast and so he left his poached eggs, bacon and has browns but did eat his raisin bran. I had the bran and the delicious pancakes and maple syrup. One exciting thing we saw during breakfast was piles and piles of dolphins romping and jumping through the sea chasing the ship. It was amazing!

After a walk on the rising and falling deck, Mark headed off to his bridge lesson (and he won his games), I did some videoing and then we did the 2nd part of the music quiz (Broadway shows). I did not do as well as yesterday, getting 9 out of 15. Tomorrow is classical.... So will be lucky to get 1!

After more of the casino, we went to the gym where I did quite well. Off to the gym, and then a very lazy rest of the afternoon as we ordered lunch in the room (nachos with salsa and guacamole for my starter, chicken breast for Mark's and then pepperoni pizza for main). We watched the silly but quite fun "Garfield - the Movie" and then had a 2 hour nap before a quick afternoon tea and a game of desk quoits before relaxing before dinner.

As I write this, have been watching/ listening to 2 of the lectures from today which again are excellent. Brian Hoey talk on the "Royal Yacht Britannia" and Ted Scull on "We want you - as a paying passenger. How streamliners advertised and promoted themselves".

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY... NO TIME AT ALL

Busy, busy, busy (written Friday 17 December @ 19:10)

There just does not seem to be enough time in the day! This afternoon we did get to the gym and were good doing 30 minutes on the cross-trainer and then some weights. We then had lovely afternoon tea again in the Queens Grill Lounge, went for another wind swept walk on the deck. I really like being on the deck. It is very quiet out there, very blowing but amazing seeing the ship ploughing through the ocean at speed.

For lunch today I had carrot broth and tempura vegetables and salad. Mark had chicken croquettes and beef sandwich with chips.

We were talking to Maureen (one of the butlers on our level) about the freaky couple who sit at a table for 6, but just laid for 2 and it is covered in toys. The one evening with Disney characters, and at lunch today a whole pile of others that I did not recognise. She told us that they book both of the 2 big suites every year on the world cruise, although they do sleep together. They have so much luggage that when any cabin is free on our level their luggage is put in there and some they leave permanently on the ship. She has one trunk (which Mark swears she said was Luis Vuitton although I don't remember that part) which is just of jewellery that gets left on board all year. It could cost them around $500000 for all they do a year, as the suites cost at least £60000 per person sharing and so the suites alone would be at least £250000 a year!!

We watched half of "Finding Nemo" on the video channel (they run about 3 films all day), and part of the lecture about Brunel, Cunard and other people responsible for developing Trans-atlantic travel and services which was done earlier today by the historian Stephen Fox. Although we haven't actually been to any of the lectures, as we have been too busy, we have watched most of them as they run them on the TV. So far, I have been very impressed as they are very interesting and well delivered.

From what we can gather the lecturers are not paid, but get free passage in Queens Grill. Mark's bridge lecturers for example are a husband and wife ex-teacher couple that are teaching on the crossing and get the trip as payment. Although we have not seen them in Queens Grill and so maybe it is only the lecturers that get that perk.

DOING THE QUEEN'S GRILL...

As we had seen pictures in brochures and also online from individuals, the cabin (a Q2 in the Penthouse level, cabin 8006) was not a huge surprise. But the good news is that we really like it. The décor is fairly traditional as you would expect, with lots of light wood. The beds were put in twin format, although I was sure we had asked for them to be King. The balcony is very large, with round table and loungers (although we are unlikely to get much use of it). The bathroom is very large and has 2 basins.

Maureen, who is on of the stewards came and introduced herself, followed by Gordon (an elderly and charming gentleman) and a younger butler called Peter. Maureen is from Liverpool and has worked for Cunard for 16 years. All of them are lovely. They are very helpful, and sorted out some issues like a loose cupboard door and the beds quickly. I guess you could argue there should be no faults - but the ship has just got back from a 31 day cruise to the Falklands and the crew we have has been on 4 weeks holiday before re-joining to go on the world cruise that this trip to New York is the start of.

Mark and I then headed off and had tea in the Queen's Lounge (not to be confused with the Queen's Grill Lounge which only Queen's Grill people can use). The Queen's Room is a beautiful room. We sat by one of the large windows with the sun streaming in, having tea with very yummy sandwiches (with the crusts cut off) of ham, egg and of course cucumber. This was followed by cakes (including fruit, éclairs etc).

After tea we strolled about and visited the Spa (quite a challenge to find!), the gym and other areas.

As they were running late with loading all the stores, as they take on a lot of stuff for the 3 month world cruise and the late arrival of the QE2 in the morning we eventually only left at 8.30 pm instead of the planned 5pm.
In fact, we were well into our dinner by the time we set sail as in Queen's Grill there is open seating from 7 - 9 pm (this means you can go at anytime between those hours). We had been in there earlier as this is also our "muster station" for emergencies and had gone there at 4.30 for the drill.

The Queen's Grill is a lovely room, which is beautifully done. It is very tasteful and also plush. We are at table 37. This is table for 4 - although no-one came either at breakfast. We had said we wanted to be at a large table. Although the largest seems to be 6 and there are lots and lots of tables for 2. Now that we are here we think a table for just the 2 of us would have been nice. We will see if anyone arrives at our table tonight. (Although as the seas so rough and the ship rolling all over the place, I am guessing a lot of people will not be going to dinner).

The service is amazing. Warren is our main waiter, supported by young chap from Edinburgh called Adam. The wine waiter is a Dale Winton type and in looks called Kevin. He was also good and fun. Although the fact that we are not huge drinkers and wine buffs will no doubt disappoint him (although we did have a bottle of wine on the first night, for the rest of the time we had a glass or two of champagne each night which cost more than the bottle of wine so maybe he was not too disappointed!)

We had fabulous food, and ate too much. The menu is huge. There is a "set menu" and an a la carte menu. You can choose from any - and if you don't like any of it you can also request something else. They pop the menu for the lunch and dinner under the door overnight and then at lunch show you the full menu for dinner so you can make up your mind if you want something else.

Last night we got a bit "merry" as we had drunk almost a bottle of wine, then went to the Yacht Club and had a drink (did I mention we had a drink before dinner too..!). We watched a bit of the show in the Queen's Room - which was the Cruise Director introducing various members of staff and was all a bit embarrassing so we fled it. Then we went to the casino, where I did fairly well on the poker machines winning $125 on my 2nd go. We left just $2 between us down - although after a whirl this afternoon we are now $21 up. Last of the big gamblers! The casino is not huge, but nicely done with 2 roulette tables, 2 or 3 blackjack tables, a couple of poker tables and loads of machines. The croupiers all seem to be East European or South African.

This is all for now. It is VERY rough now and the ship is bobbing up and down like crazy, with drawers opening and closing. The flowers they gave us toppling off the side and spewing all over the floor. Bizarrely, I am starving and off to run the bath for us to get ready for dinner. We may go to dinner for 7 and the captain cocktail party for Queen's Grill at 745

BETTER AND BETTER....

Better and Better (written Friday 17 December @ 12:45)

We never did get to the Captain cocktail party or the dinner last night. The captain for the crossing (by the way) is Captain McNaught. The weather was very rough and the ship was really tossing about. Mark did not feel well at all after his bath, and in spite of the injection was sick. And I have to say that I was not sure that if I was walking about I would feel that good. So we decided to stay in, watch one of the films on TV and order dinner in.

The great thing about being in a Queens Grill cabin is that you do not order of the room service menu, but order from the actual menu that evening. Maureen brought the full menu in, although they do put a menu for lunch and dinner under the door in the evening.

We ordered some beef consommé and pumpkin risotto for Mark (although he did not eat any in the end). I had caviar with all the trimmings (yummy) and picked at my pumpkin risotto which was tasty but a bit rich for the tossing weather! We shared some very tasty sugar free carrot cake.

We then watched the talks that had been on during the day (as they run them non-stop until the morning) and then a movie (Little Black Book) with Holly Hunter and Kathy Bates in, which was surprisingly good (a kind of "Network" story built around a Jerry Springer show). The talks were one by Brian Hoey (a royal writer) about the UK Honours system and a reflection on cross Atlantic travel by the travel writer Ted Scull. Both were really interesting. The Ted Scull one being the most fascinating from my perspective.

After changing our clocks back an hour again (as you get 25 hour days on the crossing due to the time difference between UK and NYC), we went to sleep at about 22:15 - and the first time awoke was at 7:15 and we eventually woke at 08:30. The sea was much calmer, although as I write it is starting to get more blustery and rougher again.

We got up and went down to breakfast in the Queens Grill. They told us that a lot of people did not make it to dinner, and they also all commented about how rough it had been and they were pleased it was much calmer today.

After breakfast (Raisin bran followed by delicious pancakes and maple syrup), Mark went off to his 09:30 bridge class while I went for a walk on the deck. I really love being on the deck as the wind is very strong, and you can see the ship rising and falling (an amazing amount especially when you are at the back!) and the sea rushing past. Quite a spectacle!

I then went and booked our car transfer from the ship to Penn Station, and did part 1 of the 5 day music quiz. Today was films and I got 12 out of 15. Annoyingly the ones I got wrong I should have known Oh well! We had to hand our papers in and do that each day. Tomorrow is Theatre - and so hopefully I will do okay. Mark will be able to do it with me tomorrow as it is at 10:15 each day, today being earlier as they had the crew boat drill.

Mark and I then went for a walk on deck, taking photos and then went and watched the tap dance class in the Queen’s room. Very entertaining it was too watching these old dears and some (frankly speaking) freaks doing it.

Well, time to head off to lunch. This afternoon we are planning to try and get to the gym, do bingo and maybe nap. It is a hard old life!

Did I mention that over night hey pop 3 or 4 things under the door? These include the daily program (which has all the zillions of activities and events), and 3 papers that they do (UK news, USA news and finance news). They are all eagerly awaited for and we read them and decide what to do each morning, planning our day around them.

THE BEGINNING OF THE TRIP (IN DETAIL!)

The beginning of the trip (written Thursday 16 December @ 17.50)

We were collected bang on 12 noon by the driver from Cruise Connection Chauffer service. We had booked this through Cunard as it is advertised in the brochure. It is just as well that he had a large Mercedes as we seem to be talking almost every item of clothing that we have! There are 2 large suit carriers, a large "wheelie" suitcase and we both have our small "wheelies" and a bag with the Christmas presents that we are giving each other.

I had written a long list of clothing and other items that I thought we should take, and Mark and I had gone through that and scarily we had added to it. We had to take of course our Tuxedos and the dress shirts etc, but also then suit for the 2 informal nights (yes, on the QE2 "informal" means jacket and tie!). We also brought "smart casual" as we were not sure how smart we need to be during the day on the ship, plus then jeans and more casual stuff for when we are in Washington. Although once we got to the QE2 and got a better sense, it is clear that we have brought too many clothes, and all of the cupboards are very full.

We got down to Southampton in about 1.5 hours and drew up at the Queen Elizabeth terminal. You drive into a large hall which is decked out with the Union Jack. A porter comes and takes all the bags out the car, and the next time we saw them they were in the cabin.

There was a queue into the terminal, and we joined it. A lady came bustling by asking of anyone was "Queens or Grill accommodation" and when we said we were, she handed these forms you need to sign saying you have not been suffering from vomiting or diarrhoea in the previous 48 hours (which is part of a health screening to stop bringing stomach bug on-board like the one that got people stuck on the P&O Aurora on a Med cruise last summer). She then marched us through the queue. She was pretty much shoving people out of the way into the "Grill Passenger" queue. In the queue behind us we started chatting to the people who are in 8005, which is across the hall from us.

The lady who served us was (of course) the slowest of all of them and she also did not give us a "Gold" boarding card that would have allowed us to board immediately. But Mark sorted that out with the ladies handling the boarding and we basically then went straight on-board. Pausing for the inevitable and compulsory photo with a QE2 life ring (The photo costs $12.50 if you want to buy it).

We entered the ship at the "Midships lounge" which is surrounded with a series of scenes telling the history of Cunard, and also contains a silver model of the QE2 made by Asprey. We were allocated a lady to show us to our room. What is scary is I knew better than she did towards the last part and pretty much showed her where our room was. The QE2 is VERY confusing to find your way around. As we have found as we tried to get around yesterday, and today. It is apparently as when the ship was first conceived and designed it was going to be a 2 class ship and so passengers would only have access to parts based on what class they were travelling. But it is confusing. I am sure we will work it out.

ON OUR WAY - SICKLY AS SHE GOES

Well as I write this we are currently on our way to New York, coming up for 24 hours at sea. And what a sea it is! As the notice board where they post the weather and other route information puts it, it is a "rough sea" and there is a Force 8 gale.

Poor Mark was not at all well by late morning, and rushed from the end of his 09:30 bridge class up to our swaying suite to unhappily be sick. We lay for a while and then agreed that the best thing to do would be to go down to the medical facility (which is in stairway C level 6- the joke being that it is at C6 which sounds like "sea sick"). There we both had the famous jab that is supposed to knock you out for a while, and then when you awake you feel good and starving. We did fall asleep at about half past noon and awoke starving, feeling okay (if a bit groggy) just in time for delicious white glove afternoon tea service in the Queen Grill Lounge.

The one thing that makes us feel better, is that it is clear that this is not just the norm as even one of the butlers (Gordon) who has just popped in to deliver our evening canapés asked if we had heard anything about when "we are going to get out of these seas" and when I said the notice board made it sound like not until Saturday he rolled his eyes unhappily.

But more about all of this later on, I guess I should start at the beginning of our trip.

MY VISIT TO QUEEN MARY (LONG BEACH)

Being in Los Angeles for work in the first week of December, I could not miss the opportunity to head down to Long Beach and visit the famous “Queen Mary” which is berthed there and operates as a part hotel and part museum.

I did visit years ago, but with my new found passion and interest in cruise liners and Cunard. I really wanted to visit the ship again.

And I am glad I did. It was even more interesting having read more and seen videos about the Queen Mary history.

The ship is large. Although it felt not as large as I remembered the ship – until I was on and inside it! The thing that struck me reading the history of the ship since it arrived at Long Beach was the very patchy history of ownership and success of the ship as a museum and hotel. It sounded like it has not really been that successful and came close to being scrapped…although as it has been declared a heritage site or something now it is protected.

But you do get the feeling it is a kind of maintained neglect. With new initiatives like the “ghosts” tour being used to drive new interest.

The day I visited (Monday) it was very quiet and great as I had the ship more or less to myself… but was also quite spooky wandering around a large part of the ship and corridors with no-one around. I can see why so many “ghost stories” have emerged!!
You get to go around the top part of the ship and see the bridge, the Captain and his immediate senior officers’ cabins with all the furniture and clothing. But even more interesting was to see where and how the ship was adapted for service in WW2. One of the best sections is the “Treasures of Queen Mary” section which recreates all the cabins.

To see the photos I took: Queen Mary Photos

MY VIDEO REVIEW: "QE2 - QUEEN OF THE SEAS"

"QE2: The Queen of the Seas" video review.

Of all the videos I have watched on the QE2 so far (see my other reviews), this is the one that I have enjoyed the most, found to be the best produced and (even though it is dated now as made in 1933) gives the best views and coverage of the ship.

It was shot towards the end of the QE2 world cruise as it left Southampton on the Mediterranean leg. Narrated by the UK news reader Michael Beurk, it has a well written script, great cross section of interviews with people who have been on the full world cruise and great photography.

This is the video I would recommend to see and learn about the QE2

QE2 2004 REFIT - WHAT DID THEY DO?

I had been reading how every 2 years at least the QE2 is refurbished... and we had read somewhere about a 2004 refurbish... so was pleased when came across a posting in cruisecritic from Jon that outlined what it was. (and in just 3 days we will be able to see for ourselves..!!!)

he wrote: It happened in May: "The following areas of the vessel will be upgraded during the 2004 refit period, a brief description of proposed follows:

01.Penthouse Alleyway & Stairs: Boat, Sun & Signal Deck

Enhancement will include new: Axminster carpet, decorative bulkheads, new curtains (pantry areas) & wall lights. Stairway ceiling and cabin doors architrave & trims will re painted to match new dado & bulkhead coverings. All polished stair woodwork on Boat, Sun & Signal deck will be sanded down & varnished / painted. Seat on Signal deck level will be fully reupholstered with new fabrics. New cabin # signage ADA compliant.

02.Open Decks enhancements

02A Sun Deck Bar

Enhancement will include new: Teak decking (approx. 200 sqm), Awning (86 sqm), a stretched canvas ceiling with teak frames, a raised band stand with a sound & light system, a new USPH-approved Bar (teak façade) with under-counter with 2 taps draught beer, a coffee machine, 2 refrigerators, a soft Ice cream machine self service, Five (5) barstools, (7) teak tables and (28) chairs, (200) new steam chairs cushions for Fidus Loungers, a set of teak store cabinets & stainless steel bins. New deck signage.
All the teak doors will be refinished as well.

02B Upper Deck

New loose furniture (5) new teak tables and (20) chairs will be installed.

02C First Deck: Swimming pool

Enhancement will include new: Mosaic Domus non-slip ceramic tiles surrounding the pool, teak compartments, stainless steel bins, towel drop & towel storage rack. Teak decking surrounding Jacuzzi will be renewed as well.

03. Mauretania & Britannia restaurant

Mauretania & Britannia small percentage of Dampa ceiling will be replaced and re painted electro statically. New wall covering will be laid on the both forward & aft bulkhead. New air conditioning deflectors will be fitted in the Britannia Restaurant.

05.Golden Lion Pub Enhancement will include a new audio-visual system with plasma screen.

06.Queen room & Promenades

Inboard alleyway enhancement will include new: Axminster carpet, decorative laminated panels & vinyl covering, wooden handrail with stainless brushed brackets and dado moldings. A new Dampa ceiling & lighting fixtures will be installed as well.

Starboard side Promenade will have new decorative acoustic panels with new hanging system provided by concessionaire, carpet and ceiling re painted electro statically.

Queens Room dance floor will be sanded down, cleaned and varnished to a color match of existing wood bulkheads.

07.Yacht Club

The existing vinyl dance floor will be replaced by new real wood parquet Merbau 20 mm and varnished.

10. Five Deck Alleyway

All corridors and cross alleyways on deck Five will be laid with a new Axminster carpet: Full basket weave. Car entrances new vinyl floor will be laid as well.

Carpet ship program:

New Axminster carpet will be laid in the stairwells D, E & G (approx. 850 sqm)

12. Penthouse & grill cabin upgrade

Enhancement of 70 cabins will include: new upholstered non-combustible panels with new fabric
(34 cabins), Dresser tops refurbished with a strtaflex covering (15 Cabins) and sanded & French
polished (21 cabins).

14B P-grade bathroom upgrade

Enhancements in 29 bathrooms will include new:

Non-slip ceramic Domus Pebble 300x300 tiles to the bathroom floor. All bulkheads will line out with melliminium panels & associated trims. New solid phenolic bath & vanity panel will be provided. Bathroom door, frame & architrave will be refinished. Deckhead will be re-painted as well.

Vanity unit will be thoroughly refurbished with Strataflex, new armitage Shanks, white, and single Portman wash hand basin. Bath Tub will be refinished with custom epoxy coating color white Toilet Pan & flush valve will be refitted. New Armitage Shanks Bakasan toilet seat & chromed shaver socket to vanity unit. New Hansgrohe Metrix mono block basin tap & associated pop up waste will be fitted as well

15. Public Restrooms

Pub Gents toilet
Pub Ladies toilet
Caronia ladies toilet upgrade
Lido gents toilet
Lido ladies toilet

A complete refurbishment of the Public Restrooms will include:
New non-slip 2 color diamante verde & Crème ceramic tiles to the deck & skirting

Deckhead:
Existing Dampa ceiling will be electro statically re painted & new extract diffusers installed

Bulkhead:
New mosaic decorative tiles will installed to all bulkhead previously laid up with tiles Laminated surface will be laid up with Muraspec vinyl covering and seamed properly with “Kemweld” seal product.

Doors, vanity unit & toilet cubicles will be fully refurbished with a new laminate & Strataflex vinyl film. New framing mirror, toilet pan & urinal bowl will be fitted as well.

Lighting:
New deckhead down lighters & vanity unit bulkhead light fixtures will be installed


16. Hair Dressing Salon

The Steiner's Salon conversion will include new:
Office, Treatment room Frangipani, Reception desk with a green glass top, two manicure stations and a Solace Altera pedicure chair. New carpet Weston Royal Design in reception & office and new ceramic tiles will be laid to the entire hair dressing salon area.

Deckhead:
All lights fixtures will be replaced and new lighting with dimmer control will be provided to Frangipani Room. New Dampa ceiling will be fitted for the new rooms converted and the rest re painted thoroughly

Fixed Furniture:
Hair styling, wash & dryers stations will be fully refurbished with Strataflex coverings

Loose furniture:
Hair drying sofas, hair Styling and hair washing chairs will be reupholstered in Petco Griffine Vert

17. Cunard Royal Spa upgrade& Pool Deckhead

Enhancement will include new: Barrisol ceiling to the entire pool area, a Cunard mosaic tiles to Shower base & bulkhead enclosure located beneath the ceiling, All chromed & stainless steel metalwork will be thoroughly cleaned and passivated. New thermostatic mixer, Hansgrohe shower head and grab bar will be installed as well.

GETTING CLOSE.... SPEAKERS ANNOUNCED

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With less than a week to go now before we set off on the crossing on the QE2, things are getting exciting!

 

Someone posted a message on Cruisecritic.com boards saying that he had an email from Cunard that said the speaker guests on our crossing are going to be:

• Brian Hoey - Royal Author.
• Looking on Amazon he seems to have written a lot including: At Home with the Queen: Life Through the Keyhole of the Royal Household , Anne: The Princess Royal , The Royal Yacht "Britannia": Inside the Queen's Floating Palace , Monarchy: Behind the Scenes With the Royal Family , Her Majesty: 50 Regal Years  , Charles & Diana: The 10th Anniversary 
• Dr Peter Dean - Forensic Scientist/Coroner also advises on TV shows such as Silent Witness and Waking the Dead.
• Looking on Google he has also been the coroner on some well known cases like the Julie Ward (lady murdered in Kenya)
• Stephen Fox - Author of American & British Social History.
• Theodore Scull - Author and Travel Writer.
• I have mentioned him in an earlier entry. He is a well known writer and has a long relationship with Cunard and seems to be a regular contributor.

 

I think the Brian Hoey and Theodore Scull will be ones I will definitely want to see. Hopefully Brian Hey will be talking about the Royal Yacht (that we recently visited in Edinburgh). Pics of the yacht on my website: http://www.bembridge.co.uk/royal_yacht_2004.htm

 

QM2: "FATTIES" BREAKING THE FURNITURE? A STORM...

ARTICLE FROM TH UK "SUNDAY TIMES" of 5 Dec 2004, writes:

"The Queen Mary 2, the world's biggest cruise liner, is being fitted with reinforced furniture amid claims that overweight American passengers have broken some of the existing seats, writes Katie Samuel. The £500m ship, which made its maiden voyage from Southampton at the beginning of this year, is to be fitted with the new furniture next year by Alstom Chantiers, the French shipyard company that originally built the vessel.


According to one former crew member, the broken chairs are in the ship's bars and 10 restaurants. Alstom has blamed the broken furniture on unexpectedly obese travellers who caused chairs to buckle. "There are some problems with the chairs because some of our passengers are heavier than we imagined",a company spokesman told The Sunday Telegraph. "It's not an English problem; it's probably more American."

The ship, currently in the Caribbean and due back in Britain in April, carries 2,620 passengers and 1,253 crew. A spokesman for Cunard, which owns the Queen Mary 2, confirmed that a major refit of the ship was taking place next year but added that exactly what work would be carried out had not yet been decided. Obesity experts said rising numbers of overweight people were choosing cruise holidays to avoid the practical problems and embarrassment of air travel. Narrow aisles and small seats into which bulky people must squeeze can make planes uncomfortable and annoy other passengers. Some airlines have tried making overweight travellers pay for two seats, while some customers have complained at having to sit next to the obese. Dr Ian Campbell, president of the National Obesity Forum, said: "I am not surprised overweight people are breaking charirs . . . the seating is designed for a lighter person from the past."

And - not surprisingly- the storm this article caused on the groups was very weighty...