Colin_Cameron

Surely not going to Egypt is a plus ?

 

I've only been once and I was being paid to go; why you would pay to go there is beyond me.

 

A little harsh but I 'think' I know what you mean. I've had several amazing visits to Egypt over the last twenty five years but I'm definitely not as comfortable there now as in the past. I think much of that is because the locals are less comfortable in talking to and dealing with foreigners because they don't know who is watching them.

 

I seriously considered a move there a long time ago. Not now, but in the future, who knows. (At work, we've just moved a major function to Cairo. IMHO Someone needs their head examined.)

 

Regards, Colin.

Hi,

 

Like you, I'm fairly sure that all the insides are all pretty much the same. I'd suggest that twin beds plus the third bunk work better than a double plus the third bunk. (I've seen a photo of that setup and it looked really awkward.)

 

There's probably more space under the two lower beds than most folk realise. But if that isn't enough, I've heard of folk using the fourth bunk as extra storage space. It may make the cabin look smaller but might save you from climbing/tripping over stuff on the floor and give you more usable space. (Am I right in thinking that any cabin that can take three can also take four?)

 

Yes, it will be tight. Whether it was too tight, unfortunately only you will be able to answer after you've sailed.

 

Regards, Colin.

nellydean mentioned "throwing flowers into the wake" as they passed over the spot where the TITANIC sank. Is this something that is regularly done on the QM2's Transatlantic Crossings?

 

Never come across that before, although I have heard of it.

 

On The Maiden Crossing there was a short service/ceremony one day where Commodore (Ron) Warwick scattered his father's (Commodore Bil Warwick) and mother's ashes over the stern of the ship. Anyone who knew his parents or had sailed with his father was invited and a number of passengers attended.

 

Then as she made her way up the Hudson for the first time we stopped off Ground Zero and a wreath was thrown into the water, by Maureen Ryan if I remember correctly.

 

Regards, Colin.

Hi Debjo,

 

One thing we've learned after several crossings is that the weather is unpredictable and changeable.

 

It may just be my imagination, but I'd say the weather tends to improve as you head west (and therefor south). Off Newfoundland it can be calm but foggy so feels colder.

 

As jimmybean says, QM2 has time, and reserves of power, that allow her to avoid the worst of the weather. On one crossing we were predicted to sail right through the centre of three storms. As soon as we were out of Southampton the captain 'put his foot down'. We rocketed down the channel, headed south of the first storm, zig-zagged north of the second, and the third one just fizzled out.

 

These clips are from QM2's Maiden Crossing in April 2004.

shows some of the waves (some 'in excess of 70ft'). This was shot from inside because the outside decks were closed for two days. In you can get an idea of the temperatures by the clothing. You will see that out of the wind it was possible to sunbathe in swimwear. And it's probably the wind, and its direction, that will make all the difference. A 20 knot wind from ahead can feel wild, a 20 knot wind from astern and you will feel nothing.

 

Looking forward to meeting you on board. Regards, Colin

New maiden ports of calls include Oban in the Orkney Islands

I hope nobody books this cruise to the Orkney Islands as they'll be very disappointed.:(

 

It's obvious the blurb writer isn't well traveled, and doesn't have access to a map. Oban is nowhere near the Orkney Islands.:confused:

 

Regards, Colin.

That seems to be a requirement, that passenger be attached to case at the point of entry to a country.

 

When we did a similar transfer a few years ago (in New York) we were given 'in-transit' labels for the cases. We put them outside the cabin as usual on the last night, and they were waiting for us in the new cabin on the new ship when we boarded the next day. They were transferred in 'bond', so technically they never entered the country. It's the same thing as happens sometimes when luggage is transferred directly from plane to ship, or vise-versa, in a sealed truck.

 

They don't always do this, I'm just saying it's another possibility.

 

I'm sure you won't be able to board QM2 until boarding starts at 12:00 or whenever, so you can either wait in one of the lounges on QV, do your own thing in Southampton, or take a shore excursion. They used to offer a free excursion to in-transit passengers (they really want you out of the way) but that's probably a thing of the past.

 

Regards, Colin.

How can it be a Black Sea cruise if it doesn't actually go to the Black sea?

 

They could substitute Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia or Turkey. All have Black Sea ports.

 

I don't mean to imply that I'd be happy with that substitution. Just that it would still qualify as a Black Sea cruise

 

Regards, Colin.

Hi.

 

We've sailed into Manhattan several times but this will be our first time into Brooklyn.

 

What's the taxi situation at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal like?

 

Readily available? Organised or chaotic? Should we pre-book or just wait in line?(we're in no particular rush) Yellow cab or private hire? Any other hints, tips or suggestions gratefully received.

 

Website suggests fare around $30 -$40 (obviously dependent on traffic, etc.). Does that sound about right?

 

Regards, Colin.

This photo may be of interest, "Queen Victoria 2"? (Taken on the maiden voyage I believe).

(Sorry that I don't know who took this picture, ...

That would be me.:D

 

I hadn't seen one of these since then and assumed that they had been disposed of but I spotted one in December in the Commodore Club.

 

Regards, Colin.

Whilst on the Cunard countess in the carribean 1985 we saw the vistafjord for the first time. i knew then that we had to save up to go on her, she looked so classic.

Similarly, we first saw Vistafjord from Cunard Princess in Katakolon, Greece, and had the same reaction as you.

 

We have since sailed on her nine times.

1997 Transatlantic

1997 Western Med

1997 Western Med

1999 Canaries - Vistafjord's final voyage

2001 UK, Norway, Faroes, Iceland, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New York

2002 Spitzbergen

2003 Spain Portugal France

2003 UK, Ireland

2004 Canaries - Caronia's final voyage

 

We have many, many wonderful memories of the ship, it's crew and the passengers but it was our first time on board that will always rermain the most memorable. Unfortunately for the wrong reasons. And probably not suitable for your purposes, Memory Hunter.

 

Departure was in the evening so We had dinner, then went out on deck as we sailed from Fort Lauderdale at around 9:30pm. Lifeboat drill was scheduled for 11am the next morning. We went to the show and then a bar and sat chatting to some new friends.

 

Not long after we were in bed there was a commotion outside in the corridor, we had just commented that it was a little late for noisy behavour, approx 1:30-2:00am., when the alarms rang.

 

I jumped back into a pair of trousers and opened the cabin door to find people in lifejackets coming out of a 'crew only' door across from our cabin. This was obviously a stair down to the crew decks. I asked what was happening and a young girl who was crying said that she wasn't sure but we should get dressed put on our lifejackets and go to our lifeboat. I went back in and we got dressed in a hurry. This can only have taken a couple of minutes but in that time stewardesses had been at the door twice to make sure that we were awake and on the go. When we opened the door again there was smoke in the corridor.

 

Despite the fact that the muster drill wasn't until the next morning I knew that we had to turn right, pass three doors. then the lift, and up the stairs.

 

So with my wife holding the back of my jacket we turned right, counted three doors and... I have to admit my heart missed a beat as we walked into a three inch thick solid steel watertight door!

 

It was only closed over to reduce the spread of smoke and was opened for us by a crewmember, we then went to our boat without any further probems.

 

At the boat station we were all lined up, men at the back, women in front, I don't think there were any children on board. Roll call was taken in both English and German and then the heads were counted as a cross check. If there were any missing (none at our boat) the other boat stations were checked via walkie-talkie and when none had any surplus heads a crewman was sent to search for them.

 

While all this was going on the boats were prepared and swung out and down level with the deck, the engines were started and tested and we were told how to get into the boats ie. first ones on were to go right to the front and back of the boat and not just sit in the first seat they came to.

 

The captain came on the tannoy to tell us that this was just a precaution. I'm not sure how many people beleived him. The cause of the emergency was a fire in a dry goods store near the ships laundry. This was right forward and we heard from some of our table companions who had cabins at the 'sharp end' that things had been quite bad up front. One couple had to put damp towels over their heads and followed their steward to the stairs, when the woman had to stop for a rest half way up she was picked up and carried up the stairs by a six foot tall, blond, Swedish barman wearing nothing but his shorts. She said that was the highlight of her holiday. One woman travelling alone was crawling on her hands and knees and missed the stairs in the thick smoke, she realised she had gone too far and doubled back and found them.

 

The doctor was doing the rounds to make sure everyone was ok. There were the usual bumps and bruises, throat irritations from the smoke, a broken arm, a broken ankle and rumours of a suspected heart attack amoung others(but you know how rumours spread in a situation like this). A couple of waiters were going round with water containers for those who wanted a drink. I burst out laughing when they handed me a good crystal glass and a little paper napkin.

 

Listening to the officers radios it became clear that there were two people missing, a fireman (he was later found unconcious) and a waiter who was looking for missing people (they turned up at the boat on their own, the waiters body was found several hours later).

 

Around 5 am the captain announced that the fire was now contained, we were heading for the Bahamas and breakfast would be served in the dining room at 7am. But we must stay on deck meantime as there was still lots of smoke in the interior of the ship.

 

Come breakfast time the galleys were still out of bounds and we expected nothing more than a cold snack, but they had set up the deck BBQ's and flambe cookers and almost a full service was available. With the air conditioning shut down it wasn't long before the room was dripping with condensation and the chefs and waiters dripping with sweat. It must have been difficult for the waiters who by now knew that one of their collegues was dead. And there were still some passengers whose eggs were too hard or too soft! At lunchtime with the fire still burning one woman at our table ordered for dessert "the largest bowl of rasberries you can find". And she got it!!!

 

By now we were in Freeport, Grand Bahama and just after lunch the captain announced that the fire was out.

 

Those who couldn't or wouldn't return to their cabins were moved to hotels but I'm glad we had two more nights aboard, it made going back on in August that much easier.

 

The next morning there was a memorial service for the waiter that died and I think everyone, passengers and crew, was there. The captain later announced that the damage was too great to continue and arrangements were being made to fly us wherever we wanted to go.

 

If it hadn't been for this event our cruising history would probably have been very different. All the little niggles and disagreements with someone in an office in Southampton or Miami (and there have been numerous) would probably have driven us to try other cruise lines. But this sort of puts it all in context. When you are at sea you are literaly putting your life in the crew's hands and every single crewmember we had dealing with that night, and in the following days, proved they were more than up to the task. As I put it to one captain much later when he asked, surprised, "And in spite of that you came back to Cunard?" I replied, "It's because of that, that we keep coming back to Cunard."

 

Although the ship is gone, many of the crew are still around. I spoke to two waiters, and saw a third, that we first met on Vistafjord, just last month on Queen Victoria.

 

Regards, Colin.

Some of the music onboard was a classical trio, Viva Espresia. They played Bach, Rachmaninof, Astor Piazola, among others. Wonderful.

Oksana, Svetlana and Olena

 

If yourself and balf would care to drop me an email (sandra dot cameron at tesco dot net (replace the dots and the at)) I have a little present for you:D

 

Can you recall the name of the cruise director? An ex dancer I think, Australian.

Andrew Graham (David Pepper isn't Australian and as far as I know was never a dancer:))

 

Regards, Colin.

... the treasured small round Rosenthal dishes with the itinerary of the cruise that were given to we passengers. I would love to get one just for the memories of it. Such a small token but so elegant and refreshing. If there is a way to get one again and you know how I can do do, please email me.

 

We have a few from some of our cruises. Unique mementos. They do come up occasionally on ebay so may be worth keeping an eye out for them there.

 

Regards, Colin.

It's interesting your comment about Fred Olsen (or FO as I tend to think of that line) they and Saga are much keener to police dress code than Cunard, no one would get far into the MD on either in flip flops as I have seen happen on Cunard.

 

David.

 

Could it be that there is a greater need to police it elsewhere?

 

Apart from the one or two who, apparently deliberately, flout the dress code on Cunard it is almost universaly followed (at least in spirit, if not to the letter). On several FO cruises, the numbers who have to be reminded at the restaurant entrance suggests that it needs to be done.

 

Also, those who are stopped at the restaurant entrance (on FO) don't seem to find it a problem or make an issue of it. In spite of the ships being smaller, carrrying fewer passengers and (I'm convinced) more people being stopped at the restaurant door you won't find post after post about the "fashion police" on the FO board.

 

At this point I have to plead "mia culpa." Returning from a morning tour, we headed straight into the restaurant for lunch only to be stopped. It was pointed out that my sleeveless T-shirt wasn't acceptible. I agreed. Any thought of my attire simply hadn't entered my head. It wasn't a problem, a quick trip to the cabin and a change of shirt was all it took.

 

Regards, Colin.

I realised today that we haven't had a "dress code" thread for ages.

 

I was just thinking the same thing!

 

Since the latest change was announced I was firmly in the "this is a downgrading/dumbing down of the dress code" camp. However, having now taken my first cruise under the new regimen I have come to the conclusion that it could equally be seen as an upgrade to the dress code. Whereas the "jacket & tie" nights have been replaced with a minimum of "jacket required", so too have the first night/last night/evening in port casual nights.

 

The combined effect of these is that, in practice, very little has changed. I would estimate that on an informal evening approximately half the men were wearing either a suit or a jacket and tie (maybe a little under 50% on an in-port evening, maybe a little over 50% on an at-sea evening).

 

As always there are the one or two who stand out. On the first evening, in the theatre, I had just commented my surprise at the standard of dress (this would have been a casual/jacket-not-required night until recently) when in came a couple in T-shirts and what appeared to be worn and tatty jeans. They were followed by two men in dinner suits, one in a kilt and three ladies in evening dresses! It takes all sorts.

 

It's quite a while since I heard of someone being refused entry to the restaurant for non-compliance (on Cunard. I've seen it quite frequently on Fred Olsen) but while waiting for a taxi upon disembarcation the man behind us in the queue commented that he had been repeatedly turned away. (He wasn't really complaining, which surprised me as I was expecting a rant, just commenting that he found it surprising!) It turns out his daughter packed his case for him and he hadn't told her he would need a jacket/suit for dinner.

 

Regards, Colin.

I've never thought The Queens Grill enough sophisticated to carry five different stemmed bowls for reds, but could be ...

 

It's not just in the Queens Grill. The same thing happens in the Britannia as well. Not all the time. I guess it depends on how busy the wine steward is.

 

A few weeks ago on QV the wine steward would replace the standard set wine glass according to what we had ordered.

 

Regards, Colin.

There is a thread over at Princess referring to the Queen Victoria being fitted with a full wrap around Promenade Deck during her drydock. Any confirmation of that here?:D

 

She was fitted with a wrap around Promenade Deck when she was built!

 

It was open during the Maiden Voyage but the section closest to the bow was closed off with gates shortly after that. I'm not sure if they have removed the gates or if they now just leave them open. Either way, not a major structural change:).

 

Regards, Colin.