QM2 Halifax-Boston Log (July 1-5)

[Salacia]

Reading it made me feel as though I was right there on the ship. Wait. :D Actually, I WAS on the ship for this cruise, and I can't thank you enough for putting into words what I was too lazy to attempt to write. I'm a professional writer and I was enjoying myself entirely too much to lift up the pen. You did it for me, and I am so grateful you did. Your words are better than any snapshots or video I could ever have taken.

 

Oh now, DarCarv, don't be too modest. I thought your thread regarding an aspect of that cruise was well written. Even if you didn't lift pen to paper, you lifted fingers to the keyboard. :D http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2067442

[BlueRiband]

Thank you everyone for your kind words of appreciation. I've submitted a formal report that's now under review.

[Porthopper101]

Tuesday afternoon Partly overcast, warm, humid The car makes good time down the FDR Drive towards Brooklyn and QM2 comes into view. She’s always a magnificent sight for those of us who have sailed on her. Yet I wonder of the impressions she has on the uninitiated – is their reaction –“Oh – a big cruise ship is in town.” of “Wow – what ship is that?!” (I hope that whatever happens in 2015 doesn’t wreck her graceful pyramid shape.) She certainly makes an impression on my driver. Upon arrival at the terminal he asks where can he take some photos?

 

Originally I had booked a balcony guarantee in order to experience what the ship is like for the “rowers”. Having sailed before in PG I wasn’t expecting the same level of service, and PG had been sold out. As sailing approached however I became increasingly apprehensive about an experience so different than before and when a PG became available and I called Cunard to upgrade.

 

Check in went fast but the “rowers” line – non Grill, non Platinum or Diamond passengers – was quite long. Once on board, the first noticeable difference is the replacement of the green steamer lounger cushions with blue ones. A nice touch is the Cunard logo on the head rest. Two new things that I notice: the stewards are now in the hallway to greet arriving passengers and to introduce them. My bag arrives and a porter lifts it on the bed rather than just placing it inside. (Whether it’s improved service or he’s looking for a tip - you decide.)

 

Because I’m “Grills” lunch is available in the restaurant and I don’t have to deal with Kings Chaos . There is however a crew member near the aft entrance to the lido who offers hand sanitizer and directions to various places on the ship. The PG restaurant already has several passengers there. I notice Mr. and Mrs. Neck Lanyard across from me and wonder what they do with their cards on formal night. (Amazing how my own biases have me notice such silly things.) The only really bad sight is the view – a freight pier and an old warehouse covered with scaffolding.

 

My port side stateroom is near the aft end, and as I write this some busses arrive with later arrivals – perhaps those coming from Cunard sponsored tours or hotels. Some are carrying shopping bags are walking towards the ship – perhaps crew member on shore leave. Although it is warm there is a pleasant breeze. The VZ bridge is in the hazy distance. Sail away will be at low tide so the funnel clearance won’t be as dramatic. Tonight’s welcoming entertainment is something different – Olympic gymnast Lance Ringnald.

 

Tonight the dress code was Informal. At lunch most were dressed for summer travel but tonight most made an effort to dress more nicely for dinner.

 

At dinner Mr. and Mrs. Neck Lanyard don’t appear. My tablemates are all long time Cunarders including one couple who made the WB TA and will continue back after the ship reaches New York. Internet was not available before 7PM. Why so late I don’t know. The television listing has Channel 41 – the navigational channel but the screen shows “no signal”. The program now lists the channels and descriptions of the movies.

 

 

 

I have not been to this board in a long time. At first I agreed with Deck Chair. My first though was: Wow! Another one "I only stay in the PG; I'm better than you. I have been on four world cruises with Cunard. I have seen many people in the lift with their nose up. They want to be sure we know they were in the PG.

 

We prefer to be a "rower."

 

For the record, on my last two cruises, I was the anonymous who double the donor. That how we prefer to spend our money-:).

 

Happy sailing

 

M

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[capnpugwash]

I have not been to this board in a long time. At first I agreed with Deck Chair. My first though was: Wow! Another one "I only stay in the PG; I'm better than you. I have been on four world cruises with Cunard. I have seen many people in the lift with their nose up. They want to be sure we know they were in the PG.

 

We prefer to be a "rower."

 

For the record, on my last two cruises, I was the anonymous who double the donor. That how we prefer to spend our money-:).

 

Happy sailing

 

M[ATTACH]319310[/ATTACH][ATTACH]319311[/ATTACH]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

 

Anonymity is such a precious thing :)

[iheartbda]

Rowers, Mr. and Mrs. Lanyard, King's Chaos speaks volumes. OP, you who attempts to show you have so much class only comes across as having none.

Edited July 16, 2014 by iheartbda

[pepperrn]

The alarm rang as my window passed the Statue of Liberty. In the distance the southern tip of Manhattan was framed by an orange-red dawn sky and back lit the new World Trade Center tower. Since we were to dock in Redhook we don't get closer but it was still a wonderful view of the city. At breakfast I learned what had happened to Mr. and Mrs. Neck Lanyard. (They were the couple who had lunch at a table for two in PG on embarkation day but were not seen after that.) They didn't care for the PG menu and much preferred eat in Kings Court.:confused::eek: Stuff like this cannot be made up. This is the first time I had used "self help" disembarkation and it turned out much more convenient. I got through immigration and customs in 30 seconds (US passport) and my car arrived a few minutes before the 8AM call time. And it was just in time - the pickup traffic at the terminal was getting busier by the minute. The driver asked if I had a preferred route, but I told him that he was the professional and to use his best judgement. With hardly any traffic on early Sunday morning I was at my front door in about a half hour. It was to brief a stay in QM2, but a brief voyage is better than no voyage. Now I look in anticipation for round trip TAs next year.

Excellent BlueRiband :) Thank you so much for every post. Informative, witty, well written and a pleasure to sit down with a glass of something, and properly study. I esp. liked the highlighted sentiment.

 

If your formal report is as much fun to read, as descriptive and as classy as your blog in this thread, and I'm sure it will be, then I for one can't wait for it to be posted after the review period.

 

Thank you again for all your hard work :)

 

All best wishes,

Edited July 16, 2014 by pepperrn

[MsDeva]

Excellent BlueRiband :) Thank you so much for every post. Informative, witty, well written and a pleasure to sit down with a glass of something, and properly study. I esp. liked the highlighted sentiment.

 

If your formal report is as much fun to read, as descriptive and as classy as your blog in this thread, and I'm sure it will be, then I for one can't wait for it to be posted after the review period.

 

Thank you again for all your hard work :)

 

All best wishes,

 

I enjoyed this also....well done BlueRiband and thank you.

 

Judy

[BlueRiband]

Thank you for your kind comments. The formal review has now been posted:A short QM2 voyage is better than no QM2 voyage

[bobby1119]

Thank you for your kind comments. The formal review has now been posted:A short QM2 voyage is better than no QM2 voyage

 

Thank you for the nice review. Having sailed many times with Queen Mary and QE2 and QE(3), I regret that the experience is quickly careening towards an iceberg. Standards, as I have known and experienced them, as others have noted, are declining. I do hope that this downward trend is taken seriously and is righted.

[Salacia]

Thank you for the nice review. Having sailed many times with Queen Mary and QE2 and QE(3), I regret that the experience is quickly careening towards an iceberg. Standards, as I have known and experienced them, as others have noted, are declining. I do hope that this downward trend is taken seriously and is righted.

 

Hi Bobby, yes, I also hope the trend will be righted, but I see little chance of that happening. Here's why:

 

-The compensation for crew members has been cut (see recent articles regarding their pension plan.)

-Fares have been reduced with various incentives to book ASAP, including double upgrades, children sail for free, reduced airfare, etc

-Smoke and mirrors: that's what too many ships rely on - poor communications with passengers regarding events at sea, whether they be a person over-board, or a fire, or a noro outbreak. Cruise lines have sacrificed their trustworthiness due to their lack of transparency in an effort to avoid bad publicity. But they missed the message: instant communication by passengers on-board can not, nor will it be controlled.

-Inflated rates at the initial booking period which are later reduced to half the fare or less when the ship isn't filled after final payment date.

 

My thought is that new passengers have nothing to compare with past voyages or cruises, so it's in the best interest of cruise lines to get newbies on board. Whether or not the new passengers will search for better fares or remain loyal to any particular cruise line remains to be seen.

 

Meanwhile...I'm searching real estate for a beach house, or maybe a nice houseboat. - Salacia, dreamer

Edited July 17, 2014 by Salacia

[Salacia]

Hi BlueRiband. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

Just to mention, that next time you might want to see how the other half (actually two-thirds of passengers) lives in Britannia Category.

 

 

Can't say I blame you because the service must be a heck of lot better in PG considering the cost difference...but next time, let your apprehensions rest, and give Britannia category a try (ut-oh, I feel a snippet of the Rocky Horror Picture Show coming on...):eek::D

Edited July 17, 2014 by Salacia

[tv24]

Great blog and story. Loved it all!

[BlueRiband]

Hi Bobby, yes, I also hope the trend will be righted, but I see little chance of that happening. Here's why:

 

-The compensation for crew members has been cut (see recent articles regarding their pension plan.)

-Fares have been reduced with various incentives to book ASAP, including double upgrades, children sail for free, reduced airfare, etc

-Smoke and mirrors: that's what too many ships rely on - poor communications with passengers regarding events at sea, whether they be a person over-board, or a fire, or a noro outbreak. Cruise lines have sacrificed their trustworthiness due to their lack of transparency in an effort to avoid bad publicity. But they missed the message: instant communication by passengers on-board can not, nor will it be controlled.

-Inflated rates at the initial booking period which are later reduced to half the fare or less when the ship isn't filled after final payment date...

 

Very good points and I was not aware of the cuts in crew compensation and that certainly will affect morale of the crew.

 

From my own (limited) experience and from the comments on the boards it appears that Cunard has trapped itself into a vicious circle of fare cuts and resulting inability to sustain expected levels of service and amenities. Those who booked early at full freight don't get what was expected so they take their business elsewhere (e.g. Seabourne, Silversea). Once they are gone it leads to more price drops to replace them and fill the ship. These late bookers are more value oriented and services that can be offered at higher fares cannot be sustained at deeply discounted prices.

 

I don't know how Cunard turns this around. There was an end of voyage survey emailed to me, and I used the free text areas to express my opinions. I've ranted on the "loosened" evening dress code ad nauseum, and it does make a difference.

 

On this voyage however deep discounting cannot be blamed since there were only very limited flash sales for insides and obstructed balconies. I did believe there was an effort to bring some more diverse entertainment on board than just the typical production shows.

Edited July 17, 2014 by BlueRiband

[BlueRiband]

...Can't say I blame you because the service must be a heck of lot better in PG considering the cost difference...but next time, let your apprehensions rest, and give Britannia category a try (ut-oh, I feel a snippet of the Rocky Horror Picture Show coming on...)

 

My initial inclination was to give Britannia a try because this was short voyage. For five days one can bear (if that word applies to being on QM2) a downgrade. But I also considered booking the October sailing to Quebec as well. As things turned out we will be shorthanded in the workplace until the end of October so it's unlikely that I can get the needed vacation time before then. So with only one QM2 voyage this year I decided not to risk having my one out town trip be compromised. (I guess one becomes a certified QM2 addict when work gets in the way of another voyage! :D)