QE2 - January 3, 2006 - Six Day Crossing

[Post Captain]

Hello tandemtourer,

 

Many thanks for that information about the secret staircase on the Rotterdam. It sounds like something I'd have imagined existed without knowing that it really did exist. There's much to be said for old ships with their unique designs & all the quirks that go along with that... Now you're going to have me surreptitiously checking the staircases on the QE2, hoping to find a similar secret panel.

 

Perhaps there's a hidden passageway that leads directly to the Chart Room!

 

Cheers,

Post Captain

[dougnewmanatsea]

Now you're going to have me surreptitiously checking the staircases on the QE2, hoping to find a similar secret panel.

Nothing secret, but QE2 probably has more staircases than any other ship in service today. They're lettered from A through H for heaven's sake :) !

[guernseyguy]

Nothing secret, but QE2 probably has more staircases than any other ship in service today. They're lettered from A through H for heaven's sake :) !

 

And they are so interesting! Take a walk up (or down) 'A' 'D' and 'G' staircases and you've got a glimpse back in time into what a 'Third', 'First' and 'Second' class QE2 might have looked like (the stair towers were in before the decision to move to two classes was made). Why does the A staircase not stop at One or Quarter Decks? Why do the 'D' stair tower lifts not go below 3 deck, and why is the space and decoration markedly different between the three? Remember 'E' stands for 'Everywhere' - as its the only one with lifts that stop at every deck. Be careful in the 'C' lifts, or you'll end up in the Princess Grill....getting lost is all part of the fun!

 

Peter

[Transatlantic Tom]

Ernie (and Peter):

 

After receiving the scan of cabin #4115 yesterday (much appreciated, by the way), it helped stir up the cobwebs in my brain a little and I went on a treasure hunt...

 

This morning, I went through a closet at my mother's house and "lo and behold" I found some manila envelopes full of old travel brochures from the late 1960s/early 1970s. I found -as I started thinking I would- a set of QE2 deck plans, on somewhat heavy stock, charcoal grey in color, with "QE2 preliminary deck plans" and "July 1968" printed in small print !!! I think that they might be the same item which you've been using, Ernie.

 

I also found 3 QE2 brochures from the same era, one of which was the introductory brochure for QE2. In the text was the expression "Ships have been boring long enough". (Interesting when you consider that at that point in history, Cunard were apparently trying to make a break from the "boring" Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth. Now, of course, the marketing people are almost suggesting that Samuel Cunard himself launched QE2 !!). The brochure contained no photographs of the ship, of course, as she was probably still at Upper Clyde when such a brochure went to the printers.

 

These are items my mother originally recieved from her travel agent, probably back in 1969 I'd guess.

 

I do have a set of deck plans from my 1981 crossing, with the Cunard "orange" prominant, which I picked up that voyage at "The Bureau".

 

With the 1968, 1981 and a current set in hand one could see the evolution of our ship.

 

I've enjoyed seeing the exchanges you two gents have been having about your vintage deck plans. I had a set too, after all !! What a pleasant discovery !!

 

Tom

[guernseyguy]

I found -as I started thinking I would- a set of QE2 deck plans, on somewhat heavy stock, charcoal grey in color, with "QE2 preliminary deck plans" and "July 1968" printed in small print !!!

 

Tom,

 

Brilliant! I have only seen reproductions - these plans are worth checking for remnants of a three class design - three launderettes, three travel bureaux, possibly three different descriptions 'First, Cabin, Tourist' and so on.

 

Do tell!

 

Peter

[eroller]

 

a set of QE2 deck plans, on somewhat heavy stock, charcoal grey in color, with "QE2 preliminary deck plans" and "July 1968" printed in small print !!! I think that they might be the same item which you've been using, Ernie.

 

 

 

Hi Tom,

Congrats on your find! You never know what treasures might be lying around. The 1968 preliminary plans are exactly what I have, and definitely a keeper! It's also fun to bring them along when you sail on QE2 to really get an idea as to what has changed (and where the changes occurred).

 

I also have many Cunard brochures dating from 1978 onward to today. I started collecting cruise brochures as a child, and thankfully I kept them all. I used to store them at my parents house (there is a lot!), but I was finally able to bring them all to my house in Atlanta now that I have the room. Many brochures are from lines that no longer exist ... Italian Line, Home Lines, Sitmar, Norwegian America Line, Royal Viking, Royal Cruise Lines, Dolphin, Majesty, etc. etc. Still others from cruise lines still here today (NCL, HAL, Royal Caribbean, Costa, Princess, Carnival) but you would hardly recognize them. We have really lost some great lines and ships over the years.

 

Anyway, enjoy your new find!

 

Ernie

[signman]

Greetings all you lucky souls. I'm just back from a Panama Canal transit on Radiance of the Seas (great ship, great cruise). But I'm still looking for a cabinmate for this crossing. Would prefer Caronia class.

 

Anyone interested? I was offered the past passenger pricing as I sailed last December's crossing.

[Allis154]

Just a quick couple of questions...

 

Is the currency onboard still USD?

 

Should I get any GBP out, if I am just landing, boarding the transfer bus and then onto the ship?

 

If my plane gets in a 8:30 am, what time can I expect to get on the transfer bus?

 

If we get on the bus at, lets say 10am, and boarding starts at 2 pm, what happens at lunch? My DH is a diabetic, so these things need to be planned for.

 

And yes, I plan everything....and worry that I have forgotten to think of something to plan!

 

Allis154

[guernseyguy]

Is the currency onboard still USD?

Yes

 

Should I get any GBP out, if I am just landing, boarding the transfer bus and then onto the ship?

If you want to buy snacks at the airport you will be able to pay with credit card in (almost) all outlets - 'Whistestop' stocks snacks and sandwiches, for example.

 

If my plane gets in a 8:30 am, what time can I expect to get on the transfer bus? If we get on the bus at, lets say 10am, and boarding starts at 2 pm, what happens at lunch? My DH is a diabetic, so these things need to be planned for.

Depends...on other pax taking the transfer - I have never used this service, but in the past people have mentioned waiting 2 - 3 hours for other pax, from the West Coast for example where flights arrive later.....if timing of meals is important, might be worth stocking up in Heathrow on some food - according to 's*d's law' if you have the food, you won't need it - and if you don't, you will. Depending on where you arrive at Heathrow you can find out about eating facilities here : http://*****.com/77rkc

 

Peter

[Transatlantic Tom]

Tom,

 

Brilliant! I have only seen reproductions - these plans are worth checking for remnants of a three class design - three launderettes, three travel bureaux, possibly three different descriptions 'First, Cabin, Tourist' and so on.

 

Do tell!

 

Peter

 

Peter:

 

I did see hints of what you're talking about, for example a second Bureau where I've never seen one - forward on Two deck, I think (I've only had a chance to take a quick peek, so far).

 

I'll have a look and give you an update.

 

Great fun !!

 

Tom

 

PS ...and oh yes, I'll be bringing the deck plans with me !!

[Transatlantic Tom]

Hi Tom,

 

 

I also have many Cunard brochures dating from 1978 onward to today. I started collecting cruise brochures as a child, and thankfully I kept them all. I used to store them at my parents house (there is a lot!), but I was finally able to bring them all to my house in Atlanta now that I have the room. Many brochures are from lines that no longer exist ...

 

Ernie

 

Ernie:

 

I think you and I grew up in similar households. In particular, my mother was a ship-fanatic, and as a consequence she gathered quite alot of brochures...all of which are still in "the archives" at her house. Lucky me, now !!!

 

Some of the brochures are indeed for cruise lines that no longer exist...and almost all are for ships which no longer exist...sadly. Actually the four items relating to QE2 are the only brochures in the whole lot which relate to a vessel which still sails. An old P&O brochure from 1970, for example, features -as you'd expect- ORIANA, CANBERRA, ARCADIA, ORONSAY, et al. All gone now.

 

The jewel in the crown, in any event, is the QE2 materials. I kept thinking that earlier in my life I'd seen a large format set of QE2 deck plans. I'm delighted that I checked !!

 

By the way, would climbing around QE2, with vintage deck plans in hand, searching for "ghosts", be considered anything like a "scavenger hunt" ???

 

Tom

[Calliope]

Hey, let me know when you start your trek around the vessel. I'd like to be there too! With "Ye Ol' Treasure Map" in hand it sounds like great fun, and whom knows what will be "dug up"!

[eroller]

Ernie:

 

 

 

By the way, would climbing around QE2, with vintage deck plans in hand, searching for "ghosts", be considered anything like a "scavenger hunt" ???

 

Tom

 

 

A group of us "Liner Loonies" did just that during a crossing on REMBRANDT (ex-ROTTERDAM V). We had original ROTTERDAM deck plans in hand, showing exactly where the class separations existed. We went around the ship looking at every nook and cranny ... and in a couple cases even closed the pocket doors that used to divide the classes! We really wanted to see how the "secret staircase" worked, and to fully grasp the concept it helped to close the class division doors. Of course we did this late at night. ;) Great fun ... and REMBRANDT was even better than QE2 since she was basically unchanged from her inception.

 

Ernie

[tandemtourer]

If there is room for one more, count me in on this one please!

 

Would a view of a 1955 Menu from the S.S.United States be considered a reasonable price of admission to the treasure hunt? I didn't know what some of the menu items were then and some remain a mystery to this day e.g. Cuisses de Grenouilles a la Mariniere, Poularde de Bresse Petite Mariee and Potage Queue de Kangourou. Oh wait, the latter is soup of kangaroo tail.:eek:

[eroller]

If there is room for one more, count me in on this one please!

 

 

 

 

Always room for one more! Welcome.

 

Ernie

[Transatlantic Tom]

Would a view of a 1955 Menu from the S.S.United States be considered a reasonable price of admission to the treasure hunt?

 

Rebecca:

 

Oh yes, especially if you also provide details about your crossing aboard UNITED STATES !!

 

If you haven't read it, you should try to locate a copy of The Big Ship by Frank O Braynard, the wonderful story of William Francis Gibbs and his magnificent creation.

 

Tom

[tandemtourer]

Ernie, Tom and Frank,

 

I did not think it was possible to be more eager to be on this crossing. But that was before I learned of the unofficial tour of QE2 which you have proposed. The prospect of exploring the ship with a copy of the original deck plans in the company of liner enthusiasts who are much more familiar with her than I is simply delightful.

 

Tom, I was quite young when I was aboard the S.S. United States so my memories aren't quite as salient as when I sailed on the Rotterdam. Thank-you for the reference to the book about the Big U. I just searched our State Library online. I wasn't able to locate the title you mentioned but did find two other books by Frank O. Braynard which look interesting: By their works ye shall know them: the life and ships of William Francis Gibbs

and Famous American ships, being an historical sketch of the United States as told through its maritime life. I think I'll start with them.

 

 

[stowaway2k]

Ernie, Tom and Frank,

 

I did not think it was possible to be more eager to be on this crossing. But that was before I learned of the unofficial tour of QE2 which you have proposed. The prospect of exploring the ship with a copy of the original deck plans in the company of liner enthusiasts who are much more familiar with her than I is simply delightful.

 

A few of us did this on the crossing last Dec. with a set of '68 deck plans.

It was great fun.

We spent hours and hours one day wandering with the plans opened up and us snooping around. Plenty of people, passengers, crew and even a couple of officers, stopped to take a look at the plans and even to wander a bit with us.

The Gent who runs the tour office, (I forget his name right now) is a liner enthusiast and had great interest the plans, which he had not seen before.

There is plenty of detective work to fill up a whole day or more for those of us who are into it.

Woohoo!

[signman]

Tandem, Braynard's "By Their Works.........." was a limited edition of only 2000 published by Gibbs & Cox. It is one of my most cherished possesions. Their are a few paragraphs near the end describing the sailing down the North River of a couple of Gibb's creations just after his death. Reading those paragraphs moves me to tears every time.

 

You are lucky to have stumbled across a copy.

[Post Captain]

All this talk of deck plans is making me quite nostalgic. My mother was a travel agent in the fifties & sixties, & my father worked for Furness Bermuda Line until 1966, & later for North German Lloyd, so deck plans (along with maps) were a staple of my childhood reading. If only my parents had kept those deck plans for the old Queen Mary and so many of the other ships that still graced the seas in that period... Alas...

 

I just did a quick search on a popular Internet auction site (I gather we aren't allowed to mention names) to see if there might be any more 1968 deck plans floating around out there, & came upon an original John Brown's blueprint of QE2's Six Deck. The listing description says that the blueprint is ten feet six inches long & two feet nine inches wide. The scale is one-eighth inch to the foot. Imagine traipsing up & down staircases & along the corridors with that in hand!--sure to elicit comment from passers-by, be they officers, crew, or other passengers.

 

Several photos of the blueprint are posted on the auction page. Worth a look.

 

Cheers,

John

[guernseyguy]

an original John Brown's blueprint of QE2's Six Deck. Imagine traipsing up & down staircases & along the corridors with that in hand!--sure to elicit comment from passers-by, be they officers, crew, or other passengers.

 

It certainly wood elicit comment - Six deck is a Crew deck!

 

Peter

[Calliope]

Well, I was waiting until after Cheryl and I got our flight times to London, but since it's been so slow at this site and Cunard hasn't figured out our stateroom nor our flights yet, I thought that I would ask it now. What is there to do to occupy one's time at the Queen Elizabeth II Terminal in Southampton, if you can't get onboard the ship for several hours?

 

It seems to me as if the long gone Ocean Passenger Terminal in Southampton would have been infinitely more interesting to explore and much easier to get into town. Is a ferry ride to Hythe possible, and is there something to see while there? I guess that one would have to take a taxi into downtown Southampton from QEII Terminal. Is Cobwebs too far or difficult to get to? Is there a good pub near the waterfront to grab a pint and a ploughman's lunch? Do Southampton's taxis accept credit cards, or should I pick up some currency of the realm before leaving home? Any other advice is greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Frank

[Calliope]

Opps, double post

[sfo-john]

I still can't figure out where this champagne bar on the QE2 is. I didn't come across it last year on the crossing and I don't see it on any deck plan. On the little foldout map that they leave for you in the cabin I can see that it's supposed to be on One Deck, but because it's a sideways view it doesn't show how to get there. Are there any deckplans that show it?

[Calliope]

The Champagne Bar is right across the hall from rooms 1018, 1020 and 1022. I don't see it's location on any current deckplans, but the older ones do show it.