Join Pete and Judy on their FIRST crossing on the Queen Mary 2

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Great tip! I am definitely going to pack some of these. Thank you!

 

 

 

You will hear the occasional jogger or heavy walker from above. Not enough to be annoying for me, but you will hear a few - so far...

[ToadOfToadHall]

A small, 375 ml bottle of Champagne was waiting for us on ice, courtesy of the Captain. Our friends sailing with us inquired if they could exchange this bottle for some soft drinks or water and were told no – champagne or nothing. I thought that was a little odd since on the HAL ships, you can exchange any champagne gift with something of equal value.

 

If you wanted to exchange your Champagne with a gift of equal value you'd be lucky if you got a weevil ridden ship's biscuit. :)

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Day 3, Southampton

 

The Queen Mary 2 moored starboard side at berth 46 on the Ocean Cruise Terminal in Southampton around 6:30 am. All of the guests, except the 500 of us remaining on to NYC, would be departing in Southampton. The QM2, like Princess, but unlike HAL, doesn’t make announcements during the disembarkation throughout the ship, but only in the particular lounges specified for your particular departure group. Consequently had we not known so many people were disembarking, we would have never really known based on the lack of any announcements.

 

The UK required 100% passport to passenger inspection so everyone, even if you decided to stay aboard, was required to present themselves to immigration authorities at some time during the morning. We were planning on meeting our tablemate from the 2016 World Cruise since he lives about 30 miles away.

 

We proceeded to Deck 3 to leave the ship a little after 10 AM and discovered that the immigration officials had positioned themselves right before you entered the upper Grand Lobby. There wasn’t any line and we were cleared by the authorities immediately. Once in the terminal we wound around various hallways and corridors and then down an escalator to the large hall where the baggage was staged for the disembarking passengers. All the bags were long gone by 10 am and we had to walk the length of this long space before we could exit toward the street.

 

Our friend, Kelvin, was waiting for us and we quickly left and walked a hundred yards or so to where he parked his car. As I normally do when I first arrive in countries where cars drive on the left hand side, I tried to enter the car on the driver’s side, instead of the passenger’s side since they are, of course, reversed on right hand drive cars.

 

Stonehenge, about 30 miles away, would be our destination as we have never been there and Kelvin hadn’t been there since he was a young boy. Salisbury, home to the Salisbury Cathedral, is right on the way to Stonehenge and would make an interesting stop if you have more time. Stonehenge is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is currently owned by the Crown and managed by English Heritage.

 

On the way to Stonehenge I pulled up their website and learned that they recommend buying tickets online in advance and reserving an entry time. They cautioned that during busy periods it may be impossible for walk up visitors to gain entry to the site. Since we were visiting during the middle of the week I was hoping that the crowds wouldn’t be too bad. Kelvin recalled that the site used to be accessible without any tickets by simply parking alongside a nearby road and walking across a field. The site is still visible from the road, but there is fencing to prevent people from walking in and I suspect that stopping alongside this road is probably prohibited.

 

The drive to Stonehenge took about 1 hour and 30 minutes. There is a large parking lot for cars, and another lot for tour buses. From the parking to the visitors center is about a 200 yard walk along a level sidewalk. When we arrived in the visitors center, we were pleased to observe that there were only a few people in front of us to buy tickets and there wasn’t any issue in getting tickets for immediate entry. The price for seniors (over 60) was 14.30 pounds. I think full price was $18.30. There was a small fee for the audio tour, which was a handheld handset that would play recordings when you pressed a button that corresponded to a marker on the path circling the site. If you wanted to save a few pounds, 2 people could probably share one tour and then take turns listening.

 

Getting to the actual site required taking a shuttle bus for about 5 minutes or walking about 25 minutes. The buses leave the visitors center every few minutes and there wasn’t much of a wait. The bus lets you out about 100 yards or so from the sidewalk that starts the clockwise circle around the site. We took one lap around the monument at a very leisurely pace, listening to the 8 audio tour stops along the way. Although the monument had a different look as you walked around, the difference was subtle, so if you were in a hurry, you could walk to the monument then head counterclockwise around the site to stop 8 which is the closest point you can get, and then return to the bus.

 

The site was very interesting and contemplating how this was constructed and for what purpose made for an interesting visit. The entire roundtrip from visitor center to the site and back including one lap around the monument took 1 hour. Back in the visitor center is a gift shop, a café and some more exhibits. Plan for 30 minutes to an hour here depending how in-depth you want to get with the exhibits and how much time you need in the gift shop and café.

 

 

On the way back to Southampton we stopped at an English Pub called Wheatsheaf Inn. The Inn was very nice, had a traditional English menu, and wasn’t very crowded. We had the Fish and Chips which were very good. The chips were hot and crispy with a soft interior and the fish had a nice crisp batter covering the hot moist cod inside. Highly recommended.

 

Since we had a friend with a car, we didn’t investigate rental car options, but if rental cars were available nearby, I would recommend getting an earlier start and hiring a car, driving to Salisbury, then on to Stonehenge and stop at the Wheatsheaf Inn on the way back.

 

The ride back to the Queen Mary took about 1 hour and we arrived around 4pm with an all aboard time of 4:30 with our departure scheduled for 5pm.

 

There was another sail-away on deck 8 aft with a live band, that was much the same as the one when we left Hamburg. Since we already participated in a lifeboat drill, we were excused from the one scheduled this afternoon for the newly embarked passengers.

 

At 7:45 there was a single show for both seatings that presented a few numbers from the Cunard Singers and Dancers, followed by a dance demonstration by the onboard dance instructors Volodymyr and Nadiya, and then an instrumental performance of Lady Gaga’s Poker Face by the Royal Court Orchestra. I find it a little humorous that the introductory song by the Queen Mary 2’s Royal Court Theatre Orchestra was a song by Lady Gaga – times they are a changing! After the bands performance there was a final number by the Cunard Singers and Dancers before they wrapped the show at 8:30, just in time for late seating.

 

Joanna Haley, the Entertainment Director, mentioned during her remarks that the Queen Mary 2 has 34 musicians on the ocean liner playing in the theaters, ballrooms and various lounges. As a comparison, the Amsterdam which carries a little less than ½ of the passengers had 11 live musicians on the world cruise or about 1/3 the number of live musicians as the QM2.

 

Our table was full tonight with 2 new singles and one new couple. Our oval table of 8 was full and we all had a wonderful time getting to know each other and discussing our daily activities. One of our tablemates has cruised about 100 times on Cunard and was fascinating to talk with and learn more about Cunard and the ins and out of this wonderful ocean liner.

 

For dinner Judy had the lamb chops and I had the baked cod which were both wonderful. Since there wasn’t a late show we all lingered a little longer than normal.

 

Tomorrow is our first sea day of the “crossing” and will also be our first formal night with the Black and White Ball.

 

More pictures on the blog at http://www.theinsidecabin.com

[annmarz]

I am so very much enjoying your blog! Given that some have commented about the slow internet onboard, how are you managing to post such lengthy pieces? Keep it coming if you can. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

I am so very much enjoying your blog! Given that some have commented about the slow internet onboard, how are you managing to post such lengthy pieces? Keep it coming if you can. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

 

It is very fast right now at 5:30 am......usually not thus fast....see speed test....

 

The Internet is faster than are many ships....quite usable. It's all about expectations.

Edited September 4, 2016 by The-Inside-Cabin

[Traderboy]

I am really enjoying this review. Thank you so much.

We are on the QM2 world cruise on January 10 and love to hear everything from the 'sharp end'.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited September 4, 2016 by Traderboy

[lovetocruiseinvirginia]

Thank you for the helpful information along the way you wonderful voyage. We have sailed Celebrity many times, and are interested in a Cunard voyage. What is the smoking policy and is there a great deal of ballroom dancing. We have been disappointed with Celebrity as of late because of the lack of dancing. Keep up the posts I am traveling vicariously through you.

[Cruise NH]

Love the posts. I am very interested in your thoughts on the dress code differences between the HAL world cruise and a general Cunard cruise.

 

We normally cruise on Cunard, but the 2017 Amsterdam world cruise itinerary was so perfect for us, we had to go for it. I'm used to Cunard's dress code (formal means formal and I bring dresses for the other nights, hubby wears tux and/or suits). I know what to bring to wear each night of a cruise on Cunard, but I'm stressing out for the HAL world cruise.

 

On your blog, I saw pictures of you and your dinner companions on the world cruise and it looked very casual to me, way more casual then we are used to even on a non-formal night. Was that the norm? Should I bother to bring non-formal dresses for our world cruise? Will everyone else be wearing Hawaiian style shirts for dinner?:eek:

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Day 4, Sailing toward New York City

 

Many of the crossings on the QM2 have a special theme. For our crossing, they will be holding a QM2 version of Fashion Week which will end when we arrive in New York which happens to coincide with the start of The New York City Fashion Week. There are four special guests from the fashion industry onboard: Colin McDowell, Zandra Rhodes, Fern Mallis, and Gail Sackloff. They will be presenting various lectures, workshops and fashion shows throughout the crossing.

 

Our morning started with the QM2 morning show hosted by the Entertainment Director, Joanna. She interviewed two of the special guests for Fashion Week: Fashion Historian Colin McDowell and Gail Sackloff. They both discussed more of their background and gave a preview of some of the events they will be involved in this week. As part of the morning show, Joanna recognizes the names of every guest and crew member with a birthday on that day. Passengers also receive a birthday card from the Captain.

 

Earlier in the voyage, I mentioned I would try ordering something via the breakfast room service hang tag that wasn’t one of the pre-printed options. I decided to give it a try last night and I wrote in “Eggs Benedict” on my room service breakfast hangtag and sure enough, they delivered “Eggs Benedict” this morning and they were delicious. So two thumbs up for the Queen Mary 2 breakfast room service.

 

The QM2 is the only ship with a planetarium and they will present several shows throughout the crossing. The planetarium is embedded into their movie theater called Illuminations and holds 150 people in the center part the theater. The planetarium seats are red and have much more recline than the rest of the seats. The entire theater holds about 500 people. The planetarium itself is a dome that is positioned over the seats where 6 cameras can project various images onto the dome. While the planetarium may be capable of projecting constellations and stars on this dome to allow an astronomer to point out various stars and other objects in space, it is not used for that purpose, but instead is used to show various movies on this dome screen that are narrated by Robert Redford, Morgan Fairchild and others. So while it is technically a planetarium it is used instead as a domed movie screen instead.

 

Due to the planetarium’s popularity and the limited seating, you have to get tickets in advance. The tickets are free and are made available starting at 9:00 in ConneXions on Deck 2 forward. Note: ConneXions is the lobby for the various classrooms and internet center that are in this area. There is a coffee machine, hot water for tea, as well as a machine serving other soft drinks similar to what you find in the Kings Court. You may also find a variety of pastries here at various times throughout the day.

 

I dropped by ConneXions about 9:15 to get tickets and discovered that the tickets are sitting in a rack with different times on different racks. There isn’t anyone handing them out, so you can take as many as you would like. I have been told that the tickets for any particular day are gone by 10:00. As you may expect when the tickets are there for the taking, there is a significant no show rate – so if you can’t get tickets, stop by the theatre about 10 minutes early and standby. They will let in standbys if there are no shows from the people who had picked up tickets.

 

On the first sea day of a new segment, they offer a guided tour of the public areas on Decks 2 and 3 at 9:30. About 70 of us met our guide outside the Golden Lion Pub where we would start the 45 minute to 1 hour tour. I found the tour useful and picked up a few tidbits that I otherwise may have missed. For example, I learned that there are inside cabins that have windows that face into the Grand Lobby and that at one time they put glass into the ceiling of the Grand Lobby but had to paint it over when they realized that the people below would be looking up and seeing the people in Kings Court walking about. We also learned a few fun facts about the ship and what makes an ocean liner different from a cruise ship, for example, the QM2 has 4 stabilizers instead of 2 found on most cruise ships, is constructed entirely of steel, can sail much faster – around 30 knots, and has a hull designed for speed and better sea keeping. I haven’t verified the accuracy of these claims, but the crew of the QM2 makes frequent references that this is an ocean liner and not a cruise ship.

 

Toward the end of our tour, we walked thru the Art Gallery, which presents their paintings as if they were in a museum instead of being crammed into a space with little thought. We learned that they don’t hold art auctions but are open all day for viewing and they host special shows from time to time. They claim the special shows are by invitation only and you must sign up in advance although I suspect that if you showed up you would probably still be admitted. Unlike many cruise lines, you get very little, if any, advertisements in your stateroom mailbox.

 

The first of the QM2 Fashion Week lectures was by Colin McDowell at 11 am in the Royal Court Theatre. He discussed the state of fashion and its influence over time is a wide ranging talk. His talk was excellent and he provided an interesting insight into an industry I was not very familiar with.

 

Up on deck 12, forward, between 9 am and 4 pm, there is a door leading to a viewing area where you can stand behind a thick glass window and observe the watch standers on the Bridge. Taking photographs is prohibited as is trying to get the attention of the people working on the bridge – no tapping on the glass!

 

We had lunch in the Kings Court which is very open and covers a large area. There is a central area where you find the various serving lines which have a wide selection of hot foods, sushi, salads, breads and soup. There is also an area where you can find deserts and there are self-serve soft ice cream machines available in each corner. Along the hallways leading to the seating areas are 4 beverage stations where you can find machines serving various juices and soft drinks, water, coffee and ice. Three of the stations serve lemonade and one service ice tea. When we stopped by around noon, the Kings Court was busy, but we didn’t have any trouble finding a place to sit. An area forward of the Kings Court called the Chefs Table serves hamburgers, hot dogs, paninis, pizza and pastas. This is the area that is open late from 11 pm till 2 am.

 

We had tickets to see the Planetarium show at 1:30 pm called Cosmic Collisions. Narrated by Robert Redford, the movie discusses how collisions between celestial bodies over the years has shaped the nature of today’s galaxies and the planet earth.

 

While the tickets for this show were all gone by 10 am, the show started with at least 20% of the seats empty, so while I can’t speak for how this will work out for every show, it would probably be worth it to stop by the Planetarium for a show you would like to see but for which you didn’t get tickets. As I mentioned earlier, the planetarium show is not what I would call a planetarium show, but instead was a movie shown on a planetarium dome. Apparently, per our guide, they had intended to show depictions of the actual night sky, but for whatever reason, it is not being used for that purpose. The show lasted 20 minutes and it was an interesting diversion and they will repeat this show for several days before showing something different. Apparently they have 3 or 4 different shows that they rotate thru over time.

 

At 4pm in the shops Zandra Rhodes unveiled some of her new clothing line. Judy stopped by and while there wasn’t any formal ceremony, Zandra was on hand to meet customers.

 

Tonight was our first formal night with a Black and White theme and it was amazing! While other lines like HAL have eliminated formal nights in favor of Gala Nights – the QM2 is one of the few ships where a tuxedo for men is required with a dark suit optional. I would guess that during late seating over 95% of the men were wearing tuxedos with the rest in dark suits. The dress code extends throughout the ship (Except for the Kings Court and adjacent lounge) after 6pm and I didn’t spot anyone not in compliance anywhere I went, including the shows and the casino. The women were all appropriately dressed with far more gowns than you would see on any other cruise ship. I was equally amazed that over 95% of the women were wearing black and white gowns, cocktail dresses or similar. When everyone is dressed for formal night there is a special ambience that is very nice. Alas, the days of true formal nights are forever gone everywhere else, but I was quite pleased to discover that true formal nights are alive and well on the QM2. As an aside, tuxedos were easy to rent onboard, and if you preferred to own your own, you could buy a compete set up in the shops for less than $400. They also have various women’s gown available for rent, but I didn’t investigate what they look like or how much they cost.

 

Stephani Parker is an “international vocalist, songwriter, pianist and guitarist” and she was the headliner in the Royal Court Theater at 8:45 and 10:30 this evening. We enjoyed her powerful performance very much and she was cheerful with a wonderful presence. She has been a headliner for about 18 months after working previously as a cast singer on another cruise line’s production shows. This was her first performance on a Cunard ship and I’m sure it won’t be the last as the crowd gave her an enthusiastic standing ovation.

 

 

After the show we went back to the Queens Room to check out the Black and White Ball. The room was about 75 % full and everyone was having a wonderful time. The dance floor was busy, but not totally jammed and everyone there was wearing appropriate formal attire. The dance floor in the Queens Room is the largest one on any ship afloat – per the Entertainment Director, Joanna. It was fun to be on a ship that is still alive after midnight and many of the lounges still had plenty of guests enjoying themselves after midnight. Their closing hours are typically listed as “late”.

 

The next day Colin McDowell would be conducting a workshop on Fashion Illustrating. There were only 20 seats available with sign-ups starting at Midnight. I was the fourth person in line and ended up taking the 7th and 8th slots. I found out later that all the slots were filled by 7am the next morning.

 

We are enjoying the crossing very much so far and are looking forward to the rest of the sea days and Fashion Week very much.

 

more pictures on the blog at http://www.theinsidecabin.com

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Love the posts. I am very interested in your thoughts on the dress code differences between the HAL world cruise and a general Cunard cruise.

 

We normally cruise on Cunard, but the 2017 Amsterdam world cruise itinerary was so perfect for us, we had to go for it. I'm used to Cunard's dress code (formal means formal and I bring dresses for the other nights, hubby wears tux and/or suits). I know what to bring to wear each night of a cruise on Cunard, but I'm stressing out for the HAL world cruise.

 

On your blog, I saw pictures of you and your dinner companions on the world cruise and it looked very casual to me, way more casual then we are used to even on a non-formal night. Was that the norm? Should I bother to bring non-formal dresses for our world cruise? Will everyone else be wearing Hawaiian style shirts for dinner?:eek:

 

Dinner on HAL is very casual on non Gala nights by Cunard Standards. There are very few Hawaiin Shirts - that is our favorites. Most people wear a long sleeved dress shirt or a polo shirt or equivalent. Very few jackets on casual night. I would wear whatever you fill comfortable wearing on casual nights, with the understanding that there will be a lot more variation than on Cunard. Late seating on HAL is more dressy than early by my non scientific observations...

 

Many of the women wear dresses everynight on casual night, while plenty also wear slacks....

 

If you dress on HAL like you do on Cunard, you will be more dressed than the average guest but it will be OK, you won't be alone... There are many who dress up every night as well.

Edited September 5, 2016 by The-Inside-Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Thank you for the helpful information along the way you wonderful voyage. We have sailed Celebrity many times, and are interested in a Cunard voyage. What is the smoking policy and is there a great deal of ballroom dancing. We have been disappointed with Celebrity as of late because of the lack of dancing. Keep up the posts I am traveling vicariously through you.

 

No smoking anywhere except on a few exterior decks in certain spots. never in staterooms or balconies

 

Lots of ballroom dancing. The Queens Room has the largest dancefloor at sea and the QM2 really caters to ballroom dancers. Can't speak to the other Canard ships....I sure others will chime in here.

Edited September 5, 2016 by The-Inside-Cabin

[The-Inside-Cabin]

I am really enjoying this review. Thank you so much.

We are on the QM2 world cruise on January 10 and love to hear everything from the 'sharp end'.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

The ship rides really well in heavier seas. She is a beautiful ship and we are having a wonderful time. Be sure you are OK with the dress code. Everyone complies with the code and the ambience it creates is wonderful.

[Salacia]

Wonderful photograph of Ms. Parker - photographer credit please? Was this part of a press package that you received? Thank you. -S.

Edited September 5, 2016 by Salacia

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Wonderful photograph of Ms. Parker - photographer credit please? Was this part of a press package that you received? Thank you. -S.

 

 

 

Photo by my wife, Judy

[GERRY 2819]

Yes thanks for this loving the updates . We have a little 4 night cruise on QM2 on 16 Sept. Looking forward to it .

[Salacia]

Photo by my wife, Judy

 

My compliments! You should ask Ms. Parker if she'd like a copy of the photo when you print it, and maybe she'd autograph one for you :)

[BabsinTX]

Thanks for your very fun posts. I love your embarkation photo!

 

Best ever!

[sppunk]

I have an odd request, feel free to ignore if you don't want to bother with it. :)

 

Could you perhaps take a photo of the KC stations or menu boards? I'm visually impaired so seeing close ups of how things are set up is very helpful.

[ccastner]

Following along. Enjoying your posts!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[The-Inside-Cabin]

I have an odd request, feel free to ignore if you don't want to bother with it. :)

 

Could you perhaps take a photo of the KC stations or menu boards? I'm visually impaired so seeing close ups of how things are set up is very helpful.

 

Look for a more detailed report on the KC soon!

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Day 5, Sailing toward New York

 

Jo Haley’s morning show is definitely must watch TV. It’s on every morning looping from 6 am until noon as she presents an overview of the day’s program, interviews the evening’s entertainer (usually) and one or two other people, either from the ships company or someone making a special presentation.

 

Fern Mallis, creator of New York Fashion Week, was the guest this morning. Not being familiar with the fashion business, I had never heard of Fern Mallis, but she expanded a little on her background with Jo Haley and previewed her lecture later today about the origins and background of NYC Fashion Week.

 

In addition to the normal birthday announcements, Jo interviewed one of the dancers from the Royal Singers and Dancers cast.

 

I checked out the Kings Court for breakfast and found that they had a huge selection of breakfast eggs, including Eggs Benedict, meats (including link sausage and American bacon), pastries and pretty much anything you could imagine being offered for breakfast. Up in the forward part of the Kings Court, they had a section with waffles, French toast and pancakes. I am now thinking that anything that is set out for the Kings Court is probably available for room service breakfast. Some ships have a separate kitchen for room service, but I don’t know if that is the case on the QM2. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen a kitchen tour as an option on the daily program as you see on many other ships. There are still a few days left, so maybe it is yet to come. Tonight I will write in French Toast on my room service hang tag and see if those get delivered.

 

I didn’t see anyplace in the Kings Court that cooked eggs or omelets to order. Maybe you simply have to ask, don’t know, but there wasn’t a location that was marked or where you saw people lined up putting in egg orders.

 

Fern Mallis was the guest lecturer at 11:15 in the Royal Court Theatre. Fern discussed how she started in fashion as an intern for Vogue magazine which lead to a job with Mademoiselle. She described how New York fashion shows back in the early 90’s were uncoordinated and often held in unseemly locations with every designer reinventing the wheel year after year. Many of the big names in fashion at the time realized they needed someone to help and coordinate their common interest so they formed an industry association and hired Fern as the director. She went on to create Fashion Week in NYC which later spread to many other cities around the USA and now Fashion week as come to the QM2.

 

Her story was extremely interesting and she went on the discuss the recent changes in the industry and how the internet and peoples’ changing expectations has altered fashion shows and how cutting edge clothing is created, marketed and sold. I had no previous interest in the fashion industry but found her lectures fascinating as well as the entire Fashion Week. I will be attending my first fashion show tomorrow.

 

We stopped by the Carinthia Lounge (formerly known as the Winter Garden) for a mid-day snack where they have a small selection of paninis, flatbreads and pastries. Beverages are available from the lounge bar or you can go to the nearby Kings Court and get something from one of their machines. The Lounge was crowded, but we were able to find a couple of open seats fairly easily. Note: At 2:30 daily, all interested knitters, needleworkers, crocheters, etc, meet in the Carinthia to socialize and work on their various projects.

 

Colin McDowell’s “Drawing the Line” Illustrative Workshop was at 2pm. We signed up at midnight the night before for two of the twenty class seats. The class was held in ConneXions classroom number 5. Each seat had one sheet of 8 x 10 watercolor paper along with a single fine point retractable Sharpie marker. Colin started the workshop by reviewing a series of fashion illustrations from various artists over the years. He asked us to write the words “think elegant giraffe” and made the point that fashion illustrated was not intended to be a literal depiction of an outfit, but a drawing of the outfit that captures its essence. After he showed a photograph of Marlene Dietrich he paused and asked us to try and recreate the photograph with our sharpie. After we all made attempts to capture this image Colin drew a example of other techniques and allowed us to experiment on our own. Judy’s result is shown here. The class was very popular and they decided to add another workshop due to the high demand.

 

We enjoyed the afternoon tea so much earlier, we decided to stop by again today. We arrived 10 minutes early, but today, the Queens Room was never completely full and there were always a few seats open. Once again the tea service was outstanding, they served different sandwiches and cakes, but the same scones with clotted cream. The string quartet, this time dressed in white, provided a wonderful accompaniment to a delicious and elegant service.

 

Once again I stopped by the Boardwalk Café and once again it was closed due to the high winds. For most of the crossing many of the open decks have been off limits – the forward observation deck was open and you could walk around deck 7 promenade but only select doors were available for access to the promenade.

 

Tonight was the second formal night of the three scheduled and was also the night of the Captain’s welcome aboard cocktail party. The Captain’s cocktail party for second seating was held from 7:45 until 8:30 in the Queens Room. There was a receiving line on the starboard side that stretched outside the room down the hall leading into the Britannia Restaurant. The end of the line was by the elevators and we were told that the wait would be 30 minutes before we would meet the Captain, but it turned out to only take 10 minutes. Once we reached the front of the line, the hostess asked for our names so we could be introduced to the Captain and then we posed for a photograph after exchanging a few pleasantries.

 

The Queens Room was packed and waiters were passing snacks along with glasses of champagne, wine or juice. The dress was formal and once again 95% of the men were wearing tuxedos and the room was quite elegant. After the final guests had their pictures taken, the Captain was introduced by the Entertainment Director and he opened with a few remarks and thanked us all for being on the voyage. He provided the home countries of the guests: 1000 from the UK, 600 from the USA, 400 from Germany, about 70 each from Switzerland, Canada and Australia and the rest scattered from about 35 other countries. Captain Oprey then introduced his senior officers and then he offered one final thanks before wrapping up. Before we left a German speaking officer summarized the previous 15 minutes in about 30 seconds in German. We have learned from others that the QM2 is very popular in Germany and she always sails with many German passengers.

 

Tonight’s dinner was the best so far. I had the Chateaubriand which was outstanding. We had a wonderful time once again with all of our tablemates and the time seems to fly by.

 

Tonight’s entertainment was a production show by the Cunard Singers and Dancers called Apassionata which was an exciting, high energy show demonstrating the dance styles from various countries around the world. We enjoyed the show very much.

 

 

More pictures on the blog at http://www.theinsidecabin.com

[Underwatr]

I haven't been on since the refit but Chef's Galley (way aft on the starboard side in KC) used to do made to order eggs, etc. during breakfast, I think.

 

I don't think you'll see Boardwalk Cafe open during your crossing. It does operate in the Caribbean (when it's a little too bright & hot to sit outside and eat).

 

You should see a galley tour in the final days of the crossing. The queue will get ridiculously long but it moves quickly because it's essentially a walkthru.

 

It's interesting to watch Jo Haley's free hand when she's onstage speaking in the Royal Court.

[Pennbank]

Chefs Galley have the Juices in the Mornings and Healthy Options.

Eggs cooked to order , sunny side, poached and omelettes etc are done to order in the redesigned Kings Court

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Chefs Galley have the Juices in the Mornings and Healthy Options.

Eggs cooked to order , sunny side, poached and omelettes etc are done to order in the redesigned Kings Court

 

I investigated more this AM. The main area of Kings Court will cook eggs to order as well as omelets. I took a bunch of pictures.... special Kings Court Post coming soon

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Day 6, Sailing toward New York City

 

Taj, the Fine Art Gallery Art Manager, was the guest on the Jo Haley’s Morning Show. She explained the operation of the Clarendon Art Gallery and while they didn’t say they don’t have art auctions, they don’t have art auctions. Although I do not collect art from cruise ships, or anywhere else for that matter, I do like how the QM2 presents their art for sale and avoids the art auctions present on most other ships. I also appreciate how the art work on the QM2 remains in its dedicated gallery and doesn’t take over certain lounges or a main thoroughfare. Even though in many cases you find yourself having to pass thru the art gallery to get to the Queens Room, the art gallery fits in and is an interesting diversion rather than an intrusion into space not designed to display art.

 

Zandra Rhodes was the next guest and she discussed her upcoming fashion show at 2 pm in the Queens Lounge. She will be presenting 40 dresses during her show.

 

Jo’s final guest was Kym Purling, International Pianist, who has a fascinating background. Kym was an orphan who was adopted by an Australian couple during the final days of the Vietnam War and grew up in South Australia.

 

I wrote in “French Toast” on my room service hang tag and sure enough, it was delivered on time this morning. I have used room service more on the QM2 than most ships because I have found its service exceptional, the food delivered within a reasonable time frame and at the correct temperature. Most food areas on the ship are closed between 3 pm and 6 pm (except afternoon tea) and since we have late seating, we often appreciate a snack around 5 pm or so and room service is the only option.

 

We attended the morning lecture by Jon Sopel, BBC International Correspondent, who recalled various stories from his postings over the years. He recalled an amusing story where we was forced to spend upwards of $30,000 USD in cash to bribe various warlords in Afghanistan to facilitate access and charter aircraft and other transportation, all in cash and without receipts. On his way back to the UK he spent the evening in Dubai and ordered a $28 bottle of wine. When he filled his rather unusual expense report, everything was approved without question except for the bottle of wine in Dubai that exceeded their $25 limit for the cost of a bottle of wine.

 

Tomorrow Jon will discuss his perspective on the US presidential election.

 

I stopped by the Chefs Galley which has hot dogs, hamburgers and a selection of other sandwiches. Half way thru lunch the Captain appeared with a woman who I assumed to be his wife and proceed to grab some food and sit down a few tables away. He enjoyed his food undisturbed by anyone. I always assumed that the ships senior officers usually ate in their private messes or down in the crew area.

 

At 2pm in the Queens Room Fashion Week continued on the QM2 with the “Zandra Rhodes Transatlantic Dreams” Fashion Show. Doors opened at 1:30 but the line started at 12:45 and those who arrived after 1:20 would not be able to find a seat. Judy and I arrived early and were able to get a seat in the second row.

 

The show started promptly at 2:00 pm and would last about 30 minutes with a collection of 40 garments shown on the runway by a combination of professional models and the Cunard Dancers. This was my first fashion show and I found it very entertaining and interesting. Each model briskly walked down the runway to recorded musical accompaniment, twirled at end, retracing her steps and then taking a big lap around the Queens Room so everyone could see the clothes up close. I was unable to fully appreciate the nuances in the various outfits on display and Judy explained to me later how the actions of the model at various times (dropping flower pedals for some, carrying mirrored globes for others) indicated a change in theme. When a model in a wedding dress appeared Judy told me that meant the show was wrapping up as the wedding dress is always the final garment. Sure enough, Zandra entered the runway surrounded by all the models to enthusiastic applause.

 

 

After the fashion show we stopped by Sir Samuel for a midafternoon snack. We each ordered hot chocolate, one with dark chocolate and one with milk chocolate and a chocolate brownie with caramel inside to share. The bill for everything was about $9.00. It took about 10 minutes for our food to be delivered and we found it to be very rich, but quite delicious. Not something your waistline could probably tolerate very often, but it was a decadent treat that we enjoyed very much.

 

The show for second seating was at 7 pm and featured Kym Purling playing popular piano tunes. Kym was the musical director for many Broadway shows and toured with Natalie Cole and Engelbert Humperdinck. About half way thru his show, he shared his personal story along with a video that explained how he was adopted from a Vietnamese Orphanage toward the end of the war and ended up being raised in South Australia. We enjoyed his show very much.

 

I did hear from a more experienced Cunard cruiser – (or is it voyager) that at 7 am on the first day at sea, they offer a 4 hour long behind the scenes tour to the first 12 people who present themselves to the tours office. They said it is never advertised and they stated that it was open to all, not just those in suites or high up on the loyalty program ladder. Not sure if this is fact or fiction, but probably worth checking out if you are up at 7 am on the first sea day.

 

We had another enjoyable dinner in the Britannia Restaurant. Judy had the Lemon Sole and I had the Pork Loins. I have noticed that unlike HAL they don’t offer any “Always Available” selections like salmon or a steak. Maybe if you ask they have something not on the menu, but I have had no trouble finding something delicious from the selections offered.

 

After dinner we strolled thru some of the shops and discovered that the liquor store also sells snacks and other similar items while one of the clothing stores sells over the counter medicine and other drug store type items.

 

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