On Board QM2 Now (30 Jun - 7 July)

[MarkBearSF]

Hi all!
I'm aboard the QM2 now. So, if you have any questions, hopefully I can answer them.
For those interested, the Captain is Christopher Wells (yay!)

[Luv2Crus40]

Why is QM2 still in port?  I'm on the NY Harbor webcam which had her leaving at 5:30 pm today.  Hope all is okay.

[MarkBearSF]

3 minutes ago, Luv2Crus40 said:

Why is QM2 still in port?  I'm on the NY Harbor webcam which had her leaving at 5:30 pm today.  Hope all is okay.

 

There was a delayed flight from Manchester with many passengers aboard. No worries (...except for those on that late flight - but at least they'll get aboard)

Edited June 30, 2019 by MarkBearSF

[Liberal_Baggie]

Who is the entertainment manager?Mark 

[Luv2Crus40]

Glad they were able to wait.  I know the QM2 has to watch the tides to be able to make it under the Verranzzano Bridge. 

 

We haven't cruised on QM2 in a while.  Love the ship though.  Wondering how the food is now in the MDR and Buffet.  We had planned to do the Southern Caribbean this fall but had to cancel.  Hope to be back on her soon though.

 

Hope you have a wonderful voyage!   Will check on your posts to see how your voyage is going.

[Luv2Crus40]

Forgot to ask.  What is the new time of departure?

[MarkBearSF]

1 minute ago, Liberal_Baggie said:

Who is the entertainment manager?Mark 

 

Catherine Kennedy

[MarkBearSF]

4 minutes ago, Luv2Crus40 said:

Forgot to ask.  What is the new time of departure?

 

I think they announced 7:15. (But I could be wrong, we were enjoying ourselves at the GLBT get-together, so I wasn't paying close attention.) ...and also, you know how these things can slip. Hopefully the flight is coming into JFK and not Newark.

Edited June 30, 2019 by MarkBearSF

[PistolPete13]

Have a great trip!  I was looking forward to seeing the ship pass under the Verrazano bridge this evening but gave up around 6PM when it still didn't move. 

 

Looks like you're moving now (8PM EST)

Edited July 1, 2019 by PistolPete13

[Underwatr]

2 hours ago, MarkBearSF said:

Hopefully the flight is coming into JFK and not Newark.

Why? Red Hook is about an hour from JFK and 45 minutes from Newark.

[VintageCCG]

5 hours ago, MarkBearSF said:

Hi all!
I'm aboard the QM2 now. So, if you have any questions, hopefully I can answer them.
 

 

Hope you got to enjoy the parade and festivities, Mark!
Lots of positive energy in the city!

I happened to be in NYC today and noticed a big red funnel sticking up above Governor's Island. Unfortunately I'd missed the last ferry there, but instead I caught the Staten Island ferry a.k.a. the free tourboat.

I too wondered why the ship hadn't yet slipped her lines by 7pm, but I note the explanation you posted, of a delayed flight.

 

The bonus for you and your shipmates is that Captain Wells positioned himself nicely between the ferry and the Jersey side, thus I managed to capture a nice photo of the QM2 passing Liberty Island, and then continuing outbound towards the Narrows. Gonna say that was about 8:15 or so.

 

Didn't look like many folk at the rails ... perhaps they'd all gone down to dinner.

 

Enjoy your voyage!

 

5 hours ago, Luv2Crus40 said:

I know the QM2 has to watch the tides to be able to make it under the Verranzzano Bridge. 

 

Also just to reassure Luv2Crus40, I'm pretty sure the ship's air draft can clear under the bridge even at highest high tide. Otherwise the departure times would be changing constantly to ensure they don't twang any antennae against the girders ... albeit at higher tides I believe they aim for the highest point of the span, just to be safe.

 

 

[BlueRiband]

6 hours ago, Luv2Crus40 said:

Glad they were able to wait.  I know the QM2 has to watch the tides to be able to make it under the Verranzzano Bridge. ..

Tidal cycle isn't an issue in New York as she can slip under the bridge at high tide although it must be at center span where the clearance is the highest.  High tide was at 6:47PM today. 

You are right that in many places she has to watch the tides but that's where a high tide is needed so that she has enough water under her keel.  Pods don't work too well in mud. 

 

Edited July 1, 2019 by BlueRiband

[Sue from Canada]

7 hours ago, MarkBearSF said:

Hi all!
I'm aboard the QM2 now. So, if you have any questions, hopefully I can answer them.
For those interested, the Captain is Christopher Wells (yay!)

I'll be sailing the QM2 for the first time next July.  Looking forward to your reports and insights.  Bon Voyage.

[Host Hattie]

Thanks for posting, have a great time

[MarkBearSF]

8 hours ago, Underwatr said:

Why? Red Hook is about an hour from JFK and 45 minutes from Newark.

 Because traffic is crazy in Manhattan with the mega-parade.

[MarkBearSF]

9 hours ago, PistolPete13 said:

Have a great trip!  I was looking forward to seeing the ship pass under the Verrazano bridge this evening but gave up around 6PM when it still didn't move. 

 

Looks like you're moving now (8PM EST)

 

Yeah, I wasn't looking at my watch, but I think they removed the lines around 7:40 or so.

[MarkBearSF]

One note... (well, one of many)

I'm not seeing the promised Internet speedup this morning, I may be in a particularly bad cabin or time, so I'll report more later. (Our cabin is the furthest forward on Starboard, Deck 8 (right next to the ramp outside the library), so one wall of the cabin is possibly a bulkhead. (And FYI, the time onboard is 5:53 AM, after turning back 1 hour  this first night)

[rafinmd]

I'm surprised they moved the clocks forward overnight.  I wish Cunard could have started on June 29 so you would have Canada Day in Halifax.   If you get a chance try the wifi from the library and have a wonderful voyage.

 

Roy

[MarkBearSF]

1 hour ago, rafinmd said:

I'm surprised they moved the clocks forward overnight.  I wish Cunard could have started on June 29 so you would have Canada Day in Halifax.   If you get a chance try the wifi from the library and have a wonderful voyage.

 

Roy

Roy - thanks for that. Last night I was only paying half-attention. We set them in the wrong direction last night, and being 2 hours off, we would've missed breakfast in Britannia.

Yeah, I'm definitely going to check that (and times of day).
Also - does anyone know if using an adblocker helps or hurts in these situations. (I suspect that sometimes, in slow environents, the wait for the browser to time out on responses from google analytics and the like overshadows any savings from not having the stuff go back and forth)

And HAPPY CANADA DAY!

 

Edited July 1, 2019 by MarkBearSF

[Luv2Crus40]

Thanks for info re tides.  Always wondered why QM2 left port between 5ish and 6ish if tides were an issue.  We did only have about an 8 foot clearance on one cruise (optical illusion made it look even less).   If not at dinner, always go to top deck for sail away under the V bridge.  I did read that they built the funnel shorter to go under some bridges in ports they visited, I believe the Verrazzano being one of them. 

[navybankerteacher]

11 hours ago, Underwatr said:

Why? Red Hook is about an hour from JFK and 45 minutes from Newark.

Only if traffic between Newark and Red Hook is lighter — ordinarily it is just about an hour for each - 23 miles from EWR vs 24 miles from JFK. 

[Underwatr]

1 hour ago, MarkBearSF said:

 Because traffic is crazy in Manhattan with the mega-parade.

From Newark to Red Hook or vice versa you go through Staten Island, not Manhattan.

[steve1young]

Which route you take from Newark Airport to Brooklyn Cruise Terminal is dependent upon traffic patterns at the time. Sometimes you route through Manhattan, and sometimes you route through Staten Island. At the time of this posting, the Manhattan route is quicker by about 5 mins (50 min travel time).

[tijc52]

Staten Island can often be worse than Manhattan, especially with bridge construction.

[Lanky Lad]

Thanks for the updates.  I was hoping to see QM2 sail, but had to give up and go to bed. 

 

I am on board in 2 weeks time (14th) so I hope Captain Wells is still on. 

 

Can I ask who the CWC reps are and who is the pianist in the Commodore Club?