QE2 NYC - LA segment review

[tumeroll]

After a brief stay in LA and a five day train ride across the US, I am back from the New York to LA segment of the QE2 World Cruise and will do a review over the next few days. In short it was fabulous.

 

By the way they were still talking about the crazy winter crossing crowd and their cabin inspection outing.

 

The Beginning

 

On Saturday morning early, I left snowy and cold New Hampshire for New York City by train out of Boston arriving around 2:00 pm. A quick cab ride and easy check in at the hotel with all of my bags and it was about time to get ready forthe opera at the Metropolitan. I had made dinner reservations at the restaurant at the Met and throughly enjoyed not only the meal but the opera, Die Fleidermaus.

 

In what was to be the begiiing of extremely fine accomodations throughout the entire trip, I had a seat in the third row of the Dress Circle three seats in from the exact middle of the house. Hard to get a better seat as far as I am concerned. The opera was excellent. They have revised it from the 60's version with some excellent humor.

 

Not a cell phone was heard. In fact that was another plus for the trip, until I was back on the train traveling from Albany to Boston in coach (no sleeper on that short portion) i never heard a cell phone ring for three weeks. Pure heaven.

 

As, many postings to cruise critic talk about attire, let me add here that with few exceptions the patrons at the opera were all nicely dressed, the ladies in smart pants suits or dresses and the men in suits or blazers with tie. There were even a few tuxedos and gowns. Dress up is back big time in New York City. Everywhere I went people were well dressed and on Monday walking up town from the hotel for breakfast I noticed that many ladies were wearing high heels and no sneakers were to be seen. Suits are back for the men and the baseball cap is all but vanished.

 

Catching a cab after the opera was not even apossibility so it being a balmy 35 degrees (that is warm when you live in New Hampshire- although the fellow I met in the hotel elevator did not think so as he had just come in from LA where it had been 80 degrees) I walked back down to 45th street and my hotel. Ever since Rudie cleaned up the city it has been a pleasure to walk arounf evn at 11:30 PM. Never felt threatened during the enitrre weekend.

 

Sunday morning on the recommendation of the Phantom Gourmnet show in Boston I headed up town to Norma's in the Parker Meridian Hotel for brunch. This is a super breakfast place with immense portions of the best breakfast itemsyou will find most anywhere. Not cheap ($32.00 including tip and tax for breakfast is not the usual NH fee)

 

From breakfast, I toured the American Folk Art Museum and then walked up Fifth Avenue to 71st Street to tour the Frick Museum which is in the Frick mansion. Now that was the way to live in New York City in the early 20th century. The art collection is impressive with its several Pembrants Singers, etc. and the mansion is not shabby.

 

Frtom there it was high tea at the Pierre Hotel. Wonderful small room with elegant trope l'oiel (sp?) painted walls and ceiling.

 

Finnaly and very delicious Italian dinner in a samll restaurant across from the hotel. Lots of people watching and looking into shops along both Fith and Madison Avenues. The weather on Sunday was warm and clear. The perfect New York City weekend.

 

After a second breakfast at Norma's on Monday it was check out of the hotel and head for the pier and the QE2 Go to Norma's after the business people have left during the week and there is no wait (figure about an hour wait on Sunday for brunch).

 

Well I hope that I have not bored with the preamble to the voyage but the weekend really set the stage for what proved to be a wonderful time aboard. Tune in again later for the embarkation and the cabin portion of the cruise

[dougnewmanatsea]

By the way they were still talking about the crazy winter crossing crowd and their cabin inspection outing.

Who's "they" ;) ?

 

I do hope you got to meet some of the Winter Crossing Club members who stayed on until Ft. Lauderdale. I'd have loved to myself...

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review.

[tumeroll]

Who's "they" ;) ?

 

I do hope you got to meet some of the Winter Crossing Club members who stayed on until Ft. Lauderdale. I'd have loved to myself...

 

Looking forward to the rest of your review.

 

They were some passnegers who had begun the voyage in Southapmton. By the way is there any truth to the rumor that you are only 17 years of age and still in college.? At any rate you got good reviews from several folks that met you during the trip.

[tumeroll]

Embarkation

 

On leaving the hotel I was able to quickly get a cab and was fortunate to have an excellent cab driver. Good driver, a good sense of humor and spoke English.

 

We arrived at the Pier right around noon and the place was hopping even though everyone's tickets said 1:00 pm arriving early was the rule rather than the exception. There were loads of union luggage handlers ready to take your bags and with a $10 tip for my three bags I felt assured that they would all arrive on time and in good condition.

 

From the minute I entered the pier there were Cunard people to great and direct. Lines were short and the check in process only took a few minutes. Fair photo but as long as it gets one on the ship who cares.

 

After check in we were directed to a staging area where everone was requested to wait until actual embarkation began. Standard folding metal chairs. Most everyone I saw during the wait time was very nicely dressed, a few in jeans but no stand outs in the negative. In fact it was the best dressed group of travelers I have seen in many a year.

 

Promptly at 1:00 PM the loading process was begun and it was done in a very orderly fashion section by section and row by row within each section. The ten - twelve wheelchair bound folks went first followed by the walking wounded then the rest of the troups. My section was called and we were on the ship by 1:25.

 

After scanning our ship card and getting the hand sanitizer stuff taken care off, our hand baggage was taken by a well uniformed white gloved young man who showed me down to four deck and my absolutely huge C3 cabin - 4074.

 

Note: During check in we were given a form to sign stating that we had not experienced any digestive problems within the past two days prior to boarding and if we had the ship's doctor would be checking on those that had signified such an occurance. Doubt many were honest here but evidently Cunard is really taking the cleanliness thing very seriously.

 

As I was inspecting this palace of a cabin all of my luggage arrived (within ten minutes of my arrival in the cabin) so I set about unpacking and stowing everything in the three closets and three dressers. It just fit. Have not a clue how two or three passenegrs can get along in that space but for a single male passenger a cabin with three beds and all that space was perfect. The room was spotless and fully stocked with information and a split of champagne on ice. It sure set the tone for the rest of the trip.

 

The full bath was snug but had a tub shower and throughout the trip I never was short on water pressure or hot water. Many times hot enough to brew tea. Cunard uses Bronnley bath products and they are excellent and more than ample. Use one and a new one shows up the next time the steward freshens up the room.

 

There was a huge bottle of water also on ice and though they do charge $3 for it, the bottle is over three times what the local 24/7 store gets a $1 plus for so no problems with that. Glasses are real glass and always were spotless.

 

Towels in the bath were full sized and plenty fluffy and were changed twice a day if you required it.

 

Within minutes of my arriving in the cabin, my steward - Nelson - arrived to introduce himself. I was greeted by name and it was always used whenever I saw him around the ship. Nelson was always around to freshen the room right after I left for breakfast and then again in the evening right after I left for dinner. I never saw him much during the trip but then I do not require huge amounts of room service things as I spend all my time in the public spaces except to get ready for the day, dinner and to retire.

 

Turn down service with a fine orange flavored chocolate every night and the soft lights on. Left Nelson extra over and above the add on gratuity along with a note that he needs be ready for next year as I have penciled in the same room and the full world cruise.

 

Yes the wood paneling towards the lower end of the walls and the closet doors showed a bit of wear as some like to complain about but I venture if you look around your own homes similar wear shows in high traffic areas and filling these staterooms 50 weeks of the years results in some high traffic - so really zero problems or complaints in the room.

 

The only improvement I would like to find would be classical music available without having to turn on the bridge cam. That would allow for music to fall asleep to without having to wake up to shut off the TV. A minor point.

 

Well it was now close to 4:00 PM and as I had not eaten since the huge breakfast at Norma's around 9:00 AM, I headed up the stairs for the Queens Lounge and High Tea (never missed a single one during the 14 days and I have the pounds to prove it).

 

Will talk about that and the boat drill next round. Time to see if the kitchen and dining room staff (yours truly) can come up with anything remotely comporable to dinner on the QE2.

[Glaciers]

Tumeroll, Thanks for posting your review. We look forward to reading the rest of it. We too were on the NY to LA portion and agree with everything you've posted. I don't do extensive reviews as my writing ability is questionable, as are my photography skills. I did, however, take many photos during this leg of the World Cruise of which some are online at:

 

http://community.webshots.com/user/delrock

[tumeroll]

Tea Time

 

As I previously mentioned, I made all 14 teas so I have much experience on this item and again the pounds to show for it. Arriving at the Queens Lounge after unpacking on day one, I easily found an empty table already set for tea. Evidently many of the new passengers had not keyed into tea and the folks on from Southampton were busy either on shore or on deck.

 

The white gloved service was prompt and very pleasant. Although service varied somewhat from day to day depending on particular waitstaff, I never felt neglected or had to wait very long after arriving. One has to find their own seat and if the room is full, one either has to wait or ask to share a table. Though I never was denied a seat when I asked, I did get the impression on one or two occasions that they would have preferred to have been left alone.

 

To solve this problem, I ,along with many other folks took to arriving in the Queens Lounge about 30 minutes early for the 4:00 PM start of tea in order to be assured a seat. If I was busy and could not do this, then I waited until 4:30 when the first wave had finished and tables began to be available.

 

On day one, most of the attendees had not changed out of their embarkation finery so the level of attire was quite good. I noticed that as the cruise progressed, folks became more comfortable in their leisure activities and the level of attire drifted downwards to many more people in shorts, etc. Never did see any jeans for tea (thankfully) and only one poor sole that never did catch on as to any civil level of attire except in the dining room when he seemed able to put on a tie and jacket.

 

The offerings of finger sandwiches was impressive with at least five different selections and as many as you wish to have. All served fresh from a large silver tray delivered to your plate with the reverse spoon and folk method that must take a bit of training. Never saw a single sandwich or pastry hit the deck during the entire cruise. Selections varied from the mandatory cucumber and butter to chicken salad, egg salad, salmon salad and cheese. All delicious.

 

The sweets were also excellent with a full range of fruit cake (my favorite - weird I know but there it is), scones with cream and jam. serving 300 - 500 people virtually at the same time precludes little jams and butter jars. Fruit tarts, eclairs etc. Every one fresh and wonderful. The tea was always hot and served with either milk or lemon on request (the milk was on the table - lemons on request).

 

Every day featured live music during the 4:00 - 5:00 tea hour in the Queens Lounge ranging from a harpist to piano to a classical trio of piano and violins...Tea was also available in the Lido and at the Pavillion (pool deck) for those who did not want to brave the Queens room but since I found the room easily accessable I did not try the other venues. Why eat in the cafeteria when one can have the high end.

 

After tea was over, it was back to the cabin to wait for the boat drill announcement around 5:00 PM. We were scheduled to sail at 5:45 PM.

 

I will be back to talk about the drill and sailing out of NY harbor later. Just returned from shopping for the first time in a month and the super market had moved half of my staples to other aisles so it was a "fun" afternoon. Still looking for the cabin steward to reset my room but I think he must have stayed on board the ship as no one has shown up.

[bobby1119]

Tumeroll and Chilkoot,

 

Enjoying your narrative installments and photos respectively. I was aboard in NYC for a Bon Voyage party in the Yacht Club and witnessed your sailing afterwards from atop the opposite pier. It was a glorious site to witness, especially given how rare QE2's visits to NY are these days. I will be on the full world cruise solo next year as a retirement present to myself, so your impressions as a solo passenger, Tumeroll, are most helpful and encouraging to me. Hope to see you both aboard for all or some of the segments.

 

Bobby1119

[dougnewmanatsea]

is there any truth to the rumor

I don't discuss rumors ;) ! (OK, from time to time I spread rumors, but discuss them? Never ;) !)

 

you got good reviews from several folks that met you during the trip.

Well, that's nice to hear! "Good reviews" - these people must take the 'Critic' part of 'Cruise Critic' really seriously ;) !

 

(I review ships, not people. I even get uncomfortable when people "review" the Captain!)

 

Anyhow, really enjoying your review. Your description of tea makes me wish I'd managed to do it at least once in six days. I seemed to be doing something else at 4 PM, and I was never hungry at that hour anyway, but it does sound lovely, especially as most ships (including QM2 I hear!) don't have a clue how to do tea properly.

 

I'm looking forward to your description of the NY departure - I already know it was spectacular, but still looking forward to hearing more. Had I known that the HARVEY would be escorting you out (and had I not had any luggage with me, always a problem) I'd have loved to have sailed out with you! I've been on her escorting other ships out during the day, but never QE2 and never at night. Ah well, just another thing to add to my list of missed opportunities...

[tumeroll]

Boat Drill

 

Right after tea it was time for the boat drill for all new embarkees, so I headed back down to the cabin to pick up my floatation vest and wait for the "call to quarters". Thankfully Cunard has thoughfully marked ever stairwell and just about every turn on the ship with boat station directions so one can easily navigate the ship once one learns and remembers their boat station location. Mine was in the Caronia dining room which proved very advantageous as that was also my dining room so finding it every evening and for all other meals was easy. but I digress.

 

Arriving at the boat station inside the Coronia dining room, we were asked to go to our respective corners of the room (there were three or four groups designated for the room.) At precisely the appointed time, the captain came on the horn and went over all procedures in great detail including mention of excellent security in the event of any sort of uprising or attempted boarding etc. His tone was rather forboding and I wondered if I had missed something in the news that morning that I should aave picked up. Several other passengers also felt the same way about the tone of delivery. If nothing else one was left with the thought that this man is very serious about our safety.Anyway the drill was quite long and informative.

 

Cunard in their 150 years of hauling passengers across the open waters has decided that very few sea emergencies require abandoning ship (no mention was made of the several times it was required) so they have all their boat stationsinside the ship for the comfort of the passenger. I am sure if their was a real emergency, passengers would be a lot calmer waiting in the Caronia dinirg room than out on some deck in a rain and wind storm etc.

 

When the drill was over, it was back down to the cabin to stow the vest and then back up to the boat deck to get ready for our sail down the Hudson. As the time for departure came and then went, people began to check their watches. Shortly the Captain made an announcement that due to a delayed refueling of the bunkers we would be late departing the pier.

 

Only in New York City with only one ship in the entire harbor would there be a delay in refueling the ship. Sounds like someones "envelope" did not get to the right person on time.

 

Some time after 6:00 pm we slowly headed out from the pier and into the middle of the Hudson River and we were off. Now dark, it was an impressive bon voyage. Possibly because this was the world cruise or because Cunard will be sailing from the rusty old Red Hook section of Brooklyn come spring and this was the last time the QE2 would grace the Hudson River, we had a wonderful escort from a retired NYC Fire Boat. With all of her water towers in full spray she looked anything but retired.

 

As we pulled away from the pier, the port destination spokesman began his informative talk about Cunard and New York, etc. He immediately made an error in announcing and asking folks to imagine how romantic it was in the 1920 & 30's when there might be several Cunarders at the very piers that we had sailed from minutes before. Unfortuanetely this was not true because during that time period Cunard had her own piers downtown around 23rd st. These piers are now either gone or have been converted into parking garages for garbage trucks (not very romantic).

 

There was an officer in full uniform on deck with his lady friend. So I came up behind him and mentioned that he might want to tell the speaker that he needed to correct his story. We had a very nice conversation about the ship and the Atlantic crosssing. When I mentioned that the Winter Crosssing Club members were dissapointed about the southern swing to avoid the weather, he allowed as he was a junior navigation officer and it was he that had convinced the captain to make the turn south.

 

The weather was balmy for January in NYC and the skys clear with a moon coming up behind the city, very beautiful. Sailing past Ellis Island and then the Statute of Liberty was quite moving. Because it was now rather late and I wanted to get to dinner to meet my table mates, I did not stay for the "under the bridge" moment.

 

Tomorrow, tablemates and the Cornia Dining Room.

[tumeroll]

Coronia Dining Room

 

Without a doubt the most attractive dining room on the ship. To be sure the Grills offer up better quality stem wear and china but those rooms are small and the entrances guarded rather than grand. And a check one evening of their menus revealed exactly the same menu as in the Caronia.

 

To enter the Caronia Dining Room one must walk up several steps on the outside inorder to be able to make the grand entrance down several steps on the inside.

 

The room is paneled in warm dark walnut paneling with full windows on both sides that keep the room well lighted but not harsh during the daylight hours. While not exactly supper club in atmosphere for dinner, it has the feel of the grand dining rooms in land resorts of days gone by.

 

My table for seven ( I had requested to be seated at a table for either 8 or 10 so the seven made it three other couples and myself.) was just at the foot of the stairs on the left side as one entered the room. An excellent choice I thought.

 

On the first night, I was late in arriving and the other folks were well into their soups or saleads but all were quite pleasant about the tardiness.

 

Throughout the entire segment NYC - LA I only took one meal out of the dining room That a late rising breakfast in the Lido. Every meal was from very good to excellent. Though some of the service was a bit off due to misunderstanding of language or the kitchen dropping the ball on an item, the problem was always corrected in moments and never with an attitude.

 

The selections on all menus were varied and everything with the exception of the cold soups and the salads was quite good. I found the cold soups though refreshing to be way too weak in flavor and body. This observation was confirmed by all of the other tablemates who tried the soups on occasion. I like my salad greens to actually be green and the Queen offered way too much iceburg lettuce for my taste.

 

Seveal of my tablemates did not care for one or two of the fish dishes but in as much as I do not eat much fish beyond shell fish I can not comment here. Also, one gentleman at the table had problems with getting eggs over medium for the first three mornings but when an assistant Maitre D' went into the kitchen the eggs arrived perfectly every morning thereafter.

 

Portions were perfect. Though I know I eat way too much when I am out (and at home also) and one could eat all day long if one wished I never felt over full.

 

About half way through the 14 days, I chanced to mention at the table that I wondered if they might have Floating Island for dessert and several other tablemates said they liked that dessert also. So I asked the assistant Maitre D' for our area if they planned to have it on the menu. She said she would check and there it was the very next evening and made just right.After getting just plain milk for our coffee on day one. I asked for cream and it was always on the table for every meal after that request.

 

Now that it what I call good and attentive service. Our two waiters were very good and called us all by name and knew our likes early on. The wine steward was new to the ship and the job but had a winning personality that allowed all of us to overlook his missing the wine call on more than one occasion. At the end of the segment he was moved down to the Mauritania Dining Room supposedly for more varied training. Hmm!

 

Tablemates

 

Being a solo male cruiser, one is never sure where one will be placed but even though I did not meet the love of my life, I could not have asked for a better trio of couples to spend the two weeks with. They were all Americans and no one smoked. One couple was from Ohio having recently retired and moved from Alaska so they could better travel the world and that was what they were doing - going the full distance. Another couple were from the finger lakes region of New York. They were also retired, he from the medical profession going as far as New Zealand and the third couple, an early corporate by out retiree also going the full world cruise distance. After the first evening, we all agreed that 7 PM would be a fine time to meet for dinner and with the exception of one couples being late one evening due to their invite to the captains private quarters party, we all kept to the time. And I must say we had a ball, between dinner and great conversation we were never out of the dining room before 9 - 9:30 and several times were the last table still in the room.

 

As to attuire in the dining room, I never saw a pair of jeans in the room for any meal and it was a very rare instance when a gentleman arrived for dinner on informal nights without a tie or ascot. On formal nights, I would say tuxedos were around 90% and suits 10%. The ladies always looked wonderful every night. During the day elegant casual wear was the order with one or two slogan or advertising T shirts but nothing off color or offensive. Most everyone was very well dressed all of the time everywhere on the ship.

 

Before I go, I should mention the bBked Alaska parade. No longer do they bring flaming trays of Baked Alaska out of the kitchen but they do make a good show of it with dimmerd lights and Roman Candle type sparklers carried by all of the waiters followed by chefs in their whites carrying trays of baked alaska not flaming. Festive and by the way the Baked Alaska was made properly and tasted very good.

 

The coffe was always good, strong and hot. Butter and rolls were dolled out very sparingly but always available for seconds if one asked for one but never reoffered after the first go round. (one must cut back somewhere I guess) and the breakfast pastries were not as good as those at Panera bread but whos are.

 

Tommorow, other activities and some thoughts on the general passenger consist.

[Ginamarie]

Just wanted you to know that I'm very much appreciating your vivid review. Keep it coming!

[tumeroll]

General Activities Aboard ship

 

Beginning with the 7:00 Am walk- a - mile group there is something to do while on board pretty much every hour of the day right up until midnight. The daily program provides passengers with a broad variety of activities. I am afraid that most of them did not really appeal to me so I can't comment on them but will impart what I learned from some activities and talking with other passengers about others.

 

1. Physical fitness - probably a must if one is doing the full 108 days or as they say on as a passenger off as cargo, but in the 14 day segment I managed to avoid a lot of it. The gym is down in the hold of the ship and according to other pasengers if one was not right there the moment the office opened on sail away day all of the prime times were spoken for for the entire 108 days. That meant hanging around in case someone did not show up.

 

2. When the ship is moving the open promenade deck can be very breezy and for folks like myself that have a wee bit of a problem with open spaces and heights, it was too uncomfortable to navigate so that was out also. On the days that the ship was in port better than half of the promenade deck was always out of bounds due to fueling or painting so no luck on those days either.

 

3. There was a retired US Army colonel on board talking about his adventures as a social host in the White House. Went to two of his talks and found them to be excellent. He gave about five such talks I believe and the house was packed. He has written a book called Inside The White House.

 

Also attended a cooking demonstration with the ship's head chef (he has been on board at least since 1986 as there was a menu with his name on it in one of the show cases) and the head chef from the Lido. That guy should be in show business - very funny. Both did an excellent job of showing a number of different dishes from appitizers to entre to dessert. And everyone in the audience was given printed recipes for each item to try at home. Several of the items showed up on the menus over the next several days and boy were they good.

 

I thought that I might try my hand at the dance lessons as a good way to meet some ladies as I do know how to dance but needed a push to get started. Unfortunately, the first 6 days of the cruise I had a wicked cold and did not wish to subject anyone to that problem. However, I did watch and listen to the instruction. It may have been just me but I found the instructor to be difficult to follow and both he and his wife tended to teach the over the top flashy stuff rather than a comfortable basic routine.

 

Every day someone on the social staff picks a topic of interest and posts it in the dailies with a time and place for people sharing that interest to meet and talk. I attended the one on writing and found it most interesting. About ten people attended and all but two had already published at least one book.

 

Never did get to any of the shows as they really do not interest me and our dinner conversations eliminated the first show times. many people that I spoke with or overheard in conversation said the shows were good.

 

I did get to one of the three concerts that a trio of female Russian musicians gave. Two violins and a pianist. Very good.

 

Everyday there was a singles get together in the main lobby area but it was un hosted and the one I did attend was totally unorganized with no focus or purpose so I did not return although I suppose I should have given it another try.

 

Which brings me to the dance hosts and the single ladies at dance time in the evening. At one time I had thought about becoming a dance host as I do love to dance but after watching the operation I have put that idea to bed. Those guys really work. Every dance from 10:00 - midnight must be danced so as to keep the multiple single ladies happy. From what I understand from speaking with several ladies who in the past have participated in this activity, tabs are kept by the ladies and if one gets more dances then another trouble is brewing.

 

From observing this evening event, I would liken it to a 7th grade dance with the ladies all seated close to the dance floor hoping for a dance. When they did dance, many times, from what I could observe, there was no conversation between partners and as soon as the dance was over the ladies were escorted back to their seats and it was off to another lady. While there must have been close to 50 non dance host single males on board during the NYC - LA segment I only saw two ask a single lady to dance.

 

Either we are all extremely shy or the set-up does not work well. While I fully enjoyed both the traditional seating in the dining room and all of my table mates, traditional seating does not lend itself to establishing a social relationship with someone of the opposite sex (or the same sex for that matter). I prefer to meet someone, possibly have a cocktail and then dinner before taking them dancing. The 7th grade dance routine doesn't do it for me and unless the other person happened to be in the same dining room and could switch seats for an evening, there was no place to have a quiet dinner other than the Lido and that is not what I consider a place to socialize when getting to know someone. Freestyle dining (not advocating it here at all so please do not get crazy) works much better for singles seeking other singles.

 

Other activities on board were Trivia - very British and very popular. Jigsaw puzzle assembly. Always one ready to go and usually someone giving it a try. miniature golf, a netted golf driving range and a diminutive paddle tennis court and suffle board all with tournaments.

 

There is only a single pool on the QE2 but given the advanced age of the passengers, it never was crowded even when the temperature hit into the mid to high 80's. There were more than enough WOODEN deck chairs and recliners (listen up other lines - wood is still the preferred chair)

 

Every afternoon before dinner there was music in the various lounges. Service for drinks in all of the lounges and on deck was readily available but never pushy. If one declined to order, the staff simply placed a white paper napkin on the table in front of you and you were never botherered again unless you raised a hand and then someone was at you elbow in a flash. Very civilized.

 

The casino was small in size but given the general lack of interest on the part of the passengers, plenty large enough for those who wished to play./ Black Jack, Texas Hold em, Roulette, Craps and several other poker type games plus of course the slots. I tried my hand at Black Jack on three evenings and must say they have some of the luckiest Black Jack dealers on the high seas. The consistant pulling of 20 and 21 with four and five card draws by the dealer gets ugly very fast. So I decided that I could use my coin better than Cunard and retreated to other sport.

 

Between eating three meals daily all with great tablemate conversation plus an equally delightful tea time and all the other activities available, I found the day to be over almost before it began and 14 days were way too short a time on this wonderful ship.

 

Observations of the passenger consist

 

As you probalbly can tell by now, I do a lot of observing and listening to conversations. With extremely rare instances (lets say two passengers) I found everyone I came into contact with be it close up or from a far to be very polite, well attired and having fun in their own way. No one was observed drink, load or obnoxious and all were pleasant when addressed. With a world cruise audience one would expect an older group and I would say the average age had to come in somewhere in the low 70's. I met a numer of people in their 90's who are certain to make it to 100 and many more in their 80'sthat could give the 20 something generation a run for their money. Yet there were a few younger 30 -40 folks on board and they all seemed to be having loads of fun. One young lady appered to be having the time of her klife dancing every evening and enjoying the attention of many junior grade officers. There were even a couple of children on board. Two very young ladies age 8 & 9 - cousins on board to New Zealand and I saw a young teen age lad. Other than that I believe the youth program crew had a pretty easy time of it.

 

The staying power beyond midnight for the older folks was weak and the ship was about 98% in bed by that time.

 

There were naturally a sizeable number of Brits on board and also many Germans, a few Spanish speaking folks and of course the American crowd. Everyone got on quite well although it would be fun to put togethr on an audio disc the various English accents that one came across.

 

For the first 6 days of the segment I felt (and it could have been just me) that folks were a bit reserved as they felt out the crowd. Attire was at a high level all day long and conversations were low key. Then all of a sudden it was as if the sun had come out after a rainy spell, people had a change in attitude, the dress level became more relaxed during the day and people were more talkative. Of course this gave me more opportunity to be the fly on the wall and while seated in the various lounges reading or enjoying the sea, I was able to gleen much information.

 

Seems that there is a sizeable number of repeat world cruisers with many folks into their 5th - 13th time around the globe. Of course all of these people tend to know each other better than they know the rest of the passengers so there is a bit a clickiness here but also tons a gossip. Such as "well now that she has a new boyfriend she is not as much fun as she was last year" and so on. great fun

 

The only place where I found things to be less than civil was in the launderette. Doing ones own wash can be a contact sport on the QE2. though they offer twelve free washers and dryers, and free soap etc. it was not a sufficient number to keep the troops in line and there was some nastiness exchanged as one gentleman tried to empty a half dry dryer and another lady tried to squeeze in front of another gentleman for a washing machine. The "pay for washing" began to look real good after deftly sidestepping my way through this event.

 

Tomorrow, we get to the ports. Hope I haven't bored you all to death but writing this gives me another several hours on board even if it is vicariously here in cold New Hampshire.

[travel-to-go]

Hope I haven't bored you all to death but writing this gives me another several hours on board even if it is vicariously here in cold New Hampshire.

 

heavens, no!

I've been trying to decide whose review I love most!

And I've decided... I love them both! Make that all!

 

Thanks for sharing your experiences with us and letting us live vacariously through you!

 

Karie

[bobby1119]

General Activities Aboard ship

 

Hope I haven't bored you all to death but writing this gives me another several hours on board even if it is vicariously here in cold New Hampshire.

Not in the least! I am enjoying every observation. Some of your renditions are so vivid that I feel I am actually there, too! I am also enjoying your posts because they are giving me a preview of what I can expect next year when I embark on the epic journey of a world cruise myself.

 

Keep the posts coming!

[tumeroll]

Ok let's see how much of this I can get done before the Super Bowl Kick off.

 

Port Calls

 

Before I get into individual ports, I would say that iInever heard a bad word or a case of disapointment from anyone about any of the excursions offered by the ship at any port other than those that went looking for the cliff divers in Acopulco. They either missed them or saw a limited display.

 

When I received the booklet describing all of the available excursions for the full world tour I was very imprseed by the quantity and seeming quality of trips. Some were breathtakingly expensive but most would not break the bank. Although one tour times the number of ports visited in 108 days still can add up to a tidy sum.

 

New York City - I believe that I covered the preembarkation weekend in the City in an earlier section of this review so I will skip further comment here except to say to all who do not live right in Manhattan that an extra two days or so before the cruise treating yourself to New York's higher end attractions really does set the tone for the cruise. New York has so much to offer but it is pricey.

 

Ft. Lauderdale- In as much as I have been there done that all along the Florida coast, I passed on getting off the ship. If the docks had been in walking distance of more than other docks I would have taken a nice several mile stroll but I did not feel like taking the free shuttle to the shopping mall and walking there (same stores as at home) The ship was lovely with fewer people on board and the day went as usual - way too fast.

 

As a side note while I think of it. Even thought the ship was full for this segment there was never a time when it felt full. There are so many different places for people to sit and walk that a full ship gets spread out quite nicely.

 

Though we were a few minutes late leaving the port our captain managed not to hit the sea wall with the propellers. As we sailed by the highrise condos that line the sea wall out of port, many local residents came out on the lawn or their balconies to wave goodbye. Some even decorated their balconies with Cunard flags and had air horns. Very festive.

 

As we were clearing the channel the Coast gGard boat that was accompanying us started to return to port when he noticed a fair sized motor boat approaching the ship at a high rate of speed, the Coast Guard boat immediately swung around fliped on his flashing lights and guided the motor boat out to sea and up the coast away from the QE2. Good to know security is on that high an alert.

 

Well it looks like I have run out of time if I want to rustle up some vituals before the game. Still no sign of either kitchen staff or room stewards here in New Hampshire. I am beginning to get concerned.

[Paul NH]

Tumeroll,

 

Thanks for the thorough review so far. Looking forward to more.

 

Paul

[tumeroll]

Let's see where was I? Before I start, who won the game? It was so boring I fell asleep in front of the fire. Now back to where my heart really is - the QE2.

 

Curacao

 

I booked the trolly ride tour through the ship and enjoyed it very much once we actually got to the trolly. From the pier we were placed in six passenger vans to take us across the tall bridge and the other side of the "ditch" that runs through the center of the island. We had the driver from you know where. Tires screeching as we went around curves on the entrance and exit ramps for the bridge and twice the speed of other vehicles on the bridge which is quite high up. Everyone was hanging onto their seats. Got to the trolly destination about five minutes before any of the other vans. I did make a note of the van's description to make certain I would not get back into it ever again.

 

We had an excellent guide on the tour which wound around through the older section of the port city stopping here and there for photo ops. Seems, most of the old houses and other buildings in the city are made of a coral type clay that contains so much salt that paint will not stay on much longer than 9 months and it tends to crumble. This makes the maintenance of the older homes very expensive. So expensive that in the 1960's the entire Hebrew community on the island simply up and moved to newer buildings abandoning their wonderfully beautiful older properties. They stayed empty for years and just recently the government has begun to retore them and sell them for office use. Good to see them being restored as they are quite impressive but sad they will not enjoy being homes anymore.

 

We also stopped at an interesting Catholic church and then it was back to the shopping area if we wished or a ride back to the ship. Having learned that there was a free and very frequent ferry across the river and just a short walk back to the ship, I opted to take that route rather than chance another Disney style ride across the bridge. Shoping in curacao is like shopping at my local mall. Same shops. Overall, I find none of the Caribbean islands I have visited very exciting, other than the architecture of one or two.They look quite similar and have the same shopping experience to offer. Now if you are into sampling the various beaches or looking at the exclusive gated resorts then they may offer a difference.

 

Last spring on a different cruise the first three Islands looked so much a like that I was sure we had simply gone out to sea long enough for the locals to change signs and then we returned to the same port.

 

Panama Canal

 

Never having been through the canal before, I found this day's cruise very interesting and educational. Took lots of pictures. It was quite warm for most of the day so after watching the ship navigate the first set of locks I enjoyed the rest of the scenery from the very comfortable chairs in the Queens lounge.

 

That evening the ship stayed in the outer harbor area of Panama City and was the center of attention as she seemed to be the only one not fully anchored. it was a clear star lite night and there were ships all around us equally lighted up very pretty scene.

 

Early in the morning the ship came into the inner harbor and laid anchor ready for the tendering into Panama City. Actually, we did not tender directly into the city but to a very nice docking area on the outskirts of the city. Panama City since the US gave back the Canal has grown emensely and has a skyline that rivals any US city except maybe NYC.

 

I had booked the train ride back across the Ismus as my excursion and it was worth every bit of the $159. We had again an excellent guide. A lady born in Vermont but who has basically lived in Panama since she was three. Her father was a canal pilot and she was schooled in the zone. They were called Zonees back then. As she can speak both English and Spanish ashe was the perfect guide. Filled with lots of information from statistics to great local trivia.

 

After a short ride from the dock, we boarded the train that runs from coast to coast. originally built just a few years after the canal opened under great difficulty as the road bed kept sinking and they would occasionally lose whole trains into the mud, it had fallen into disuse until several years ago when it was determined that having a railroad would be useful to allow container ships to haul larger loads of containers. Seems in order for the canal pilots to have full sight of the entire ship and the locks etc. the number of containers in height is limited. Therfore, extra tall ships now can unload the extra containers on one side of the canal have them railed across and reloaded on the other side. A bit time consuming but cheaper than putting them on another ship.

 

Since the railroad was now upgraded it was natural to add a passenger segment to the equation. There are about 10,000 people who work in various jobs on the Altantic side of the canal many of which live in Panama City so they take the train across in the morning and back at night. Costs $25 a day (hmm - the $159 tour price looks like a high profit item for Cunard)..

 

Well that left the rest of the day open for this passenger train sooo, they began to offer it to the tourists from the cruise lines. Only each tour gets only a one way trip so they can accomodate a different ship on the other side. That means the retun trip was by bus. A very comfortable air conditioned bus I might add and actually it gave us now a third way to view the Ismus. first by ship, then rail and finally by bus.

 

On our way back from the Atlantic side we stopped at the Gatun Locks for a totally up close look at the operation and as luck would have it we watched a super container ship work its way through the system.

 

Crossing the Ismus by bus allowed for views of how the natives really live. Squatters for the most part on government land in terrible housing but with a seven /eleven style store right on the road in front of each tiny village. Very poor conditions. Coming back we had the first bit of rain on the entire trip. It rained again fairly hard that night as we headed up the coast but by that time everyone was happily into the evenings entertainment.

 

I managed to pick up a booklet of real estate for Panama and they claim that one can hire a live in maid for just $150 - $200 a month and it is very safe to live there (if you like tall fences and barbed wire on top). That seems to be the general theme through out the Caribbean and Central America. Ask the guides if it is safe to live there and they all say yes very safe. Then you look at the homes and they are either in a gated/guarded community or have these fences. So I guess it is all in the definition.

 

Acapulco

 

Though Panama City did give one the feeling of being in a foreign country vs the Caribbean islands, Acapulco definitely had many sections that did not resemble home. The city is booming and according to our guide is in three sections. The original area close to the docks is the poorest followed by the middle range and as one heads up the hills around the harbor into the high price real estate. As one drives along, everything changes from hotels to housing to shops. No American franchises in the cheap seats but a Walmart in the middle area along with average hotels, condos and shops along with the usual franchises then into the expensive area with luxury high rise hotels, condos etc. right up to the gated communities at the top of the hill where prices for homes can run upwards of $20 million.

 

At this port stop, I was graced with a free tour thanks to my travel agent. She had arranged for a non-Cunard tour that was excellent. Again a super driver, guide. There were three vans for the 18 of us that had received this comp tour. The tour actually began several days earlier with a printed inviatin sliped under the door for a complimentarty cocktail party on board ship where we all met the tour group organizers who work for the main company (name not allowed to be given on the boards). This was quite nice and gave everyone a chance to meet if we did not already know some of our fellow travelers. Turned out one of the couples at my dinner table were also on the tour through a different travel agent so that was nice.

 

F`rom the dock we went first to the old fort that used to guard the harbor from pirates. It has been restored and turned into a very nice museum with many rooms filled with artifacts and information about the port and the country as a whole.

 

From there we headed all the way up one of the twin hills (mountain - depending on how high your hills need to be to be called mountains). Thakfully we did not have the driver from Curacao on this trip as the roads were extremely steep and narrow. But the views were outstanding At the very top of mountain number one there is a wonderful little interdenominational chapel and a hugh cross that can be seen across the entire harbor area. Seems this site was originally owned by the Hiltons but then sold to a very wealthy Mexican family. They lived in Mexicao City but would weekend in Acapulco. Unfortuantely one weekend their two sons perished in a plane crash while returning back home. Then a year later the wife passed away from a heart attack. Instead of building their dream mansion on this mountain top, the husband built a chapel and cross in dedication to the family members now gone. A year later he passed away also but left an endowment for the perpetual maintenance of the chapel. The land still remains with surviving family members. Natually it is a busy tourist stop but one wonders if the rest of the residents who live in the gated and very guarded community one must pass through to get to the chapel appreciate all the extra non-guest traffic. These are the homes that sell for upwards of $20,000,000. The views are spectacular.

 

Off the mountain we carefully wind our way down and then up the second mountain. Forunately no one in our van has spotted the very large boulders that lie on the side of the road having fallen off the mountain. Nor the speed limit signs of 50 KLM on a road that 25 can be exciting.This mountain has nothing but squatter shacks and even narrower roads with some very steep drops should one miss a turn. Again our driver was very cautious. This land is government owned and the squatters if they stay long enough can earn rights to the land. When they get these rights, they immediately sell them to someone who then builds a mansion on the property and the squatters get enough money to build a modest home elsewhere. So there are some big homes being built on this mountain also. But in the mean time the squatters in their shack get the same fabulous view as the mansions on the other mountain.

 

At the top of this mountain we stopped at the home of a very interesting gentleman. He migrated from Hungary about 50 years ago and settled at the mountain in what once must have been a very fine home and garden complex. While the home is still nice with a super view, the grounds have been let go. Possible on purpose so as to let the neighbors think there is nothing of value inside. There is the same tall fence, broken glass on the top and the barbed wire. Inside the house is filled with the gentleman's sculpture and jewelry that he makes. Though I had never heard of him and do not remeber his name for the moment he evidently has some following and serveral books of his works have been published. My impression, was he is a free spirit, fully enjoying life, while selling just enough to keep himself going .

 

Very unusual but beautiful items and not at all shy about pricvng them at New York City, Madison Avenue Botique prices.

 

Back down the mountain, it was time for lunch. Another wonderful experience on the tour as we ate at Kookaboro's named after the Australian bird. The restaurant sits right on the side of the mountain (the expensive one) and the entire back is open with no windows. Great view of the harbor and the QE2. Excellent food and company.

 

After lunch, we were taken to a "silver manufacturing plant" read shop for tourists. But doesn't every tour have its commercial side? managed to find a souvenier spoon for my daughter. I think she must be the last such collector in the world as these things are hard to find at very port. But I found one and made my $6 per port contribution to the local economy. Who says I am not a big spender.

 

By now it was time to head back to the ship and tea. can't miss tea you know.

 

Los Angeles

 

Unfortuately not a port stop but my debarkation point (next time it will be just a brief stop off point).

 

If you remember the timing of this trip coincided with Ohsama's latest note so the port of LA was in high gear. The ship actually had to speed up in order to arrive 1 1/2 hours early for customs to fully search the ship before allowing anyone to leave. This was accomplished by a burly looking team of six agents.

 

Though we were supposed to be able to begin debarking around 8 Am Customs was being more than thorough so it was taking longer than expected and I did not leave the ship until around noon. Pity those trying for AM flights. They kept announcing their apologies for the delay and actually had Princess cruise people ready to escort people to the airport to try and make flights and help with arrangements should flights be missed. Don't think too many cruise lines go that extra mile.

 

At any rate, I had reserved a rented car and called the agency to be picked up. They said they had a van circling and no sooner did the speaker say that, I saw the van and was on in a flash with all my luggage which had arrived off the ship way before I had.

 

it was a quick ride over to the office and an easy check in and registration to get the car. I was now on my own in the heart of the Los Angeles Freeway system "a Yankee Drives the Freeways" - I will cover my post cruise experience in LA with some port suggestions and my train ride back across the fruited plain in my final post on this review.

 

Very Brief Summary

 

From beginning to end the cruise was wonderful. I would have preferred not to have had the cold for the first part of the trip but would not have missed ithe cruise for the world. The ship, the crew and the passengers were all wonderful .As I have indicated, I plan to return as many times as I can manage before they dry dock this magnificent beauty of a ship.

[curlyQ]

Well my goodness, you have the patience of a saint to write such a detailed review,

 

BRAVO! I say, BRAVO!!!

[dougnewmanatsea]

I plan to return as many times as I can manage before they dry dock this magnificent beauty of a ship.

What are they going to do when they drydock her that makes you want to return "as many times as you can manage" before then?

 

Her next scheduled drydock is in April, so if you want to sail in her before then, you'd better hurry ;) !

 

Anyhow, great review. Guess I should post my first installment soon. I was going to on Sunday, but got sidetracked and haven't had time to finish it :o . Maybe tomorrow...

[tumeroll]

What are they going to do when they drydock her that makes you want to return "as many times as you can manage" before then?

 

Her next scheduled drydock is in April, so if you want to sail in her before then, you'd better hurry ;) !

 

Anyhow, great review. Guess I should post my first installment soon. I was going to on Sunday, but got sidetracked and haven't had time to finish it :o . Maybe tomorrow...

 

Wrong choice of words. I meant before they do something like was done with the original Queen Mary.

 

I have one more review of my time in LA and the train ride but I am off on a business trip so will get back to it next week if I can find the thread by then.

[dougnewmanatsea]

Wrong choice of words. I meant before they do something like was done with the original Queen Mary.

Ah, got it now.

 

I too am determined to sail in her as much as possible before she goes - though there are also other (former) liners on my "wish list" that I want to try before it's too late.

[guernseyguy]

Tumeroll,

 

Thanks for a great review - though I disembarked from the QE2 in New York, I now feel as though I sailed on to LA! I wonder if we will have any other reviewers to carry us on round the world cruise!

 

Thanks again.

 

Peter

[TomKel]

Many thanks to Tumeroll. I am enjoying your journal - well written and worth reading. Anticipating your report on the train travel portion. We've done the same ship and train route that you are describing, and look forward to your report on the train.

[Glaciers]

..., I headed up the stairs for the Queens Lounge and High Tea (never missed a single one during the 14 days and I have the pounds to prove it).

 

I only missed one afternoon nap.

 

Wonderful review Tumeroll, thank you.

[tumeroll]

Back from my business trip and sitting here in the frozen north enjoying watching the snow fall and blow around. It really is beautiful. Particularly when one has a glass of sherry and can sit by the fire and plan for the next sailing.

 

Anyway, On leaving the QE2 in San Pedro after waiting from 10:00 am until close to noon to be able to leave the ship due to the extra careful immigration security, I was quickly picked up by my auto rental firm's van and was in my rental car before 1:00 PM.

 

Of course I managed to miss the proper left hand exit to the freeway headed to Long Beach and got to see a bit more of the San Pedro docks than planned but once turned around I was on the freeway and off to Long Beach and the Queen Mary for two nights.

 

Concerning the left hand exits, that would be my only complaint about the freeway system. The notices for left hand exits are not provided until about a half mile before the exit and if one is five lanes over to the right it can be a bit hairy to push over. But with a rental car tag on the rear plate, many other drivers simply giveway rather than try to push back. Thanks to all those folks.

 

Arriving at the Queen Mary, I was met by a bellman at the entrance, quickly parked the car ($10 per night) and was taken up to the ship's main lobby for check in. In as much as the ship has not been upgraded since it was docked here (thankfully as that would destroy what little is left of the experience) one does get the feeling of a cross of "The Shining" and a down at the heels Catskills, NY hotel.

 

Of course that is exactly what I was looking for, so it was great. The losing of my reservation was not so great but after about ten minutes of searching the back room and the computer files they did find it. I had reserved directly with the ship/hotel and had my paper work so I was not concerned but more amused by the general lack of professionalism exhibited at the front desk. The back of the house guy who finally located everything was not really dressed for guest appearanes but should have been as he was the night manager. At any rate, he pretended to give me an upgrade for my wait. Since I had already booked a first class room and the only upgrade possible at that point would have been a suite which I did not get, I chaulked it up to "nice try".

 

With bellman (who had been waiting all this time but with almost no one in the hotel it was not a problem) in tow, we headed up one flight to my stateroom over looking the city of Long Beach. Spacious, clean with a great view from the two portholes. The room was classic 1930's Art Deco. Good sized bathroom with the original fixtures. All worked well and the tub water fizture that offered not only hot and cold water but hot and cold salt water was neat . This selection of fixtures had been shut off but left for folks to marvel at. I did take a photo of it for the travel journal.

 

I fuly photograped the room and looked at the bottom of all of the drawers in the room to see if i could find any markings from when the ship was used to ferry troops across the pond. I did find several mentions plus numerous newer ones from folks who have continued this unique way to leave ones mark on history. ( I did also leave a note) I was off for a three hour self guided tour of the ship including many closed doors that were not locked but obviously were not really open to the public.

 

The ship is huge. Makes the QE2 feel like a ferry almost. Not only is there an open promenade deck but directly below on the next deck a totally enclosed promenade deck.

 

What I was disappointed in was that when they (Owners) took over the ship, they made some decisions that I felt severely diminished the ship's value as a tourist attraction. None of the restaurants currently operating in the ship are in spaces that originally housed the ship's dining rooms. These vast and wonderful spaces sit totally empty of any furniture and are ghostly in feel. Crying out for furniture and people. Other than the fan tail lounge which appears original in most every aspect, none of the public rooms as they were, are used for the tourists. Yes you can rent a room for a wedding or a meeting and then they move in modern furniture for the event but that is a far cry rom what could have been if they had followed the old maxim - "If it isn't broken don't try to fix it"..

 

On the main promenade deck they have converted all of the public rooms from the library to the childrens play room, the card room and the writing room into shops. All that is left to bring back the memories of how the ship looked is a black and white photo by the door to each shop.

 

I did take 50 photos of the ship in case the present brankruptcy status of the operating company causes it to cease being what it is now, a shadow of its former self. Yet, I would recommend anyone who really loves old ships that they do pay her a visit when in the area. The sad part is that she could have attracted so many more people who have an interest but not a burning passion for such things had they left it more like her original layout.

 

After an $81 dinner in Sir Winston's (the premier restaurant on the ship) - Quality and service no where near as good as what I just left on the QE2, I wandered into the Fan Tail Lounge and lo and behold there were at least six - eight other ex QE2's having a libation. I joined in and we all expressed remorse for not being able to continue on further at that time but did vow to return in 2007.

 

The LA Freeways & LA

 

On Tuesday I headed out onto the freeway system to LA proper as I had a 3:00 PM reservation to take a VIP tour of the Warner brother backlot. Between a reasonable map and some excellent directions from some local folks I had no problems finding the Warner Brother facility. Arriving about two hours early, I decided to drive around the area. Never did get into downtown LA that day but did see a bunch of the surrounding towns. I was impressed by how wide all of the streets were even in small towns. And everything was quite clean. A far cry from the eastern seaboard of the US where dirt and litter is more the rule than the exception.

 

For all of you Massachussets drivers who enjoy the three lane weave with no use of brakes or directional signals (a show of weakness) you would love the five lanes of the Freeways. Only problem doing the high speed exit to the right from the left hand lane, while hair raising on a three lane highway at 75 mph, is not recommended on a five lane road.

 

Warner Brothers Back Lot Tour

 

We had a great young guide who had lots of knowledge and a good sense of humor. The entire tour was interesting. We saw Freddie Prinz Jr and one of the actors from the West Wing (Yipee!) and learned that Walton's Mountain was actually the back side of the mountain that holds the HOLLYWOOD sign (Bummer).

 

Long Lost Relatives

 

It's not every day that one gets to meet two half sisters that one has never met before so that was the real highlight of my LA visit and really of the entire trip.

 

The Train Ride Home

 

As you may or may not know, I do not fly. Period end of story. If I can't get there by car, boat or train it is not worth going. So far, I do not feel I have been deprived.

 

Any way, I love the train. Where else can one get to see that many back yards and rusting factories in the US than by train. Such is not the case between LA and San Antonio. I had never done this ride before so I was actually thrilled that the train was three hours late going out of LA because that gave me more daylight time over the open country part of the trip. Seems that the railroads are enjoying loads of freight traffic these days and once a passenger train gets off schedule all hell breaks lose and the train gets pushed onto more and more sidings until somewhere in the system they can get it all back on schedule.

 

From LA to San Antonio the train goes through very beautiful barren open country. Few cattle and fewer people and almost no buildings. One really has to love solitary life styles to live out in that part of the US.

 

The train station in LA is quite impressive so waiting was not a

problem as I wandered around and took more photos. Even the park right out in frony of the station that the homeless use as a livingroom was free of litter. Good to have such clean homeless folk.

 

I had booked a roomette on the train from LA to Chicago. They are configured for one or two people with two pull down beds. Very comfortable for one crowded for two. Set on the second floor of the car the views are excellent. Unfortunately these sleepers do not have individual bath facilities (the larger doubles do have such facilities but are quite pricey) So it was off to the end of the car for that need. The sleepers do have a shower room and that was a very nice feature as the trains east of Chicago do not have this amenity.

 

Every thing on the train was very clean, well maintained and all of the staff very friendly. These folks really love railroading and are quite upset with the federal government's attempt to kill long distance train travel.

 

With the bedroom ticket one gets all their meals included in the price. While certainly not of QE2 quality, all were nicely served and were tastey and of ample proportion. As on board the ship one takes their meals with strangers at the table and I met another bunch of very interesting people from all over the country. Several of which were going the full distance from LA to Boston.

 

Between enjoying the scenery, eating, talking, reading and sleeping the entire Wednesday afternoon to Sunday evening trip went smoothly and quickly. We were actaully into Boston a half hour early.

 

The high spot of the trip, excitment wise, was the overly long stop at a small station just outside of El Paso, Taxas. The border patrol had to take ten Illegals off the train and away in their van. A well dressed group of young men who were not in the least concerned about being caught. I am sure they were back in the US within a matter of days if not hours after being put back on the Mexican side that evening.

 

Well, It has now been two weeks since I returned back home to NH. Still no sign of my room steward nor any dining room staff. I guess even with my generous offer they have decided to remain with the ship. Who could fault them for that decision. Were it possible that is exactly where I would be right now, sailing further around the world. But, I am doing my planning for next year's sailing and hope to be there when the QE2 sails out of New York Harbor. For that privilage I will put up with Red Hook instead of Manhattan.

 

Now it is time to replenish the sherry and toss another log on the fire as the snow continues to pile up. Tomorrow is soon enough to go deal with that stuff. May eveyone who has posted such kind notes about my reviews and those who have simply taken the time to read them, have a wonderful year and may we all be blessed with the ability to sail on the QE2 often and for long periods of time.