Live from QM2 - Norway and Northern Lights, M234A and M235

[Solent Richard]

2 hours ago, sfred said:

 

 

Thanks for the suggestion @Host Hattie and @exlondoner.  We've not been to Ghent before so we will have a go.  

 

Hi @sfred .

 

Out of interest I wrote a review of our visit to Ghent from Zeebrugge...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2015/06/15/zeebrugge-for-dummies/

 

 

...and the Ghent Review....

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2013/05/21/one-way-to-do-zeebrugge-ghent-edition/

 

 

Hopefully the weather will be kinder to you though we thoroughly enjoyed our visit from Queen Victoria...

 

 

That's Ghent's 3 Towers  in line by the way.

[Tonopah]

 Remembrance Day Service this morning.

 

As I attempted to photograph the bleak, grey morning the sun broke through. 
 

 

[sfred]

A very moving service for Rememberance Day 11 11 11.

 

Lest we forget...

[Tonopah]

I have two copies of the Remembrance Day order of service if anyone would like them.

 

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

7 hours ago, Tonopah said:

 Remembrance Day Service this morning.

 

As I attempted to photograph the bleak, grey morning the sun broke through. 
 

 

 

How lovely--both your picture and that they held a Remembrance Day service. It's Veterans Day in the US, and it doesn't get the attention I've seen in the UK.

 

I'm enjoying the posts from this cruise. I just booked it for next year. I have a few questions. How short are the days? Geographic karma says if you've got "midnight sun" in summer, you're going to have short days heading into winter. And how cold is it? Fall jacket? Winter coat?

 

[exlondoner]

25 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

How lovely--both your picture and that they held a Remembrance Day service. It's Veterans Day in the US, and it doesn't get the attention I've seen in the UK.

 

I'm enjoying the posts from this cruise. I just booked it for next year. I have a few questions. How short are the days? Geographic karma says if you've got "midnight sun" in summer, you're going to have short days heading into winter. And how cold is it? Fall jacket? Winter coat?

 

Actually, as the programme sort of implies, Remembrance Day is Sunday here. Strictly speaking today is Armistice Day, and not really an occasion, although in the last 20 or so years, the British Legion has tried to encourage a two minutes silence. But it’s not official.

[sogne]

41 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

How lovely--both your picture and that they held a Remembrance Day service. It's Veterans Day in the US, and it doesn't get the attention I've seen in the UK.

 

I'm enjoying the posts from this cruise. I just booked it for next year. I have a few questions. How short are the days? Geographic karma says if you've got "midnight sun" in summer, you're going to have short days heading into winter. And how cold is it? Fall jacket? Winter coat?

 

Tromso Nov 6th sunrise 0830 sunset 1420 approx 

 

temp 4-5 degrees centigrade in town

bit colder  at 2000 chasing NL  out of town 

[3rdGenCunarder]

8 minutes ago, sogne said:

Tromso Nov 6th sunrise 0830 sunset 1420 approx 

 

temp 4-5 degrees centigrade in town

bit colder  at 2000 chasing NL  out of town 

 

Thanks. That's an awfully short day, but at least I'll definitely get to see sunrise! 4-5C is brisk, but not so cold I need the thermal undies.

[sfred]

56 minutes ago, sogne said:

Tromso Nov 6th sunrise 0830 sunset 1420 approx 

 

temp 4-5 degrees centigrade in town

bit colder  at 2000 chasing NL  out of town 

 

What @sogne said.

 

We live in a warm climate so we brought all the cold weather kit we own, which isn't much:  winter coat, hat, and gloves.  It was enough for us.  Tromso was the coldest and darkest.  0 or -1 for lows and 3-4-5 for highs.  It was cloudy most of the time but when visible the sun was always low near the horizon giving the illusion of sunrise even at midday.

[sfred]

Sunrise in Zeebrugge.   We're off to Ghent in a little while. 

 

 

[Host Hattie]

Beautiful, have a great day 

[si_boy]

@sfredbeautiful photos of the sunrise, had me confused for a minute as QM2 was not supposed to dock at Zeebrugge until I read back a page and saw Ålesund and Stavanger being missed due to the weather.

Hope you have a great day.

[transatlantic fan]

Hi

We board Sunday, and just wondered who the cruise Director was at the moment. 

Thanks

[sogne]

1 hour ago, transatlantic fan said:

Hi

We board Sunday, and just wondered who the cruise Director was at the moment. 

Thanks

Michael Harvey

[sfred]

Back aboard from a very pleasant day in Ghent...

 

...and...

 

Oh No!

 

 

[shippmates]

Enjoy your posts and the beautiful photos.  I do not like to see that on my bed.  So sorry to sailing is coming to an end.  Safe travels home.

[Host Hattie]

Enjoy your last night on board if you're leaving the ship tomorrow and thanks for all your posts and photographs.

[si_boy]

1 hour ago, sfred said:

Back aboard from a very pleasant day in Ghent...

 

...and...

 

Oh No!

 

 

We had the same onboard QV on Thursday (we disembarked yesterday) except our stateroom steward helpfully got out the suitcases from under the bed and placed on the mat on the bed.
We got the message!!

[ClipperinSFO]

This has been a wonderful thread - it’s really put this cruise on the map for me and I hope to do it one day myself on a Cunarder.  Thanks for all your posts. 

[sfred]

We sadly disembarked QM2 earlier today, and are now at our Heathrow hotel for the flights home tomorrow.  I thought I might write down a few parting thoughts on our overall experiences from the Norway voyage.

 

The really-really-really good

• Words cannot adequately describe how absolutely wonderful it felt for us to be back aboard.  We enjoyed every minute of this Norway voyage.  It was our first time back since leaving QV in Santiago Chile in February 2020, a week before Australia’s international borders closed “for the duration”.  And it was our first time back on QM2 since July of 2018.  We treasured all our usual onboard routines and habits, and reacquainted ourselves with QM2s unique design quirks which we find charming.

 

The good

• We didn’t get sick, either with covid or Cunard flu.  Hurrah!  We took the ordinary precautions and were outside as much as weather allowed.  It is still somewhat of a relief to be heading home tomorrow in the same good health as when we started. 

• This was our first time in Britannia Club, and it was a very pleasant experience.  We had a table for two in a row of other 2’s, and our adjacent companions were friendly, interesting, and of similar traveling experiences.  Our waiters, Roderigo and Stanley, were capable and attentive.  A special note of thanks to the maître d', Richard, who was one of the best we’ve encountered on any Cunard ship in any grade of service. 

• The Norway ports we saw, Bergen Tromso and Trondheim, were great.  It is a big change for us to travel to arctic locations from summertime Australia.  We liked the novelty of the cold and dark, and while it was certainly cold, our winter gear was adequate for the temperatures.  We did our own thing in each of the ports, and did manage to see a glimpse of the northern lights one evening in Tromso.

• Embarkation at the Southampton Mayflower terminal was smooth and easy.  The Cunard IT systems probably tried their very best to disappoint, but everything worked.  Boarding pass and health declaration information was correct and available to the agent at checkin, and we were though to security and onto the ship in minutes.  Disembarkation was similarly easy.  We were given a 10.10a time to depart, which was fine as we were in no rush to leave.  An announcement came through shortly after 9a that the bags were all offloaded and we could depart at our convenience.

• QM2’s internet worked well.  Based on other Cruise Critic posts, I was expecting the worst.  We used the ship’s satellite internet with our Diamond credit on sea days, and a UK mobile carrier SIM roaming to Norway and Belgium on port days.  We had a good wi-fi signal in our deck 12 cabin, and in all QM2 public rooms.  Additionally, the wi-fi shifted access points seamlessly as I moved around the ship.  I did have to reconnect if I had gone more than two hours, but a shortcut placed on my phone’s home screen made this easy. 

 

The could-have-been-slightly better

• We greatly regret missing the last two Norway ports, Alesund and Stavanger.  I realise that the ship’s safety must come first, and the day that we were supposed to be in Alesund was particularly nasty.  I don’t know when or whether we are likely to return to Norway (it is a long way from Australia), so missing these ports was disappointing.  Our day in Ghent was a nice consolation (thanks @Host Hattie, @exlondoner, and @Solent Richard for your suggestions!).  

• Although QM2 had around 24 hours in Southampton at the start of the voyage (she arrived at around midnight the night before, and left later on departure night), she was missing several passenger items.  Bar soap and conditioner were apparently never loaded, according to our stateroom steward.  Laundry detergent for the launderettes ran out mid-voyage.  Gas canisters loaded for the restaurant tableside flambés were the wrong size for the burners, so flambés were suspended.  All first-world problems, and of course we muddled through.  But especially given the duration of the turnaround, Cunard might have done slightly better in provisioninig.

• The new internet pricing arrangements, at a minimum of $20 per day for the basic service on one device, caused us to quickly run through our $135 Diamond credit even though we used mobile coverage for port days.  Cunard might consider a pricing alternative to make the Diamond credit last longer.  Maybe offer an additional price point of $5 for 2 hours?  I didn’t really need a full day of continuous internet each day, and 2 hours would have been adequate to do email, catch up on news from back home, and check-in on Cruise Critic.  Or maybe the simplest approach would be to just make internet completely free for Diamonds?

 

 

That’s all from me.  Best wishes for a great remaining voyage for those who were lucky to stay aboard today for the westbound TA, and safe travels home to those back on land.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Thank you for the review, sfred. I'm glad that it was mostly good, and you didn't catch any respiratory illness. I had to laugh at your comments about Cunard's IT system. We all seem to have low expectations regarding embarkation and it's lovely when things work better than expected.

 

I agree about the new wifi plan. I could get through 10 days, sometimes more, on my diamond minutes. I don't need to be online all the time, so the unlimited plan feels like poor value for money, even if I'm not paying for all of it. 

 

Wishing you safe and smooth travels home. 

[TheOldBear]

Mrs Bear and I did the 'villages and chocolate' tour - the tour guide was [nice word] loquacious [/nice word] with repeated digressions on the 15th - 20th wars impact on Flanders, and more than a little bit of preaching.

 

In the village of Damme we elected to wander away from the tour and have a nice beer 🙂 I'm still going through the photos taken there and at a great house 'castle'. No photos at the chocolate factory stop - but several pounds of chocolate are on the shelf next to the life jackets. 

[NancyDrew1953]

I too have been on this journey since New York and will be on board until back in New York. I haven’t posted before on this topic due to a combination of just very busy enjoying the QM2 and the less than great internet.  I am on deck 12, and there is no internet in my cabin, but satisfactory in the public areas.  My greater frustration is with the My Voyages site.  Several times since NewYork it was not working, and the purser’s desk first claimed that the issues were being addressed by IT and then that the problem was with my IPhone or my IPad.  Right now, it seems fine.

 

My only other “complaint” has been how cold the Royal Court Theater and Illuminations has been.  Even well bundled up with sweaters, it has been uncomfortable.  In comparison, Noway was not as cold as I had expected. Norway was a beautiful and a fascinating place; I would like to someday visit in the summer.

We had an unexpected medical helicopter evacuation about 1 am this morning. I only hope that the passenger is fine.

 

Overall, however, it has been a wonderful experience.  Loved the lectures, the entertainment, the food and the crew.  Although many passengers were disappointed with the necessary change in the itinerary, I greatly enjoyed the unexpected stop in Belgium and my tour of Ypres and the Flanders Field museum. I just don’t want it this journey to end!  (In fact, I am booked to do the eastbound crossing in early December).

 

[new to cuising]

I too just returned from this Norway northern lights cruise, and it was my first experience of the new internet charging policy. Our diamond credit was only equivalent for six days use each so I had the first six days, and my wife the second six days. Once purchased the daily 20 dollar access can be used on any number of devices, but only one at a time, so as long as I logged out on my phone, my wife was able to use the same account on her phone. You only need to purchase a ‘second device’ access if the devices are used concurrently.

We too thought that the daily charge was a bit much, in that we only sent the odd email message etc so could easily have got by with an hour a day, as we are not of the younger generation that seem to need 24/7 access. 
incidentally, re the IT issues. We were on deck six with identical phones, my wife’s phone worked in the room but mine didn’t! No problems in public areas such as deck 7, commodore club, theatre, illuminations though.

[Host Hattie]

As long as you don't mind being in the same location you can share a connection via Bluetooth.