QUEEN MARY 2 ~ TRANSATLANTIC CROSSING BLOG
Preamble and Embarkation - Sunday, 21st September ~ Day 1
I left a friend's flat in Lamberth, south of the Thames, for Victoria
Coach Station there on foot arriving about 9:30am. Boarded a National Express
coach, with a 5 pound Internet fare ticket, for a 10am departure to Southampton
via Heathrow and Winchester. A handful of others had QM2 airline-style
tags attached to their bags. The train may be twice as fast but on a Sunday
there is no megatrain coach and the one-way SW Train would have cost 28 pounds.
Arrived Southampton at 12:30, and used the ASDA lift across the street to level
10 and walked through the store to the shopping street where just to the right
a free Link Bus ran to Town Quay. Then alighted and walked to dock gate
adjacent to the old White Star HQ and entered. The new cruise terminal's
framing canopy is under construction on the dock between the Town Quay and the
former Ocean Terminal berth. Passed the last remaining piece of the OT, a set
of stairs, then on to the QEII Terminal, entering via the old boat train platform.
The queue had really backed up now at 1:00pm as the computers were down but
only for ten minutes longer. Having World Club Diamond status, the queue was
very short and moved quickly. I said hello to a Ships Monthly reader who always
recognizes me and v.v. then went through security. A family arrived with at
least five dogs, one a black and white cocker spaniel, another a greyhound and
a third a long hair dachsund, with dogs four and five in small dog boxes. The
family was relocating back to the U.S. and want to find out more. The dogs each
went through the security gate separately and without fuss.
Boarded immediately and went to Cabin 39, a familiar one, just ahead of the
passenger cabins on 5 deck, with a recessed porthole in the bow which begins to
seriously curve here. The routine is to go to Connexions to get my lecture
schedule, four of five sea days at 11:30am, meet the technical staff and do a
TV interview with the Entertainment Director, David Pepper. By this time, the
ship had sailed about 5 minutes late in to a beautiful late afternoon.
Commodore Bernard Werner in command, we made a 180-degree turn and headed
slowly down Southampton Water to scatter the many sailboats in the channel. A
few strong hoots had them come about rather quickly. Then it is the dog leg
past Cowes and the Solent.
I joined the press group of 12, including partners and spouses, for drinks in
the Grill Bar then to two six-place assigned tables in the Princess Grill, my
first time there. Great meal and service and good conversation. More about that
venue on a later day. Took a few turns on deck and to bed before 11 pm in what
is always a very quiet cabin.
Monday, 22nd September ~ Day 2
Up at 7am as the projectionist wanted to go through the drill and set up,
as there had been some technical problems, before the 9am mass, then breakfast
in the Kings Court and no problem finding a bay window table, to block out the
rest of the vast space, as it was still early for the first morning at sea and
with clocks not set back.
The last glitch to the technical set up fixed three minutes before going on, so
no one knew or needed to know the hassle. Good crowd for the first lecture on
the history of Cunard and with a lot coming up afterwards to chat about their
crossings, always fun to hear. One passenger's father had been the last purser
on the S. S. United States.
A quick lunch then an afternoon ahead working tomorrow's talk on Monuments of
the Metropolis, that being NYC. I have recast some of the talks to gear them to
the mainly British passengers coming for a stay in NYC.
It's the not unusual cloudy day with perhaps a F6-7, just a guess as I did not
hear the commodore's noontime announcement while talking in Illuminations. So
far I have not recognized any other passengers so very unlike the Winter
Crossing Club sailings. But a few know me from previous crossings attending the
talks.
Until tomorrow.
Ted aboard the Queen Mary 2 at sea.
Queen Mary 2 Chart Room
(Photograph courtesy of Joseph Zloch)
Day 2 (Continued)
The moderate seas in the morning and early afternoon upset about half the
journalist group but they all showed up at cocktail hour - 7:45pm - in the
Chart Room, my favorite bar on the ship, in fact, the most evocative of any
place on the ship. Everyone was was in high spirits as mal de mer seems to have
passed.
We had dinner as a group of 12 in the Britannia, lower level on the far
starboard side, and what a nice evening it was. They all seem to like the ship
and few have had much experience on cruises at all and normally would not do
one. But this appealed, especially as they felt better.
I sat next to an American-born Japanese who told me that her father, also
American-born Japanese had served in the U.S. Army during World War II while
her uncles and family had their businesses confiscated before being sent to an
internment camp in Arizona for the balance of the war. It was never explained
to them why the disparity.
Dinner was escargot and lamb cutlets and really the only difference from
Princess Grill was that the lamb was not carved at the table. After dinner the
black and white ball was on in the Queens Room, an old-fashioned dance evening
with everyone dressed up. All the women in my group (8) were dressed in black.
Took a long turn on deck then turned in and ship hardly moving. Queen Mary 2
is really a stable vessel.
Queen Mary 2 at speed in the Atlantic
(Photograph courtesy of Joseph Zloch)
Tuesday, 23rd September ~ Day 3
Up at 8:00 and a bay window table for breakfast then a rearranging of the
talk - Monuments of the Metropolis from the Battery to the Bronx. By the start,
Illuminations was standing room only. I started off with a monument in the
Bronx and the last game played last night at the old Yankee Stadium. Some
passengers said that they had awoken at 1am to watch the game until it was
over. One man admitted bawling at the end of the game when the team all lined
up.I gather there was no rowdiness, too many police.
I covered the development of the skyscraper, bridges, the classic high-rise
apts on Central Park West, ethnic neighborhoods and the New York City subway as
topics of NYC monuments. So many of the passengers are staying on in New York,
so there is a lot of interest. The protracted applause at the end was beyond
gratifying.
One of the trio assembled in the atrium on Deck 2 for a singalong. Lots of
people showed up and joined in on both levels and the two curving staircases.
The atmosphere was warm and fuzzy. Attended a lecture by an Oxford professor of
the development of theater and its place in society during the Shakespeare era.
She was a terrific speaker. Now about to attend a second forensic talk, this
time on the assassination of Julius Ceasar.
The sea is calm and the sky a North Atlantic gray.
Ted on board Queen Mary 2
Day 3 - Tuesday (Continued)
As these blogs are written at midday aboard the ship, they will include the last part of one day and the first part of the next.
After an almost flat calm the wind picked up from the south and it was
choppy again. The promenade deck was officially closed with strip barriers, but
I simply walked aft and out. One side was a wet walk so I stayed on the other
for a late afternoon constitutional.
The captain's cocktail party was held and Commodore Warner gave a peppy talk
about the Queen Mary 2 as a liner and why, and then gave the passenger
statistics, something I always looking forward to hearing. 1520 are from the
U.K. with 800 of them staying on for the cruise to Boston and Halifax and 200
staying in New York before returing on the eastbound. 592 are Americans, a
hundred up on the number westbound in May. 104 Germans, 66 Canadians, 49 Swiss,
34 Australians, plus about 15 other nationalities. Then there are 7 dogs and 2
cats, and I am scheduled to visit them later this afternoon.
Our group had dinner in Todd English, and while it was a formal night, I was
surprised how few passengers had made reservations. Maybe six tables were
occupied while we were there from 7:30-10:15. Some of us wanted to sample
several different appetizers and main courses, so we shared dishes which was a
lot of fun. The Love Letters, a pasta appetizer was superb, and one that I
remember from the maiden voyage when a group of ship enthusiasts had dinner in
the semi-private room as the far end.
I watched the elaborate "popular" Opera show in the Royal Court and
three singers had excellent voices that added a genuine note of quality to the
elaborate staging and costumes.
Queen Mary 2 Britannia Restaurant
(Photograph courtesy of Joseph Zloch)
Wednesday, 24th September ~ Day 4
Today, Wednesday, I gave a first-time talk on Central Park, its origins,
designs and layout plus added a lot of anecdotes. I have a number of similar
views taken in different seasons to show how much the park can change.The most
sensational are the fall foliage scenes because the park was planted with a
wide variety of trees and some spectacular shots from the blizzard of February
12, 2006. The crowd was standing room-only again.
I am always a bit worried how unprepared some of the passengers are about
visiting the city, especially with the remote docking location. I am adding a
bit about the Brooklyn location and answering a lot of questions around the
ship, which I enjoy. Some seem prepared to take the local B61 bus to downtown
Brooklyn and if some are not, I say that they should buy the transfer to
midtown, and damn the expense.
Ted aboard Queen Mary 2
Day 4 Wednesday (Continued)
I had a visit to the kennels located aft behind the funnel on the
starboard side. The pets have a small outdoor deck, actually a passage to the
deck below but closed off when the kennels are occupied. All the owners were
present and they have a generous amount of time every morning and afternoon to
stay with their pets - 7 dogs and 2 cats. Some brought their own food and
others used the kennel menu. The rate is $300-500 one way depending on the
pet's size.
One family, with three dogs, were moving back to the U.S. after four years and
they did not want to send their pets by air. England is still very strict about
bringing animals into the country, and once when traveling by ferry from Hook
of Holland to Harwich, their pets were denied entry because one procedure had
not been completed, so they had to sail back. This time they crossed the North
Sea to then join the QM2 at So'ton without trouble. The pets that were
nervous had received a bit of sedation but all said they had mostly calmed
down.
At 7pm I attended a one-hour R.A.D.A. version of Noel Coward's Private Lives,
and it was very well done. Two couples are on their honeymoon at a French hotel
and one from each couple had been married to the other and then divorced. When
they see each other here, a madcap performance ensues.
At 8pm, I joined the Cunard World Club party and had a lot of good
conversations with passengers who had been to my talks. Then the Commodore
spoke and asked passengers about who had sailed in the distant past. We heard Queen
Mary, Queen Elizabeth, Caronia in the 50s then 40s, then one man sailed Berengaria.
As most people did not know this ship, the Commodore said that it had been
handed to Cunard after WWI and had been a German liner. He was about to say its
name, and it had slipped his mind, so he simply looked straight at me and I
said "Imperator." Those with the most days were announced and
the winners, a Canadian couple were brought up and handed a bouquet of flowers
and a boxed gift. There was very little selling by the on-board booking staff,
so it was a nice affair and following on a reunion of Queen Mary
passengers earlier in the afternoon. One passenger I knew had made a crossing
when she was 6 months old and brought a photo to prove it.
The entertainment director invited the entertainers and lecturers to dinner at
the captain's table in the Britannina, second sitting, and it was a fun evening.
I sat between a noted artist, at least in Britain, and the Shakespeare expert.
Others were an Irish comedian, a singer, a concert pianist and the forensic
expert plus partners, spouses.
The big band dance evening was a huge success with a standing room-only crowd
in the Queens Room, and the two house bands played together to create the rich
sound. Really only Cunard can stage this kind of evening, whether the theme is
the black and white ball of two nights ago or upcoming Ascot tonight.
Queen Mary 2 Forward Observation area.
(Photograph courtesy of Joseph Zloch)
Thursday, 25th September ~ Day 5
Awoke this morning to a crisp sunny day, and the outside temperature was
46, well down on yesterday. We were now off the Newfoundland coast. I spotted a
whale so my record of seeing a whale on at least the last ten or so crossings
stands.
Walking around the ship, people were reading in numerous public rooms,
including the bars and those side passages all the way forward where
comfortable chairs are set right alongside picture windows. One side had game
tables set up and every one was being used for Scarbble, chess, backgammon and
cards. The whole ship had a very peaceful atmosphere. Those making their
constitutionals were the hardy ones and fast walkers going clockwise, so there
were no roadblocks of dawdlers or those doing it the wrong way around.
I just finished lunch in the Princess Grill where one of the journalist wanted
some quotes about the difference between making a Cunard crossing today and 40
years ago. I enjoyed the exercise and hope to see the article one day.
The ship is now only getting FOX News as the BBC had stopped being picked up
and CNN has not yet been added. It is very frustrating to have such a poor news
source when so much is happening especially on the political and financial
scenes. The ship's news sheets from Britain and the USA are just summaries.
A bridge visit is coming up later this afternoon.
Ted on aboard Queen Mary 2
Day 5 Thursday (Continued)
The Entertainment Director wanted me to come to the TV studio to do a
short talk on the New York arrival. When the ships dock at the West Side piers,
I do a commentary from the bridge, beginning as the ship approaches the V-Z
Bridge but now with the very early Red Hook arrival, it is too early and dark
to be able to point out much.
The Sandy Hook pilot will board about 3:45 a.m. tomorrow, then it's under the
bridge before 5 a.m., a 180-degree turn off the southern tip of Governors
Island and a reverse into the berth, docking just after 6:15 a.m.
After the interview, I had two minutes to get from 2 Deck to 12 Deck forward to
meet the group visiting the bridge. The Commodore hosted the first part of the
bridge tour. There were a few new things that I learned. Queen Mary 2
can maneuvre without the aid of tugs with a beam wind up to 27 knots, then
above that she has to have assistance or to cancel the port call. Full engine
power without the gas turbines will yield just over 23 knots, and one gas
turbine will add another three, and two again another three. But the price to
fuel the gas turbines is twice as expensive, so he tries not to have to use
them.
A third officer gave a very good tour of the equipment. Four are on the bridge
at any one time, and two are officers, one junior and one senior.
Dressing for the last formal night, we gathered in the Commodore Club on the
far starboard side in an area with windows to the side and forward. The sun
would set in about a half hour, and in the meantime, the seas were calm and we
spotted numerous whale spouts for the next 30 minutes. The cloud effects
created a beautiful sunset, and almost everyone stopped talking and just
watched the ball drop below the horizon. It was magic.
Dinner in the Princess Grill, with a small dollop of caviar as an appetizer. It
seems to be less and less available as time goes by. The main course was an
excellent Beef Wellington. My table had the older journalists and we talked
about radio shows and how they were introduced. Some had amazing recall, and
one had actually been a voice on several, so he had us in hysterics. I recalled
a short one - "Good Evening Mr. and Mrs. North and South America and all
the Ships at Sea." (Walter Winchell)
The Ascot Ball produced about 30 women wearing hats they had made and a few men
joined in too. Maureen Ryan, the now retired social hostess, could make
anything special, and she is sorely missed.
Queen Mary 2 at dusk.
(Photograph courtesy of Joseph Zloch)
Friday, 26th September ~ Day 5
In the morning, the weather had completely changed. The wind was now
coming from the south and it was a full 20 degress warmer than yesterday at the
same time. A nor'easter is coming up the coast, with some wind and perhaps a
lot of rain, so the arrival tomorrow may be a bit of a disappointment. The sea
also began to rise as well and is expected to continue to do so for the rest of
the day.
The talk this morning was on the Port of New York, the growth of the passenger
and freight traffic, the various ferry and harbor services, the ocean liner
trade into the modern cruise ship era, and the shift of the cargo traffic from
Manhattan and Brooklyn to Port Newark and Port Elizabeth. I then added a
section about what maritime attractions and relics remain and how to tour the
waterfront on foot and by water. It was the third SRO talk, then afterwards, I
signed books and answered lots of questions in the library. The first-time
passengers are very exited about visiting New York.
Most people who want to go ashore independently (those continuing onto Canada)
have the idea that they can just hop into a taxi, and I have to tell them
otherwise, because it is really hit or miss about whether there will be enough
taxis, especially if the weather is rainy. If they ask, I mention the B61 bus,
but I have to qualify this suggestion for those who are not used to cities. The
Cunard transfer is really the best bet.
A final blog will cover the rest of the crossing from the evening of the last
day and the arrival, if there is something worthwhile saying.
Ted aboard Queen Mary 2
Day 7 (Saturday) Arrival New York
Queen Mary 2 picked up her Sandy Hook pilot at Ambrose at 3:45 a.m. then passed under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge at 4:45. Some low-lying fog caused the horn to be sounded for about 20 minutes. As we passed St. George's, the 5 a.m. Staten Island Ferry (Alice Austen or John A. Noble) departed and sailed alongside for about 15 minutes. Just off the still lighted Statue of Liberty, QM2 turned to starboard to then make a 180-degree maneuvre off the southern tip of Governors Island. Reversing into the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, the ship was alongside at 6:00. Because the Queen Mary 2 hangs over the end of the pier, a small boat had to take the bow lines to the recessed shoreline bollards to secure the vessel. The gangways were in place by 6:15.
Queen Mary 2 at her Brooklyn berth.
(Photograph Theodore W. Scull)
As I had signed up for self-help, I arrived at the
gangway amidships on 3 Deck just as the disembarkation was starting (6:45). In
the shed, about 100 crew were lined up to clear immigration then to board
shuttle buses for Brooklyn's Atlantic Mall. Customs and Immigration were a
breeze and I was at the Van Brunt Street bus stop two blocks from the pier's
pedestian entrance as the B61 bus was pulling up ( 7 a.m.). I made an immediate
transfer to the F train in downtown Brooklyn, got off at 63rd and Lexington and
was in my apartment at 7:54 a.m., setting a new record for the transit and for
the early arrival home.
Because of a new storm expected to hit the Northeast, Commodore Bernard Warner
announced late on Friday that the ship would not leave New York on Saturday at
5 p.m. as scheduled. Shuttle buses would leave the Marriott Marquis in midtown
Manhattan until 1 a.m. giving passengers an evening on the town. At 6 a.m. on
Sunday morning the ship would leave the berth and anchor in Upper New York Bay
as the Caribbean Princess would need the pier. QM2 was scheduled
to depart Sunday afternoon on an amended New England/Canada cruise that would
drop Portland, Maine as a call and adjust the arrival the at Halifax. However,
if the severe weather abated sooner than anticipated, then the ship would leave
New York earlier on Sunday.
Ted Scull ashore in Manhattan