Queen Mary 2 ~ Transatlantic Crossing Blog - October 19-25, 2010

QM2

Here begins a daily blog from aboard Queen Mary 2 sailing westbound from Southampton to New York 19-25 October 2010

DAY 1

For embarkation, I kindly got dropped off at Southampton Central Station where I met my cabin mate (my wife is on a sisters trip in Italy) and a good friend. With carry-on luggage, we were fairly mobile and crossed the line to the free bus to Town Quay. At the quay's far end we could photograph both Queen Mary 2 at the Ocean Terminal and Independence of the Seas at the Mayflower Terminal.

The former two-level pub here is now closed so we had to make do for lunch with one of the small cafes and adjacent indoor/outdoor seating areas. Then we began the short walk to the dock gate, stopping to photograph the old White Star, Union-Castle and Southwestern Railway buildings. I recall when U-C Line House used to post the ship arrivals with both first and tourist class inbound passenger figures. Southwestern House was Southampton Terminal station where, until sometime the 1960s, one could walk the short distance between the train and ferry terminals for France. I did twice, connecting to the overnight British Rail ferry Normannia for Le Havre. The building is now a block of expensive flats and a casino. Part of the remaining train shed covers a parking lot.

Inside the dock gate, it was a short five-minute walk to the Ocean Terminal. By 2pm, the first rush had subsided, and with my platinum status, I checked in rather quickly. Then boarding stopped for about ten minutes when the gangway alarms sounded. Nothing seemed to be amiss and we went aboard, to the B Stairway lifts and forward to the block of cabins reserved for lecturers and the cruise staff, located just forward of the Five Deck passenger cabins.

I was allocated Cabin 31, an outside with twin beds, a porthole and a long shaft from the cabin to the hull opening created by the curvature of the bow. It offers all the amenities provided to standard fare-paying passengers.

The sailing was delayed by a half hour to receive the remaining passengers, some delayed arriving from France because of the rolling strikes there. I had been scheduled to spend a week in France but after reading the bulletins and getting advice from a friend in Paris, I cancelled the arrangements. With the transport disrupted, we could not have traveled within the country without risking not being able to get back across the Channel to meet the ship. I don't know if any passengers actually missed the ship but maybe I can find out.

DAY 1 (continued)

The ship slipped its lines about 5pm at which time I was down on Deck 2 forward getting my lecture schedule and preparing for an interview for the next day's Morning Show. I was to introduce my first lecture topic on Cunard Line and had to pretend it was 6am and not 5:30pm the evening before. It sounds simple but it is dead easy to say tomorrow.... Luckily, I did not this time.

Independence of the Seas sailed ahead of us and we watched it make the dog leg around Calshot Spit as QM2 passed the Fawley oil depot and three small berthed tankers.

Just after first sitting began in the Britannia Restaurant, I went to the maitre d' to fix the table seating. As I never know my cabin in advance, I cannot make a reservation until aboard. We then adjourned to the Commodore Club facing forward over the bow. Being after dark now, the shades were drawn to keep the light away from the navigating bridge.

A pint of Bass Ale, some munchies, passed hors d'oeuvres and pianist make this a most attractive spot. Several people I knew from previous voyages came by to say hello. I am good at recognizing faces but often not good at recalling names.

The table, at the top rung of the mezzanine level, was a round table of eight by the window. Our dining companions turned out to be two Scottish widows, a youngish American couple on their first ship, and an Irish-American couple originally from New York and now living in Florida. The group proved to be a rich mixture of personalities with a promising future. No predictions otherwise. The first meal was a success, and the roast beef and Yorkshire pudding was cooked the way each had ordered it.

With my first talk scheduled at 10am the following morning, we took several turns on the deck and were in bed by 11pm. No night life this evening.

QM2

DAY 2

The first full day at sea started a bit earlier than expected. Having not set my watch back an hour, I was up at 6am and did not know the actual time until arriving at breakfast. So much for being a veteran sea traveler.

To clear the head, I made about eight rounds of the prom deck before gathering up the laptop and accessories and making my way to Illuminations. Darwin, the superb technician, was no longer with the company, so Ramil, also from the Philippines, had replaced him. BTW, Darwin had landed his name when his father, after helping to produce eight children, opened an atlas and let his finger move south from Manila. He stopped at Darwin, capital of Australia's Northern Territory and said, "That's it."

Ramil is just as good, so he got me set up about 25 minutes before the start of my first lecture. The theater filled up to about 5/6 capacity. Entertainment Director Paul O'Laughlin introduced me and off I went on 170 years of Cunard history. The timing is everything here because of the packed lecture schedule. By putting my watch on the podium, I can constantly check how I am doing as 45 minutes is the goal, and 50 minutes is absolutely the maximum.

Having added last January's snowy Queen Victoria crossing and the arrival/departure and some interiors of Queen Elizabeth, I had to move along at a faster pace and drop some anecdotes altogether. I finished in 47 minutes, so Ramil was pleased as was the next lecturer, an excellent speaker about the birth of modern Hollywood and Warner Brothers.

Lunch at the Golden Lion at 1:15pm, the time when tables become available. I generally look to sit with others I know or simply take a chance. The pub, while a bit of a barn, does have a wonderful atmosphere of camaraderie. I sat with some regular autumn westbounders.

At the Commodore's welcome party in the Queen's Room, I met a woman from The Village who had been an assistant hostess to the children on the SS United States in the early 1960s. She said that when she was hired at the last minute, she was handed a few films and that was it. The ship was often packed with army brats sailing to and from Bremerhaven and to keep them occupied she finally got shoreside to supply some board games, and after that she said it all went swimmingly. She wondered what had happened to the ship, and now knowing her location, she intends to drive down to Philadelphia to have a look. I warned her about the ship's shabby appearance, but also to look beyond that to see the glorious profile.

Her ship heritage went back to the very beginnings of Swan Hellenic and the 1927-built Turkish Ankara, even to occupying one of the dormitory berths. Husbands and wives traveling on the cheap were separated. She had also been on Orpheus, my first Swan ship, and both Minervas. Time passed quickly while waiting for Commodore Warner to make his introductions.

Apart from the usual - "we are on an ocean liner" - he outlined the passenger list nationalities, one of my favorite aspects of sea travel with Cunard. The results are 1,462 UK; 679 US; 112 Canada; 62 Germany; 42 Switzerland; 34 France; 34 Ireland; 22 Australia; 13 Belgium + about 25 other nationalities for a total of roughly 2,500 passengers. The balance was fairly typical, with the exception of fewer Germans and more Canadians. The event is always very upbeat and it is easy to meet people as lots are standing around often looking as if they might want someone to talk to.

Service at dinner was mighty slow, as after the party everyone heads for the restaurant at once instead of over a wider range of arrival times. It is interesting that, as one of the perks, Britannia Club has its party with Princess and Queens Grill.

Escargot and beef tenderloin were fine, washed down by the Cunard Cabernet Sauvignon. We were amongst the last to leave the restaurant about 10:20pm following lively dinner chatter.

Ted aboard Queen Mary 2, now doing about 23 knots on a calm sea with limited visibility.

QM2

DAY 3

Day Three dawned drizzly and utterly dark at 7am. Breakfast in the Kings Court is acceptable at this early hour because the bay window tables are available, especially in the sections where the buffet stands are not yet open. By snagging a tucked-away corner table, you can actually forget that the nearby sprawl even exists.

I started a much-talked-about (in England that is) historical novel by Edward Rutherford entitled New York. I was lucky to snag it at the library, but only by appearing as soon as it opened upon leaving Southampton. Every time I pass the librarian's desk she tells me how many people have asked for it, a point of information only as she knows the book is 1,017 pages! I don't dare mention the title in my New York talks or I might be mugged when roaming the ship after dark.

Favorite reading spots are a deck chair pulled away from the long line into a sheltered corner, that is until it started to rain, and one of the comfy chairs on Deck 2 alongside the Royal Court Theater passage. They get filled up pretty quickly once passengers have discovered them. This section of the ship is a maze of sloping passages, half-deck rises and falls and lift listings such a 2, 3L, 3 and so on. You can easily start on a level that you think will take you to where you want to go and end up on another deck entirely.

The same experience happens aft as well, between the Britannia Restaurant and the Queens Room. You aim for the restaurant's lower level and end up at the aft entrance to the upper level. Distances, too, are such that I hear some people plot out their day in advance so they don't end up making an unnecessary quarter-mile round trip.

Lunch in the pub with a Taste of Asia, a daily changing selection that today was lamb vindaloo with rice and papadum. We joined friends, then set up a dinner date in Lotus, the pan-Asian restaurant, only to find that we had a previous invitation for that night at the same location.

Up at the table tennis in the early evening, we were the most formally dressed players, having changed for an early cocktail party catering to grill class passengers. While not grill class, I get included sometimes. The hors d'oeuvres are a step up with jumbo shrimp but the tins of caviar seem to be a thing of the past.

Lotus, the pan-Asian alternative restaurant, is the best of the lot, and sliding panels wall off the buffet stations. It's an eight-course tasting menu and very nicely served with a helpful explanation. A beer goes best.

The ship seems to be very much a peaceful kingdom. Passengers have settled in, some of them for the connecting cruise to New England and Canada and then the return eastbound crossing.

Ted about midway across the Pond.

DAY 4

QM2We woke up to a really nasty day, not rough enough to be fun, though the occasional wave satisfied those watching from the library and having a pint in the Golden Lion down on Deck 2. Outside, it was simply wind-whipped drizzle, so walking on deck was not an option unless one had a slicker and didn't mind getting wet below that. The fog rolled in, so the horn went at regular intervals.

All the people we were to meet through friends not on board have shown up in notes under the door, as my telephone does not take messages, or by coming up to the Illuminations stage after a talk. When they are in the grills, it means tea or drinks in the grill lounge. Several people from the past have shown up, some not ship enthusiasts at all, just aboard for the pleasure of a crossing. They offer the best appraisal of the ship. Across the board they like having the choice of so many daytime activities or not doing anything at all. It stretches them both ways, rather than not enough variety of stimulations on ships making positioning voyages. Many have few experiences to compare so they do not take the ship apart the way the regulars do, whether positively or negatively. That's often a relief.

Many of the Brits, Germans and French are coming to New York for the first time, so the crossing is only part of the equation. They are looking ahead and not focusing entirely on the success or failure of this portion of their holiday.The test of this ship's success on a particular voyage is put under heavy pressure when the weather has been as poor as it has been on this crossing. Even I have not gotten out as often as I would have liked, today being a prime example.

Lunch in the pub, cottage pie, with a couple I met on three previous crossings. We share the same university education, though two years apart. He is American but with Swiss citizenship as dual nationality was not possible when he moved to Geneva. His wife is a Swiss citizen of Swedish origin, and both their children were born in Switzerland, hence they are Swiss. They move seasonally from Switzerland to Florida, and as they have fully fitted-out homes in both locations, they bring precious little luggage and take advantage of self-help when disembarking. They have their life down to a fine rhythm.

I had the 3:30pm slot for today's talk - Icons of the Metropolis (New York), normally not a good hour because of sleepy time approaching. The Warner Brothers lecturer had a full house for this same slot yesterday, and by the time I got the signal to start from the box, Illuminations was SRO.

I picked out themes such as the development of skyscrapers, housing from tenements to town houses and named apartment buildings, cultural attractions, parks and the city subway and els. Some of my favorite sequences show the same scene in Central Park in all four seasons. At this time of the year, I emphasize the autumn while in January (upcoming QE crossing), I will switch to winter scenes, some serene and some showing blizzard conditions. I try not to go too far with the latter as I may frighten the tourists aboard.

The house lights are really hot so I end up damp by the end of the talk. There is just enough light to see the audience ranging up stadium-style in front of me, while on QE2 the audience tended to disappear into the recess under the balcony, and one could not see those up on the balcony at all. Some regular lecturers consider this to be their favorite venue anywhere and not just because they are on the ship. Again, I had 45 minutes with 50 minutes the maximum and I kept it to 48, The technician then has to see everyone out, take away the lecture equipment, lower the planetarium dome and be ready for the sky show, all in 20 minutes. Ramil is masterful, but it means that he has to run up and down the stadium stairs a few times to get it all done.

Table tennis up on Deck 12, then a Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts abbreviated version of "The Importance of Being Earnest." Though an old-fashioned costume comedy, it came off well.

As our table wanted to have dinner in Todd English and we did not, we retreated to The Carvery and had an excellent roast beef dinner. The quality of the beef was tops, and by slipping into one of the alcoves behind the temporary partitions, one can enjoy a most pleasant dinner far from the traffic corridors.

Ted aboard Queen Mary 2 off Cape Race, Newfoundland

DAY 5 QM2

The fog horn ceased blowing during the night, making it much easier to sleep. In the early morning, I was on deck to see the sun rise on the port side and a full moon descend to the horizon on the starboard. The moon was bright at first then slowly faded as dawn took over, almost disappearing as it reached the ocean. I can recall seeing this wonderful phenomenon perhaps four or five times before and always at sea.

The day was blustery and cold and not conducive to spending much time on deck. The promenade deck is often off limits in windy conditions, mainly because the suction makes the doors dangerous to open and close. One side is usually worse than the other, so the best route is to walk aft and come out on deck near the stern.

The Queen Mary reunion drew 25 people to the Board Room located just behind the Commodore Club. While I never sailed in this ship, I have spent nights aboard her in Long Beach on three separate occasions. I attend because I like hearing the stories of those who did cross.

One man, a refugee who was marooned in France during WWII, crossed to New York as a teenager in 1947. He had never seen white bread nor ever sat at a table with a tablecloth. Tourist class seemed so luxurious after his deprivation. Others talked about how wonderful the food was after years of rationing in England. They ate too much rich food and got quite sick until someone told them what was happening. Those who sailed in first class talked about the saltwater taps in the baths and the open tins of caviar. Some described how they would make it from tourist to cabin class and maybe even into first. A few had also traveled in the SS United States, and they remarked that visiting other classes was not quite so easy on that ship.

A friend whom I had met on the Flandre in August 1958 put me in touch with two English couples he knew who were aboard. They were bound for a driving holiday from New England to the Civil War sites and south to Charleston and Savannah. We all had drinks and good conversation in the Commodore Club before dinner.

QM2

DAY 6

The day dawned very cold with a stiff wind from the northwest. Two passengers reported seeing two orange objects in the sea, and at 10am the Commodore announced that we had turned around to investigate. Passengers were encouraged to go out on deck to help in the sighting. I did not, as it seemed to me likely to be nothing more than some floating fisherman's markers.

The crew's emergency drill was postponed. About 10:45, the Commodore said the objects had been spotted and the passengers who had seen something were asked to verify that these two buoys were what they saw. They did and we were on our way again.

My lecture time was not put back but it was interrupted on several occasions by the delayed emergency drill announcements. The subject was The Port of New York, its development, changing fortunes, adjusting to the container revolution and what visitors might see today. The house was nearly full, although my talk coincided with the non-denominational service.

We had lunch with friends in Sir Samuel's where creative sandwiches are available and complimentary to boot. Two couples had taken our table so they could have two and they had no intention of returning it, so we had to wait until another grouping for four was available. Very strange behavior.

At 4:30 the four lecturers gathered in the Winter Garden to be available to passengers. Those who came up to me had nice things to say and some asked questions about New York. It was an enjoyable half hour drawing little maps on cocktail napkins to show how to get into Manhattan from Red Hook and how to navigate the subway.

QM2 at night

DAY 7

Up at 4:45 as Queen Mary 2 slipped under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, passed the Statue of Liberty, then did a 180-degree turn off the southern tip of Governors Island to then reverse into the berth at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. We were tied up by 6:00am.

The gangway opened for self-help at 6:30 and we passed through immigration in no time. Out into the darkness, I looked back at the ship all lit up, a beautiful sight. The walk from the terminal to Van Brunt Street took about seven minutes. The B61 bus came along at 6:55 and we were at Fulton Street in ten minutes. It was then two blocks to the subway at Borough Hall, and after changing from the express to the local at Grand Central, I emerged from the rush hour crowds at 7:50 and arrived at my door at 8 o'clock sharp.

Queen Mary 2 is in very good form and it is a delight to be able to cross in her a couple of times a year.

Ted now back home in NYC