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Cunard Line Queen Mary 2 April 2004 by Derek Kane Double "Maiden" Transatlantic |
We returned home on Saturday 1/5/04 at around noon from the QM2 having just completed a double- crossing of the Atlantic. Our trip went off virtually without a hitch and from a destination (New York) and ship point of view, the experience was fantastic. Back on Friday 16/4/04 we were picked up at our usual time by taxi (mini bus for two + 11 pieces of luggage) at noon and we were in the terminal by 12:45. There was a longish queue snaking its way back and forth for check-in. One of the Cunard ground staff ushered us forward towards Grill class check-in where there was a shortish queue. I said to her, “We’re not Grill class”. The Cunard staffer said “No worries, just go through”. Formalities thus being completed (which includes your cruise card being issued complete with you photograph, which they take at the desk plus a swipe of ones credit card) we passed through the usual security, then up into the lounge. Embarkation was taking place straight away so, after posing for the souvenir photograph, we found ourselves on board at 13:00. We were offered the assistance of a white-gloved steward to take our hand luggage but we elected to find the cabin for ourselves. We had been upgraded to a B3 Deluxe Stateroom with a balcony (obstructed view) on deck 8. 1st impression of the cabin was that it was suffused with daylight (the floor to ceiling windows assisted here) and the décor was of a very blonde wood with “ebony” accents. There was a large double bed and carpet, soft furnishings and fitted furniture all looked very new and unscuffed together with a large 2- seater settee. The space was spotless and there was plenty of room to manoeuvre. The obstructed view was not as onerous as I expected. The tender/lifeboats were set at least 2 balcony widths in front of the edge of our balcony and the tops of the boats came up to about balcony rail height, so there was plenty of open sky to allow day light. Also the balcony rail topped a toughened glass balcony wall as opposed to balconies on lower decks which are “cut-outs” from the hull and therefore sport metal balconies under the rail. The “bathroom” was very small and we were disappointed to find we had a shower only. However all was very clean, with no damage and “ugly” pipes were hidden behind the under sink cupboards. Back in the cabin an “infotainment” system was at out disposal, where besides the usual TV and Radio, you could access all kinds of onboard services and send e-mails home (or wherever) if you wished. Draw and cupboard space was a disappointment as it comprised only a 4 draw medium sized chest, a double short drop wardrobe with shelf over, a narrow long drop wardrobe and one shelf “cubby-hole” above the safe with another “cubby-hole” occupied by the life jackets. The only other space was a bedside drawer for each of us above an open “cubby-hole”, a very shallow drawer above the fridge cupboard plus another deeper draw above that occupied by a fitted hairdryer. Our cases (bar one) all showed up within 30 minutes of arrival. The last one for some reason did not show up till after we came back from the safety drill (c.17:30) Speedy unpacking is hampered by the use of pilfer-proof hangers which even when removed leave behind their hook housings on the rail. We over came this by repacking garments i/d’d for the return leg with our New York wardrobe and having those cases stowed under and towards the back of the bed plus also away from the cabin. There was a complimentary bottle of sparking wine on arrival in our cabin which we partook in when we broke the back on the unpacking. (On the return leg I noticed on deck 9, which comprises all suites, that the complimentary bottle extends to Piper Heidsieck Champagne and platters of fruit, which is fair enough). We then went out to start to explore the ship concentrating mainly on the outdoors as the weather was fair and because we did not know if we would be able to experience the outdoors again, given the reputation that a crossing over the Atlantic sometimes engenders. We took advantage of the soft-drinks package which allows unlimited soft-drinks at $3.75 + 15% pppd and signed-up at one of the outdoor bars. Starting to feel peckish we went down to the Kings Court self- service in search of afternoon tea and instead found a full lunch buffet service being offered – very nice. Safety drill was at c.17:00. You are required to turn-up at the drill WEARING you’re life jacket and before the broadcast you have to give your cabin number up to the guide at your muster station (this was the King’s Court in our case). The broadcast is then given in 3 languages. During the broadcast we stood on the Promenade Deck (fortunately, our muster station room is on the Promenade deck (7)) starboard side and watched the Aurora sail-by on her 7 nighter to Lisbon which coincided with the drill). Compared with our forthcoming departure from New York (25/4) the departure from Southampton was fairly low-key although we did get a fire boat escort complete with spray plumes and the usual military band send-off . We had elected to go for 1st sitting dinner so after some cocktails in the Commodore Club we went down to dinner at 18:30. We were on a table for 8 (but only 6 were occupied the whole voyage to NY), we were all Brits and were in the 40 to 55 age-group. Our companions were experienced Cunarders and like us were looking forward to the journey. The Cuisine ========= Britannia Restaurant =============== Dinner: Presentation was attractive – all dishes are plated. Vegetables add up to little more than a garnish (this was similar to our recent experience on Holland America). The menus are International in scope and offer around 6 choices each under Appetizers and Soups, Entrees and Desserts together with 2 salads and Cheese and Biscuits. All-in-all the food was tasty and lamb and beef were cooked/served well to individual requirements. Service was generally brisk and efficient. The wine service was good and the selection wide and catholic. The wine prices (even when allowing for the 15% service charge) offered pretty good value for money as indeed did the bar and cocktail list. £ to $ go along way at the moment. Lunch: Similar experience to dinner with slightly less choice. Because you are dining at different tables with different companions / waiters and because the session is open dining we found the service sometimes slow with the occasional item “forgotton”. Breakfast: A fairly wide choice on offer (which remains the same throughout the voyage). Again, some of the issues around lunch manifested themselves. In fairness most stewards were friendly and engaging though. A word about the stewards: Most stewards we encountered were friendly and generally well-motivated. However with so many different nationalities represented (including a high proportion of white Europeans from Eastern Europe and the Baltic) coupled with the International passenger mix this can, I believe. produce some service glitches and communication problems. There also apparently seems to be little supervision going on with scant evidence of managers and officers overseeing the steward/passenger interface and public areas. I have heard before and during this cruise that QM2 are short of staff. I don’t think this is the case. I think they need to deploy (or employ/promote) a few more managers / hotel officers in the public areas to ensure standards are maintained and some aspects of the housekeeping (and shipkeeping) are kept on top of. Kings Court ========= (More about this area when you come to the “Tour of the ship”). Divided into a number of zones offering at lunch “buffet”-style a Carvery, a Trattoria and an Asian restaurant. In addition (although we never took up on this), candle-lit dinner (reservations) could be had in these individual areas too. There was also a “Chefs Gallery” where at dinner, for a supplement of $30 pp, individual dishes could be prepared in front of you by “star” chefs. Again, we did not avail ourselves of this offer. The food was by and large tasty with a fair choice but, given the architecture and size of King’s Court it was sometimes difficult to find a free table (or even a space) during busy periods adjacent to where you had made your selections and would often involve a bit of a long walk (while your food got cold – Cunard could learn a few lessons from sister company Holland America re lunch buffet service, eg plenty of stewards assisting in the service of the food and a cover over your plate at the end of the line). Given the general free-for-all it was also difficult to co-ordinate beverage service with your lunch here. Outside breakfast, lunch and dinner hours the Trattoria was the place to go 24 hours for a bowl of pasta, a salad, a hot dog, a pizza, a hamburger, ice-cream on a cone, desserts, coffee, tea, juice and cookies and this proved useful after a night on the tiles. Todd English ========== An attractive dining room with own bar. There is a supplement to dine here ($20 pp lunch / $30 pp dinner) We booked for the last night on the Westbound leg. Service was very good and solicitous and presentation of food was imaginative and attractive. Alas, however, the cuisine was highly unbalanced, rich, cloying with flavours lacking distinction and definition (Cheese as an ingredient with nearly every main course?). Our expectation was a light Mediterranean / American fusion cuisine. The cuisine offered was more rooted in pre 70’s / pre Guerard / pre Triosgros. Mr English needs to be replaced by a top English (or Welsh, Scottish or Irish) chef perhaps! Afternoon Tea =========== On offer in the Winter Garden and Queens Room, white glove style or buffet-style in the King’s Court. Savouries seemed to be limited to just finger sandwiches (although they were good) – I can recall some lovely unusual savouries on the Caronia 3 years ago) Also available on clement days up on top is a Broadwalk Café offering burgers, dogs, tacos, pizza and salad. We did not have clement days as such! For warmer climes cruising (which QM2 will only be doing in the Winter and a few times in the rest of the year) there does not on the face of it appear to be much scope for al fresco dining. The aforementioned Broadwalk Café has wooden tables set out on the open deck fwd of the funnel (but is limited in choice by definition) and the Todd English has a few outside tables ($20 pp at lunch remember … not to forgot their “memorable” cuisine). The Kings Court offer which could suit day time al fresco dining is situated amid ships on deck seven with many double doors out on to the Promenade deck (heavily weighted as you would expect – due to high winds) so the man-handling of trays of food together with placement of tables (which they don’t do obviously) can be ruled out. Entertainment ========== Evening ======= On offer were 2 BIG show spectaculars (the same for both legs) – Rock @ the Opera and Passionatta (a dance orientated show). Highly polished shows with an excellent full band orchestra. Dancers were excellent and the show singers were competent. The ROYAL COURT THEATRE has some excellent facilities at their disposal including revolving and sinking/tiered stages coupled with state-of the art sound and light systems. There was always plenty of seating as invariably the shows would coincide with events such as a Ball in the Queens Room together with other side entertainments/diversions. Also on other nights were there was offered a solo spot feature for a guest vocalist plus a “variety” show. On the return leg we saw Des O’Connnor who was an engaging performer and on another night a competent British comedian and a country/rock/jazz violinist who was very good. Every late afternoon/early evening in ILLUMINATIONs were various showings for c.20 mins in the PLANETARIUM facility of different astronomical subjects such as “Infinity Express” (about Galaxies and the size of the Universe) and “Is there Life out there?” As well as the usual compliment of bars, there was the casino (which we did not use), a disco/nightclub (G32) where a VERY good band called ONYX who alternated during the night with a disco which was all very state-of-the-art from an a/v point of view. In the QUEENS ROOM ball-room dancing was held and ILLUMINATIONS showed a film from 22:30. The film choice was poor though which was a pity as the sound and vision system was the best I have ever experienced on a ship. On some evenings, mainly centered on the GOLDEN LION pub, would be quiz games as well as 2 or 3 doses of Karaoke. Scattered throughout the bars and public venues were various cocktail pianists, a “classical” trio, a jazz quartet, a harpist and 4 American glee singers. Daytime: QM2 offered a highly comprehensive “Enrichment” programme which very much suits the long sea days on the Atlantic where invariably you are limited to indoor activities. Included in this was an OXFORD University series of lectures on 4 specific topics over 4 lectures each. I attended on each leg to and from NY the series on Exploration to the New World and the series on Dialogue between the West & Islam. I also attended some opening lectures on other topics to see if they were of any interest. All were delivered by Oxbridge/Ivy League lecturers and were interesting and well presented. These were held in ILLUMINATIONS and in various lecture rooms around CONNEXIONS. Also some “celebrity” lectures were on offer including Terry Waites moving story (which I attended across 2 presentations) and Simon Jenkins on a 1000 English Houses and Churches. Also Simon Scharma was on board the outward leg doing presentations on the connection between Europe, America and the Atlantic. John Maxtone-Graham also was on board delivering his usual maritime/ship/cruise orientated subjects RADA also had on board both legs a group of 6 of their graduates who, as well as presenting 2 digests (one on Romance and Shakespeare, the other an Aykebourne), also held Acting Workshops which were fun but regrettably all too short. On the outward leg to NY, BBC Holiday was onboard with Craig Doyle and they did a few minutes filming of the workshop. I understand that this was broadcast on Monday 26/4 and that yours truly was in it for about 5 nano-seconds! There were dance classes (ball, tap, line) on offer and handicraft classes too. A WORD ABOUT CUNARDS CLASS SYSTEM ==================================== Some comments on CC have been made in the past about a dislike of the 2 class system on QE2/QM2. I really don’t know what the fuss is about. You really have to go out of your way to notice it and it helps if you carry a big chip on your shoulder. In return for some VERY high fares, Queens Grill passengers get the following: A suite according to the grade they’ve paid. As well as the extra private space and butler service, they can expect canapés pre-dinner in cabin, complimentary drinks in cabin and in-suite dining. A QUEENS Grill restaurant which offers an extended menu including Dover Soles, Lobster, Chateaubriand, etc on demand. You can dine at dinner when you want (within restaurant hours and with who you want (or alone)). A very small QUEENS Grill Bar / Lounge A Suites concierge (a small “business” lounge) on Deck 9 where they can avoid the queues at the Grand Lobby (for Purser & Tour desks). A narrow outdoor terrace aft on Deck 9 complete with 1 “jacuzzi” The “out-of-bounds” public areas thus for Britannia class passengers were the Grills & Queens Grill lounge on the aft end of Deck 7 and the aft open area of Deck 9. ALL the other public areas of this enormous vessel were free for us to use & exploit. A TOUR OF THE SHIP ================= There are 4 main lift / stairway complexes that individually serve nearly all decks. At lift and stairway landings and on some public corridors could be found the “Maritime Quest” which is a long series of Murals depicting the history of Cunard, the Atlantic Crossing, the build of the old Cunarders as well as the QM2, the people who have served Cunard on board and the past backgrounds of the passengers from immigrant steerage to Royalty and Hollywood Stars. All in all a 1st class and interesting feature that will while away a few hours at sea. Deck 13 ====== Fwd is a open viewing area called the LOOKOUT. This area whilst being the highest on the ship is not aided by salt-encrusted glass windshields when it comes to getting a clear view or taking a photograph. Although no doubt the tempestuous Atlantic weather may account for this, it is evident that during the voyage (and before our one) that little maintenance on the wooden rails and paint-work is going on (both outdoor public area and private balconies). In fairness it should be said that it was pretty dangerous to go outside on 2 or 3 days of the voyage out. On fair days Cunard really need to think about redeploying crew to create a “hit-squad” to attend to this “ship-keeping” Aft of the Lookout are the various sports courts (basket ball, tennis, etc). I noticed that some of them were not netted in on the top! Aft of the Sports Courts is the Regatta Bar facing aft on to a large piece of sun deck with a splash pool. Aft of the Regatta Bar and sun-deck/splash-pool area is another large sun deck which I notice has Helicopter Hover paint markings no doubt to air lift medical emergencies or to drop in the UK SAS or US SEALS. Aft of this area is a raised metal deck area which offers good high level views all around the ship (bar immediately behind the very large funnel. (It was here we stood when we sailed out of NY to watch QE2 leave and to view the fireworks off the Statue of Liberty). We are now about mid-ships and the public areas for deck 13 end here (with steps down, outdoors to deck 12) Deck 12 ====== Fwd (indoors) is the BRIDGE. Some of the bridge can be viewed from behind a window on most sea days between 09:00 & 16:00 and is accessed from the passenger cabin corridor portside. A notice is displayed on the door when the facility is shut. The rest of Deck 12 aft to amidships is given over to passenger cabins (these are the highest over the waterline on the ship). Amidships is a Magrodomed covered Pool area called the PAVILION POOL complete with its own bar and 2 jacuzzis. Val & I repaired to here on a few afternoons for a snooze on the sun beds. Demand was high as this area is about half the size of its Aurora equivalent. Aft of the Pavilion Pool is the indoor Golf Centre called THE FAIRWAYS which seemed to be well patronised. Aft of the main funnel (access outdoors) is another large sun deck area complete with shuffleboard and quoits markings. Also placed on here are wooden tables and chairs where you can partake of the fare offered from the BROADWALK CAFÉ. Aft of here is the highest aft facing terrace, albeit fairly narrow with steps down to 11. Deck 11 ======= Outdoors, immediately forward is the OBSERVATION Deck. There is no glass obstructing the view and is partially sheltered by the fact that it sits under the Bridge. It also enjoys the benefit of open wings where you can view either side of the ship towards aft. Fwd is the ATLANTIC ROOM which is a forward facing lounge of fairly narrow proportions given over to card game tables. This is the highest forward facing lounge. The décor included some interesting prints of the various lighthouses/ships at either end of the Great Circular route. There is a coffee machine here in an alcove so you don’t have to walk “miles” to get refreshment if you are enjoying a rubber or 2. Serving the Observation Deck / Atlantic Room, as well as Lifts/Staircase A, are 2 “outdoor” lifts (port and starboard) which call at Deck 9 and Deck 7. The rest of Deck 11 is given over to passenger cabins with a narrow aft terrace and steps up/down to 12/10. Deck 10 ====== Given over to suites. Fwd and Aft are the grandest suites of all (with the aft ones being spread each across Decks 10 & 9). Deck 9 ===== Fwd is the COMMODORE CLUB. This is a forward facing cocktail bar/lounge and is about half the size of a P&O Crows Nest equivalent. The décor and lighting was very pleasing and muted in a retro deco style. I very much regretted that this bar did not stay open till the wee hours as it was not easy to get a drink AND sit in relative peace and quiet and converse LATE at night anywhere on this ship UNLESS you were happy to go to the G32 nightclub/disco (by definition noisy/busy), the Empire Casino Bar (by definition noisy/smoky) or the Golden Lion Pub (by definition smoky/beery/noisy) which were the only bars open after midnight. I did feel that this enormous ship was short (believe it or not) of 1 small intimate bar. Aft of the Commodore Club, portside was the BOARDROOM of unremarkable décor complete with a “real” fire with flame effect. This was given over to private parties of which there were a few during both legs. Aft of the Commodore Club. Starboard was the CHURCHILL’S CIGAR LOUNGE complete with a cigar and digestifs service. The room décor was of gentleman’s club variety. The rest of deck 9 was given over to suites ending outdoors, aft with the exclusive Queens Grill open terrace. Deck 8 ===== Fwd is the LIBRARY which boasts as being the largest at sea. There was an excellent selection of books and I would not get bored if I lived here for a year! The travel guides were very comprehensive and I also saw that they offered German and French texts as well. Starboard was a small e-mail centre and behind this was an excellent BOOKSHOP given over mainly to purchase for maritime and ship related books plus posters, postcards and “antique” memorabilia. Val & I desired an original “Beauty Parlour” sign from the old Queen Mary but then fainted at the price ($1,200). Starboard can be found the Beauty parlour which because we are already beautiful, we did not need to use! Most of the rest of Deck 8 was given over to passenger cabins until you reached aft where the TODD ENGLISH restaurant is located. Entrance (from within the ship) is through a reception hall dressed up rather like a lush Sultans tent leading into a bar area where drinks and nibbles can be enjoyed. The décor of the restaurant is burgundy and grey with lush velvets and fabrics. At dinner the restaurant is very busy with openings filling up for a 6 night crossing closed by the 1st day out. (So if you want to dine here book when you board, but please bear in mind my view on their cuisine, mentioned earlier). Aft outside is a railed in outdoors dining area attached to Todd English. Beyond the rail is the TERRACE POOL and Sun deck area served by the TERRACE BAR. Deck 7 ===== Around the whole of Deck 7 is the Teak decked Promenade which is more open to the elements then it’s equivalents on P&O ships. It only goes “indoors” at the fwd end and 3 laps = 1.1 miles. There are no real pinch points, so serious walkers can really get into their stride. Fwd can be found the GYM with some serious looking technology in the form of fitness machines, treadmills, etc and aft of this is a very large health spa called the CANYON RANCH where everything seems to cost a fortune and panders to the many expensive American ladies on board. Aft is the WINTER GARDEN complete with bar. Décor is of the “in the garden” murals variety with burgundy cane furniture. Here afternoon tea is served with classical recitals given. A pleasant room. Aft occupying a very large proportion of amidships is the KINGS COURT which serves as the self service / informal food area. What could have been a very large impersonal space has been made manageable by dividing up the area into a number of “cuisine” zones and by further creating glass walled alcoves looking out on to the Promenade deck. The décor is somewhat unremarkable being somewhat clinical by the use of mainly white tiles and walls. The art work (murals) reflecting the cuisine themes are somewhat cheesy to my taste. 2 glass lifts serve this deck and plunge through the deck down into the Grand Lobby serving Decks 4, 3 & 2. Around this lift area on Deck 7 is a glass ceiling on the floor (if you catch my drift) looking down into the Grand Lobby. Aft can be found the 2 GRILLS plus the QUEENS GRILL LOUNGE (to starboard). The décor of the 2 grills is similar and is quite muted and restrained with some nice abstract sculptures. The Queens Grill lounge is a very small lounge/bar of unremarkable décor with some rather comfortable sofas with large cushions and tassels. Deck 6 ===== Given over to passenger cabins. Aft can be found the childrens play rooms opening up onto the MINNOWS pool and an open sun deck terrace. Deck 5 ===== Given over to passenger cabins. Deck 4 ===== Given over to passenger cabins. Deck 3 ===== Fwd is the higher seating of ILLUMINATIONS which doubles as CINEMA, PLANETARIUM and Major event LECTURE HALL. (“Lesser” lectures are held in the CUNARD CONNEXIONS rooms on Deck 2). The seating is fairly steeply raked and is comfortable. The seats have fold-away tables (a la aircraft) and those coloured red can be reclined back to enable better viewing of the PLANETARIUM. For this feature the “ceiling”/screen lowers down and resembles a giant inverted wok. Only a couple of fim presentations were made daytime during each leg of the crossing due to the packed lecture program. It is a little disappointing that for a ship of this size that a small, dedicated studio cinema couldn’t have incorporated somewhere to satisfy film buffs. With the often inclement weather on crossings I think this would have been a popular feature. Aft can be found the upper tier of the “ROYAL COURT THEATRE” (more about this on Deck 2). Aft of here we now start to enter some very lofty rooms and wide corridors and spaces. It is the following areas and spaces that give off the grandeur and character of this grand Atlantic Greyhound. This is a wide corridor where you can stand and look the length of the ship aft from this point back to the upper entrance of the Britannia restaurant. Carpeted in rich carpets and lined with immense “Bronze” and glass murals depicting the Continents and the Elements. At the bulk head facing down this wide corridor is a remarkable large mural of Sir Samuel Cunard which is actually made up from a mosaic of Cunard Ship Cigarette Cards somewhat in the style of the Parkinson show credits. Moving further aft we come to the Central Atrium of the GRAND LOBBY with its sweeping staircases, a pianist (Deck 2) and facing fwd across 3 decks of bulkhead the most remarkable mural/sculpture on board in metal/glass of the QM2 sailing out of the sun and charging though the waves all done in a glorious retro/deco style. Off the Grand Lobby can be found the MAYFAIR shops which offer the usual blend of cruise ship shopping with the addition of a few luxury concessions such as HERMES and THEO FENNEL. On both legs exclusive (limited edition) clothing & memorabilia were on offer (some which were released during the cruise at a certain published date/time and sold on a 1st come 1st served basis 1 item pp basis). Also leading off the Grand Lobby to Starboard was the VEUVE CLIQEOT CHAMPAGNE BAR where aforesaid champagne could be purchased by the glass up to a Jeroboam as well as de-luxe cuvees and vintages. In addition, at a price, caviar and luxury canapés (smoked salmon, foe gras, etc) could be ordered and nibbled here. The décor was yellow and in restrained deco style. Leading aft from the CHAMPAGNE BAR you have entered the CHART ROOM BAR which served as the main Cocktail lounge. This is a wide and lofty room of restrained décor in very pale pastel greens with large comfortable sofas and a fairly long curved bar. Along the walls were large etched glass panels showing the Atlantic map crossing as well as the Western and Long Island approaches. Looking out to sea, a super feature of this ship is the large picture windows that can be found here and in other public rooms and corridors on Decks 3 & 2 which are not far above the waterline for which you can imagine reinforce the sense of speed when the QM2 is at full pelter and which offers a terrifying but exciting experience in a storm. A jazz style combo operated here most evenings Across the main corridor and to Portside can be found the SIR SAMUEL’s WINE BAR which I personally found a bit gloomy saved by the large picture windows, again. Aft of here is the main entrance to the BRITANNIA RESTAURANT. The restaurant is across 2 decks but the design on the upper tier is itself tiered into 3 sub-levels leading up to the picture windows. Only a few diners across the 2 sittings can actually enjoy the splendid view of the Nevinsonesque tapestry depicting the leaving of a Cunarder from New York which runs from floor to ceiling. (Those around the rail of the upper tier and those in the “pit” on Deck 2). For most other diners they are seated in straightforward cruise ship style dining room (especially those on Deck 2). On the outward leg we were 2 of those diners so, before we got to NY, I asked the Maitre D if we could be allocated a table in the “pit” on Deck 2 for the return leg, which they did indeed oblige us with (with the added bonus of a 2nd sitting, even though we had originally asked for 1st sitting, but with experience on the outward leg we had found somewhat onerous). Aft of the Britannia and accessed via port or starboard corridors after a short flight of stairs (and a glass 2 deck wheelchair lift) fwd of the restaurant though either the PHOTO GALLERY (port) and the ART GALLERY (starboard) is another large and very lofty room the QUEENS ROOM with a large wooden dance floor and in the evening complete with a full dance orchestra. During the day dancing and drama classes were held and in the evening dances and balls were held. The décor is of cream and black highlights with fine murals (from b/w & sepia photographs of HM Queen Mary and HM King George V together with their busts). Once again the room suffused with light from large picture windows. Finally aft through double doors is the G32 nightclub/disco which is decorated in an industrial yard style with lots of bare and anodised metal features. The space itself has a mezzanine floor looking over the bar and dance area so generally one could find a seat and watch the more energetic. Deck 2 ===== Fwd is the lower half of ILLUMINATIONS (access to ILLUMINATIONS is best through Deck 3). Here can also be found a complex of classrooms and lecture rooms called CONNEXIONS which also houses the Computer Learning Centre. Aft is the main lower tier of The ROYAL COURT THEATRE. This is a very fine theatre/show lounge (bar service available on this tier) with generally good sight lines. Seating is arranged in a wraparound to the sides of the stage as well as the conventional forward facing arrangement. The seating was comfortable and sound and light systems were comprehensive. Aft with a VIDEO ARCADE to port is the EMPIRE CASINO off the lower deck of the Grand Lobby/Atrium with roulette, craps and various types of Blackjack tables as well as the usual “zoo” of slots. I saw that there was a $5 machine which, with 3 coins ($15!), could net a jackpot of $500,000 (paid in instalments)! Across to starboard could be found the GOLDEN LION PUB done out in the style of a “British Pub” with wooden pub tables and chairs together with leather chesterfields. Here piano singalongs, karaoke and quizzes were held. The atmosphere in here could get rather smoky though. Aft was the lower tier of the Britannia Restuarant. Here endeth the tour. THE CRUISE or should I say CROSSING (part 1) ============================== Westward our fellow passengers were a cosmopolitan bunch, with a not so large as expected North American contingent and a fairly substantial French & German one too. I would hazard that half the passengers were British. There was a substantial minority of Gay Men (mainly couples) and many of them party’d in the G32. Well, on the 2nd & 3rd day we hit some really BIG weather and although she is a big ship and took the severe storms well, it does make you realise that this wonderful ship is still a tiny “minnow” in a big pond called the Atlantic. During dinner on the 3rd night (when the storm really hit big) the picture windows near my table on deck 2 were permanently awash with huge thunderous waves, the restaurant light illuminating the dark grey water into a pea-green. All in all both thrilling and frightening. For very obvious reasons we were advised NOT to go out on deck. At no charge did Cunard agree to store away the bulk of our luggage not needed for NY and this was subsequently delivered to our return cabin on re-embarkation. For the arrival in NY we awoke at 5 am and were up on deck at 5.30 (the fwd facing Observation deck) to be in time to see if the QM2 would fit under the Verazzano Narrows Bridge. She did! We were escorted in by police, coastguard and Moran tugs (there were also Blue lights flashing everywhere along the shore line and on the Narrows bridge). Out of the mist the Statue of Liberty came into view followed shortly afterwards by the down town towers of Manhattan. We were alongside by 7:30 but, unlike the British immigration arrangements for the return leg (ie officials onboard for the 6 days conducting passenger detail inspections over a number of days by deck number), US Immigration boarded with the pilot and EVERYONE has to be accounted for before any cases can be unloaded let alone a passenger. This meant we did not get off the ship until 15:00 (we were not transit passengers with an onward flight) so by the time we had the “obligatory” city tour, the hoo-ha of NY traffic, the hoo- haa of getting an unloading space for our tour coach at the hotel, the business of checking-in, refreshing ourselves (+ a quick unpack), we were not back on the streets of NY until 18:00! Such a waste of a precious day in NY. One good thing: we were able to help ourselves to a buffet lunch on board the QM2 which we ate outside on deck in the sunshine (trays on our laps) enjoying the Manhattan views. I think that was wise of Cunard otherwise they would have faced a passenger riot! NEW YORK ========= I won’t go on too long about NY (after all this is a cruise interest site) other than to say that I have added NY to my favourite cities on Earth list (this was our 1st visit) and to recommend the following: Central Park. A wonderful urban oasis. Yellow Cabs: use them – they’re cheap, plentiful and save you time getting around. The cycle rickshaw – with the NY traffic your life is in the Rickshawer’s hands! The Producers. Wonderfully politically incorrect. The River Café. The best meal we had on the whole trip (Cunard: recruit the chef from here and replace Todd English) Katz’s Deli. An institution. Val ordered “what she had” The Shopping! I would not recommend the following: The Subway – very confusing – with time I guess you can work it. 2 fares and you might as well use the cheap cabs instead. If on a short stay – the Empire State – the queues are awful. Once on top (on a clear day which it was for us) - fantastic, but the whole experience used up 4 hours of our last whole day. The return back to the ship with another obligatory city tour. Check out hotel 10:45 – did not board ship till 16:00 – what a waste of a day. Suggest you get the hotel to store your baggage – enjoy the rest of the day doing your thing in NY – and then yellow cab it to the pier. |