England via the QM2!

Old Aug 4th, 2012, 09:36 AM
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England via the QM2!

Well, it's about time I wrote a report on our June trip to England, (If for no other reason than that I had so much help from regulars on this Forum in planning the QM2 part as well as the gardens in Oxford, etc.)

Not too many bad things happened this time, so this will not be a copy-cat of a MaiTaiTom report, but I'll try to amuse you or at least inform you!

We spent a week on the Transatlantic Crossing of the QM2 and even had a mini-GTG on board!!

Then we drove to Oxford where we spent 24 hours in a remembered hotel, and visited college gardens.

The major part of the week we spent in England was with old friends who live in Cheshire, but we did take one overnight up in Wharfedale at the Devonshire Fell in Burnsall. Heaven, even when it rained!!

Flew home from Manchester Airport, after a night at the Crowne Plaza.

That's the outline, the details will follow.
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Old Aug 4th, 2012, 10:00 AM
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Looking forward to the details!
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Old Aug 4th, 2012, 11:17 AM
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joining for the ride.
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Old Aug 4th, 2012, 11:40 AM
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Can't wait to hear more. I've loved all your other trip reports.
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Old Aug 4th, 2012, 12:25 PM
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Want to hear more about your crossing, we took the Queen Victoria, New York to Southampton, in late March and loved every minute.
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Old Aug 4th, 2012, 01:06 PM
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Taconictraveler, looking forward to your account.

Are the evenings still quite formal on the ship?
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Old Aug 4th, 2012, 01:38 PM
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OMG - can't wait to read this! My daughter will be thrilled as well
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Old Aug 4th, 2012, 01:54 PM
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DAY ONE

Since we live in the Hudson Valley, getting to Brooklyn, from whence the QM2 departs, was relatively easy. Finding the right dock, behind Governors' Island was a bit dicey, but worked out.

Checking in was a breeze, especially compared to airports these days.

We were quite excited for a couple of reasons. This was really our first cruise (which we soon learned to call a "transatlantic crossing" , NOT a cruise, but you get my drift.) Basically, we had never experienced this form of travel, except for a very minor 3 day trip around islands in the Aegean several years ago.

Also we were joined by very dear old friends, who have retired up to Maine, so we don't see them very much. (Long time friends and Canasta rivals!) (well, actually, we women always play the men, and usually we win!)

The QM2 is a very beautiful ship, a recreation of, I guess, the Art Deco age.

We LOVED our cabin from the first moment. I use the word moment deliberately because this was "momentous" for me. I am the one who always covets a different room, larger, smaller, wider, more light, bed facing better way, wrong color, wrong floor, you get what I mean. But not this time. I still dream about it.

We had a cabin on the Deck 8, with a "see-through" balcony. The cabin was incredibly well designed, with more than enough storage space, and too many hangars (another first) very comfortable bed, side table, lights, couch, bathroom excellent, with what I considered a big shower. Couldn't have been better, and I would ask for the same cabin again!!

We enjoyed virtually everything about the 7 day crossing, except we thought the food was disappointing. That surprised us all, since my MOST sophisticated international friends (a retired Ambassador, and an English architect who is a gourmet cook) did the same crossing a year ago, and they loved the food. Go figure. We ended up dining in the Todd English room twice, and liked that a lot. Not too bad a surcharge, as I recall, maybe about $30 each.

We did score a great table, in the dead center of the dining room, after one dinner at a window table. No need of a window, because everyone around wants the curtains closed, and that first table was at the highest dining room level, and felt a little claustrophobic to me.

The dining room is in at least three tiers, and the center part is really the most elegant, with a superb chandelier and the most interesting huge tapestry of the ship, superimposed with elements of its structure, beams and the like. Fascinating.

We were close to the library, and the bookstore, which suited me well. Also we were near an elevator bank - also a good idea.

We enjoyed life on board, and had plenty to do. It really did suit our different temperaments well, so Jim could stay and read on the balcony, and I could wander the far corners of the ship and try to dampen my curiosity about everything. I needed my map ALL the time. It is a big ship!

We enjoyed the King's Court, alternative dining, but only after we figured out the various station and buffet lines for food, and found out of the way places to sit quietly.

Thanks to others who had traveled this way (the aformentioned sophisticates) we found the Commodore Bar sooner than most people. It is in the bow on Deck 9 and very delightful

The gym was superb and just one deck below us, and next to it was Canyon Ranch, which we never quite got to (next time!)

As to dress for dinner. Yes, they required it, but our guys just wore dark suits, nice shirts and ties. I felt OK about them doing that, because the Sophisticates had just brought nice blazers, which they wore each night, avec shirt and tie. (Of course, they said, our blazers and slacks were of the highest quality!!) I must confess I love to see men all dressed up in black tie, but these days, I'll settle for what they wore. (I would put up a photo if I knew how!)

So Day One ended with a nightcap at the Sir Samuels bar. We found that drinks were not too expensive, if you compare them with cities like New York.

Oh, and by the way, NO hint of seasickness!! This is an incredibly stable ship. Granted our weather was pretty good, in terms of high seas, though we didn't have much sun.

More coming as the days at sea progress..
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Old Aug 4th, 2012, 04:34 PM
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I'm wondering how the women dressed in the evening. Love to hear about it!
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Old Aug 4th, 2012, 06:11 PM
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Enewell: Friend and I wore a variety of evening attire. I brought with me items I already owned, consisting of one floor length black silk skirt and one pair of black silk dress slacks. I wore those two items with peach silk sleeveless blouse, tan silk jacket, coral silk blouse, black silk mandarin jacket, all interchangeable. (does anybody care about all this? Don't want to bore you needlessly!)

The ladies seemed to like to dress up, and many were even more formal than we, but what I wore is what I would wear to any formal occasion at my age ( e.g. only long sleeves so my "wings" don't show. LOL)
I did however wear heels instead of flat shoes to dinner.

Cathinjoetown: I want to hear about the Queen Victoria, anxious to see how these two ships compare, cuz I think we are both sold on this form of travel to Europe. We have more time than money now in our semi-retirement years. QM2 transatlantic is a relative bargain, if you compare summer airline rates, esp. Premium Economy. And I learned from Fodorite Florida1 that you can fly tp Paris from Southampton!!!
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Old Aug 5th, 2012, 02:10 AM
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Tacon, This is like re-living my experience. Regarding dress, my husband opted for his best dark suit, purchased for daughter's wedding, and I thought he looked great. For casual, he took a good navy blazer.

We dined in the Queen's Grill, probably 60-40, black tie to suits. Our table mates were Scottish, he wore the full formal kit, very handsome. My clothes were virtually the same as yours although I took black velvet trousers.

We so lucked out, found a great deal on a Princess Suite (2,000 pp). When we checked in in New York, we were upgraded to a Queen's suite which was amazing. Check-in was at the 57St pier in Manhatten which was an added bonus as our hotel was 5 min away.

We thought the food in the Queen's Grill was excellent, did not try Tod English because on our crossing the charges were the same as a restaurant, not just a surcharge.

The best thing about booking a Princess or Queen suite was the private lounge/bar and deck on the same level as the Queen's and Princess Grill. The Victoria is much smaller than the QM2, I think with fewer dining options. We tried the Lido self-service and the pub for lunch, both were fine. Although self-service, was impressed by the staff in the Lido, tables cleared immediately, staff directing people to open tables, etc. Overall, we thought the service was excellent.

The entertainment was all right, I enjoyed catching up on films and my husband liked the technical
lectures. We will probably go to the States in 2014, coming back the same way. We found the offer about 5 months' out, so plenty of time to plan a long visit with friends and family in the States.

Looking forward to your impressions.
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Old Aug 5th, 2012, 02:44 AM
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Meant to add, the ship is beautifully maintained, about 1,900 capacity so 2/3 the size of the QM2. I would guess the decor is about the same, quasi art deco, lots of beige tones. Not remarkable but not awful.

We liked the size but are trying the Crystal Reflection next May for a 12-day Med cruise. It's the size of the QM2.

Only minor issue, the promenade deck does not go completely around the ship. I like to walk circuits so minor disappointment. The Queen Elizabeth promenade deck does circle the ship.
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Old Aug 5th, 2012, 04:00 AM
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Funny you found the food not up to snuff. We enjyed a wide variety and all well prepared.Our wait staff was exceptional,the night they served lobster tails my DH said he'd like to order that but 1 tail didn;t satisfy him. No problems they said and brought seconds to the whole table, You were lucky not to have high seas, we did but hardly noticed then as the ship is so stable.The decks however had to be closed!
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Old Aug 5th, 2012, 05:36 AM
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This is so interesting to read. I think I'll print it out for my husband to read. He NEVER travels but has forwarded me email offers he's rec'd from Cunard. And my daughter would absolutely SWOON if she saw men in kilts at dinner! Thank you for sharing and if any of you would post photos (photobucket!) I'd be so grateful
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Old Aug 5th, 2012, 06:19 AM
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taconictraveler--- How much fun to go with old friends on a transatlantic crossing! I did two crossings (NY-Southampton and back on the QM2 in July 2009) and your writing about places like Canyon Ranch, King's Court, and the Commodore Bar brings back great memories. Unquestionably up there as one of the most amazing trips I've taken in my life!

I keep looking at doing it again, but find myself balking a bit as the price has gone up considerably (2009 was a promotional year I believe) for a summer crossing and also since the crossing time has increased from 6 days to 7 days. Sorry to read that you found dining in the Britannia disappointing; I'm hoping that that it's not gone permanently downhill.

Best wishes, Daniel

PS Cathinjoetown-- I enjoyed reading about your time on the Queen Victoria too!
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Old Aug 5th, 2012, 06:36 AM
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taconictraveler, I am so enjoying your trip report! We had such a good time at our mini GTGs with you and your friends. We too loved our time on the QM2. Can't wait to read more! My job this week is to start our trip report!
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Old Aug 5th, 2012, 08:03 AM
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Hi Florida1, so you must be back in Miami Beach! Welcome home! I'm sure your report will be a gem. What a trip you've had!

Cathinjoetown: Your Queen Victoria trip sounds marvelous. I would have gone for that deal also. Will keep on looking. Especially as you thought the food was excellent.

By the way, the QM2 was spotless everywhere! That's one of the things we loved about our cabin: spotless at all times, great service by our steward, Ferdinand. He was Johnny-on-the-spot! never took more than minutes to fulfill any of our few requests!

And the service in the dining room was also just terrific also, with the wait staff wanting to please and bring you anything you wanted. So that's another thing I think we could have done to improve the offerings. I think one can pretty much order whatever one wants.

To be fair , one of our meals was a superb filet mignon, and all-in-all, I'm not talking about horrible food. I'm just talking about it not being of the calibre that everything else on board was.

The wine list was quite good I thought, both in the dining room and in the Todd English.

We did have one lunch in the pub, it was a bit noisy but a lot of fun! We liked the smaller offerings for lunch in Sir Samuels.

It looks to me like we could have quite a nice GTG on one of these Cunard ships in the not too far distant future!
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Old Aug 5th, 2012, 08:25 AM
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DAYS TWO THRU SEVEN: ALL ON BOARD

Thanks to all of you who have commented.

We had men in kilts in our dining room also. I'd love to hear people's impressions of joining a large table. We were four friends and had our table of four. Some people love to join others, and one friend who travels alone, said he had a table of people with whom he had nothing in common. Thoughts?

Back to the report:

I forgot to mention the great thrill we had as we left New York Harbor. I keep forgetting that it is one of the world's most interesting harbor, or maybe that's because I know most of the landmarks and have been on the land all around NYC, having lived most of my life in the 90 mile radius of NYC - Connecticut, New Jersey and New York.

It was a lovely sunny day, and the excitement was palpable as we sailed down the harbor. It was difficult to leave the Deck 7 spot which was just below our balcony, and looking forward to several days of indolence and pleasure.

We managed to partake of just about everything on the ship, except for the Canyon Ranch. It was tempting, but we never quite found the time.

We did our walking around the Deck 7, as part of the daily routine, but we never really got in to a routine, because we kept trying new things: the swimming pool, the whirlpool, the library, playing canasta in down time, taking tea in the Queen's Room, listening to the jazz before dinner, etc.

Slight tangent here: We went to several lectures: the absolute best being P.D.James, who was marvelous. At age 92, she spoke for almost an hour without any notes, describing her life, how she started writing at a later age, and how she wrote one of her most current books: The Private Patient. As luck would have it, I just happened to buy that book in the ship's bookstore the day before! It was one I hadn't read, and since she was going to speak, I thought it appropriate.
She was very impressive.

This is one amazing woman, let me tell you! She writes in longhand, then READS it to her secretary (of 32 years,) who simultaneously types it into the computer. She started writing at age 38, when her husband, a mentally wounded WWII veteran died in his early 40's.

Her advice to would-be writers: read everything you can; build a great vocabulary, so that you will have the proper word for the proper situation!

(End of tangent.)

We did decide we liked eating breakfast in the dining room. We are all inveterate morning paper readers while eating breakfast, with hardly any conversation, and are very comfortable with each other - so we found it relaxing to do just that, with white table cloths and those very helpful waiters bringing you whatever your little heart desired!

I'll try to give you a sort of typical day in my next post, as I seem to be rambling a bit.

ANOTHER QUESTION: Should I be posting this on the Cruise Forum also? and if so, how do I do that?
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Old Aug 5th, 2012, 09:20 AM
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It would be great to post on the Cruise forum as well.

P.D. James, wow, thanks for the digression! I think she ia amazing, read her "sequel" to "Pride and Prejudice," "Death Comes to Pemberley" not long ago and enjoyed it.
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Old Aug 5th, 2012, 09:57 AM
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We did a 15-day Christmas cruise on QM2 a couple of years ago. Loved it!! We thought the food excellent (and my gourmet DH is quite particular). Loved dressing up each evening. We had a few children on the cruise and they were all so adorable in their mini suits and petticoat dresses--and amazingly well-behaved. Loved spending the after-dinner hours in the ballroom dancing and people/fashion watching

Planning an Agean cruise this fall on Queen Victoria and DH asked me the other day do we want a table of 2,4,6,8 or 10? We did the QM2 cruise with friends, so we, too, had our table of 4, but this one is just the 2 of us. I'm leery about a table of 4. You can really get stuck. Some years ago on a cruise we chose a table for 6. Ended up with a family of 4 who didn't talk at all until the last evening. They turned out to be quite nice, but it was a frustrating 5 dinners! Still, I'm thinking we try the table for 6 again. 8 might be too many. Any opinions?
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