January 10th - Southampton

Dry land at last and yes, I will bet on Fred!

The ship was supposed to be late arriving at about noon but it was actually closer to 1PM.  Lots of people displaced from their rooms roaming around with their luggage throughout the ship this morning.  Also, I’m sure, lots of folks, who didn’t get the word and arrived to board the QM2 this morning only to be cooling their heels in the terminal.

Our room steward, Henrick, was at the end of his contract and looking forward to going home after we arrived in Southampton.  The delayed docking means he’ll have to spend the night in England before starting the long flight home to the Philippines.

We received no information last night about what was going to happen today and whether we would be allowed to go ashore.  Luckily, the ship has set up a concierge exclusively for those going on the entire world cruise.  We visited her this morning and found out the ship wouldn’t leave Southampton until 11pm so of course we could go ashore. 

About 2PM we decided to take the mall shuttle to downtown Southampton.  It’s a pretty short ride and we actually walked back to the ship later in the day.  We got some shopping done in the John Lewis Department Store.  I would compare it to Macy’s, maybe a little nicer.  Then we went to PoundLand!  Think Dollar Store…only in pounds…It was a pretty nice store and we got a number of things we thought we should have and things maybe we didn’t need, but all and all it didn’t cost too much.

Southampton is not a very picturesque town but it does have pretty good shopping and a few casinos (new to us).  We didn’t partake but I believe the Betfred franchise might be offsite sports betting…not sure on that.

We have two days at sea and then we’re in Lisbon for the day.  We’re really looking forward to that.

January 9th - Last Sea Day before Southamtpon

The Captain announced yesterday that we would be late getting into Southampton tomorrow (Friday).  We were scheduled to get in at 6:30 AM and now it will be noon.  Needless to say, this is causing a lot of transportation problems with people scheduled to get off.  For us, it doesn’t matter, we’re just getting off to do a little shopping.

We have had a very nice British couple sitting near us at dinner and they were planning to drive home, their only concern is that it will be dark before they get to their village.  We had fun with them, mostly plotting how they could get a certain piece of expensive jewelry home without declaring it to customs. 

Starting with the next leg of the trip we will be moving to a different table that oversees the rest of the dining room.  Where we are now is a little too stuck in the corner for us.

With the help of my brother (Ernie), we were able to avert a possible problem in our basement back home.  Through the wonder of modern technology and security cameras we were able to see some water on the floor of our basement.  Ernie went to investigate and while he was there, we could see and hear him …from our room… in the middle of the ocean.  Although we were able to hear him perfectly fine, he couldn’t hear us so I was emailing him questions and he was speaking the answers.  Kind of cool.  Long story short…the plumbers came today and fixed a corroded valve and all seems well now. 

It will be great to be on dry land tomorrow!

January 7th - Navigation Channel

I’ve posted a picture I took off the TV navigation channel that shows you the route we took on the two evacuations.

You can see the stop we made in Halifax Nova Scotia, where we actually docked and then the trip to the first rendezvous spot before eventually heading back toward Nova Scotia to meet the helicopter.

The Captain is not promising we will be in to Southampton exactly on time but I imagine it will be sometime on Friday…just not 6:30 AM like the original plan.  For us it doesn’t make a difference, we’ve been to Southampton before and also done the shore excursions from there to Stonehenge and Windsor Castle. We were just going up to the mall and maybe do some shopping.

The seas were a lot calmer today and we actually saw the sun!  Our only ‘problem’ is we are setting the clocks ahead each day by one hour to get on UK time.  Dinner time (set seating time) is getting earlier and earlier for us as a result.  We may have to forego the dining room and go to the Lido just so we can eat later in the evening. 

Fred also wants me to mention that the weather and seas we’ve been experiencing are because we’re in the North Atlantic, and it’s common up here.  If you’re going to someplace like Bermuda it won’t be as bad. (note to Phyllis)

January 6th - Another Evacuation

We had yet another medical evacuation from the ship last night.  This one was pretty terrifying but amazing work by the Canadian Coast Guard and the crew of the QM2.

At some point last night, the wind really picked up and the snow starting blowing.  We were clearly in the middle of a blizzard.  We checked the navigation channel and it showed that the ship had turned around and was heading back toward the east coast of Canada.  We wondered if perhaps it was to avoid the worst of the weather and that maybe the plan was to go around the west coast of Newfoundland.  We really didn’t know; no announcement had been made and I imagine most people didn’t even realize we had turned around.

The scene outside our room was amazing.  The snow was coming in all directions and we were moving at 24 knots, which is pretty speedy for a ship.

Around midnight the Captain came on the load speaker.  Now, here on the QM2 announcements are not broadcast into your stateroom unless it’s an emergency.  The midnight announcement was not broadcast into the rooms so I had to run out of bed and crack open the door to listen.  Needless to say, I wasn’t getting any sleep anyway.

The announcement was informing any passengers who were awake to NOT go outside (I don’t think anyone in the right mind would have anyway) and that we were positioning ourselves for a helicopter evacuation of a passenger…in the middle of a blizzard…in the middle of the night and with an 80-mph wind.  Oh, by the way no flash photography either.

Shortly thereafter the ship came to a stop and we started bobbing around a little.  The actual evacuation took place around 1AM.  I was awake but honestly didn’t hear the helicopter because the wind was so strong.  This whole operation took amazing courage on the part of the helicopter pilot and the QM2 staff who had to be out on deck.  Amazing stuff!

The Captain recapped the whole operation during todays noon announcement.  The location we actually met up with the helicopter, just north of Sydney Nova Scotia was actually the 2^nd place we had gone to rendezvous.  Initially the ship had gone 4 hours in the opposite direction closer to Newfoundland, but there was no place for the helicopter to refuel so they had to move closer to Nova Scotia.

They never give any information about the patient but I’m guessing it was someone traveling by themselves because the Captain mentioned a ship’s nurse had gone with them.

We are now headed east toward England.  It’s still lightly snowing and the seas are rough but the Captain says it should get better tomorrow.

On the way coming back to our cabin just now we heard the medical staff called to the beauty salon for a medical issue…hopefully not serious this time.

January 5th - Unplanned stop

Normally a transatlantic is a pretty straight shot from New York City to Southampton, England, this is what we were expecting on this trip however plans can change.

We have been here on the QM2 twice where they had to do an emergency evacuation for an ill or injured passenger.  On one occasion, about a day out of Southampton on our way back to NY we had to turn around to meet a helicopter that lifted a passenger on a stretcher off the ship.  Another time we had to slow just south of Ireland so a Coast Guard vessel could approach and pick up a passenger who had to have emergency care.

Last night was the first time we actually had to pull into a port to let off a passenger.  We stopped in Halifax, Nova Scotia about 11PM last night.  The pilot boat came along side.  This is a typical operation but that doesn’t mean it isn’t dangerous.  It certainly looks scary.  Hopefully I can post a picture in a couple of days, right now the internet is not allowing it.

We went to bed about 11:30 and that was about the time the ship left the dock and we could continue our trip.  We will still make it on time Friday morning, this ship can go pretty fast.  The seas and wind are really picking up and no one is allowed out on the promenade to walk.  Inside the ship we barely feel the movement.

The ship did not show the football playoffs on TV this weekend!!  Of course, the Patriots lost so maybe it’s just as well we didn’t have to see them.  I hope next week’s games will be broadcast.

Life on board is pretty laid back.  For us, we’re waiting for the real trip to begin after Southampton when we get to visit all those wonderful ports.  On the way back I will love having this week to pack up our bags before returning home.

January 3rd - All Aboard

It’s a chilly and rainy day in New York but we’re finally starting our voyage so all is well.  We had a magnificent view of the New York City skyline as we left the harbor.

We spent a leisurely morning in the hotel room before taking the short walk over to Pier 11 and our ferry to Brooklyn.  Everything ran very smoothly and the mostly empty ferry left on time.  Red Hook, the area where the QM2 docks, is the third stop on the schedule.  We had a nice talk with some folks who live in Brooklyn and take the ferry all the time.  They love it.  It’s only been in operation for three years, something we didn’t know.

The ferry docks very near the QM2 and we got a good look at its backside as we approached.  A short walk later we had dumped our luggage and we were checked in right away…and then we waited…

We’re not sure what the delay was all about, usually they start boarding just after noon but today it was nearer to 1PM.  Didn’t matter…we got onboard and to our room where some of our luggage was waiting.  A couple of other pieces arrived soon after but the last one show until ½ hour before they called for all aboard.  That was a little nerve wracking!  Fred makes himself scarce and I start taking everything out of the bags and try to figure out where it will all go.  Next to packing the stuff to begin with, this is the 2^nd least favorite part of a trip.

For this trip we got what they call an ‘in hull’ balcony.  As you can see in the picture the description fits.  It’s a very deep balcony and it protects you from the elements, but doesn’t let as much sun shine in.  Also, you have to stand to see anything. We’ll see how we like it.

We went to dinner but really didn’t like our table location.  We put in a request for a change we’ll see tomorrow how things work out.  I had to get so persistent on one voyage that they actually drew in a new table location on the floorplan just for us.  Hopefully it will work out without such a drastic step although we did see that the ship is sailing full.

Tomorrow is phase 2 of storing stuff away so that I can actually find things and then we can really start to enjoy the trip.

Buses, Trains and Ferrys

As I write this, we’re in New York City preparing to embark on the Queen Mary 2 tomorrow. We’ve had a lot of fun getting here.

We usually go down to Boston to catch the train to NYC the day before sailing but a couple of weeks ago we had a snow storm – really not that bad – and the bus service from New Hampshire didn’t run for whatever reason.  That got me nervous so I decided to go down to Boston the night before the train leaves because it would give us more options.

My brother drove us to the bus terminal in Concord, NH and we got the 1PM bus to Boston.  There was almost no traffic, I couldn’t believe it.  It was New Year’s Day but still…there’s always traffic to Boston.  On the way in we got a good view of the new casino in Boston, The Encore.  I had no idea you could see it from the highway.

I love Boston!  I worked here for many years just across the street from Quincy Market and it was great to go there for dinner.  Spending the night in Boston was also helpful for shopping…because we realized we forgot stuff.  I didn’t pack warm hats or gloves for the trip.  These will be needed on the transatlantic and our one day in England for sure.  Luckily there was an Old Navy (seen the ads – never been before) and we were able to get two hats and one pair of knit gloves for $8.50 – no joke.  Everything was 75% off or more.

Today we went out for breakfast in Boston and had lunch in New York City.  Our Boston hotel was walking distance to the train station and we had an uneventful trip to the big apple.  Not only was the trip nice but I actually found the correct exit out of Penn Station the first time!  Amazing!  From there it was a quick cab ride to our Manhattan hotel and we settled in.

Tomorrow we’ll take the ferry over to Brooklyn to catch our ship.  This is the first time we’ve done this and it sounds like a lot of fun.  The ferry will actually bring us along side the QM2 and we’ll have a short walk to the terminal and it only costs $2.75 per person.  You can’t beat that.

We did a dry run to the ferry pier this afternoon and saw that the next pier over is a helipad landing area.  There were several helicopters coming and going at any given time.  I’ve never seen helicopters fly and land so closely before.

We also headed up Wall Street to get a picture of the NY Stock Exchange, Fred is sure that’s why stocks were up today.

We can’t wait to get on the ship!