July 6th, 2018

Brooklyn and Beyond

I landed at JFK airport at 6:00 AM in the middle of a thunderstorm. My beautiful red suitcase was waiting for me on the carousel, and I was ready to find my ship.

My first Cunard experience was in 1962 when my parents and I sailed from New York to Southampton on the Queen Elizabeth. I have vivid memories of standing on the boat deck and watching us sailing up the Hudson River past those magnificent skyscrapers. However, I did not see the Statue of Liberty. The lifeboat drill coincided with us passing the statue, and our lifeboat was on the port side, so I did not see it. My father, who was never one to follow rules, left my mother and I at our lifeboat, as he went and watched us sail by.

I was determined to sail by the statue again on an eastbound crossing, so when the opportunity arose for me to do so, I jumped at it. Even though I had recently disembarked from QM2, and Brian and Ruth were unable to join me, I packed my red suitcase, and off I went.

I had initially planned to take a taxi to the ship, but then at the last moment decided to take the Cunard coach transfer.

The coach was due to leave at 8:00, and there was plenty of seating in the arrivals area where I could use the free wi fi and catch up with emails prior to being limited by the ship’s internet connection. However, there was nowhere to buy cans of Coca Cola or a bottle or two of Veuve Clicquot alas.

I thought it would be about an hour’s drive to the port, but we eventually arrived at the ship at 10:45. Traffic was horrendous. I was so glad that I had not taken a taxi. The taxi fare would have been a fortune, and severely cut into my spa budget.

On arrival we were able to go straight through security and to the check in counter. By 11:00 I was seated in the VIP lounge reserved for Grills, Diamond, and Platinum guests. There was a huge poster on the wall of the lounge urging us to be swept up in the elegance. Well, we were not starting things well in the elegance department. The small room was already full, with not enough seating. There was coffee, tea, or juice on hand, but I do think that a nice cold glass of sparkling wine would have gone down well. It was not to be. I did manage to find a chair, and settled in with my paper cup of stewed tea.

I had hoped to finish up dealing with emails, but alas, there was no wifi in the VIP lounge. Luckily I had brought Celia Imrie’s book, Sail Away, with me so I settled in to have a good read. At 11:30 they called the first group, those in wheel chairs or with disabilities. It was difficult to hear the announcement however. There are clearly going to be a large number of furry friends on this crossing, and they were all barking away, no doubt very excited about the crossing, and unable to contain themselves.

Everyone around me was moving, so I surmised that my group had been called, and with tremendous excitement, I headed toward the ship. The escalator was broken so we had to use the stairs or lift. There was a huge queue for the lift, so I opted for the stairs and lugged my bag and also that of a lady who clearly didn’t have the strength to manage hers.

Then I was there! Being greeted with a “welcome back” and stepping into the Grand Lobby with strains of Mozart in the background. I don’t care how many times I embark on QM2; each time it just fills me with an incredible sense of joy.

I headed straight to my cabin. This time it’s a standard inside one. It is small, but cozy, and I know will be just perfect for my week on board. Waiting for me was my bottle of Pol Acker, and also a bottle of wine. This was a gift from the Guest Relations department. I had sent an email complaining about an issue I had on a previous cruise. This was totally unnecessary, but a lovely gesture. I love the way Cunard takes care of you.

The Golden Lion wasn’t open for lunch today, so I opted for a light lunch in the Carinthia Lounge. The light snacks they have there are perfect, and a great way to avoid dealing with an overcrowded Kings Court on embarkation day.

After lunch I unpacked and then sat out of the rain on the Promenade deck reading and enjoying the beautiful view of the Manhattan skyline, and in the distance, the Statue of Liberty.

In this day and age the life boat drills are no longer held next to your life boat, and occur before the ship sets sail. Today’s drill was at 4:30, and after the last passenger was accounted for at 5:15, we headed out into the ocean.

As much as I was against the addition of extra cabins on deck 13, the open deck area above these cabins has become my favorite spot for filming the sail away. The actual sail away party was at the Pavilion Pool due to the rain. Something just doesn’t work for me when they have the sail away celebration there, but with inclement weather I know they had no choice.

With the spectacle of us leaving New York, and it being so close to the 4th of July, I had hoped they would give us an All American sail away, with American flags to wave, and play stirring American music as we headed up the Hudson River under the Verrazano Narrows bridge and out into the great North Atlantic Ocean. This was not to be, I didn’t bring a US flag with me, and I had to make do with my own version of the perfect US sail away play list later in my cabin as I got ready for dinner.

Despite the lack of appropriate sail away music and flags, the sail away was spectacular. The rain stopped, and the sun made an appearance. I did get a great view of the Statue of Liberty, so my goal of the crossing was achieved already.

Watching us squeeze under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge was exciting – and being on deck 14 on top of the new cabins is certainly a great place to watch this spectacle. As we emerged the other side of the bridge we gave a good long loud whistle.

I have sailed out of many harbors around the world, and several really are spectacular, but New York has to be up there among the best. It was absolutely wonderful – and worth waiting for.

I was watching Long Island go by, and taking photos for Ruth because that’s where she’s from, when I noticed we weren’t moving any more. I though it was a bit unsafe to be stopped in a busy shipping lane. Then we did the unexpected, we turned around 180 degrees and started heading back to New York. Oh oh, not good. Indeed it was not good. A crewmember had taken ill, and needed acute medical care. Four coast guard ships, one fire ship, and a police ship met us, and the ill crewmember was transferred to one of the coast guard ships. Then with a long blow of our whistle we headed out into the North Atlantic once more.

It is always a sobering thought when someone has to leave the ship on medical grounds, but lucky that this was done before we were half way across the Atlantic. I do hope the crewmember will be OK.

I stopped by the shop to purchase a replacement for my mug that had broken on the journey home from Fjording. They had sold out of those mugs, but I was able to find a replacement. They had also sold out of the teapot I had bought on that trip. The moral is, if you see something you like in the shop, buy it now.

Then it was time to get ready for dinner and head to the dining room. I had asked to be on a table for 8 near to a window. I was at a table for 7 on deck 3, not near a window, but it is actually in an OK position.

Everyone on the table is traveling solo, and we are a good mix of English, American, and Canadian residents – also a nice age range. I think it will work out well.

After dinner 3 of us went to the Welcome on Board show. Not the best I have seen, but it was pleasant enough. The singers did a reasonable Neil Diamond medley. Among the songs they sang was “Coming to America” which was interesting at this moment in time, and also my favorite “Sweet Caroline”. I was about the only person doing the hand waving thing during the song.

I only slept very briefly during the show, which is unusual for me. I usually miss at least half of the show.

I realized that one advantage of an eastbound crossing over a westbound one is that you start off with a time zone advantage. 11:30 PM on the ship is only 8:30 back home. No wonder I was still feeling quite perky. I was starting to think that eastbound crossings should become a regular part of my life style.