videos!

Well the last thing to do was to edit the video I took and create a couple of short compilations of the trip.  The first was the stunning sail out of New York.  I've been lucky enough to do it twice now and been very lucky with the weather both times.

Sail out of New York on Queen Victoria

To get the view from someone not on the ship, there is a really good video taken from across the river.  I subscribe to his/her channel on youtube and love the backdrop of the New York skyline as ships sail in and out of port.

Queen Victoria departing Manhattan

Finally, here is the video of the crossing.  Hope you like watching the ocean!  Also a bit of a ship tour.

Crossing Video

Enjoy.  Until the next crossing!

Rob

Pictures

Uploaded my pictures from the trip.  The sail out of new york was as amazing as it looks.  The rest of the pictures give a pretty good sense of the ship and the different weather through the journey.

Queen Victoria Transatlantic photos

Saturday - nearly there

It ended up being a mainly cloudy day, but was still able to spend time outside enjoying the sea air. I also went to Terry Waite's second lecture.  We talked more about his time in captivity and some of the different challenges he faced.  Now he spends much of his time lecturing and writing.  He just finished a novel that he was signing on board.

It was the final formal night last night.  I met up with the usual crowd at the commodore club bar before dinner. Funny how you get to know a group of people during a voyage like this.  But most likely, will never see them again. Many people go to this bar because or the piano player I mentioned earlier.  He's a young man named Carlo Nuschi and is a seriously talented musician and singer.  He goes from Sinatra to billy Joel to Gershwin.  After dinner i went to the show but didn't stay as I realized I would much rather go listen to Carlo.

It's Saturday morning and as we get close to our destination, the weather is providing a preview of what we can expect .  Cooler and rain.

We have just moved clocks forward for the last time.  In the noon update, the commodore took the time to announce the new royal baby and say he had sent a note of congratulations to the royal family.  I was in the lobby and there were sounds of delight around this news.  I guess it is good news these days with all the bad news we are hearing and seeing on TV.

It is packing day.  Hoping it isn't too somber around the ship tonight. I bumped into one lady from our table who said she wouldn't be coming to dinner be as she thought it was too late for the last night.  Personally I think it's better to stretch out the day as much as possible.

Here is the busy coffee shop.  A great place to get a good cup of coffee and watch the seas.

Friday -sea day 6

It was a great day At sea yesterday.  I went to two lectures, the first was about hostage taking given by the special operations inspector which included a description of one incident at Stansted airport.  Th next talk was really a q&a with the commodore. There were good questions from the audience too.  He did let us know what the issue was that caused us to stop a few days ago.  It was a burst hose for coolant.  We definitely wouldn't want to overheat!

Most of the afternoon was spent out poolside.  It was warm and sunny for the most part.

There was a magician who performed before dinner.  He did mainly slight of hand tricks that were ok but nothing too dazzling.  Then I went to the Verandah for dinner as I had a free dinner there as part of the promotion when I booked. The food was very good.  I had a gnocchi dish that rivalled the gnocchi I had in nyc.  In fact, it was probably better as it wasn't over salted. The strangest thing was that the staff kept telling me how slow the service was because everything was made to order, yet I was out in one hour 15 mins.  Odd.

It's Friday morning, 15 degrees with a bit of sun.  Seas are calmest they have been for a few days.  It is a really nice day at sea.  I was able to east breakfast outside with views of the ocean. So relaxing.

I'm thinking of this as my extra day.  On qm2, the crossings have all been 7 nights but this one is 8. So on qm2 I would have to start thinking about packing today, but I can relax at least for another 24 hours.

Thursday. Still at sea

Had a pub lunch yesterday in this golden lion pub.  Ploughman's lunch and a pint of British ale.  It was warm but cloudy so went to my balcony to read.  I was there for about 15 minutes before the sun came out. I got up to look ahead and what do I see but clear skies.  I put my swimsuit on, got the suntan lotion and went to the rear pool and sun deck. It was awesome.  Everything seems to change when the sun is out and it is warm.  The sea looks blue and the atmosphere on board lightens up completely. It was beautiful...for exactly 42 minutes before the heavy cloud came back.  It was nice while it lasted.

It was still warm so went for a jog up on the 10th deck.  I thought there would be less people and for the most part there was.  To aid in the workout there are some steps to climb going forward as the deck doesn't completely wrap around.  So every lap I could run up and down a set up strairs.  Burn a few more calories that way.

The sun came out again in the early evening. It was beautiful and made for some nice photo ops.  The seas were up a lot too. Lots of whitecaps and the ships moving in all directions.  I would have called it rough.  It makes the photos more interesting.

At 745 pm it was time for the world club party.  Not surprisingly it was packed .  I think the majority of the people on board are frequent Cunard travellers.  The also recognize the individuals with the most nights on Cunard.  There were 4 or 5 people with over 1000 nights on board.  I like being on board but cannot imagine spending that much of my life on these ships.

I chatted with one of the hotel managers, the fellow who called to invite me to dinner.  I asked him why I was chosen and he said they try to get a mix but it also depends on the type of people those hosting will want.  Seems these folks wanted a younger table!  I don't get called that too often anymore but on this ship I guess I am!

I the proceeded to dinner.  We were hosted by two young members of the staff, the communications manager and a manager for hotel and client facing staff, Rebecca and George. Both were very nice and they bought the wines for dinner.  (Much better than I had been buying!). There were 7 guests in total, and a nice mix of backgrounds.  It was a fun evening and nice to meet other guests.

I went to have a nightcap and a couple I had met earlier were there and invited me to join them and another couple.  It was James Bond theme night so all the wait staff were dressed in tuxedos and the piano player mixed in some bond music.

This morning it is still warm and the sun is poking through.  Hope to spend as much time as possible on deck in the sun.

Wednesday update - sea day 4

The guest speaker yesterday was terry Waite who was a hostage negotiator who himself was captured in Lebanon and held captive for 5 years.  I couldn't get in to the theatre, there wasn't a seat available .  I watched it on tv later instead.  Quite a story. Most of his time was spent in solitary confinement chained up.  He talked about how he survived mentally in such conditions. Really amazing.

The weather was cold but wind was down. I was able to run/walk for 5 Kms and later took a dip in the hot tub in the rear of the ship. In fact I don't think it had been used since we departed!

The food was much improved yesterday for some reason .  I had lunch in the main dining room and enjoyed it, especially a parsnip soup.  That night I had a great mushroom pasta that was served nice and hot.  We had a woman from Ireland join our table.  She had some trouble finding a good table. First she was seated at a table for ten...by herself.  And then she sat with some people that enjoyed complaining the entire time.  I think she had a better time at our table.

There was a comedian on board who performed last night.  He wasn't great, seemed to be struggling.  It was a bit awkward.

This morning we had to get passports stamped by a UK immigration officer.  It should speed up disembarkation but it wasted an hour standing in line today.  It was a little annoying.

It's warmer today, 15 degrees but still a bit foggy. I really don't think I needed to bring sun tan lotion but who knows.  The sun seems to be trying to cut through.  The warmer weather is nice but the wind is up and parts of the deck are closed off and the occasional show keep the decks wet.  We just lost another hour and are three hours ahead of EDT.

I received an invitation to join a table for dinner hosted by some of the ships staff.  It won't be officers, it is the Customer services manager and communication manager.  Not sure why I as invited but it's a first for me and will go.  It follows a Cunard world club party which I was invited to for the first time.  The few benefits of reaching gold status!  One of the other benefits is two hours of Internet time.  Too bad it runs so slowly, I wasn't able to accomplish much in two hours.

Deck, wet and cold.

Shops and casino

Tuesday update

It was a mixed bag of weather Monday.  Grey skies, some showers with a rare sun break.  I times one of the sunny periods for lunch, having it outside on the rear deck. I also managed to walk 6 Kms.  It wasn't too cold and after a couple of laps I started to warm up.  The sea become moderate around mid day with some large swells.  It is dark grey and quite ominous...typical North Atlantic seas.

We altered our course in the morning and are now on the circle routed heading north east.

There was the commodore's welcome cocktail party last night.  Drinks were flowing and I bumped into several other guests I have met on board.  Then the first formal dinner of the trip. There were just five of us for a table for eight.  Meals have been quite good though it would be nice if the food came warmer.

The ship continued to roll overnight.  As I opened the curtains this morning we are in fog.  No fog horn is sounding though, I'm not sure why not.  Temperature is 7 degrees but it seems warmer. Must be the direction of the wind that is helping.

It feels like it is sunny behind the fog. If we can burn it off it could be a nice day.

Unfortunately we will set the clocks forward another hour at noon today. Talking to a person two days ago that has been sailing on ships for years.  I can't remember the ship but he said that on this particular ship years ago, the would set the clocks forward 20 minutes three times a day. At least we aren't on that program!

Just had a very interesting experience.  I was reading in the forward bar around 1030 waiting to go to the lecture at 11.  The ship was moving quite a bit and then it started to shake/vibrate every couple minutes as if it was pitching forward and hitting the water.  It wasn't severe and I just thought normal Atlantic seas.  Just after 11 the commodore came on the PA to say that he has stopped the propulsion systems to deal with an urgent issue.  This means the ship was slowing to a stop , which is causing the swells to hit the ship on the stern and therefore causing the vibrations.  He said while uncomfortable, it is not unsafe.

So we were effectively drifting in moderate seas! The vibrations didn't last more than 30 mins and by the time I looked outside it sure seemed we were moving. The TV in my room said we were doing 8 knots and increasing speed. At noon we were told the issue had been fixed and back on our way doing 19 knots and have a smoother ride! Nothing like a little excitement!

A couple of photos of the grand lobby.  It's a very nice ship.

Monday -sea day 2

Cunard does a great job of its enrichment program.  The bring in lecturers who are really interesting.  Yesterday was a retired Special Investigations Officer from Essex who investigated over 30 murders in his career.  The title was "how to catch a killer".  He told the story of one investigation where he did catch the murderer.  Fascinating stuff, and the theatre was packed.

Yesterday we moved the clocks forward at noon.  I've done this on Azamara a few years ago...it is quite strange.  All of a sudden it's 1pm and I'm not hungry.  I went to the gym and worked our for 45 mins.  At two I went to a meeting for cruise critic and met a bunch of people there.  Several people are taking the QueenMary 2 back on the same day we arrive in Southampton.  It's a different breed of people on these crossings...many are addicted to crossing the ocean!

I have found it to be a very friendly crowd, more so than on qm2 last year.  Not sure if it is because many are on from the world cruise or if the ship is just more intimate.

I tried to sit out in the sun but when it went behind a cloud it was too cold.  I tried walking the deck but by then it was cloudy and blustery.  One lap was enough, my glasses covered in salt.  I had a nap instead!

sunny morning :

Cloudy afternoon:

Pre and post dinner drink was in the commodore club in the front of the ship.  There is piano player there who is seriously good.

Monday morning and I didn't wake up until 10.  It is cloudy, a few degrees warmer but not very nice out. Seas are slight and the ship is moving somewhat.  Probably a day to stay indoors and read.

Sail away

I went for a walk in Central Park Saturday morning.  It was cool but very busy.  People are ready for spring after the cold winter.  I had lunch at Bricioala, a small Italian place near the hotel. I wanted to try it on a recommendation from a coworker.  Fresh pasta, it was excellent.  New York really does have great restaurants.

I went to the pier around 1 and checked in and walked on board, no waiting.  The ship, I have to say, is very nice.  Classic Cunard styling with some of the nice cruise ship features, a couple of nice pool areas and the bar at the front of the ship with 180 degree views.

When my bags arrived at my stateroom, the weather was warm so was able to sit out and get some sun for an hour.

But the highlight of the day was the sail away.  Weather didn't disappoint, sunny and 14, though is was cold as we left the harbour.  There was a speaker giving us the tour guide talk as we sailed.  We were also escorted by nypd helicopter and armed coast guard!

Despite being frozen by the end, the sail out lived up to my expectations.  It is a real highlight of sailing this direction.

I'm at a table for 8 for dinner, though there were only 6 of us there last night.  2 of us are from Ottawa.  We had a nice meal as we got to know each other.  I had ordered a wine package and had a bottle of Chilean Cabernet waiting for me.

This morning is sunny and calm seas. Just beautiful but cold...7 degrees.

New York evening

Trying to stay in the Hilton family for the points, I booked a brand new Hilton Garden Inn just south of Central Park.  I had originally booked the much larger Hilton midtown where I have stayed previously but when I checked this week, I could get a much better rate here.  Well it's actually much nicer. Whereas the midtown is getting run down, this is new, clean and quiet.  Location is pretty much the same too.

I used Uber for the first time here and it worked well.  I took it down to Barbuto for dinner.  Traffic was terrible so it took 45 mins when it would usually be 15.  I got there in time to have a glass of wine and gnocchi.  They are to die for.

It was then a 5 minute walk to the Village Vanguard. I've wanted to go to a show here for sometime.  It is probably the most famous jazz club in the world.  I went to iTunes and searched for "village vanguard" and live albums from all the greats show up.  Bill Evans, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins to name a few.  I knew it would be small but didn't expect the walk down a tiny flight of stairs to the basement and the tiniest room for a performance.  Chairs squeezed together with the stage right in my lap. And to top it off, you feel the subway trains roll under your feet every few minutes.  So New York!

I watched the Barry Harris trio, who I had never heard of.  I suppose if I had been following jazz longer I may have heard of him as he and the band are quite old and have been playing together for 50 years.  Piano, bass, and drums made the trio.  It was very accessible as they played standards and had fun, joking through the show .  It wasn't long before the set ended and we got kicked out for the second show.  Lots of fun.

Saturday morning and the sun is shining and it looks like it will be a nice day.  Forecast for sailing time is about the same. 14 and sunny.

New York Sailaway

After sailing out of New York three years ago in perfect weather, I quickly realized how special that was.  It's a real treat to be able to sail down the Hudson, past the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and under the Varazzano-Narrow's bridge into open water.  The Queen Mary 2 usually docks in Brooklyn now which would make for an abbreviated sailout.  But luckily, the smaller Queen Victoria is scheduled to dock at the Manhattan cruise terminal so we will get the full effect.  Only question will be the weather.  Currently the forecast is for sun but cool, about 13 C.  That's OK, as long as it doesn't rain.

We are scheduled to sail at 6pm April 25.  That's a bit later than normal, likely because this will be a port day for many passengers that are continuing the world cruise or a portion of it.  There are now two webcams that show the ships sailing out of New York.  The new one is much closer to the cruise terminal and shows great views of the ships backing out and then heading down the Hudson.  If anyone wants to watch, go here at 6pm

NY Port Webcam

Next you can cut over to this webcam that will catch the ship coming out of the river into the harbour and follow it under the VZ narrows bridge.

NY Harbor webcam

Not knowing the ship, I don't know where the best spot will be, but I'm thinking top deck at the front will be nice.

Queen Victoria - 2 weeks

This year's crossing will be on board Cunard's Queen Victoria. Built in 2007, she is the second of the three Cunard "Queens", the other two being Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth.  The ship is built off the same design as many ships in the Carnival family.  Holland America, P&O, Cunard and Carnival take the design and then fit them for their needs.  At 2000 passengers, it is a mid sized ship these days with enough space to have everything you need on board.  With everything I've read, it seems QV is a very nice, elegant ship.  I'm looking forward to exploring.

It's also nice to be getting on a ship that just when through dry dock at the start of this year.  It should be in great shape.  Here is a video about this refit.  Nice how in this video they focus on the crew that worked on the ship.  I'm sure they work hard...lots to get done in a short period of time.