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
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
Friday, May 8, 2015
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.
Saturday, May 2, 2015
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.
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, May 1, 2015
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.
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, April 30, 2015
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.
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, April 29, 2015
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.
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, April 28, 2015
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.
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.
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