Monday, December 26, 2011 – St. George’s, Granada – Mostly Sunny – 84F

Willemstad, Curacao to Granada: 421 Nautical Miles

The seas are smooth as the ship nears the island of Granada.  It was just a short hop for the QM2.

Top; Center:  Approaching Grenada; Bottom: The Island of Grenada

Grenada (pronounced Grah-nay-duh) is the most southerly of the Windward Islands. Columbus discovered the island but did not land on its soil.  It is known as the “Island of Spice” because of the production of many types of common spices.

The QM2 is docked at the Melville Street Cruise Port which is very close to the capital city of St. George’s (total metro population 30,000).  The city of St. George’s can be viewed from the ships open deck (three pictures below).

St. George’s, island capital

We purchased tours today for “Island Charms”, which is designed to give us a grand tour of the island.  At about 9:45 AM, we head out to the tour busses.

   

The guests, including Ellen, head for their busses 

Not that many folks are taking Ship Excursions today, but the mass exodus from the QM2 is still spectacular.  This is the only way to capture the entire ship at port (because it is so long). 

Exodus from the QM2

We are in a relatively comfortable (and air conditioned) mini-bus for this tour.  The driver and guide is “Pumpkin”, who is almost understandable through his heavy island twang.  We head first through the town of St. George’s and notice that everything is closed except for the bars.  We are told that today and tomorrow are national holidays.

As we head away from the port and start to climb the hills of the island, we get a good view of the QM2 in port.

 

 

Top and Bottom:  The QM2 at Port in St. George’s

Grenada took a direct hit from Hurricane Ivan in September 2004.  The hurricane destroyed about 90 percent of the nutmeg trees (the number one crop in Grenada) and all of the plantains and bananas.  Villages and towns were leveled.  There is still some evidence of the destruction (see below).

 

Building destroyed by Hurricane Ivan

The tour takes us through several villages (populations under 1000) and parishes.  Again, all the stores are closed.

The tour makes its way to the less desirable Atlantic Side of the island.  Here the water is colder and the waves are rougher but the scenery is still spectacular.  We make our first stop at Grenville Beach.  The main vendor item on Grenada, naturally, is spice.  The vendors sell packets of spices and the “Spice Women” are looking to have their picture taken for money.  By the way, dollars are universally accepted and are equivalent to 2.67 ECD (Eastern Caribbean Dollars).

The beach is not the cleanest but the sand is black and volcanic.

 

Grenville Beach and the Atlantic Ocean

We ask our fellow enrichment friend, the artist from Walnut Creek, to take our picture on the beach.

We are at Grenville Beach

The nutmeg is the big crop on the island – used in egg nog and Fettuccini Alfredo – so it fitting that we get a picture of the tree (below).  The nutmeg is so important that it is on the Grenadian Flag.

Another spice, Mace, also comes from the nutmeg.

The tour continues into the rainforests of the Grand Etang Forest Preserve. We stop here for a few minutes to take in the scenery and grab a complimentary drink – I had a Carib Beer and some Rum punch.

Etang – Crater Lake – is a small lake on the site of a long extinct volcano.

 

Etang – Crater - Lake

Every island stop seems to have a monkey or some other exotic animal on display for pictures.  Our monkey was cute and cooperative.

If you wanted to, you could take a little stroll into the forest.  We really didn’t have the time but I did take a picture.

  

Pathway into the Rain Forest

The Spice vendors were out in force at the Preserve so Ellen got a good deal and I got a picture of the two of them sealing the deal.

Ellen and the Spice Lady of Etang

Further into the Etang forest was our next stop - the Annandale Falls.  The falls are not spectacular but they are scenic.  Also, local boys pretend they are Acapulco Cliff Divers and jump into the falls.  I didn’t get a picture of the divers because it is dangerous and not endorsed officially (and they solicit donations if you take their pictures).

 

Annandale Falls (including one of us)

The return route to the ship was relatively short.  Just outside of St. George’s, we passed by the incongruous “National Cricket Stadium”.  The stadium was financed and built with foreign money (Chinese, I think) and the locals got little from the project.  The building is very much out of place among the older, island like, structures of Grenada.

 

Grenada National Cricket Stadium

The only shops open today were those savvy entrepreneurs in the terminal building.  Not all of the AC in the building was working so it was not an inviting place.  I did manage to hijack some WiFi (thank you LIME) so I could check e-mails and check in with everyone back home.  It got to be too hot so we headed back to the ship.

In the two pictures below, can you spot the one with Ellen in it.  Look carefully because it is a big ship and the people look like ants.

 

Where is Ellen?

If you didn’t find here, she can also be seen in the photo below.  Also in the photo are the terminal building (red roof) and Fort George (up on the hill).

Since we missed lunch, we headed to the King’s Court and were fortunate to be there for Afternoon Tea.  The finger sandwiches, tuna, egg, tomato, and cucumber, were just enough to hit the spot.

Semi-formal tonight.  Dinner is the Britannia consisted on Striped Bass – not our favorite fish.  I had two servings of tonight’s appetizer – Avocado with Pico De Gallo – or as I like to call it “Nachos and Guacamole”.  It was really good.  The Cesar Salad continues to be a fan favorite.  We caught the Harpist in the Chart Room before heading off the early show.

A Double Show tonight.  First, the Royal Cunard Singers and Dancers did a few numbers highlighting the music of Sting.  The costumes were great and the dancers were fantastic.  It may be the largest dance group at sea – there are a lot of them but they never run into each other.  The singers also did a fine job.

Tribute to Sting

Most of the show consisted of an encore performance by Jennifer Ring.  Note:  I have seen her around the ship a number of times in her secret identity and she is difficult to identify.

She did a great job again – she is one of the best vocalists we have encountered.  She did songs from “My Fair Lady”, some popular operatic songs, and “The Prayer”.  She also sang, “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina, in Spanish and English…I liked the Spanish version better.  A great show.

 

Jennifer Ring in Concert

We are both escorting tomorrow but the catch is that Ellen has a morning tour and I am on in the afternoon.  This is a first for us.

Back to the room to rest up for tomorrow.

Pedometer: 5198 steps; 2.46 miles; 254 calories

Sunday, December 25, 2011 – At Sea – Eastern Caribbean – Mostly Cloudy – 80s

Another calm day at sea…

 

Lots of Christmas activities planned and there are no enrichment lectures so we are going to spend the day reading and hanging out on deck.

Santa and Rachel (Programme Staff) heading for the Queen’s Ballroom

The Winter Garden turned out to be the perfect spot to read and blog. It is raining off and on outside but that’s where we will be later on when the seats dry out.

We went to the Golden Lion Pub for Fish and Chips, which has turned out to be the best lunch option on the ship (grease content taken into account).

We did make it out to the open decks, where seating was at as premium, and rain showers came and went.

After being on the ship for about a week, we finally found some of the other pools.  They are located at the back deck and they were packed with people – no available chairs and no shade.  If we want to be back there, we will need to get there earlier.

Formal Night tonight – Dinner in the Britannia was good again.  I had Penne with Tuna (the tuna was mixed into the tomato sauce) and it was pretty good. 

We passed on the show tonight and instead spent the evening in the Chart Room.  We chatted with some people from Canada and read.  I finished my second book – Patricia Cornwell’s “Exposure”, which I had read earlier.  Reading “Bossy Pants” (Tina Fey) now.

We did not get escort tours for tomorrow so we purchased excursions.

Saturday, December 24, 2011 – Willemstad, Curacao, NA – Partly Cloudy – 85F – Humid

Charlotte Amalie to Curacao: 452 nautical miles

Seas are smooth…

We are not scheduled to arrive in Willemstad, Curacao until 2:30 PM (a half hour late). 

There are two lectures this morning but I plan to attend the 11:15 AM talk by Christine Roussel called “Colossi – Tallest Statues in the World”.  It was a travelogue type lecture with pictures of the tallest statues (free standing) around the world.  The tallest was in Asia and stood over 400 ft high.  Many were in the US including the Statue of Liberty and two equestrian statues in Texas.

The island of Curacao could be spotted off the port side.

We watched the approach to Willemstad from the Commodore Lounge, while reading and relaxing in their comfortable chairs.

 

Comfortable and Kindling

Approaching Willemstad Mega Pier Cruise Ship Terminal

The ship essentially moved sideways into the port.  The Renaissance Hotel complex with its infinity pool was nearby.

Renaissance Hotel and Grounds

Willemstad beyond the Hotel

The QM2 is such a long ship that it is difficult to get the whole ship into a picture – per the example below. 

Top:  QM2 at Mega Pier Cruise Port; Bottom: Me and the QM2

Our stay in Willemstad is very short – 3:00 – 7:00 PM – made shorter still by the fact that it is Christmas Eve and the stores will most likely close early.  After leaving the port area and its predictable shops, we crossed the Queen Emma Bridge connecting Otrabanda (“other side”) neighborhood with the Punda section.  The Queen Emma Bridge is a floating bridge that swings open to allow ships to come and go through St. Anna Bay.

Punda Area across St. Anna Bay

Besides the usual search for free WiFi, we are also looking for the Curacao Synagogue – Mikvah Yisrael, purported to be, as others have also claimed, the oldest synagogue in the Americas.  We located the shul on Columbusstraat not far from the local McDonalds.  Personal observation – the other oldest shul in the Americas in Barbados looks ancient compared to this one.

   

Mikvah Yisrael Synagogue

The rabbi on board had tried to arrange a tour of the shul but when the group arrived there (and we caught up with them), the place was closed. 

We did locate some free WiFi – thanks to KAOOZ, who didn’t secure his router.  Checked in but the signal was unreliable so we never got to really exchange any updates.  Still, better than nothing.

We also spent a lot of time dodging tropical downpours – warm but wet rain.  They only lasted a few minutes but they were drenching.

Someone in the ship’s group suggested we cross the Wilhemina Bridge and check out the old mansions originally built by Jewish merchants in Curacao.  We did that but the neighborhood didn’t seem secure so we headed back.  We walked past the Floating Market, featuring fruits, vegetables, and an unidentifiable odor.  It looked like the vendors lived in the boats moored behind their stands.

Floating Market

Punda was almost entirely mall type shops and most of them were about to close so we headed back to the ship. 

QM2 and Rif Fort across St. Anna Bay

When we got to St. Anna Bay, the bridge was fully open yet there were no ships passing through.  It turns out that the bridge was inoperable so we took the free ferry back to the Otrabanda side.

We returned by walking through the Rif Fort – now a typical Caribbean Shopping Area (no rain).  In a few minutes, we were back on the QM2 for some badly needed ice teas.

The dress tonight is Semi-Formal and we got to dinner at 6:30 PM.  Again, we had a good meal (some kind of Salmon, where the waiter had to remove the skin for us and an up and coming fan favorite – Cesar Salad).  Crepes Suzette for dessert topped off the meal.

Christmas events dominated the evening so we spent most of the evening in the Chart Room reading and listening to the harpist.

The Headliners tonight are “Graffiti Classics” – a zany string quartet [girl violin [London]; girl viola [Spain]; guy violin [Romania]; lead guy bass [Ireland]).  They danced, played, and did some slapstick that turned out to be very entertaining.  You never know.

As we headed back to our room, the QM2 is very long so I took pictures of Deck 5 looking Aft and Forward (see below).  It is about 350 steps from one end to the other.

  

Looking Aft

Looking Forward

Tomorrow – a nice day at sea.

Pedometer: 12370 Steps; 5.86 miles; 606 calories

Friday, December 23, 2011 – Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, USVI – Mostly Sunny – 84F

Distance from Brooklyn, NY to St. Thomas: 1541 Nautical Miles

We are once again in St. Thomas.  The QM2 is docked at a different port today – Crown Point Harbor, which is about 2 miles from Charlotte Amalie. 

From the deck, I can see that the Sea Dream II is our dock mate.

 

Sea Dream II

The deck was also a good spot to get a picture of the bay.

It was not easy getting a picture of the QM2 – the photo below is the best I could do.

We decided to forgo the taxis ($8) and walk the 2 miles into town.  The walk was flat but took us through an industrial part of the outskirts of town.

 

Me at the Dock of the Bay

Our goal was to find a Starbucks or some other source of free WiFi.  There were plenty of “WiFi Zones”, none of these were free.  I did get lucky, however.  While strolling along the main street of the city, I checked my phone and found an unsecured WiFi.  I was able to connect and check e-mails and send updates and pictures back home.  We never did find a Starbucks or McDonalds and to add to our excitement, the city’s water supply was off so all of the public restrooms were closed.  Fate was smiling on us because one of the local bars had their own cistern and their bathrooms worked.  They were kind enough to let us use their facilities.  As the word about the water situation spread, I am betting that that bar is the most popular place in town.

We walked back to the ship (it did not seem shorter going back).  We had some lunch in the King’s Court and spend the rest of the day out on the warm deck.  

After dinner (another good meal - “Pan Seared Grouper and Pesto Ravioli”), we caught the Headliner, Jennifer Fair.  She had a perfect voice and sang songs I knew.  She has great stage presence. Terrific show.

Jennifer Fair

We read a bit in the lounges but soon hit the room. I did finish “Violets are Blue” by James Patterson and am now reading Patricia Cornwell’s “Unnatural Exposure”.  It feels like I might have read this book but we’ll see.

We are tired from our giant walk.

Pedometer: 15233 steps; 7.22 miles; 746 calories

Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday – December 20, 21, 22, 2011 – Cloudy and Cool – 50s

The itinerary for this cruise has been completely revised.  The new schedule and ports of call

Three sea days in a row…

Tuesday, 12/20 – It was a rough ride last night – bumpy and rocky rolly – I was awakened about 4 AM by a big jolt and that was just about it for the night. 

There are three speakers on board:  A NASA Engineer, who worked on the Moon Landings; a Broadway Producer (current show is “Memphis”); and an art restorer (specializing in statues and monuments).  Also, on board is Roger McGuinn, lead singer of the 60s folk rock group, the Byrds.  There are at least three speakers scheduled for each sea day so the days are pretty filled if you attend all of them. 

My first talk – “The CSI Phenomenon” – is scheduled for 11:15 AM in the Illuminations Theater, which is the only Planetarium on the High Seas. 

There are some very interesting, mythological based, statues at the theater entrance.

Top: Hermes delivering his message; Bottom: Zeus awaits the message

The ship does a good job of letting people know about their speaker’s program. 

I am directly after the Producer, who is a good speaker and has a very high tech Mac PowerPoint presentation.  He has a good crowd and I am getting very antsy.

Paul O’Loughlin, the Entertainment Director, introduced me.

Showtime

It is difficult to estimate the crowd.  Based on guessing the total capacity (approximately 300), the attendance is pretty good – better than I expected - maybe 120 – 150. 

Three neat things about speaking on the QM2.  The venue is terrific – tiered seats – a nice stage and podium – and good seating capacity.  The AV group – extremely good and professional -  also provided me with the first comfortable headset mic, thereby freeing up both hands.  There is also a large digital clock in the back of the theater – like the clocks in the end zone at football stadiums - so you can judge your presentation pace. 

The crowd was filled with CSI fans – maybe 90 percent - so the first talk went pretty well.  It will also run all night on the in-cabin TV.

We attended all of the presentations.

In the afternoon, we attended the Planetarium Show, “Cosmic Collisions” narrated by Robert Redford.  Amazing – I love Planetarium shows.

Tonight is Formal Night (the first of six formal nights) and we are decked out in our fineries. 

Formal Night 1

The ship has a rabbi on board who will preside over services and Chanukah candle lighting.  The first candle lighting tonight drew over 150 people and was very nice.  The ship provided latkes and jelly donuts are in the works.

We also scored big with our dining situation.  We were put at a table for four but told that the other two might show.  They didn’t.  We had terrific service and terrific meals. Tonight: Pan Seared Salmon.

Showtime tonight consisted of a tribute to Nat King Cole.  The singer did resemble Nat Cole and was able to get is voice almost right.  It was an entertaining if not exciting show.

Wednesday, 12/21 – The shortest day of the year.  Cool and cloudy outside.  The open decks are still windy so there is little traffic out there. 

 

At Sea – December 21, 2011

The photo below confirms the amazing length of this ship.

In the morning,  we went to the Royal Court Theater to see Roger McGuinn,  Using slides and singing some songs, he put on a very entertaining and informative talk.  He has been involved with some many groups in his career even though most people associate him with the Byrds and “Hey, Mr. Tambourine Man”. 

My second talk - “Cold Cases Solved” – is scheduled for 3:30 PM in the Illusions Theater.  The Talk on the International Space Station is right before me and he has a good crowd (similar to his first talk) so again there is some apprehension about passengers coming back for the second talk.

People do come in at the last minute but by the time I got started, the crowd was larger than the day before – perhaps 200 or so.  I was told I should have re-introduced myself to the new folks – maybe tomorrow.  The talk went very well – finished on time and got the appropriate response during the Jack the Ripper segment.

Dress tonight is “Formal” once again – this time I wear a dark coat and slacks along with my tux tie.  It works and is more comfortable.

We went to candle lighting again and this time I managed to get some latkes (the donuts went quickly).

       

Ellen at Candle lighting

Children and the Rabbi do the honors

When we arrived for dinner, the Maitre D’ informed us that Table 179 would be ours exclusively for the remainder of the cruise.  Score…Another excellent meal - “Pan Seared Flounder” and “Cheese Tortellini”.

Show time is the production show “Viva Italia”.  Just as the show was about to begin, Paul announced that there was a water leak in the control room and the show would have to be rescheduled.  We all relocated to the various lounges.

Thursday, 12-22 – Slightly warmer today but still windy.

My third talk in a row is today at 11:15 AM.  The word must be getting out because this was the biggest turnout yet.  I estimated about 250 attendees based on the remaining empty seats.  I was also pleased that this longest talk finished on time. 

“Secrets of the Royal Families” – a healthy crowd

Right near the end of my talk, the Commodore made his noon announcement so it gave me a chance to rest and pose for a picture.

We are semi-formal tonight.

We know this Guard won’t move

Another great dinner along with excellent service - “Pan Seared Haddock” and another fine pasta.

The Headliner tonight was John Joseph – comedian.  He was an absolute hoot. 

We did find a pianist vocalist in the Lions Head Pub.

Tomorrow we are in St. Thomas.

Monday, December 19, 2011 – Brooklyn NY, Clear – Cold – mid 30s

Embarkation Day

Our stay at the Hampton Inn in Ridgefield Park, NJ, was very pleasant.  A very nice, comfortable, and quiet room.  Our breakfast was good also – fresh waffles, etc. The desk manager even gave us a “take away” bag with muffins, fruit, breakfast bar, and bottled water.

Our only viable option for getting to the Brooklyn Seaport is to take another pricey taxi.  We will be crossing two bridges so we know this will be expensive. 

The Hampton Inn called a cab for us – it turned out to be a a Town Car but the cost was still the same - $85.00 including tolls and tip.  Costs a lot to get around the Tri-State area, I guess.

The trip encountered a lot of traffic but eventually we crossed the Brooklyn Bridge and headed for the Brooklyn Seaport.

On our way to Brooklyn

The Queen Mary 2 was there and a little out of place among the buildings and businesses of the seaport area. 

The QM2 Awaits her Guests

We found out our room number – ED31 – turned our bags over to a porter and headed for a quick check-in. Soon we were on board the “Most Famous Ocean Liner in the World”.  The QM2 is not considered a cruise ship but rather an Ocean Liner.

Our Cabin ED31 is in the Entertainment Deck (ED?) on Deck 5 Forward.  We met the other speakers and enrichment personnel as we tried to get into our room (the key card would not work). 

Lunch was served in the King’s Court Buffet area.  The King’s Court occupies much of Deck 7 and consists of several buffet stations.  Some salad and pizza did the trick.

Our key card was fixed by the Purser’s Desk and we settled into the room.  The layout was very nice but the walls were mostly bare.  The bathroom was roomy with lots of storage and counter space.  The porthole was really all we needed for a view.

The outside deck (Deck 7) afforded great views of Manhattan and New York Harbor. Also visible below is the first of the new WTC buildings.

Top: Manhattan from Deck 7; Bottom: Statue of Liberty and New York Harbor

I was scheduled to meet with the Programme Director, Zoe List, in the ConneXions Lounge at 4:30 PM and then with Paul O’Loughlin, the Entertainment Director to tape his show for the next morning.  I did meet with both of them – I am scheduled for four talks this voyage.  I thought I could have done a better job with the taping.

Tonight, the dress is “Elegant Casual” (coat no tie).

 

Dressing the part at the Midship Reliefs

Elegant on the Centrum Staircase

Wind in the Willows characters and Ellen

After speaking with the Maitre D’ we found out that we would be seated at a table for six in the Britannia Dining Room.  We arrived at our table at 6:00 PM.  Not a great table. Long story short – we plan to change our dining arrangements.

We attended the Welcome Aboard Show and saw the Royal Cunard Singers and Dancers perform.

We looked for our piano vocalist on board without success. 

Our room is quiet – I don’t think I will need any earplugs tonight.

Queen Mary 2- Grand Caribbean Celebration Cruise - Sunday, December 18, 2011 – Chicago, IL – Cold – 23F

Travel Day

It’s a nippy morning in Chicago but our cab is 25 minutes early and we are nearly ready to go.  We are flying Delta today (got some good fares) so we are headed for Terminal 2 to catch DL5942 at 11:05 AM to La Guardia.  Security is relatively light but our plane is not waiting for us at Gate E6.  It arrives about 10 minutes after our scheduled boarding time.

 

Our plane arrives a bit late

The ground crew really turns the plane around and we start to board about 10 minutes later.

DL5942 (an ERJ 170) is ready to go

We take off a bit late but the pilot says a strong tail wind will get us into LGA pretty much on time.  The climb out from Chicago was scenic (you can see the fog layer).

The flight is very smooth and the plane is pretty comfortable considering its small size (like a shrunken 737).  You can tell it’s a new plane because it doesn’t have a “no smoking” light but rather a “turn off electronic devices” light and a “seat belt” light.  Finally, somebody got rid of the “no smoking” lights.

We did circle for about 10 minutes before getting clearance to land.  We were on the “non-Manhattan” side of the plane so I didn’t get those great pictures of the City on approach.

Final Approach to LGA

Even though the plane is small, we were able to cram our carry-on bags into the overhead compartment.  We went straight to the cab pickup area because our plan today is to visit Ellen’s uncle in Teaneck, NJ.

It turns out the cab ride was almost as expensive as the flight - $87.00.  The cabbie did not even help with the bags and to top it off, couldn’t find the destination in Teaneck.  I helped him with my phone GPS.  Mini-tip service.

We had a great time visiting with family (all the grandkids and cousins) and a great dinner as well.

We are now in our hotel (Hampton Inn) resting up for another cab ride tomorrow to the Brooklyn Seaport.

The hotel is new and quiet…looking forward to fresh waffles in the morning.