Saturday, December 26, 2015 – Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas USVI - Mostly Sunny – mid 70s

Land Ho…

And a beautiful day in St. Thomas.  QM2, because of it deep draft, is required to dock at Crown Bay port.  This port is quite a way from the city and requires a taxi to get there (although, we have walked there).  We don’t expect much to be open on the day after Christmas – as has been our experience in the Caribbean – so we plan to explore the new stores and venues at Crown Bay.

We were able to get some nice views of St. Thomas Bay and Harbor from the ship

Four years ago, when we last visited aboard QM2, a small but interesting ship docked along side of us.  It was the Sea Dream II and today, it is docked in the same spot next to the Queen.  Deja Vu all over again.

Sea Dream II

There is an amazing size difference between QM2 and SDII.  However, being on the SDII is an experience not to be missed especially the dining.

The Two Ships Side by Side

The shops were mostly open but there was nothing that we needed to pick up.  We did chalk up some walking steps strolling through Crown Point.

What did catch our eye was a magnificent rainbow that seemed to end in a place, where one would not expect a pot of gold.  Still, seeing the actual touch point of this rainbow was quite the sight.

The Rainbow

We spent the afternoon on the deck – the temperature was comfortable and we were out of the sun.

Plane Taking Off from St. Thomas

The sail away gave us great views of the bay and it’s ever-present boats.

St. Thomas Sail Away

After dinner, we attended Showtime, which tonight featured vocalist, Philippa Healey.  Philippa Healey sings opera, rock, and everything in between and has performed at the West End.  She put on a fantastic show and, at one point, she brought out her professional opera singer fiancé to join her on some songs.

“The Prayer”

“Tonight”

A very enjoyable day in St. Thomas.

Wednesday, December 23 – Friday, December 25, 2015 – At Sea–Atlantic Ocean – Cloudy 50s

December 23, 2015

Our first day at sea…

I took the picture through our porthole – too cold to go outside and the effect is interesting.  The seas are pretty calm.

Breakfast for the entire cruise will be in the King’s Court Buffet – they have the mandatory waffles and cottage cheese along with a terrific selection of individually bottled preserves.  The guests on this cruise do not appear to be early risers so the place is somewhat quiet and calm for breakfast.

I don’t have a lot of time this morning as my first Talk, “DNA Testing:  Cold Cases Solved”, is scheduled for 11:15 AM  in Illuminations.

 

The capacity of Illuminations is approximately 500; it is the venue for the planetarium show – however, the projector is undergoing maintenance so there may not be any sky shows this cruise.

I got there a little bit early to chat with the guests (we had done a technical run through earlier and everything worked fine). 

After a nice introduction by Paul, I was on my way.

Pre-Talk Chat with Guests

Introduction by Paul

Based on the 500 seat capacity, I estimated the attendance to be in the 350 range.  A good turnout considering the time and the fact that there are several other speakers on board.

Tonight, as we will be doing every night, we contacted the Maître D’ as we got to the Britannia Dining Room as to the available seating.  He was able to get us a table for two.  I should mention that we spent a lot of our dinners up in the King’s Court Buffet taking in the very tasty pizza and pasta and Cesar salads.  The food on the ship was very good at all of the venues.

After dinner, we went to the Queen’s Room to watch the Royal Cunard Dancers perform a special Holiday show.  As you can see, the ship and its public places are all decked out in Holiday style.

The Headliners tonight in the Royal Court Theater are “The Opera Boys”.  This, on the face of it, sounds like a show we would normally avoid.  As it turns out, they were terrific.  Great voices, lots of humor, and not all opera.  The audience loved them.

The Opera Boys

Some piano entertainment and that’s it for the day.

 

December 24, 2015

Another dreary day at sea.

It was a little warmer so we were able to get out on the deck for some walking and pictures.

At Sea

The weather is still not deck weather so the Winter Garden Lounge is a good place to settle in and read (there are sea views and comfortable chairs and it is usually quiet).

Kindle Time in the Winter Garden

Roger McGuinn is on in the Royal Court Theater this morning before me so I was able to catch a few minutes of his presentation before having to sneak out to get ready for mine.  Ellen did get some nice shots of Roger (she was sitting with Camilla in the front row).  Roger likes the theater pretty much totally dark (he told me) so it was hard getting to and from my seat.

Although Talk 2 – “Forensics and History:  The Mystery of the Romanovs” is scheduled right at lunch (12:15 PM), the turnout is excellent - a full house – approximately 500 guests.  The talk went really well and ended on time.

We had the whole afternoon off to read and relax – once again in the quiet of the Winter Garden.

Through the Glass

The weather cleared enough for us to catch a beautiful sunset.

 

December 25, 2015 – Christmas on the QM2

The seas are a bit rough today

The usual day unfolded – breakfast in the King’s Court Buffet – HMT Room Service for Ellen.  Lunch was also in the King’s Court Buffet (we had tried to have lunch in the Britannia Restaurant but it is a long process).  Dinner was in the King’s Court as well – the pizza to order is still very good as are the pastas.

We ran into one of the Opera Boys (the tall one) in the buffet and he told us he is traveling with his family.  A very nice guy.

We went to Showtime in the Royal Court Theater because the Opera Boys were doing their second show.  However, the first part of the show was caroling with the crew – maybe a little too much holiday spirit for some.

Caroling with the Crew

The Opera Boys second show was just as entertaining as their opening act.  Simply entertaining – and the mics are not that high as to be ear splitting.  We sat much closer this time for pictures.

Opera Boys

Tomorrow, Christmas is over and we are in St. Thomas.

Tuesday, December 22, 2015 – New York City, NY –Cold, Rainy – 50sF

Well, I was wrong – it was pretty noisy all night.  Some of the noises were actually scary.  Next time, it will be the Hampton Inn somewhere near the port.

We had breakfast in the dark, windowless basement eating area.  Enough said.

Again, the desk personnel were very helpful and called for a transport to the Brooklyn Cruise Port.  We wound up in a very nice town car with a driver not a cabbie; it did take quite a while to get to the port in the rain and traffic.

Check in didn’t take long but we did wait just a little while before being allowed to board the ship.  Cunard had some interesting adverts up touting its crossings.  We wanted to be part of the ad campaign.

We boarded and checked out our room – ED31 (“Entertainment Deck” or maybe “Extra Deck”).  In any event, it is a very nice room.  There was a bonus in our room – the previous occupant had left pretty much all of his clothes in the room.  Our steward indicated that it would all be moved to that person’s new room and our stuff would be here soon.

Our stateroom – ED31

We had our embarkation lunch in the King’s Court Buffet.  The usual fare.  We did find a crew member to take a non-blurry picture of us.

King’s Court Buffet

It is a very dreary day outside – intermittent rain and chilly temps.  I wandered out on the soggy deck to get a picture of the East River and parts of Manhattan.

We walked to one of the aft decks to get this picture of the lifeboats.

It will take a while for the deck chairs on the open deck to dry out – they are completely soaked.  When the weather gets warmer, this is where we will be spending pretty much all of our free time.  It will take a few days for that to happen, so we will need to find other public places to hang out in.

We attended the lifeboat drill – our muster station was the gym at the Canyon Ranch Spa.  As we were standing there listening to the announcements – at least most of the passengers were listening – I saw someone familiar.  Roger McGuinn, former Folk Rock star, and his wife, Camilla.  We were on this same cruise with them in December 2011.  Four years have gone by so quickly.  He did recognize us and told us that he would be doing a series of lectures – similar to those he gave on that earlier cruise.

We had dinner in the King’s Court Buffet – they have added some new and nice touches – pizza and pasta made to order at the Chef’s Galley.  You order your items, get some salads, and find a seat in the Galley area.  It’s a nice option even though it can be slow and noisy.

The sail away was a dreary event but the lights of Manhattan made it more interesting.

New York Sail Away

The Welcome Aboard Show was hosted by Entertainment Director, Paul O’Loughlin.  He was the ED in 2011 – we met up in the elevator and he recognized me and welcomed me back on board.  There was not video interview this time around (good thing – the last one was a jittery experience).

The Royal Cunard Singers and Dancers are, as usual, terrific – great voices and energetic dancers.  We are looking forward to some great shows and acts.

Welcome Aboard Show

There is a piano entertainer in the Golden Lion Pub that we will be spending some time with (did not get his name).  He’s only on for a short time each evening just before trivia, which fills the place up.

Queen Mary 2 – Festive Caribbean Cruise –December 22 , 2015 – January 3, 2016 – Round Trip, Brooklyn, NY

December 21, 2015 – Travel Day

The first day of Winter

We have to get up a little earlier today for our trip to New York because our flight is due to leave at 10:12 AM.  The weather is not terrific but it is not snowing so that will help.

The taxi arrived on time at 7:45 AM and the ride to the airport did not involve dealing with traffic (even though it was a Monday).  We checked in at the American counter and they took care of our bags.  We both had TSA PreChek so the trip through security was a breeze.

We had a little time to settle in before boarding and the good news was our plane sitting at the gate loading up.

AA380 Prepping for Departure

We boarded on time and departure pretty close to schedule.  While the skies looked ominous, the flight was uneventful. 

Climb Out ORD

It was a short flight to LGA and we did not have to hold for air traffic control.  It was a gray day but I could still get some shots of the final approach to La Guardia.

Final Approach – LGA

The Hotel Luxe, our hotel, is located not too far from the airport in Crown Heights.  We had no choice but to take a cab.  As we drove through the neighborhood, it became clear that our options for dinner may be limited.  We did get to the hotel, which is squeezed between two other buildings.

The woman at the desk was very friendly and checked us in quickly and we were on our way to Room 507.  As you can see, the bed is decked out in very patriotic colors.  The room had some deferred maintenance issues but it seemed OK.  There was no real view out of the window – just apartments and homes.

Room 507

The View from Room 507

It was still early so we decided to take a short walk around the neighborhood to check out possibilities for dinner.  It was pretty obvious after a few blocks that we were not going to be eating out tonight.  We did stop at a bodega at the gas station across from the hotel to get some water. 

We wound up eating instant oatmeal for dinner – we found the stash in the breakfast room in the basement of the hotel.  We needed hot water so we tried using the coffee maker in the room.  The one we had was inoperable so the desk sent us another and then another – the last one did work and we were able to get the water for the cereal.  We will not be able to recommend this hotel following this stay.

There was some noise out in the hall during the early evening hours.  We are hoping that the place will miraculously turn quiet over night and we will be able to get some sleep.