Hail to the New Queen Mary 2- Maiden Voyage-A Review

Hail to the NEW Queen Mary 2

Pg 1
Arthur Stewart
May 2004



EMBARKATION-SOUTHAMPTON

Anxious to check out the newest and largest cruise ship in the world, I
booked on the Queen Mary 2 for her maiden voyage from Southampton to New
York. Flying from JFK to London's Heathrow Airport, I picked up a coach
that tooled me down to Southampton. We arrived dockside at about 3:00 PM.
Although you could see the ship in the distance as we wound our way through
the dockside, the enormity of it doesn't strike you until you step off the
coach and look up at the towering monster. It has been aptly described as
"The QE2 on steroids." As you go up the gangway and enter the grand lobby,
you are in an atrium that reaches to the 7th deck. The Romans would be
proud of its majesty! A shaper Guide takes your bag and leads you by an
elevator to Deck 8 and then down and endless corridor to Cabin 8028.

After the usual Emergency Drill in three languages at 5:00 PM, a Sail-a-Way
party is held on the Aft Deck as the ship readies to sail at 6:00 PM. The
weather is chilly but the sun has arranged for a layer of clouds to be
positioned with rays beaming through openings forming a semi-circular fan
backdrop to the occasion. Pierside, the express train from London, having
discharged its passengers at the Terminal Entrance, wends its way back to
London. The cars are Orient Express style, 12 "Wagon Lits" with shining
bodies, curtained windows and silver trimming. Champagne flows as water and
a Show Band "Onyx" made up of Tiger Woods Look-a-Likes kicks off with "In
the Mood". Dancing erupts as hand held British and American flags flail the
winds. Recorded music is then played at deafening decibels as those staples
of British history bring the deck rails of crowded passengers to full voice
with "Rule Britannia! Britannia Rules the Waves" followed by the moving
tribute England "Land of Hope and Glory". Fireboats fore and aft spray a
Niagara Falls curtain of water. Streamers fill the air from the upper
decks. With a nod to Uncle Sam, "Anchors Aweigh" and the "Marine Hymn"
follow. Tony and George would be proud! The ship's mighty whistle thunders
"Under Way" and followed by a phalanx of small craft, the QM2 edges away
from the pier into to Solient and it's on to New York and six memorable days
on this palace at sea!



THE WEATHER

On our first day at sea, the weather turned foul. This comes as no surprise
as it is generally known that the North Atlantic can behave this way at this
time of year. I envisioned it as a confrontation between King Neptune and
the Queen as follows: King Neptune: "So you think you're the biggest and
the best! Well let's see what you've got!"
Queen Mary: "Out of my way, Buster. You've met your match!"

The battle got underway. The Beaufort scale read Force 10 and winds across
the deck were clocked at 70 mph. Stay off the decks was the word. The seas
erupted in mountainous explosions of white and green foam. The white horses
were in full stampede. As you sat in the Commodore Bar on the prow of the
ship, you watched in awe as the ship buried its prow in the waves and rose
up as a dog shaking off the water. The spray from these frontal collisions
would on occasion, wash the windows... and this was on Deck 9, well above
the water line. It was beautiful! Speed was dropped from 24 knots during
the night to 15 knots and then to 7 as the storm peaked. Next morning on my
way to breakfast at 8 AM, it seemed every other Cabin had a "Do not disturb"
sign on the handle. This continued for two days. The Lady plowed on. It
had a date in NY and it must not be late. Conditions eased to sulleness for
a period. The next day, although starting out sunny, suddenly turned
yellowish dark and a sneak attack began. The Captain came on and said this
was some unexpected turbulence and once again, be careful. On my way to
dinner at 8:30 PM, I always stop in the Golden Lion Pub for a sip, a
delightful copy of a London pub with gleaming brass, burnished walnut walls
and taps of the finest English brews. It was located on 2 Deck, near the
water line. Seven windows on the outside wall gave you a clear view of the
action outside. Once again the waves rose high and explosively and on
occasion would rise up against the windows in fury and for a moment you were
under the waves. It was awesome!

On the 5th day, with one day to go, the day dawned bright and sunny, the
waves calmed and the Captain leaned on the throttle, to 30 knots. W arrived
in New York Harbor on time. The Queen passed her first test with flying
colors.

ENTRY INTO THE PORT OF New York

This final day on the six-day cruise from Southampton was looked forward to
with much excitement by the 2,746 passengers. This was it! The day dawned
gloomy and foggy. The decks were crowded as the ship aimed for the middle
point of the Verrazano Bridge. It moved underneath smoothly with an
estimated 23 feet to spare. The flagship of the Moran Tugboat fleet led the
way up the


North River and her sister tugs formed an escort convoy. Police boats and
Coast Guard vessels accompanied and they all looked so small from the 7th
deck rail. The fog began to dissipate and slowly there emerged on the port
side, the Lady. There hasn't been a time I have passed her that others)
(and I don't get a feeling of pride and emotion. On 7 Deck is the cafeteria
restaurant for those who shun the Dining Room. It is large and expansive
and manned primarily by newly hired Filipinos. It was open for early
breakfast but when the National Anthem sounded for the Statue of Liberty,
the workers deserted their stations en masse, and flocked out on deck. The
pattern was the same.first a look of awe and staring and then the cameras
went to work. Singles, doubles, groups backed against the rail with the
backdrop, the Statue. Very crowded the stood on slippery deck chairs to see
over the heads of the crowd. Slowly they filed back into the restaurant and
their stations. Wail 'til they see these pictures in Manila! The ship now
neared the Battery and two fireboats joined the parade, shooting geysers of
red, white and blue water into the air. Helicopters buzzed the ship
providing early morning fodder to the Networks. At Ground Zero, the ship
paused and sounded three long thunderous blasts on her whistle and then
continued the march to Pier 92. As the ship made her turn into the berth,
tugboats hovered nearby in case.they were not needed. Commodore Warwick
slid her in slows and smooths as silk and edged her to the pier. On the
roof of the adjoining pier, the United States Maritime Academy band saluted
with martial music and once

PG 2
again with the National Anthem. Mayor Bloomberg greeted the Captain as the
gangway landed and told Captain Warwick he had a bad dream. He said it was
of the phone ringing and the Captain asking if he could raise the Verrazano
Bridge just a bit for passage.

NOTES AND COMMENTS

When I arrived in my Cabin in Southampton, the television was on and the
screen read "Welcome Arthur Stewart. See Instructions". In the desk drawer
was a keyboard-computer style-with directions how to find out anything you
wanted to know about on-board. Lectures, programs, shops etc. And if you
were expecting e-mail, it would appear on the screen.

The Lecture Programs were of the highest caliber. The speakers were from
the Oxford University Discovery Program. There were several from other
leading educational institutions in the UK and North America. Subjects
covered in 3-4 one hour sessions included: Shakespeare, Dinosaurs, Trans
Atlantic crossings when immigration soared, Opera, and Charles Darwin Epic 5
Year Voyage on HMS Beagle.

A highlight for me was the planetarium on board. A large theater with
lean-back seats, the ceiling was a constant vision of the heavens. During
the lecture, the lecture ceiling, now lowered, reflected a variety of star
galaxies that were brilliant. Haven't seen that many stars in years.




Commodore Warwick, Master, comes from a family of ships captains. His
grandfather and father captained Cunard Liners. He took over s master of
the QE2 when his father retired from that position. He has a lovely wife
Kim who sails with him on most cruises. He said the happiest moment for him
had been when, with special permission of the Governor of Massachusetts, he
performed a marriage ceremony for his daughter in Boston Harbor.

The Library, the largest afloat, (8,000 hard backs, 500 paperbacks, audio
and CD ROMS) was located in the bow with windows overlooking the ship's
prow. Wooden cabinets of oak polished softly contained a myriad of books on
every conceivable subject. You could sit in a living room type chair and
read at your leisure glancing now and then at the sea before you. Authors
appeared regularly and you could get signed copies of their current book.
In one room a "shop" was open for purchase of cards, QM2 bookmarks, napkins,
etc. It was constantly busy.

The Britannia Dining Room is a two-tiered restaurant with open seating at
breakfast and lunch and two sittings for dinner at an assigned table. The
main floor was vast and truly a grand salon. It was ringed with balconies
and then a third more cozy third wing. In total, the restaurant soars for
three decks. Our table was near the door where the waiters went to get the
food and return to your table. To do so, they exited by an escalator to the
kitchen and when you saw a tray slowly moving upward toward the door, it was
time to eat. The open seating was a positive feature as you got to talk
with different people daily. At on lunch, two your men (40ish) on my left
had flown to London from Auckland, New Zealand to be on this trip. One was
from the US, went to NYU where he later got his law degree and now works for
a company in Auckland. The other was an applicant for a teaching job in
London and would stay aboard for the return trip to Southampton. Another
couple from Westport, CT asked me
what the notice din the Daily Bulletin that said ".friends of Bill will
meet at 2:30 in the." I informed them it was AA and it is on board every
Cunard ship I have sailed. They mentioned attending a church in
Westport-the Congregational Church. I asked them if they knew a Wally
Scoffield. "Oh yes!" they beamed. He is our present Minister in the First
Congregation Church in Riverhead, NY. And so it went. I did note that on
several occasions people from other countries would lean close to you and
ask, "Is Bush going to be re-elected?"

The Captain's Compliments and will you join him for cocktails." The first
blast was welcome aboard for all passengers who thronged the Queen's room at
5 PM for the inevitable picture taking of you and the Captain shaking hands.
It's your Proof that you made this trip. The next invite was to the
Frequent Floaters (5 plus cruises with Cunard) extended by the Captain. 700
Showed up for this gala and exchanged war stories of previous cruises and
one-upmanship. Not to be outdone, the Senior Staff Officers threw another
FF party and the same 700 showed up to do battle again, Surprising how so
many couldn't make it to breakfast or lunch seemed in full fettle for these
bacchanalia.

Maureen Ryan, senior cruise hostess, always greets me with a warm properly
mannered hug and updates me on some of the people I know so well from the
QE2 who are still with her. She hosted a small group get-together for 70
passengers who had sailed on the original Queen Mary. Four of them were on
her for her maiden voyage. They all told stories of what it were like and
the gal from our dinner table who attended said it was a pleasant afternoon
session-with tea. As to staff who left or were transferred to the QM2, I
recognized and was warmly greeted by about 10. And, truth be knows, the
preponderance were bartenders. Don't tell.

We were provided with a Passenger list of the 2,476 passengers on board.
The first name on the alpha listing was... Tahereh Abdolkarimzadeh through
Helmut Zylla

The ship picked up the Pilot at Ambrose light at 4AM and Robert D. Jones
came aboard to guide her to her berth at Pier 92. A veteran of 45 years of
service, he stood on the bridge with binoculars and hand held radio well
away that the world was watching as he peered through the early morning fog.
He knew that off Brooklyn he had to make two crucial turns. "We were flying
along at 18 knots" and he asked Commodore Warwick "How'll she do?""Fine" he
responded. "She's a lot like the QE2." Jones didn't want to hear that. He
said on the QE2 you had to use a lot of rudder. (The QM2 had no rudder-it's
all done by propellers strategically mounted) But this thing noted Jones
"Pranced around just magnificent!" At Pier 92 Jones turned over the duty to
the Docking Pilot. And that concluded his service as a Pilot. He retired
as of that day. What a way to go out!

FINALE
A story line in THE New York Times summed it up perfectly: A QUEEN ARRIVES,
AND EVEN IN JADED New York, JAWS DROP. Early debarkation was arranged and
my lime with Carl at the helm had me home by 11:30 AM. It took two days to
come down from my high.

In summary.Of my 10 years of cruising, there have been many notable events,
places visited, people met, and friendships formed. This 6-day cruise was
by far the most memorable of them all. It was as though you were in another
world. and indeed you were. Each night you set your clock back one hour and
another 25-hour day was yours to savor. In 1839 Samuel Cunard of Halifax,
Nova Scotia had a dream of Trans-Atlantic shipping carrying the Royal Mail.
More than 160 years later, the newest Queen of the Cunard Line carries his
vision on.


--

Note:

Arthur Stewart is a friend of my mother. He does not have access to a
computer. After reading this superb review, I had to post this on RTC for
everyone to enjoy. I also posted it to a few sights on the internet such as
cruise critic and cruise review.com.

Eddie Burke

I enjoyed reading your most eloquesnt review, Ed.

Eileen

Ed Burke wrote:

Hail to the NEW Queen Mary 2

Pg 1
Arthur Stewart
May 2004



EMBARKATION-SOUTHAMPTON

Anxious to check out the newest and largest cruise ship in the world, I
booked on the Queen Mary 2 for her maiden voyage from Southampton to New
York. Flying from JFK to London's Heathrow Airport, I picked up a coach
that tooled me down to Southampton. We arrived dockside at about 3:00 PM.
Although you could see the ship in the distance as we wound our way through
the dockside, the enormity of it doesn't strike you until you step off the
coach and look up at the towering monster. It has been aptly described as
"The QE2 on steroids." As you go up the gangway and enter the grand lobby,
you are in an atrium that reaches to the 7th deck. The Romans would be
proud of its majesty! A shaper Guide takes your bag and leads you by an
elevator to Deck 8 and then down and endless corridor to Cabin 8028.

After the usual Emergency Drill in three languages at 5:00 PM, a Sail-a-Way
party is held on the Aft Deck as the ship readies to sail at 6:00 PM. The
weather is chilly but the sun has arranged for a layer of clouds to be
positioned with rays beaming through openings forming a semi-circular fan
backdrop to the occasion. Pierside, the express train from London, having
discharged its passengers at the Terminal Entrance, wends its way back to
London. The cars are Orient Express style, 12 "Wagon Lits" with shining
bodies, curtained windows and silver trimming. Champagne flows as water and
a Show Band "Onyx" made up of Tiger Woods Look-a-Likes kicks off with "In
the Mood". Dancing erupts as hand held British and American flags flail the
winds. Recorded music is then played at deafening decibels as those staples
of British history bring the deck rails of crowded passengers to full voice
with "Rule Britannia! Britannia Rules the Waves" followed by the moving
tribute England "Land of Hope and Glory". Fireboats fore and aft spray a
Niagara Falls curtain of water. Streamers fill the air from the upper
decks. With a nod to Uncle Sam, "Anchors Aweigh" and the "Marine Hymn"
follow. Tony and George would be proud! The ship's mighty whistle thunders
"Under Way" and followed by a phalanx of small craft, the QM2 edges away
from the pier into to Solient and it's on to New York and six memorable days
on this palace at sea!



THE WEATHER

On our first day at sea, the weather turned foul. This comes as no surprise
as it is generally known that the North Atlantic can behave this way at this
time of year. I envisioned it as a confrontation between King Neptune and
the Queen as follows: King Neptune: "So you think you're the biggest and
the best! Well let's see what you've got!"
Queen Mary: "Out of my way, Buster. You've met your match!"

The battle got underway. The Beaufort scale read Force 10 and winds across
the deck were clocked at 70 mph. Stay off the decks was the word. The seas
erupted in mountainous explosions of white and green foam. The white horses
were in full stampede. As you sat in the Commodore Bar on the prow of the
ship, you watched in awe as the ship buried its prow in the waves and rose
up as a dog shaking off the water. The spray from these frontal collisions
would on occasion, wash the windows... and this was on Deck 9, well above
the water line. It was beautiful! Speed was dropped from 24 knots during
the night to 15 knots and then to 7 as the storm peaked. Next morning on my
way to breakfast at 8 AM, it seemed every other Cabin had a "Do not disturb"
sign on the handle. This continued for two days. The Lady plowed on. It
had a date in NY and it must not be late. Conditions eased to sulleness for
a period. The next day, although starting out sunny, suddenly turned
yellowish dark and a sneak attack began. The Captain came on and said this
was some unexpected turbulence and once again, be careful. On my way to
dinner at 8:30 PM, I always stop in the Golden Lion Pub for a sip, a
delightful copy of a London pub with gleaming brass, burnished walnut walls
and taps of the finest English brews. It was located on 2 Deck, near the
water line. Seven windows on the outside wall gave you a clear view of the
action outside. Once again the waves rose high and explosively and on
occasion would rise up against the windows in fury and for a moment you were
under the waves. It was awesome!

On the 5th day, with one day to go, the day dawned bright and sunny, the
waves calmed and the Captain leaned on the throttle, to 30 knots. W arrived
in New York Harbor on time. The Queen passed her first test with flying
colors.

ENTRY INTO THE PORT OF New York

This final day on the six-day cruise from Southampton was looked forward to
with much excitement by the 2,746 passengers. This was it! The day dawned
gloomy and foggy. The decks were crowded as the ship aimed for the middle
point of the Verrazano Bridge. It moved underneath smoothly with an
estimated 23 feet to spare. The flagship of the Moran Tugboat fleet led the
way up the


North River and her sister tugs formed an escort convoy. Police boats and
Coast Guard vessels accompanied and they all looked so small from the 7th
deck rail. The fog began to dissipate and slowly there emerged on the port
side, the Lady. There hasn't been a time I have passed her that others)
(and I don't get a feeling of pride and emotion. On 7 Deck is the cafeteria
restaurant for those who shun the Dining Room. It is large and expansive
and manned primarily by newly hired Filipinos. It was open for early
breakfast but when the National Anthem sounded for the Statue of Liberty,
the workers deserted their stations en masse, and flocked out on deck. The
pattern was the same.first a look of awe and staring and then the cameras
went to work. Singles, doubles, groups backed against the rail with the
backdrop, the Statue. Very crowded the stood on slippery deck chairs to see
over the heads of the crowd. Slowly they filed back into the restaurant and
their stations. Wail 'til they see these pictures in Manila! The ship now
neared the Battery and two fireboats joined the parade, shooting geysers of
red, white and blue water into the air. Helicopters buzzed the ship
providing early morning fodder to the Networks. At Ground Zero, the ship
paused and sounded three long thunderous blasts on her whistle and then
continued the march to Pier 92. As the ship made her turn into the berth,
tugboats hovered nearby in case.they were not needed. Commodore Warwick
slid her in slows and smooths as silk and edged her to the pier. On the
roof of the adjoining pier, the United States Maritime Academy band saluted
with martial music and once

PG 2
again with the National Anthem. Mayor Bloomberg greeted the Captain as the
gangway landed and told Captain Warwick he had a bad dream. He said it was
of the phone ringing and the Captain asking if he could raise the Verrazano
Bridge just a bit for passage.

NOTES AND COMMENTS

When I arrived in my Cabin in Southampton, the television was on and the
screen read "Welcome Arthur Stewart. See Instructions". In the desk drawer
was a keyboard-computer style-with directions how to find out anything you
wanted to know about on-board. Lectures, programs, shops etc. And if you
were expecting e-mail, it would appear on the screen.

The Lecture Programs were of the highest caliber. The speakers were from
the Oxford University Discovery Program. There were several from other
leading educational institutions in the UK and North America. Subjects
covered in 3-4 one hour sessions included: Shakespeare, Dinosaurs, Trans
Atlantic crossings when immigration soared, Opera, and Charles Darwin Epic 5
Year Voyage on HMS Beagle.

A highlight for me was the planetarium on board. A large theater with
lean-back seats, the ceiling was a constant vision of the heavens. During
the lecture, the lecture ceiling, now lowered, reflected a variety of star
galaxies that were brilliant. Haven't seen that many stars in years.




Commodore Warwick, Master, comes from a family of ships captains. His
grandfather and father captained Cunard Liners. He took over s master of
the QE2 when his father retired from that position. He has a lovely wife
Kim who sails with him on most cruises. He said the happiest moment for him
had been when, with special permission of the Governor of Massachusetts, he
performed a marriage ceremony for his daughter in Boston Harbor.

The Library, the largest afloat, (8,000 hard backs, 500 paperbacks, audio
and CD ROMS) was located in the bow with windows overlooking the ship's
prow. Wooden cabinets of oak polished softly contained a myriad of books on
every conceivable subject. You could sit in a living room type chair and
read at your leisure glancing now and then at the sea before you. Authors
appeared regularly and you could get signed copies of their current book.
In one room a "shop" was open for purchase of cards, QM2 bookmarks, napkins,
etc. It was constantly busy.

The Britannia Dining Room is a two-tiered restaurant with open seating at
breakfast and lunch and two sittings for dinner at an assigned table. The
main floor was vast and truly a grand salon. It was ringed with balconies
and then a third more cozy third wing. In total, the restaurant soars for
three decks. Our table was near the door where the waiters went to get the
food and return to your table. To do so, they exited by an escalator to the
kitchen and when you saw a tray slowly moving upward toward the door, it was
time to eat. The open seating was a positive feature as you got to talk
with different people daily. At on lunch, two your men (40ish) on my left
had flown to London from Auckland, New Zealand to be on this trip. One was
from the US, went to NYU where he later got his law degree and now works for
a company in Auckland. The other was an applicant for a teaching job in
London and would stay aboard for the return trip to Southampton. Another
couple from Westport, CT asked me
what the notice din the Daily Bulletin that said ".friends of Bill will
meet at 2:30 in the." I informed them it was AA and it is on board every
Cunard ship I have sailed. They mentioned attending a church in
Westport-the Congregational Church. I asked them if they knew a Wally
Scoffield. "Oh yes!" they beamed. He is our present Minister in the First
Congregation Church in Riverhead, NY. And so it went. I did note that on
several occasions people from other countries would lean close to you and
ask, "Is Bush going to be re-elected?"

The Captain's Compliments and will you join him for cocktails." The first
blast was welcome aboard for all passengers who thronged the Queen's room at
5 PM for the inevitable picture taking of you and the Captain shaking hands.
It's your Proof that you made this trip. The next invite was to the
Frequent Floaters (5 plus cruises with Cunard) extended by the Captain. 700
Showed up for this gala and exchanged war stories of previous cruises and
one-upmanship. Not to be outdone, the Senior Staff Officers threw another
FF party and the same 700 showed up to do battle again, Surprising how so
many couldn't make it to breakfast or lunch seemed in full fettle for these
bacchanalia.

Maureen Ryan, senior cruise hostess, always greets me with a warm properly
mannered hug and updates me on some of the people I know so well from the
QE2 who are still with her. She hosted a small group get-together for 70
passengers who had sailed on the original Queen Mary. Four of them were on
her for her maiden voyage. They all told stories of what it were like and
the gal from our dinner table who attended said it was a pleasant afternoon
session-with tea. As to staff who left or were transferred to the QM2, I
recognized and was warmly greeted by about 10. And, truth be knows, the
preponderance were bartenders. Don't tell.

We were provided with a Passenger list of the 2,476 passengers on board.
The first name on the alpha listing was... Tahereh Abdolkarimzadeh through
Helmut Zylla

The ship picked up the Pilot at Ambrose light at 4AM and Robert D. Jones
came aboard to guide her to her berth at Pier 92. A veteran of 45 years of
service, he stood on the bridge with binoculars and hand held radio well
away that the world was watching as he peered through the early morning fog.
He knew that off Brooklyn he had to make two crucial turns. "We were flying
along at 18 knots" and he asked Commodore Warwick "How'll she do?""Fine" he
responded. "She's a lot like the QE2." Jones didn't want to hear that. He
said on the QE2 you had to use a lot of rudder. (The QM2 had no rudder-it's
all done by propellers strategically mounted) But this thing noted Jones
"Pranced around just magnificent!" At Pier 92 Jones turned over the duty to
the Docking Pilot. And that concluded his service as a Pilot. He retired
as of that day. What a way to go out!

FINALE
A story line in THE New York Times summed it up perfectly: A QUEEN ARRIVES,
AND EVEN IN JADED New York, JAWS DROP. Early debarkation was arranged and
my lime with Carl at the helm had me home by 11:30 AM. It took two days to
come down from my high.

In summary.Of my 10 years of cruising, there have been many notable events,
places visited, people met, and friendships formed. This 6-day cruise was
by far the most memorable of them all. It was as though you were in another
world. and indeed you were. Each night you set your clock back one hour and
another 25-hour day was yours to savor. In 1839 Samuel Cunard of Halifax,
Nova Scotia had a dream of Trans-Atlantic shipping carrying the Royal Mail.
More than 160 years later, the newest Queen of the Cunard Line carries his
vision on.

Thank you for a wonderful review. Come back with more!

Ed Burke wrote:


FINALE
A story line in THE New York Times summed it up perfectly: A QUEEN ARRIVES,
AND EVEN IN JADED New York, JAWS DROP.

That's right, and that inspired me. But, I thought that had to do with
the *idea* of the ship. But it turns out the real ship is exceeding
expectations and is striking some as extraordinary. Big plus.


Ben S.