09/18/11 - DVCers Take Over the Dream (S.S. Member Cruise 2011) - Thread #5

[W@LL-E]

“I’m ‘Blackinese’”

 

[W@LL-E]

“I’m the king of the world”

 

[W@LL-E]

“There’s only two men I trust. One of ‘em’s me, the other one’s not you"

 

[lpotter]

Jim and I are up for the River Cruise! Sounds like a lot of fun! We will need to decide fairly quickly to take advantage of the Groupon.. Unless it will still be offered/available tomorrow. Perhaps a group rate might be better

 

[mlholster]

Welcome home John and family!

 

[W@LL-E]

“So let me get this straight. You broke in again to apologize for breaking in yesterday”

 

[W@LL-E]

Jim and I are up for the River Cruise! Sounds like a lot of fun! We will need to decide fairly quickly to take advantage of the Groupon.. Unless it will still be offered/available tomorrow. Perhaps a group rate might be better

Are you volunt-EARing Laura?

 

[Carmouse10]

Since I doubt anyone will be sailing into that port before our cruise, could you expain what I missed? A big wall of lights that said, "Welcome Home John!" perhaps?

I will fill you in on the whole package when we get to meet on the Dream. I will tell you that there were three of those portable electric warning signs like you would see on the side of a highway warning of problems ahead. Each was programmed to say "Welcome to New York ______" with each of your names. It was a cool little mission to pull off anyway so I had some fun.

 

[DizDragonfly]

I will fill you in on the whole package when we get to meet on the Dream. I will tell you that there were three of those portable electric warning signs like you would see on the side of a highway warning of problems ahead. Each was programmed to say "Welcome to New York ______" with each of your names. It was a cool little mission to pull off anyway so I had some fun.

Wow Andy! You rock!!

 

[Steamboat WillyNilly]

Noo ooooo!!!!!!!

​

I still think you need to go for the torpedo the next time you parasail.

 

[Truffle]

“So let me get this straight. You broke in again to apologize for breaking in yesterday”

Wally, are you just trying to run up the count?

 

[friends with mickey]

I shot an elephant in my pajamas
How he got into my pajamas, i'll never know.

 

[friends with mickey]

I would never join a club that would have me as a member.

 

[Steamboat WillyNilly]

Just bought the Groupon Chicago Riverboat tour deal! Can't wait!

 

[Steamboat WillyNilly]

Al Czervik: Oh, this is the worst-looking hat I ever saw. What, when you buy a hat like this I bet you get a free bowl of soup, huh?

[looks at Judge Smails, who's wearing the same hat]

Al Czervik: Oh, it looks good on you though.

 

[friends with mickey]

Judge Smails: I'm no slouch myself

Ty: Don't sell your self short Judge, you're a tremendous slouch.

 

[Hoosier John]

I forgot to mention two things. The British pronunciation of Cunard is ‘CUE nard’. And a cute story from the how the original Queen Mary (I) got her name. Cunard had a history of naming all their passenger ships with names ending in ‘ia’, like Lusitania and Britannia. They wanted to name the next ship the Queen Victoria, but before using the Royal name, they formally wrote a letter to the then King of England stating their desire to name their newest ship after the ‘greatest Queen England has ever had.’ The King replied back that he would be honored to have the ship named after his wife, Queen Mary.

Cunard auctions off one chart for each leg of their world cruise, which they apply to a British childrens charity. Following that, two of the Bridge Officers gave a Virtual Bridge presentation. The QM2 is an ocean liner as compared to a cruise ship. This means that it was built to handle trans Atlantic crossings. She cost more to build than the larger cruise ships (in today’s dollars). I found it surprising that she is longer, wider, and has a deeper draft than the larger class of today’s cruise ships. This is because the ships are designated in tonnes, which is actually some kind of volumetric measure of inside space. To explain the difference, if the QM2’s stern were built straight up with cabins like the ‘larger’ ships, she would still be the largest. I would say they did this for better stability. Roughly, her hull is 50% thicker, she has 50% more power and can attain 30 knots compared to around 24 knots for cruise ships.

Speaking of stability, I got some motion sickness medication before we left because I get sea sick. It has happened to me in the Caribbean, around the FL Keys, between Nova Scotia and Maine, and on Lake Michigan, so I was sure it would be needed across the Atlantic. I took one pill after the first night, and never needed another one. During the Bridge presentation, I’m pretty sure they said the QM2 has 4 stabilizers, but only had one deployed at the time (around 5 foot seas).

The QM2 is more regimented as far as dress code goes. They maintain a more formal look and feel than the laid back Caribbean atmosphere. This probably fits their legacy of cruising and worldly itineraries better. In fact they have their public spaces lined with photos of stars and dignitaries who have been onboard, paintings of their ships past and present, royal memorials, etc. There were hundreds of plaques from the first time they visited each port. Evidently each country/port designs their own plaque.
The QM2 has taller decks than others. This allows for a roomier feel and split levels in some areas. For instance, where the Britannia Restaurant and the Planetarium Theatre stair-step or amphitheatre upward on the sides, the hallway skirts alongside and underneath. This allows both to span the full width of the ship, while allowing passage outside. The main theatre with balcony seating is in the bow, which forms a natural amphitheatre shape. The Grand Atrium spans 7 decks. Interestingly it has 12 to 24 inside cabins with an atrium view.

All of the large gathering places (theatres, dining, ballroom, shops, casino, lounges) are down low on decks 2 or 3. I would guess this is part of the ocean liner design, keeping those activities closer to the center of gravity where there will be less movement. The exception is the Lido deck which is only lowered to deck 7. Since the ocean temperatures were still cool, we didn’t spend much time out on deck, but there were people walking the loop around the ship in windbreakers (deck 7). 3 loops is one mile. The cool temperatures meant that the icebergs hadn’t broken loose yet, so we didn’t meet the fate of the Titanic, which we sailed over one night at midnight.

They carry fewer passengers than a ship that size, which was evident walking around. With a larger crew to passenger ratio, it seems the service would be slightly better. If it was I couldn’t really see it. There was never a bottleneck of people, except at the entrance to a scheduled event, and keep in mind nearly everyone was indoors. Even the theatres were easy to get into since they opened the doors a half hour early. I think this allowed people to stop and talk more freely with others. I really don’t like talking to strangers, in general, but here I felt more comfortable. It’s the difference of meeting one person on a sidewalk or being on a crowded walk. No one would make light conversation in a crowd, but would likely exchange pleasantries to the lone person. Besides our table mates, who we got to know pretty well, I talked to or next door neighbors a few times around the ship, and several other random people. There were 50 kids onboard, so even fewer around Laran’s age. She attracted the attention of several couples who we talked with.

Which brings up another point. This was definitely an older crowd. I would say the average age might have been around 65, with most between 50 and 75. There is one lady who has lived on board since the last Cunard ship she was on went out of commission. She is 80-something. There was no way to pick her out of a crowd of people who were her age, or older. Many of the people we talked with had grandchildren Laran’s age.

There were something like 5 pools plus hot tubs. All of the pools were outdoors, except one which had the retractable roof closed (and maybe one in the spa, which we never visited?). We only visited the roofed pool once and it was warm inside and really not very busy.

The Kids Zone is staffed by 9 certified nannies who were very pleasant. They accepted kids from 1 year and up. There was a small nursery and larger toddler and preteen rooms. Laran’s area had craft tables, a TV (movie) area and one of those large bins full of colored balls to jump into. I ventured into the older kids area and found computers, a DJ booth, and a lighted stage. They ventured onto their own outside deck a couple of days for a short time. They also had children’s books which could be checked out. They did use pagers like Disney. Laran really liked the Kids Zone which gave us leverage for her behavior away from the club. She really didn’t spend much time at the Kids Club on last year’s SSMC, but I attribute that to age. She is becoming much more social now. They put together crafted Easter baskets and gave each kid some malted milkball eggs and one large Cadbury egg. They had a visit from the Captain one day and a party on the last day. That reminds me, the QM2 also has a glass room behind the bridge where you can view the whole bridge and look right out the front from about 5 feet behind the wheel. I took Laran up there the day the Captain visited them. Their hours were the biggest disappointment. 8 to noon, 2 to 5pm, and 8 to midnight. That’s a lot of hours for the staff, but it was a little rough taking a 2.5 year old (who doesn’t take naps) to the rather formal dining room. Fortunately we had great table mates who entertained her by drawing pictures and counting sweeteners with her.

Too much for now … Next Food

 

[Steamboat WillyNilly]

Al Czervik: Oh, this your wife, huh? A lovely lady. Hey baby, you must've been something before electricity.

 

[friends with mickey]

Judge Smails to Danny Noonen: Hey kid do you have any plans for Saturday afternoon.
Noonen: No sir Judge
Smails: Great you can mow my lawn.

 

[Hoosier John]

I will fill you in on the whole package when we get to meet on the Dream. I will tell you that there were three of those portable electric warning signs like you would see on the side of a highway warning of problems ahead. Each was programmed to say "Welcome to New York ______" with each of your names. It was a cool little mission to pull off anyway so I had some fun.

Oh, wow. If you're serious, that would have been so cool! Even if I was on the wrong side of the ship, I would have seen it because it sounds like it would be brighter than anything else, AND everyone from the upper deck would be pointing and talking about it! I would have moved over there to see what all the commotion was. The 40 or so people up there with me would have been so jealous and amazed.

As would Lara who thinks I was crazy for getting up that early anyway.

In case you or one of your brothers tries to pull this off again, I think we were a little later than scheduled. So the QM2 might arrive closer to 5 am if running on time.

Thank you for all the effort!!! I really wish it would have worked out for us.