Even though Will and I are not big cruise people, I always wanted to take a trip on one of Cunard’s Queen ships. They seemed so romantic and elegant, the way transatlantic crossings used to be. The Queen Mary 2 typically sails between New York and Southampton, England but occasionally she makes longer or shorter trips. When I heard about the 4th of July cruise, out of New York with stops in Halifax and Boston, I thought it would be the perfect way for us to check out the majestic vessel.

Date: July 2011

Embarking/Disembarking: The QM2 usually sails out of Brooklyn, NY but our special cruise left from the Manhattan port. The pier was crowded and disorganized as there was a Carnival ship boarding at the same time. It took hours to get checked in and we couldn’t find the bag drop so we were stuck dragging our suitcases around. Once we got on the ship, the elevators were messed up and it took quite a long time to get to our room. Disembarking was much easier when we returned. We chose to carry our own bags so we could get right off the ship when it docked. We just listened for an announcement and were off in minutes.

Cabins: Cunard ships are broken up into three classes. First and second class are, in order, the Queens Grill and the Princess Grill. Guests in these classes have suites, separate restaurants and separate decks to lounge on. Everyone else is in the Britannia Class which eats in the two-story Britannia dining room and has access to all the common areas. The Britannia rooms range from tiny, inside staterooms to larger, balcony staterooms. Some of the balconies are in-hull, which means they are enclosed like a sitting room, while others are outdoor. Apparently the in-hull rooms are ideal during a windy, rainy crossing but, since we were just going up the coast of New England, we booked an open balcony room. The room was a bit worn, but spacious and we loved being able to sit outside, especially on the 4th of July when fireworks were going off in every direction. The beds are pretty comfortable although the pillows are flat and horrible. The bathrooms were also spacious for a cruise ship and the shower pressure and temperature was excellent. We were on Deck 8 at the very front of the ship and it was smooth and peaceful, but we could hear our neighbors on their balconies if we were outside at the same time. If someone is out chatting or playing music, you definitely couldn’t do any quiet reading.

The Ship: As I’d imagined, the Queen Mary 2 is very elegant. The common areas are beautiful from the gorgeous grand lobby with its glass elevator, to the stunning Queens Room, the largest ballroom at sea. There is no shortage of things to do and places to explore and because the ship is so large, it never feels crowded. There’s a nice little art gallery, a big fitness center, a spa, a planetarium (tickets are available every morning on a first come, first served basis), many shops and several bars and clubs where you can have a nice drink and just enjoy the ride. There are nightly shows, mostly dancers, which were pretty good and there is a casino with 115 slot machines and 11 gaming tables. Of course, there are also pools and plenty of lounge chairs to relax in outside if the weather permits.

Meals: There are three meals a day served in the dining rooms. In the Queens and Princess Grill Dining Rooms, you can show up within an allotted time frame for your meals or have them served in your suite. In the Britannia, you can do the same for breakfast and lunch, but you are assigned a table at a specific seating time for dinner. There are three courses with several options every night for each. There are vegetarian selections, but there is also a separate vegetarian menu that you can order from in advance, the night before as long as you let them know of your dietary restrictions ahead of time. The quality of the meals varied widely. Some nights they were good and some nights not so much. In my opinion, the food was not gourmet, it was often very heavy and sometimes tasteless. Food is also available, buffet style, in the King’s Court. I didn’t like the food there at all. Afternoon tea is served every day in the Queens Room and this was my favorite eating experience on the ship. White gloved waiters served us cups of tea with sandwiches, tasty little cakes and scones with clotted cream. There is also a Todd English restaurant and special themed dining experiences which you can reserve tables at for an additional fee. We didn’t try any of these so I can’t review them.

NOTE: Although the dress code on the ship is relaxed during the day, there are strict dress codes for eating dinner in the dining rooms. They are formal, semi-formal or elegant, but you are expected to dress for dinner every night and the dress code is enforced. You are never going to see jeans or sneakers at night in any of the dining rooms. If you don’t want to dress up, you have to go to the buffet or order food to your room.

Ports of Call: Our cruise had stops in Halifax, Canada and Boston, MA. Although there were excursions offered for an additional fee we opted to explore the cities on our own. In Halifax, it was an easy walk over to the Citadel, an old, British military fort on a hill. There were actors dressed as soldiers that put on a demonstration with an old cannon. You can take a guided tour or just walk around the stone fortress on your own. From the top, you have an excellent view of the town. We also visited the pretty Public Gardens and the many shops around the cruise port. As I’m from Boston, we had been there many times and seen all the sights. We walked from the ship to the Institute of Contemporary Art and made a stop at Mike’s Pastry in the North End to pick up some amazing cannolis and a lobster tail before reboarding the ship. We didn’t have a great view of the Pops fireworks from the ship, but we could see them.

Overall Impression: While sailing on the QM2 wasn’t exactly luxurious, it was definitely nicer than the average cruise. It was a bit overpriced, but had we not travelled over a holiday, I think I would have found the fares more reasonable. I wouldn’t recommend it for children because it is expensive and not really setup for kids but, for a couple or group of adults, it’s a nice trip.

Grade: B

For more pictures, please visit my Photo Gallery or click on any of the photos posted above.

Queen Mary 2 Official Site

Every summer, Stamford, CT hosts a public art exhibit placing sculptures in various locations in the downtown area of the city. This year, the theme is Wit and Whimsy and 39 sculptures by 12 artists are featured. The display will run until Labor Day and most of the artwork is actually for sale. You can get details and a map of the exhibit on the official Stamford Downtown website. If you can’t make it to Stamford, you can still check out some of the sculptures by clicking into my photo album through one of the pictures posted above.

Stamford Downtown – Wit and Whimsy

Visit My Adventures to read about our trip to the Pocono Mountain region in Pennsylvania and check out pictures on my Photos page or by clicking into the album through one of the images posted.

Date of trip: June 2011

When Will was a little kid growing up in Westchester County, he often saw commercials with smiling families and couples enjoying their vacations in the Pocono Mountain region in Pennsylvania. He always wanted to go and, finally, we did!

Highlights:

-Our trip was especially inspired by a commercial for Mount Airy, the largest and most popular resort in the Poconos when it was built. Sadly, it fell into disrepair and went into foreclosure in 1999. Thanks to a new owner, it was completely remodelled as a casino hotel and reopened in 2007. We had to stay there! The rooms are standard for a mid-range hotel, but comfortable. The casino is small and smoky, but much nicer than I expected and it seemed like a lot of people were winning there. It tends to get crowded on the weekends. There are also several restaurants on the property and they are all pretty good. It seemed like one of the nicer places to stay in the Poconos.

-Between New Jersey and Pennsylvania, the Delaware River cuts through the Appalachian Mountains forming an area called the Delaware Water Gap. The Gap is important because it not only provides refuge to a variety of animals but it also accounts for 10% of the nation’s fresh water. Although there is a road that runs along the river, the thick tree coverage makes it difficult to see anything from the street so the best way to explore the area is by foot or boat. There are more than 100 miles of hiking trails in the Gap, including 27 miles of the Appalachian Trail. One of the best sights is Dingmans Falls which is fairly easy to reach by a short trail and a wooden staircase with 240 steps. With a 130 foot drop, the waterfalls are beautiful, especially when a snowy winter has left them flowing full and strong!

-Dubbed the “Niagara of Pennsylvania”, Bushkill Falls has been one of the most popular attractions in the Poconos for over 100 years. It was discovered by Charles E. Peters in 1904 and is still privately owned and operated by his family. It consists of eight waterfalls and although the admission price is steep at $11/person, it grants you access to a large variety of extremely well maintained hiking trails. There is also a small but interesting museum on the property and several stores, food stands and additional attractions including mini golf and paddle boats. Whether you take the 15 minute or two hour hike around the falls, you won’t be disappointed.

-I’ve always wondered what it would be like in a coal mine, especially after the dramatic rescue of 33 miners in Chile last year. We decided to travel 40 minutes north of the Poconos to Scranton to find out at the Lackawanna Coal Mine. Tours are offered from April through November and last about an hour. It was really cool riding 300 feet underground in the little mine car. Once we got to the bottom, it was dark and cool. The temperature of the mine stays at 53 degrees Fahrenheit year round, so you need a warm sweater even in the summer. We learned all about the different mining methods through the years and the safety precautions followed to prevent injuries and death. The guide also told us about the different positions and responsibilities mine workers have. We even got a chance to see how dark the mine is without any lighting. It was a fascinating experience and I felt very fortunate that it was so easy for us to get back to the surface when it was over!

The Poconos may not be the premier destination it once was, but it is still very popular due to its close proximity to NYC and its beautiful scenery. It’s a bit kitschy, but that’s part of its charm and it is perfect for a peaceful few days away from the city.

For more pictures, please visit my Photo Gallery or click on any of the photos posted above.

Poconos Links:
Poconos Official Site
Mount Airy Casino Resort
Delaware Water Gap
Bushkill Falls
Lackawanna Coal Mine

Phew….I’ve finally finished going through all my old posts and pulling all the old pictures into the new system. Everything should be working!

Now I can go back to focusing on new posts. I’m working on my trip to the Poconos currently so that is coming soon!

One of the most common questions I get asked is “Where else can I visit when I visit city X?” In other words, where can I take a day trip? As a general rule, I don’t think you should even consider a day trip until you plan out your days in your destination city and are sure you will have sufficient time there. Once that’s established, here are some simple tips to help plan a day trip:

-Keep travel time down to an hour or less each way. Once you start going over that, you are spending most of the day travelling and it’s rarely worth it unless you can spend the night. I say rarely because of course there are exceptions!

-Figure out what you hope to see. Do you want to visit one particular sight or a whole region? Think about this, and be realistic, when you plan out your day.

-Decide if you need a guide. If the transportation situation is simple, you are probably all set but, if it’s complicated and involves many stops or a drive through an unfamiliar area, you might want to look into day trips offered by local tour companies. Sometimes it pays to go with an expert!

This month Will and I will be visiting Edinburgh, Scotland. At the time I booked the trip, I had no idea that Edinburgh is basically the festival capitol of the world in August and will be swarmed with people. I’m a little nervous about the crowds but we are early risers, especially with the time difference, so I hope we’ll be ok and maybe even enjoy the festivities. We also plan to spend half of our visit outside of the city exploring other areas.

Speaking of My Adventures, I am still working on upgrading the photos from my older posts and I’m getting close to finished with all the older trips. The good news is that the pictures will load a lot faster and be easier to go through, but the bad news is that I haven’t had time to post up anything from my newer trips. I’ll get there!