Coming back down to earth again and getting cleared up after our trip
Everything went like clockwork - no delays or anything. We stayed at the Novotel in Heathrow for the nights of 29th and 30th, which is so convenient, and excellent value for money - booked it on line a while back, and as a "regular customer" only paid 48GBP per night including brekkers. The tariff on display at the Reception when we arrived was for 230GBP per night, excluding breakfast, so we were very smug!! Had hoped to spend the 30th in London, but as the trains were on strike, ended up going to Windsor for the day instead, which was very busy, and not in the least Christmassy. Virgin flight was great, and we arrived at JFK midday NY time on 31st. Times Square already all closed off, and fellow travellers staying in hotels there had to walk with their luggage after being dropped off as near as posible. We were in our usual hotel on Lexington Avenue, so no probs for us, but definitely shan't be going back there again. It is a Hilton Doubletree where we had stayed three times before, as we like the location, but it had really gone downhill, and was in desperate need of a refurb. The staff however are lovely, and put us in their best room, but even so it was still a bit dogeared, so we checked out both W and the Marriott, which are almost next door , and had a look at their standard rooms with the relevant Manager, so shall choose one of those next time. Each Manager said if we e mailed them in advance of our arrival they would try to give us an upgrade as well!!
Each morning OH fetched coffee and Danish from the café next door for brekkers, and we set off quite early. I hadn't felt in the least Christmassy , what with all the advance holiday prep, and Windsor endorsed that, but the minute we arrived in Manhattan it was like a light had been switched on. Is there anywhere else so utterly fabulous to be at Christmas? Every time we have been (this was our 5th) we say "they can never top this" and they always do. The highlight is the front of the Saks building, opposite the Rockefeller. which has a different light and laser dispaly set to music which covers the whole front of the building, and this year was a Russian style palace. It runs for about 10 minutes every evening, then builds up over the next 10 minutes until the sequence is repeated. It was truly awe inspiring, and I could have stood there all night watching it. The Windows were all done in White and represented the 7 wonders of the world, amongst other things, and the inside of the store had been transformed into a magical frost covered Winter forest. You then walked down the Rockefeller Plaza, with all the oversize Angels to the ice rink in front of the fountain and the biggest Christmast tree I have ever seen, with thousands of lights, and surrounded by "Quality Street" type oversized soldiers. On New Years Eve they had a laser show in the sky over the whole lot, resembling the Northern lights. We didn't see the new year in, but ate at our favourite Diner in Grand Central, including sharing a slice of the best cheesecake in New York!
We had booked to go up the new One World Tower on 1st Jan, which was a glorious clear crisp day, and I have never experienced anything like it. The lift travels 102 floors in 58 seconds, and as it starts to ascend the walls are displays of pictures of the site as it was hundreds of years ago, and it progresses through the centuries so you glimpse how it changes, so it is like travelling in time - I really wished it had gone slower so I could have had more time to look at it. Then the observation deck with 360 degree views of NY. You can stay as long as you like, and we were there ages - it is simply phenomenal, and looking down into Ground Zero, which looks minute from that height made me very emotional. I also kept looking out and thinking that that was the view the people in the Twin Towers were looking at when the planes struck. It is truly the most magnificent feat of engineering imagineable and we were both blown away by it. We spent the evenings mooching around the centre of Manhattan, just enjoying all the unbelieveable lights and window displays. Tiffanys and Harrry Whinston had the most enormous three dimensional "diamond" star strung right across 5th Avenue, which was breathtaking. As usual we just ate in delis and diners, knowing what was to come on QM2!! We didn't see a show this year, as we had wanted to see the Carole King one "Beautiful" but the tickests were extortionate, and then we couldn't get any anyway! It had been unseasonably warm when we arrived, but the temperature plunged down to normal levels, but was sunny and bright each day - the best combination!
We boarded QM on 3rd January - in first class/Queens Grill, you get advanced embarkation and disembarkation, so we were in our suite just after midday, which was as lovely as ever, and our Butler and Steward were waiting for us with champagne and chocolates and OH's order for stocking our fridge - you are allowed two bottles per day of anything you like - wasted on us as I don't drink, and OH only has wine, but still it's a nice touch, and with the bar prices, saves quite a bit of money! I got our washing straight into the launderette, and we headed for the Library to stock up on books before going to the restaurant for a leisurely lunch. Luggage was in our suite when we got back so all unpacked and settled by 2pm, hours before many of the other passengers had boarded.. The view of the Manhattan skyline as we sailed out was as magnificent as ever - we always choose a staterooom on the right side of the ship (odd numbers) so we get the full advantage of it. Statue of Liberty looks so much more impressive at night all lit up, and we sail very close by before clearing the bridge by less than 12 metres - the ship had to be designed so she could just get under it! You still hold your breath for a few seconds though!!
Food was wonderful (it is actually available 22 hours in every 24, (and I suspect there are many who take advantage of it!) and we were so fortunate to be seated at a table for 2 by a window and next to the most gorgeous gay Scottish couple whom we really hit it off with, and they made our holiday!! They invited us to a pre dinner soirée in their stateroom after a couple of nights, and when we arrived we realised they had the grand dúplex, which is the most expensive on the ship, with magnificent sweeping staircase, grand piano, mini gym and just about every luxury you can think of, huge terrace and overlooking the exclusive first class pool and the whole of the back of the ship. Three butlers attended to us gliding around with endless glasses of champagne (water for me!) and trays of delicious canapes, and there was only 6 of us in total! They repeated the exercise on our last night, but with a few more very interesting guests. On the Tuesday I received a call from the Captain's Secretary asking us to join him for dinner that evening, which was a truly momentous event. He does this two evenings per week, and invites just four couples each evening, so we were very privelidged. He had a circular table in the centre of the magnificent dining room, so you are very much "on show" which I quickly forgot about as we had such wonderful company, and when the desserts came the White coated waiters advanced, each carrying a domed silver dish, and one stood behind each of us. The maitre d'quietly counted down as they synchronised placing a dish in front of each of us and stepped back for a moment, and he then counted down again and they all stepped forward and removed the domes with a synchronised flourish - it was pure theatre!! I have kept our named place mats as a souvenir, as I shall never forget it. I asked the social hostess if the guests were selected randomly by computer and she smiled and said no - it was either if someone had a special birthday or anniversary, if the crew particularly liked a specific couple or for Brand loyalty to Cunard. I haven't a clue how we qualified, but it was wonderful.
The entertainment was very poor this year, at least for us Brits. QM has done a link up with the New York Times, and several of the top NY journalists were on board giving presentations, which as you would expect were of only marginal interest to us Brits, as much of it was either wholly or loosely political, especially as the elections are coming up. The American passengers were all thrilled by it, and the opportunity to see and meet their top journalists, which meant nothing to most of the Brits. The one whom we did find interesting was the disabled man whom Donald Trump had so visciously mimicked not long back, and it was interesting to hear his perspective, not least that though Trump had denied even knowing him personally, they were on first name terms, and many other journalists had stepped forward either to say they had witnessed them together, and also providing photographs, which clearly demonstrated the "lack of truth" coming out of Trump's mouth! We did see a couple of good shows in the evening.There were many Americans on board, who were transferring to either Queen Elizabeth or Queen Victoria in Southampton to join the world cruises.
So - we woke up docked in Southampton on Sunday morning, with the other two Queens, and a Swift return to everyday life from a week in the parallel universe. QM is going in for a multi million pound refit in May, and I had been concerned that she may be looking a bit tatty, but she was as elegant and immaculate as ever, and we were both tearful as we said goodbye to her, and some of the lovely people we had met. Arrival at Gatwick and a return flight to Palma via Easyjet ensured we hadn't got ideas above our station - it was just like living the Downton Abbey lifestyle for a week, and we can't wait to do it again!
Well - you DID ask......!!!
Everything went like clockwork - no delays or anything. We stayed at the Novotel in Heathrow for the nights of 29th and 30th, which is so convenient, and excellent value for money - booked it on line a while back, and as a "regular customer" only paid 48GBP per night including brekkers. The tariff on display at the Reception when we arrived was for 230GBP per night, excluding breakfast, so we were very smug!! Had hoped to spend the 30th in London, but as the trains were on strike, ended up going to Windsor for the day instead, which was very busy, and not in the least Christmassy. Virgin flight was great, and we arrived at JFK midday NY time on 31st. Times Square already all closed off, and fellow travellers staying in hotels there had to walk with their luggage after being dropped off as near as posible. We were in our usual hotel on Lexington Avenue, so no probs for us, but definitely shan't be going back there again. It is a Hilton Doubletree where we had stayed three times before, as we like the location, but it had really gone downhill, and was in desperate need of a refurb. The staff however are lovely, and put us in their best room, but even so it was still a bit dogeared, so we checked out both W and the Marriott, which are almost next door , and had a look at their standard rooms with the relevant Manager, so shall choose one of those next time. Each Manager said if we e mailed them in advance of our arrival they would try to give us an upgrade as well!!
Each morning OH fetched coffee and Danish from the café next door for brekkers, and we set off quite early. I hadn't felt in the least Christmassy , what with all the advance holiday prep, and Windsor endorsed that, but the minute we arrived in Manhattan it was like a light had been switched on. Is there anywhere else so utterly fabulous to be at Christmas? Every time we have been (this was our 5th) we say "they can never top this" and they always do. The highlight is the front of the Saks building, opposite the Rockefeller. which has a different light and laser dispaly set to music which covers the whole front of the building, and this year was a Russian style palace. It runs for about 10 minutes every evening, then builds up over the next 10 minutes until the sequence is repeated. It was truly awe inspiring, and I could have stood there all night watching it. The Windows were all done in White and represented the 7 wonders of the world, amongst other things, and the inside of the store had been transformed into a magical frost covered Winter forest. You then walked down the Rockefeller Plaza, with all the oversize Angels to the ice rink in front of the fountain and the biggest Christmast tree I have ever seen, with thousands of lights, and surrounded by "Quality Street" type oversized soldiers. On New Years Eve they had a laser show in the sky over the whole lot, resembling the Northern lights. We didn't see the new year in, but ate at our favourite Diner in Grand Central, including sharing a slice of the best cheesecake in New York!
We had booked to go up the new One World Tower on 1st Jan, which was a glorious clear crisp day, and I have never experienced anything like it. The lift travels 102 floors in 58 seconds, and as it starts to ascend the walls are displays of pictures of the site as it was hundreds of years ago, and it progresses through the centuries so you glimpse how it changes, so it is like travelling in time - I really wished it had gone slower so I could have had more time to look at it. Then the observation deck with 360 degree views of NY. You can stay as long as you like, and we were there ages - it is simply phenomenal, and looking down into Ground Zero, which looks minute from that height made me very emotional. I also kept looking out and thinking that that was the view the people in the Twin Towers were looking at when the planes struck. It is truly the most magnificent feat of engineering imagineable and we were both blown away by it. We spent the evenings mooching around the centre of Manhattan, just enjoying all the unbelieveable lights and window displays. Tiffanys and Harrry Whinston had the most enormous three dimensional "diamond" star strung right across 5th Avenue, which was breathtaking. As usual we just ate in delis and diners, knowing what was to come on QM2!! We didn't see a show this year, as we had wanted to see the Carole King one "Beautiful" but the tickests were extortionate, and then we couldn't get any anyway! It had been unseasonably warm when we arrived, but the temperature plunged down to normal levels, but was sunny and bright each day - the best combination!
We boarded QM on 3rd January - in first class/Queens Grill, you get advanced embarkation and disembarkation, so we were in our suite just after midday, which was as lovely as ever, and our Butler and Steward were waiting for us with champagne and chocolates and OH's order for stocking our fridge - you are allowed two bottles per day of anything you like - wasted on us as I don't drink, and OH only has wine, but still it's a nice touch, and with the bar prices, saves quite a bit of money! I got our washing straight into the launderette, and we headed for the Library to stock up on books before going to the restaurant for a leisurely lunch. Luggage was in our suite when we got back so all unpacked and settled by 2pm, hours before many of the other passengers had boarded.. The view of the Manhattan skyline as we sailed out was as magnificent as ever - we always choose a staterooom on the right side of the ship (odd numbers) so we get the full advantage of it. Statue of Liberty looks so much more impressive at night all lit up, and we sail very close by before clearing the bridge by less than 12 metres - the ship had to be designed so she could just get under it! You still hold your breath for a few seconds though!!
Food was wonderful (it is actually available 22 hours in every 24, (and I suspect there are many who take advantage of it!) and we were so fortunate to be seated at a table for 2 by a window and next to the most gorgeous gay Scottish couple whom we really hit it off with, and they made our holiday!! They invited us to a pre dinner soirée in their stateroom after a couple of nights, and when we arrived we realised they had the grand dúplex, which is the most expensive on the ship, with magnificent sweeping staircase, grand piano, mini gym and just about every luxury you can think of, huge terrace and overlooking the exclusive first class pool and the whole of the back of the ship. Three butlers attended to us gliding around with endless glasses of champagne (water for me!) and trays of delicious canapes, and there was only 6 of us in total! They repeated the exercise on our last night, but with a few more very interesting guests. On the Tuesday I received a call from the Captain's Secretary asking us to join him for dinner that evening, which was a truly momentous event. He does this two evenings per week, and invites just four couples each evening, so we were very privelidged. He had a circular table in the centre of the magnificent dining room, so you are very much "on show" which I quickly forgot about as we had such wonderful company, and when the desserts came the White coated waiters advanced, each carrying a domed silver dish, and one stood behind each of us. The maitre d'quietly counted down as they synchronised placing a dish in front of each of us and stepped back for a moment, and he then counted down again and they all stepped forward and removed the domes with a synchronised flourish - it was pure theatre!! I have kept our named place mats as a souvenir, as I shall never forget it. I asked the social hostess if the guests were selected randomly by computer and she smiled and said no - it was either if someone had a special birthday or anniversary, if the crew particularly liked a specific couple or for Brand loyalty to Cunard. I haven't a clue how we qualified, but it was wonderful.
The entertainment was very poor this year, at least for us Brits. QM has done a link up with the New York Times, and several of the top NY journalists were on board giving presentations, which as you would expect were of only marginal interest to us Brits, as much of it was either wholly or loosely political, especially as the elections are coming up. The American passengers were all thrilled by it, and the opportunity to see and meet their top journalists, which meant nothing to most of the Brits. The one whom we did find interesting was the disabled man whom Donald Trump had so visciously mimicked not long back, and it was interesting to hear his perspective, not least that though Trump had denied even knowing him personally, they were on first name terms, and many other journalists had stepped forward either to say they had witnessed them together, and also providing photographs, which clearly demonstrated the "lack of truth" coming out of Trump's mouth! We did see a couple of good shows in the evening.There were many Americans on board, who were transferring to either Queen Elizabeth or Queen Victoria in Southampton to join the world cruises.
So - we woke up docked in Southampton on Sunday morning, with the other two Queens, and a Swift return to everyday life from a week in the parallel universe. QM is going in for a multi million pound refit in May, and I had been concerned that she may be looking a bit tatty, but she was as elegant and immaculate as ever, and we were both tearful as we said goodbye to her, and some of the lovely people we had met. Arrival at Gatwick and a return flight to Palma via Easyjet ensured we hadn't got ideas above our station - it was just like living the Downton Abbey lifestyle for a week, and we can't wait to do it again!
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