On The Road

With the launching of the ultra-luxurious Queen Mary 2, the successor to the QE2 and numerous reports of malfunctions on the first sailings, I was delighted to learn first-hand from a Lawrence couple, New York State Elections Commissioner Carol Berman and her discerning hubby Jerry, of their very recent experiences on the newest Queen. The biggest and fastest trans-Atlantic liner with a capacity of fewer than 3,000 passengers sails from Fort Lauderdale, Fla. to the Eastern Caribbean ports of St. Kitts, (a substitute for San Juan, Puerto Rico, St. Martin and St. Thomas). San Juan, Puerto Rico was taken off the original itinerary because the harbor was not dredged sufficiently to accommodate ships of the size of the Queen. This debarkation port was ideal for Carol and Jerry Berman for its proximity to their winter home in Palm Beach Gardens. The Bermans were accompanied on this voyage by their daughter Elizabeth Berry, a United States government minister counselor for agricultural trade (preparing for a four-year assignment in Paris), and her daughter Sarah Megan Berry. They chose a spacious, teak wood balconied stateroom on the 4th deck to be close to their dining room and the Hermes, Louis Vuitton, Gucci shops on the 3rd deck. As it turned out there were more than enough elevators to make that choice unnecessary. To quote Carol Berman: "The efficiency of the hotel staff and the crew's attention to every minute detail made for no annoying wait time." In fact they could enjoy the on-board restorative health features, personal trainers and fitness routines of the world famous Canyon Ranch Spa facility, the 24-hour room service, afternoon tea, but alas no midnight buffet on every night of the seven-night cruise, just a few special occasion spectacular displays. But there was always room service for that extra snack or another full course meal to satisfy any possible hunger pang. Of course, every special dietary need was catered to and needless to say the food was excellent. There were three formal nights when Jerry Berman had to don his tuxedo and Carol had the occasions to wear her glamorous ball gowns. This is in keeping with the ubiquitous proper formal British traditions that are very much alive in every thing English, especially on her Majesty's ships at sea. They were also impressed with the bottle of champagne that greeted them when they first entered their stateroom and the shopping on board for $8 Queen Mary 2 tee shirts, and the $10 price for two bottles of Scotch whiskey could not be beat even in the duty-free shops in port. It was also difficult to find time to attend the special interest lectures or programs that were offered on wines, gourmet cuisine, famous chefs, music, art appreciation, bridge and just about every imaginable subject during the day. The entertainment after dinner included the stars of the British stage with program dedicated to the works of Beatle great John Lennon and American Johnny Cash, to name a few. There were also some marvelous musical presentations with singers and dancers from the London stage. The Bermans rate Cunard's Queen Mary 2 just about the ultimate in luxury cruising with absolutely no sense of motion or any complaints of "mal de mer" (sea sickness). However, they did advise me that because of the size of the ship and the location of the various activities, that there was a great deal of walking involved and that this ship was not the best choice for non-walkers. But they personally had only words of praise for the newest, biggest and fastest ship cruising the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. This was also their most memorable cruise for another very good reason. Their lovely adorable granddaughter Sarah won the ship's raffle and was proclaimed "Queen for the Night" and was awarded a valuable tennis bracelet and other tributes suitable for a Queen Mary traveler.© Copyright by Marcia AbramsonE-mail: mascribe@aol.com