QE2 & THE ROUGH ATLANTIC: PART 1

One thing that I had not really thought about when I proposed and then made the QE2 booking was the weather. And how much of an ordeal sailing across the Atlantic in winter might be. Strange that I never thought about it.... the first was when someone at work made an off-the-cuff remark along the lines of "Oh, winter! I guess that may be a bit rough then?". That got me thinking. So once again I turned to the message boards and groups for thoughts. And the postings and emails that came back were pretty clear.......

MARCDT: "This will be my third annual Dec crossing and my 6th QE2 voyage. You will love QE2, but be warned that it can get rough in December. In 2002, we had rough seas and we lost silverware and plates from the tables. Last year, we had moderate seas"

JBAILEY: "QE2 is one of the very few ships that can sail THROUGH a storm like that and still make it to its next port on time. This is her distinction as an ocean liner. The ocean liners of her time and before didn't have satellite weather photos or mid-ocean reporting of storms, so they couldn't steer our of a storm's way. When they knew about a storm, maybe from radio reports from other ships, they tried to avoid it, but mostly they didn't know and just toughed it out. They were built for speed and rough weather--sleek and fast. They were "bottom-heavy" and had portholes which could be latched shut instead of picture windows. No balconies or door walls.

QE2 has been known to take at least one 90' plus wave that broke over her bridge, so 32' seas are not much to bother about, other than concerns about passenger comfort. Although I have never been on QE2 during really heavy weather, I love the rocking to sleep you get at night in moderately rough seas and the fun of trying to walk in a straight line.

Just enjoy the experience and don't even consider getting seasick. You can get a shot if you have to, but I never noticed very many really seasick people. QE2 handles rough seas very nicely and the motion is quite slow because she is so large."

TRANSATLANTIC TOM: "I was on the QE2's WB Transatlantic Crossing in April. Two of the five full days at sea were fairly rough. In particular, the first day out from Southampton we experienced Force 10 winds and seas up to about 30ft high...it was rough but QE2 handled it magnificently !!! It was quite a thrilling thing to go through. At one point that first day, I stood up on the Sun Deck just behind the funnel and mist from the ship's flanks was blowing over me !!! The good Scottish builders at John Brown/Upper Clyde Shipbuilders built one incredible ship when they built QE2 !!! YES there is a difference between an ocean liner and a cruise ship....."

SANDIEGOCRUISERS: "I've been on two QE2 Transatlantics and have to say that they gave me a true appreciation of the power of the North Atlantic, as well as the sturdiness of a true Ocean liner. On the Dec 00 crossing, we encountered bad weather the entire time. I, luckily, am not prone to sea-sickness and enjoyed all the activity. Others, however, were not as amused. Each time we encountered a large wave - which I was told averaged 30-40' - the ship would rise up, give you a feeling of weightlessness, then shudder back down, quickly lurching from side-to-side.

At night in the Caronia Restaurant, the dishes in the metal holding cabinets could be heard moving around and, at times, you would hear a few break. Each time the ship rose up, people would reach for their wine glasses, almost unconsciously, to wait for the ship to settle back down.
Unfortunately, a day before we were to arrive in NYC, a Life Flight Helicopter from Boston had to land on the top deck to remove a crew member who had fallen down a stairwell in the crew quarters. For those of you who are not aware, the stairwells in the crew areas are uncarpeted steel and very unforgiving. It was quite a sight to be out in the middle of the ocean and watch the lights of a helicopter arrive in the darkness.

It really was an amazing experience that I am glad I was able to take part in. I'm actually hoping that we encounter some rough seas on the TA I'm about to take on Sept 7th out of Dover. Of course, without anyone getting hurt".

GUERNSEY GUY: "The QE2 handles rough weather like the true ocean liner she is. I have crossed three times - in December 2002 we had very rough weather - gale force 9 - and outside decks & the Lido were closed. Passenger numbers did thin out - but my travelling companion and I were fine. We benefited from a mid-ship Deck 5 Mauritania cabin - where motion is less. The Queens Grill Penthouse passengers are a lot worse off - one said all they could do was lie on their bed hanging on.....If you do get sick the Doc has a jab that supposedly knocks you out, and when you wake you are fine and ravenous....enjoy!"

EEK! I started to worry as we upgraded from a lower level Queen's Grill Cabin to a Queens Grill Penthouse Suite. Have we set ourselves up for a "hell of a trip"....??