Eastern Caribbean Cruise 2025 - Sea Day #5 (12/06/25)

 

As we approach New York, both RQS and I dread our return home.  No, it's not because our cruise is ending.  Instead, it's because we're coming back to some of the coldest weather we've had in a while.  When I look at the NYC weather forecast, I see subfreezing weather for the day we return.  That means that we'll have to be outside, on the waterfront, while we wait for our ride home.  And then, once at RQS's place, I'll have to cart most of my bags up to Croton that same day.  If I'm lucky, my car won't be covered by too much snow.  But I won't know until I get home.  

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This morning started with another Room Service breakfast. This time, it came early.  Only one problem: they forgot to bring sweetener with the coffee.  But we made do.  Around 11, we left the room to have a snack and to do some laundry.  Around 1, we returned to the room with our clean laundry and all traces of breakfast were gone. I had a table I could fold clothes on!

Around 3:15, we went to afternoon tea, expecting to meet a new acquaintance there. She wasn't there when tea service started, but she did appear at our table a bit late.  I told her of my idea for an adaptive garment, and she loved it - she doesn't have the use of one arm, and my garment idea would have solved one of her needs, making it easier to get dressed in the morning.  While there, I showed her a few pictures of me in Marian mode, and she loved it.  She wants to find out more at some later time.

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Tonight would be the last gala night of the cruise, and today's laundry run gave me a clean white shirt for the night.  Yay!  I don't have to break open another new shirt for this time in a suit and tie!  So I took out the suit one last time for this trip, and went to dinner with RQS.  This was the night of the chef's parade, where key restaurant personnel were saluted for the hard work they do.  I preferred something like this, where we didn't have to completely disrupt our meals, than to endure Princess's Baked Alaska parade towards the end of their cruises.

 

Eastern Caribbean Cruise 2025 - Sea Day #4 (12/05/25)

 

I don't have much to say about today's activities, save that we ordered breakfast from room service and went to afternoon tea.  But with that being said, that's enough to occupy the better part of a daily post.

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We set our alarms for 8:00, so that we'd be dressed enough for when room service came.  Around 9:45, our breakfast came - with hot breakfasts for both of us, some pastries, and a toasted bagel for me.  And this breakfast service is complimentary on Cunard.  The only thing that didn't come was coffee - we may have forgotten to write it down on the card we hung on the door the day before.  There is something very nice about having exactly the food one wants delivered, and not a standard breakfast setup as done on other lines.

Around 11:00, we got out of our room to let the attendant make up the room, and I returned around 1:00 to relax on the bed.  (My back has been bothering me for most of the cruise.)  RQS returned around 2:30, and we left around 3:15 for afternoon tea service.   

 

Afternoon tea is a daily ritual on Cunard ships.  On the Queen Mary 2, it is a special treat, as the wait staff marches into the room from both sides of the room accompanied by music from a pianist on stage who plays all through tea service.  The food at tea service is not meant to be a meal.  Instead, it is meant to keep a person from feeling peckish before dinner is served.  For us, this would be the high point of our day, even though dinner had yet to come.  We enjoyed experiencing this ritual, and will likely make it a regular part of our future Cunard trips. 

Eastern Caribbean Cruise 2025 - Barbados Day 1 (12/02/25)

 

This was a day we were dreading.  No, it's not because anything bad was about to happen.  Instead, it was because we had to wake up by 6 am to make a tour scheduled for 10 am.  If we had known better, we could have woken up at least an hour later.  But we were playing things safe, as our shore excursion instructions mentioned a 15 minute walk to the cruise terminal (or using a shuttle that ran every 15 minutes that can get overcrowded).  Since neither of us wanted to walk 15 minutes, we decided to take the first shuttle of the day.

But first....

We showered and dressed and were at the buffet before 7 am.  One problem - the main area of the buffet wasn't yet open, and we had to find our food at the other end of the buffet area.  Rushing to finish our meals, we were back in our cabin before 7:30, with a few minutes to get ready before leaving the ship to find the shuttle bus.

The pier in Bridgetown, Barbados is long.  I wouldn't recommend walking it, as it is narrow and allows for only one lane of vehicular traffic.  This means that a pedestrian lane has been squeezed out of the area where one would have buses and other vehicles pass each other in opposing directions.  We were at the far end of the pier, and I estimated that we'd walk 1/2 mile before reaching the terminal.  Use of the shuttle would be our only realistic option today.

At 8 am, we walked to the gangway and found the shuttle loading nearby.  By 8:10, we were in the terminal, ready to kill time before going outside to find our tour bus.  A little before 9 am, we went to the designated waiting area, and our tour guide arrived a few minutes late.  (Heck, it's "Island Time", nothing is on time by NYC terms when in the Caribbean.)  Narren, our guide, was dressed up like Santa, and was ready to show us the best of Barbados.

Now, I'm not going to fault Narren, but there wasn't that much to see on this tour.  Yes, we went past the home of the rich and famous. But after that, it was a long drive on twisty and bumpy roads to reach scenic vistas and an old church.  One member of our group commented that she had seen much better old churches in Europe - and I wouldn't doubt her.  Barbados has only a short history of being settled by European people.  So, shoring a 300 year old church is not enough to impress everyone. Both my partner and I agreed that we might not have taken this tour had we known how little there would be to see.  Again, I won't fault our tour guide.  It was not what we were looking for in a scenic tour. 

We were glad to get back to the ship for lunch and a nap....

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Around 6:30 pm, we went downstairs for dinner. My only complaint was that there were not enough Anjou Pear slices with this appetizer.  My partner noted that Cunard's version of an appetizer is not a mini-main.  Instead, it's a bite or two of tasty food.  And, as usual, I enjoyed two appetizers and a Caesar Salad. The rib eye steak was done to perfection, and the desserts were on the mark as well.  Not that much to say about dinner, save that this was the first time that RQS noticed a mistake in the restaurant's service.  Yet, we still keep getting impressed by service (in general) on this ship. 

 

mmmmm 

 

We've planned our 5th cruise for the year!

 

Sometimes, RQS is the person who finds a hidden bargain which benefits the two of us.  This weekend, she saw a cruise price of $982/pp for the above cruise, while I was seeing a price of $1399/pp for the same cruise.  As much as I'd say that $982/pp for a 12 day cruise, I had my reservations.  First, I'd be taking this trip as Mario, as most Caribbean islands have problems with the LGBT community.  Second, this trip would be on the Queen Mary 2, and there would be 3 formal nights onboard the ship, for which Cunard expects me to wear formal garb.

Before I left RQS this past weekend, we agreed that she would make the deposit on this cruise, and that we both would be getting a soda package and a streaming Wi-Fi package. This way, we'd be able to do what we want on our devices when onboard the ship, and yet be able to contact friends and family if needed.

A good thing about this cruise is that we'll be on the same ship I want to take for a transatlantic crossing.  Given that RQS saw two women ballroom dancing together on a cruise blogger's video, I don't think she will have any reservations against taking the crossing on this ship with me presenting as Marian.  But first, we have to take this cruise, and wait until the Orange Snowflake's war on Transgenders is over.

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In the old days, all transatlantic crossings would sail from Europe to the West Side of Manhattan.  The Hudson River was littered with ports, with one (or more) piers serving each line servicing the routes to New York.  However, there are only 2 active piers in Manhattan, 1 in Brooklyn, and 1 in Bayonne, NJ.  We could never return to the "good old days" of transatlantic crossings even if we wanted to - the capacity to service the ships is no longer there.

As I write this, the SS United States is on its way to be turned into an underwater tourist attraction - an artificial reef.  This is a damned shame, yet unavoidable.  There was no way to make it possible for this ship to be economically viable in today's environment.  It makes much more sense to spend more money to build larger ships overseas, and use them for tourist purposes.

Luckily, RQS and I will get the chance to sail on the last remaining ocean liner in the world.  Even if it disappoints, it will still be a rewarding experience.