Dear Guest,

We wish to draw your attention to a change to the embarkation schedule for your forthcoming voyage from Brooklyn Cruise Terminal on Queen Mary 2. During the current voyage, Queen Mary 2 has experienced an increase of gastrointestinal illness on board. The ship will therefore undergo an additional and extensive sanitisation once all guests have disembarked. Embarkation will be delayed in order to allow a thorough disinfection of the ship. We kindly ask that you arrive at the Cruise Terminal four hours later than your previously published check-in time. We appreciate that this may not be possible for all guests and limited seating is available in the terminal. A bag drop facility will be made available at the cruise terminal to allow you to take advantage of a complimentary shuttle which will operate a return service into Manhattan. Thank you for your attention to this notification.

By the time this had been sent, the Center For Disease Control (CDC) had reported 194 of 2613 (7.42%) of passengers while 11 of 1255 (0.88%) crew had been ill while it was 204 of 2613 (7.81%) passengers and 16 of 1255 (1.27%) crew by the 2nd January.  People panic reading the media but all you need to do is wash your hands.  I know the sanitisers aren't any help against norovirus but they kill general germs so use them.  Although you can get ones which fight norovirus so why aren't the cruise lines buying them?  It would make more sense.  They all need to force people to use them, the way Royal Caribbean did during my 2011 Indy cruise, resulting in our small outbreak being nipped in the bud fast.  It was a bit of a worry what scare stories the media would come up with as the 3rd drew closer!

The day arrived when it was up at stupid o'clock.  I'd woken at 1am and couldn't get back to sleep which was frustrating as my transport was picking me up at 4.30am.  Due to light traffic, we arrived at Terminal 5 seventy minutes later, and ten minutes early.  Rob was already there with his parents, as they live not that far away.  It was annoying self-check-in kiosks but thankfully Rob's dad found someone to help and I was given 43J and him 43K, which was a window seat.  There were no seats together with an aisle, which I needed for my back.  Bugger!  After breakfast we went through security.  The first time it has been a nightmare!  First of all, my bra set the sodding machine off then they kept my handbag back, claiming it contained an e-reader when it was an A5 envelope!  I use those for my documents each time I fly (and cruise) and never had any mistakes before, even in Terminal 5.  So we had to wait while an Indian gentleman was dealt with.  He had many things confiscated including a knife from the cutlery drawer!  Then my bag was searched and no e-reader.  There's a surprise - not!  A quick stop in Boots before waiting for our gate to open.  

Once we arrived at B44 there wasn't that much of a wait before boarding.  We went to find our seats and the British comedian, David Copperfield, had taken my aisle seat!  Well, at least I knew we were in for some good entertainment and had to explain to Rob who he was.  Rob was very nervous of flying after a prior bad experience but did very well.  In front of us were two women who were glued at the hip, not even going to the toilet without the other.  One let me go before them as she was waiting for her friend.  Are they five years old or what???  They were getting all the free booze they wanted then, shortly before the end of the flight, a crew member came along, checking seat numbers, asked if they would take part in a survey then crossed them off his list.  I love how Hoity and Toity thought they were superior yet were in cattle class.  The flight landed at 10.50am, twenty minutes early and, after disturbing David Copperfield the entire flight, he couldn't wait to escape!  Hoity and Toity also pushed ahead with Toity blatantly eating a banana in the immigration queue.  Many people didn't understand the simple instruction about turning your phones off.  I was glad we were quite forward in the queue because further back was horrendous.  We got through fairly fast then went to collect the luggage.  As we headed out to find the Cunard rep, Rob had spotted Hoity and Toity on their knees with open suitcases, giggling like drunks while a TSA officer stood over them, arms folded.  We had our names crossed off the list then followed another rep to the bus.  

It was freezing outside but refreshing after the boiling hot building.  We were sat on the bus by noon so really good going.  Unfortunately, Hoity and Toity were on the same bus with Hoity constantly complaining about seats so kept moving.  Bloody annoying these two would be on Mary for an entire week so we hoped we didn't see them again.  The drive to Brooklyn was an interesting one and we saw the Manhattan skyline from the coach.  Pity the port area in Brooklyn in so derelict.  After the luggage was offloaded, we had to identify it then hand it over.  One of the blokes saw my Norwegian Epic T-shirt and asked, "Did you do the Epic out of Miami?"  I told him no, Rotterdam in 2010 then Barcelona in 2011. " "Cool!" he replied.  I was only wearing it as a joke I knew Rob would get after a particular comment I made during the last night of our Jubilee cruise.  I love Red Hook for one reason - no one stops you taking photos of your shippy!  Though, having heard stories about US security, I was keeping an eye open as I had in Fort Lauderdale in December 2011.  I had posted on Facebook I was off to visit an old friend and here she was in her black, white and red glory!  Unfortunately, due to time restraints and being in British Airways and Cunard's hands, we couldn't make any plans to meet friends in and around New York so just didn't tell them.  It would have been unfair if the trip was cancelled due to Heathrow being closed due to snow or something.  Next time we'll book an pre-crossing hotel.

Muster was at 8.15pm and we were in the gym.  It's amazing how many take their coats then can't put the life jacket on over it.  Afterwards, we managed to get the lift straightaway then we went out onto deck 13 for our sub-zero sailaway.  It was Kevin Oprey in command again and although we were meant to depart at 9pm, we were twenty-five minutes late.  Poor Mary sounded a bit weird as she blasted off so must have caught that cold again she had on the 4th December.  A few more came out as we neared the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge around 10pm before most of us returned inside to defrost.  Rob was tired so I went to the Golden Lion alone.  Down there was Elizabeth, who had been on my 2011 Mary cruise and she even remembered my name.  She had been on since the 15th, jammy cow!  Derek Conlon, who had been on since my previous cruise and would be there until the end of the world cruise, was doing requests from an Australia couple and did very well without any music in front of him, even going ten minutes over his knocking off time.  His version of Sweet Child of Mine by Guns N' Roses in a Jerry Lee Lewis style was different to say the least.  Pity the woman sounded like a cockerel when she whooped.  Then I went to bed after a mammoth twenty-nine hours and thirty-five minutes awake!