4th of July - 2009

Everyone, I'd just let to share a private message that I just sent off to someone this morning. And, I'd like you all to read it since this has touched so many people in a negative way. Naturally, I'm removing the name but, it's the body that counts and that's the part I'd like to share with all of you. And, hey, if there is hell to pay as a consequence, then so be it.


Andy is actually very nice, once you get to know him but, he does tend
to make snap judgments. He kicked up an awful fuss when Tina started
the contests and, told us up and down that most of the people who would
win shouldn't get anywhere near a Cunard ship. He holds the theory
that if you can't afford it, you don't deserve it
. In other words, an elitist. Fortunately, we at least two people on
the boards with more class, higher incomes, and could be regarded as
"old money" who intimidate Andy. The first one is Patrick. Regardless
of how goofy my partner in crime is - Patrick is from a very, very
wealthy Irish family and the other person, I'm sure you already guessed
is Tina. So if Patrick or Tina tell Andy he's out of order, he'll jump
through hoops to do as they say. Even though Andy does well for
himself, he is the proverbial social climber and yet he dislikes anyone
that does the same thing as him.

And, for some reason, if Andy likes you - he likes you regardless of
who you are, income, status, etc. And, if Andy dislikes you, well you
can see how he treats people. Personally, I can't live like that nor
would I ever want to be like that - and, I think it's pretty oblivious
that neither Tina or Patrick care about such trivial, shallow qualities
either. I think I can safely speak for them, as well as myself, that
we take the person as a whole.

Bottom line - he is NOT the typical Cunard passenger. Sure, you're
going to run into a few like him but, the key word here is few. So,
don't take his grips and bickering and nasty flare ups personally.
He's just a boorish, elitist doing what comes naturally to him.
Putting down others to make himself feel more important and better
about himself.

Nicely said Nick! Have you ever considered going in the diplomatic corps! You have wonderful people skills and you make people feel welcome and comfortable

Penny, thanks but, I think I'd get thrown out the minute I started burping the alphabet!

Nick Needs To Know wrote:

Penny, thanks but, I think I'd get thrown out the minute I started burping the alphabeta!

OR maybe they would send you far far away to one of those countried it's a punishment to be assignment too. Or they will send you to school to polish up your manners

I'll just add a few comments to this before (hopefully) laying this topic to rest. As Nick has already outed me, yes, I have lived a life of privilege. I cannot even begin to tell you how tired I am of the whole scene. The same people, at the same parties and events and all they ever do is gossip and brag about themselves and try to one up each other.

While I think everyone has guessed I'm part Italian, can't deny that with a last name like Rinaldi but, what most of you don't realize is that my Mom is Irish. And, whether it's a blessing or a curse, I've inherited that famous Irish wit that can also cut people down in a split second. And, when faced with the type of person I describe above, I've developed a standard remark that always leaves them speechless and that remark is "Tell me, does it hurt to bend over that far to kiss your own ass?" It gets to the heart of things and most people can't even begin to think of a response to it. So, feel free to use it. It's pretty effective!

Now, all that aside. I am going to make both our 4th of July and our Christmas sailings on QM2 fun. I don't care if you're a billionaire or if you're living from paycheck to paycheck. This is about offering people the chance to try a cruise line you might not otherwise consider.

So let's try to put all this behind us and start focusing on what we'd like to do and that includes what you'd like to do in both Halifax and Boston. So my question back to all of you is would you rather that Nina and I develop private shore tours or are most of you planning on booking your shore tours through Cunard? Let's talk about it and, if you'd like private shore tours, we'll start planning them beginning right now

Tina

I have been to Boston many times since my sister lives there, though have never had the pleasure of meeting Andy...

Anyway, here is a list of things to do there, in case anyone wants to put together some ideas-

Freedom Trail
Lunch at Cheers
Shopping at Macy's and Filene's Bargain Basement
Ice Skating in Boston Commons
Duck Boats Amphibious Tour
Trolley Tours (not a real trolley)
Harvard Square in Cambridge
Drinks at the top of Prudential

Also, some restaurants...

Legal Seafood, there are about a dozen of them around Boston.
Finale, a restaurant specializing in desserts... also have good wines and appetizers.
Any place in the North End, which is the Italian section, is also very good.

Great suggestions Ginny - gotta love those duck tours! Quack!! And, I agree, just about any Italian restaurant in the North End will be sure to please.

Thanks Tina.... since I have occasionally found myself overdressed on the QE2 I didn't feel my input would be helpful on the prior topic. LOL

I also forgot to mention Quincy Market and Ironsides, although both would be part of the Freedom Trail.

Now I really, really, really have to get to court!

Well, I for one would like to visit Quincy Market.

My hubby was in Boston a couple of years ago for work - and they went to 'a' Cheers - however, he was told it wasn't the 'original one, like in the tv show".
He would like to go to the 'original one' whatever/wherever that is? Does anyone know about that?

We did the Duck in DC - what fun that was!!

As far as Canada is concerned, I haven't a clue what is there to suggest.

We're in for most anything the group decides to do.

Tina,

We're flexible. I personally prefer private shore excursions, but can live with booking excursions through Cunard if necessary. That helps, huh?

I'm flexible too. Especially since I have 5 passengers to pay for.

Sorry, while I'm doing okay for myself, I'm not among the filthy rich. I've sailed the QM2 once before and enjoyed it. I even went out of the way to finally purchase a tuxedo simply because I was sailing on Cunard. I must say I thoroughly enjoyed that cruise, and did not feel inferior in any way except when it came to dining. The service in Britannia was awful until I made complaints the first two nights. The food selections in the Grills were much better than those in the Britannia dining room. Cunard clearly has a two class system when it comes to dining.

Any way, back to the excursions issue. A city highlights tour of Boston would be sufficient for me. In Halifax, I want to see the sailing museum or whatever it is that has all the Titanic information. (See, even TA's aren't knowledgeable about every single location on earth!) However, as noted earlier, the 5 of us are rather flexible on what to do in either place. I'm just happy to be going back on the QM2, and my kids are extremely excited about it.

So how about this idea - I'll come up with a preliminary private tour itinerary for everyone for both Halifax and Boston, and we can put it to a vote of what to keep and what to eliminate and then we'll get it set up and this way you have the choice of going with the Cunard shore tour program and the one we develop for ourselves. Sound good to everyone?

Perfect idea, Tina!

Thanks for all your hard work & dedication!

While we may not always act like it, we do appreciate all that you do!

Thanks Pamela

thevacationstop wrote:

The food selections in the Grills were much better than those in the Britannia dining room. Cunard clearly has a two class system when it comes to dining.

This is one nice thing about Todd English restaurant.... it is actually more economical, especially on a shorter cruise, to have dinner every night in TE than to book a Grill or Britannia Club cabin. Similarly, if I want butler service I'd rather pay for my housekeeper to come along in her own inside cabin than pay to be in QG.

bluejay2fly wrote:

thevacationstop wrote:

The food selections in the Grills were much better than those in the Britannia dining room. Cunard clearly has a two class system when it comes to dining.

This is one nice thing about Todd English restaurant.... it is actually more economical, especially on a shorter cruise, to have dinner every night in TE than to book a Grill or Britannia Club cabin. Similarly, if I want butler service I'd rather pay for my housekeeper to come along in her own inside cabin than pay to be in QG.

And Todd English is very, very, very good! We did one dinner and one lunch there. I don't think I have ever eaten better food.

I'm glad everyone likes Todd English, we're planning at least one dinner there for everyone

I LOVE Todd English!
He has a Tuscany resturant at the Mohican Sun Casino in Conn. that we've been to. Very, very good!

I have yet to win a dime in either Mohegan Sun or Foxwoods! I didn't realize there was a Todd English restaruant in Mohegan Sun, I'll have to check it out the next time I get up there!

Dang! I KNEW I spelled it wrong!

Yes, it's very nice and has some 'outdoor' (overlooking the inside walkway- almost think there was waterfall or glass sculptures?) seating, where we sat. It was our anniversary dinner there. We really enjoyed it.

We also didn't win much. However, the first machine I played (first time for Jackpot Party) I won over $400.00 in the first 30 min.

At Foxwoods - we like to play Bingo there. Didn't win, but it was fun!

taurus988 wrote:

Dang! I KNEW I spelled it wrong!

Yes, it's very nice and has some 'outdoor' (overlooking the inside walkway- almost think there was waterfall or glass sculptures?) seating, where we sat. It was our anniversary dinner there. We really enjoyed it.

We also didn't win much. However, the first machine I played (first time for Jackpot Party) I won over $400.00 in the first 30 min.

At Foxwoods - we like to play Bingo there. Didn't win, but it was fun!

I did Bingo once at Foxwoods.... for $25 you can play Bingo all day!

I have always enjoyed his cuisine on land and look forward to dining at the Todd English venue on the ship. Does anyone have any comments on how it might compare or differ in any way?

aloha - Tad

Would enjoy going as a group as I have no idea of what to see and where to go.

A group tour would be great! I was just planning on doing what ever hop on/off tour was available in Boston. No clue about Halifax.

A group tour would be fun, last cruise we went on we rented cars in every port and just took off because the tours are usually not wheelchair accommodating. The advantage to the cars was that when we ran into our table mates we just took them along. Made for a fun trip.