Day 23 (Moving On) Monday Jan 28
Missed a Rumba lesson in order to go to a very interesting lecture on the Falklands, a bit about the war and then about penguins. Decided to change my walking tour (which I can easily do on my own) for a trip to a penguin rookery. Apparently there is only a 50% chance that we will get into the harbour at all, we have to be taken off by tender since this ship is too big, & it can get very windy, sounds fun(not!).
Neither of our quiz teams did very well, but who would believe that the French put parrots at the top of the Eiffel Tower in WW1 to warn of approaching aircraft! Did they screech ‘avions, avions’?!
There was a ‘Ladies Day’ this afternoon, and part of it was a quiz, which amazingly enough we won! So we got a small bottle of ‘champagne’ each & a prize voucher. Apparently about 50 of those will get you a key ring!
Finally managed to amend my house plans and fax with a covering letter to NZ, it cost $15! While in the ‘Business Centre’ there was a ‘priority 2’ call to a cabin on my deck, I learnt early in the cruise that this means somebody has died, not surprising given the age of the passengers, apparently some even come on here to die, and coffins are carried routinely. When I went down to my cabin I saw a guy in green ‘scrubs’ and a mask round his neck just coming out of a cabin so I guess that’s where it had happened. This is definitely a microcosm of a small town.
Entertainment tonight was a Scots singer called Mark O’Malley, whose background is in musical theatre. Consequently he belted out songs very well but sometimes rather too loudly for the acoustics of the Grand Lounge. Then I won $50 in the casino, but I’m only getting back what it owes me! Fun though.
Day 24 (Trip) Tuesday Jan 29
Arrived in Montevideo at 8 a.m. this morning after a very slow entry up the River Plate. The anchor of the Graf Spee is on display very close to where we docked. We all went for a 2.5 hour walk round the town, since the others don’t like being ‘herded’. Interesting but I think you learn more on a tour so am going on one this p.m. ‘Art & Architecture’. What struck us all was the decaying opulence on display, not as run down as Salvador, & definitely more genteel, but decaying never-the-less. This is a recent phenomenon it seems, presumably to do with the economy of Uruguay, hopefully I will learn more later.
On the tour visited 3 art museums, & saw the affluent houses in the eastern suburbs of the city, lovely tree-lined avenues. Walked a bit in the ‘old town’ at the end of the tour, and saw the cathedral and the City Hall which we’d missed in the morning, so was worth it. I was one of only 2 English on the tour, all others American. 3 of the ladies obviously didn’t want to be on the tour at all, and left it once we reached the centre, think the guide was a little upset by this.
Evening entertainment was a local tango music and dance presentation, which seemed to be extremely popular with the rest of the audience, lots of bravos, but not to our taste apart from the dancing. Stayed overnight here, very strange going to sleep without the noise of the engines, & I found it quite difficult!
Day 25 (Watch yourself) Wednesday Jan 30
We all went shopping this morning, to a leather shop recommended by Cunard. I spent lots, bought 4 handbags (not all for me!), a belt for David and spoilt myself with a leather jacket. The sleeves were too long, they said they could fix it in an hour and deliver to the ship. More than 2 hours later, & approaching gangway up time, still no sign. So getting a little worried went to bottom of gangway and fortunately it was just being delivered, not sure what would have happened if it arrived too late. During sail-away party spoke to a guy I met on the Barbados trip, who had been robbed the day before, jumped upon, knocked to the ground (& he’s a BIG guy) in broad daylight and had his wallet taken, so his view of Montevideo was not good. Everybody else thinks it was great, a really pleasant place to visit with an ‘old-world’ feel.
Kelly Montieth was very funny this evening, I remembered him from his TV shows, he looks a lot older now, I guess we all do!
Comments re drink: I make a bottle of wine last for 3 meals (David be proud of me!). This is because it is relatively expensive, and at home I have a glass while I’m cooking! Also the others on my table drink very little (Trisha & Hilary not at all, not because they don’t drink, but to avoid spending too much). I very rarely have alcohol at any other time, sometimes a beer during the quiz, & I did buy a very expensive half bottle of ‘champagne’ for the sail-away. Felt good though, the weather is fantastic, brilliant blue skies & warm, managed to get a little bit sunburnt without realising it during that time.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Days 20-22 Jan 25-27
Day 20 (Future plans) Friday Jan 25
Met a lady at breakfast who is going back from NZ in April on a cargo ship, she will be one of only 6 passengers on board (there is room for 12), they call at 30 ports and it costs £2700, which sounds a good deal to me and worth thinking about for a future trip maybe. Of course there is no entertainment, you have to make your own, and you need a hobby, but apparently most ships have a gym and some have a swimming pool. I did briefly investigate this but couldn’t find out anything, she has given me the name & address of a guy in Napier who arranged things for her. Trisha is trying to persuade me to go with her and Hilary in a 3 berth on ‘The Mary’ in 2010, in order to do the other half of the world cruise, if she is doing it then, we don’t know for sure. I will think about it, but think I prefer my own company really and I won’t be able to afford it anyway!
Went to a really good lecture on Montevideo, apparently it used to be the second safest city in the world after Tokyo, not quite so safe now but up there. 93% of population is of European extraction, I used to work with a German lady from Uruguay, I believe lots of Germans went there after the war, as well as Portuguese & Spanish descendants I suppose. I know a lot more about the geography of South America than I did before this trip.
Had a salsa lesson again, with added steps, did well at the time but can’t remember a thing now, & I didn’t write the steps down so I’m in trouble! Spent time on my house plans this afternoon, have decided to stop at the initial ones until I reach Auckland, because it is impossible to really relax and enjoy myself while trying to decide where the cooker and sink should go etc. I think I need a proper kitchen planner and bathroom planner now, since I can have the windows where I want them obviously but Ron, the guy in NZ hasn’t got the expertise to know all the options and I don’t want to commit until I’ve had the time to think properly with no distractions. Probably sounds odd but I don’t want to be a recluse on here!
Musicians who can play 40 different instruments entertained us this evening followed by the Carnival ball. Enjoyed watching all the dancing but didn’t dance myself.
Day 21 (Spectacular (should have been)) Saturday Jan 26
Got up at 5.30 to see Rio de Janeiro (river of January), which was spectacular in the darkness. The trips all left on time, we all went to the Christ the Redeemer statue this morning, which would have been wonderful if the trip itself had been better organised and we had managed to see anything. We queued for half an hour for the train at the bottom of the hill only to be told we would have to wait another hour to get on it. So (eventually) the bus returned and took us to Copacobana and Ipanema beaches which were great but it was very cloudy. This meant of course that by the time we got to the statue it was shrouded in mist and so was the view. Since I am terrified of heights this wasn’t altogether a huge disappointment to me, because I’d probably have passed out if I had been able to see anything! Actually it did clear a bit just before we left so the others were able to take photos, I managed one! I felt it was the lesser of 2 evils, and having come to Rio you must do one or the other or both, but I would never have managed the cable cars up to Sugarloaf. We did get to see it several times from afar.
In the afternoon, after less than half an hours break and no lunch, we went on another 4 hour trip to the Botanical Gardens and the Tijuca National Park, which was terrific, with a very good guide who was amusing and knowledgeable at the same time. We saw Toucans chasing parakeets and Hilary saw some monkeys too, as well as lots of wonderful plants and trees. We also got several good views of the Christ statue which by this time was not in cloud at all (just our luck).
With no break at all, Trisha and Hilary went off to a Samba show in the town, where there was a power cut and they’ve now got half their money back, despite the fact that the show was almost over. The rest of us watched the local show brought to the ship which was very colourful but went on too long, we were all very tired. The highlight of my evening was being in the queue for the self-service Lido restaurant immediately after the Captain(Ian McNaught) and the Staff Captain(Hamish Sunter), & yes Wendy, the captain is from Sunderland.
Day 22 (Silent) Sunday Jan 27
A quiet day at sea, in more ways than one, see below, after all the excitement of yesterday. Went to a Foxtrot class, was partnered by a very small Japanese American who was about 5ft tall but extremely polite and a very good dancer thank goodness. Beat the guys in the quiz (again), then spent more time putting the rest of Trisha’s photos on my laptop. I look forward to sorting it all out in NZ. We sat on deck to do it (out of the sun) and Hilary noticed that we were going extremely slowly. Then the captain announced that one engine had stopped, we were running on 3, but all engines would be stopped while they ‘put on’ another one, someone said there are nine, but they have to be put ‘on-line’. So we drifted completely silently for what turned out to be more than an hour, it was very pleasant, but I’m glad it wasn’t Cape Horn. When we got going again the Captain said we were not to let anyone on the QV know what had happened, I do think it rather serves him right for all his previous comments! We are now tanking along at a great rate, presumably to make up the time lost, and the ship is rolling quite a bit, fortunately we have now all got our ‘sea-legs’. I missed tea deliberately to sit on deck in the sun, have gone slightly pink where I missed bits with the sunscreen, but nothing to worry about. I do wonder where everyone goes in the afternoons, the ship looks practically deserted, and it is almost full. I think lots of people sleep in their cabins, there are lots of ‘senior citizens’ as I’ve said before, only the under 60s had to pay park entry yesterday and there were only 7 of us out of 2 coachloads!
Met a lady at breakfast who is going back from NZ in April on a cargo ship, she will be one of only 6 passengers on board (there is room for 12), they call at 30 ports and it costs £2700, which sounds a good deal to me and worth thinking about for a future trip maybe. Of course there is no entertainment, you have to make your own, and you need a hobby, but apparently most ships have a gym and some have a swimming pool. I did briefly investigate this but couldn’t find out anything, she has given me the name & address of a guy in Napier who arranged things for her. Trisha is trying to persuade me to go with her and Hilary in a 3 berth on ‘The Mary’ in 2010, in order to do the other half of the world cruise, if she is doing it then, we don’t know for sure. I will think about it, but think I prefer my own company really and I won’t be able to afford it anyway!
Went to a really good lecture on Montevideo, apparently it used to be the second safest city in the world after Tokyo, not quite so safe now but up there. 93% of population is of European extraction, I used to work with a German lady from Uruguay, I believe lots of Germans went there after the war, as well as Portuguese & Spanish descendants I suppose. I know a lot more about the geography of South America than I did before this trip.
Had a salsa lesson again, with added steps, did well at the time but can’t remember a thing now, & I didn’t write the steps down so I’m in trouble! Spent time on my house plans this afternoon, have decided to stop at the initial ones until I reach Auckland, because it is impossible to really relax and enjoy myself while trying to decide where the cooker and sink should go etc. I think I need a proper kitchen planner and bathroom planner now, since I can have the windows where I want them obviously but Ron, the guy in NZ hasn’t got the expertise to know all the options and I don’t want to commit until I’ve had the time to think properly with no distractions. Probably sounds odd but I don’t want to be a recluse on here!
Musicians who can play 40 different instruments entertained us this evening followed by the Carnival ball. Enjoyed watching all the dancing but didn’t dance myself.
Day 21 (Spectacular (should have been)) Saturday Jan 26
Got up at 5.30 to see Rio de Janeiro (river of January), which was spectacular in the darkness. The trips all left on time, we all went to the Christ the Redeemer statue this morning, which would have been wonderful if the trip itself had been better organised and we had managed to see anything. We queued for half an hour for the train at the bottom of the hill only to be told we would have to wait another hour to get on it. So (eventually) the bus returned and took us to Copacobana and Ipanema beaches which were great but it was very cloudy. This meant of course that by the time we got to the statue it was shrouded in mist and so was the view. Since I am terrified of heights this wasn’t altogether a huge disappointment to me, because I’d probably have passed out if I had been able to see anything! Actually it did clear a bit just before we left so the others were able to take photos, I managed one! I felt it was the lesser of 2 evils, and having come to Rio you must do one or the other or both, but I would never have managed the cable cars up to Sugarloaf. We did get to see it several times from afar.
In the afternoon, after less than half an hours break and no lunch, we went on another 4 hour trip to the Botanical Gardens and the Tijuca National Park, which was terrific, with a very good guide who was amusing and knowledgeable at the same time. We saw Toucans chasing parakeets and Hilary saw some monkeys too, as well as lots of wonderful plants and trees. We also got several good views of the Christ statue which by this time was not in cloud at all (just our luck).
With no break at all, Trisha and Hilary went off to a Samba show in the town, where there was a power cut and they’ve now got half their money back, despite the fact that the show was almost over. The rest of us watched the local show brought to the ship which was very colourful but went on too long, we were all very tired. The highlight of my evening was being in the queue for the self-service Lido restaurant immediately after the Captain(Ian McNaught) and the Staff Captain(Hamish Sunter), & yes Wendy, the captain is from Sunderland.
Day 22 (Silent) Sunday Jan 27
A quiet day at sea, in more ways than one, see below, after all the excitement of yesterday. Went to a Foxtrot class, was partnered by a very small Japanese American who was about 5ft tall but extremely polite and a very good dancer thank goodness. Beat the guys in the quiz (again), then spent more time putting the rest of Trisha’s photos on my laptop. I look forward to sorting it all out in NZ. We sat on deck to do it (out of the sun) and Hilary noticed that we were going extremely slowly. Then the captain announced that one engine had stopped, we were running on 3, but all engines would be stopped while they ‘put on’ another one, someone said there are nine, but they have to be put ‘on-line’. So we drifted completely silently for what turned out to be more than an hour, it was very pleasant, but I’m glad it wasn’t Cape Horn. When we got going again the Captain said we were not to let anyone on the QV know what had happened, I do think it rather serves him right for all his previous comments! We are now tanking along at a great rate, presumably to make up the time lost, and the ship is rolling quite a bit, fortunately we have now all got our ‘sea-legs’. I missed tea deliberately to sit on deck in the sun, have gone slightly pink where I missed bits with the sunscreen, but nothing to worry about. I do wonder where everyone goes in the afternoons, the ship looks practically deserted, and it is almost full. I think lots of people sleep in their cabins, there are lots of ‘senior citizens’ as I’ve said before, only the under 60s had to pay park entry yesterday and there were only 7 of us out of 2 coachloads!
Friday, January 25, 2008
Days 16-19 Jan 21-24
Day 16 (Murky) Monday Jan 21
It was bright early, and Trisha & Hilary managed to see some flying fish, but it clouded over and we had a very sharp shower, although it is very warm. Trisha and I spent most of the morning loading her photos on to my PC, so I can use them in the future if I want to, and also write them to disk for her. Photography is her hobby, she has won prizes, so some of them are very good. She takes loads, she has about 17GB to back-up, it could take us the remaining month to do it!
I had to do the mundane task of my washing today, not easy despite the free laundrette, because of the number of people who want to use it. There is only one laundrette with about 12 washers, 2 of which weren’t working, not nearly enough for 1500+ people! Apparently the QV has one laundrette per deck and it still isn’t enough. Heard a story which is possibly true, possibly a ‘ship myth’. Someone washed one of her long formal dresses and left it in the washer while she went back to her cabin. When she came back it was gone, only to be seen that night being worn at the Ball! She challenged the wearer, ‘you’re wearing my dress’ only to be answered ‘prove it’! So you see, we are definitely a mini-community, complete with ‘thieves and vagabonds(probably)’.
Did very little this afternoon, we are all feeling tired (possibly the rocking motion of the ship?) and several of we ladies have swollen ankles and/or feet, we don’t know why. Makes dancing in high heels difficult to say the least. Neptunes Ball this evening, since we cross the Equator at 3 a.m. tomorrow, again didn’t dance, This evening rather depressed and getting cold feet about NZ. Had new plans from Ron in NZ, not really what I wanted but we’re getting there. I guess it’s inevitable that I will feel a little down sometimes, and I am missing home already, hopefully better tomorrow when I go to the ‘Crossing the Line’ ceremony.
Day 17 (Tango) Tuesday Jan 22
Thought it would be a good idea to go to the morning lecture on ‘Positive Psychology’ and it did help a bit. Despite what my children think, I believe I am a cautious optimist, rather than a pessimist! Optimists live longer apparently, so I had better try to be more positive in future.
12 noon and it was the ‘Crossing the Line’ ceremony, which involved all ‘Pollywogs’ (well, those who volunteered anyway) being wiped with a clammy salmon, covered in gunk, and then pushed into the swimming pool. A ‘pollywog’ is someone who hasn’t crossed the Equator on a ship before (it happened during last night at around 3 a.m). Of course that includes me, but given I have crossed it many times by plane I excused myself from the experience. It was fun to watch for a while, but there were 160 people in all so I got bored and went to the Tango lesson, which I really enjoyed. Am now writing the steps down so I can practise in private (no memory you see, must be my advanced age!).
An absolutely brilliant magician called Jamie Allen was the entertainment this evening, nobody went dancing because we all have swollen feet. Trisha got a gold pin for becoming a gold Cunard member, apparently we will all reach this exalted state once we get to Valparaiso (it’s determined by number of days). The one advantage, apart from discounts on future cruises which I can’t afford anyway, is 2 free hours internet time. Since I’ve just had to purchase 8 more hours for $167.95 this is very good news!
Day 18 (Warm) Wednesday Jan 23
And it is at last warm and balmy, particularly in the evening, even the wind isn’t so bad, I think we’ve slowed down a little. This morning I saw lots of flying fish, and blue-headed boobies trying to catch them. I also met Roger at last, who seems very nice but not my type, too fit! He runs round the deck several times a day, goes to the gym, & only has an apple and an orange for lunch! We all got our interim bills this morning, a bit of a shock for all of us I think, we’ve all spent too much. Fortunately this bill is actually distorted a bit because we have booked all our tours through to Auckland, except Tonga, where we may do stuff independently since there doesn’t seem that much to see.
Learnt the samba (again), very suitable since we are heading for Brazil. We have heard some scare stories about Salvador de Bahia, Trisha & Hilary met some people who have been before and they had armed guards for their walking tour. Lots of small boys snatching stuff and disappearing, Melanie has decided not to go ashore if it’s so unsafe.
The diva I missed the other night, Dorothy Bishop, and Kenny Martyn entertained us this evening, both brilliant. The standard of the entertainment is very high, I think I expected more shows done by the ship’s own singers and dancers, maybe that usually happens but not on this one.
Day 19 (Touring) Thursday Jan 24
The tours were all delayed this morning after we docked at 8 a.m. because the authorities were slow to check everything. We have all had to hand our passports in and then we just have to fill out forms, not sure if this will continue for the rest of the voyage, I think so. We all went on what was supposed to be a walking tour, which turned out to be a 2 hour coach ride too, mainly because the traffic was absolutely terrible, as bad as London. All the roads are being repaired in preparation for their ‘Carnival’. Salvador is a rather strange mixture of beautiful old buildings, some of which have been restored magnificently (San Francisco church being an example) and extremely run-down houses. It is obviously ‘on the up’, so somebody must be investing here, lots of new apartment blocks. We felt quite safe when walking, the scare stories must have been a long time ago, though there was a considerable armed police presence. There was a terrific drum band playing near the cathedral, so we all did the Samba to it, the other 3 will probably be on the Cunard video of the trip, since I was ‘otherwise engaged’ when that happened! Managed to buy some postcards and 2 small gifts for the grandchildren, I am trying to find something for them in each port.
We didn’t get back till nearly 3, but lunch was continued in the Lido for us all, must have been hard for the staff because then they immediately started afternoon tea. I finally paid my tax bill online, having sent the tax return from Barbados, hope I don’t get fined! The hotel apartment I was hoping to book in Auckland appears to be unavailable, but I will try another website tomorrow, it all takes so much time.
We watched the ‘sail-away’ (Trisha and Alan & Sylvia went to the Sail-Away party, which involved more dancing). Then we had champagne in the Funnel Bar (not been there before). It’s what this type of holiday is all about, great to relax in the warm evening air.
The Cunard singers and dancers put on a brilliant show this evening, we are wondering if they are flown from ship to ship and do the same show in each, because otherwise they are not doing a terrific amount, though each show is a considerable production effort. There is one more show before Sydney apparently.
It was bright early, and Trisha & Hilary managed to see some flying fish, but it clouded over and we had a very sharp shower, although it is very warm. Trisha and I spent most of the morning loading her photos on to my PC, so I can use them in the future if I want to, and also write them to disk for her. Photography is her hobby, she has won prizes, so some of them are very good. She takes loads, she has about 17GB to back-up, it could take us the remaining month to do it!
I had to do the mundane task of my washing today, not easy despite the free laundrette, because of the number of people who want to use it. There is only one laundrette with about 12 washers, 2 of which weren’t working, not nearly enough for 1500+ people! Apparently the QV has one laundrette per deck and it still isn’t enough. Heard a story which is possibly true, possibly a ‘ship myth’. Someone washed one of her long formal dresses and left it in the washer while she went back to her cabin. When she came back it was gone, only to be seen that night being worn at the Ball! She challenged the wearer, ‘you’re wearing my dress’ only to be answered ‘prove it’! So you see, we are definitely a mini-community, complete with ‘thieves and vagabonds(probably)’.
Did very little this afternoon, we are all feeling tired (possibly the rocking motion of the ship?) and several of we ladies have swollen ankles and/or feet, we don’t know why. Makes dancing in high heels difficult to say the least. Neptunes Ball this evening, since we cross the Equator at 3 a.m. tomorrow, again didn’t dance, This evening rather depressed and getting cold feet about NZ. Had new plans from Ron in NZ, not really what I wanted but we’re getting there. I guess it’s inevitable that I will feel a little down sometimes, and I am missing home already, hopefully better tomorrow when I go to the ‘Crossing the Line’ ceremony.
Day 17 (Tango) Tuesday Jan 22
Thought it would be a good idea to go to the morning lecture on ‘Positive Psychology’ and it did help a bit. Despite what my children think, I believe I am a cautious optimist, rather than a pessimist! Optimists live longer apparently, so I had better try to be more positive in future.
12 noon and it was the ‘Crossing the Line’ ceremony, which involved all ‘Pollywogs’ (well, those who volunteered anyway) being wiped with a clammy salmon, covered in gunk, and then pushed into the swimming pool. A ‘pollywog’ is someone who hasn’t crossed the Equator on a ship before (it happened during last night at around 3 a.m). Of course that includes me, but given I have crossed it many times by plane I excused myself from the experience. It was fun to watch for a while, but there were 160 people in all so I got bored and went to the Tango lesson, which I really enjoyed. Am now writing the steps down so I can practise in private (no memory you see, must be my advanced age!).
An absolutely brilliant magician called Jamie Allen was the entertainment this evening, nobody went dancing because we all have swollen feet. Trisha got a gold pin for becoming a gold Cunard member, apparently we will all reach this exalted state once we get to Valparaiso (it’s determined by number of days). The one advantage, apart from discounts on future cruises which I can’t afford anyway, is 2 free hours internet time. Since I’ve just had to purchase 8 more hours for $167.95 this is very good news!
Day 18 (Warm) Wednesday Jan 23
And it is at last warm and balmy, particularly in the evening, even the wind isn’t so bad, I think we’ve slowed down a little. This morning I saw lots of flying fish, and blue-headed boobies trying to catch them. I also met Roger at last, who seems very nice but not my type, too fit! He runs round the deck several times a day, goes to the gym, & only has an apple and an orange for lunch! We all got our interim bills this morning, a bit of a shock for all of us I think, we’ve all spent too much. Fortunately this bill is actually distorted a bit because we have booked all our tours through to Auckland, except Tonga, where we may do stuff independently since there doesn’t seem that much to see.
Learnt the samba (again), very suitable since we are heading for Brazil. We have heard some scare stories about Salvador de Bahia, Trisha & Hilary met some people who have been before and they had armed guards for their walking tour. Lots of small boys snatching stuff and disappearing, Melanie has decided not to go ashore if it’s so unsafe.
The diva I missed the other night, Dorothy Bishop, and Kenny Martyn entertained us this evening, both brilliant. The standard of the entertainment is very high, I think I expected more shows done by the ship’s own singers and dancers, maybe that usually happens but not on this one.
Day 19 (Touring) Thursday Jan 24
The tours were all delayed this morning after we docked at 8 a.m. because the authorities were slow to check everything. We have all had to hand our passports in and then we just have to fill out forms, not sure if this will continue for the rest of the voyage, I think so. We all went on what was supposed to be a walking tour, which turned out to be a 2 hour coach ride too, mainly because the traffic was absolutely terrible, as bad as London. All the roads are being repaired in preparation for their ‘Carnival’. Salvador is a rather strange mixture of beautiful old buildings, some of which have been restored magnificently (San Francisco church being an example) and extremely run-down houses. It is obviously ‘on the up’, so somebody must be investing here, lots of new apartment blocks. We felt quite safe when walking, the scare stories must have been a long time ago, though there was a considerable armed police presence. There was a terrific drum band playing near the cathedral, so we all did the Samba to it, the other 3 will probably be on the Cunard video of the trip, since I was ‘otherwise engaged’ when that happened! Managed to buy some postcards and 2 small gifts for the grandchildren, I am trying to find something for them in each port.
We didn’t get back till nearly 3, but lunch was continued in the Lido for us all, must have been hard for the staff because then they immediately started afternoon tea. I finally paid my tax bill online, having sent the tax return from Barbados, hope I don’t get fined! The hotel apartment I was hoping to book in Auckland appears to be unavailable, but I will try another website tomorrow, it all takes so much time.
We watched the ‘sail-away’ (Trisha and Alan & Sylvia went to the Sail-Away party, which involved more dancing). Then we had champagne in the Funnel Bar (not been there before). It’s what this type of holiday is all about, great to relax in the warm evening air.
The Cunard singers and dancers put on a brilliant show this evening, we are wondering if they are flown from ship to ship and do the same show in each, because otherwise they are not doing a terrific amount, though each show is a considerable production effort. There is one more show before Sydney apparently.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Days 13-15 Jan 18-20
Day 13 (Fun) Friday Jan 18
Lost an hour last night as Barbados is considerably east of Florida, and didn’t sleep well, I think because sea a little rough. Just made breakfast & then went to half the Rumba lesson, before going to lecture on the Falklands conflict, which I was interested in because we were living in Texas at the time and got a totally different view of the whole thing than the propaganda in the media in England. Unfortunately the lecture was a little like a list of all the ships & planes which took part and little else, apart from some acerbic comments about the Belgians (who didn’t send the ammunition) and praise for our other allies who did provide intelligence information. Met some nice American ladies at lunchtime, Stephanie and Allora, who it turned out are just across the corridor from me. There is a lady in the next-door cabin who keeps banging on the wall even though they don’t get up till 8. They’ve decided to have a party one morning so I’ve received an invitation as long as I take my Ipod. Emma did manage to load up quite a few albums so I’m sure we could give her something to really complain about! Stephanie has been on about 30 cruises and has never had anything like this happen before.
Evening entertainment was Kyle & Adrian, which was extremely good, & I won $50 on the ‘fruit’ machine again.
Day 14 (Serendipitous-is that a word?) Saturday Jan 19
Arrived in Barbados very early this morning, which I was of course aware of because of the slowing down noise but managed some sleep after we docked. Went into Bridgetown with Alan & Sylvia, absolutely chaotic in the terminal because 4 cruise ships arrived today, everybody trying to get taxis or Shuttle buses. We did get one finally, & then took photos, tried to find some lower heeled gold evening shoes for me (unsuccessful), and I finally managed to post my tax return, took a great many ‘Bajan’ stamps, I wonder whether it will ever reach England?
Went on a tour of the island in the afternoon, ending up in an old Plantation house for tea. The island is beautiful, the people are lovely & friendly, I would definitely like to come back some day, if I can ever afford it. We didn’t get back on the ship till 5p.m. & were supposed to be leaving at 5.30, but in fact it was nearer 7 before we left. I missed what was apparently a great show given by locals brought on board for the afternoon, the evening entertainment was not so good, a ‘physical entertainer’, he was a juggler and comedian supposedly, but not funny.
Day 15 (supposed to be sun-bathing) Sunday Jan 20
2 weeks gone already, but at least I have more than another 4 to go, I’m quite getting used to this, I can see why people go on back-to-back cruises now! I am still tired, I am not sleeping particularly well, probably too much food & not enough exercise. Have resolved to walk up the stairs as well as down now, otherwise I definitely will not be able to get my beautiful dresses on! Wore my ocean green satin for the Captain’s reception this evening and lots of people commented on it, I did need Sylvia’s help to do up the zip though! I also told the captain that I was enjoying the cruise very much now, I know he didn’t remember what I said before but it made me feel better. In fact the ship is rolling quite a bit today, I think we are in relatively open water sailing down the coast of South America, we don’t get to Salvador de Bahia until Wednesday I think.
I did go up on deck and sat in the sun for about half an hour, but it is incredibly windy, should have realised that too. I’m sure there are sheltered places on the ship but I expect they get ‘snapped up’ early. Haven’t been swimming yet, the pool is a little too public for me!
Learnt the waltz today, but I am pretty happy with the basics of that. Had the dance instructor as my partner, so that was very good, obviously he is extremely good at leading! I usually end up with one of the dance hosts, some of whom are better than others, and they have to have 2 or more partners because ladies out-number the men (the ratio on Barbados is 3 women to 1 man by the way). I didn’t go to the entertainment because it was a diva which I didn’t think I’d like, but apparently she was extremely good.
Lost an hour last night as Barbados is considerably east of Florida, and didn’t sleep well, I think because sea a little rough. Just made breakfast & then went to half the Rumba lesson, before going to lecture on the Falklands conflict, which I was interested in because we were living in Texas at the time and got a totally different view of the whole thing than the propaganda in the media in England. Unfortunately the lecture was a little like a list of all the ships & planes which took part and little else, apart from some acerbic comments about the Belgians (who didn’t send the ammunition) and praise for our other allies who did provide intelligence information. Met some nice American ladies at lunchtime, Stephanie and Allora, who it turned out are just across the corridor from me. There is a lady in the next-door cabin who keeps banging on the wall even though they don’t get up till 8. They’ve decided to have a party one morning so I’ve received an invitation as long as I take my Ipod. Emma did manage to load up quite a few albums so I’m sure we could give her something to really complain about! Stephanie has been on about 30 cruises and has never had anything like this happen before.
Evening entertainment was Kyle & Adrian, which was extremely good, & I won $50 on the ‘fruit’ machine again.
Day 14 (Serendipitous-is that a word?) Saturday Jan 19
Arrived in Barbados very early this morning, which I was of course aware of because of the slowing down noise but managed some sleep after we docked. Went into Bridgetown with Alan & Sylvia, absolutely chaotic in the terminal because 4 cruise ships arrived today, everybody trying to get taxis or Shuttle buses. We did get one finally, & then took photos, tried to find some lower heeled gold evening shoes for me (unsuccessful), and I finally managed to post my tax return, took a great many ‘Bajan’ stamps, I wonder whether it will ever reach England?
Went on a tour of the island in the afternoon, ending up in an old Plantation house for tea. The island is beautiful, the people are lovely & friendly, I would definitely like to come back some day, if I can ever afford it. We didn’t get back on the ship till 5p.m. & were supposed to be leaving at 5.30, but in fact it was nearer 7 before we left. I missed what was apparently a great show given by locals brought on board for the afternoon, the evening entertainment was not so good, a ‘physical entertainer’, he was a juggler and comedian supposedly, but not funny.
Day 15 (supposed to be sun-bathing) Sunday Jan 20
2 weeks gone already, but at least I have more than another 4 to go, I’m quite getting used to this, I can see why people go on back-to-back cruises now! I am still tired, I am not sleeping particularly well, probably too much food & not enough exercise. Have resolved to walk up the stairs as well as down now, otherwise I definitely will not be able to get my beautiful dresses on! Wore my ocean green satin for the Captain’s reception this evening and lots of people commented on it, I did need Sylvia’s help to do up the zip though! I also told the captain that I was enjoying the cruise very much now, I know he didn’t remember what I said before but it made me feel better. In fact the ship is rolling quite a bit today, I think we are in relatively open water sailing down the coast of South America, we don’t get to Salvador de Bahia until Wednesday I think.
I did go up on deck and sat in the sun for about half an hour, but it is incredibly windy, should have realised that too. I’m sure there are sheltered places on the ship but I expect they get ‘snapped up’ early. Haven’t been swimming yet, the pool is a little too public for me!
Learnt the waltz today, but I am pretty happy with the basics of that. Had the dance instructor as my partner, so that was very good, obviously he is extremely good at leading! I usually end up with one of the dance hosts, some of whom are better than others, and they have to have 2 or more partners because ladies out-number the men (the ratio on Barbados is 3 women to 1 man by the way). I didn’t go to the entertainment because it was a diva which I didn’t think I’d like, but apparently she was extremely good.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Days 11-12 Jan 16-17
Day 11 (Warm at last) Wednesday 16th January
Didn’t sleep much last night, engine too noisy going slowly & then docking at ‘Port Everglades’ at 5 a.m. I got up at 6.30 and did my washing in the free laundrette, I hope you’re proud of me Carol! Have put 2 items in for dry cleaning, prices are almost as cheap as at Avis, so that’s good & surprising. Have packed away most of my winter stuff (though will need some for the Falklands & Chile) and so had to iron most of my summer wardrobe because it had been in the suitcase so long. Didn’t matter because trip to F. L. didn’t start till 10:15. Weather partly cloudy but 22, so I had to remember sunscreen. Went on a paddle-boat trip round the inland canals, looking at millionaire’s yachts and mansions, and then we were taken to the port to see the 2 queens, which of course we already knew very well, but it was an opportunity to photograph them together. I was annoyed when we got back that there wasn’t time for me to take the shuttle bus to the shopping mall, for which I had already paid, so my shopping list was useless. Mostly I can get the essential stuff on board, but I’m sure more expensive than in U.S.
The QV left on time at about 5P.M. three tugs spraying red white & blue water and we ‘saluted’ her goodbye (till Sydney) by blasting our very aristocratic bass horn 3 times, she responded with hers, which sounds like a very loud fart! I took lots of pictures, unfortunately I can’t upload ANY photos, they are too large for the system on board, not good. I will update this whole thing once I get to Wellington, and probably start another one about the house-build. It’s funny, because we were all glad to be able to go faster, but we miss seeing her every day now.
We were extremely late leaving, about 8 I think, we were eating at the time, having given up waiting on deck. The reason was the loading of supplies, which has to be enough to take us to Valparaiso, a very long way, & we are talking American appetites here. I suspect they are now in the majority, though there are still a lot of Brits on board.
Entertainment tonight was a very funny Irish comedian called Adrian Walsh, who certainly knows the cruise ship audience. Not his words, but he is trying to make people laugh who have probably been more active than they usually are during the day, have just had a good dinner and a couple of glasses of wine, so it’s not surprising some nod off!
Day 12 (T-shirt) Thursday Jan 17
Slept well since ship now going at 26+ knots so much quieter. The first day it’s really been possible, apart from the die-hards, to sit out on deck in a T-shirt. Very warm, but extremely breezy, about 45 knots on deck, which I certainly ‘appreciated’ when went for my pre-lunch short walk. It’s good to get fresh air, but I don’t want to be blown overboard!
Went for the advertised cha-cha lesson, which turned out to be the Foxtrot, which was good as I’m reasonably happy with the former, but missed last week’s Foxtrot lesson because the ship was rocking and rolling so much I thought I’d fall over. Had coffee sitting outside the Lido restaurant, which was very pleasant, sheltered from the wind. Rushed off to the quiz, close but didn’t win once again. Went for line-dancing, couldn’t do it at all, despite going Line dancing some years ago, so I’m afraid I wimped out and uploaded the last blog. Found an AKL hotel apartment which looks very possible for the 3 of us, will wait till the price comes down, which it hopefully will nearer to the time.
Kyle Esplin was the absolutely brilliant pianist/singer this evening, entirely self-taught, played Jerry Lee Lewis style and boogied up classics. Lost $20 on the fruit machines, Trisha won $66!
Didn’t sleep much last night, engine too noisy going slowly & then docking at ‘Port Everglades’ at 5 a.m. I got up at 6.30 and did my washing in the free laundrette, I hope you’re proud of me Carol! Have put 2 items in for dry cleaning, prices are almost as cheap as at Avis, so that’s good & surprising. Have packed away most of my winter stuff (though will need some for the Falklands & Chile) and so had to iron most of my summer wardrobe because it had been in the suitcase so long. Didn’t matter because trip to F. L. didn’t start till 10:15. Weather partly cloudy but 22, so I had to remember sunscreen. Went on a paddle-boat trip round the inland canals, looking at millionaire’s yachts and mansions, and then we were taken to the port to see the 2 queens, which of course we already knew very well, but it was an opportunity to photograph them together. I was annoyed when we got back that there wasn’t time for me to take the shuttle bus to the shopping mall, for which I had already paid, so my shopping list was useless. Mostly I can get the essential stuff on board, but I’m sure more expensive than in U.S.
The QV left on time at about 5P.M. three tugs spraying red white & blue water and we ‘saluted’ her goodbye (till Sydney) by blasting our very aristocratic bass horn 3 times, she responded with hers, which sounds like a very loud fart! I took lots of pictures, unfortunately I can’t upload ANY photos, they are too large for the system on board, not good. I will update this whole thing once I get to Wellington, and probably start another one about the house-build. It’s funny, because we were all glad to be able to go faster, but we miss seeing her every day now.
We were extremely late leaving, about 8 I think, we were eating at the time, having given up waiting on deck. The reason was the loading of supplies, which has to be enough to take us to Valparaiso, a very long way, & we are talking American appetites here. I suspect they are now in the majority, though there are still a lot of Brits on board.
Entertainment tonight was a very funny Irish comedian called Adrian Walsh, who certainly knows the cruise ship audience. Not his words, but he is trying to make people laugh who have probably been more active than they usually are during the day, have just had a good dinner and a couple of glasses of wine, so it’s not surprising some nod off!
Day 12 (T-shirt) Thursday Jan 17
Slept well since ship now going at 26+ knots so much quieter. The first day it’s really been possible, apart from the die-hards, to sit out on deck in a T-shirt. Very warm, but extremely breezy, about 45 knots on deck, which I certainly ‘appreciated’ when went for my pre-lunch short walk. It’s good to get fresh air, but I don’t want to be blown overboard!
Went for the advertised cha-cha lesson, which turned out to be the Foxtrot, which was good as I’m reasonably happy with the former, but missed last week’s Foxtrot lesson because the ship was rocking and rolling so much I thought I’d fall over. Had coffee sitting outside the Lido restaurant, which was very pleasant, sheltered from the wind. Rushed off to the quiz, close but didn’t win once again. Went for line-dancing, couldn’t do it at all, despite going Line dancing some years ago, so I’m afraid I wimped out and uploaded the last blog. Found an AKL hotel apartment which looks very possible for the 3 of us, will wait till the price comes down, which it hopefully will nearer to the time.
Kyle Esplin was the absolutely brilliant pianist/singer this evening, entirely self-taught, played Jerry Lee Lewis style and boogied up classics. Lost $20 on the fruit machines, Trisha won $66!
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Days 9-10
Day 9 (Money-making) Monday Jan 14th
Only money-making because I made $50 on the ‘fruit’ machine this evening, I’m sure I’ve probably put that much in it already over the week, we do try not to put in more than $10 a night, the last of the big spenders!
Talk on Fort Lauderdale, Miami and the Everglades this morning, the lecturer also showed slides of each place on the whole world cruise, makes me wish I was doing the whole thing. Joined Martin, Melanie, some friends of theirs and Alan (who had met M&M while learning bridge), for the noon quiz in the pub, we did very well, only lost on the tie-breaker. Rushed straight off to the dance class, Samba today, enjoyed it again but probably won’t go dancing tonight, not confident enough.
Tried to find some accommodation in Auckland, Trisha & Hilary are going to share with me until my sister Hilary arrives on the 23rd, to cut the cost, which will be fun and I can show them around a bit. Didn’t succeed, internet connection is very slow and a total rip-off.
Evening show not very good, English ‘comedian’, singer, musician & impersonator, very unfunny jokes.
Day 10 (Thought-provoking) Tuesday Jan 15th
Went to a very interesting, and to say the least worrying, talk about Putin and the rise of the Siloviki in Russia, all that money and power in the wrong hands is not a comforting thought. Then went for a quick walk outside, air temperature about 15 but cold wind, the sea is much warmer as we are now in the Gulf Stream. We still have ‘The Albatross’ alongside (yesterday’s lecturer called QV that!). Going at 17-18 knots, which makes things rather noisy all the time in my cabin. It will be better after tomorrow when we break free and can go faster. Apparently the QE2 can go as fast backwards as the QV forwards! Went to the quiz again, did quite well but didn’t win, then jive lesson, extremely quick lunch and then ‘the Grand National’, horse racing with dice. I won $24 (sort of, it cost me $30!), so my luck may be changing.
Entertainment this evening featured the same comedian, who was actually brilliant, did rather more singing, impersonating Tom Jones, Ray Charles, Andy Williams, and only a few good jokes, finishing with Nessun Dorma, which could have been awful but was actually very good, some people even gave him a standing ovation. Then the Coasters did a shortened session, & had us dancing in the aisles, including quite a few who look like bank managers (old style), quite disturbing!
Food comments: the food is generally very good, though sometimes the fish is overcooked, & I have been eating a lot of fish (don’t want my brain to atrophy!). The portions are not huge, which is good, not sure what the Americans will make of it though. We only have 3 courses on our table, though in theory you could have at least 5, I bet some people do. Also we only have 1 course at lunch, or sometimes nothing (because we can always make up for it at tea-time if we need to). I eat mostly in my designated restaurant, the Mauretania, which is the ‘lowest’ category, it would be interesting to see what the other ‘better’ ones are like. The self-service restaurant, The Lido, is v useful if you want to eat lunch in 10 minutes flat, see above! I do like the waiter service at night, the waiters are mostly Eastern European or Indian, not sure if that will change at some point, we know ‘our’ waiter is going back to Serbia from Valparaiso, which is the end of this ‘leg’ from New York.
Only money-making because I made $50 on the ‘fruit’ machine this evening, I’m sure I’ve probably put that much in it already over the week, we do try not to put in more than $10 a night, the last of the big spenders!
Talk on Fort Lauderdale, Miami and the Everglades this morning, the lecturer also showed slides of each place on the whole world cruise, makes me wish I was doing the whole thing. Joined Martin, Melanie, some friends of theirs and Alan (who had met M&M while learning bridge), for the noon quiz in the pub, we did very well, only lost on the tie-breaker. Rushed straight off to the dance class, Samba today, enjoyed it again but probably won’t go dancing tonight, not confident enough.
Tried to find some accommodation in Auckland, Trisha & Hilary are going to share with me until my sister Hilary arrives on the 23rd, to cut the cost, which will be fun and I can show them around a bit. Didn’t succeed, internet connection is very slow and a total rip-off.
Evening show not very good, English ‘comedian’, singer, musician & impersonator, very unfunny jokes.
Day 10 (Thought-provoking) Tuesday Jan 15th
Went to a very interesting, and to say the least worrying, talk about Putin and the rise of the Siloviki in Russia, all that money and power in the wrong hands is not a comforting thought. Then went for a quick walk outside, air temperature about 15 but cold wind, the sea is much warmer as we are now in the Gulf Stream. We still have ‘The Albatross’ alongside (yesterday’s lecturer called QV that!). Going at 17-18 knots, which makes things rather noisy all the time in my cabin. It will be better after tomorrow when we break free and can go faster. Apparently the QE2 can go as fast backwards as the QV forwards! Went to the quiz again, did quite well but didn’t win, then jive lesson, extremely quick lunch and then ‘the Grand National’, horse racing with dice. I won $24 (sort of, it cost me $30!), so my luck may be changing.
Entertainment this evening featured the same comedian, who was actually brilliant, did rather more singing, impersonating Tom Jones, Ray Charles, Andy Williams, and only a few good jokes, finishing with Nessun Dorma, which could have been awful but was actually very good, some people even gave him a standing ovation. Then the Coasters did a shortened session, & had us dancing in the aisles, including quite a few who look like bank managers (old style), quite disturbing!
Food comments: the food is generally very good, though sometimes the fish is overcooked, & I have been eating a lot of fish (don’t want my brain to atrophy!). The portions are not huge, which is good, not sure what the Americans will make of it though. We only have 3 courses on our table, though in theory you could have at least 5, I bet some people do. Also we only have 1 course at lunch, or sometimes nothing (because we can always make up for it at tea-time if we need to). I eat mostly in my designated restaurant, the Mauretania, which is the ‘lowest’ category, it would be interesting to see what the other ‘better’ ones are like. The self-service restaurant, The Lido, is v useful if you want to eat lunch in 10 minutes flat, see above! I do like the waiter service at night, the waiters are mostly Eastern European or Indian, not sure if that will change at some point, we know ‘our’ waiter is going back to Serbia from Valparaiso, which is the end of this ‘leg’ from New York.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Days 6-8
Day 6 (Fantastic) Friday Jan 11th
Fantastic because of the weather, brilliant blue skies and though very breezy, not too rough a sea. Walked 2.5 times round the boat deck, which is only half a mile but I felt much better and very happy to be here, really for the first time I think. Had a tango lesson, partnered by ‘my’ elderly gentleman, think it’s rather fortunate that he’s dis-embarking in New York, or I might have had a bit of a problem, though I may flatter myself! This afternoon went to the ‘Sherlock Holmes Musical Murder Mystery’, which was basically a quiz but was very funny. Partook of the white-gloved tea again, it has become a meeting place for the 5 of us, though not very helpful to the figure. Would help if I had some will-power! The show in the evening was terrific, ‘Vanity Fair’ with the dancers and singers who are all excellent, lovely costumes too.
Discovered Trisha is not married, she did have a long-term partner who unfortunately died from cancer some years ago. Had a bit of a ‘girlie’ talk, probably told almost strangers much too much about myself but Trisha and Hilary are both lovely people and very good listeners! I have been lucky with my dinner companions, Alan now has a ‘shiner’ but is feeling OK, he has been offered help from a witness of his accident if he wants to pursue it further, I don’t think he does, being English. We were joined on Monday by travel agent Chris, from a company called Bath Travel, who have over 100 people on this ship and an equal number on the ‘Queen Vic’ as I have come to call her, all going to New York. He has some amusing stories to tell so we are a very congenial group.
Upset myself a bit by going dancing and not being able to do the Quickstep, as always I’m a perfectionist and I don’t like not being able to do something! It’ll come in time I guess, though we think the American ladies arriving on Sunday will change the atmosphere somewhat, more competition!
Day 7 (Surprising) Saturday Jan 12
Cunard Heritage trail this morning with the Cruise Staff Director, Thomas, who is a unique character and absolutely brilliant at taking us through the history of the Cunard line up to the present day. Very interesting, all of the paintings and artefacts, models etc are going with the ship to Dubai, I wonder if the Arabs will keep them? Somehow I doubt it and it will be a huge shame if so. Had a salsa lesson, Ann D would be proud of me, but decided not to go dancing this evening because believe it or not we are getting up at 4 to witness the progress up the Hudson River to dock. The QM2 will be 15 mins behind us, and the Queen Victoria 15 mins behind her, so hopefully we’ll have a great view of a historic occasion, though some people are camping out on deck all night to ensure they see everything! Since it has now turned cold again in NYC, it will be about 1C with a NE wind, I need my thermals (which of course I haven’t got!).
The very surprising element today was getting back to my cabin at noon to find the message light flashing, of course I was worried there was bad news from home, but then to my delight discovered some very old friends, Melanie and Martin Gillard, are also on the ship. They recognised me last evening but didn’t manage to attract my attention after the show. They are also going to Auckland, but not with the Irish (a Titanic reference in case you haven’t seen the film), they have a fantastic stateroom on deck 2, 2 windows, huge bed, loads of storage, what look like rosewood walls, quite a contrast to my cupboard. Melanie was chairman of the PTA at Longwick when David was at school there, and I was also on the committee. They moved to Hampshire and we lost touch, but we managed to meet up and spent an hour going through 10 years of our lives! We will do some more catching up after New York.
Day 8 (Sight-seeing) Sunday Jan 13
Didn’t need my 4 a.m. wake-up call, the noise of the ship slowing down at about 03:15 was enough to waken the dead, my whole cabin shook! So I was one of the first up on deck, and it was a great sight to see all 3 ships make their way up the Hudson. It hadn’t occurred to me until that moment, but of course we are a terrorist target, so NYPD helicopters were out in numbers, scanning the waves with searchlights. It was rather cold, so we all got frozen hands & feet, but it was terrific to be part of history, going under the bridge was spectacular. I am going to try & add some photos to this blog once I get the hang of the French instructions for my camera!
Had breakfast at 6 a.m. and then went on a sight-seeing coach tour which took in most of the main ‘sights’, with a stop to look out over Ground Zero & the construction which is now taking place there. David was here not long after 9/11, in October 2001, it looks very different now. Most of the buildings surrounding Ground Zero have now been repaired & hopefully the new buildings will be a fitting memorial.
Got off the coach at 42nd St, and walked back to the ship along 7th , buying postcards (which I promise to write soon) and a DVD so I could back up this laptop! I’m fed up with it telling me I ought to do it. Bought a couple of extremely small gifts for Elisha & Charlie, I haven’t room for anything really! Got back to the ship in time for tea at 3p.m. we have VERY early dinner at 5.45 because of the fireworks and musical extravaganza later, very impressive. Met a very nice American lady called Jean, who has just joined the cruise, she is going to Singapore, this is her 5th time on QE2.
The others didn’t make dinner at all, which was unfortunate for me because we were joined by an Italian ‘gentleman’ called Lino, who was polite all through dinner, but asked me for my cabin number afterwards, which I told him I wasn’t prepared to give! I have come to believe that some people come on board these cruises for one purpose only, which certainly isn’t mine! The evening show was ‘The Coasters’ and they were, as you would expect, very professional.
The average age on the ship appears to have gone up by about 10 years since New York, lots more wheelchairs & zimmer frames! It doesn’t have quite the same feel about it, but I shall make the best of it. Trisha & Hilary are joshing me because they reckon they’ve found me a man (not that I’m looking for one). He has a house just north of Wellington which he spends 6 months in, apparently he’s rather shy & won’t go dancing. Poor guy, little does he know they’re match-making! I hope I don’t go red if & when I finally do meet him!
Fantastic because of the weather, brilliant blue skies and though very breezy, not too rough a sea. Walked 2.5 times round the boat deck, which is only half a mile but I felt much better and very happy to be here, really for the first time I think. Had a tango lesson, partnered by ‘my’ elderly gentleman, think it’s rather fortunate that he’s dis-embarking in New York, or I might have had a bit of a problem, though I may flatter myself! This afternoon went to the ‘Sherlock Holmes Musical Murder Mystery’, which was basically a quiz but was very funny. Partook of the white-gloved tea again, it has become a meeting place for the 5 of us, though not very helpful to the figure. Would help if I had some will-power! The show in the evening was terrific, ‘Vanity Fair’ with the dancers and singers who are all excellent, lovely costumes too.
Discovered Trisha is not married, she did have a long-term partner who unfortunately died from cancer some years ago. Had a bit of a ‘girlie’ talk, probably told almost strangers much too much about myself but Trisha and Hilary are both lovely people and very good listeners! I have been lucky with my dinner companions, Alan now has a ‘shiner’ but is feeling OK, he has been offered help from a witness of his accident if he wants to pursue it further, I don’t think he does, being English. We were joined on Monday by travel agent Chris, from a company called Bath Travel, who have over 100 people on this ship and an equal number on the ‘Queen Vic’ as I have come to call her, all going to New York. He has some amusing stories to tell so we are a very congenial group.
Upset myself a bit by going dancing and not being able to do the Quickstep, as always I’m a perfectionist and I don’t like not being able to do something! It’ll come in time I guess, though we think the American ladies arriving on Sunday will change the atmosphere somewhat, more competition!
Day 7 (Surprising) Saturday Jan 12
Cunard Heritage trail this morning with the Cruise Staff Director, Thomas, who is a unique character and absolutely brilliant at taking us through the history of the Cunard line up to the present day. Very interesting, all of the paintings and artefacts, models etc are going with the ship to Dubai, I wonder if the Arabs will keep them? Somehow I doubt it and it will be a huge shame if so. Had a salsa lesson, Ann D would be proud of me, but decided not to go dancing this evening because believe it or not we are getting up at 4 to witness the progress up the Hudson River to dock. The QM2 will be 15 mins behind us, and the Queen Victoria 15 mins behind her, so hopefully we’ll have a great view of a historic occasion, though some people are camping out on deck all night to ensure they see everything! Since it has now turned cold again in NYC, it will be about 1C with a NE wind, I need my thermals (which of course I haven’t got!).
The very surprising element today was getting back to my cabin at noon to find the message light flashing, of course I was worried there was bad news from home, but then to my delight discovered some very old friends, Melanie and Martin Gillard, are also on the ship. They recognised me last evening but didn’t manage to attract my attention after the show. They are also going to Auckland, but not with the Irish (a Titanic reference in case you haven’t seen the film), they have a fantastic stateroom on deck 2, 2 windows, huge bed, loads of storage, what look like rosewood walls, quite a contrast to my cupboard. Melanie was chairman of the PTA at Longwick when David was at school there, and I was also on the committee. They moved to Hampshire and we lost touch, but we managed to meet up and spent an hour going through 10 years of our lives! We will do some more catching up after New York.
Day 8 (Sight-seeing) Sunday Jan 13
Didn’t need my 4 a.m. wake-up call, the noise of the ship slowing down at about 03:15 was enough to waken the dead, my whole cabin shook! So I was one of the first up on deck, and it was a great sight to see all 3 ships make their way up the Hudson. It hadn’t occurred to me until that moment, but of course we are a terrorist target, so NYPD helicopters were out in numbers, scanning the waves with searchlights. It was rather cold, so we all got frozen hands & feet, but it was terrific to be part of history, going under the bridge was spectacular. I am going to try & add some photos to this blog once I get the hang of the French instructions for my camera!
Had breakfast at 6 a.m. and then went on a sight-seeing coach tour which took in most of the main ‘sights’, with a stop to look out over Ground Zero & the construction which is now taking place there. David was here not long after 9/11, in October 2001, it looks very different now. Most of the buildings surrounding Ground Zero have now been repaired & hopefully the new buildings will be a fitting memorial.
Got off the coach at 42nd St, and walked back to the ship along 7th , buying postcards (which I promise to write soon) and a DVD so I could back up this laptop! I’m fed up with it telling me I ought to do it. Bought a couple of extremely small gifts for Elisha & Charlie, I haven’t room for anything really! Got back to the ship in time for tea at 3p.m. we have VERY early dinner at 5.45 because of the fireworks and musical extravaganza later, very impressive. Met a very nice American lady called Jean, who has just joined the cruise, she is going to Singapore, this is her 5th time on QE2.
The others didn’t make dinner at all, which was unfortunate for me because we were joined by an Italian ‘gentleman’ called Lino, who was polite all through dinner, but asked me for my cabin number afterwards, which I told him I wasn’t prepared to give! I have come to believe that some people come on board these cruises for one purpose only, which certainly isn’t mine! The evening show was ‘The Coasters’ and they were, as you would expect, very professional.
The average age on the ship appears to have gone up by about 10 years since New York, lots more wheelchairs & zimmer frames! It doesn’t have quite the same feel about it, but I shall make the best of it. Trisha & Hilary are joshing me because they reckon they’ve found me a man (not that I’m looking for one). He has a house just north of Wellington which he spends 6 months in, apparently he’s rather shy & won’t go dancing. Poor guy, little does he know they’re match-making! I hope I don’t go red if & when I finally do meet him!
Friday, January 11, 2008
Days4-5
Day 4 (Wet & Windy) Wednesday Jan 9th
Enjoyed last evening, the Captain is very friendly but it must be hard meeting all of us & thinking of something to say. I told him I wasn’t enjoying the cruise much so far, which probably wasn’t quite the right thing! It’s just the weather, and what should I have expected in the Atlantic in January? The Tuesday evening show was good, an Irish soprano who was lovely to listen to. This morning the weather was a little better, but by the evening I needed to take another sea-sick tablet, so much for my ‘sea-legs’. I did manage a dance class, on the waltz at lunchtime, my partner was 80+ and did his best, bless him, but I think I got a little bit cross with him by the end which was wrong of me, cos I hope I’m still dancing at his age! I met some other ladies for a ‘Knit & Stitch’ session, took a jumper I have strated knitting for Elisha, it might be finished by the time I leave the ship.
The big event of the day was Alan slipping over in the Lido restaurant at breakfast, thanks to some spilt milk not being cleaned up properly, and he then needed 5 stitches. If he was American he’d probably sue, since the staff were at fault. He and Sylvia came to dinner and he said he felt fine, the medical staff were excellent. After the show (a comedian who was a better singer) I was persuaded by Trisha & Hilary to play on the slot machines, and since I won the princely sum of $14.90 I wasn’t too disappointed! Then we went dancing, & I managed a waltz & a quickstep with 2 of the ‘hosts’, luckily lots of other ladies hadn’t got a clue what they were doing either!
Day 5 (Tatty?) Thursday Jan 10th
Some general comments r e QE2:
The public areas are not a bit ‘tatty’ but are lovely, sort of Art Deco in style in quite a few areas and very well looked after. The staff are very friendly and courteous, there are 1015 of them to almost 1800 passengers, so a very good ratio. My cabin is a little bit ‘tired’, but I discover new bits every day, today it was the bathroom cupboard behind the mirror. I thought it looked as though there ought to be one there, but obviously pulled on the wrong side when I tried on Monday! Made a bit more room in my chest of drawers at least. By the time we reach New York I should be properly organised, there is such a lot to do I don’t spend a lot of time in my cabin.
Went to a lecture this morning called ‘Kiss, Bow, Wink’ which was about various gestures used in different ways around the world. Good speaker called William Sinanu (I think!) but self-promotional, which was a little annoying, pushed his books and his company.
Learnt the cha-cha today, which I really enjoyed, my lessons at school are coming back! Partner was one of the hosts, Chris, which helped a lot compared with yesterday.
Intended to do more in the afternoon, but had to take up the skirt I intended to wear for the Red, White & Blue ball this evening. It only arrived on Saturday 5th (one of my eBay purchases) and I hadn’t had time to try it on before! Made afternoon tea in the Queen’s Room, a daily event which is lovely, white-gloved waiters, tiny sandwiches and cakes, not a help to the weight problem. I bought my pictures taken on Tuesday, they are good, but I can now see I have a double chin! Resolved to use the stairs more rather than the lifts.
The ball was very crowded, apparently the special events always are, so didn’t get to dance at all, too daunting with lots of people watching. Very colourful though. I should have heard about the other special events before I left, but of course I didn’t, I believe there is a Black & White ball and I don’t have anything for that! Had to buy a white top for this evening’s do, and I’ve got enough clothes already. Fortunately the clothes shop on board is very reasonable.
Enjoyed last evening, the Captain is very friendly but it must be hard meeting all of us & thinking of something to say. I told him I wasn’t enjoying the cruise much so far, which probably wasn’t quite the right thing! It’s just the weather, and what should I have expected in the Atlantic in January? The Tuesday evening show was good, an Irish soprano who was lovely to listen to. This morning the weather was a little better, but by the evening I needed to take another sea-sick tablet, so much for my ‘sea-legs’. I did manage a dance class, on the waltz at lunchtime, my partner was 80+ and did his best, bless him, but I think I got a little bit cross with him by the end which was wrong of me, cos I hope I’m still dancing at his age! I met some other ladies for a ‘Knit & Stitch’ session, took a jumper I have strated knitting for Elisha, it might be finished by the time I leave the ship.
The big event of the day was Alan slipping over in the Lido restaurant at breakfast, thanks to some spilt milk not being cleaned up properly, and he then needed 5 stitches. If he was American he’d probably sue, since the staff were at fault. He and Sylvia came to dinner and he said he felt fine, the medical staff were excellent. After the show (a comedian who was a better singer) I was persuaded by Trisha & Hilary to play on the slot machines, and since I won the princely sum of $14.90 I wasn’t too disappointed! Then we went dancing, & I managed a waltz & a quickstep with 2 of the ‘hosts’, luckily lots of other ladies hadn’t got a clue what they were doing either!
Day 5 (Tatty?) Thursday Jan 10th
Some general comments r e QE2:
The public areas are not a bit ‘tatty’ but are lovely, sort of Art Deco in style in quite a few areas and very well looked after. The staff are very friendly and courteous, there are 1015 of them to almost 1800 passengers, so a very good ratio. My cabin is a little bit ‘tired’, but I discover new bits every day, today it was the bathroom cupboard behind the mirror. I thought it looked as though there ought to be one there, but obviously pulled on the wrong side when I tried on Monday! Made a bit more room in my chest of drawers at least. By the time we reach New York I should be properly organised, there is such a lot to do I don’t spend a lot of time in my cabin.
Went to a lecture this morning called ‘Kiss, Bow, Wink’ which was about various gestures used in different ways around the world. Good speaker called William Sinanu (I think!) but self-promotional, which was a little annoying, pushed his books and his company.
Learnt the cha-cha today, which I really enjoyed, my lessons at school are coming back! Partner was one of the hosts, Chris, which helped a lot compared with yesterday.
Intended to do more in the afternoon, but had to take up the skirt I intended to wear for the Red, White & Blue ball this evening. It only arrived on Saturday 5th (one of my eBay purchases) and I hadn’t had time to try it on before! Made afternoon tea in the Queen’s Room, a daily event which is lovely, white-gloved waiters, tiny sandwiches and cakes, not a help to the weight problem. I bought my pictures taken on Tuesday, they are good, but I can now see I have a double chin! Resolved to use the stairs more rather than the lifts.
The ball was very crowded, apparently the special events always are, so didn’t get to dance at all, too daunting with lots of people watching. Very colourful though. I should have heard about the other special events before I left, but of course I didn’t, I believe there is a Black & White ball and I don’t have anything for that! Had to buy a white top for this evening’s do, and I’ve got enough clothes already. Fortunately the clothes shop on board is very reasonable.
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Days 1-3
Day 1 (Slow) Sunday January 6th 2008
Not a good sart! Arrived at terminal in plenty of time, thanks to Aileen & Nigel. However, but queue so long that took until 15:45 to get to check-in desk (with only one apology for the slow processing from the staff). I must have said or done something, because the system then went down for almost half-an-hour. Consequently not in cabin till 16:30, with very little time to see the fireworks and then the Queen Victoria leave, which was spectacular and sort of made up for the delay. Then a hell of a rush to get ready for semi-formal dinner by 18:30, clothes strewn everywhere in my state ‘cupboard’. Very nice people on my table, fortunate since we are all going to Auckland, presumably why they put us toggether. 2 married ladies, Trisha & Hilary, who are very old friends, have left their husbands behind to holiday for 8 months, and a married couple, Sylvia & Alan. One spare seat, I guess because I’m in a twin cabin. Clocks go back one hour tonight, look forward to a good night’s sleep.
Day 2 (Miserable) Monday January 7th 2008
Didn’t get it! Weather turned rough in the middle of the night, 7 foot swell apparently, felt like I’d had one (or several) too many! Took a sea-sick pill, but did not sleep much after that, then someone had booked a wake-up call to my cabin for 7 a.m. UK time, which didn’t help! Didn’t make proper breakfast, along with most others, but had snack later. Feel better where I can see the sea. We are actually sailing in tandem with QV, she is at most half a mile away, and things over here are apparently probably better than there. She certainly appears to be less stable and probably more are being ill over there. Rumour has it that she has the ‘Camilla curse’, we are feeling very superior over here! Our captain is amusing, makes comments about QE2 being better, she is still the fastest crusie ship afloat, and because she is a true ocean liner rather than a floating hotel, much better at coping with this weather. Lots of talks and stuff going on, but not feeling well enough to go to anything apart from Singles Mingles, where I did meet 2 very nice ladies and one man (not a millionaire unfortunately!). Have booked a couple of tours, yet to decide about the rest. Quite expensive, and we have to pay for all drinks, not just alcohol (website is out of date). So even the cup of tea sitting next to me cost $1.15 including tip, not much I know but will mount up over time. Formal dinner tonight, not looking forward to staggering along corridors in my finery, and not sure I can eat much, no danger of putting on weight in this weather.
Day 3 (Turnaround) Tuesday January 8th 2008
Feel much better today, though sea still ‘moderate to rough’, I must be getting my sea-legs. Also we have slowed down a little, though we feel the captain is desperate to show the QV a thing or two! Managed to get to a talk on New York, a Hair & Make-up demo, & do some souvenir shopping(antiques of the future I hope). Went to afternoon tea as well, so eating at last. Also managed to sort out my cabin a bit, which is very small, I’m really pleased I didn’t go for a single. My summer clothes are still in the suitcase on the spare bed! Dressing up tonight for the Captain’s reception, I’m keeping a record of my outfits because told Trisha on Sunday that I might have 46 different ones which she can’t believe, and I’m checking!
Not a good sart! Arrived at terminal in plenty of time, thanks to Aileen & Nigel. However, but queue so long that took until 15:45 to get to check-in desk (with only one apology for the slow processing from the staff). I must have said or done something, because the system then went down for almost half-an-hour. Consequently not in cabin till 16:30, with very little time to see the fireworks and then the Queen Victoria leave, which was spectacular and sort of made up for the delay. Then a hell of a rush to get ready for semi-formal dinner by 18:30, clothes strewn everywhere in my state ‘cupboard’. Very nice people on my table, fortunate since we are all going to Auckland, presumably why they put us toggether. 2 married ladies, Trisha & Hilary, who are very old friends, have left their husbands behind to holiday for 8 months, and a married couple, Sylvia & Alan. One spare seat, I guess because I’m in a twin cabin. Clocks go back one hour tonight, look forward to a good night’s sleep.
Day 2 (Miserable) Monday January 7th 2008
Didn’t get it! Weather turned rough in the middle of the night, 7 foot swell apparently, felt like I’d had one (or several) too many! Took a sea-sick pill, but did not sleep much after that, then someone had booked a wake-up call to my cabin for 7 a.m. UK time, which didn’t help! Didn’t make proper breakfast, along with most others, but had snack later. Feel better where I can see the sea. We are actually sailing in tandem with QV, she is at most half a mile away, and things over here are apparently probably better than there. She certainly appears to be less stable and probably more are being ill over there. Rumour has it that she has the ‘Camilla curse’, we are feeling very superior over here! Our captain is amusing, makes comments about QE2 being better, she is still the fastest crusie ship afloat, and because she is a true ocean liner rather than a floating hotel, much better at coping with this weather. Lots of talks and stuff going on, but not feeling well enough to go to anything apart from Singles Mingles, where I did meet 2 very nice ladies and one man (not a millionaire unfortunately!). Have booked a couple of tours, yet to decide about the rest. Quite expensive, and we have to pay for all drinks, not just alcohol (website is out of date). So even the cup of tea sitting next to me cost $1.15 including tip, not much I know but will mount up over time. Formal dinner tonight, not looking forward to staggering along corridors in my finery, and not sure I can eat much, no danger of putting on weight in this weather.
Day 3 (Turnaround) Tuesday January 8th 2008
Feel much better today, though sea still ‘moderate to rough’, I must be getting my sea-legs. Also we have slowed down a little, though we feel the captain is desperate to show the QV a thing or two! Managed to get to a talk on New York, a Hair & Make-up demo, & do some souvenir shopping(antiques of the future I hope). Went to afternoon tea as well, so eating at last. Also managed to sort out my cabin a bit, which is very small, I’m really pleased I didn’t go for a single. My summer clothes are still in the suitcase on the spare bed! Dressing up tonight for the Captain’s reception, I’m keeping a record of my outfits because told Trisha on Sunday that I might have 46 different ones which she can’t believe, and I’m checking!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)