My first voyage on Queen Elizabeth

[rafinmd]

I've been swamped, way behind plans writing and getting on line. Happy Easter!

 

I rose at 5 and left the hotel about 6 to watch QE sail up the Hudson on the way to her berth. I left the hotel about 10 and took the M11 bus uptown to 50th street and dropped my bags off at the pier and then walked down along the Hudson and back on the High Line, stopping for lunch at Panera. When I returned to the pier about 1 there were no lines, and I was checked in within 15 minutes, one of the easiest checkins I have experienced.

 

I am booked in an inside cabin on deck 7. When I opened the door, both pieces of my luggage were waiting for me. I did go to the lido for coffee, but most of my afternoon was devoted to unpacking.

 

My steward, Michael, came by and introduced himself before the 4PM muster drill. I found the location a bit of a mystery. The sign on my door says "Art Gallery, Deck 3, but I was directed to Deck 3 in the Queens Room. Both spaces bore signs for Muster Station B. The drill ended about 4:20, and the last lines were hauled in about 4:50. As Captain Alistair Clark had mentioned in his welcoming remarks, the tide produced a significant current, and we were downstream from the Intrepid by the time we had cleared the pier.

 

I stayed out on deck until after we cleared the Verizzano Narrows Bridge. With early seating I had anticipated eating in the lido, but we cleared the bridge about 6:02 and I was in the dining room by 6:10. When I was on Queen Victoria I had found the dark tones of the Britannia Dining Room depressing, but this one is much lighter and more appealing. I am at table 591 on deck 3, right next to the aft window. All 6 chairs were filled, couples from Cambridge and from the New Jersey shore, a lady from Australia, and me. Our waiters are Persius and Anastasia.

 

There was one welcome aboard show starting at 7:45. I missed the start since dinner ended about 7:55. After a video tour of the ship Entertainment Director Amanda Reid introduced her staff and the Royal Cunard Singers and Dancers performed a short number.

 

 

The dress codes for this voyage have been changed from the preliminary documentation. Easter Sunday had been planned as formal but is now Semi-formal. There are still 4 formal and 2 semi-formal nights, but the semi-formal are now Sunday and Wednesday instead of Tuesday and Thursday.

 

As today's parting shot, sailing down the Hudson is still a thrill. There is significant evidence of Hurricane Sandy, especially the closure of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. While the islands hosting these 2 landmarks sustained significant damage, the structures on them weathered the storm quite well and passing them still makes my heart beat a little quicker. May that always be so.

 

Roy

[Rotterdam]

You certainly were fortunate to sail yesterday on a glorious sunny spring day - as today is overcast cooler & very much a March day.

 

"As today's parting shot, sailing down the Hudson is still a thrill. There is significant evidence of Hurricane Sandy, especially the closure of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. While the islands hosting these 2 landmarks sustained significant damage, the structures on them weathered the storm quite well and passing them still makes my heart beat a little quicker. May that always be so."

 

Be comforted in the fact that visitation to the Statue of Liberty has just reopened last week - so your heart (& mine) will hopefully always feel that thrill!

 

Your ship looked spectacular sailing down the Hudson yesterday!!!!

[Scrapnana]

It was indeed a beautiful day for a sail away (even just watching it on the webcam). Glad all is going well. Looking forward to your updates.

[Mysticalmother]

Thanks for the photos (on your blog). She's a lovely looking ship but looking like she could do with a coat of paint on her hull though! (Or is that just the photo?)

 

6 days to go for me!

[rafinmd]

I rose at 5, got coffee in the lido, and was on the Promenade deck for 5 miles (17 laps), finishing around 7:30. It was a very clear morning with a near full moon showing. At the morning show Amanda Reid interviewed the doctor and pianist Jakob Fichert.

 

There was an array of religious services with both Protestant and Catholic chaplains on Board. At 9 we had the Easter Mass in the Royal Court Theater and a Protestant service in the Queens Room. At 10 Captain Clark held the traditional Captains interdenominational service with both the Chaplains assisting.

 

For this crossing we are changing the clocks at noon rather than overnight. Captain Clark's update thus came at 1PM. We have gone 284 miles from New York and have another 2,855 to go. The seas are calm and will remain so for the next couple of days.

 

I went up to the Commodore Club at 2 but if there were any other Cruise Critic members present I didn't find them. I did get down to the Royal Court Theater for the tail end of Jakob Fichert's first recital. I last saw him perform on QM2 in August 2011. Afternoon Tea in the Queens Room was quite popular today with about a 10 minute queue to be seated.

 

All six of us were present at Table 591 for our first Semi-formal dinner. I enjoyed a nice rack of lamb.

 

This evenings primary entertainment was the Royal Cunard Dancers in La Danza. The dancing was excellent but they performed without the singers, doing some numbers with canned singing which could have been better done with the regular vocalists.

 

Bon voyage, have fun. If you get the time, check out the Yacht Club and let us know what your impressions are on your blog. Oh, and if you hit rough waves (or even choppy waves) be sure to let us know how the ship handles it.

 

 

Despite my early bed time I did get up to deck 10 briefly and visited the Yacht Club and Commodore Club. There was not much action in the Yacht Club with either DJ Mark Sunshine or with the live band Synergy. I have a snippet of Synergy video that I’ll try to post from London. The seas have been glassy so far. Pianist Graham Wellard was pretty good in the Commodore Club.

 

Today's parting shot is a retread from my last voyage. Between this being Easter Sunday and the song's status as a Cunard tradition I will close again with the first verse of "Eternal Father Strong to Save":

 

Eternal Father, Strong to Save

Whose arm hath bound the restless wave

Who biddest the mighty ocean deep

It's own appointed limits keep

Oh hear us when we cry to thee

For those in peril on the sea

 

Roy

[glojo]

The Sailor's Hymn..

 

It certainly brings back a lot of memories

[Whitemarsh]

Despite my early bed time I did get up to deck 10 briefly and visited the Yacht Club and Commodore Club. There was not much action in the Yacht Club with either DJ Mark Sunshine or with the live band Synergy. I have a snippet of Synergy video that I’ll try to post from London.

 

Thank you Roy. I look forward to seeing the video.

[Cruise NH]

rafinmd - I'm enjoying your blog, especially the posting of the daily programmes.

 

I was surprised on the March 30th program it says, 'we regret tables for two are no longer available'. I wonder if that means they don't allow tables for two on the QE or are they just out of them (no more space). I've only been on the QM2...

 

Another funny thing was in the April 1st programme...a 97 pound cat on board...and available for petting...pretty cute!

[rafinmd]

CruiseNH, there are plenty of tables for two, but apparently not quite enough.

 

Rotterdam, I was thinking that the target date to reopen the Statue of Liberty was July 4, and I am glad to hear that it has happened.

To save time online, I review comments on this thread by looking at an email digest. I noticed there was a comment on QE's paint that apparently just missed the cutoff for today's email, and I don't remember who posted it. I was quite stunned when I got close to the ship and saw the discoloration. I don't know what is causing it, but it does seem quite strange and out of character with the meticulous maintenance and cleaning I've seen on the ship. I'm quite mystified.

 

I rose again today at 5 and finished my 5-mile walk about 7:30. It was a bit chillier than yesterday (the high was 8C/45F) and there were very few morning clouds, but clouds built up during the day.

 

Holland America has a standing procedure that self service in the Lido is prohibited for the first 48 hours of each voyage. I have never seen that on Cunard, but did experience it this time. The ship's Doctor in her morning show interview did say that norovirus is most prevalent in the winter, and it apparently was evident on the Pacific voyages. In any case, we were magically able to serve ourselves today at lunch time.

 

April 1 went largely unobserved today with one exception. There was a little item in the Daily Program about a guest with a 97-pound cat welcoming visitors, but apparently the Queen Victoria is the ship with the best April Fools program.

 

 

Amanda Reid interviewed singer David Shannon and Olympian Derek Redmond on the morning show. There were 2 Cunard Insights Enrichment presentations this morning in the Royal Court Theater. Paul Covell spoke about his experiences racing around the world in a 72-foot yacht, and Derek Redmond spoke about his team's experiences in their 1991 victory in the 400x4 relay race.

 

At the noon update (delayed to 1300 by another time change) we were 749 nautical miles from New York with 2399 remaining to Southampton. We will pass the Titanic about 3:30AM. We are sitting between 2 depressions and hope to remain safely between them. I spent the afternoon relaxing with my only significant activity a visit to afternoon tea. I walked right in today, although there was a line when I left. Edward Wats was at the piano instead of the Eos String Quartet today.

 

All 6 of us were at table 591 for our first formal night. People in the dining room all appeared quite well dressed. This evening's show in the Royal Court Theater was West End singer David Shannon. Shannon evidently rose to stardom quite recently and it was the first time I have heard him perform. I look forward eagerly to his second appearance later in the voyage. After the show I looked in on the Cunard Ball in the Queens Room and stopped briefly in the Golden Lion pub for pianist Robin Rose. They were just setting up for the Liars Club as I left. I did not stay up.

 

Today's parting shot will be a bit of home town pride. I am not really a basketball fan but my youth was in Syracuse NY. Congratulations to the Orange Men on their success in the National Tournament.

 

Roy

[cunardaddict]

I was surprised on the March 30th program it says, 'we regret tables for two are no longer available'. I wonder if that means they don't allow tables for two on the QE or are they just out of them (no more space).

 

It means that they are out of these tables as all available tables for two are allocated.

[cunardaddict]

... I noticed there was a comment on QE's paint that apparently just missed the cutoff for today's email, and I don't remember who posted it. I was quite stunned when I got close to the ship and saw the discoloration. I don't know what is causing it, but it does seem quite strange and out of character with the meticulous maintenance and cleaning I've seen on the ship. I'm quite mystified.

 

Hello Roy, tks for your constant reports, also helpful as the webcam was unavalailble until today.

 

QE met some rough weather conditions on the Hawaii-Trip last month. A few loose containers on the way may have added extra patina to a ship that doesn't rest much. Seawater produces rust very quickly and a ship that doesn't see a harbour every day may lack paint quickly. Paintwork on the hull can aonly be done in a harbour and when the weather conditions allow for it.

 

This does not show risks coming up.

[glojo]

Hello Roy, tks for your constant reports, also helpful as the webcam was unavalailble until today.

 

QE met some rough weather conditions on the Hawaii-Trip last month. A few loose containers on the way may have added extra patina to a ship that doesn't rest much. Seawater produces rust very quickly and a ship that doesn't see a harbour every day may lack paint quickly. Paintwork on the hull can aonly be done in a harbour and when the weather conditions allow for it.

 

This does not show risks coming up.

Plus it is not a case of leaping over the side with a pot of paint!! At the very least the hull will need a good scrub down to remove all the salt and other yukky stuff :)

 

I get the impression that modern paints are far more durable than those of yesteryear and hopefully the Queen Elizabeth will soon be sparkling like that new pin she usually looks like :)

[Mysticalmother]

It was myself that posted about the paint job! Just curious really...and reassured that She won't be falling to bits by the time I embark on Sunday!

 

Do let us know if you manage to find out any more about it.

 

I am really enjoying your blog. Thank you.

[MawganTr]

Thank you your updates on the trip - I'm interested to hear about it as family friends are on board along with the fact that we are currently visiting NYC for a few days (from UK).

As for the Statue of Liberty - I can say that it is most definitely not open at the moment. We sailed on the Staten Island ferry to get a good view (& pretended we were on QE!!) there were no people on the island. Checking their website I see that it's due to open on 4th July.

Happy sailing!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[glojo]

It was myself that posted about the paint job! Just curious really...and reassured that She won't be falling to bits by the time I embark on Sunday!

 

Do let us know if you manage to find out any more about it.

 

I am really enjoying your blog. Thank you.

 

Hi Mysticalmother,

I bow to Jim Avery regarding this suggestion but could this deteriorating paintwork actually just be something as trivial as salt spray that has dried and looks yuk?

 

A quick scrub down by Cruachan with his toothbrush and maybe he might be upgraded from his cable locker into the spud locker!!

 

On a light coloured hull this issue does not show but will it show up on a dark coloured vessel?

 

Just a suggestion from an old sea salt ;)

[rafinmd]

Well, the 2 depressions surrounding us had an impact today. I felt some motion and shaking overnight and on rising the winds were about 35 knots with rain. I don't think the promenade deck was officially closed but most of the entrances were roped off and conditions were just miserable. At one point the door on the Garden Lounge was closed making it necessary to go down to deck 8 to go from the B stairway to the Commodore Club. I did my walk today on the inside corridors and watched the sun fail to appear from the Commodore Club.

 

Today's morning show had Amanda Reid interviewing mostly people selling things on the ship, but she did also talk to Paul Covell. This was my morning to meet with UK immigration. Despite having only 1 officer on board, I was in and out in barely a minute. There were 2 Cunard Insights presentations this morning, John Geiger talking about near death experiences and the phenomenon of seeing oneself as an imagined outside person. He was followed by Paul Covell talking about his experience on the Russian Tall Training ship Mir on a tall ship race (they won). In this rather miserable weather the crew held a 10AM drill out on the promenade deck.

 

At the noon update (sans time change) Captain Clark advised we were still in a space of relative calm between 2 depressions and we hope the situation will not deteriorate. We are making good time with the current helping us along and have traveled 1181 nautical miles with 1970 remaining.

 

I was not very energetic today and did not do much in the afternoon except enjoy a scone at afternoon tea with Rebecca Mills on the harp.

 

Captain Clark held his welcome reception tonight before our formal dinner. There are 1965 of us from 28 nations with the major ones being Germany (83), Australia (87), Canada (121), the US (595) and UK(951). We are served by over 900 crew from 48 countries.

 

The main evening show was Vanity Fair by the Royal Cunard Singers and Dancers followed by the London Ball. I stopped briefly at the Midships Bar where Edward Watts was at the piano. It was mostly easy listening music.

 

I think an appropriate parting shot today is a word of thanks to Cunard and to UK immigration for their cooperation in having an officer on the ship as we cross. It really makes the process of disembarking a much easier affair.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

When the alarm went off I thought I was awake and said just a moment more but it was 5:45 when I got out of bed. It was still very cloudy and misty, but no rain and the wind had died down, so I got out on deck and finished my 5 miles about 8.

 

In the morning show Amanda Reid interviewed tonight's performer, comedian Jeff Stevenson. There were again 2 presentations in the Cunard Insights Enrichment program, both in the morning. Paul Covell spoke on "The Golden age of British Shipping", concentrating on the period from 1850 to 1950, and the decline since then both in US and UK maritime activity. Bill Geiger presented in video "The Angel Effect", detailing the experiences of a number of people in grave danger getting help from people who were not present, including examples from diving, mountaineering, and survivors of 911. The people were not real, but the help they got definitely was.

 

At the noon (or 1PM) report we passed the halfway point of our journey about 11AM today. We are doing 18 knots with a 20 knot tail wind, leaving very calm breezes on deck. The temperature is about 50 (10C) but feels much warmer. We are still in the calm area between two depressions and hope to continue that way tomorrow. Seas are about 8 feet and the ship has little motion.

 

I had lunch in the Verandah today, an excellent steak and apple tart.

 

 

 

Jakob Fichert had his second piano recital at 2:00 today, I left the Verandah about 2:30 hoping to catch his last number or two. I found the Royal Court Theater deserted and learned at dinner that he had fallen ill and had to leave abruptly about 2:15.

 

I did go to the Queens Room for Afternoon Tea. After my Verandah lunch I had ONLY Tea, along with the piano music of Edward Watts, and was joined for a while by a Texan (now) who had made a career of the Royal Navy. He was quite happy with the step up from his destroyer.

 

This evening was Queen Elizabeth's final Semi-Formal dinner. Our crossing is actually the final segment of the World Cruise, and once we arrive in Southampton the new dress codes of Formal and Informal will take effect. When I returned from dinner there was an envelope in my mail slot confirming my registration for the behind the scenes tour which will be April 5 at 1:30PM.

 

The entertainment in the Royal Court Theater was comedian Jeff Stevenson. It was the first time I have seen him perform and I was supremely impressed. Among his comments was a connection I hadn't seen put together before. Talking about the Olympics, he reminded us about Mitt Romney's comment that London was not ready, followed immediately by "How does it feel?". In the dumb signs department, he mentioned passing a sign for "Ears pierced while you wait". What's the alternative?

 

Today's parting shot comes from Bill Geiger's presentation. The premise is that people in grave danger often sense a "phantom" person giving advice and help, and the term has been related to the "phantom" pains people feel after they lose a limb. I thought it was a very interesting parallel and I wonder if there are any limits to the things the human brain can do.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Much like yesterday I said a minute more when the alarm went off, but today it was just past 6 when I actually arose. The wind had picked up over night and it was blowing cold, but the clouds were not quite as dense, and a slight trace of sun appeared on the horizon at dawn. I broke my walk at the 3-mile mark to be ready for the laundry room's 7:30 opening. I got breakfast and watched Amanda Reid interview tonight's performer on my wash cycle and went on line over the dry cycle.

 

There were again 2 Cunard Insights morning presentations. At 10 Paul Covell spoke on legends of the sea, covering explorers like Captain Cook, Shackleton, and Hyerdal and mysteries like the Bermuda Triangle. At 11 Olympian Derek Redmond spoke on the highs and lows leading up to the 1992 Olympics and his promising qualification rounds ending with a hamstring pull and hobbling the last 250 meters to the finish line.

 

At noon (AKA 1PM), we learned we had completed 2028 miles from New York and had 1117 remaining. The depression we are following is moving south, and we expect our current weather to continue.

 

After lunch I finally was able to complete the remaining 2 miles of my walk, with an actual occasional appearance of the sun. The EOS String Quartet was back in the Queens Room for Afternoon Tea.

 

All 6 of us were again present at Table 19 for our formal dinner, followed by the World Club Cocktail Party in the Queens Room. Of our 1965 passengers, about half are on their first or second Cunard voyage, a quarter are World Club Gold, and an eighth each Platinum and Diamond. Several cruisers were recognized for records of 1500 to 2200 nights.

 

This evening's Royal Court Theater presentation was violinist Jacqueline Roche with a variety of music from swing to classical, preceded by a few selections of pop music by the Royal Cunard Singers and Dancers.

 

Today's parting shot comes from the World Club party. Cunard has a long tradition of honoring it's history, and Captain Clark unveiled a new addition to that tradition, The original Queen Elizabeth had a Royal standard that had gone on to QE2 and is now on QE. There had been a plaque commemorating that standard that had been lost. It was recently located and donated to Cunard by a loyal passenger. The plaque and standard will soon be displayed together again. Congratulations to the donor and the ship's staff on this new addition.

 

Roy

[JerryJudy]

Roy,

We are enjoying reading your daily reports and your parting shots--especially about the Syracuse Orangemen! The city has turned orange with excitement about being in the Final Four! We appreciate your shout-out!

We're also getting exited about our return to the QM2 in June! We hope you continue to enjoy your cruising, as much as we enjoy reading your reports.

Judy

[Mysticalmother]

Roy - hope you are enjoying your last day on board QE. I will take over the mantle of roving reporter from the QE from you tomorrow!

 

Hopefully you will continue a report of the rest of your travels on your blog page! I have enjoyed reading your report of your time on QE - thank you for taking the time to post..

[rafinmd]

Roy - hope you are enjoying your last day on board QE. I will take over the mantle of roving reporter from the QE from you tomorrow!

 

Hopefully you will continue a report of the rest of your travels on your blog page! I have enjoyed reading your report of your time on QE - thank you for taking the time to post..

 

BON VOYAGE! QE is in port, on time, and in excellent condition.

 

Very late today in posting, between activities and internet troubles.

 

Posted by: JerryJudy

On: April 5th, 2013 11:35 AM

 

"Roy,

We are enjoying reading your daily reports and your parting shots--especially about the Syracuse Orangemen! The city has turned orange with excitement about being in the Final Four! We appreciate your shout-out!

We're also getting exited about our return to the QM2 in June! We hope you continue to enjoy your cruising, as much as we enjoy reading your reports.

Judy"

 

Thank you Judy. Actually I was getting a bit concerned that I might have spoken too early. I was quite sure I’d seen that the Orange were in the final 4, but the skimpy sports coverage had NCAA results with no mention of the Orange. Glad to hear they were talking about a different tournament.

 

 

 

For a pleasant change I responded promptly to my alarm and finished my walk before 7:30. It was quite windy out on deck, but walking conditions were surprisingly good. Walking across the bow starboard to port there was a very strong tailwind that would have posed a problem walking the other direction. There was a headwind walking forward past the Dining Room, but things calmed down near the middle of the ship.

 

On the morning show Amanda Reid interviewed the remaining Cunard Insights lecturer, John Geiger. One of my guilty pleasures on the Crystal Symphony is the apricot french toast at their late risers breakfast. I've been looking for other items on QE and hadn't actually seen french toast in the lido, but today I went down to the Britannia Dining Room. The French Toast was good, but I still am looking forward to the treat to come next week.

 

Finding enough to do on a Cunard crossing is never a problem, but today was over the top. There were 2 Insights Presentations, Paul Covell at 10 on Ocean Yacht Racing, and John Geiger at 11 on Frozen in Time, the story of the Franklin expedition in search of the Northwest Passage. I had to leave Geiger's talk early for the Senior Officers Party in the Queens Room.

 

At the noon update we learned that we had completed 2438 nautical miles and had 700 to go. It is a chilly 3C in Southampton today, but should be above 10 when we arrive on Sunday. The depression ahead of us is moving south but the one behind us is gaining ground, and we will increase our speed overnight to stay ahead of it.

 

I was booked on the behind the scenes tour which met at 1:30 this afternoon. Photography is not allowed on the tour but we were given a nice handout with technical information:

 

http://angkorwatmyway.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/qetechfacts.pdf

 

The tour started back stage in the Royal Court theater where we saw the lifts and other technical marvels of the production, and also the cramped quarters where the cast must do their costume changes. We next went to the mooring area, immediately in front of the promenade crossover on deck 3, looking at the massive anchors, mooring lines, and the firefighting connections (universal fire department fittings worldwide).

 

Our next stop was the medical center where we saw the x-ray and treatment rooms and discussed the decision criteria for serious emergencies. In the engine control room we visited a control panel about 50 feet wide where we saw monitoring and control equipment for most everything on the ship. We have 6 engines with 3 in use for our current speed of about 18 knots. The ship car run on full power with 5 engines always leaving one spare available for under way maintenance. We stopped at one of 8 fire control lockers on the ship where there are monitors of alarm systems and equipment for fighting any type of onboard fire. Most fires are minor and can be controlled without special equipment and a crew will respond directly to the scene for sizeup and possible control if equipment is not needed. Each of the lockers has 6 firefighters assigned, people usually coming from deck and engineering personnel. The crew drills on board but also trains at the academy with Heathrow firefighters.

 

We visited the print shop, photo shop, trash station, food storage facilities, and the bakery before heading up to the Britannia dining room for a tour of the galley. Our final stop was on the bridge where we saw all the navigation and control equipment and posed for pictures in the Captain's chair. We closed out the tour with Cocktails in the Commodore Club and finished close to 4:30. It's the one sea day where I missed afternoon tea but well worth it.

 

All 6 of us were once again together for our final Formal Dinner of the Voyage, and we continued on to a lovely performance of Palladium in the Royal Court Theater. There was not really much of a theme to the show, just a lot of great music and very lively dancing. I had been feeling drowsy earlier in the evening, but the show held my attention perfectly.

 

Today's parting shot originates from the Bridge Tour. We were meeting with the 3rd officer discussing the voyage. He mentioned that we had been extremely fortunate with the sea conditions, and that this was his 7th transatlantic and his first where the stabilizers were not needed. I felt both surprised and fortunate when he said his 7th transatlantic. It really highlights how fortunate I am to be doing my 15th transatlantic now on 8 different ships, all wonderful experiences.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

With all the activities Friday, I was barely started writing that day's post when bed time came. I was up at 5AM and the winds were considerably more calm as I finished my walk about 7:30. Between breakfast, the morning show, and writing, it was about 9:30 when I was able to go online for a short period.

 

The Cunard Insights series wrapped up this morning with 2 presentations. Paul Covell spoke about his yacht race as a "Great Way to See the World" describing the highs and lows of the voyage. At 11 John Gieger spoke on "Dead Silence" the fate of the 1719 Knight expedition of the Northwest Passage, one of only 2 Arctic expeditions which had no survivors. At the noon (AKA 1PM as we go to London time) we had gone 2882 nautical miles with 259 remaining. The temperature Sunday in Southampton will be 11C, about 2 degrees colder than it was when Queen Elizabeth left in January. We should pull up to the Mayflower pier about 6AM.

 

After a quick lunch I went down to the Queens Room where the Navigation Chart auction raised $350 for the Prince's Trust. For most of the voyage internet service has been good, but this afternoon it has been poor or non-existent, possibly as everybody tries to use their final minutes. Edward Watts was on the piano for my last afternoon tea until I board the Crystal Symphony next week.

 

Once again all 6 of us were present for our final dinner at table 591. Tonight each of us enjoyed a steak before our final goodbyes to each other and to Perisus and Anastasia.

 

Singer David Shannon and comedian Jeff Stevenson performed at the farewell show along with the Royal Cunard Singers and Dancers. Shannon had previously performed in Les Miserables with cast member Lucy Garrioch, and they joined up for a duet of "My Prayer" When the show ended there was just a little packing left to do.

 

As today's parting shot, this is my 15th transatlantic on 9 different ships and I thought I'd put this one in perspective. Of the 15, the only one that disappointed me was the Celebrity Solstice and even that was a very pleasant experience. I put this pretty much in the middle of the list between best and worst, making it very good indeed.

 

Roy

[glojo]

Thank you so very much for sharing your experience and I note the Queen Elizabeth arrived on time at her berth in Southampton

 

 

ARRIVAL of ship:QUEEN ELIZABETHPort:SOUTHAMPTONTime:Apr 7 2013 4:42AM (UTC)

[Ray66]

I was booked on the behind the scenes tour which met at 1:30 this afternoon. Photography is not allowed on the tour but we were given a nice handout with technical information:

 

http://angkorwatmyway.files.wordpres...etechfacts.pdf

 

Thank you very much for posting this and I enjoyed reading your notes.

[rafinmd]

Thank you Roy. I look forward to seeing the video.

 

I'm afraid it didn't turn out very well. You're going to have to see for yourself someday:

 

 

Roy