Queen Mary 2 in Cape Town

[Host Hattie]

I enjoyed this article and thought you might like to see it

 

Journey through time on board Queen Mary 2

[paulco]

Such a fun read!  Thank you!  Can’t wait to reboard!

[david,Mississauga]

Thank you, Hattie, for the link. The references to the Union-Castle mailships was a bonus. The author mentions he was on the dock when the RMS Windsor Castle sailed from Cape Town to Southampton for the last time in 1977. My wife and I were on board that fabulous, albeit sad, voyage. 

[rog747]

 

On 2/9/2024 at 5:12 PM, Host Hattie said:

I enjoyed this article and thought you might like to see it

 

Journey through time on board Queen Mary 2

Thanks,

Yes what a lovely read, and I loved the photos. 

 

I think I've mentioned in the past here, that when I lived in Cape Town when working for Virgin Atlantic, we, at the end of the 'season' used to go off down to the Waterfront breakwater to see the QE2 sail out of Cape Town harbour on the last leg of her winter world cruise sailing back to Blighty, with very jealous eyes, wishing we were on-board too.
Brought a tear to the eye...

I think lucky folk will see both QV and QM2 docked at Cape Town this April.

The writer did make a small error in the size of the Union Castle Line ship, RMS Windsor Castle, she was actually over 37,000 GRT, and she was the largest passenger and cargo liner operated by the Union-Castle Line on its Cape Mail service between Britain and South Africa. 

She sailed the route until 1977, alongside the Pendennis and Transvaal Castles (she became SA Vaal) being the last trio of new large Ships built for the line.

If you're in Cape Town on the Cunard ships docking there this Spring, and if you would like a taste of the past then do try to take Afternoon Tea at the famous Mount Nelson Hotel which was built over a Century ago to accommodate exclusively for the Union-Castle Line’s First Class passengers before they continued their onward rail journeys across Africa.  
Now, a Belmond Hotel, (with eye watering room rates) she became known as the 'Pink Lady' having been painted in this colour in 1918 to celebrate peace at the end of World War One.
There was a trend for luxury hotels throughout the World that could be said to emulate the ‘Mount Nelson Pink’ and Reid's Palace Hotel in Madeira was one, and The Royal Hawaiian at Waikiki, known as the “Pink Palace of the Pacific'' was another, along with The Beverly Hills Hotel, Los Angeles. 

Afternoon Tea, Mount Nelson Hotel

[rog747]

I think lucky folk will see both the QV and QM2 docked together at Cape Town this April.

Cape Town 

Thu 11 Queen Victoria arrives for an overnight stay
Fri 12 Queen Mary 2 arrives for an overnight stay, Queen Victoria departs
Sat 13 Queen Mary 2 departs