Making a transatlantic voyage aboard an ocean liner was the dream of a lifetime for me. It was also my first time aboard a cruise ship so I had no idea what to expect. Let me tell you, I could get used to traveling this way. I had a wonderful time the entire five days and six nights aboard the QE2 for the journey from Boston to Southhampton. Since I was traveling in the least expensive accommodations available, my cabin was, as expected very small. But it was also very comfortable. Especially the bed. I had no trouble sleeping at night. Every night you hung a little menu on your doorknob with your breakfast selections checked off, along with the time you wanted it, and in the morning a steward would come tapping on your door with your breakfast. There was a convenient let down tray above your bed so you could comfortably have your breakfast in bed.
The crossing was very calm and I didn't experience even the slightest motion sickness. The ship set all their clocks back every night was we steamed across time zones so I had to remember to set my watch every evening. This is the ideal way to avoid jet lag. I never even noticed that I was losing an hour every day.
On day one the first thing I did was search out a place to send an e-mail to the member's of my reading group to thank them for the beautiful flowers that were waiting for me in my cabin. On one of the upper decks I found a Computer Learning Center where for an exorbitant fee you could sign onto the internet. The second thing I did was to search out the SPA and make an appointment for a massage. I was stiff and sore all over from traveling for 18 hours the day before. While I was there the lady talked me into having some kind of treatment where they smear green slimy stuff all over you. It's supposed to remove all the toxins from your body. I thought "what the heck, I'll try anything once" but I think I got more out of the massage and a good nights sleep than by having all my toxins removed.
By the second day I was feeling revived enough to go exploring to see just what this ship had to offer. Map in hand I started as high up as I could go and worked my way down. There is a moderately well stocked library on the Quarter deck for those who want to spend their time relaxing with a good book, or further aft there is a Casino and Bar. In fact, there are a lot of bars on the QE2. They even have a movie theatre on board showing current movies. I kept meaning to go see one but kept getting distracted by more interesting things like watching for dolphins and passing ships.
The food and service was excellent and every crew member that you met greeted you with a smile. But I also have to be honest and say that the ship is defiantly showing it's age and I would describe it as "shabby genteel." The upholstery throughout is wearing thin, the upholstered chairs in the lounge areas feel like they have been sat in a few times too many and outside decks and deck chairs are weather beaten and you kind of worry about getting splinters in your bum. Someone said that after the first of the year it's due into the yards for a major face lift and I think that if Cunard wants to keep this ship competitive it will have to do that.
The Lido Grill was the place to go for lunch. Much less formal than the Mauritania you could find sustenance there 24 hours a day. I met some very nice people aboard and spent a good deal of time sitting in the easy chairs grouped around the windows on either One Deck or the Quarter Deck chatting with other passengers. According to the captain we took the northerly route across. It was a little chilly in the evenings out on the deck but during the day, especially in the stern where you were out of the wind. It was lovely and sunny every afternoon. The waiters served tea outside to the passengers who were lounging on deck. The very lap of luxury.
For reasons that were never explained, the Opera Company that was the scheduled entertainment did not make the trip. I imagine that it had everything to do with the recent terrorist attack in New York. The resulting entertainment was pretty obviously very patched together while some of the entertainers were very good, some were only so-so. There was an Illusionist with only three tricks who tried to fill in the gaps between as a stand-up comedian, and group of ten singers and dancers who did Broadway show tunes who were very good, and a comedy dance team who where not in the slightest bit funny but were wonderful dancers. But I think that Cunard did the best they could under very trying circumstances. They really made a heroic effort to collect all their scattered passengers and get them to Boston and aboard the ship. They deserve a lot of credit.
The shops were fun to browse in, as in it's fun to see how the other half shop. Everything was entirely out of my price range. There is even a branch of Harrods. I looked to see if they had any shopping bags like the ones I bought in Harrod's Knightsbridge store the last time I was over for me and Marianne but they didn't carry them. Tee shirts were $59.99 so I probably couldn't have afforded a shopping bag anyway. On the last day they had a little "sidewalk" sale outside the jewelry shop and dinner rings for ladies were marked down to a mere $1500 or so. Sheesh! I did see a sequined top almost exactly like the one I bought off the clearance rack in J.C. Penny's for this cruise on sale for $300. That made me feel much better about the $29.95 I paid for mine.
Dinner each evening....Ah Dinner! The restaurant I was assigned to for dinner was the Mauritania. Restaurant seating is assigned according to your cabin class, but the food is identical in all of the restaurant and was truly excellent. Monday I did not make the formal sitting as I had scheduled a massage at 4 p.m. and by the time it was finished I was too relaxed to bother getting all dressed up. I slept through Dinner on Tuesday, but Wednesday, Thurs. and Fri. I got myself all gussied up and showed up in the dining room on time. Wednesday it was rack of lamb, with prawn and asparagus in rosemary sauce for starters, Thursday we had Beef Wellington with some other kind of prawn starter, and Friday night we had Roast Beef w/Yorkshire Pudding. I had a berry soup that was out of this world. The Yorkshire Pudding was the only thing on the entire trip that I wasn't impressed with. Bob makes much better Yorkshire Pudding than the QE2 Chef does. But the Roast Beef was grand.
Everyone rolled out of bed early on Saturday morning as the ship docked at Southampton at 6:30 a.m. Customs had set up in the Queen's Lounge on One Deck for all the non UK citizens and we all got our passports stamped and then waiting around until about 9 a.m. when they had all the luggage ashore. There was no customs inspection of baggage. Probably decided that after the careful scrutiny everyone's suitcases got in Boston they would give people a break. So, while I was a tiny bit sad that the trip was over, I was looking forward to seeing everybody and getting on with the rest of my trip.
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