Birthday plans

Cunard finally unvieled their birthday plans for Queen Mary 2 via their facebook page this week.  It starts early that day as the 3 Cunard ships sail in to Southampton together.  They post the times so that the locals can catch a glimpse of this ship parade.  Those in Ryde will see the ships sail past at 3:30 am while those of us who will be in Southampton will be able to sleep in a little bit later.  The sailby happens around 530 am.  Not sure if I will be up to see this or not.  I think I will set the alarm and if the weather is good I might grab the camera and take the short walk from my hotel to the Mayflower Park.  I think it will be interesting to see how many people show up for this.  With the maritime heritage of Southampton, I think there could be a large turnout.

If people don't get up early, I am quite sure there will be a large turnout for the evening's events which will include bands, fireworks and sailbys from the 3 Cunard ships.  To have fireworks means that we will be sailing later than the usual 5 pm.  The plans say fireworks at 10 and then sail out of the harbour shortly after.  Given that my dining time is the late 8:30 pm sitting, I have decided to have dinner earlier in the Todd English Restaurant.  I didn't try it last time on board so it is a good excuse to experience it this time.

I really hope the weather holds so everyone can spend time out on deck during the fireworks and sailaway.  The forecast currently calls for a mix of sun and showers.  Fingers crossed!

Queen Mary 2 - 10th Anniversary Sailing

In one month, Queen Mary 2 will be making it's first transatlantic crossing of the season, and also celebrating it's 10th birthday.  I am lucky enough to be able to be part of this event.  This ship is one of a kind, and the last of a breed of ship, designed for the primary purpose of traversing the Atlantic seas.  It makes her a very different ship than the cruise ships of today.  Here are just a few ways.

1. Speed.  In the era of transatlantic liners, getting passengers across the ocean faster than the competition meant everything.  The QM2 followed that tradition and has a top speed of nearly 30 knots.  It's not the fastest ship ever built, is the fast ship currently at sea.  When first put into service, Cunard used QM2  for the New York - Southampton route on a six night schedule.  Today, when fuel costs are high, and the crossing is used more as a vacation than pure transport, the crossing is 7 nights.  But the extra power and speed of this ship mean it can take different routes to avoid bad weather and make up the time.

2. Stability.  A true ocean liner will be built to provide the smoothest ride, even in the roughest of seas.  I'm no marine architect but it it pretty clear to me that when you look at the outline of the QM2 and compare it to today's modern cruise ships, the sleek lines, long bow, and lack of cabins in the rear look much more stable.  And as one QM2 regular said to me, "no other ship sails like Mary."

Queen Mary 2

A Princess cruise ship.  Note the cabins at the rear overhanging the ship.

3. Interior space.  Weather crossing the Atlantic is cool so more people spend time inside.  The ship has more great rooms inside the ship for concert, lectures, movies etc.  There are no outdoor dining options but the main Brittania dining room is spectacular.  Further, given the need for stability, there are far fewer cabins, and therefore passengers that other ships of that size. All this adds up to a ship with many great interior spaces to relax, be entertained or watch the sea.

The festivities for this anniversary crossing include a sailaway from Southampton with the other two Cunard ships, fireworks and special lectures.  I also hear that Prince Phillip will be on board, though I doubt he will be speaking.

Let the countdown begin!

Pictures and video

Finally got around to sorting through my pictures of the trip.  You can find them here.

I also put a video together.  It's a bit long but I put everything into one so this is it.  I suggest watching in HD if possible.  The video is here.

So that's it.  A short update today.  Until next year, thanks for reading!

Done

Here's a picture of the sailaway from Madiera.  These are a few of the uninhabited islands just outside Funchal.

It was a relaxing day at sea yesterday.  It wasn't hot, but the sun came out from time to time and the wind was down so it was nice to sit out.  The seas looked calm but the ship was really moving, I'm not sure why.  Perhaps something to do with the slower speed?  I talked to people that put the motion sickness patch on for the first time yesterday.

Woke this morning docked in Lisbon.  It was grey and a bit of rain.  My bus left at 9 for the airport so it didn't feel too rushed.  And disembarking was a breeze, another benefit of the size of the ship.  The ship really is great, pretty much the perfect size.  Lots to do and enough room to have a large promenade deck to run or walk, but small enough to not feel at all crowded. It definitely beats the larger ships. Crystal too was better in many ways.  Food, accommodations, entertainment, the all inclusive nature was all excellent.  There were many people on the ship that only go on Crystal.  Not sure I would go that far but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

 

Madiera

Yesterday morning, around 8 am, we docked in Funchal, Madiera.  It’s very odd to open the curtains and see lights and buildings after 7 days at sea.  It’s equally odd to try walking on land which I tried to in the morning.  I was sure the island was moving!  Funchal is a very nice town, clean, nice gardens and shops.   

I had a tour leaving at 1215 so came back to the ship to have a bite to eat before getting in the bus.  I probably wouldn’t have considered the bus tour but I had some shipboard credit that I figured I would use.  I chose a tour that would see some different scenic parts of the Island and it was worth it.  It’s a very diverse island, one moment tropical, and the next a forest. It’s also extremely hilly making for some tight fits for our bus.  There are no beaches, except for one very small man-made beach.  So tourism is more of the relaxing or hiking variety.

We stopped at a restaurant in the forest which is a national park.  And had a drink of Poncha, a rum, lemon drink.  Very strong!   

After 5 stops we went back to the ship for sailaway at 5.  I had dinner in Silk Road, the Asian restaurant.  Very good and a nice change of pace.

As a side note, I finished reading Steve Jobs biography the other day.  While I knew some of the story, I didn’t know what a jerk he was.  Really make you wonder if you have to be that way to be successful.  I hope not.

It’s the last day today as we sail to Lisbon.  I dread the packing and the early morning tomorrow but ready to head home. We are now heading north east and doing just 14 knots on two engines.  While there is some movement on the ship, when I look out, we are going so much slower than before it looks like we are hardly moving. 

Galley tour

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Yesterday I went on a tour of the galley which was very interesting.  It was in between lunch and dinner so it wasn't too busy yet. There were many people who attended so they broke us into groups of 10 or so.  I was in the last group which was led by the executive  chef, Franz Weiss.

When that was done, the Glenn Miller band was playing in the atrium.

 The seas got rougher as the day went on and I have to admit it got to me.  I left dinner early so I could lie down.  We lost the last of the 5 hours so it would have been an early night for me anyway.  This morning the winds are stronger and there is lot's of rolling and pitching on the ship.  It will be nice to get on firm land tomorrow.  It should be a nice day, though not hot tomorrow in Madiera with a forecast high of 16. As of 9 am we were less than 400 miles to the port.  We slowed down over the last two days from close to 21 knots down to 18.  I take that to mean that we were ahead of schedule and could pull back on the gas a little bit.

This morning they are setting up for a large sunday brunch in the atrium.  It's partly cloudy but quick beautiful when the sun is out.  Very windy though on the port side of the ship. And yes, google seems to have fixed the issue with uploading photos.

Saturday update

Yesterday was stunning weather.  Everyone was outside enjoying it, from the pool, to the promenade deck to the paddle tennis courts.  Paddle tennis is tennis but with a different racquet.  It’s smaller, and doesn’t have strings, more like a table tennis racquet.  I was invited to play with two of my table mates and soon got into a game of doubles when a tiny man joined us.  He was introduced as Mr T and I quickly found out how competitive he was when he made a hard shot directly at me when I came to the net.  Didn’t see that coming from him!  We ended up winning the set.

To use up some on board credit I booked a massage at 430.  They sold me on a “Thai Poultice” massage.  They heat up these herb bags and pound them on a part of your body before stretching and massaging the area.  At one point I think she was trying to tie my legs like a pretzel.  Not sure if was the herbs but I felt dazed for a couple of hours after that treatment!

Dinner in Prego was very good.  I sat next to a woman who is a sister of Meg Mallon.  Golfers will know who that is.  After dinner the show was called “Rocket Man”, a tribute to Elton John.  The fellow playing Elton not only sounded like him but looked like him.  It was well done.

We lost another hour overnight and I woke to cloudy skies again.  The Captain said we might have some clear spots today but I’m thinking it looks like another dreary day unfortunately.  But there is a galley tour at 430 which might be very interesting.  I’m sure it will be popular.