As you can see we're making progress!
Last night we formed a line to meet the ship's captain and have our photograph taken with him. We drank champagne and ate canapés,
as we listened to the captain's witty speech. It was hard to decipher as to whether or not we might hit a hurricane? Was he joking? However, before we left Ireland a hurricane was forecast!! The captain regaled us with tales of turning the ship at Southampton in 3 metres of water and sailing over the shallowest part of the Atlantic earlier that day.!!
It appears that the British are the most numerous, over 1,000 followed by the Germans and the Americans. The Irish make up 29!! It gives one an idea of the size of the ship that 4 days into the voyage, with the exception of the 4 people at our table and the politician and his wife, we have not heard another Irish accent!! The crew make up 1,200 so the total on board is almost 4,000!!
Dinner followed the reception and from thence to the Royal Court for the show Impassionata.It was most entertaining and would rival any Broadway or West end show.
After breakfast this morning, we intended to do our rounds of the deck to clock up our 10,000 steps, but all doors to the deck appeared to be taped off? One of the stewards informed us that the deck was out of bounds as the sea was too rough and we might slip overboard!! We adjourned to the lobby, where I am now listening to a lecture on Stern jewellery with rings containing hidden sapphires for one's delectation!
At midday, we again adjourned to the Royal Court to hear Jon Supple, BBC correspondent, speak of his experiences in the Lebanon, Afghanistan, Dubai, Israel to name but a few and to regale us with his amusing anecdotes when travelling with British politicians. As one can see, one gets a broad education on board.
After lunch, we had intended to see Zandra Rhodes fashion show but the theatre, which must contain 1,000 people, was full. We have a booking for Tuesday next. At lunch we met two Scottish women - one was in the 'rag trade' all her life. She told us that Zandra Rhodes was 74! She certainly doesn't look that age,what with her pink hair!
My lunch companion told me that Zandra was very big in London in the 1970s but she feels that her designs have disimproved and she did not approve of the fact that her recent collection is made from polyester!!
I realise you all want a review of the food It is haute cuisine. There is a wide selection on the menu in Britannia,
catering for low carb diet and vegetarians. There is a choice of 6 starters, salad, 6 entrees and desserts / cheese. Below is a sample of a dinner menu;
Starter - salmon mousse
Entree - Chateaubriand with mustard and horseradish sauce accompanied by green beans and sauté potatoes.
Tea and coffee and petit fours
There are sommeliers available to advise on the extensive world wide wine list. It lists some of the great wines of the world. Our sommelier Monica from Poland is very knowledgeable and was very impressed when I advised that we would be drinking a Cote Roti (one is allowed to bring two bottles of wine on board but there is a corkage fee). She asked me to bring the wine to her at lunchtime and she would open it a few hours before dinner. She did as promised and it was delightful. Her advice each evening has been invaluable.
Lunch:
Appetiser, entree, dessert and coffee
Roulade of salmon and prawns
Spinach and mushroom quiche
Ice cream, sorbet and yoghurt
At lunch there is also a choice of salad and sandwich if one wishes.
As I stated earlier, there's is also the option of the Kings Court or the Carinthia, while the former is very casual the latter is for tasty bites; both excellent in their own way but my preference is for the Britannia.
Afternoon tea in the Queen"s Room is de rigeur. We were asked if we'd like to share a table, we agreed and were seated beside a lovely woman from New Jersey. She has been cruising on average 2-3 times a year for the last 3 years . She informed us that her mother and sister always cruised but she had thought she'd hate it. When her mother died, her sister prevailed on her and now she loves cruising. She and her sister left NYC arrived in Hamburg, left QM2 for the Queen Elizabeth, sailed up the Baltic and into the Atlantic visiting the Norwegian fjords and Iceland before returning to Hamburg to pick up the QM2 as it sailed on its return voyage to NYC!! She is taking another cruise to the Caribbean in October.! Afternoon tea over, we bade good bye to our new acquaintance remarking that we wouldn't probably meet again, such is the size of the ship.
We were on our way to the Purser's Office to make a booking for the Verandah, (This restaurant was an institution on the Queen Mary 1, where first class passengers only, were allowed to upgrade and eat in this fine dining French restaurant for the princely sum of 10 shillings). En route, while admiring the flower arrangement in the Grand Lobby, I fell into conversation with another
American woman. She too was a seasoned cruiser. She had just acquired the 2018 brochure and had immediately booked three cruises, to ensure she reserves the same table and stateroom .. (There's no cabins on board - they're all Staterooms!). How the other half lives.!!!
When we originally booked last October, to our amazement it was almost booked out and our choice of cabin, sorry stateroom, was restricted. Although, we were lucky in that we have an excellent stateroom.
We finally reached the Purser's Office and booked the Verandah Restaurant. As with QM1, there is a supplement but it is worth the experience !
There is a hurricane looming !! At afternoon tea, our company told us that the Captain usually takes Sunday's ecumenical service but the Vice Captain deputised today. She suspects the Captain is on the Bridge watching the weather! The ship has slowed down and the outside decks have been restricted for most of the day. Our experienced new friend advised that they have been aboard when waves were 80 feet high and everything carried on as normal. This ship was specifically designed for theTransatlantic crossing ...
