The Only Way to Cross

Quite literally- it's Cunard's promo line about itself and tonight it is entirely true.  About the only arrival in England this week that I am quite sure that you can count on is that QM2 will dock at Southampton around 6 am, Thursday morning, and that she will depart 12 hours later, bound to New York, no doubt loaded to the gills.   I've just checked the Cunard announcement re the volcanic event, they are saying they are sold out/ wait listed the next three crossings.  The only way to cross indeed!    I have a friend here in Denver who is , of all things,  flying to Iceland tonight  with hopes  of continuing on to the UK,   he's booked on QM2s Thursday evening westbound departure to NYC.     If he only gets to Iceland it could be a great time!    I bet he makes it to Southampton.       I wish I could be on board!     It will be a great crossing, all kind of good times to be had.   First off it's a 25 hour day, so it's automatically a party boat, westbound.  My prediction is that It will will be a more diverse group boarding than disembarking.   The current passengers must feel very happy on their choice of transportation, although there must a certain anxiety on the part of those who didn't book roundtrip.   Among those on board are the six hundred or so who have been on board since Southampton in January.    If you recall January, Great Britain was in the Great Freeze on the roads, now they've returned to an all different form of havoc.   Of course this weeks events may prove to be fleeting, but at this moment , the Mary out there in the Atlantic, just about half way from the US to the UK, for this moment in time, is the only way to go! (really)!    

More on the Mary!

Today Queen Mary 2 is at sea, bound for her American home port of Brooklyn, New York, arriving there Thursday morning.   That will mark the completion of her current 101 day 2010 World Tour.  I was lucky to have been on board the first 40 days.     Since I disembarked in Hong Kong, exactly two months ago now,  she went up to China and Japan, down to New Zealand, around the south side of Australia, across the South Indian Ocean to South Africa, then the South Atlantic to Rio, before heading up to Barbados, and yesterday, Ft. Lauderdale.      Wish I could have done the whole trip!   The first portion though did stop at a large percentage of the ports of call.   Since Perth, now nearly six weeks ago,  she only called at seven ports.    Just over one a week,  that makes for a lot of sea days,  which I like sea days , but at that late point in the voyage maybe enough is enough.   I can only imagine that there might have been a bit marital acrimony etc developed by then.    I wonder if anyone died?      One did while I was on board, crossing the Atlantic.    Of coarse they don't announce that kind of thing, but it's  fairly common.   I found out there was a death only because I was talking to some one who witnessed the removal of the remains.    I digress!        Actually there where surprisingly few who did the entire trip NYC to NYC-- just over a hundred.    An additional 500 or so are doing Southampton to Southampton, which where she heads Thursday evening, back out into the Atlantic Ocean, the ocean for which she was designed.    The photos I took in January, crossing to Southampton-- seems like a long time ago now!   

Back To The Queen Mary!

Just having read the Cunard blog re archbishop Desmond Tutu's stay onboard QM2 on her current World Tour, I am reminded how sorely I miss being on board.   I would be quite happy to be still be sailing , and you can bet, I would have met his excellency, the Archbishop!    He was onboard from Port Louis, Mauritius  to Capetown, South Africa.   There are photos on the Cunard blog. and I'm sorry I missed it.    Friends that I met during my stay on board are still traveling forward, at that very civilized speed of 24 knots or so.   I decided it's time to post more QM2 photos that I took along the way.  She's quite a beautiful ship, and I took photos all over the place.   This post features the grand Britannia Restaurant,  where I enjoyed dinner every night, as well as some lunches and one breakfast!    The food I thought was quite good, entrees were always hot,  beautifully plated,  graciously delivered by warm, friendly waiters.    They were always happy to do this, do that, whatever you wanted, no problem.    I loved it.   I love it that Cunard hires staff from all over the world.   It helps to make the ship an interesting place, I think.    All in all, in terms of scale and grandeur, i think it she's right there with the great transatlantic liners of the past.    Clearly, the designer drew on them for inspiration when cooking up this beauty of a room!