At Sea 5: On Board Queen Mary 2

On Board Queen Mary 2 - April 15, 2010

This was the last section of QM2’s World Cruise so only 400 new passengers were joining the ship at the Brooklyn Terminal. This made for a speedy check-in (registering, photo ID card picture being taken and the security check). Usually there are about 2500 persons embarking. A staff member told us that about 650 people had been on the voyage the entire time – the day we land in the maritime port of Southampton will be their 107th day on the ship. He described them as “mostly rich and old”.

Time passed quickly having the compulsory boat drill, unpacking one of the four pieces of luggage we brought, eating and drinking. My husband and I sat in the Commodore Club (always a favorite place). It is a piano bar on deck 9 and has a detailed scale model of QM2 behind the bar. The Commodore Club is at the very front of the ship so we had a fantastic panoramic view.


The ship began to move at 5:40 p.m. and we sat and watched the activity in New York Harbor. We remained there until we cleared the Verrazano Bridge and then sailed past the famous Parachute Jump, a defunct amusement ride in Coney Island. It remains a landmark and has been called the "Eiffel Tower of Brooklyn". We had memories of riding on it on a date in the fifties but sadly it ceased operations in 1968.

At Sea (Almost) 1: HMS Victory

June 2002

Took the train from Southampton to Portsmouth Harbour and went to see HMS Victory. It was in drydock so we could walk around it. (We didn't go onto it because there was a "Caution" sign warning of steep and narrow stairs in it.)

At Sea 4: On a ferry to the Isle of Wight

May 2004

Left London Waterloo Station on the 9:45 train to Southampton Central. Arrived around 11:15 and took a taxi to the Star Hotel. Checked in and unpacked quickly since we knew Queen Mary 2 was in port that day. We wanted to see her on the water from one of the Red Funnel ferries. Their ferry service operates between Southampton and Cowes on the Isle of Wight. We bought our tickets, boarded, and crossed the Solent. The trip is about three nautical miles and takes about an hour. As one ferry leaves Cowes, the other leaves Southampton so they pass each other as they travel across the Solent. The upper picture shows us passing Queen Mary 2; the lower picture passing another Red Funnel ferry.


Notes from my journal (May 24, 2004):

“ Walked to the town quay – a lovely sunny warm day. Got the 1:00 car ferry (as foot passengers) and went past the huge QM2. Took many pictures…At East Cowes (on the Isle of Wight) got off and (after a 10 minute wait in the waiting room) right back onto the ferry.”

At Sea 3: On Queen Elizabeth 2

The tandem crossing of two Queens

In April 2004, Queen Elizabeth 2 and Queen Mary 2 made a historic transatlantic tandem crossing from Manhattan to Southampton. As they crossed the Atlantic, the sailing patterns changed. Each ship was always in sight of the other. From QE2 we could see the other ship on the port side and later on the starboard side. At times one would lead the way, and then the other. It was QE2’s final voyage as the flagship of the Cunard Line. At the end of the journey QM2 became the flagship and QE2 was being eased into retirement.

Notes from my journal (April 25, 2004):

“At 7:30 we saw QM2 pull out – beautiful sight with all the lights and background with helicopters and police boats and coast guard boats (and fire boats shooting plumes of red, white and blue water into the air) – it looked so huge! QE2 pulled out at 7:45. Lovely fireworks at the Statue of Liberty at 9:00. Complimentary champagne for all.”

At Sea 2: On the Suilven

Our trip to the Hebrides 1980

On board the car-ferry from Ullapool to the Hebrides. Drove through Stornaway, Callanish (the Scots Stonehenge) and Tarbert as we crossed the islands of Lewis and Harris. Glad to have gotten used to driving on the "wrong side" of the road when we'd driven to Urqhart Castle on Loch Ness a few days earlier. Had also become used to going around sheep - on the mainland they slept on the sides of the road, walked across it in groups and sometimes just stood on it. But in the Hebrides, sheep were in the heather, on the hillsides, jumping on and off of the road (besides standing or sleeping on the road). We saw thousands of them.

At Sea 1: On Queen Elizabeth 2

Our first trip to England 1980

This was the first of our Atlantic crossings.We left from the pier on the west side of Manhattan. (Now QM2 leaves from Brooklyn.) What a fantastic view of the city as we traveled down the Hudson River. Then out to sea. A delightful crossing of 5 nights on board the beautiful ship followed by our arrival in Southampton where a white Rolls Royce was waiting to drive us to London.

Notes from my journal (July 25, 1980):

“Roamed around the ship and didn’t feel it moving ‘til we saw the pier moving and realized it was us. People waving, tugboat pushing us and a beautiful ride down the river.”

Friends in England 6: at Salisbury Cathedral

Notes from my journal (June 2007):

“About ½ hour train ride from Southampton. A tourist info lady supplied a map and highlighted the route to the Cathedral. Said the walk would be all flat and it was. Salisbury was a lovely place with narrow old streets and flowers everywhere. The Cathedral was impressive. Went inside and walked all around. Some of the artifacts and the Cathedral are from the 1300’s.”