11th January 2014

The following morning (Friday), we woke early and, after showering, walked a few hundred yards to McDonald’s for a strong cup of coffee and tea. We then paid a brief visit to a very large and impressive IKEA store before returning to the hotel to check out. We’d booked a taxi for noon, so we took our seats in the hotel foyer, joined by an increasing number of fellow cruisers.

When the cats are away, look what the mice get up to! Friday night curry went ahead without the parents.

Fortunately, our taxi arrived on time, and we were lucky to have an insightful driver. Many of our fellow travellers were close to panic as the taxis they’d booked failed to arrive due to horrendous traffic conditions in the city. The local roads department had chosen that day to start extensive road upgrades around the port, and with five cruise liners scheduled to depart, the roads around our cluster of hotels were gridlocked from early morning.

Our driver, however, declined other offers and was determined to pick up his booked passengers, the Palmers. Noting the traffic, he explained he’d take a different route to the port. True to his word, he navigated us through side streets, cutting across lines of stationary traffic at junctions, and in under 15 minutes, he had well-earned himself a £5 tip. Before long, we were placing our suitcases on the porters’ trolleys. By 1 pm, we’d made our way through immigration and were sitting in our cabin, eyeing a bottle of champagne. Resisting the temptation, we opted to stand on our balcony and take in the splendid view across the Solent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A little later, we found one of the restaurants and settled down for a light lunch. Discovering the ice cream bar, I couldn’t resist slipping back into a habit from previous trips, indulging in as much as I could comfortably fit.

After returning to our cabin to unpack, we took a necessary stroll along the decks to work off some of those recently acquired calories. The ship was not as glitzy as the Favalosa, more refined, tasteful, and distinctly English. The majority of our fellow guests were British, with 1,200 out of 1,900 passengers from the UK.

Dinner that evening was informal, meaning jackets could be worn without ties on Cunard. After dressing accordingly, Sue and I joined the queue outside our designated restaurant with other passengers assigned to the QE2. When booking, I’d opted for a table for six, hoping for some good company and conversation. We were joined by a friendly couple from the north-east, though the other two seats remained empty. We got on well, happily exchanging stories of family and holidays until the meal was complete, after which we went our separate ways to enjoy the rest of the evening’s entertainment.

Just before 8 pm, we returned to our cabin. Sue donned her raincoat (wish I had done the same), and we made our way to Deck 10. It was the Queen Mary 2’s 10th birthday, and she was berthed just behind us. To mark the occasion and to celebrate the start of Queen Elizabeth’s world cruise, a fireworks display was planned. It was dry when we arrived on deck, but five minutes before the display was set to begin, the heavens opened. I stayed put until I felt like I was starting to dissolve, then hurried back to the cabin to dry off.

Once back, I realised the best view of the fireworks was actually from the balconies on our side of the ship. Out came the camera again (after drying the lens), and from the shelter of our private “box,” I enjoyed a 15-minute spectacle set to patriotic music. By the time Sue rejoined me, I had changed into dry clothes and was eager to explore the rest of the ship.

Sue and I wandered through the ship’s shops, paused briefly to watch some ballroom dancing, and then took our seats in the main theatre for the evening’s show. It turned out to be a preview of the entertainment planned for the upcoming nights. As this is a four-month world cruise, we won’t be seeing much of it, as we’re due to disembark in New York.

After the show, we returned to our cabin and opened the champagne. We then discovered what can only be described as the best pillows in the world: warm, soft, incredibly comfortable, and utterly sleep-inducing. Zzzzzzzzz!