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I was
welcomed on board the Queen Elizabeth 2 in Southampton on
Monday 10th December 2001 as one of 1700 passengers embarking
on the Party Cruise. My cabin on Three Deck was well furnished
and comfortable, with two portholes, and a bathroom with shower
and bath. It was hard to believe the ship had been launched
in 1967.
I had
afternoon tea in The Queens Room, which seemed a comfortably
furnished public room, with beautiful curved shaped mirrors
acting as dividing screens between seating areas on the outskirts
of the room, and a dance floor in the middle. The lighting
was good and the whole ambience welcoming - as was the service
and the tea! At the forward end of The Queens Room was a huge
bronze bust of HM The Queen.
On board
I spoke to the Captain's Secretary on the telephone and she
sent me a copy of a leaflet called "Queen Elizabeth 2, The
Cunard Heritage Trail". I had a fascinating time trying to
see as much as I could of all these historic items which included
a commemorative leather panel, the Mauritania Collection,
the Britannia Collection, the Peter Radmore collection, Samuel
Cunard bust, silver cup and paintings, launch picture, tapestries,
old passenger photographs, Royal portraits, ship models, the
poster galleries, and of course wonderful paintings. I was
not able to visit the Queens Grill Restaurant, but I went
into the Queens Grill Lounge on Boat Deck.
I was
delighted to be able to visit the Board Room and see original
Stephen Card pictures of the Cunard ships. There were more
paintings by Stephen Card, John Stobart and others, on the
G section stairwell, including one by Neville Cumming, who
is well known to any collector of Union-Castle Line ship postcards!
Before
I travelled on QE2, I had been told of the Cunard Heritage
Panels in the Midships Lobby, commissioned in 1994 and showing
key eras in the history of Cunard Line. They are attractive
curved panels and I was interested and pleased to see that
the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York had
not been painted out of the picture, as had been rumoured.
I enjoyed
dinner and champagne in the beautiful surroundings of the
Caronia Restaurant (which seats 538 people), had drinks in
the Chart Room Bar and visited many other Bars and Entertainment
areas, including the Lido Restaurant for Midnight Supper.
I also enjoyed a quick and costly visit to the Ocean Book
Shop. Unfortunately the Library closed just as I left the
Book Shop.
After
just a few hours sleep, I enjoyed breakfast in the Caronia
Restaurant before going on the Sun Deck for some refreshing
but cold air under a blue sunny sky. Then it was time to visit
the Photo Gallery to see the Embarkation photographs.
I loved
being on such a famous and wonderful ship, and felt I had
made the most of the opportunity in such a limited time -
I embarked on 10th December just after 4 p.m., with 1700 other
passengers, and disembarked the next morning at 9.30 a.m.,
having travelled at approximately 12 knots to Guernsey and
back, in delightfully calm seas. On the Cunard Queen Elizabeth
2 Party Cruise I had been part of a truly great British traditional
liner for a few fascinating hours.
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