Friday - January 07, 2005
Life at Sea
The QE2 is really a floating city, with the variety of activities and diversity of inhabitants that you might expect to find in a small town. I'll try to describe a bit of each as we wend our way westward.
The ship is just as big as I remember it, and after 5 days aboard I'm still trying to get myself oriented. They have all kinds of activities each day; I may come back a professional ballroom dancer, a talented watercolorist, or an expert bridge player. Or I may come back a world class sleeper, if these first few days are any indicator. I think I am unwinding.
I'm used to having some kind of schedule each day, so find it strange to wake up and not have anything in particular on the agenda. This has gotten me into trouble already, because the one time I had an appointment at the spa, I completely forgot about it! (I'm glad they still took me though, cause you should see my toenails!) However, I did bring a 2005 calendar with me and I think I will mark off the port days and start making note of any appointments I make on board during our cruising days.
Our cabin seems quite spacious, and as I said earlier, there is a place for everything. We have a queen bed, a large makeup mirror and bench and a wall-to-wall bank of drawers in front of our windows, two sitting chairs and a table between, a chest of drawers on each side of the bed, television, a small fridge, a small closet and a much larger walk-in closet with some shelves and a shoe rack, a safe, and a full-sized bathroom with a shower and a tub. We get fresh fruit in our room each day, which is a nice touch. We have put out some family photos and have some small speakers that we attach to the laptop or the iPod to play our own music (thanks for the great idea, Barbara), so the room feels quite cozy. We can have any of our meals served in the room, but haven't done so yet.
So far, the food in our dining room has been excellent. I've had Chicken Kiev, Turkey with cranberry, Prime Rib, Mahi Mahi, etc. The menu offers five different courses with about 3 to 5 choices under each, but we have been restricting ourselves to three and haven't suffered for it. The portions are a very reasonable size, so I never feel as though I am overeating, so can enjoy what I do have. We have had two formal nights this week, and I must say that it is fun to see what everyone is wearing, including the men. Mike is now talking about needing a white dinner jacket as well as his black suit and his tuxedo! We have a very interesting couple from England sitting next to us. He looks like Dirk Bogarde while she reminds me of Diana Dors, for anyone who remembers those British actors. They are both characters, and it's fun to hear their tales from previous cruises they have done.
Actually, the ship is full of characters, but none may top of the QE2 Diva. This is an American woman, who must be 85 if she is a day, who has travelled on the QE2 every year for 30+ years, including 4 circumnavigations of the globe. She has written a few books about her experiences on board ship, which are for sale in the shop, and she has had a signing. She has long thinning hair that she either wears down or in a snood, and she dresses like a walking ad for QE2. Apparently, in her younger days, she was a soprano of some renown, somewhere, but now she performs at the talent shows on board ship. We have not yet heard her sing, which she will apparently do at the drop of a hat, but everyone has told us we don't want to. Personally, I can't wait to see her all decked out in her tutu-type dress, belting out a tune, so will have to go to the next talent show. Something about her makes me think of Cher - maybe this is how Cher will be giving her Farewell Tours in her old age!
More about the ship later, but here's a piece of QE2 trivia for you in the meantime:
The total power output of QE2's engines is 95 MW (127,345 H.P.), enough to light the city of Southampton or equivalent to the power of 3000 medium sized family cars.