More of final days

        Since we have more pictures to show, I will continue to post more pictures.  You may or may not choose to view them.  You may have had your fill of our journey's account by now.

 Jim and Cheryl also look nice in their formal wear.  We had three formal dinners, two semi-formal which required neckties and jackets, and two elegant casual nights which required a jacket for men but no tie.  No shorts or jeans were ever allowed in the Brittainia Restaurant.  A LARGE stylized painting of the QM2 at its launch filled one end of the restaurant.

Sharon went on a galley tour which showed how the meals were prepared and all that is required to provide 16,000 meals per day.

Jules and Monica were a couple from Canada who really liked to play Mexican train dominos with us.  Monica, an opera singer, was the grand champion on our final game.  Jules is a Catholic school chief administrator.  Don, the fellow in between, was a friend of theirs who had been upgraded to the exclusive Queen's Suite and had a special dining area of their own but came with his wife Nan to eat lunch with us.  They had made multiple voyages on the QM2 and QE2 as had many people we met on board.  Many use the ship as a means to travel between the USA and Europe because they don't like to fly.

         Is this Queen Mary?  No, it is actually Queen Sharon in her elegant chair!

Sharon liked to take pictures every time we set down to eat, so here are our dinner companions Jim and Cheryl Carlton of Atlanta, GA
who accompanied us on a trip for the tenth time.   This is an elegant casual night for our last dinner aboard.

It was a rather foggy early morning as we entered New York harbor and viewed the Statue of Liberty in the distance.   Some had risen at 4:00 AM to view the entry under the Narrows Bridge, but we preferred two more hours of sleep since it was so dark and foggy at that time.  The fog finally lifted about 9:00 AM as we had finished breakfast and were ready to disembark.

We  soon had to say goodbye to people we had met at lunches, breakfasts, and dinners.  This British couple had moved from Yorkshire to France five years ago and live there in their retirement years.  They had twice participated on our quiz team in trivia contests.  We did not win any of the competition; the questions were very difficult and somewhat biased towards the Brits.
Anyway, we had fun.





Another view of a very foggy New York skyline as we waited for time to disembark.

 The Queen Mary 2 is a huge, huge ship which cannot be viewed in its entirety close up.   Here we have disembarked and are waiting to board the bus to take us to La Guardia Airport for our flight to Chicago

A tree grows in Brooklyn...........  A view from the bus as we head to LaGuardia Airport.

We had a very smooth ride back from New York to Chicago on the airplane.  Our ride from the airport downtown was not so great however.  We thought the Airport Express van would be easier & quicker than a combination of train and taxi to downtown.  WRONG!  Our ride on a very slow Interstate took 2 and a half hours before we were
dropped off at Sarah's.

We reclaimed our car and headed for Pekin.  We did make a stop in Dwight at the 50's Diner since we were not served anything on the airline or by the drive of the slow van.

We arrived home at 10:43 PM last night.  Today is involved with laundry and clearing things away.  Sharon is very busy while I am blogging!

This was the end of a trip of a lifetime.  This Titanic was an unsinkable ship!

Final Days on QM2

     My apologies to those who have been trying to follow our blog.  It has been very frustrating for me that the QM2 internet service was so bad that I could not get pictures downloaded.  I finally canceled the service and demanded my money back when I spent 60 minutes one day at 40 cents per minute and was only able to download one picture.  On the next day, I spent 25 minutes and wasn't even able to access my blog.  That's when I blew my top...........
        Anyway, we are home now and our service should enable me to post more pictures.  Other than the internet service, everything about the Queen Mary 2 was wonderful, exceeding our hopes and expectations.

   This young boy was being cared for by his slightly older sister in the Golden Lion Pub while we listened to a singer/piano player.  We never saw the parents.  There were over 300 children on board.

Patrick Patton was my favorite entertainer on board; we listened to him three times in the Golden Lion Pub.  He played and sang songs like "The City of New Orleans", "I Got My Kicks on Route 66", "Country Roads" and other American favorites with lyrics we could understand.  We don't understand why he wasn't used in the larger venues.






This is the interior of the Brittainia Restaurant where we took most of our meals.  The size of the room cannot be comprehended in this photo.  Seating was arranged on multiple levels in the two deck high space.

Another picture of the Brittainia, a bit   brighter than the other.  Our seating at dinner was at a table for six, but two never showed up for the entire cruise.  Perhaps they were honeymooners who took all meals in their cabin or simply ate in less formal restaurants.   Although I didn't like the idea of formal dressing before we went, it was enjoyable to see everyone dressed in splendid

wear at the formal dinners.  The whole dining experience in this elegant restaurant measured up to the garments required for admission with four course dinners standard.  One night, I ordered a vegetarian menu by mistake, and they were quick to replace it with a more palatable choice with no hesitation.  There was always a choice offered of five or six desserts.  Of course, ice cream was my favorite.

Adrian from the Phillipines was our congenial, always smiling host who soon learned our preferences.  We had the same table assignments for dinner each evening, but there was open seating for breakfast and lunch, so we had a variety of interesting table companions from Germany, Denmark, England, France, Austrailia, and various states of the USA.





Sharon dragged me to this dance performance which I did not expect to like, but it was excellent.  I thought I had my money's worth (it was included in tour price so it was free of extra charge.) on the first dance.  There were 20 or so dances, each in new elaborate costumes.
I don't know how they were able to change so quickly.   I am a very hard grader for performers, but all of the acts earned an A or B+ from me.

It's Tuesday....

       We had a great Monday afternoon after lunch in the Golden Lion  English Pub where we listened to excellent piano playing of showtunes from "My Fair Lady" and other shows of that era.  I ate a steak and mushroom pie while Sharon had a ploughman's lunch.  Since Cokes cost $ 3.05 each, I've had to limit my consumption to one per day.   Then, we played Monopoly using cards with the Canadian couple Jules and Monica.  We also taught them the card game Manipulation.
       Later we attended the movie "Warhorse" in the Illuminations theater.  It was a really outstanding movie that we would recommend to anyone.  We followed that for dressing up a bit for a "semiformal night" in the Brittainia Restaurant where we once again shared the table with Peter and Trudy, an English couple from Manchester.  Our dinner conversation was very stimulating including a discussion of the English health care system.  My dinner selection was pork medallions wrapped in bacon; Sharon had a huge serving of English roast beef with Yorkshire pudding.  Of course, every dinner comes with choices of appetizers, salads, and desserts in addition to main courses.  All are served by multiple waiters and waitresses.
 
   

Here we are playing cards in the board room on the ninth deck.  This room is used for special meetings like for the Masons or weddings.  We captured the room while it was empty.  It was nicely furnished and had very deep carpeting.

We were in the Queen's room here to meet with Captain Christopher Wells.

There were art posters displayed around the
hallways.  This one is not quite so artistic.

Another example.  Some of these are classic ones from early 20th century.







The hallways were very long - over 1,000 feet from bow to stern.

This is Sharon (OK, you knew that)
here on our balcony just after we had gone to our cabin.  There was an extra hour and a half delay before we left port due to service on a lifeboat.

We didn't have to dress up for breakfast in the main restaurant.  Here I
am enjoying an omelet and a pot of hot chocolate.

Daily life on QM2

              In the afternoon yesterday, we played Mexican train dominos with Jim and Cheryl and the Canadian couple Jules and Monica.  Sharon was the grand winner.  For dinner, we ate at the Kings Court Buffet rather than dressing up for the Brittainia Restaurant.  We were then able to eat earlier and then attend a program in the Royal Court Theater.  The program was a lively group of singers/dancers in a high energy production of show tunes - not some of the best known ones but snappier ones like "Hit the Road, Jack" and others like that.  We were able ti get to bed earlier than when we had to wait for our 8:30 PM seating in the main restaurant.

       Today, we did have another elegant breakfast in the Brittainia and shared a large table with a man from Denmark, an American lady who had married a Brit (with her husband), a couple from Iowa who had ridden the boat both ways to visit a son in Scotland, and a real estate lady from New Jersey on her ninth QM2 trip.  We had a lively, interesting conversation.

      Tonight is a semi-formal night with coat and tie required but not a tux or long dress.  The movie "Warhorse" will be available late afternoon.
      Fred is shown here with Trudy,
our English tablemate.  You saw her husband Peter pictured with Sharon on an earlier post.   We really enjoyed visiting with them at our dinners in the Brittainia Restaurant.

                                                                                                                Jim and Cheryl enjoy their fine dinner.

Jules and Monica, our Canadian friends who just love Mexican train dominos.













      The Commodore Club on the ninth deck was a quiet spot not used by many travelers.                                                                      
                                                                                             

These ladies sang and played classical music at a concert
which Sharon attended.  Fred stayed in the cabin to work on his blog -
a very time consuming action due to slow internet.

Sunday on Queen Mary

     We'll try writing a description first and posting pictures later.  Last night, we had our first formal dinner with tux and long gown.  Our dinners have been really elegant and the wait staff totally attentive to our every want.  We are seated at a table for six but only four of us have shown up at mealtime so far.  As you will see, Sharon has made a new friend on this voyage.
      Before the dinner, we attended the captain's cocktail party.  After our 8:30 PM dinner, we went to a
show featuring Gary Williams.  He says he has been on many TV shows and given performances with noted people, but we had never heard of him before this.  He did Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis songs.  He was pretty good.  Fortunately, we get one additional hour of sleep each night due to adjusting clocks each day.  So, since it was almost midnight by the time we returned to our cabin,  we were able to get a full night's sleep.  The ship is pretty smooth, so sleep is good.  It only seems unsteady sometimes when we are standing in one place.
       Our Sunday began with an elegant breakfast in the Brittainia Restaurant with white table cloths and white coated wait staff alert to our every wish.  This attention could be habit forming, but I'm actually used to being waited upon.......................   Following breakfast, we attended a church service in the Royal Court Theater (very plush) and then 30 minutes later attended a lecture/performance by David Frost of American and British TV fame.  Then, it was back to the Brittainia for lunch with the Carltons and a Canadian couple.  Now, Sharon is off to a classical music concert with the Canadians.  Monica, the lady Canadian, is an opera singer who has been touring Italy.  We will join up at 3:00 PM to play cards and dominos in the lounge.                                                
                                                                                                     

Is this the butler or a waiter?

Glamorous Sharon has a new friend at our Saturday night dinner........

Gary Williams is the performer at the 10:45 PM concert.
He sang songs made famous by Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin,
and Sammy Davis, Jr.

Jim and Cheryl Carlton look stunning!

We attended a lecture given by David Frost of TV fame.  He
gave several lectures during the voyage.

A scene taken from a glass elevator in the center atrium of the ship.

After attending Sunday service in the theater, we took a short walk on the deck.
The service was led by the captain.  The words of some songs were familiar,
but the tunes were different.  "How Great Thou Art" used same tune
and was sung with gusto.

Another view of Gary Williams at his concert.  He was very good.

Sharon poses in our cabin before we go out to our 8;30 PM
sitting for dinner.  This is way later than our usual time to dine.

The Queen at sea

  I am having some trouble with getting the script aligned with the pictures, and it is costing 40 cents per minute to use the computer, plus the pictures won't download as before, plus this internet connection is as slow as molasses, so I may have limited pictures to post.  Sorry.  I'm very frustrated!!!

Sharon doesn't look frustrated at all!

Fred sits in our cabin.  There is a balcony behind those drapes.

Sunset on the ocean.  A smaller boat is following.

The lower level of the Brittainia featured this huge painting
of its launching.

Cruising before sundown on the open sea.

Who is this glamorous movie star?