Day 99…on board QE2.

On 11th November 2008, I, with four friends I had met just over a year earlier on the QE2 40th Anniversary Voyage around the British Isles, boarded the steam ship “Shieldhall” in Southampton shortly after lunch. Cunard had, at the last minute, offered me an Indside Single cabin for QE2’s last voyage to Dubai. I cannot recall the exact amount; however, it was far more than I could justify, and given the poignant nature of this last journey. We spent the afternoon as well as the entire evening on the Shieldhall, which would, eventually, accompany QE2 for the first few miles along the Solent. Dusk fell, Shiedhall cruised up and down allowing the best of photo opportunities. Eventually, QE2 sounded her whistles and the end was about to begin. Had I sailed to Dubai, I would have missed the incredible view and cacophony of ships’ sirens as QE2 disappeared and could no longer be seen amongst the city lights as far as the eye could see. I had sailed on 17 voyages of varying lengths, including Canada, the USA and South Africa. Therefore 11/11/08 certainly heralded “The end of an Era”. Fast forward to Thursday 19th April 2018. I am back….having lunch in what is still the Mauretania Restaurant on board QE2. Queen Elizabeth 2 opened for passengers on QM2 yesterday. It would have been nice to be there right at the beginning, but I had booked two really good shore excursions which I will write about today or tomorrow. This could be the first blog written on board QE2. My initial impressions are extremely positive. Quite why the tenders and life boats were removed, I fail to understand. They can still be seen haphazardly lying in open waste land not far from harbour. Two have been used for decoration close to the new cruise terminal. I have just finished my buffet lunch in the Mauretania Restaurant. The cuisine was excellent with a choice of several dishes. For some reason, only a small number chose to take lunch today, and like the Queen Mary in Longbeach California, there is an eerie feel to this former liner. I am about to embark on a guided tour. Of course I will share an illustrated account of this experience in my next blog. In the meantime, many thanks for your interest and encouragement. David.