Once again, I am not sure if a previous blog written this morning has “vanished into thin air”. It has shown up in my e-mails, so it may still be around. The air temperature on the Navigational Channel was given at 32 degrees Celsius. Today, the sea is like a mill pond as we steam at around 14 knots towards our final island destination. The temperature remains “unspectacular” at around 90 degrees Fahrenheit! One could get used to this!
I first came accross the name, Tonga, during my early days as a train spotter. (I am sure Google will explain exactly what “train spotting” is). Tonga was the name bestowed on a steam locomotive, one of around 190 “Silver Jubilee class” built in the 1930s for mainly passenger services on trains running north out of London Euston and St. Pancras, and intermediate services between the Capital and Scotland.
I would learn sometime later that Tonga was a remote Island on the other side of the World, and never imagined for one moment that I would ever get see the place. We arrive just after 8am. These two briefest of visits to both Samoa and Tonga already have whetted the appetite for coming back…and SOON!!
I have come accross the first signs of discontent, while in the company of my new found friends from southern California. Apparently, the Britannia Restaurant “can’t get it right”.
I came on the Queen Victoria with “well, it’s not the Queen Mary 2” train of thought, but more than happy with where it was going. When I did come on board, I found in fact, that it was very hard to find fault, and there were/are aspects which are even better than my beloved QM2. That means I can enjoy counting the days to a 78 night circumnavigation of all of South America next year. So pleased am I with being here, I have invested in a balcony stateroom on the starboard (scenery) side to make the very most of that voyage.
Two things however, are not as good as on board QM2, just little things. The graphics on the Navigational Channel, unless you can interpret them, are confusing, and the ‘next destination’ is not listed, nor the weather forecast in any detail. My stateroom phone has no facilities, as far as I can see, for sending or receiving voice mail. All other aspects of this ship are “spot-on”. I usually manage to exceed my walking target, and I stray rarely from my diet. There is an abundance of suitable cuisine.
I remain reluctant to sit in the sun for too long; I am delighted to read that the UK is about to enjoy temperatures around 20 degrees Celsius as a result of a weather front from the south west. For the rest of the day, walking, rest and relaxation.
Thanks for reading, David.
David's Cruise 