It has been a privilege to travel to all the places illustrated and more in between. I enjoyed keeping the blogs going. In spite of errors and some dodgy writing, I do plan to put all these blogs and pictures into some kind of printed record.
It’s almost a week since I arrived back in Buxton. For the time being, cheers for now, and many thanks for reading,
David.
Walvis Bay, Namibia.
Walvis Bay, Namibia.
Santa Cruz, Tenerife.
Funchal, Madeira.
I arrived back in Buxton, late in the afternoon of Thursday 10th May after what turned out to be a somewhat difficult final two days of the Queen Mary 2 World Voyage 2018.
I had acquired far more than I had space for in my existing baggage. Whether I panicked, being the end of the voyage, I am not sure. But symptoms too close for comfort, similar to those I experienced when I was taken ill last year did give me, and others, real cause for concern.
I acquired another wheeled case, and after much juggling about, managed to complete my packing somewhat later than I had hoped. Porters were on hand the following and very last day, to transfer everything to my car which my neighbour had very kindly driven down for me the previous day.
I am told it can take up to two weeks to acclimatise to one’s familiar surroundings following a decent visit to the Far East. Jet lag must play a major part in this prolonged recovery. I had returned by ship in a much more relaxed manner. Even so, I still felt the effects of “post cruise blues”, particularly on the first full day back home, and then to a lesser degree as three or four days passed. Today, with magnificent sunshine and now feeling the good effects of a long sleep, I can look back with a sense of achievement and gratitude, having completed and enjoyed this “holiday of a life time”.
A great part of me WOULD like to do this all over again. Now, being slightly familiar with the places, I would be less reliant on the organised coach tours. Most of these were excellent and afforded the greatest overview possible in the limits of what was often a lengthy day trip. One of the drawbacks is to my mind, time wasted in souvenir shops or other retail outlets where one had the feeling “back-handers” might have been involved! Visits to temples, mosques and museums were, often, rushed and I found it difficult to take in or hear what the tour guide pointed out to a group of, say, 35 people. At times we were split into smaller groups. Was such a brief visit worthwhile in any case? Usually; I would obtain where available, a guide to places visited for future reference. There are some excursions I would go on a second time, including both railtours in New Zealand, and some of the numerous boat trips on offer. In the big cities like Singapore and Hong Kong, I might well choose one of the other trips available.
While very “jaded” towards the end of the final week, I can’t wait to be on board QM2 once again. However, I shall have to wait until March 25th next year for my next “fix”! This gives me a second bite of the Lost City of Petra. I bought the guide books this year and would merely use the tour bus as a taxi from Aqaba. (Don’t tell Geraldine!)
Many world cruisers signed up for Cunarder, Queen Victoria’s foray into the Amazon in 2020. I nearly did, and may still do. South America and Antarctica remain the last two continents I have yet to explore. Before that, plans to cross Canada and Australia by train are in hand; possibly the USA as well before Trump’s anticipated further wrecking of America’s once fine railway system.
During my world voyage, I was aware that there were many who were disappointed with their experience of Queen Mary 2. Some of their issues were valid and intelligent. Others certainly were not! I was expecting some disappointments especially over a 17 week period. I had visions of the restaurant menu repeating itself over a weekly or fortnightly cycle, tedious repetitive entertainment and routines that would morph from a holiday to an expected life style. Items did appear on the menu several times, but never in a predictable order, except the Baked Alaska which always heralded the Grand Parade of Chefs, a feature of each section of the World Voyage. I have sat through so many of these that even the first of seven such parades I found intrusive and irritating….oh poor me I don’t think! In fact, I started to enjoy these again!
As for the entertainment, while there were several stagings of Appassionata, Rhythm of the Night etc., all performances were different and highly enjoyable.
I could write forever about the last four months; to take part in a journey of this magnitude and comfort (even in windowless accommodation) was an enormous privilege and unsurpassable experience, which even by going again, cannot quite be the same.
Thank you all for reading these blogs, which describe inadequately my recent travels.
David.
Late departure from Southampton, 10th and 11th January 2018
To be continued….
The Bay of Biscay which can often be a punishing finale to many cruises only offers very slight turbulence on this, the final full day of this monumental voyage. I think this is just my second breakfast in the Britannia Restaurant, and in typical form, I arrived two minutes prior to the doors closing at 09.30hrs. Any mutterings of possible indignation from the hard pressed restaurant staff were not evident and even at this “last minute” service was excellent and courteous.
Yesterday, I made tentative moves towards the always complicated task of packing. The excellent ship’s laundry folded my last “special promotion offer” saving me an appreciable amount of time and effort. I attended a charity auction in aid of the Prince’s Trust. This was for a signed print out of the chart apertaining to the last sector of the voyage, signed by the entire Bridge personnel. The Queens Room was fairly well filled for this final sector event. I won the modest bidding war, rather unexpectedly, and was delighted to come away with this (I assume) unique artefact from the 2018 World Voyage.
Last night, the Captain hosted the final World Cruise exclusive cocktail party. Our entire table assembled for this celebratory event, again in the Queens Room. Nick and Geraldine chose to remain for the remainder of the party to ensure a good place to sit for the dancing.
Day121.
Greetings from Buxton.
Yesterday was taken up packing. As ever, extra luggage needed to be bought for the journey home; one day, I may learn how to come home with less than I went out with in terms of clothes, souvenirs and the like. This morning, I awoke for the final time in the stateroom in which I had become most comfortable, 13021. Again the hot water was only tepid. However, I had travelled far, and to almost everywhere for the first time. I am home now….or at least in my home town of Buxton, Derbyshire. The severe and long winter caused plumbing and boiler problems for which repairs needed my say-so. I didn’t need much of an excuse to treat myself to a night at the Old Hall Hotel.
I have enjoyed the privilege of writing about a voyage which turned out to be in excess of 40 000 nautical miles and hope that they made reasonable reading.
With best wishes, David.
Pictures 1 and 2: QM2 and Holland America cruise ship docked at Cadiz.
Picture 3: The last paper bridge chart from QM2 covering the final sector of the 2018 World Voyage from Dubai to Southampton. This is the only one in existence and was auctioned in aid of the Prince’s Trust.
Pictures 4, 5 and 6. The final World travellers’ cocktail party in the Queens Room with welcomes from Captain Peter Philpot and World Voyage Concierge, Alejandra.
Picture 7 The final port image from the bridge web cam, relayed on channel 40 of the stateroom TV, Southampton. Home at last!
But….the blog continues. I am now back home in Buxton, Derbyshire, where I have lived for almost 43 years. Ahead of me lies the biggest of unpacking tasks I can remember, a mini version of moving house!
My blogs were never intended to be a review of Cunard or Queen Mary 2, more a documentation of the fulfilling of a one time “out of the question” ambition. Eventually after a late retirement, travelling the world by sea and overland became a distinct possibility and in August 2016, I decided to “go for it”. My travel agent reserved me cabin 13021, a new addition to QM2. On 10th January 2018, this inside stateroom on Deck 13 became home for seventeen weeks.
To be continued
This World Voyage 2018 has exceeded many of my expectations and disappointed far less than I ever anticipated. Today, we made our final port of call at Cadiz in south west Spain. One of the disappointments was passing through the straits of Gibraltar at 1am! Another was the short distance travelled on the unimaginativly named, but superb Puffing Billy Railway in Melbourne. The brochure was correct in its description of the journey, but failed to point out that the complete trip was five times the mere three miles we travelled. On the other hand, the two overland tours I took were beyond perfection, and like this whole voyage, events I shall take much pleasure looking back on, hopefully, for decades.
This voyage was an ambitious event to stage and must have been years in the planning. Cunard currently operate one liner and two purpose-built cruise ships. All three offer luxurious accommodation, fine dining, and imaginative entertainment, and during the first four or so months of the year, embark on long, sometimes worldwide oddyseys.
In a little over three days, my ambition to complete a world cruise will be fulfilled. A part of me looks forward to sharing my tremendous experiences with friends at home. (I’m not sure they will feel the same!)
Today was our final port of call before that familiar disembarkation procedure at Southampton. Cadiz was a delight. I chose eventually to do my own thing. The organised shore excursions were usually excellent, but recently had been somewhat spoiled by over talkative tour guides. I had endured enough! The Red Bus which operates in towns and cities world wide offers a comprehensive hop on, hop off arrangement with head phones on which to listen to any points of interest as required. I enjoyed this method of exploring Cadiz and also spent contemplative time on the beach.
There was much whistle blowing as QM2 departed this final port. I shall spend the final days in justified celebration.
Again, many thanks for reading.
David.
Civitavecchia: A Taste of Tuscania
This is brilliant, fabulous, magnificent! I am sitting in a far corner of the Queens Room, the largest ballroom at sea, with my favourite Animals hit “House of the Rising Sun” blaring accross the vast expanse of this elegant Art Deco public space, aft on Deck 3 of QM2. The crowds at the annual fund raising Country Fayre have thinned a little. I have guessed the weight of an enormous cake based on my stateroom number. I misread a guess the mileage contest and thus underestimated, vastly the distance sailed between Southampton and Dubai rather than the other way round! Much to my astonishment, the correct figure was around 34k nautical miles meaning we have covered a much greater distance than the 35,973 which I understood to be the distance of the entire voyage. I failed miserably in the high-low play your cards game! In two minutes the auction for Cunard memorabilia begins, including the chart for the final sector of the cruise, signed by the Captain and his Officers, heavily fingered by onlookers. It is expected to go for four figures.
The auction closed; I was successful bidding on two items, a bottle opener fashioned from a piston ring ($45) and Cunard 175 banner in clean unfaded condition($110). It makes a good bed cover. I purchased a “float”of $35 QM2 Country Fare charity currency. Most of these remain unspent and now form a legitimate part of my Cunard memorabilia collection. I was outbid on several other items. Although I am not overly keen on this sort of thing, it was a superb event which raised a worthy sum for the nominated charities; I was more than delighted to support this event albeit not very spectacularly. The chart was not the star fund raiser, bidding stopping at $350.00, probably not a bad investment.
David's Cruise 