Author: davidscruise

I published a blog giving an account of yesterday’s journey from the Port of Aqaba to the Lost City of Petra. Re- reading what I had written, I felt that my description of the tour was inadequate given the prominence of the place visited. I intend this account to be somewhat better.

The Lost City of Petra is on many a traveller’s “bucket list”. It was never on mine, but being told so many times that I should take the opportunity if it arose, that opportunity did arise when I received the tours brochure “Your Ocean Awaits” from Cunard. Even then, I did not book straight away.

As I have mentioned previously, I am still recovering from open heart surgery, ‘though the effects are far less severe than even a few weeks ago. That, together with an at times painful knee injury, I did question the wisdom of undertaking what I felt might be a long and arduous trek. In spite of all these misgivings, encouraged by friends, I decided to go, despite not really having an idea what I would be seeing. The Cunard literature was most useful. Even so, I was still somewhat unprepared.

The coach journey from the Port of Aqaba where we docked early yesterday morning took us through the Jordanian Desert from where spectacular rocky mountains sprouted from the distant dry desert plains on both sides of the Desert Highway. Our tour guide delivered a commentary explaining what we were seeing from the coach. After almost two hours, we stopped for a comfort break as well as the opportunity to look accross at a Grand Canyon-like landscape. Like most of us on the tour, I availed myself of the toilet facilities whose windows also looked out accross this Canyon….a loo with a view!

Soon, we were in the modern town of Petra, where the coach parked and we alighted.

I, along with several hundred others from the ship, as well as the usual number of tourists, set off walking in the steps of several explorers who, during the early stages of the 19th Century set eyes upon the remains of an ancient civilisation. The history of the Lost City of Petra and it’s rediscovery after 500 years cannot be documented in this, again, all too brief blog. One can only imagine their wide eyed amazement as they stumbled accross the giant and not so big remains of what was obviously once a great city. Much of the decorative detail of former buildings has been eroded but is still discernable. I do have two guide books on the subject which I shall enjoy reading in the near future. I shall attempt to publish a few relevant photographs in the near future. Anybody visiting for the first time will find the Lost City of Petra awesome, as I myself did. I came away, wishing I could have stayed for two or three days to really develope a knowledge of this new Wonder of the World.

Apologies for repeating some of the original blog. I hope this did give a slightly better idea of the day.

All the best, David…

PS. Some pictures to follow. Right now, we are anchored at the South end of the Suez Canal where we are scheduled to begin our transit at 4am….less than 2.5 hours from now. The balmy nights of recent times are not quite as warm. Yesterday, we completed our journey along the north west arm of the Red Sea. It was a calm peaceful and generally routine day, which for me, has just ended at 01.45 the following morning!

Good night, and thanks for reading.

David.

During this World Voyage, there have been several periods of consecutive sea days, giving a truer impression of the distance travelled. Boredom was never a problem. The sea is always a joy to observe, the ever-changing shades of blue, grey, and green, the rare sightings of sea life and the ever-changing sky scape above. I never tire of the more common sightings of flying fish, but do feel sorry for them when predatory bird life is in pursuit!

Today, regrettably, is the sixth of six consecutive sea days, the final such period of this voyage. There are a number of sea days in groups of one or two until the end of the cruise.

Tomorrow, we call at Aqaba. The trek to the Lost City of Petra promises to be the highlight of the entire voyage. Certainly, the ancient remains are spectacular and of great importance; any opportunity to visit this site should be taken. I do wonder if I am wise undertaking this long journey, given that it is not a year since my myocardial infarction and subsequent quadruple bypass operation.

QM2 made a second diversion due to a medical emergency today. As at Dakar at the start of this voyage, we came as close as possible to where a rescue vessel transferred the patient to the nearest suitable hospital. It is to be hoped of a good outcome. It is commendable that medical and other staff accompanied the patient to the hospital and will re-join QM2 at Aqaba. Obviously, there was no indication of the nature of the emergency. An “on-time” arrival at Aqaba, tomorrow, was still assured, but to achieve this, QM2 was put through her paces from last night to the time of writing and beyond.

Since establishing this blog at the beginning of January, I still feel as if I may have not given quite the best of accounts regarding travelling on a Cunard voyage. I have posted several interior and other views which with brief descriptions do give some idea.

When I arrive home in a little over two weeks, I shall have had “the time of my life”. How could I not have; for seventeen weeks, I will have visited over twenty countries, been fed, and waited on hand and foot. I have missed the worst of the worst winter in decades; it didn’t matter to me that between Mauritius and Freemantle, it wasn’t exactly a heatwave. Would I travel again on a world cruise? You bet! Value for money? may be not in the expensive seats, but I feel the £1.74 per mile does feel like exceptional value in the inside stateroom.

More brief comments soon.

All the best,

David

This is the fifth of six sea days between Dubai and Aqaba. What follows is a “grand finale” in the form a super Mediterranean cruise. This World Voyage has incorporated several cruises of varying durations. The shortest was a four day round trip from Melbourne to Kangaroo Island and back, giving local people a rare opportunity to experience some of the delights of Cunard’s Flagship. Other round trips were from Sydney to Sydney circumnavigating New Zealand in the process, and from Singapore to Hong Kong and back. There were any number of permutations of longer voyages. I will be doing something similar in 2019. The purpose of next February’s oddysey is to ride some of the trains in Australia allowing me three weeks to take in as much as is comfortable and realistic. After flying to San Francisco, I will join the world travellers aboard Cunard’s Queen Victoria. After 21 nights, I bail out at Sydney and re enter my rail-bourne comfort zone. All going well, I shall complete a journey on The Ghan. My hope is also to spend time in the Blue Mountains and Alice Springs. If time permits, I would also like to travel by train from Cairns to Sydney spending time en route. By that time, I will have missed any passing cruise ship and will fly to Dubai to enjoy three nights on QE2, now a five star hotel, before finishing my journey on

what believe will be my 19th voyage on QM2…on her return journey from the Far East, almost repeating this year’s “grand finale”. Here we are right now, heading north up the Red Sea. With all good wishes and thank you for reading, David.

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Written 22/4/2018 The mid-morning arrival Dubai made a welcome change to our normal early morning port entries. I was very keen to set eyes on QE2 for the first time since bidding farewell to her on 11th November 2008 in Southampton Water. I took several photos as we pulled into an impressive new terminal. I had signed up for tea at the Burj al Arab at $245.00! This DID include a catamaran journey out to sea. Dubai leaves me cold and bewildered as well as very impressed. From what I gather, prior to the 1970s Dubai had a different name and was “just another coastal settlement”. Suddenly, there was a huge oil industry, the name Dubai was adopted and wealth beyond a rich man’s wildest dreams developed. The city grew over a mere forty something years and apart from the global financial derailment of 2008, Dubai’s expansion continues upwards and outwards. Weird and wonderful architecture is the norm. It’s as if Dubai cocks a snook at the fine cities of the world. I did pass through Dubai in 2007 merely to pick up the final sector of QM2’s maiden world voyage. Returning to the present day, Afternoon Tea at the Burj Al Arab Hotel was a rare experience. After a short time to explore and satisfy my curiosity, I joined the rest of the party via a high speed lift to the 27th floor, where in a beautifully prepared side room overlooking the city below, a lavish but dainty afternoon was served by beautifully uniformed waiters. As one might expect, the service was impeccable. Nobody stopped me taking videos and photographs. One lady on duty encouraged me to continue. The only disappointment was the lack of opportunity to photograph this fabulous hotel from outside. Since its completion the sail shape of the exterior has been deemed as iconic throughout the world. To stay there costs from 1,000 to 28,000…..U.S. Dollars or GBP. I am or sure which! Specially for me….no egg/shellfish. Afternoon Tea at the Burj Al Arab Hotel. Specially selected patisseries The crockery. View from the 27th floor. Confirmation! That was part one of Cunard’s Delights of Dubai Tour. To be continued.

There is something unreal about waking up from an average sleep, reaching for the TV remote control device and tuning into an episode of “Coronation Street”. On board television, back in the day, was never really satisfactory. Channels would fade in and out as the ship progressed through distant satellite catchment areas. What a surprise, therefore when for most of the time, on board versions of ITV and BBC offered clear broadcasts. I never intended to keep up with “CorrIe” somewhere in the Arabian Sea!

We are now into the final sector of the QM2 World Voyage 2018, and are at sea for the second of six days. I enjoy these periods of not calling anywhere. The zenith of this four month oddysey is our visit to the Lost City of Petra when we dock at Aqaba 5 days from now, at 7am. The tour lecturer has warned of arduous walking in very hot conditions. Even with a knee injury, I don’t feel too worried.

Day 103

Last night, at dinner, I was told the sad news that my (and many other people’s) friend, Richard C. Faber Jnr. had passed away unexpectedly. For a number of years, I would purchase ocean liner memorabilia from him on his eBay website. Eventually, we would meet up on several transatlantic crossings on QM2 and latterly in London and New York. I have much at home to remember him by. I shall leave this blog unillustrated.

Many thanks for reading.

David.

Taken yesterday on board. Mauretania Restaurant – 4 The buffet: Starters. – 4 Crystal Bar – 1 Queens Grill – 5 Bar and Queens Grill lounge. – 1 View from Stage, Grand Lounge. Stage, Grand Lounge. Yacht Club Golden Lion Pub – 2 Theatre. – 1 Chart Room- 2 Midships Lobby. We entered QE2 via this area, as when QE2 was in service. Exhibition in the Reception area. – 5 QM2 in the distance. At the moment, it is difficult to take decent exterior pictures. This is the best I could manage! – 6 Enjoy! Best wishes, David.

Today was one of astonishment and delight, but it did not start well!

This was the only day of this very long voyage that I felt “Cunard could have done better”. The leaflet posted recently to my cabin advertised an array of activities on board QE2, “Exclusively for guests of Queen Mary 2”. Bookings for the various events had to be made via e-mail by 16th April. The World Cruise Concierge booked on my behalf, a buffet lunch in QE2’s Lido for 12.30pm on 19th April. She strongly advised me to go early in the event of delay with transport; I gave myself 85 minutes for a 20 minute transfer time. No representatives of Cunard or QE2 were anywhere to be seen in the vast cruise terminal I had to walk through. I could see no sign of the shuttle bus, or any personnel outside. There was no obvious signage. I hired a taxi. The driver had no clue where to go, and I paid about £6.00 to get lost in a container terminal! I went back to QM2 to seek help from the Purser’s Office. They were as helpful and understanding as they could be. But even they were unable to tell me where the shuttle bus was either, nor were they successful locating any Cunard ground staff. They did try. Eventually, someone in charge in the terminal did make sure I was able to go straight to the QE2. I learned, later, that the shuttle buses were in a completely different location out of sight of the main entrance.

The rest of the day, however, was excellent. The QE2 is accessed via a huge futuristic glass fronted reception area, which houses a wonderful exhibition of items recovered from the ship. Around 6,000 books from QE2’s library have been recovered and are on show. A decent account of QE2 is documented on a series of exhibition panels, with accompanying photographs and images. This is similar to the Maritime Quest which runs throughout Queen Mary 2 and tells the entire history of the Cunard Line.

It became apparent that, while now open for business, QE2’s restoration is not yet complete. That didn’t matter; the opportunity to go aboard was a very pleasant and unexpected surprise. The areas that I did see were extremely well renovated and the accommodation was now of the highest standard of presentation. Everywhere was recognisable and a pleasure to see once again. I enjoyed my buffet lunch in the Mauretania Restaurant; the Lido was still “out of bounds” and the open decks were not yet available for public inspection. Nor was the Queens Room, despite a tea dance being advertised there. I have been told that the life tenders which appear to be dumped near by, are to be restored and re-fitted on board. QE2 looks in fabulous condition, superbly painted externally and with best possible renovation inside. I got to see the Mauretania Restaurant, Crystal Bar, Theatre, Golden Lion Pub, and Grand Lounge as well as the Midships Lobby. I was very well taken care of by the most attentive of personnel once inside the complex. I wish to thank all those I spoke to, or who served me, for making my time there an extremely happy one. I enjoyed myself very much indeed.

With luck, I will be able to appreciate the complete restoration in the not too distant future.

It’s very late; I will publish photographs very soon. Best wishes, David.

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.

My first sighting of the former Cunard Liner, R.M.S. Queen Elizabeth 2 on the eve of its opening to the public, tomorrow 19th April 2018. Greetings from Dubai, David.