David's Cruise

Continue reading “Honolulu: Majestic Whale Watch”

The least said about last night, the better. The seas were, I believe, the worst to date in the Queen Victoria 2019 World Voyage so far, as severe storms lashed accross parts of Hawaii. Today, approaching Honolulu has been glorious, the rain, forecast, having fallen prematurely the day before. Yes, yesterday afternoon and evening was dismal and bumpy to the point of being funny!

The beauty of travelling ever westard are the constant extra hours to get up in the morning. Being “full of the joys of Spring”, at 6am certainly is a welcome novelty! However, as I have found out, staying up late is hard work, and last night, I had to forego the superb party in the Queens Room, which, had I not been affected by “mal de mer”, I would have enjoyed thoroughly. However, these are not rare occasions; there’s bound to be one or two more before I disembark at Sydney.

Back to right now; the weather seems ideal for one of those whale watching excursions, you know, those trips where there is never a whale to be seen! I shall write about this later. In the meantime, in a separate blog, a few pictures.

All the best, David.

Some of you may already have read a blog under this title. However, inadvertently, I deleted today’s entry, so here is a revised version.

I was thankful that the clocks “went back” an hour in the early hours of this morning. The morning, at least would be filled with deck walking, attending a church service, a final lecture by former Cunard employee, Maureen Ryan, and finally joining Eileen and Ken for lunch in the Verandah Restaurant. There, I was seated opposite a picture window and could see the substantial swell of the ocean. As ever, we were the last to leave at around 3 o’clock. Much to my horror, I found later that I had failed to log off the internet yesterday, thus “wasting” half my allowance of 480 minutes. The internet at sea can be “very hit and miss”, thus these blogs occasionally go “out of sync”.

I feel as if I am settling in nicely, and now, most evenings, join my table companions in the routine, after dinner of attending a show, and then listening to the pianist in the Commodore Club and having a final coffee.

The mild turbulence, last night has become more noticeable. I missed the opportunity of some dramatic video as the water in an upper deck swimming pool sloshed high over the surrounding patio.

The comedian in the Royal Court Theatre, was well received by an audience thinned out, presumably by the rough seas making moving around the ship somewhat hazardous. I saw no accidents. The stage artiste performed a slick and fluent routine which the audience (and I) enjoyed. Much of his material was of the “old ones are best” variety with plenty of other unfamiliar humour to amuse greatly those who were there.

However, it was the pianist, Carl, in the Commodore Club whose rendition of the “Vatican Rag” was marvellously disrespectful and extremely funny. It’s a pity there were, eventually, just nine of us in the Commodore Club. He also would play the hymns at this morning’s interdemoninational (B.C.P. Mattins) service. The Deputy Captain presided over a very commendable act of worship.

However, I do wonder if the Almighty is displeased. The skies are leadened, the rain is falling and white froth as far as the eye can see confirms a most choppy ocean. My medication has worked well, but I fear many people are suffering, and maybe somewhat disgruntled that, while not cold, the longed for heatwave has yet to materialise. But, we are heading south, firstly to Honolulu where more rain is forecast, and then on to Apia, Samoa and Tonga in the South Pacific.

Thanks for reading, David.

At last, the warmth has set in. Today is our third of four days at sea before arriving at Honolulu, Hawaii, the most westerly state in the United States. I never imagined I would ever venture out in this direction.

I am enjoying the ship far more than I ever anticipated. A friendly ambience is establishing itself nicely, and I am coming accross people I met during last year’s Queen Mary 2 World Voyage. It certainly doesn’t seem like a year ago.

Today the ocean is no mill pond, neither is it particularly rough. It is, however, extremely pleasant to gaze upon, with the sunlight reflected from the sea’s surface. Last night it rained. I joined my table companions in the Royal Court Theatre for a Motown tribute concert, very ably performed by a vocal trio from South East London. The audience responded with standing ovation enthusiasm as did I. After the show, we congregated first in the Yacht Club, and then the adjacent Commodore Club.

This morning, encouraged by my new found friends, I wandered down to the “solos’ coffee morning in the Midships Bar on Three Deck. Usually, I avoid these get-togethers, but this turned out to be a most pleasant gathering.

With the sun warming the outside deck spaces, it was time to take up, again, walking around the ship. The Boat Deck, and areas on decks 9 and 10 provide ample opportunity for walking and relaxation. Cunard’s Queen Victoria is a superbly appointed and sumptuous cruise ship, on which I wouldn’t hesitate booking a future voyage.

Today is not one for being inside.

Thanks for reading, David.

Now I remember why I struggled last year with publishing blogs. Today, it would appear that there is no internet connection. Annoyance among the passengers seems to be at a minimum, although I imagine there is a huge queue at the computer room, “Connexions”. I shall stay away.

Ken and Eileen invited me to join them for lunch today. We met outside the Britannia Restaurant. When I boarded the Coast Starlight at Los Angeles Union Station on 4th February, little did I know that the couple in the seats in front were, not only joining the QV two days later, but were also booked for the 49 night Queen Elizabeth voyage from Vancouver via Alaska, back to the British Isles. Today is their second wedding anniversary. Unbelievable coincidence, that we should meet up during the journey on the Coast Starlight.

At last, I have found something with which to “criticise” the QV. The engine noise and vibration at the far end section of the ship, in the Britannia lower level Restaurant is excessive. This could be partly because of the seas are far from calm. Another “gripe” is that in some of the public rooms, the air conditioning (A/C) is set far too cool. Trains in the UK can often be the same. I don’t quite see the point of cooling these places to an uncomfortable level. Perhaps, when in the middle of Australia, I will be glad of “overzealous” A/C.

I will post these last two blogs when internet connection improves.

All the best, David.

A few pictures taken today:-

1) View from near the Garden Lounge

2 and 3) Looking back from Deck 3

4) Hallway, Deck 2

5) Grand Lobby.

All the best,

David.

We crossed a ninth time zone this morning, affording an extra hour in bed. This was needed as after dinner, last night, I joined table companions Daphne and Nigel firstly in the Queens Room where passengers danced with the elegance of royalty, and then for a Tia Maria in the Commodore Club. Even so, I still managed to miss breakfast, having instead, a substantial salad of ham, mackerel, and a token slice of brie for lunch. Seats by the window in the Lido are much easier to come by than in Queen Mary 2’s Kings Court. I was joined by a couple both of whom were churchwardens at Coventry. They sail to Auckland from where they endure the flight back to the UK. Rather them than me! Also, much to my delight, I met a Swedish couple from last year’s Queen Mary 2 World Voyage, in the Royal Court Theatre where one time Cunard employee, Maureen Ryan gave a well illustrated presentation on her times aboard the QE2. She remains respected greatly, both by seasoned Cunard passengers and present day personnel alike. Miss Ryan had earned her living, not only on the original Queens Mary and Elizabeth as well as QE2, but also on the second Mauretania, second, and possibly third Caronia (ex Vistafjord) as well as other passenger ships which she mentioned during her talk. Ironically, she bought her own ticket for the last voyage of QE2 to Dubai!

Outside, the bright sunshine of morning has given way, late this afternoon to cloudy skies, and, for the first time, small bits of “white” appear on the ocean. I see no evidence of the millions of tons of plastic I am told blight this ocean and washes up on island shorelines. That doesn’t mean to say it’s not there.

My Swedish friends tell me they do not like this ship anything like as much as the “perfect” Queen Mary 2. And the weather hasn’t been much to write home about either. Surely it was hot while transiting the Panama Canal. Certainly, there is a far less exuberant atmosphere on board, this time around. Last year, at Cape Town, around 1,400 disembarked, being replaced by a similar number of Aussies who rather livened the place up. And I was so thrilled to be on that first mega long trip.

What thrills me this year is that once again, my view is of endless ocean, day after day. I shall have to drag myself off the ship in Sydney, but there, the joyous prospect of endless train journeys takes over. But that’s a long time from now. Two more sea days, and then we call at Honolulu. I was spoiled for choice with shore excursions. I chose whale watching. The last time I went whale watching, in San Diego, none appeared! It was a nice boat ride ‘though.

Now, for a few pictures.

1, 2 and 3) Inside the Frank Matcham inspired Royal Court Theatre.

4, 5 6 and 7) In and around the Garden Lounge.

8 and 9) Up,outside, on decks 9 and 10

10) Stateroom 5018. (mine!)

Many thanks for reading,

David.

PS I haven’t yet worked out how to number and caption each illustration individually.

I must have been “shattered”. Last night, after the tedious ritual of boat drill and unpacking, I made my way from “home, for the next three weeks”, my small inside cabin, 5018 to the Britannia Restaurant right at the aft end of the ship on 2 deck. Surprisingly, from what I gather, my table companions, like me each travelling alone, are all taking the full World Voyage. Nigel, Daphne, Mavis(?), and Elizabeth were at my allocated table, 308 last night, leaving three places unoccupied. All are good company and appear to be seasoned cruisers. I declined an invitation to join them in the Commodore Club after dinner; I needed to catch up on some good sleep. I think they “understood”.

The menu seemed slightly limited, but, beef consomme, cod with rice, and prepared fresh fruit (not on the menu), “did the trick”.

Three weeks on here should provide an opportunity to resume a healthy eating regime; my doctor has ordered me in no uncertain terms to lose weight! Thus, my cabin is very well placed, as far as possible from the main dining room, necessitating “endless walking” both before and after dinner.

Cunard’s Queen Victoria (QV) is vastly different to its flagship sister, Queen Mary 2 (QM2). It is of similar design to some of Holland America’s cruise ships. I do like the interior lay out, and I can see why people prefer QV to the flagship QM2. The Lido, (QM2’s Kings Court) is a much better casual eatery than its flagship’ s counterpart. QM2, has in my view, a much greater presence than its two sister ships, and is far less sensitive to the vagaries of the ocean. The Pacific, this morning, appears calm from high up in the Lido. However, there is light turbulence, nonetheless, and certainly, when I retired for the evening last night, the ship “bounced around” somewhat. There are interesting interiors which I shall illustrate as this Pacific crossing from San Francisco to New Zealand and Australia progresses.

I now have my complimentary internet package. However, I have yet to register my credit card. However, I have forgotten the P.I.N. That’s a task for early tomorrow, before 8am, which is 5pm back home.

Right now, it’s 5.15pm as we head to assuredly warmer climes and Honolulu.

This blog amended 17.23 hrs 7/2/19

David.

Check out at the ultra plush Hotel Nikko confirmed I had no outstanding payments, and my bank account would be re-reimbursed accordingly, in around ten days. I took “farewell” pictures in and outside the hotel, managing a brief video of a cable car on Powell Street. All too soon, it was time to collect two pieces of luggage and a couple of “carry-on” bags from where some of them had been left at the hotel during my visit to Long Beach. It’s, surprisingly, a fairly long drive from downtown to Pier 27, from where Cunard’s Queen Victoria will sail, eventually to Southampton. “All aboard” time is 7.30.

Check-in was, actually, quite efficient. I wasn’t required to remove shoes and belt, as frequently happens. No surprise upgrade, however. Being a Diamond World Club Member, Cunard seems less interested in encouraging my loyalty, knowing full well, I am “hooked”.

The ship I have joined at San Francisco is in the middle of its 2019 World Voyage. The last time I was on board Queen Victoria (QV) was for its maiden voyage in Dec. 2007. For whatever reason, places like Oslo and Hamburg were ports of call, which would have been fine during the summer. December is not the best month to be in northern Europe. However, I did enjoy this first cruise, albeit rather muted compared to the phenominal occasion of QM2’s history making maiden voyage to Fort Lauderdale.

The above pictures illustrate:-

1) One of San Francisco’s Big Buses which provide hop-on/off services throughout the day. Note the number plate indicating its British origin.

2 & 3) The name of streets in San Francisco are embossed at the kerb-side. I have never seen this elsewhere. Also, a traditional street sign.

4, 5 and 6) Cafe Mason where I would take breakfast.

7) The Old Siam restaurant where I would fill up on Thai green chicken curry after a day’s travelling or sightseeing.

8) Sculpture of dogs taking photographs, on Powell Street.

9) Hotel lobby, at the Hotel Nikko. The accommodation was equally lavish and spectacularly luxurious.

10 and 11) About to embark.

Below, 12 and 13)

Inside at last, having enjoyed my first snack/lunch in the Lido Restaurant. I have to concede, retirement continues to be fun!

Thanks for reading,

David.