Trip of a Lifetime - Queen Mary 2

We were on the Queen Mary 2 for seven days [Aug. 18-25], 7 days in England and 3 days in Paris.  It would be hard to choose a favorite as they were all wonderful experiences.  I took about 775 pictures so it will take some time to sort and edit them to share, plus the ones my hubby took on his i-Phone, but it will gradually get done.

The Atlantic was calm and all we felt was a gentle swaying/rocking motion.  I was prepared with Sea-Band nausea relief wristbands, but didn't need them. It has taken some time to get my equilibrium back to normal from the swaying of the ship, trains, underground tubes, and airplanes though.  I felt a swaying sensation even when I was standing on firm ground.

The Atlantic Ocean as far as the eye could see.

This picture reminded me of the Bible verse, '...How wide and long, and deep is the love of Christ...'. [Ephesians 3:18]

The Queen Mary 2 was luxurious and enjoyable.  It is the only oceanliner in existence today.

I kept a journal, as well as writing notes on my i-Phone which has been very helpful in recalling all the details of the trip.

Our first meal on the Queen Mary 2 was dinner at 6:00 p.m. in the majestic Britiannia - the ship's largest and main dining room on deck 2 & 3.  We chose the earlier seating, as opposed to the second 8:30 p.m. seating.  Originally, our assigned seats were at table 615, but it was changed later in the voyage.  Our dining options were the Britannia dining room, Kings Court [a buffet on deck 7], Golden Lion [a pub menu on deck 2] or room service. We stayed with Britannia for all but two meals.  There were two gala nights in Britannia where formal attire was required, and since we didn't have room in our luggage to pack formal wear, we skipped those events and ate at Kings Court.  The theme of one gala event was red and gold, and the other was Roaring 20's.  For those who participated, the outfits were stunning.  There are several other dining facilities on the ship for additional charges.

Servers waiting to take dinner guests to their tables.  The wait staff are predominately male.  We only saw two female servers the entire time in the Britannia dining room.

Crisp white table linens at every meal, and the male servers always placed the napkin in the lap of each guest when they were seated.

At our first meal we were seated with a couple from Connecticut and another from South Carolina.  Both couples were our age. There were some younger couples on board with children, but most were our age and older. 

Our first meal on board the ship [menus provided multiple options] was baked cod with vegetables.  The food was always delicious with an appealing presentation.

Fresh flowers were always on every table.

I had tea at every meal and there was only one offering - Twinings English Breakfast.  I would have bought one of the Cunard teapots had they been for sale in the ship's gift shop, but none were available for purchase.

The Grand Lobby on deck 2 was beautiful.  It was located right by the Pursers Counter, and was the only place on board where passengers were assured of Internet connection.  Wi-Fi was an option we chose to get throughout the voyage.  

There were fresh floral arrangements throughout the ship.  Since sunflowers are my favorite flower I coulnd't resist taking a photo of this arrangement.

Each night, while we were at dinner, our steward, Michael, came into our stateroom and left chocolates on our bed and a program for the next day's activities.  You could be as busy as you wanted to be while onboard because there was an activity to suit everyone's interests.  If you didn't want to do anything but relax, that was okay too.

Elevator Corridor to Staterooms.

Portrait of Samuel Cunard - founder of the first regular Atlantic steamship line.

Queen Elizabeth II christened Queen Mary 2 in January 2004 when the ship made its debute.

~ Painting of Queen Mary 2 ~

~ Original Queen Mary 2 Bell ~

If we didn't get enough tea with our meal, every stateroom had a tea station with Wedgwood cups.  Jerry utilized this every morning when he made his tea to take out on the balcony to drink while having his devotions.

The ending of Day 1 onboard Queen Mary 2.   More voyage posts to be continued...

The Trip of a Lifetime

I've been missing from my blog for a few weeks because of travel.  I returned home Sunday night and will relive the trip with you through several blog posts.  Be forewarned, the posts will be lengthy as there's so much to share.

We set our alarm clock for 3:30 a.m. on Thursday morning, August 17th, and our daughter and son-in-law drove my hubby and I to Detroit Metro Airport for the beginning of a very special adventure.  The terminal was bustling with travelers.

We hadn't flown since 2019 [pre-COVID] and were surprised at some of the changes such as self-serve machines to print luggage tags - no small feat for technically challenged seniors!   But because we were over 72 years of age, we didn't have to remove our shoes going through security, so that was a senior perk.  

After going through security we made our way to Gate A68.  Why is it our flights are always at the very last gate?  Exercise is a good thing, right?

Our Delta flight left at 10:00 a.m. and landed at LaGuardia Airport in New York City at 11:49 a.m.  Because Jerry is a military veteran, we got to be among the first to board the plane.  I was SO relieved our luggage didn't exceed the 50 lb. limit and it made it to LaGuardia with us, on a very smooth flight.

A New York yellow taxi took us to Hephizibah House - a brownstone townhouse at 51 W. 75th Street in Manhattan where we spent our first night.  It's the same place we stayed in 2016 when we went to NYC for our 50th Wedding Anniversary, and ironically we got the same room again on the second floor.  

Around 1:00 o'clock, after our luggage was taken to our room, Jerry and I went walking in search of a sandwich shop.

I loved all the sidewalk cafes and fruit and flower stands that remind me so much of England - very old-world.  We saw lots of food trucks too, but ended up at a lunch place called Sweet Green where we got two BBQ Chicken Salads with Focaccia Bread and Hibiscus Tea.

A very pleasant bonus was that our youngest son, Jeremy, was in New York City at the same time.  He had taken his oldest daughter, Isabella [Izzy] to NYC as part of her high school graduation present.  They were staying at Hugo Hotel in SoHo but came over to meet us for dinner at an Italian restaurant that was two blocks from our room - Pappardella's.  

New York City has rebounded from the COVID shutdown, and the City was bustling with people.

Picture of restaurant taken the next morning on our way to breakfast.

Hephzibah House is a Christian Guest House, and our son, Steve, made arrangements for us to stay there. Normally it's for those in full-time Christian ministry, but Steve explained we were his parents and attend his church where we are actively involved, and they made an allowance for us. It was built in 1893 - the same time period as The Whitney where I work, and I couldn't get over the similarities of the wood trim and decorative ceilings between the two houses. I had to take photos to send back to my retired boss. Craftmanship like that is nonexistent today.  F.Y.I. the name Hephzibah comes from Isaiah 62:4 "You shall be called Hephzibah for the Lord delights in you."

On Friday morning, Aug. 18th, the girl at the front desk recommended we go to Friedmans Restaurant for breakfast at 50 W. 72nd Street, just a short walk from Hephzibah House.

With full tummies to fortify us for the exciting day ahead, we made our way back to our lodging to get our luggage and await the Lyft driver who would take us to Red Hook Cruise Terminal at Pier #12 in Brooklyn.  Our youngest son, Jeremy, gifted us with a transatlantic voyage to England and our journey was about to begin.  Rain had been predicted, but it turned out to be a beautiful day for sailing.  It was so exciting when the tall smokestacks of the Queen Mary 2 came into view.

Our appointed time to arrive at the terminal was 1:30 p.m.

Designated people took our luggage, which was tagged with tickets Cunard e-mailed us.

Do you like the orange curly bow for identification purposes?  ;-)

There were two separate security lines to go through before we entered a huge waiting room with many other passengers.  Our group to go onboard was #61, and we patiently waited for that number to be called.  All procedures were very organized.

Walking on board the Queen Mary 2

We immediately went to our sheltered balcony stateroom, #4035 on the 4th deck.  After watching a mandatory instructional video, we went up to the 7th Promenade Deck to await the momentous shove off that would begin our exciting journey across the Atlantic.

 

A bottle of champagne was waiting for us in our stateroom's refrigerator compliments of Cunard, but since we don't imbibe alcohol, we left it for the next occupants. 

One side of the ship before shove off...

To the other side [and very windy].

We were supposed to shove off at 5:00 p.m. but the ship didn't actually start moving until 5:30 p.m.

New York City skyline as seen from the 7th Deck of the Queen Mary 2 while she gently glided through New York Harbor fed by the Hudson River.

~ Lady Liberty ~

To be continued...