Disembarkation in Southampton, England

As the saying goes, 'All good things must come to an end'.   After seven wonderful days on the Queen Mary 2, it was time to disembark and begin the next part of our vacation.  We set our alarm for 5:00 a.m. The photo below was taken from our balcony at daybreak as we were approaching Southampton.

We went down to the Britannia dining room for one last meal [breakfast] at 6:30 a.m. and sat with a very nice couple from Scotland. Breakfast was normally 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. but all disembarking passengers ate earlier that day. The dining room wasn't bustling with other travelers yet.

~ Approaching the port at Southampton ~

Our time to disembark was 8:20 a.m. and Cunard had everything well organized.  We walked past the sign below after leaving the Queen Mary 2.

Rows upon rows of luggage sorted by stateroom decks in the Cunard disembarkation terminal.   I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw our two suitcases with the curly orange ribbons on top.

After getting our luggage, we exited the terminal and were directed to the pre-booked coach that would take us to Victoria Station in London.  The two hour coach ride was much more convenient than taking the train.

  

Upon arrival at Victoria Station, we collected our luggage and went outside the station to wait for a taxi to take us to our hotel - Park International on Cromwell Rd. in Kensington.

Our room #223 for the next seven nights.

The first thing on the agenda was walking to The Muffin Man Tea Shop on Wrights Lane, just .06 miles away.  On my previous visits to England I never made it to this tea shop, so it was high on my list this trip.  It's not large, but very quaint and quite busy both inside and outside. Fortunately, the wait for a table wasn't too long.

We ordered a pot of Earl Grey tea and their traditional Muffin Man sandwich [Chicken, crispy bacon pieces, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers with mayo on toasted multi-grain bread].  It was very good.

~ Dessert Counter ~ 

~ Window Display ~

I was so happy to have finally made it to this quaint British tea shop and it was the perfect beginning to our stay in London.

To be continued...

Days 6 and 7 on Queen Mary 2

All play and no work isn't good, so after breakfast on day 6 was laundry day.  The laundry room was conveniently located a few doors away from our stateroom.

Afternoon Tea was at 3:30 as usual. The fun savory below - ham wrapped around cheese and garnished with a squiggle of mustard - looked like a hot dog.

Loved the Battenberg cake for one of the desserts.

Entertainment was the string ensemble.  They were the only group to perform twice during Afternoon Tea.

It was the last Gala Night in the Britannia Dining Room [Roaring 20's], so Jerry and I had dinner in the Kings Court Buffet.  

Our voyage was quickly winding down.  The sun finally came out on our last day at sea, and as we sailed closer to England I saw signs of other Atlantic activity off in the distance - a freighter ship.  The Queen Mary 2 was no longer sailing alone.

On Day 7 we followed our normal routine - breakfast in Briannia and Afternoon Tea at 3:30 p.m.

Afterwards we went to the 12th deck - the observation area of the control room.  The captain and his crew were at work but no photography was permitted.  There were many high-tech monitors but no captain's wheel as in days gone by.  

Then it was up to the 13th deck - the highest deck.  It was very windy and scary.  I was anxious to return to the lower decks.

The deck in the photo below is where the helicopter landed the night of the medical emergency.  Just in front of where Jerry was standing were a few steps leading up to the bow of the ship.  I wouldn't go up there and no one else was up there either.  

When we came back down, the volunteer choir was performing in the Grand Lobby, and they were quite good.  I think Jerry had a twinge of regret that he didn't sing with them.

Soon it was time to get dressed for our last dinner onboard Queen Mary 2.  We were seated next to a very nice lady from Wichita, Kansas [a Baptist minister's wife and travel agent] who was traveling with her 15-year-old grandson from Dallas, Texas.

After dinner we packed our luggage and set it outside our door for pick-up so it would be ready when we disembarked the next morning.  We set our alarm for 5:00 a.m. to have our final breakfast onboard Queen Mary 2 at 6:30 a.m.

To be continued...  

Day 5 on Queen Mary 2

Like all other days onboard the Queen Mary 2, the day began with breakfast in the Britannia dining room.  We were seated beneath the huge painting of the previous RMS [Royal Mail Ship] ocean liner, the original Queen Mary, with the skyline of New York City in the background. 

The Britannia restaurant/dining room has a seating capacity of over 1,000 guests, but since we were running late for breakfast that morning, many passengers had already eaten and left. One of the breakfast menu items I frequently enjoyed was Alpen, a Swiss-style Muesli cereal.

In 2019 we spent one night onboard the original Queen Mary [retired in 1967 and now a hotel, museum and gift shop] permanently moored in Long Beach, California [photos below].  I never dreamed I'd ever have the opportunity and blessing of spending seven days sailing across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2.

The RMS prefix was conferred on the Queen Mary 2 when she entered service in 2004 as a gesture to Cunard's history.  The British mailbox behind me is functional and its contents was scheduled for pick-up when we docked in Southampton, England.

We browsed the gift shop on deck three. Nothing called my name, so we went to the Promenade Deck [deck 7].  It was too chilly to sit, although a few brave souls took advantage of the deck chairs, while we paused for some photos. 

Then we went up to the Observation Deck [deck 11].  

Soon it was time to make our way to the Queen's Room for Afternoon Tea.

A lady sitting at the table next to us told Jerry about the Guest Choir that would be performing in the Grand Lobby on the last full day onboard the ship, and invited Jerry to join them.  He considered it but decided to pass.

Tea time entertainment this day was a pianist.

Unfortunately, I didn't describe the Afternoon Tea savories and desserts in my journal, but I did take pictures.

After tea, Jerry went to the Planetarium on deck 3 for the presentation, 'Worlds Beyond Earth', while I went back to our stateroom to read.  Jerry thoroughly enjoyed the planetarium.

Then we dressed for dinner.

To be continued...

Day 4 on Queen Mary 2

On Monday the rain lifted but was exchanged for some choppy waters.  As I looked out over the vast Atlantic Ocean, my morning devotion, 'The Winds and Waves Obey Him', seemed so appropriate. What a great reminder that our 'Heavenly Captain' has complete control over His creation.  The Queen Mary 2 Captain was in control too and was diligent to keep us updated daily regarding weather conditions and exactly where we were in the Atlantic through 'navigational announcements' every day at noon, and regular printed programs.  It was very sobering, however, to look out over the Atlantic and not see another vessel in sight [although I'm sure military vessels were somewhere].  Presently, the Queen Mary 2 is the only transatlantic ocean liner in service.

We went to breakfast at Britannia, then went to see the ship's large library on deck 8.  I didn't check out any books because I brought two with me to read, but it was interesting to walk the aisles of the eight thousand volume library.

While Jerry explored other areas of the ship, I went down to the Grand Lobby where I could get Internet connection.  I tried to stay in touch with our kids everyday and share highlights of our voyage - especially Jeremy since he was the one who made it all possible.

As I was sitting in the Grand Lobby, two workers came to switch out the large floral arrangement. It was fun to watch their skill and expertise as they worked in tandem.

Before long it was time to go to the Queen's Room for Afternoon Tea.  Today's entertainment was provided by an 8-member dance band and Afternoon Tea was temporarily renamed "Tea Dance."  Musical numbers for several dances were played: waltzes, tangos, foxtrot, etc. The dance floor was opended to any attendees who wanted to dance and several participated.  It was fun to watch. Many couples were very talented. The ship offered Ballroom Dance classes for those interested in participating.

Afterwards we went back to our stateroom to relax a bit before dinner.  Then it was time to get dressed to go to Britannia to eat again!

As much as we enjoyed meeting new people and sitting with them at meal times, we also enjoyed this table for two which was our dinner table for two nights.

To be continued...