Liner Lady

QE2 TRANS-ATLANTIC

JUNE 9 – 15, 1995

SOUTHAMPTON TO NEW YORK

Cabin 2130

I boarded QE2 around 1:30, wheeling all my own stuff.  A young waiter volunteered to help me.  He headed forward from Midships Lobby where I had embarked, so we had to reverse back through to reach cabin 2130 way aft!  My cabin is very pleasant with white walls, a light yellow, blue and white bedspread, a double dresser, yellow and blue chair and stool, and a full- length mirror at the foot of the bed.  The best surprise was to discover I have a new bathtub, plumbing and nice new white tile in the bathroom!  You have to close the door to get at the sink.

After settling my stuff in the closet and drawers, I went to 1 Deck aft.  They have eliminated hamburger heaven and made a curved entry way the whole width of the ship; at least it’s all glassed in.  Pavilion.  There are new stairways on both sides that curve up to the new expanded Lido.  The Magrodome is gone, replaced by a beige ceiling and pillars.  The pool is also gone.  There are scramble-type cafeteria counters in the middle and on starboard side.  Also all around the forward curve where the inner Lido used to be.  It all is much enlarged, and decorated in beige and light with green contrasting “sails” that adorn the pillars.  I spotted Helen Jones there and chatted a bit.  She has just returned from sick leave.

I continued wandering around.  The Queen’s room is newly done as are Midships Bar – now Chart Room, and Theatre Bar is now Golden Lion Pub.  I walked into the Theatre and was pleased to see it is still as it was.  The tech man said they ran out of money so will wait till the next refit.  Forward of that, the Princess Grill Lounge now serves as the Crystal Bar for entrance to the newly decorated Caronia Restaurant (first class) and formerly the Mauretania Restaurant.  John Douglas is still Maitre D.  So I greeted him with a kiss.  He says Muredach is also on board.  Caronia does look fresh and pleasant and features a horse-head fountain in the center.  It is supposed to remind us of the “White Horses” or white caps.

The ship left the dock shortly after three o’clock – tooted the whistle three times and headed very slowly down Southampton Water.  She took the Spithead route around the south side of the Isle of Wight.  Boat drill was held and my station is P on port Lido.  Life preservers are all new!

The Library is very enlarged and has a Bookshop aft of it, where the card room used to be.  I went on to the Grand Lounge, which is newly red carpeted with increased seating.  The dance floor is gone, but the stage is enlarged. The nice double stairway is gone and the aft entrance is closed up and replaced by the sound booth.  I spoke to a young waiter who has just started working today.

Sports Deck has been raised and now you look straight out from the Logo shop onto a basketball court.  The ball causes loud bumps to be heard in the shop.

I had a lovely bath and washed my laundry before dinner, then watched a full hour episode of Keeping Up Appearances, filmed on QE2.  Very funny.

Oh yes, and Dougie Brown and wife are on board.  I introduced myself as his “neighbor” and they remembered me.  We sat to chat 15 minutes or so, then I went to dinner in the newly redone Mauretania Restaurant, which is the old Columbia.  Table 433 at far starboard forward, and my tablemates are Adele, Jim, David, Geoff and Helen.  Jim is a “host.”  Geoff and David are from Huddersfield. (3 Brit men and 3 American women!)

I explored the Pavilion area again.  There are tables, a buffet area in the middle, and a bar on port side.  Women’s lavatory and changing room is on starboard and is quite large.  The men’s counterpart is on portside. At present it seems like a ‘no man’s land,” tucked away under the Lido and between the aft  pool outside; somewhat jammed I think.

The Golden Lion Pub is quite “pubish” done in inlaid brown wood, brass rails, glass upper partitions and red carpet with wooden chairs and tables.  The Chart Room has the Queen Mary piano in it.  Open atmosphere.

I attended the “Lullaby of Broadway” show with good singers and vigorous dancers.  E stairway has historical Cunard posters on the walls on each deck.  The brown woven launching tapestries, depicting the Queen christening QE2, now hang over the stairway at Boat Deck level. They used to hang at Quarter Deck D Stairway landing, where presently is mounted the marvelous large model of the “Mauretania” (some people assert it is the “Lusitania.”

In the Lido the chairs and tables depict a bamboo effect with greenish upholstery; 7 green columns flank the middle section  (3 wide columns) with partitions on either side.  Polynesian-type sails stem from these “partitions” to soften glare of fluorescent lights.  Central – circular – cafeteria and 2- queue cafeteria lines lead from sides to center exit.

Saturday, 10 June:

Full day one!  Breakfast in Lido by aft windows.  I joined a nice lady from the UK and Australia named Iris Towell, and we talked at length about our travels, grand children and so on.  The Harrod’s lecture in Golden Lion Pub was next on my schedule, although I didn’t retain much from it.

I did a walk down A stairway, from Boat Deck, stopping to enter the Caronia restaurant the back way (really the forward way) to photograph the horse-head centerpiece.  Next I photographed the Board Room, which appears to be set up for the bridge players.  At this point it seems like my daily activities don’t account for much compared with the big changes of the renovation, so I shall devote the rest of my pages to changes – not in order of events!

There is a heritage trail set up with historical displays and large ship models in various places.  A huge model of the Mauretania is in a glass case opposite the stairs to the former Columbia (now Mauretania) restaurant.  The QE2 tapestry in brown that was formerly hung here is now on E stairway Boat Deck.

The Laconia cup now resides in the large widthwise corridor between Grand Lounge (inaccessible) and the new Yacht Club.  The Britannia cup is also here.  This corridor has carpeted ramp access as well as central stairs into the bar.  Yacht Club itself now spans the width of the ship with bar on port side, raised “balcony” sections are around a central seating area and on starboard, a dancing area and band stand.  Wooden pillars are a bulging symmetrical shape resembling ten-pins.  The back entrances on both sides open onto aft deck on either side.

I laughed a lot at Duggie Brown’s performance.  Also, I enjoyed “Perfect Match” a singing duo from Scotland. 

Sunday, 11 June:

It was sunny early.  I had breakfast alone at an aft window in the Lido.  Took my panorama photos of the decks in sunshine.  The big motor auxiliaries are removed and empty davits remain.  An open deck was built where Magrodome was, then above that forward is the sports deck, backed up to the shop windows.  I met Iris briefly on Boat Deck.

I am presently sitting in the Crystal Bar just aft of Caronia restaurant.  This too extends the full width of the ship and is decorated in blues alternating dark chairs and lighter textured ones.  It is sparsely adorned leaving only a lone lion facing the long curved bar and stools.  General blah!  Alternately, round and square marble top tables in reddish hue, and supporting pillars in blue, grace the space.  I chatted with David Hamilton and also John Douglass.

I attended the Navigator’s talk. (Engineer Ellis), then Millicent Martin, the actress shared her experiences and did monologues from Shirley Valentine.  I did very little else the rest of the day.  I slept, however.  At cocktail party time, I entered the back way.  Andrew got me a nice fruit punch, then I went out whence I came – to dinner.

Show:  2 dancers and a violinist – electric violin, reels pop and very good interpretations.  I suspect (in retrospect it must have been Doug Cameron, whom I encountered many times in subsequent voyages on both QE2 and QM2, not to mention an NCL ship at one time).

Monday, 12 June:

With hour retardations of the clock each day, I awake earlier.  Breakfast with Iris, then to 1 Deck Lido to read in cool half sun.  Oh yes, I finally caught up with Paul Danby in Yacht Club.  He is in charge of all public rooms and will be assistant restaurant manager in Lido.  He told me the new Yacht Club was lowered in module form onto the place where the old YC had been cut away.  There are ten lifeboats on each side and 4 of them are new Catamaran motor boats.  Helen says the two old ones aft are gone for good!

Scarf tying class – Maureen Ryan:  Time reading in YC:  Lunch with Iris:  Wander.

I met Robert Cheadle in Crystal Bar.  He saved Columbia – remember?  Saw stairway to Britannia Grill – an addition of a class along with Princess Grill 2.  He is manager of the Princess Grill.

Movie:  “The Disclosure”

Hotel Manager’s party at YC – David Hamilton

Baked Alaska parade. Helens Birthday cake.

Attended the Captain’s interview at 2:30.

Hospital on 6 Deck at C stairway, above the so-called gym and inside pool.  Hot.

Doctor’s office is now located on 2 Deck by security at A Stairway.  It also serves as baggage passageway for embarking and disembarking luggage.

I noted the hull is a beautiful dark blue – not navy as before.  Horizontal stripes of blue, gold and red on side as well as under QE2 sign over sun deck.  Yellow Plimsoll line.  Red under.

 Wednesday, 14 June: New York Harbor

I was up very early to see us enter New York harbor in mist.  We went under the Verrazano Bridge, by the Statue of Liberty and slowly passed up to Pier 90 past the Nantucket Light Ship and Intrepid museum.  Remember 2130, the only single Mauretania cabin with tub!!!!! (It appears this is actually a Caronia grade cabin.)

I have failed to locate Club 2000 (but in subsequent years I found it on port side forward of the Lido and between the promenade and the inner corridor with Ladies and Gents and entryway to Queen’s Room.)  It has video games and ping pong table. The afternoon teas are assembled in this corridor daily.

Yesterday’s World Club party in Queen’s Room was ordinary; chatted with current travelers, but didn’t recognize anybody from my previous voyages.

HISTORICAL NOTE:

Queen Elizabeth 2 ran aground off Martha’s Vineyard – Cuttyhunk, August 1992. This was while I was at the Royal School of Church Music course at Salisbury Cathedral singing the Evensongs and Matins and Eucharist during that week.  I received the news while rehearsing, and became emotional for my dear ship.  It was as though I was injured myself!

40- foot draft, 25 knots, 32 foot draft standing still. We learned about “Squat.” Shallow water usually slow speed going into harbors.  This time QE2 was going 25K and they found at that speed in shallow water (40’) the ship “squatted” about 8 feet, the maximum this depth afforded – the difference!

The Pilot accommodated Woodall’s request to increase speed, and he was surprised at the findings.

Charts:  1939 readings on a grid.  Didn’t know what lay between the grid lines.   Divers went down and found 2 large rocks (red (1) and (2) with paint.  Took samples and compared them with samples scraped from QE2, and they matched.  The ship was taken to dry dock in Boston.  The “Squat” phenomenon was never known till these figures were tested, and graphically illustrated!