We are onboard!!!

Saturday, January 10, 2009
We are onboard!

As we passed by the “World Cruise 2009” poster which greeted us on the pier and after embarking on the “Queen”, it began to snow!!! It was surreal to be on the balcony of the Queen Victoria in Manhattan watching the world turn white and wintery. We were delayed in our departure due to weather delays from incoming flights but were on our way about 5:30, watching the twinkling NY skyline through the snowflakes and mist.

Our cabin is on the 8th deck, has a lovely balcony (with 2” of snow on the top of the railing!), and two chairs and a small round table. There is glass at the bottom of the rail so we have a full view of the water and world. The room has a 2-seater sofa, nice desk area with all kinds of outlets, a flat screen 15” TV, good lighting, beige walls and golden/cream duvets on the very comfortable beds. And with my four boxes of gifts for my passengers and our five suitcases, carry on, back pack and computer case, we are finding the space challenging but we will shortly be handing out some items and should be able to eliminate a few boxes. We also found extra drawers under the bed so once we get organized, it will do just fine. To give you an idea…the room is approx. 10’x 24’ including the bathroom and closet space! 248 sq. feet

Cunard is an English company so there are many British nationals (including Canadians, Australians, Irish), many Americans and some French, Germany, Spanish and Japanese. Our dinner mates were from the UK and Chicago. One couple will change ships in Ft. Lauderdale onto the larger ship, the Queen Mary 2, and continue their around the world trip going around South America. The other couple will sail with us for 17 days and get off in LA. So many options for length of cruise, destination and accommodations!

Dinner was as expected – superb presentation, selection, quality and service. Soup, salad, smoked salmon with pasta and carrot cake and pistachio ice cream were my choices but there are at least four choices for each course. There is even a "spa menu" so healthy dining is always an option.

Then for the evening’s entertainment in the Royal Court Theatre! Fantastic flautist – Gary Arbuthnot – with such a clear and strong sound; a powerful musician. It is the only theatre with private boxes at sea! It is a beautiful Victorian theatre with very comfortable chairs.

We crawled over the suitcases and boxes and fell into bed, still in a dream world.