Being onboard the QM2 was like a dream for me. I never thought I would be able to ride in such style. Grayden and I love to cruise. We have been fortunate to cruise several times. Remember we are the folks who love an adventure. When we began to plan our trip to England we decided to take the QM2 instead of flying. We have flown to Europe several times and it is a long exhausting trip--one has to deal with a crowded airplane and also the time changes that bring about jet lag that can be hard to get over. Even with the amount of time we were spending on the crossing, it was a great way to ease into our adventure. It was wonderful getting to know many wonderful folks from England. At our dining table we had folks from Cornwall and the Channel Islands.
Who can turn down being spoiled every day with wonderful meals, afternoon tea and wonderful entertainment. We literally had a vacation before our vacation and then again on the journey home.
Cunard was celebrating their 175th anniversary of sailing the ocean. We felt very special to be part of this celebration. Cunard is a British Line so it eased us into the culture that would await us.
The Queen Mary was built specifically for ocean crossing. Even though we had 20ft seas some days, she handled the rough seas beautifully. The Captain reminded us of her not being a cruise ship. We were not going to be stopping along the way. This was a voyage or a crossing as he liked to point out. I never felt seasick or queasy--Thankfully! I was prepared if that feeling did come to me. Our son Grady recommended a product called Motion Ease. He loves deep sea fishing and has experience in this matter. I never had to use it. No Mal de Mer--thank goodness!
I enjoyed the Captain's updates at noon every day. Crossing in the North Atlantic is quite different than cruising the Caribbean. He reminded us of our coordinates and water depths under the ship. I was reminded of how small we are in comparison to this big ocean. I was also reminded of what a wonderful world we live in and how fragile life is. Our journey to England across the North Atlantic was also a spiritual journey for me---one of reflection of what life is and how small we really are in relation to the big beautiful ocean we were crossing.
We learned many interesting facts about the Queen Mary 2 and her predecessor the Queen Mary. When Cunard wanted to name the original ship they wanted it to be named after Queen Victoria. When the CEO of Cunard approached King George V, he announced that Cunard wanted to name the ship after the greatest queen that England had ever had. King George thanked him and said he would tell his wife, Queen Mary, that evening. Of course the CEO didn't say a word and Cunard went with Queen Mary!
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| King George V and Queen Mary |
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| Queen Mary 2 Model in the foyer of Queen's Room |
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| Me and the Queen's Guard Footman |
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| Phillip Morris Stewards from Queen Mary |
There is so much history to this ship and all the great ocean liners of yesteryear. I feel really blessed to have been able to experience some of that great history myself. Of course, we were still awaiting anxiously our arrival in Southampton so we could begin our tour of England.
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| Copy of Magna Carta on loan from Salisbury in the Grand Lobby |
So much to comment on! First, I LOVE your header! Just wonderful! And I too have read Susan Branch's book and would send sections of her blog during her trip to a friend also touring England at the same time. I like what the captain said about this is a crossing. When I was young I remember taking my grandparents to the Queen Mary (maybe the first one?) for their voyage and we could go on the ship and see everything before they left. I don't think you mentioned how long your voyage was. Your mention of time to think, etc. reminds me of how in the 1930s and 40s and before (of course) missionaries used to cross over to Africa or India on cargo ships--sometimes a three month trip and how much time they had to think, rest, study their Bibles, write, and prepare for what lay ahead. etc.
ReplyDeleteLook forward to hearing more!
Dotsie, how exciting that you took your grandparents on the Queen Mary--I'm sure it must have been the first Queen as the QM2 was put into service in 2003! In the 70's we toured the Queen Mary before they had done all the renovations to her as a hotel. It was definitely a grand ship. Our crossing was just seven days--I can't imagine what it must have been like for missionaries on cargo ships for three months! ♥
DeleteThanks for finding me and leaving me a comment. What a wonderful post here---it looks like a wonderful, wonderful Holiday. I am on break right now but wanted you to know I got your comment. I am your newest follower and will put you on my sidebar. xo Diana
ReplyDeleteDiana, it was the most wonderful holiday! Thank you for stopping by. It's been so nice getting to know so many wonderful women since beginning my blog. Thank you for the follow! ♥
DeleteI love your header, too. That's a great story about how it came to be known as Queen Mary. I hope you will show us your cabin. After Susan's trip I looked on-line to see what the less expensive cabins cost and wondered if I'd be as happy in one of them after seeing Susan's with the balcony! But if it meant not going at all, I'm sure I'd be happy with sleeping on the couch in the lounge! I've also read there are parts of the ship you're less likely to get sea sick in. I have no idea if I'd get sick. It's wonderful that you didn't.
ReplyDeleteCathy, we typically book inside cabins on ships. Number one it is less expensive and two we don't spend much time in our stateroom. We had an inside stateroom on both crossings and were very pleased with the space to store all of our belongings. As far as placement of staterooms on a ship Grayden ( who worked for the Navy his entire career) says it is best to book the lowest available deck and a little behind midway of the ship. We were on deck six of the QM2 and midway and had no problems---Top decks of course feel the sway a lot more--That being said, QM2 was the smoothest ship either one of us has been on. ♥
DeleteI've never had any desire to go on a cruise...until now. LOL Truly. I do think the QM2 would be a wonderful experience. Sure sounds amazing. Quite the way to kick off your England trip!
ReplyDeleteJudy, being the Anglophile you are, you would love going by way of the QM2 to England! ♥
DeleteHow wonderful that you had such good sea legs! I remember how very ill Susan was. It had to be very pleasant to slip into the adventure. Now I am eager to know if your husband will drive and maybe scream a bit. LOL!
ReplyDeleteVee, oh yes, Grayden did drive, but he didn't do the screaming--that would have been me! ♥
DeleteWhat a wonderful way to travel, Martha Ellen! I love the story about how the ship was named. I could just feel the elegance in every corner of the ship. What kinds of activities did you do to fill your time during the seven day crossing? Just loved seeing the beautiful photos of you, Martha Ellen! ♡Dawn
ReplyDeleteDawn, thank you for your kind words. If you can stand it, I'll do a post on the activities that Grayden and I participatied in. We really had to be careful and spend down time as the ship offered so many interesting activities. ♥
DeleteWatch out for those hedges! LOL
ReplyDeleteMy husband told me sometime ago," I don't go on cruises, I do crossings." He is the Ship's Communications Officer for Military Sealift Command. LOL
I am so glad you enjoyed yours. Is that the ship's wake in the side by side picture with the calm sea?
Margot, please thank your husband for his service and to you also for your sacrifices as a military wife. Yes, those hedges, as lovely as they were, were so close to me! I do believe being a passenger was almost as hard as being the driver. ♥
DeleteMargot, that is the ship's wake. ♥
DeleteI'm not much of a cruise person (hard to believe coming from a naval family), but I love seeing your photos. Looks like a wonderful trip, XOXO
ReplyDeleteSusan, I have heard the same comment from other Navy servicemen. They never want to be on a ship again! xoxo ♥
DeleteMartha!!!
ReplyDeleteOh this is awesome how you are laying this out!! When I focused in on the painting in the begining
I was surprised at the huge size, and it gave me a perspective on the SIZE!!!! I chuckled dearly at the story of the best Queen ever!!!
You must still be in a cloud!!!
Thanks for sharing these goodies and your joy with us;-)
Lots of love, Linnie
PS You're a real CUTIE in the pictures!! :-D xx oo
Linnie, the QM2 is a massive ship. It is a city on the ocean! Thank you for joining me on my journey there again. I'm so enjoying sharing my adventure! xoxo ♥
DeleteThe voyage begins! I can see how being aboard this ship on such a vast expanse of sea would make one see the world in a very different light..I've been aboard ships before, but never to travel such a distance. I will be interested to learn how you spent each day and if the voyage began to seem too long...was it a 2 week journey?
ReplyDeleteJeri, our voyage lasted seven days. I hope to soon post a little about our days onboard. There was time for reflection about life in general and the eastbound crossing was filled with the excitement of anticipation of England. It didn't seem too long at all. ♥
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a luxuriously lovely and relaxing place to be for those days of crossing...especially since you were never seasick!!
ReplyDeleteIt was a wonderful way to go, Cheryl. I'm now in withdrawal! ♥
DeleteWell you answered my question about activities and I guess 7 days is relatively easy, especially with such great food and entertainment. Walking the deck in the brisk cold air must have been wonderfully refreshing!
ReplyDeleteJeri, it was a wonderful place to walk! Some days, though, we had to cut it short as it was so windy--The deck wind speed was sometimes as much as 35-50 miles an hour! I sometimes felt like I would blow away if it weren't for holding my husband's arm! ♥
DeleteIf you're going to travel, travel in style.
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy for you, what an experience.
Amalia
xo
Amalia, I think we are spoiled now for future travels! Thank you for coming along. xo ♥
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