On Board Queen Mary 2

♪ Young at Heart ♪

Before we arrive in England we first must cross that big ocean between us!  You can go by plane or by ship.  After having traveled by ship on our visit there in 2015, we knew we would want to make it our means of transportation for our Golden Celebration. 

Many of you have asked questions about this means of traveling.  No, it's not the fastest way to go, but the fastest way is not always the most pleasant.  We wanted to savor every moment while on board this beautiful vessel celebrating our Golden Anniversary.  Folks have been crossing the Atlantic on these ocean liners for many years.

 There is so much to do on a voyage to Southampton and on the return to New York city.  From watercolor classes to ballroom dancing classes to many very interesting lectures, the Queen Mary 2 offers a great variety to enjoy.  On our last trip we tried not to miss a thing the ship offered.  This time we decided we wanted to relax. 

"Slow down, you move too fast"  Simon and Garfunkel 

After breakfast each day we checked the weather to see if we could take our walk around the promenade deck.  Walking three times around the ship adds up to 1.1 mile.  Most days were acceptable to walk.  Some days when we had a slight drizzle we still walked.  Putting on our raincoats and hats made us comfortable.  Who doesn't want to see the beautiful ocean that is surprisingly blue in the North Atlantic?  Breathing in the salty air and walking with my sweetheart was just exhilarating.

You can swim (in a pool) if you wish indoors or out.  Way too chilly for me!

Foggy and eerie can add an air of foreboding and magic.

Maybe a program would interest one of us and we would attend.  Or maybe we would go to the Chart Room and read and relax.  Maybe I'd have my travel journal and write my thoughts about the day.  I bought a lovely poppy covered journal before we left home that just said England to me.  It is full of all of our adventures.

 Every evening after dinner we always attended the evening entertainment.  On the crossing over, the British National Symphony Orchestra was on board to entertain us.  I must say it was my favorite!  So very special.  Under the direction of Anthony Inglis it was pure magic!  

The crossing back home featured RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art)  and was another favorite of ours.  They performed a  play about the missing skull of Shakespeare and an Oscar Wilde play , The Importance of Being Earnest.

The magical moon kept us company as we gazed at its beauty from our stateroom.

Seven days passes quickly even when we relaxed more.  The meals are exquisite on the QM2.  I must admit I enjoyed not having to prepare meals!  Having a break from daily cooking was so enjoyable.  We did enjoy the Galley tour showing the huge kitchen with immaculate conditions.

 Afternoon Tea was a must for us each day.  We decided on our return voyage to skip lunch so we could enjoy Afternoon Tea!  We really had to pace our eating.

There were always wonderful musicians playing for Afternoon Tea in the Queen's Room.

This voyage was a fairy tale for me.  I told Grayden on many occasions that this wonderful journey was not wasted on me! 

Our voyage to England and back was Golden.  Soon, I'll be sharing more about our time in England and Scotland.  The best is yet to come.  We visited the most amazing places that filled our hearts with gratitude and love for our fifty years together. ♥