Live from the RCOA - on QM2

[Bell Boy]

Each cruiser has his or her own view or experience of a ship. I do not consider them "ridiculous" at all. Because they do not paint the QM2 in rosy tones as the most wonderful experience in the world does not mean that they are not valuable. Each to his own. The engine problems and the axing of Mauritius would have certainly taken the gloss off my trip.

I enjoy reading Whitemarsh's blog posts but just because he is enjoying the ship does not mean that everyone will and they are perfectly entitled to make their own opinions known. As with all reviews one should look for the middle - pay less attention to the overly glowing and negative and more attention to the realistic.

 

Hello Aussieflyer, I quite agree with you, ofcourse reviews are very valuable, they are certainly a help me (and I'm sure others too) in making decisions when booking future cruises

 

I was only highlighting one aspect of a certain reviewer's comments regarding '"Dead ends because of the classes" and the "continual emphasis on class where never the twain shall meet"

 

For those of us who know Cunard/QM2, that is not realistic,that's just ridiculous.

 

Aussieflyer, you and I are not here to hijack Peter's blog, so I won't comment any further ( and I trust others won't) as this topic belongs to another thread. Lets just sit back and enjoy another installment of Whitemarsh.

 

Bell Boy:)

[Bell Boy]

Good Morning Pushka, Just to clarify (post #120)....... Grill guests are able to experience the Britannia restaurant any day for 'Beakfast or Lunch' ( due to open seating) and occasionally some grill guests will choose to. Evenings are not quite as practical due to dedicated seating. However, the Britannia Maitre d' will endeavour to find a spare table if pre arranged.

 

Bell Boy ;)

[Aussieflyer]

I agree BellBoy - the thread belongs to Whitemarsh's blog. He is certainly keeping us up with all the activity. Not many others would be prepared to use their valuable cruise time to write such detailed posts on their experiences. It makes interesting reading.

[Whitemarsh]

Another fantastic day at sea. God I love sea days, they're so revitalising. We awoke at around 8:15 and had some juice and a quick squiz at everything from the balcony. Since last night we're well clear of the Cape York Peninsula and are now in open water. The colour of the sea has changed from that lovely light green to a deep blue again. It's still hot, and the sun is shining, and there are plenty of early risers wandering around down on deck 7 below. We make our way down to the Princess Grill for breakfast and are surprised to see so many people having breakfast. Perhaps everyone's enjoying getting up later like we are. We have eggs benedict with smoked salmon and a side of american bacon. Louise joins us for breakfast and we stay quite late as we're all enjoying the conversation.

 

After breakfast, and a quick sojourn on the balcony, I head down to Illuminations on deck 3 for the second Chris Frame lecture. Chris is a noted Cunard historian who has written a number of books on Cunard ships, some of which I have. He's also an Australian to boot. Illuminations is already quite full but luckily there are a number of seats free in the middle of the row I want. I enter the row and say "excuse me" when I get to the first person seated in my way. Bizarrely they look at me strangely for a second as though they're not quite sure what I'm doing. I watch the cogs turning and eventually the mystery is solved for them and they move their legs in and allow me past. I get to my seat and wait for the lecture to start. I notice that catamaran lady is seated a couple of rows in front and next to her is the older lady that she told off, back on the catamaran. It must be her mother.

 

Chris comes on and starts the lecture. It's very good, it's about the White Star Line - Cunard's unlucky competitor. The lecture is very good but runs overtime as a lady was taken ill during the lecture, so we missed the Commodore's midday announcement.

 

Returning to my stateroom I find Robin relaxing out on the balcony. We get changed, slip-slop-slap, and head off to the Terrace Pool on deck 8. The pool is quite busy and Vibz are there setting up for a gig. The water in the pool is just the right temperature and I'm having a great time swimming back and forth. Vibz start doing their thing and everyone is enjoying the music, even me. As much as I believe Vibz and G32 don't mix (it's a nightclub after all) I will say that Vibz are perfectly suited to outdoor fun-in-the-sun events and playing by pools. So there, I enjoyed Vibz.

 

Whilst I'm swimming I compare the transatlantic voyage to this one and decide that, overall, I'm enjoying this more. Being able to fully use the pools and outdoor areas is a real plus. It's great that the QM2 can do either a transatlantic or tropical cruise and be be perfectly suited to the environment. There's another difference as well. Being in a hot climate most men are wearing shorts during the day. I am wearing them at breakfast and lunch. It's just too hot to be wearing long pants during the day.

 

Robin spies the ex-mystery table mates up on the Grills deck and gives them a wave. He tells me he ran into them this morning and had a chat with the lady. They're very chatty for people that asked to be moved to a different table. I suppose Robin's charms still hold some sway over them.

 

After a relaxing swim we headed up to the Grills deck. We decide we're having too much fun to go to lunch and so remain on the deck and have the sandwiches that are provided. Everyone's reading and laying in the sun or laying under the shade of deck 12, which hangs over a third of the Grills deck. I peruse the daily program and I'm interested to see that an event is being hosted by a social hostess by the name of 'Feda'. She sounds rather like a Star Wars version of the current social hostess Freda. :)

 

By 14:30 we both have had enough lying around and reading so it's time to do something else. The inaugural Shrove Tuesday pancake flipping race is scheduled for 14:30 so we make our way up to deck 13. When we get there we find a large crowd surrounding a fenced off area which contains a lot of excited staff. Keith Maynard welcomes the crowd and explains the rules. There are a number of teams, all from the hotel area of the ship. There are representatives from the chefs, the purser's desk, the Cunard dancers, the Britannia waitstaff, the Grills waitstaff, the deck bar attendants and some others I can't remember. The first two teams are drawn out of a hat and the races begin. It's soon evident that the wind is going to play a big part in disrupting events as every now and then there is a huge gust of wind that sends a pancake flying.

 

It's a lot of fun and the passengers are really getting into it too. I see Commodore Rynd has turned up to have a look as well. We're pleased to see that the Grills team wins their heat and moves forward to the semi-finals. After a while we decide to leave, having watched enough. I thought it was a really good event which was enjoyed by a large number of people. They should keep this up each year, it's good fun.

 

We go back to the stateroom and change for afternoon tea down in the Queens Grill lounge. The guy with the cranky pants was there again but he has made some improvement it seems and manages to crack the permanently disinterested look from his face and replace it with a sort-of smile. For afternoon tea I have a cucumber sandwich, two fruit flans and a scone. They are all very delicious.

 

Afternoon tea finishes in a shorter than normal timespan today as I have an appointment at the Canon Ranch Spa for a facial. It's a deep cleansing facial for $99 (normally more but it's part of the spa package I booked). I fill out the questionnaire as I wait for the therapist. She's very nice and soon enough I find myself in a little room awaiting the magic to begin. "I want to look like this" I tell the therapist as I hold up a picture of Brad Pitt. Just kidding. That never happened but I did have a really nice facial and my skin feels very smooth. I lost count of the number of times I had something smoothed over me and taken off. I had a mask set and then peeled off. There was even a machine that zapped my skin to create "oxygen (or ozone) and an antibacterial barrier.

 

It was all very nice and left me just enough time to catch the last couple of minutes of the FOD in the Commodore Club. I heard a story about a man on a transatlantic who claimed to be a lord but was an obvious fake. It was very funny. Sadly there was no gossip of any substance at the FOD today.

 

After the FOD was finished I headed up to my stateroom to get changed for dinner, tonight's dress code is formal. Speaking of formal nights, Jane and I are both sad there are not more on this voyage, we think everyone looks so elegant. Entering the Princess Grill we are escorted to our table by the head waiter and we see that we are the first from our table to arrive as usual. Louise arrives first and Jane second. Tonights dinner is very enjoyable and we all have a great time. Louise regales us with tales of fights aboard the QE2 that started in the laundry and ended up in the disembarkation of passengers. Jane leaves early to catch the encore Lorraine Brown show (they are still highlighting on the program that she's blossomed as a performer after leaving her band?) and the rest of us remain to chat. The conservation moves quickly from one topic to another. One minute we're talking about the Margaret Thatcher film and the next we're discussing a watermelon Rosemary's baby. That's right, a watermelon Rosemary's baby. We segued from the way the orange peels are sliced and presented on the plates, which we've all agreed are a tad satanic, to a watermelon Rosemary's baby. Ah wine…...

 

Dinner over we said goodnight to Louise and went for a walk through the ship. After meandering through the photo gallery we passed the blond lady with the dark sunglasses sitting in the same spot in Sir Samuel's, she must really like it there - at night...in her sunnies. We do a little shopping and purchase another aftershave. Happily we run into Ian & Russell from the Queens Grill and decide to head up to the Commodore Club for a drink. I'd forgotten how fun that place can be a night and we had a great time drinking and laughing. Unfortunately we did see a couple that were dressed in daywear (no jacket or anything). Perhaps they're are that couple that posted on here a while back to say that they'd booked a QM2 trip but didn't own any formal gear. Well they forgot to add that they didn't own any elegant casual gear either because they weren't wearing that either.

 

Another excellent day and a wonderful evening. Darwin is next and another shore tour.

[Alibobs]

Whitemarsh, I am a newbie to this forum but will be travelling on the QM2 this summer and am really enjoying reading your posts - my appetite is thoroughly whetted!

[dancer11]

You bring back happy memories of our world cruise last year, though we were in Britannia Club. There too the service was wonderful and attentive,we felt very pampered by the entire club staff.

As you have noted, it is too bad that QM2 has to dock at industrial ports, but we were thankful for her size, which provided us with an extremely calm sea for 3 months.

I hope one day to try the grills, it sounds lovely. I have diamonds, but they may not be large enough, by what you describe!

Happy journey

[Westaussie]

Hope you have had a good day in Darwin and an interesting shore tour. Look forward to next instalment!

[capnpugwash]

The Cruise Critic book is often to be found behind the bar in the Commodore Club.

[Pushka]

Thanks again Peter.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rgaudet]

Another fantastic day at sea. God I love sea days, they're so revitalising.

 

<snip>

 

Whilst I'm swimming I compare the transatlantic voyage to this one and decide that, overall, I'm enjoying this more. Being able to fully use the pools and outdoor areas is a real plus.

 

I think you are suggesting sea days + warm weather would be perfection!

 

If you had to choose a cold sea day or a warm port day, what would it be? Not speaking from a lot of experience, I'd vote cold sea day!

 

Rob

[Bell Boy]

Hey Peter you're late on parade ! and we are all suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

 

 

Bell Boy :D

[QM1]

Each cruiser has his or her own view or experience of a ship. I do not consider them "ridiculous" at all. Because they do not paint the QM2 in rosy tones as the most wonderful experience in the world does not mean that they are not valuable. Each to his own. The engine problems and the axing of Mauritius would have certainly taken the gloss off my trip.

 

Of cause each one makes his own experience. But I would dismiss anyone giving a cruise experience on the QM2 just two or even only one star as an agent provocateur trying to bring the rates down for the sake of it. Even on its worst day the QM2 in the lowest-grade cabin imho should deliver 3 out of 5. I cant comprehend that anything lower is possible on this wonderful ship.

I think if there is someone constantly complaining about unfriendly or otherwise bad service etc. chances are high that actually the one making the frequent complaints is the problem.

[Whitemarsh]

I think you are suggesting sea days + warm weather would be perfection!

 

If you had to choose a cold sea day or a warm port day, what would it be? Not speaking from a lot of experience, I'd vote cold sea day!

 

Rob

 

I'd go with a cold sea day as well. But after having experienced QM2 in warm waters I do think I'll prefer her that way in the future.

 

Hey Peter you're late on parade ! and we are all suffering from withdrawal symptoms.

Bell Boy :D

 

I know, sorry about that. I should be right to go tomorrow evening.

[Bispham Boo]

Whitemarsh,

really enjoying your postings, both the detail of the cruise itself but also of Australia - a country I have many happy memories of. Including a failed attempt to get to the Reef from Cairns :)

[rgaudet]

I thought those reading (and writing) this thread would be interested in this video that just came up for me on my youtube recommendations. You know, I love the Cunard videos, but this is hard to beat for selling the QM2. Fantastic!

 

[Pushka]

I thought those reading (and writing) this thread would be interested in this video that just came up for me on my youtube recommendations. You know, I love the Cunard videos, but this is hard to beat for selling the QM2. Fantastic!

 

That's the one on the Cunard blog. It is a good marketing and a nice souvenir for those onboard to download and keep. Just wish that sign wasn't there. :(

 

In Bali today; hope all is going well. And hot no doubt. And after Bali she turns and makes her way back to Fremantle and Adelaide. :p

[rgaudet]

In Bali today; hope all is going well. And hot no doubt. And after Bali she turns and makes her way back to Fremantle and Adelaide. :p

 

I'm very jealous of all on board! Enjoy it!

[Whitemarsh]

Hi everyone,

 

This post is from the day in Darwin.

 

 

Darwin. I saw it through the window of the tour mini-van and it looked like Lego Town; all the buildings look the same due to Cyclone Tracy and the subsequent building restrictions. In all honesty I can't really comment on Darwin as I still really haven't visited, I've just been driven through it to the airport.

 

Speaking of airports, we had to be at Illuminnations at ten past seven this morning for our Kakadu tour. The original start time wasn't as early, but somewhere between Brisbane and the Cairns the ship got told it had to leave Darwin by 4 instead of 5. Well that meant we wouldn't be eating in the restaurant, nor would we be having room service as the earliest delivery time is between 7:00 - 7:15, and things being as they are this would be the one day the tray arrives at 7:15. So without any further ado we became courtiers for the morning; Kings Courtiers to use our full title. I have to say that breakfast as a courtier is very different kettle-of-fish to breakfast in the restaurant. For starters, we are woefully inexperienced in our lack of KC knowledge. This , and the fact that we also lack that Kings Court can-do spirit, really set us back when it came to fighting our way through the crowds to the all-you-can-eat bain-maries. "Will there be enough food for everyone?" seemed to be the question on some of the courtier's minds. "No there won't" must have been the answer that came back, based on the amount of food some people had on their plates. Feeling like amateurs in a professional eating contest, we sat there with our coffee and danish; losers, before we'd even begun.

 

But all pity-parties must eventually come to an end and we raced down to the Illuminations for our 7:10am meeting time. Handed our blue 5 stickers we made our way to the are of Illuminations that was 'blue 5' designated. Kathy from the roll-call was there and we chatted about shore tours etc. It didn't take long before our number was called and we were walking down the gangway towards the dock. I was surprised to see an ambulance present with two gurneys waiting at the bottom of the gangway. After we had passed the took the gurneys up the gangway and into the ship. I found out later that a man had broken his leg playing shuffleboard and bone had pierced the skin. He was apparently flown someone for treatment and will meet back with the ship in Fremantle. Poor bugger. In addition to him, there was a passenger with a tooth that required an extraction ( we think) and was taken off the ship to have this done and returned before we left Darwin. I'm not sure if the gurneys were for them or not.

 

In no time at all we were all accounted for (13) and on the mini-van and en-route to the airport. As I mentioned before the route to the airport took us away from the town centre so I have no idea of what it was like. Later that night I was told that the town centre seemed to be filled with QM2 passengers all having coffee, but that may have been an exaggeration. Arriving at the airport after a quick 20 minute drive our three pilots gave us orange & ginger juice to ward off any travel sickness. They were all very young (early to mid-twenties) and I understand from other passengers that this type of thing is normal in the aviation industry (pilots working in remote or regional areas to build up their experience and hours before they are considered for commercial planes etc). The majority of the passengers on this tour were Americans followed by Australians and a handful of Germans. We were divided into three planes, the largest went to the Americans and the Australians and Germans were divided into the remaining two planes. According to our pilot (and he should know) our plane was a Cessna 210. There were four of us in this little plane, the pilot and a German lady up front and Robin and I in the back. This plane was very small, the smallest I have ever been on. It's a single engine plane with a propellor at the front. About the only time I ever hear about these types of planes is when they're falling out of the sky over some regional part of Australia, so I will admit that I was slightly nervous.

 

Shortly we taxied from our standing position and out onto the runway. The takeoff was a lot of fun and the flying experience in one of these planes is so unlike flying in a commercial jet as to be an almost completely different form of travel. We flew at an altitude of 1500 feet and from that height were able to take amazing pictures and see everything in great detail. The landscape around Darwin is wonderfully excotic and reminds me slightly of Africa (the Africa I've seen in the movies - having never been there) with the twisting rivers, swamps and endless miles of trees and greenery. We're taken on the scenic route and the pilot informs us of various rivers and landmarks. Passing over the Mary river we're informed that there is one crocodile per 30 metres in that particular river, which makes it one of the most crocodile infested rivers in the territory. Happily the plane makes it over the river.

 

After a while we arrive at the Kakadu escarpment and the view is breathtaking. The sandstone cliffs are tinged red and withered away by wind and water to create the most bizarre landscape. River's cascade off the cliffs and create towering rainfalls that are an amazing sight from our plane. Our pilot is very accommodating and circles around so that both sides of the plane get a photo opportunity. We continue inland and within an hour the pilot is preparing to land at what is essentially a clearing with a dirt strip runway down the middle. Amazingly the landing is very smooth and I tell the pilot so, he seems pleased with that. As we're the first plane to touch down we wait for the other two to arrive. It's all very 'safari' like, standing next to a little plane, on a dirt runway in the middle of nowhere.

 

The other two planes touch down and we all board our bus for the resort/tourist centre. Upon arrival we make our way down to the river to board the boats for our cruise. Interestingly the path to the boats is on a very high embankment, there are crocodile warning signs everywhere and one of the pilots tells us that during the wet season the waters can come up as high as the embankment, which is why it was built.

 

Our riverboat is made of steel and is compromised of open sides with rows of seats all facing forward and a passageway down the middle. Our river guide stands down the back and drives the boat. The river cruise itself is very interesting and we see lots of native birds. It's very hot and somewhat like being in a Swedish sauna. The heat is draining and we both agree that we couldn't live here. The 'indian summer' like atmosphere is suddenly pierced by the excited announcement of a female passenger at the front of the boat. "Crocodile" she shouts and the boat is suddenly a hive of activity as everyone jumps to attention and races forward to try and get a shot. We see the back of the crocodile as it floats in the water and then submerges. How exciting, but how to lure it back so we can take more photos? Nobody volunteers to go for a swim so we have to content ourselves we more bird pictures.

 

Back at the jetty we disembark and make our way back to the resort/tourist centre for lunch. The buffet is fine however they strangely start it with desert first. Chocolate cake followed by potato salad etc. Then it rains, like I've never seen rain before. It's is, without any exaggeration, a 'torrent' of rain that takes your breath away. Eventually the rain clears and we make our way back to the airstrip. There are wild horses loose on the airstrip so the bus driver drops the pilots off at the planes and takes us on a ride on the airstrip whilst he chases the horses away. It's very funny, we're rounding up these horses in a mini-van and they simply will not take direction. Back and forth over the airstrip we go as the bus drivers attempts to drive (literally) the horses into the trees. Eventually it works and we head back to the planes. Unfortunately it's raining again and so we sit in the min-van whilst we wait for the rain to clear so we can board the planes and take off. After about twenty minutes I'm slightly concerned about missing the boat. We have to be back at 15:30 as the ship is leaving at 16:00. It's nearly 14:00 and the flight back, as the crow flies, is 50 minutes. Luckily the rain clears and the planes take off. I ask the pilot what would have happened if the rain hadn't cleared and he say we would still have been there. It doesn't bear thinking about.

 

The flight back is uneventful but we do get some shots of the QM2 docked near Darwin. Back on land we wait in the mini-van for one of the passengers who's still inside the office chatting about planes with one of the pilots. I'm told by some passengers, who were in her plane, that she told the group she owns a Lear-jet. That's pretty impressive, if it's true. I don't know anyone wealthy enough to own their jet, so I can only go by what I see on 'The Real Housewives of Beverley Hills'. None of the housewives on that show owns a Lear-jet. The wealthiest one takes a private jet every now and then, but it's a charter not privately owned. Eventually the 'shop talk' finishes and we are all onboard and accounted for - all 12 of us. Now most of us remembered that guy in the morning counting us in at 13 so I have no idea how we're now a party of 12 but no one seems to be missing so we decide to leave.

 

Back on the ship we head down to the Queens Grill lounge for afternoon tea. It wasn't enjoyable or pleasant. Later that evening I discuss the situation with the Princess Grill maitre d and he appears to be genuinely sorry about what happened and I'm am pleased with the action taken by him to resolve the situation. As it was then sailing time we went up to deck seven and watched the crowds on the shore watching us on the ship. We're told that a small cruiseship anchored in the bay is the original Love Boat. It's now called the 'Discovery' and I'm amazed it's still going. It's so small, I'd hate to be in a storm on that ship.

 

Tonight is elegant casual and we arrive at the Princess Grill at 7pm and are surprised to see that the ladies are at the table before us. That's a first, and it turns out that they are eager to hear about today's adventures. Sadly we have no 'Catarmaran' dramas to relate but they enjoy hearing about the plane trip to Kakadu. We all swap stories on our respective days and I'm surprised to learn that there were two short power outages whilst we were away. The first one lasted about 8 minutes and the second one lasted about 5. Apparently they were doing maintenance of some kind. Dinner was wonderful, as usual, and we enjoyed the Beef Wellington we'd pre-ordered. Very nice.

 

After dinner it was time for G32, I believe this craving is a sort of response to having eaten so much food, your body tells you to dance to use up some energy. Rosemary was there and we had a good time dancing until 11:30 when Vibz came on. Saying goodnight to Rosemary I retired to the Commodore Club for a hot chocolate. I was informed by the bar staff that the Cruise Critic book was not to be found and they suggested I contact the social hostess. They didn't clarify whether it was social hostess Freda or her Star Wars associate 'Feda', but that doesn't matter, I'll work it out.

[Pushka]

Thankyou again Peter. The Kakadu trip sounds like a bucket list.

Just as well it isn't this Saturday that the QM is in Adelaide as its going to be 40 here today. It will be much cooler next Saturday though, thank goodness.

 

I'm curious to hear how you found Bali. :p

[jcruizer]

Thanks Peter, for a wonderful summary of your visit to Kakadu and Darwin.

 

It brings me closer to my cruise in June on QV.

 

Wunderful:):):)

[Artemis]

Whitemarsh, thanks for the continued brilliant accounts.

 

Pushka, maybe what happens in Bali stays in Bali?!

[Westaussie]

Thanks Peter. Enjoyed your Kakadu trip, have been to Darwin several times but never made it there, after reading your account I feel we shouldn't miss it next time.

 

Looking forward to how your day in Bali went.

 

Getting closer to Tuesday!!

[Pushka]

 

Pushka, maybe what happens in Bali stays in Bali?!

 

Bali is too hot for any good goss!:D

 

Tuesday? Then the QM must take a day longer this time to get to Adelaide than the first time 'round

[Whitemarsh]

The sea day between Darwin and Bali starts out with another delicious breakfast. This morning I lost all control and ordered the buttermilk pancakes, american bacon and link sausages, all accompanied with maple syrup. Yum. There was a lecture this morning at 10am that came highly recommended. It was on sea waves and the lecturer was Dr Denny Whitford, a retired U.S Navy Captain with a background in education. He's a natural communicator and gave a great lecture which was very well received. The pictures he had of ships being partly submerged by giant waves were amazing. Dr Henry announced he will be giving 7 more lectures throughout the voyage. I've heard the tsunami and dangerous marine animals is a good one.

 

After the lecture Robin & I went to Sir Samuel's for a coffee. It's still a very pleasant place to sit in the morning, which is when it's busiest. Whilst we were there the deputy captain comes on to do the midday announcement and we are informed that QM2 is currently 14 miles south of Ashmore & Cartier Islands in the Indian Islands. The depth under the keel is 450 metres and we are doing 22.7 kts. Distance travelled from Darwin is 435 nautical miles and we have 521 nautical miles to go before we reach Bali. The temperature of the sea is 31.2 degrees celsius.

 

As it's time for lunch we headed back to the restaurant. It doesn't feel like we were away that long, we only left at 9:30 or thereabouts, and it's now 12:30. I'm back to having fish for lunch, which is Baramundi today, as I'm trying to stop the overeating. It's more difficult than you would think as the menus are very enticing. The conversation today at lunch was extremely funny and slightly OTT. You see, out of the four of us, we've discovered that Louise's suite is always done whilst she's at breakfast, whereas Jane's and ours is serviced between 10 - 11. This has been an unbroken pattern, right up until this morning when Louise reported that the steward was taking an unusually long time to service her room. There seemed to be no explanation for this and the table took the opportunity to come up with some very outlandish reasons as to why this might be so. The most popular reason, by far, involved the steward taking a very great interest in Louise's clothes and jewels and enjoying himself immensely by trying them all on. The vision of Louise's steward decked out in flowing gowns and sparkling jewels whilst doing the housekeeping was the cause of great amusement and unfortunately we did get a few looks by the other tables. I hope they forgive us, I know we're in the "loud section" of the restaurant (as the maitre d himself told us) but the main culprits are the nearby tables for 8 & 6 who are having themselves a very good time indeed. In any case, we're all very pleased with out stewards and think they are doing an excellent job.

 

In the spirit of moving from one organised eating event to another, lunch was followed by afternoon tea in the Queens Grill lounge. Happily everything was back to normal (as the maitre d had sorted out yesterday's issue for us) and we all enjoyed a very nice afternoon of cakes and scones. Which was, in turn, was followed by the FOD meeting up in the Commodore Club. There was a new passenger there today but he didn't talk much. We found out later that he's a travel agent travelling with a group from Darwin to Fremantle. Sadly one of the 'Dorothians' is unwell. His partner advised that they were having coffee in Darwin (along with the bulk of the passengers, apparently, if you recall) when they had to return to the ship pronto as the poor guy was feeling very unwell. The medical staff were notified and he has been quarantined in his room for three days at this stage. We're told that as soon as the decision was made to quarantine him the hazmet suits appeared and the cabin was washed down. The partner is allowed out and about, but has been given strict instructions not to eat in Kings Court for three days.

 

As usual, dinner was wonderful, I cannot remember what I had, but it would have been delicious. I do recall though that I lapsed and ordered two starters and two desserts (in addition to the main course) which makes redundant all my Kings Court comments. If one is inclined to do so, one can overeat anywhere on this ship. It's a semi-formal night tonight, the first one on this voyage. Jane excuses herself to go and watch the early show and the rest of the table discusses tonights offering - 'Riffs & Tiffs with String Fever'. They are billed as a wannabe rock-star violinist and a straight-laced classical cello player, who are husband and wife (despite their differing musical tastes). Louise has seen the act before and is not a huge fan. Based on the promo in the daily guide, I too am unsure if they will be my cup-of-tea but we decide to go along and have a look anyway. After about ten minutes, Louise has her original opinion reinforced and Robin & I have seen enough. I'm sure they're very good, and loads of people love them, but they're not for us.

 

Finding our way to the chart room we enjoy a couple of drinks whilst listening to the band. I really do like this room, it's very well laid out and has the two central corridors for passengers to walk through, which makes for good people watching. As it's ABBA night in G32 we head down there and are amazed to see G32 packed and the dance floor crammed with people dancing away to ABBA. After ordering some drinks we all make our way onto the dance floor for the strange experience of dancing in G32 when it's packed, literally. Rosemary joins us and we all have a great time. As she's doing the world cruise I ask Rosemary if she's ever seen the dance floor this packed before. "Yes" she replies. "On ABBA night". So that's interesting, G32 can sometimes be a bit of a ghost town but throw in a bit of ABBA and suddenly the dance floor isn't big enough. I wonder why they don't have more ABBA nights, or at least try something different than what's currently on offer. It just goes to show that if you give the people what they want in G32 they will turn out in droves. It would seem that G32 is under utilised and not because of the passenger demographic, but by the entertainment on offer. The current strategy of Vibz alternating with the DJ (playing hits from the 50's & 60's - to start with) may well have it's fans, but it's not not the most popular one (as evidenced by tonight's turnout). The night ends with 'Thank you for the music' and Vibz coming onstage to start their 11:30 set. Slowly but surely the majority of the crowd melts away and it's time for bed.

[jcruizer]

Thanks for taking to time to post for us again.

 

G32 always surprised me with the lack of people in there. Although more action when the right music was on. Love that ABBA....

 

I look forward to the next instalment.:D