Gold Coast Cruiser's Queen Mary 2 Blog

[Sandielle]

I'm loving all of your comments. :D Barry, I'm also one of those who "cut one's coat according to one's cloth". QM2 sounds wonderful.........sighhhhh.

 

Janet, I don't know if Jill will be checking in here to answer your query about the cabin, as the internet can be a problem. I'm sure she will be happy to answer any questions when she comes back. She did say she would post some photos when they get to Darwin.

Edited February 26, 2014 by Sandielle

[Sandielle]

Tuesday 25 February

We’re getting a bit lazy already, didn’t go to breakfast until 1030. We decided to go for a Smoothie, I had the banana and something….can’t remember what it was now….anyway it was lovely. There is such a huge selection of food and places to eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner; you would never get bored eating on this ship.

After breakfast it was time for our walk around deck 7 which is very wide. Three laps of the deck and you’ve done one mile. Roy’s knees couldn’t manage three so he just did what he could. The view was magnificent as we cruised up through the Torres Strait. The water is a jade green colour, very pretty. A little boat came up along the side of the ship showing off their catch of the day. One fish was at least a metre long, couldn’t tell from a distance what exactly it was. Anyway they looked very happy and there was a lot of whistling and waving back and forth from the ship.

We are being very good today and not having lunch. Instead we popped in to the Golden Lion pub to people watch, got chatting to others so ended up enjoying a half pint Guinness for me $3.15 and half a pint of beer for Roy $2.95. Guess I had better go and do an extra lap of the deck! This afternoon we’ll go to the Queens Ballroom for the traditional afternoon tea which is on every day at 3.30pm. In the meantime whilst I am typing this Roy has gone to do some Laundry. Funny thing he would never do it at home, nor would other men but they seem to be the ones in the Laundry on the ship. I think they go there for the gossip…lol. The Laundry on QM2 is free. If you don’t want to do your own you can send it off to be done but there is a charge for that.

The Casino finally opened at 5.00pm tonight as we are now more than 12 miles off the Australian mainland. After dinner tonight it was a hive of activity there, so much so we wandered in but there was no room to move so we left.

I’ve just been standing out on the balcony in the dark, the number of stars to be seen are amazing emphasized by the fact there are there are no lights from cities around us. It’s really hot out there considering it’s 10:45pm.

I am thrilled to say we did not get lost once today, only took us 4 days.

 

Jill

Edited February 26, 2014 by Sandielle

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Thank you for the updates Sandi.

They will be in Darwin Tomorrow, Thursday 27th arriving 9am local time.

[Pushka]

So Jill, you found the smoothie place. Is it in Kings Court at Chefs Galley? I've three days between when you disembark til I get on to answer. :p

 

The sheltered balconies are very nice. They are very, well, um, sheltered:p.

 

I'm really looking forward to retracing Jills route but we continue further north up past PNG into Malaysia. So sounds like hot hot hot.

Edited February 26, 2014 by Pushka

[Sandielle]

Wednesday 26 February

Well the seas are still smooth so it still feels as if the ship isn’t even moving. We had no idea how many islands there are dotted around the north of this vast country. The ship was required to manoeuvre through many channels some of which Captain Kevin Oprey was explaining only give us a 6 metre clearance underneath the keel of the ship. As it is the first time the QM2 has ventured here we have two local Pilots on board who share the watch over a 24 hour period with the crew, making a total of 6 on watch on the Bridge at one time.

Well so much for my gloating about not getting lost yesterday because I got lost within 10 minutes of leaving my cabin this morning. I was trying to find the Planetarium to get tickets for the show this afternoon. This ship is quite a maze.

This morning there is a full crew drill so everything is closed for a short period whilst they carry out the necessary duties they have to perform. It involves all crew so there are hundreds of them walking around wearing lifejackets and positioned throughout the ship. Guests are asked to relax anywhere on the ship until the drill is completed. Every crew member on this ship is extremely friendly helpful and well mannered, I suppose it’s due to the famous White Star training they all receive.

Forgot to mention yesterday that last night was another show by the QM2 singers and dance troop. They really are fabulous, all so talented. The costumes are amazing. They performed a segment from the 60’s flower power years and I new the words to every song…..now that makes me feel quite old….lol.

Our dining table of 8 are a great bunch of people and we all have such a laugh and a very long dinner. Everyone looks forward to exchanging stories about their day over dinner. We sit down at 8:30 and usually are just finishing dessert at 10:30. As the saying goes….time flies when you’re having fun.

The show once again was excellent. They were four guys who call themselves ‘The Leaders’ one of which played the Captain in the TV show Sea Patrol. We didn’t even know he could sing, but he certainly can.

Our clocks have gone back 30 minutes and tomorrow, Thursday, they go back another 30 minutes.

Tomorrow we arrive in Darwin, a maiden call for the ship……and us too.

 

Jill

[Kiwi Kruzer]

They are just sailing into Darwin as I post, if you want to follow the bridge cam.

 

[Kiwi_cruiser]

Queen Mary 2 in Darwin today:

 

 

QUEEN MARY 2 at ShipWatcher

[Pushka]

The show once again was excellent. They were four guys who call themselves ‘The Leaders’ one of which played the Captain in the TV show Sea Patrol. We didn’t even know he could sing, but he certainly can.

 

Jill

 

They were on the QM2 two years ago. He is married to Rachel Beck. He does sing quite well. They called themselves something different back then.

 

The QM2 went from Cairns to Darwin a couple of years ago so they have traversed it before.

Edited February 26, 2014 by Pushka

[Kiwi_cruiser]

Latest from Gold Coast Cruiser:

 

Thursday 27 February

In Darwin

What a lovely port to cruise in to. Correction to yesterday’s information…..this is not the first time the QM2 has visited Darwin. But it is the first time for us. It felt like and oven when we walked out of the air-conditioned ship down the gangway….unbelievably humid. There were free shuttle buses to take us up Stokes Hill and into the centre of the city. Everything is so lush green as they are in their rainy season right now. Within minutes of us disembarking the shuttle it absolutely poured down for about 30 minutes which cooled the temperature down a bit. Since that downpour the weather has been fine and as I type this we are about to leave and the sun is shining. We are all hoping for a lovely sunset tonight.

After a bit of retail therapy and a wander around the town we stopped at the Victoria pub in the middle of the mall for a refreshing beer before returning to the ship. As we were walking back on board who should we bump into but Alex who was our Wine Waiter last year on the Queen Elizabeth….. he recognised us…don’t know how he remembered us….don’t think we drank that much wine!! He is back on QM2 but is working in a different area in the dining room. Such a nice guy.

As we hadn’t had time for lunch we went straight down to the Queens Room for afternoon tea. Not many there today as many were still out and about. The Harpist was playing, she is a very talented young lady.

I have just been for a walk for the full length of our corridor on Deck 5 and from one end to the other and it is 1/3 of a kilometre! This ship sure keeps us all fit.

As I look out over the balcony there are hundreds of people gathering around the port waiting for our departure. The QM2 has a ‘baritone horn’ she could be mistaken for a ‘he’ ship if there were such a thing.

As always there was one couple who have just turned late to the ship. I just cannot understand how anyone could possibly be late. I certainly couldn’t, I always like to be back at least an hour before departure. In fact the couple looked a lot like the couple that were late boarding in Brisbane. The food really is good on QM2; in fact, we are trying to pace ourselves a bit as we are eating far too much. We have good intentions, but when we see the food……well, that all goes out the window.

Several passengers disembarked and embarked the ship here in Darwin. Many of the crew disembarked also and were smiling as they left to go home to their families. Their replacements joined the ship to begin their contract of 6 to 8 months on board with little time off. But when their contract is up they get at least 2 months at home. The company pay their airfares both to and from the ship where ever the ship may be. Some other companies only pay the airfare one way.

There was an interesting interview by the Entertainment Director n TV this morning. He was talking with a gentleman who was 92 years old who had be here in Darwin when it was bombed by the Japanese in WWll. This man was originally from the UK but he came out to Australia by ship with his parents in 1924, went to school in Australia and as a young lad was called up during WW11. He is actually featured on film taken at the time of the attack by the Japanese. Anyway would you believe that ever since WWll he been trying to become an Australian citizen but without success. His wife of 65 years who died recently was Australian as are his children. The only thing he wanted in life after WWll was to come back and visit Darwin one day and also to become an Australian Citizen. He got half of his wish today and we all really hope someone, somewhere will grant him the other half very soon….he deserves it.

Sorry this is so long….had a lot to chat about….lol.

[Pushka]

Never ever apologise for a long cruise report. We love 'em.

[Sandielle]

Here is Jill's Darwin report.

 

Thursday 27 February

In Darwin

What a lovely port to cruise in to. Correction to yesterday’s information…..this is not the first time the QM2 has visited Darwin. But it is the first time for us. It felt like and oven when we walked out of the air-conditioned ship down the gangway….unbelievably humid. There were free shuttle buses to take us up Stokes Hill and into the centre of the city. Everything is so lush green as they are in their rainy season right now. Within minutes of us disembarking the shuttle it absolutely poured down for about 30 minutes which cooled the temperature down a bit. Since that downpour the weather has been fine and as I type this we are about to leave and the sun is shining. We are all hoping for a lovely sunset tonight.

After a bit of retail therapy and a wander around the town we stopped at the Victoria pub in the middle of the mall for a refreshing beer before returning to the ship. As we were walking back on board who should we bump into but Alex who was our Wine Waiter last year on the Queen Elizabeth….. he recognised us…don’t know how he remembered us….don’t think we drank that much wine!! He is back on QM2 but is working in a different area in the dining room. Such a nice guy.

As we hadn’t had time for lunch we went straight down to the Queens Room for afternoon tea. Not many there today as many were still out and about. The Harpist was playing, she is a very talented young lady.

I have just been for a walk for the full length of our corridor on Deck 5 and from one end to the other and it is 1/3 of a kilometre! This ship sure keeps us all fit.

As I look out over the balcony there are hundreds of people gathering around the port waiting for our departure. The QM2 has a ‘baritone horn’ she could be mistaken for a ‘he’ ship if there were such a thing.

As always there was one couple who have just turned late to the ship. I just cannot understand how anyone could possibly be late. I certainly couldn’t, I always like to be back at least an hour before departure. In fact the couple looked a lot like the couple that were late boarding in Brisbane. The food really is good on QM2; in fact, we are trying to pace ourselves a bit as we are eating far too much. We have good intentions, but when we see the food……well, that all goes out the window.

Several passengers disembarked and embarked the ship here in Darwin. Many of the crew disembarked also and were smiling as they left to go home to their families. Their replacements joined the ship to begin their contract of 6 to 8 months on board with little time off. But when their contract is up they get at least 2 months at home. The company pay their airfares both to and from the ship where ever the ship may be. Some other companies only pay the airfare one way.

There was an interesting interview by the Entertainment Director n TV this morning. He was talking with a gentleman who was 92 years old who had be here in Darwin when it was bombed by the Japanese in WWll. This man was originally from the UK but he came out to Australia by ship with his parents in 1924, went to school in Australia and as a young lad was called up during WW11. He is actually featured on film taken at the time of the attack by the Japanese. Anyway would you believe that ever since WWll he been trying to become an Australian citizen but without success. His wife of 65 years who died recently was Australian as are his children. The only thing he wanted in life after WWll was to come back and visit Darwin one day and also to become an Australian Citizen. He got half of his wish today and we all really hope someone, somewhere will grant him the other half very soon….he deserves it.

Sorry this is so long….had a lot to chat about….lol.

 

Jill

[Sandielle]

Sorry guys, I see Kiwi cruiser has already posted Jill's blog for me. :)

[Sandielle]

Friday 28 February

 

At Sea en-route to Bali

 

The weather remains perfect with warm temperatures and ‘slight’ seas of .05 – 1.5 metre waves. I know I’ve mentioned this before but it amazes everyone on board how this ship doesn’t feel like it is moving.

 

We love sea days, it’s a good time to relax and chill out for the day doing whatever we feel like. We started with a light breakfast which included the wonderful health drinks they make at the Chef’s Galley consisting of Beetroot, carrot, celery and ginger….sounds horrible but is actually delicious. I also love Spinach, lemon and parsley freshly made juice. Roy thought it smelled and tasted like he had just mown the lawn.

 

After a couple of laps around the deck for me it was off to the shops for a browse. Today was the big watch sale; they had some nice Citizen, Gucci, Armani and several other brand names at much reduced prices. There are many items from Fortnum and Mason and also Harrods available as well as the Cunard and specific QM2 stuff. Perfume is a good price too. All in all we think the prices of everything on board a pretty good.

 

Back to the food…… before we knew it lunch time had arrived so today we thought we would try out the Britannia dining room which is the main dining room on the ship and covers two levels. Steamed Mussels with a curry sauce were on the menu so it was an easy choice for Roy. When they arrived there were 30 mussels!!! I don’t know how but he managed to eat them all. I went for a lighter lunch of tomato soup, salad and Sticky Caramel pudding for desert. We’re definitely not starving on this ship. We still have several eating venues we’ve not visited yet….but we will.

 

There is such a mix of people on board, all of whom come from all sorts of different walks of life. On the second day we boarded the ship I saw a guy who I thought I recognised but couldn’t think where I would have known him from. Last night I discovered who it is. It is Sir Jackie Stewart the Formula One world champion from the 1970’s. Apparently he loves cruising and does the odd lecture along the way about his time in the motor racing world. I hope he gives a talk whilst we’re on board.

 

Now that we are more than 12 miles off shore from Australia the Casino is back in full swing taking donations……including mine!!

 

I strolled passed the gym this morning and saw all these red faced sweaty bods not looking at all as if they were on holiday enjoying themselves. I carried on walking and went outside into the fresh air and did my exercise of 3 laps around the ship to get my mile walk where I have enough breath to still be able to say good morning to others as we pass. I also take the stairs all the time so get a lot of exercise in a day, so I don’t feel guilty at all about all the fine desserts I’ve consumed this past week. I have surprised myself by not eating the chocolate that appears on my pillow every night. I’ve decided to save them for when I am back home and back to reality again.

 

Jill

[Guest012]

What is it with the curry thing yes I am aware it is supposedly GB's fav food but not all of us like it ....just off the Arcadia and the only menu curry didn't feature on was breakfast, am sure if they could have they would have !!!!! one evening there was no alternate choice sorry I lie you could have roast turkey with gravy and cranberry accompanied by curried veg :) Was considering Queen Elizabeth half worldie for early next year but terrified curries may highlight so might opt for HAL instead LOL

[Pushka]

If I don't get a wonderful curry option then I'll ask for it. I need my curry fix. Hotter the better.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

P&O used to do the best curries.

The waiters from Goa used to make a curry of the day for lunch each day. They were fantastic and very authentic. I am afraid nowadays the curries just come out of a packet into a mix that has been prepared in Miami and sent out to the ship frozen . Not the same.

 

 

[Pushka]

P&O used to do the best curries.

 

The waiters from Goa used to make a curry of the day for lunch each day. They were fantastic and very authentic. I am afraid nowadays the curries just come out of a packet into a mix that has been prepared in Miami and sent out to the ship frozen . Not the same.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I could handle the packages as there are some excellent ones around. But they aren't packaged in Miami. :(. I'll ask for a crew meal. :)

[Sandielle]

Saturday 01 March

At sea

What a beautiful day with continuing calm seas and sunshine. The temperatures are just over 30C which is pleasant.

We were chatting with a couple from Inverness in Scotland this morning and they said they were absolutely melting. They even have the air-conditioning turned down to the coolest in their stateroom and that is even too warm for them. They did remind us that a balmy day in Inverness is around 14C.

We have seen a couple of gas rigs sitting in the middle of the ocean with their tankers standing by. It’s quite a site in the middle of no-where to see a flame shooting into the sky.

The ships bell which is hanging in the Lobby is loudly rung three times at midday every day. If you happen to be near when the Officer rings it you won’t need to take the lift to your deck, the fright you’ve just had will…lol.

Taking afternoon tea in the Queens Room is becoming quite a habit as we found ourselves there yet again this afternoon. We were going to try lunch at the Boardwalk Café on Deck 12. It’s a nice spot but the tables are outside and don’t have umbrellas so it was too hot to sit and have lunch. Umbrellas at tables are one thing that is lacking on QM2. There are vast decks but no shelter anywhere unless you are on the Promenade on Deck 7, but of course that’s not near any of the swimming pools. There are plenty of tables outside throughout the ship but in this climate it is far too hot to enjoy sitting out in the sun…..well for us from the Southern Hemisphere anyway. Those who boarded the ship in the UK and Europe in early January are well baked and well done and definitely don’t need turning over…lol. They all look like rows of white teeth lounging in their deck chairs around the swimming pools.

The Queen Mary 2 Orchestra/Big Band are absolutely brilliant. They had an afternoon of Glenn Miller and Count Basey in the Royal Court Theatre and early this evening some of the band did a Dixieland Jazz show at the Winter Garden. The band master is from New Orleans and is amazing on the trumpet.

This ship is exceptionally maintained and the crew are impeccably dressed in their uniforms with not a hair out of place or a wrinkle, fold or mark to be seen on their brilliant white jackets or well pressed black pants or skirts for the women.

As always dinner was delicious and the after dinner show was a Comedian, a guy from the UK who was very funny. Nothing like a bit of English humour to round off the evening.

We arrive in Bali tomorrow.

 

Jill

[OzKiwiJJ]

Saturday 01 March

We were chatting with a couple from Inverness in Scotland this morning and they said they were absolutely melting. They even have the air-conditioning turned down to the coolest in their stateroom and that is even too warm for them. They did remind us that a balmy day in Inverness is around 14C.

 

They should have been used to it after their summer last year. Scotland had temps in the 30s while I was there in July. Edinburgh got up to 34C one day, Inverness was a little cooler two days later but not by much.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

They are anchored off the coast of Nusa Dua, and will be tendered into Benoa. Seabourne Sojourn has entered the port and is docked.

 

[bazzaw]

P&O used to do the best curries.

The waiters from Goa used to make a curry of the day for lunch each day. They were fantastic and very authentic. I am afraid nowadays the curries just come out of a packet into a mix that has been prepared in Miami and sent out to the ship frozen . Not the same.

 

 

 

David

 

As a professional curry eater - I was quite disappointed with the P&O UK curries. I thought that their fame was very overrated. I am not surprised really - because, although it is said that curry is now the UK National dish -- most of the passengers were older middle class Brits with very delicate palates. Chili ?? -- no thanks. Even when we went on full day shore tours in exotic places like Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City etc which involved lunches at very nice hotels, the buffet style food was always western style. I did have a nice Laksa in Kuala Lumpur -- but that was the limit of it.

 

Barry

[Pushka]

I reckon there are some lost travellers in Bali. QM2 is quite late and hasnt departed yet.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

I reckon there are some lost travellers in Bali. QM2 is quite late and hasnt departed yet.

 

Probably a bottleneck at the tender landing station in Benoa.:D

[Sandielle]

Sunday 02 March

Well here we are in Bali, Indonesia. As I opened our balcony door I could smell it in the warm morning air. The ship anchored exactly on time at 6.30am. It must be quite shallow as I think we need to catch a flight from the ship to the shore, we’re so far away!

The Captain’s weather report is the sea is ‘smooth with wavelets’…. Haven’t heard that before but I like it.

The Seaborne Sojourn arrived just in front of us. She stood off for a while then went in to dock at the port, being a much smaller ship there was able to do that easily.

The tender process was very smooth with four ships tenders plus a large catamaran from the shore called Bali Hai. There was not much at the port itself except a few markets where they hound you and don’t give up trying to sell you things. I love haggling so ended up buying a couple of things. We were going to take a cab to a shopping mall but the cab drivers all said they wouldn’t take us to a place that close unless we took a tour with them for a couple of hours first which we didn’t want to do. So we had a little wander around by ourselves but it was a very hot day and our energy soon ran out. We had taken bottled water ashore with us and weren’t game to eat anything there so we came back to the ship for a late lunch and a beer to cool us down.

Bali does look quite a nice place but I have to say nothing draws me to really want to visit here for any period of time; it was perfect for us to just visit from the ship for the day. As they saying goes…different strokes for different folk. Obviously many do visit because it remains a popular tourist destination. We have been sitting on our balcony this afternoon looking toward Denpasar airport and there is a plane landing every 15 to 20 minutes.

We took some great photos of the ship on our ride ashore. She certainly is a large ship when you’re sitting in the catamaran about to go ashore and you look up at this huge charcoal black hull above you.

Our day ended watching a perfect sunset on a perfect day with perfect weather.

 

Jill

[Sandielle]

Monday 03 March

At Sea en route to Fremantle

The weather really couldn’t be more perfect than this. Another sunny day awaits us when we opened the door onto the balcony and the warm air and sunshine stream into our stateroom. Warm weather, sunshine and smooth seas or even ‘wavelets’ is what we all want when we are on board a ship.

We are very happy with the position of our stateroom on board QM2. Being situated on deck 5 makes it easy to get anywhere. I have decided the advantage of being on such a large ship is that it keeps you fit….that’s a good thing and doesn’t make me feel too guilty about all the delicious food we’ve been enjoying.

I was hoping to put up a few more photos yesterday whilst we were ashore in Bali but couldn’t find an internet signal. A local Policeman told me the internet was not working in the area. It is impossible to upload photos on board the ship because it would take too long on what is always a slow satellite connection.

This morning in the Royal Court Theatre Sir Jackie Stewart gave a most informative and fascinating insight into the world of Formula One racing. What a wonderful speaker he is, and he openly discusses the fact that he is dyslexic. He feels speaking helps him to express himself as he finds it extremely difficult to put down in words. He is a very dedicated family man, very proud of the fact he has been married for 52 years to his wife Helen and very proud of his two sons. The theatre was packed and you could hear a pin drop as Sir Jackie spoke with such enthusiasm about everything and anything to do with motor sport. He was saying in his years at the top in Formula One he and his wife attended no less than 57 funerals of other drivers. It was he who led the charge as he put it, to improve the safety in Formula One racing.

The ships horn went off again as it always does at midday, it’s a lot louder than the bell in the Lobby so if you happen to be standing anywhere near the funnel be prepared and take a spare pair of undies or a defibrillator..hehe.. I only found out today that one of the three horns she has actually came from the Queen Mary docked at Long Beach California and added to the other two on QM2.

We have an invitation to another Captains Cocktail party; tonight is our last Formal night, so looking forward to that.

We have 16,000 feet of water under us today.

 

Jill