Does Anyone Remember the Midnight Feast ?

[MeredithFairfax]

If anyone is interested, I have scanned several pages of info from our cruise in 1991, some including us when we were a LOT younger!

 

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B7LVRToyJCabMDZkNS13cWdrZTQ&usp=sharing

 

Hope the link works!

 

Thank you so much for posting these! Fascinating to look back. Highlights for me....the Golden Door Suggestion (now Canyon Ranch Spa selections?), Horlicks is available on the dinner menu and what is going on with the horse racing? It looks brilliant - they should reintroduce the horse racing with immediate effect :D.

[Winchester Ranger]

Hi WR,

 

Your questions brings back memories of a cruise on the Furness "Queen of Bermuda" in 1966.

 

IIRC there was early bkfst, bkfst, late bkfst, elevenses, lunch, late lunch, tea, late afternoon snack, dinner, after-dinner snack and midnight buffet.

 

My recollection of the midnight buffet is of two very long tables loaded with fruits, fish, fowl, meats, pastries and breads.

 

 

Ira

 

Ira that is simply awesome, and if I was still in my twenties I would consider that to be a personal challenge. Three breakfasts, now that is just pure heaven.

[Matelot60]

It was a magnificent feast on QE2 all through the '90s. Held in Columbia/Coronia and later the Lido Cafe but piled high on elaborate ice sculptures were seafood, savories, and sweets of all types. Many on board managed to stay awake till midnight just to come take a picture then toddle off to bed having eaten nothing. Others might use it to fuel up for the "Party till Dawn" push. Admittedly, in earlier years I was in the latter camp. Graduated to the former later on. On one particularly friendly crossing, the party till dawn group was particularly festive on the last night. Yes, I made it till dawn fueled partly by the Midnight Feast. My reward? I got to face disembarkation, Immigration, Customs, and a 4 hour drive in the left lane on a massive hangover. :eek: To this date it was my last "Midnight Feast". Let's just call it a learning experience.:D:D

 

The last Midnight Buffets I remember were on the QE2 in the Lido. It was 2003 the farewell season for QE2 on the transatlantic run before QM2 took over. I seem to remember they were after formal evenings, which meant most nights anyway. They were well attended and there was a good atmosphere with people in their formal outfits and all the chefs putting on a show. The range and amount of ice carvings were magnificent. It was a wonderful indulgence. We indulged so much we were at least 48 hours into our New York stay before we could eat anything other than a light breakfast!

Edited August 11, 2016 by Matelot60

[Lanky Lad]

I remember the doors to the Columbia Restaurant were kept closed until midnight and then the crowd rushed in to see what goodies were on offer.

 

The later ones in the Lido were good but had lost some of the "thrill".

 

Here is a link to one of my old video's from September 1994 sorry its poor quality but there are some shots of the midnight feast toward the end of the video.

 

 

[YOUTUBE]

[/YOUTUBE]

[Lanky Lad]

If anyone is interested, I have scanned several pages of info from our cruise in 1991, some including us when we were a LOT younger!

 

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B7LVRToyJCabMDZkNS13cWdrZTQ&usp=sharing

 

Hope the link works!

 

Thanks for posting these menus and pictures. It has brought back lots of happy memories. I was also on this trip, it was expected to be my "once in a lifetime" trip on QE2, turned out to be the first of many :) I am back on QM2 in November to mark the 25th anniversary, any excuse :D

[Underwatr]

It also helps answer the question re: how recently onboard charges were in Pounds.

[3rdGenCunarder]

If anyone is interested, I have scanned several pages of info from our cruise in 1991, some including us when we were a LOT younger!

 

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B7LVRToyJCabMDZkNS13cWdrZTQ&usp=sharing

 

Hope the link works!

 

Thanks for posting this. I wasn't on that cruise, but I remember the Jean Ann Ryan show to commemorate the 150th anniversary. Jean Ann Ryan did some of the best production shows I've ever seen on a ship. Soooo much better than the "Broadway Bound" shows Cunard went to later on.

[Host Hattie]

If anyone is interested, I have scanned several pages of info from our cruise in 1991, some including us when we were a LOT younger!

 

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B7LVRToyJCabMDZkNS13cWdrZTQ&usp=sharing

 

Hope the link works!

 

These are great, thank you so much for sharing them.

[Adammara]

Thank you everyone for the compliments.

 

I am a sad person that saves a lot of memorabilia!

 

Up to recently I kept all of the menus's from our 27 cruises on P&O, but we never read them, so a lot were re cycled, although we kept some of the special ones.

 

I use spreadsheets a lot at work, so it was only natural to keep a couple for cruising, one for the actual cruise information and another for the ports visited. So I can tell you we will be visiting Vigo for the 14th time in October! A few other summaries:

 

Cruises 39

Day on P&O 270

Days at sea 401

Days in Port 205

Number of ports 59

Number of countries 20 All in Europe bar Morocco

Total cost To much!

 

And we have not cruised for the last 4 years after Celebrity gave us the worst of 39 cruises. Hoping that Cunard can reignite our love of cruising again!