Anyone here sail on the original QM?

[Smitheroo]

From some of the comments I suspect there are a few people  on here who sailed on the original Queen Mary and the original Queen Elizabeth. I remember when the QE2 arrived on the scene.  In 1966 my mother realized that this type of transportation was coming to an end so she booked us on two Cunard liners- the smaller Sylvania going over to Liverpool and the Queen Mary  from Southampton for the trip back to New York. I was 16 yrs old and was not pleased we had to share our cabin with a woman we didnt know. (she turned out to be a riot, thoroughly enjoyed the 7 day voyage with her. ) That cabin had 4 bunks and a porthole.  Bathroom was down the hall. Coming back with had a very small cabin   with 4 bunks on the C deck which we shared with a single lady.   After about 4 or 5 days I stopped showing up for meals as I was getting sick of eating so much.    Those were the days you could bring people on board to see you off.  In fact you didnt even have to know a passenger to get on and look around before the ship sailed.   They also printed booklets with the names of the passengers on board.  I still have mine from the Sylvania.

[Beckett]

My first ever cruise was on the Queen Elizabeth in 1983. I travelled with my mother and my 8-month old daughter.

 

In those days, we had to get ourselves to, I think it was Waterloo Station, and cases were not seen again until they were delivered to our cabin - yes they were called Cabins then, not Staterooms!

 

On the train down to Southampton my mum asked a couple we got talking to if you could feel movement on the ship. "No, of course not" was their reply. On the first night out, we bounced and bumped along with a great deal of movement, finally hitting a Storm Force 12 when we hit Biscay. There were broken limbs, mainly amongst the crew, and sickness abounded. Miraculously we were fine - and we never saw that couple again even though my mum searched for them.

 

After that it was plain sailing and we so enjoyed the sheer opulence of the beautiful Queen Elizabeth. The food was extraordinarily fantastic, the wonderful, top-class entertainment, and the company of new friends, most of whom were seasoned travellers and helped us negotiate our first cruise experience.

 

As Smitheroo said, in those days guests were allowed on board to see you off, a band played when we left every port, and we felt as though we were in another world. It was wonderful. We even managed a sneak peek in first-class which was stunning.

 

The return trip through Biscay was calm and sunny and I'll never forget it. Thanks Smitheroo for reminding me and taking this trip down memory lane. I too still have the passenger lists and the menus. Ah, what a lovely journey this has been.

 

 

[steve1young]

Smitheroo and Beckett, Thank you both so very much for sharing your memories. Thrilling and delightful to read. Truly.

[Smitheroo]

5 hours ago, Beckett said:

My first ever cruise was on the Queen Elizabeth in 1983. I travelled with my mother and my 8-month old daughter.

 

In those days, we had to get ourselves to, I think it was Waterloo Station, and cases were not seen again until they were delivered to our cabin - yes they were called Cabins then, not Staterooms!

 

On the train down to Southampton my mum asked a couple we got talking to if you could feel movement on the ship. "No, of course not" was their reply. On the first night out, we bounced and bumped along with a great deal of movement, finally hitting a Storm Force 12 when we hit Biscay. There were broken limbs, mainly amongst the crew, and sickness abounded. Miraculously we were fine - and we never saw that couple again even though my mum searched for them.

 

After that it was plain sailing and we so enjoyed the sheer opulence of the beautiful Queen Elizabeth. The food was extraordinarily fantastic, the wonderful, top-class entertainment, and the company of new friends, most of whom were seasoned travellers and helped us negotiate our first cruise experience.

 

As Smitheroo said, in those days guests were allowed on board to see you off, a band played when we left every port, and we felt as though we were in another world. It was wonderful. We even managed a sneak peek in first-class which was stunning.

 

The return trip through Biscay was calm and sunny and I'll never forget it. Thanks Smitheroo for reminding me and taking this trip down memory lane. I too still have the passenger lists and the menus. Ah, what a lovely journey this has been.

 

 

I dont know how to use the quote function.  In 1983 you would have sailed on what they called the QE2 (or maybe QEII, not sure)  The original QE retired in the late 60's.  After my voyages in 1966  I became a ship groupie. Everytime one of the big liners came in to NYC I'd go up to the docks and tour it.  The QE2 was beautiful!   I also toured other lines, I think Hamburg was a new ship too which was outstanding.  It was more glitzy though.   I liked the brass and red carpets of the Queens.  I also experienced episodes of rough seas on my return voyage on the Queen Mary (in 1966) , going through the Irish Sea.  It was during the nightime buffet and when we went back to our cabin the lady we shared with was on her knees praying. On my voyage in 2013 on QM2 there was only one night that could be considered rough. I remember lying in bed feeling like I needed to hang onto the edges. The captain apologized the next morning. Other than that it was smooth sailing, never felt any unusual movement, even in January.  The voyage before me was the one when the norovirus struck.  It was the Christmas voyage and I heard that half the crew was afflicted along with the passengers. Must not have been fun at all.   They went to extreme measures getting ready for our voyage on 1/3. The CDC came on board and outlined what needed to be done. We left Brooklyn at 9 pm instead of the normal afternoon departure. Lots of hand santizier, cleaning rails, etc etc.  Dining crew served the foods in the buffet for the first half of the voyage and then eased up.  I really like it now that you can dine the traditional way in the MDR with assigned seating and time, or you can dine in the buffet.   As I said in my original post, I really got tired of 3 meals a day with the same people at the same time. But I was a teenager and had things to do lol. Now the food part is very important.

[Beckett]

Thank you Steve. I'm so glad you enjoyed our memories. We forget don't we, in such difficult times, what wonderful times we've had in the past. Smitheroo - thanks for starting this thread. Can you imagine the reaction now if we were asked to share with a complete stranger! 

 

Best wishes.

 

Jane

[Smitheroo]

The train you took was probably the Boat Train. I dont remember the station, somewhere in London but yes, they took care of the luggage. It was a lot easier getting to the boat.  In 2013 my husband dropped me off at the Brooklyn terminal. It was a bit crazy but after that the process was streamlined. My husband looked up at the Queen and said "wow, that's a big boat"    I liked the old docks.  Another memory I have- as we were ready to sail (1966) a crew member came around the dock yelling "All ashore who's going ashore".  Since visitors cant get on board now, no need for that now. 

[Beckett]

Yes of course Smitheroo - it was the QE2.  I have no knowledge of the original Queen Elizabeth which is a shame and I'm going to Google it now.

 

I've just read your latest post. You describe it so well that I feel I'm there. I'd probably be praying with the lady in your cabin as I'm a bit of a wimp these days!

[Smitheroo]

Jane- at 16 yrs old I was horrified we were sharing a cabin with a stranger. (I had never been to overnight camp)  I'm sure there was an option but my mother said "that's the way it is done". Its a good idea, the single supplement can be a deal breaker,  I wonder if the company would pair someone with a stranger if requested.  Probably not, might tell you to pay the supplement and then look for someone to share.  But in 1966 we couldnt have asked for a more fun cabin mate. (not so much on our return voyage) The trip over was delightful with the crew saying it was like a Mediterranean cruise. So naturally my mother asked the cabin mate why she wore a heavy coat up on deck when it was so warm. Well!  Apparently she washed her undies out the night before and when she got dressed they werent quite dry so she decided to wait until the last minute.  You guessed it- she forgot them.  Before embarking she searched the streets for a shop to buy some but it was too early.  They didnt sell them in the ship gift store (my mother asked)  Like I said, she was a hoot. But can you imagine the people that bought her house finding the undies hanging in the bathroom!     p.s. I was also horrified we were traveling "tourist class".

[Beckett]

Yes it was The Boat Train. What I can't remember at all is how we got from Station to ship - or "the big boat" as your husband would have called it.

 

Now, I have another memory for you: my grandmother had a sister who went to the States on the 'ten bob fare' as it was known. She married there and settled on Staten Island. In 1960 my nan went out to stay with her and her husband.  Nan had never been out of England before but flew out alone, stayed for a month and came back on either the QE2 or the Queen Mary. I can't remember which and there's no-one alive to ask now. My mum, dad, and I picked her up at Southampton and waited on the quayside for her to disembark. I was only 5 and to me the length of that ship was endless! 

 

Thanks so much for starting this thread as I've had many happy memories today.

 

Best wishes.

 

Jane

[Beckett]

How funny! She sounds an absolute one-off and just the sort of person I would have loved to meet. I have a picture in my mind now of those undies on the radiators waiting to be discovered.

 

Even when we went in 1983 the class system was still very much apparent but we knows our place guv!

 

I am born and bred in London but my love for the sea has never waned since that first wonderful cruise.

 

Jane

 

 

[pratt2]

My sister and I at age 14  & 17 sailed on the Queen Mary to New York with our grandparents in 1965, after touring England with them. (How fortunate were we!) My sister and I shared a state room which had bunk beds and was a very small room. The most delightful memory I have:  sitting in our assigned deck chairs and the Stewards would come by and wrap blankets around us and then serve tea.  For some strange reason I remember that the movie theater showed "Cat Balou." As another poster mentioned, I know I skipped some meals! The weather must have been fairly rough as the indoor pool was never opened, we would check every day and just watch the pool waves crash. Looking forward to sailing the Queen Mary 2 in May 2022!

[Brindlebury]

My first ship, which began my love affair with the sea and Cunard, was the original Queen Elizabeth, on which I crossed twice as a teenager in that long ago summer of 1968.  

She was retired from service shortly thereafter.

 

My family had adjoining cabins, B109 and 111.  The portholes opened and I recall putting my head through one and staring down at the immense black hull, as solid as Gibraltar,  with the North Atlantic racing past in a white froth.

Such a beautiful ship and so long ago, yet crystal clear in my mind. 

[Smitheroo]

I'm amazed some people remember their cabin numbers from so long ago!  I can only remember "C" deck on the original Queen Mary but no recollection of any others.  Our cabin was on the aisle down a few steps which were next to the tourist class restaurant.   I managed to find the area on the QM out in long beach, California but it was all dark and the door said "crew only".  I've been told it is used for storage.  What is available to the public is misleading because back in the day that was First Class. From the memories of Tourist Class, it seemed just as nice.  Lots of brass.

 

Pratt2- I remember being served tea on deck in 1966!   I have a picture of me on a deck chair with a member of the crew next to me. Thrilling for a 16 yr old LOL.  

[Smitheroo]

When I sailed in 2013 on the QM2  one of the activities was a  get together of people who had sailed on the original QM.  There were only about a dozen of us and most were crew at the time.  

[Underwatr]

1 hour ago, Smitheroo said:

The voyage before me was the one when the norovirus struck.  It was the Christmas voyage and I heard that half the crew was afflicted along with the passengers. Must not have been fun at all. L

That was my first Christmas on QM2. It was unpleasant but not like living through 2020. 🙂

Edited December 28, 2020 by Underwatr

[Keuka Lake Sailor]

I sailed on the original Queen Mary round trip departing NY  August 52 and returning Feb 53.  My mom was a war bride and sailed to the states on  the lst trip of war brides on the Queen Mary  in Jan/Feb 1946.  I do not remember much about this trip but when the cab pulled into the dock, the ship looked so enormous. I  clearly remember how rough the return voyage was and how the ship rocked and rolled, almost impossible to walk.............I was seasick, cabin steward brought me a bloody roast beef sandwich to eat - I thought it was delicious but the sight of it made my mom ill.....family joke after that...........we visited my grandparents again in the summer of l962.......although still in tourist class, I was enchanted-, the small cabin with just a sink , I had top bunk of course, worried I would use the wrong silverware in the dining room, swimming in salt water in the lst class pool, going to church that was held in the first class lounge, FREE movies, assigned deck chairs.........seemingly constantly changing clothes, the great service, kids parties....sailing on the Queen Mary was  a  highlight of my childhood.  ...I did not sail again till the QM2 - now 20 sailings........booked again Dec 2022............

[MelbTone]

My dad, a UK civil servant, was posted to Mexico City, 1957-59. We sailed to USA on the Media from Liverpool, 27 April 1957, then a long train journey from NYC. At the end of his service, April 1959, the UK govt flew dad home so as to have him back at work asap, leaving my mum unaccompanied with two small children to make the long train journey back (no family-friendly policies then!), then to Southampton on the Queen Mary. Unfortunately I was too young to remember anything of either voyage ....

However, in 2010 I finally achieved a long-held ambition to stay on the Queen Mary at Long Beach. When booking, I put 'returning passenger' in the special requests box and was upgraded!

Edited December 29, 2020 by MelbTone
QM picture added

[Brindlebury]

5 hours ago, Smitheroo said:

I'm amazed some people remember their cabin numbers from so long ago! 

For years I saved the baggage tags on which the cabin numbers were written. Of course I have no idea where those are now!

[navybankerteacher]

7 hours ago, Beckett said:

...

 

Even when we went in 1983 the class system was still very much apparent but we knows our place guv!

 

...

 

 

Of course, Cunard does maintain that class system, with the "Grills"  -- and other (much lesser) lines are now introducing their own versions - with separate decks, lounges, pool areas, etc.  There was just a short time, starting about 1983, when "one class" sailing came along -- and was fairly soon found not to work to everyone's liking.

[Smitheroo]

I didnt save any of my 1966  luggage tags and the suitcases that had them stuck on are long gone. (I cant believe we lugged around suitcases without wheels) I do have one passenger list and a few pictures.

[Keuka Lake Sailor]

I have told my story, but talk of luggage brought back another memory - for years in the antic was the trunk we sailed with with all the Cunard labels on it.    I am sure it was not in that small cabin with us and can't imagine why mom had it.......guess it was the thing to do in those days.....

[johnsuttoncoldfield]

I first sailed on Queen Mary in 1966 at the age of 10 and after some 50+ cruises since, nothing has really compared. Even at that age I appreciated the sheer opulence, workmanship and customer service associated with this beautiful liner. I can recall most areas of the ship, the smell and noises as if it were yesterday. The wooden promenade deck had that unique sound and at 10 years old, it seemed to stretch further than I could see.

I never imagined that a ship could look so magnificent, upon boarding I remember asking my mother if we were actually on the ship yet, I thought we were still on land in some impressive art deco building.

We subsequently travelled on QE2 several times and although hugely enjoyable, I somehow do not have the same recall and it never really supplied the same lasting memories.

I have contemplated visiting her at Long Beach, but fear that it will somehow spoil my memories if it has been over commercialized, maybe someday I will risk it.

My cruise line choices are now Cunard and Princess, but although I still enjoy cruising, they really cannot ever compare to RMS Queen Mary.

[ExArkie]

21 hours ago, Beckett said:

Yes it was The Boat Train. What I can't remember at all is how we got from Station to ship - or "the big boat" as your husband would have called it.

 

Now, I have another memory for you: my grandmother had a sister who went to the States on the 'ten bob fare' as it was known. She married there and settled on Staten Island. In 1960 my nan went out to stay with her and her husband.  Nan had never been out of England before but flew out alone, stayed for a month and came back on either the QE2 or the Queen Mary. I can't remember which and there's no-one alive to ask now. My mum, dad, and I picked her up at Southampton and waited on the quayside for her to disembark. I was only 5 and to me the length of that ship was endless! 

 

Thanks so much for starting this thread as I've had many happy memories today.

 

Best wishes.

 

Jane

I had heard of the Boat Train, but never actually investigated the history. Growing up in rural 1960s Arkansas, I was obviously never going to take it, but we do have a jigsaw puzzle of the Cunarder boat train that we picked up somewhere.

 

I do like investigating history of such things. From what I have found, the boat train ran from Waterloo Station to the Ocean Terminal (and other terminals, as applicable) in Southampton, so getting from the train to the ship would have involved walking across the platform.

 

As usual when searching for information, I found a Web site that I did not previously know about, so my productivity is now at zero for the rest of this week while I read other things. Article on the Cunarder Boat Train with pictures (including QM in the background of one): 

https://www.cruiselinehistory.com/boat-trains-to-southampton-from-cunard-lines-to-the-titanic-and-the-ss-united-states/#:~:text=“The Cunarder” boat train departs,locomotive No 34088 213 Squadron.

 

Edited December 29, 2020 by ExArkie

[Elephant1151]

My first Cunard cruise was in June 1971 - a 10 night sailing ariund the Med on Carmania. She was a beautiful ship. the cabins were smaller than we are used to now. There was a deck steward who booked a lounger for the day - your name placed in the little holder - and after lunch it would have been turned to follow the sun.

 

A glass covered part of promenade allowed you to sit out at night.  The midnight buffets were great.

 

In rough seas there was a brass bar around the dining table which could be raised to stop soup ending up in your lap.

 

It was such an experience and we are still sailing 50 years later and still with Cunard.  We love all the ships and have fond memories of the QE2 and  our family cruises on Vistafjord/Caronia. Queen Mary 2 is fantastic across the Atlantic but we still have a slight favourite in Queen Victoria over Queen Elizabeth but have cruises bookd on both. 

 

Each sailing is special due to the ship, staff,  friends we make and port experiences. We looked forward to being back onboard soon.

[lissie]

The boat train wasn't a specific Cunard thing. We left England in 1970 on a very much NON cruise ship - Shall Saville's Southern Cross to NZ. We got a boat train from London which went to the docks in Southampton.  You also checked in your hold luggage and saw it again in NZ. The cabins were small and you only had a small bag each - for 6 weeks!