Voyage Facts and Figures

Voyage Facts and Figures

    

Colin

Alex

     

The charity official weigh-in took place in The Melton Constable on 13/05/15 with Colin gaining 8 pounds, and Alex losing 5 lbs.

The winner was Mark who was present, and received half of the takings, while the other half went to the cancer charity, Macmillan Nurses.

Days on board             =          119

Countries visited           =            26

Ports visited                 =            42

Coldest day                 =              2 ⁰C   New York    18/01/14

Warmest day               =            34 ⁰C   Abu Dhabi    17/04/14

Distance travelled        =         37,467 nautical miles; equivalent to 1 1/2 times round the equator

On board entertainment costs combined for Alex and Colin, which we thoroughly enjoyed.

                                                US dollars                    English pounds

Wine                                        4,311.75                       2,587.05

Beer                                         1,113.94                         668.36

Cocktails (G&T/Rum&Coke)   3,527.91                       2,116.75

Total                                        8,956.60                       5,372.16

Cheers to you all, and await the next adventure.

           

Day 119 - Southampton

Day 119 – Friday 9^th May 2014 – Southampton

At day break this morning as Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria take a bow-to-bow position just 30 metres apart by the QEII terminal.  The birthday girl, Queen Mary 2 slowly sailed by with ‘Happy Birthday’ in ships’ whistles sounding out, as a 10^th Birthday Salute.

Alongside

After this, all three ships moved to their respective berths for disembarkation.  The same as on joining day on 10^th January, there are five cruise ships in Southampton, changing passengers and some of the crews.

We left Queen Elizabeth at 10.00 and into the shed to find our luggage, made our way with others in the custom’s queue and jumped into our pre-booked taxi at 10.45.  Leaving the port via Dock Gate 4 was the same, as when we arrived four months previously, traffic chaos as the road modernisation scheme is still going on.

We picked up the hire car at Southampton airport and were on our way north at noon, and I arrive home at 19.00.

So ends a remarkable adventure of circumnavigating the globe on an ocean liner.  The Queen Elizabeth is a wonderful ship with a superb crew of professionals.  I met a lot of kind, caring and sincere people on the way.  I achieved what I had set out to do, re-visit the countries I had previously sailed to, and see how they had changed.  My daily experiences were above my expectations, as I saw and achieved things, I did not think were possible.

For those who are wondering if this for them, my advice is to go for it, and you will not be disappointed. 

For myself, I did ask nearing Southampton, if I could go round again.

This is not the end of the story, when all of the facts and figures have been brought together, they will be published.

Day 118 - At Sea

Day 118 – Thursday 8^th May 2014 – At Sea

It is a cold, wet and foggy day as we are in the English Channel Western Approaches still in convoy with Queen Mary 2 and Queen Victoria; we get fleeting glimpses of them, as they emerge and retreat into the fog.

The early morning lecture in the theatre was given by Commander Jeff Tall of the Royal Navy on the ‘Falklands War’ – a close run thing.  An all-arms battle fought by British Forces 8,000 miles from home against a well dug-in foe.  With no early warning aircraft, improvisation and extreme courage were the order of the day.  This was a fascinating lecture and an insight from the perspective of one of the high ranking officers taking part in the operations.

The afternoon was spent doing last minute shopping and trying to get everything back into the suitcases, even though I had purchased another medium sized suitcase on route, it was still a struggle.

Pre-dinner drinks in the Café Carinthia and we said our goodbyes to all our friends we had made there, and the same in the Britannia Restaurant.

The weather had cleared and at dinner, we could see both the other Queens in close company; and with their deck lights ablaze, they made a wonderful sight.

Early to bed, as we are paying off tomorrow.  

Day 117 - Bay of Biscay

Day 117 – Wednesday 7^th May 2014 – At Sea

Today we are crossing the Bay of Biscay, out on the starboard side watching Queen Mary 2, slowly dipping into the slight swell on this fine but overcast day.  Queen Victoria will later catch up in the day, as during the night she had to put into Vigo for a medivac (medical evacuation), and I hope the casualty makes a fine recovery.

Today is the big day for the choir, and we duly assembled in the theatre for our 15.00 performance.  We nervously waited on stage for the curtains to open to reveal about 500 in the audience.  Slowly they responded, as we went through our repertoire of ten songs and they even joined in for our encore.  A wonderful experience, with many thanks to Leah, our leader, and pianist Robin, who kept us all together.

Choir

From stage to the grand staircase for more photographs, and a final song to all those assembled of, We’ll Meet Again, then into the Golden Lion for a celebration pint.

It is our last formal night and on the menu are my favourite dishes from the voyage, snails/salad/lobster/baked Alaska.

Chefs

It is also the chef’s parade when all those from the galley, who have prepared our meals in the Britannia Restaurant, pass between the tables, as we all show our appreciation for all of their efforts.

Formal

Our two wonderful waitresses, Melvina from Poland and Hannah, from the Philippines, who over the voyage, by their friendliness and wonderful service have brought smiles and happiness to our table.

In the theatre, the Royal Court dancers and singers put on a show, Palladium Nights which featured songs from the many stars who have performed at the London Palladium.   It was a spectacular night and very much appreciated.

The Golden Lion, for karaoke; to finish off another wonderful day at sea.

Day 116 - Lisbon, Portugal

Day 116 – Tuesday 6^th May 2014 – Lisbon, Portugal

Lisbon

Lisbon must be one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, cascading down many hills to the waterfront along the bank of the River Tagus.

We arrived in the river with all three ships in convoy, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2.

Queen Victoria

Approaching the berth, our sister ship Queen Victoria was already alongside and we were tied up for 09.00.

Our berth was in an excellent position, within walking distance on the city centre.  I walked to the cathedral, up a very steep hill, through winding narrow cobbled streets, trying to take pictures of all three ships together, but it was not possible here.  From my position, I could see another prominent hill, so back down and up again to Sao Jorge Castle.  In this elevated position, there are fine views over the city, but could not see the ships.

Black Horse Square

Back down to one of the most famous areas in Lisbon, Black Horse Square on the waterfront and here I found a wonderful restaurant and had lunch while gaining internet access. 

Tram

    

Architecture

A walk around in this area is fascinating with the transport system being in a slight state of chaos, but the local traffic cops kept it moving as best possible, with blowing of whistles and frequent hand gestures.

Side Street

  

The narrow side streets were a hive of activity with many tourists taking advantage of the fine weather and enjoying the hospitality of many of the outside restaurants and cafes.

Grafitti

        

In one of the lanes, I came across this graffiti which I thought was tastefully done, and cheered up part of a corner with access down a narrow staircase.

After doing some last minute shopping, I found time to visit a couple of the small local bars and enjoyed a quenching beer before heading back to the ship.

On the cruise terminal quayside, this my best effort of trying all day, to take a picture of the three Queens together.

    

Queen Mary 2

    

Queen Victoria

We all sailed at 18.00 with Queen Mary 2 leading, ourselves in the middle and Queen Victoria behind.  We formed up into a tight diagonal pattern across the river and in very close company passed under the suspension bridge. 

On board, there were lots of flag waving and British patriotic songs being blasted to all decks.  A helicopter was flying overhead, taking photographs of the whole of the proceedings.

After an hour we all disembarked our respective pilots and continued down the river estuary, forming an even closer formation side by side with Queen Mary 2 in the centre.  It was a wonderful piece of seamanship and I have to take my hat off to the navigators.  The helicopter shots should be amazing, and hopefully we will all be able to obtain a copy of this spectacular event, in which we all took part

.

Chocolate & Ice

After dinner went up to the Lido Buffet for the Chocolate & Ice Culinary Event, with fantastic ice carvings and chocolate fondue station, fruit carvings and endless amounts of chocolate.  Thoroughly enjoyed the display and talked with the Filipino who made the ice carvings, and I was amazed to find out, he is self-taught, his craft is truly to be admired.

The night in the theatre was a duo called Elite, two of London’s most celebrated West End leading ladies; they tried very hard, but maybe a bit like me, past their best.

Day 115 - At Sea

Day 115 – Monday 5^th May 2014 – At Sea

It was a fair pleasant day at sea with smooth seas and a sunny day.

Gibraltar

  

Morocco - Africa

At 15.00 we were passing the Rock of Gibraltar, always a fine sight and unusually, there did not appear to be many ships at anchor off Algeciras.  While on the other side, we were having our last look at Africa with the Atlas Mountains of Morocco.

Afternoon Tea

At 15.30; a daily occurrence, which I went to for the first time today, afternoon tea in the Queen’s Room.  This is a white service affair with numerous servants looking after you, with plenty of tea on offer, and lots of sandwiches and cakes.  Accompanied by the string quartet, I thoroughly enjoyed the occasion and maybe should have been doing this earlier on in the voyage.

Queen Mary 2

     

Me and a Queen

From around 18.00 the Queen Mary 2 caught up with us and stayed on our port quarter for the rest of the night, a very fine sight.  Tomorrow will meet up with our sister ship Queen Victoria in Lisbon, who is making her way from Funchal in Maderia.

Table 379

  

Ladies

This is our dining table no.379 in the Britannia Restaurant with Colin, Ulrika, Me, Kath, Edwina and Willem.  The ladies with Hannah; our wonderful Pilipino waitress, who looks after us all.

Tonight is a special night in the theatre with the members of the crew putting on this evening’s entertainment.  They came from all different departments, singers, dancers, jugglers and every one of these amateurs were stars.  The packed audience with some standing really enjoyed the show, and gave them a standing ovation at the end.

Day 114 - Palma de Mallorca

Day 114 – Sunday 4^th May – Palma de Mallorca

Queen Elizabeth

Mallorca’s capital, Palma, lies on the south-west coast of the island.  Arriving by sea, the city is both beautiful and impressive with the grand limestone cathedral towering above the old town and the remnants of the medieval walls.  In these are encapsulated much of the history of both the city and the island.

We arrived alongside Palma at 08.00 and berthed at the end of the harbour.   Onto the shuttle bus at 10.15, the ten minute ride along the promenade, passing all of the yachts and motor cruisers.

Cathedral

The bus dropped us off very near to the biggest landmark in Palma, the magnificent Gothic Cathedral.  Founded in 1235, by the young King James 1 of Aragon, conqueror of Mallorca at the age of 21.  He vowed he would erect the finest Christian church, making a clear statement to the rest of the Mediterranean that Christianity had replaced Islam.

The exterior is best viewed from away, and its limestone changes in colour during the day; from pale beige in the morning, to creamy white at noon and to rich gold as the sun sets.

Avenue

Walking into town just past the cathedral along an avenue called Passeig des Bom, the cleanliness of the place is such a welcome, after the decay in Naples.

Not far from the top of the plaza, I wondered into the back streets, and it was still there, one of the small corner bars, we used to frequent, but unfortunately it was closed, we had arrived on a Sunday.

La Rambla

Undeterred I found my way back to another of the main streets, La Rambla which was filled with flower stalls with their wonderful displays, today was Mother’s Day on the island.  The fragrances, from the many boutiques were wonderful, and they were being eagerly bought, and moved off into the waiting cars.

Plaza Major

Another well-known visitor’s attraction is the Plaza Major, there are the street artists, mostly done up as statues, the one which intrigued me was the guy apparently sitting in mid-air, holding onto only a stick.

Back to the avenue, and after the third attempt found a café which had an internet connection which worked, and happily caught up with this site.

Returning back to the shuttle bus, they were having a beer festival in front on the cathedral’s fountain and as my usual bar was closed.  I thoroughly enjoyed joining in and enjoying the sunshine.

Farewell

Back on board for 15.30 and we sailed shortly afterwards.  The time here in this beautiful place was insufficient to do it justice.  I have always enjoyed the Balearic Islands, this wonderful city and one day I will return.

It is another formal night; an invitation to the Captain and his officers, world voyagers’ party, this was a very good occasion. I was in conversation with the ship’s air conditioning Engineer, and Jimah our Pilipino waiter, made sure I did not miss out on the champers.

Finished off the night in the Queen’ Room, putting into practice those dance lessons I have been doing, and thoroughly enjoyed the night.

Day 109 - Haifa

Day 109 – Tuesday 29^th April 2014 – Haifa

Another day in Haifa and a local bus took us to the outlying district of Bat Galim, where we changed buses and arrived at the district of Stella Maris.

Nautical Museum

Here we visited the National Maritime Museum, dedicated to telling the story of the struggle for the right to emigrate to Israel during the years 1934-48, and the navy’s involvement, with its recent struggles against its neighbouring countries.

Submarine

 

Missile Boat

Two of the exhibits, which I was impressed by, were the ones where you had full access to the interiors, which were the submarine and the missile boat.  They really gave you an insight into the living conditions and working environment, they were operating in while in action.

Torpedo Boats

There are also exhibits of torpedo boats, underwater operations and many armaments, the whole site is very well presented, and I really enjoyed the museum.

Cable Cars

Top Station

Near to the museum is the bottom station of Haifa’s cable car, situated at the beach, while at the crest of Mount Carmel is Stella Maris.  The system has three cars operating at each end and ride the from the bottom to the top is very good, with another panoramic view of Haifa from the top.

From this vantage point we walked along until we found a local bus stop,which took us to the Carmel Centre and headed for the ‘Bear Inn’ which unfortunately, was closed, and not opening until 17.00.

Undeterred, returned to a café, I had used the day before and caught up with the communications.

Returning to the ship via the funicular railway and back on board for 17.00

Farewell

We sailed at 19.00 and said my farewells from the open deck.  Haifa, I have always enjoyed, and the visit this time was no different.  From previous, I can see the difference, a lot of the dockside Arab quarter has been cleaned up.  The transport system is very good, the locals appear a lot happier.

When I was last here, just about everybody of a certain age were in military uniform, and all carrying arms.  This time it was not in evidence, so hopefully, things are improving with their neighbours.

Day 108 - Haifa, Israel

Day 108 – Monday 28^th April 2014 – Haifa, Israel

We arrived at 07.00 in Haifa, and many passengers were on tours to Bethlehem and Jerusalem.  I had been there many years before, and planned for an easy day ashore.  First of all, as this port of call was hastily put together, because of the troubles in Egypt.  We had to file through the cruise terminal building to be processed by Immigration and everybody was cleared by 09.30.

Queen Elizabeth

Haifa has changed hands many times in its troubled history.  The creation of the State of Israel in 1948, once again gave a new impetus to the growth of Haifa.  It is now the premier port of Israel and a major industrial area, with their only oil refinery.

Haifa is Israel’s third largest city, behind Jerusalem, and Tel Aviv.  Immigrants from the former Soviet Union constitute 25% of Haifa’s population and 10% are Arab citizens.  Haifa is commonly portrayed as a model of co-existence between Arabs and Jews, although tensions do still exist.

The ship was berthed in the centre of town, so no need for the shuttle bus.  I headed off for the botanical gardens.

Entrance

Botanical  Gardens

  

The gardens located in the heart of Haifa, comprise a staircase of nineteen terraces extending all the way up the northern slope of Mount Carmel, 550 metres high.

The golden-domed Shrine of the Bab, the resting place of the Prophet-Herald of the Baha’I Faith, stands on the central terrace looking across the bay.

Unfortunately, a lot of the gardens and terracing were out of bounds, as it was Holocaust Day.  Therefore, I was not able to climb up the terracing direct to the top of Mount Carmel but by a devious route of very steep steps, and winding paths I eventually made it to the top.

Haifa North

Haifa South

    

The trek in the heat of the day was well worth it, as you look over the city and the bay, seeing Galilee, to the north are the hills of Lebanon, and to the north east, the Golan Heights of Syria.

I stayed at the top for some time, as this is where the main tourist area is with its many shops, bars and cafes.

Funicular train at top Station

Bottom Station

   

I was not prepared to walk back down the moun, but took advantage of the ‘Carmelit’, which is the only funicular (underground metro) in Israel. The Carmelit runs between the Carmel Centre at the top, to Down Town (Paris Square) at the bottom, a journey of six minutes.

It is unusual and most enjoyable.  Wandering back from here, I arrived back on the ship at 17.00.

After a wash and brush up, I was back up the town for 20.00, and headed back to the top of Mount Carmel on the Carmelit.  Eventually, I found a pub to my liking, called the ‘Bear Inn’ and had an excellent meal, the Chef’s special, while watching an Israeli football match on the television.

On the way back to the ship near the port entrance, I found another place for a night cap, which was full of American male students on vacation, a strange lot, and I could not figure out, why they all wear rucksacks on their backs, on a night out.

Back on board, I went up on deck for a night time view over the harbour.  During the day, there were half a dozen large Israeli warships alongside their berths but there was only one there now.  The others, I presume out patrolling their coastline.  A submarine came to its berth at 01.00 after finishing its patrol.  The Israelis are forever watchful.