Well… our long and very enjoyable winter of sun and travel is coming to an end…… As I write this we are steaming up the Channel just past Falmouth. Today the skies have been grey and the temperatures dropping….. but the sea is like glass so we are really lucky.
The last couple of days have been fantastic sea days. We’ve spent a lot of time out on deck, just enjoying the sea going past, the hot sun, the blue skies…. reading our books…. incredibly relaxing. There is so much space on board now, often we’ve had large areas of the aft deck all to ourselves and we’ve stretched out on a couch just enjoying it.
Last night was our last black tie evening and we had a lovely dinner of surf and turf washed down by free Cunard champagne which made it even nicer!!!! They’ve really been very generous with that this trip. The night before we’d had a Farewell Cocktail Party with the Captain and Officers. Another chance to gulp down cocktails and champagne. The Captain made a really nice speech about the voyage. Of course some people have been on board for 78 nights on their South American adventure.
After that we had a concert from the New Amen Corner group. They were really good, played loads of songs we all knew and everyone sang along. It was a really joyful evening, so enjoyable. I see they are on tour in the UK and I’d definitely go and see them again. A lot of fun.
Today we had a last explore of this fantastic ship. It really is beautiful. And more reading. This afternoon for a naughty treat after we’d done some packing, we went to the white glove service high tea in the Queen’s Room, the main ballroom aboard. It’s always popular and all the tables fill. Today there was a string quartet playing and the waiters – about 16 of them – all march in brandishing their teapots to kick it all off. There are varieties of tea, lots of different little fancy sandwiches and rolls, cakes, gateaux and tarts and of course at the end, warm scones with jam and cream. We made a brave stab at it! Couldn’t do it every day…. well…. we could but we’d be going home even fatter than we are……
We have packed our stuff which will be taken off the ship and be waiting in the terminal for us in the morning. We went to an early theatre show featuring the 4 singers from the resident company and the combined ships’s orchestras plus more musicians and giving songs from the movies. It was excellent in every way.
Later we have dinner, then the Amen Corner band are playing in the ballroom for a party and we’ll go to that for a boogie. Finally they are showing Grease in the cinema later and we might see that if we aren’t tired enough by then. This has been a wonderful transatlantic crossing and rounded off our holiday very well. Our favourite Cunard ship remains Queen Mary 2, but Queen Victoria is a wonderful ship and we would sail on her again any time.