January 3, 2023
Boarding the Queen Mary 2 (QM2) was an incredible experience from the moment I arrived and saw her up close I was so excited!! I have never been on a ship the size of Queen Mary 2 it is quite different than my normal 200 passenger ships. She is almost a ½ mile long (one lap around her is 1.1 miles) and 13 stories high. The number of bags waiting to be loaded along with all the people and dogs (yes, she has a kennel so you can take your dog with you) was overwhelming.
As I entered the grand lobby they had a group playing beautiful music that calmed the frenzy of everyone trying to board. I was in awe of how grand she is. The grand lobby is an important space because it has the strongest Wi-Fi connection!!! You see people out there in their jams trying to get their email. Do jams adhere to the “Smart Casual” dress code????? I think not!
My home for the next four months is small but functional and I found a place for everything!! I was so happy that my shipped bags were waiting for me. I am on the 6th level and the most important places, Kings Court, Chef’s Galley, walking path around the ship and the gym are just one level above me. Just down the hall are the laundry facilities.
I spent most of the first day being confused on which side I lived on because all of the odd number are on the left and evens on the right. 90% of the time now I get it right, otherwise I am like everyone else looking confused.
As I stood on the deck waiting to sail off I could see Ellis Island and reflected what my ancestors who braved the trip to a new land thought as they were about to explore America wondering if the felt the same excitement tinged with a bit of fear that I was feeling as I was heading off on my adventure. As the tugboats arrived to escort us the fog rolled in and NYC Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty disappeared. It was like the beginning of one of those movies that never end well!!
I have explored every floor and most of the main event spaces and I am sharing picture of some of my favorite places to hang out.
The library is incredible with 10,000 books on every topic and a fantastic view of the front of the ship. It’s a great place to hang out between lectures and activities.
The casino has this incredible mural! Yes, have played a bit of poker and won!!
Britannia is the main dining room and it reminds me of the movie Titanic, especially when everyone is dressed up!!!
Illuminations is the planetarium where a lot of the lectures are held including “The Royal Butler” who served Chuck and Camilla. They project movies into the planetarium and the chairs lean back. More fun than Soaring over CA at Disney!
The Royal Theater is where they have music and other events. We have a Shakespeare troupe on board that do scavenger hunt each day.
There is great art throughout the ship and I notice more every time I am out exploring.
I was worried about being bored on the sea days but that hasn’t happen yet! In the next blog I will share some of the fun stuff I have been doing and some stories on my cruise mates!!
Wow! A city within the boat. I think you should use starboard and port instead of left and right ;-). But I guess on a ship like that which is so large, you may not know even where the bow and stern are!! Excellent pictures Mary.
Hi! What a beautiful ship!! Very fancy. I imagine you have your cabin to yourself and that you’re already making lots of friends. Mac wants to go on a cruise like this but we can’t leave the dogs. I’m telling her about the kennel!! LOL. I can’t imagine Graciela at sea for four months, but who knows. Do they have an aviary and a stable, too? I’m looking forward to all of your posts and photos, but I already have a complaint. Include photos of YOU, too. I want to see your shining face as you enjoy this adventure. Love you!
Steph
No Avery or Stable but it is fun having the dogs onboard. They are allowed out on the decks! Yes, I am alone on this trip and I have not found my people yet but I keep trying. I posted a picture of me in the latest post but not sure you can see my face. I will work on that.
So much fun seeing your posts…get done tabloid scoop from the Butler….lol