Want to sail to So'ton on the QM2?

If you really want to turn green with envy, check out the ship on the Cunard site  www.cunard.com .  The crossing is a cost-effective vacation.  If you book early enough to get a cheap room, you can make the crossing and fly back for about $250 a day.  Who doesn't spend that much on a vacation?  And the pampering, darling!  For instance, your waiter shakes out your napkin and hands it to you. 

Excuse me, now.  I have to go polish my tiara.   

How was it?

And give every detail, because I just about have hubby convinced to book passage for our move next spring!

Oh, Saf, where do I begin?  I am so very glad that I sailed.  We had 8 luggage tags for the 2 of us, so I had 6 bags and my cousin had 2.  I took a Virgin train direct from Southampton to Berwick-upon-Tweed and had no problem with the luggage thanks to the porter, taxi driver, and train conductor.

Chapter 1 - Food for the Gods and Goddesses 

When we got up early enough for breakfast, we went to the King's Court.  The King's Court is cafeteria style but most definitely not cafeteria food.  Choices were British and American sausages, British and American bacon, scrambled eggs, tomatoes, baked beans, mushrooms, cottage chesse and other cheeses, hot and cold cereals, yoghurt, fresh fruits, juices, breads, muffins, waffles and omelets made to order, and a number of other goodies that I can't remember. 

If we had breakfast, we would skip lunch.  We missed breakfast often, so we often went to the Kings Court.  The lunch menu in the dining room always had a brunch item on it too.   For lunch we could have Italian dishes, Asian dishes, burgers, cold or hot sandwiches, soups, and salads.  And desserts.  Notice the plural! 

Tea is served at 3:30.  It's little tea sandwiches, pastries, and scones.

We ate dinner each night in the dining room because we looked forward to seeing our tablemates.  The beef is so tender you can cut it with the fork.  The soups are imaginative and so delicious.  Mangospacho, anyone?  This carnivore ate ALL of her vegetables.  If you can't decide what to have, order both or three or four.  You can choose an appetizer, soup, salad, entree, and dessert.  My favorite dessert was the cheese selection.  I tried 12 new cheeses and 3 wines during the crossing. 

Everything was wonderfully delicious and perfectly cooked, including my well done prime rib.  There are steakhouses in Boston that can't handle a well done order.  My meat was not burned and not tough.  It was perfect!

My only criticism is of the kitchen.  The dining room service is slow because of the number of meals being served in a short period of time.  The waiters and waitresses do their best, but the kitchen is slow.   Still, the food is well worth the wait.

There will be a few articles in the Nottingham press and a local magazine.  I met Daphne Harbidge, a journalist from Nottingham.  She interviewed the executive chef and toured the kitchens (immaculate!).  Please look for her articles.  She's a much better writer than I am.

Chapter 2 will be about the stateroom.  I''ll try to write tomorrow, but this is sister's computer, and she's a writer. 

Chapter 2  The Stateroom

Cunard does not have cabins, just staterooms.  Our stateroom was the cheapest on board, an inside room.  No balcony or porthole.  My trick for not feeling claustrophobic is to turn on the tv, switch to the bow camera, lower the sound (usually classical music), and look out my "window."  This is a great trick for those who like to wake up with the sun.  The screen gets brighter as the sun rises.

We had twin beds with night stands between the beds.  If a couple were in the room, the beds would be pushed together with the stands on the outside.  The only time we felt at all cramped for space was when the 2 of us were dressing for dinner at the same time.  We usually took turns, so no problem, really.

The housekeeping staff are the world's best.  No speck of dust was safe from Deidre's eye!  The shower is wiped dry every time it was used.  The towels are changed every 20 minutes, and anything you ask for is produced immediately.

The room has 2 wardrobes, one single and one double.  There is plenty of drawer space and a safe for your valuables.  We put the M&Ms in there so we would have to think about getting them.  Didn't work.  We ate them all.  There is a hair dryer in a drawer next to the mirror above the desk.  A full length mirror is on the wall too.  The mini-fridge held our champagne until we celebrated my birthday with a champagne brunch.

Bathrobes and slippers are in the wardrobes.  You can keep the slippers, but if you want the robe, it's $150.  The beds are like sleeping on clouds with great support.  The duvets were too warm for the Menopausal Madames, so we slept on top of the duvets and spread the robes over us.  The occupants can control the room temperature from arctic (our choice) to Houston in July.

The ship's interior is drop dead gorgeous.  The main hall has murals depicting the six more densely populated continents.  Paintings are everywhere.  Furnishings are luxuriously comfortable.  The china on the ship is by Wedgewood, and the crystal is by Waterford.

You can order breakfast in your stateroom every day if you like.  Did I mention that the food is out of this world delicious?

Next time--What shall I do today?

I certainly don't spend £250 a day when on holiday...