Holidays and Other Excursions

Category: Cruise

Queen Anne 31.8.24

DFDS Cross Channel Ferry

DFDS Cross Channel Ferry

Today we are at sea – all day with docking in Southampton due in the early hours of Sunday morning.  If anything looking out of the windows at time are progress not only seems glacial – more like non-existent.  I assume we are moving forwards but we really are moving very gingerly – the average will be under 10 knots for this journey.

To ensure we are au fait with the dining options we go to the Artisans Foodhall for breakfast – it is of course simply a renamed buffet and here I sense a real design problem.  The counters are set high and plates are all passed over it with all food being served by the chefs.  Fine – except that the plates are pretty warm and we have seen a lot of people this week on board using walkers and wheelchairs who simply cannot reach that high (and can probably not so easily manage a hot plate).  I assume the high level design emanates post-covid – but to me it feels like a step backwards.  However I do get both black and white pudding – which is rare anywhere else – so well done Cunard.

White Cliffs Dover

White Cliffs Dover

Regrettably the fine weather has vanished and it is grey and overcast outside; if it were not for the excessive number of windmills on the various horizons it is similar to being mid-Pacific – although as the day progresses we get views of coast lines and indeed intermittent 4G signals enabling a partial football score – until the signal is lost!

We have not previously visited the Observation Deck so head up there – it is open air and as we soon find it is the only location onboard where smoking is permitted – well there has to be somewhere!  We do some reading but head elsewhere in favour of fresh air after a while.  I think we have seen most of the ship on our various peregrinations around the boat.  We did plan a burger on the Pavilion Deck – which is the main pool area – but it is both busy and noisy so decide on a light lunch up in the Grills restaurant.

Appealing activities were limited this morning but we have a busy afternoon.  Jackie does her packing and then heads off to Bingo.  I make use of the balcony – the seats are comfortable and I can listen to some podcasts and also observe the white cliffs of Dover as we are proceeding (still pretty slowly) along past Dover and Folkestone – with cross channel ferries crossing in front of us at one stage.

I then attend to some of my packing and then I attempt to find out progress in Brentford of the Southampton team – once we go 1-0 down I am fed up and almost glad that we lose the signal.  I then join Jackie for some music in the Queen’s Room before attending most of the evening performance in the Royal Court theatre – but it is not as enthralling as “Brief Encounter” so depart for dinner.

Come Sunday morning we are docked and an early breakfast beckons before we can disembark, find our suitcases and car and return home.

Queen Anne 30.8.24

Cube Houses Rotterdam

Cube Houses Rotterdam

We remain moored in Rotterdam and following breakfast we take the free shuttle bus which is running from outside the cruise terminal to the Markthall.  Shuttle buses are running about every 15 minutes and take about 15 minutes with driver commentary on the surroundings.  He refers extensively to “livings” – flats or apartments.  The Erasmus bridge is one way for cars and buses so we take a slightly longer route across a couple of other bridges to reach our destination.

Even so we had no need to start this early as the Market does not open until 10 so we have time to look at the outside of the Kubuis houses – surely the result of a joke rather than a serious design approach plus a building with all the pipework on the exterior which houses the library (and a Starbucks).

Surfing in the Street Rotterdam

Surfing in the Street Rotterdam

We walk through the Markthall stopping to buy some local cheese and then in the direction of the main shopping area just to see some of the City.  In a small cut off the city has placed some water and a wave machine and the local surfers are all practicing their craft on this resource in the bright sun which we have today.  Not quite a beach – but earlier the bus driver had pointed out another end of a waterway where a beach is being created in a former port area with diggers and so on at work spreading sand – a little late for this summer but it should be ready for next year!

We wander through the City and then back over the Erasmus bridge to Queen Anne – and soon enough as it is quite warm walking through the city today.

Queen Anne Rotterdam

Queen Anne Rotterdam

One delight of Cunard is of course afternoon tea and so to the Queen’s Room at 3 for tea.  Sandwiches, cakes and the obligatory scone, jam first and cream to go with the tea all delivered with silver service.  Excellent and as it is later than lunchtime ideal for the late dinner we are planning after going to the Bright Lights Society!

Tonight is also gala night – so DJ and dress shirt are donned – the latter with more difficulty than anticipated as it seems I am no longer 16 1/2″ around the collar – doing up top buttons on my old shirts is proving distressing as it seems I have expanded.  I do manage it eventually.

We take a drink up in the Commodore Club – deck 14 (there is no 13) forward with a view of the outside world and listen to some jazz before our 19:30 appointment at the Bright Light Society back down deck 2.  When we get there we find that the performance tonight is cancelled due to illness – disappointing.

However we determine to simply advance dinner and go to the Queen’s Grill where as it is on the main menu we can have chateaubriand tonight.  Another lovely piece of steak and so stomachs sated we retire earlier than planned.

Queen Anne casts off in the middle of the night and commences the return journey to Southampton.

 

Queen Anne 29.8.24

Queen Anne Staircase

Queen Anne Staircase

As breakfast serving time feels early, especially given the lost hour, we have ordered room service with an omelette and accompaniments which gets the day off to a very solid start.  Nicely delivered and a little touch of luxury.  We have a decent size couch for two, a rotating single chair and a very solid table.  Outside on the balcony are two comfortable loungers and another smaller table.

Various sounds and noises disrupted sleep last night, in particular when I think the engines were working harder than they do throughout most of the cruise – I suspect we were given a specific period to traverse the narrowest section of the English Channel between Dover and Calais.  Otherwise given the sailing times on this holiday we are progressing at fairly low speeds.  Google reports that the distance is 221 nautical miles (254 land miles).  Given that the outward sailing is around 20 hours in elapsed time we are doing little more than 10 knots – Queen Anne is capable of just over 20 knots which is slower than either MS Queen Elizabeth or MS Queen Victoria as a top speed.

Queen Anne Deck 11

Queen Anne Deck 11

Jackie wants to play bingo this morning which is in the Golden Lion, which is forward on deck 2.  Once she is there I take myself up to the Terrace on Deck 11 to do some listening and some reading.  There is some low level music playing on the Terrace but it is not too intrusive as I am using earphones.  Given that the weather is looking good we decide, after taking a light bite in the Carinthia lounge – just to maximise our sampling of all outlets, to return to the Terrace.  Notable aspect of our light bite was that the yolk of the egg was still slightly frozen!  Although regrettably the sun disappears behind clouds whilst we proceed along many miles of industrial docklands as we head towards Rotterdam.

Eventually we reach our berth which is very conveniently located in the centre of the city, immediately adjacent to the Erasmus Bridge.  We are adjacent to a terminal building and can see coaches parked alongside for those going on trips this afternoon.  We are taking it easy and I manage to get a booking for the Bright Lights Society which is a second entertainment venue on board. This seems to have limited capacity and books up rapidly but I can get into the earlier session tomorrow evening – although I think I bag the last availability.

We dine in the Queens Grill tonight and then head to the Royal Court Theatre for a stage version of Noel Coward’s Brief Encounter.  This stage version was devised by Emma Rice in 2007 and adds some additional detail around the lives of the supporting class plus an express train headed by U class 1638 which is based on the Bluebell so I assume the other trains projected at various points are also from filming at the Bluebell – all very clever.  Although filmed in Carnforth station the setting is supposed to be somewhere in Southern England in the early thirties.  The locomotive is currently stored awaiting a full overhaul – which will be expensive as it will need boiler and firebox repairs and new tyres.

 

Queen Anne 28.8.24

Queen Anne Southampton

Queen Anne Southampton

Embarcation for our cruise is Southampton ocean terminal and whilst we are half an hour early many others are well in front of us.  We join short queue but soon a man is taking notes and then photos of the car, key handed over and we walk across to drop our main cases and head into the Ocean Terminal.

Check in is busy and passport dates are closely checked but we remain well within validity at the moment.  They decide to retake our security photos with glasses on but the longest delay is the check at the ship, although I cause a delay as my watch has tripped the security gate as I forgot to take it off.

We are asked to also visit our muster station and have our passes scanned as a double check that we are on board and also know the location of our muster station.  As the muster station is on stairway C, at the aft so having walked back we get scanned.  Next we want the Queen’s Grill where we will be eating our meals so we take the lift up to level 10 which is the location of the Grill restaurants.   Only to find that there is no entry from this direction – it is closed off – so we have to go down a floor, through the buffet restaurant (re-imagined as an “Artisans’ Foodhall”) to the mid-ships lift.

We head up in the lift to the Grill restaurants which will open at 1300 and after a drink we are positioned at a table behind a pillar and close to a serving station so the good lady wife is not at all happy and asks if we can be relocated, we shall see.

Lunch devoured we find our suite on deck seven which is towards the aft of the ship.  Jackie’s case arrives and she unpacks and mine then appears quite a bit later. As ever I suspect we have both over packed.

Queen Anne remains stationary and we head up to deck 11 and the Grills terrace where we can sit in the sun for an hour or so, although it is cloudier than early and even spits with rain at one point.

Showing that the ship is new it is announced that the usual emergency sirens will be heard and we have to go to our muster station.  Given our earlier visit this is a surprise!  However shortly before the alarms are sounded the instruction to visit the muster station is counter-manded; obviously scripts are not up to date!

Queen Anne

Queen Anne

Warning sirens sounded we commence sailing and head steadily down Southampton Water past Fawley and Netley and then we start heading eastwards towards the English Channel, turning as we get close to the Isle of Wight following the marker buoys.

Arriving back at the Grill restaurant for our dinner it is pleasing to hear that an alternative table has been found from which we can view the passing landscape on the port side, Gosport, Portsmouth, Spitbank Fort,  distant Wittering and Pagham are all out there somewhere.

We each have excellent steaks for dinner.

Post dinner we visit the theatre but are not greatly taken by the entertainer so slip out and return to our suite for a drink and bed.  We lose an hour tonight as we move to Rotterdam time ahead of our arrival there tomorrow afternoon.

Sleep is a little disturbed, hot, then cold, then hot again, odd noises and some strange notions.  First night is often short of sleep.