Here is another installment before I leave the QM2 tomorrow (Saturday morning).  I will be flying to Amsterdam and spending two nights there, so I don’t know what the wifi situation will be.  But if I cannot get back on before I sail on the Prinsendam on Monday afternoon, I am sure I will be back shortly after then.

Wednesday 31 July 2013
Queen Mary 2 at Sea

One more minor complaint about the food on the QM2—all the butter is salted.

Today is one more quiet day at sea with nothing extraordinary to report.  Tonight’s dinner is the best of the cruise:  Shrimp and Salmon Cake with Sweet Chili Mayonnaise; Gourmet Greens with Carrot-Ginger Dressing; Chicken Breast Francese with Chive Mashed Potatoes and Coriander Lemon Jus; Key Lime Pie.  I finish the bottle of Sancerre from last night.

Thursday 1 August 2013
Queen Mary 2 at Sea

I wake up just before 9am to discover that the toilet doesn’t work.  Just when I am ready to blame my own digestive system for clogging things up, Luwell, my cabin steward, stops by to tell me that the system has gone out for the entire deck.  Fortunately, everything seems to be back in working order by 9:30.

At 11:00am I attend a lecture on European Immigration to America up to the 1930s (a change of pace from the movies and Broadway).  Another excellent presentation; I must give Cunard credit for providing exceptional speakers.  This is followed by a tour of the kitchen and serving areas with a demonstration of fruit carving.  At noon, ships’ clocks are moved forward an hour again.  After I have lunch in the Britannia Dining Room (fruit plate, salad, and breaded pork scallop), the Julliard saxophonist presents another concert.  Although quite enjoyable to the ear and eye, I leave early to attend the film historian’s presentation on the music of Harry Warren (“On the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe”).

 

 

Today’s weather is bright and clear and I actually use the veranda for a short session of calm and relaxation.  Tonight is the third and final formal night (blue blazer, gray vest, blue dress shirt, red tie) and I look forward to the lobster tail posted on today’s menu board.  But alas, the tail is about the size of a large thumb—the smallest one I’ve ever seen.  The Chilean Sauvignon Blanc that Pablo, the wine steward (from Colombia), recommends, helps me get through the gastronomic disappointment.  Pablo, by the way, has provided excellent service, including having my bottle of sparkling water waiting for me on the table at dinner.  Although a standard gratuity is charged to each passenger’s account, I have been leaving larger tips for him after each dinner to show my appreciation.  I have tiramisú for dessert, forgoing the Baked Alaska that is prelude to the Parade of Chefs (every cruise line seems to be doing this).