Queen Mary 2 at Sea
My plan was to use this seven-day crossing to get some good rest before the strenuous activities of all the touring scheduled on the Holland America 14-day cruise. But that isn’t going to happen—there are so many scheduled activities on the QM2 that it is impossible to do even the most interesting of them. The lectures and presentations have all been excellent--the best on any ship I have sailed.
I’m brave enough to try the Britannia Restaurant for breakfast again, and this time all is good; the ham-cheese-tomato omelet is very hot, indeed. Today is shopping day. The shops on the QM2 are plentiful and plentifully stocked. There is an excellent bookshop on the upper decks next to the largest library at sea (with large windows looking out over the bow). Further down, on decks 3 and 4 are two kinds of shops: several name-brand stores selling very expensive merchandise (H. Stern, Pink, Chopard, e.g.) and several more general stores selling a nice selection of clothes, souvenirs, watches, jewelry, alcohol, cigarettes, and perfumes—all duty-free. The shops have the look and feel of a very high-class mall. Except . . . every day tables are laid out in the grand lobby and corridors with sale goods piled high and passengers scrambling to get the best deals. This is very good for the passenger and occurs on every major cruise ship in the universe, but it seems a bit tacky on a ship as “elegant” as the QM2. My purchases today: two T-shirts.
At noon the clock is moved forward another hour so I wait until 2pm for lunch in the Britannia Restaurant (main course is rigatoni with creamy red pepper sauce). At 3:30pm I attend an excellent lecture by Broadway producer Steven Rivellino about major trends in Broadway producing at the current time. His lecture is full of specific details as well as amusing anecdotes, and delves more deeply than most of the sea-lectures I have attended. I missed his first talk on the Financing of Broadway Productions, but I can catch a video of the presentation in my stateroom.
Prior to tonight’s second formal dinner (blue blazer with black vest and silver bow tie) is the Commodore’s Reception in the Queen’s Ballroom. I arrive late enough not to have to wait on line to shake the Commander’s hand, but still early enough for a free glass of champagne (or two). Dinner tonight is good: rilletes of duck confit with brioche toast and spinach and orange chili chutney (quite good); frise and rocket salad with raspberry vinaigrette; beef fillet with mushroom ragout and vintage port glacĂ© (must be poured from the left side; starboard glacĂ© may be poured from the right); and two scoops of rich chocolate ice cream.
After dinner, Andrew Gutauskas, a young Julliard saxophonist, performs with a small combo in the Chart Room. I am not much of a jazz fan, but his playing of old standards and his own compositions is mesmerizing. He will be playing and speaking again on Thursday afternoon.
I had hoped to go on with Tuesday before ending this blog entry, but activity calls, and the blog will have to wait for later.
Commodore Ryland at the Captain's Reception
Presentation of Pate with Orange Chili Sauce
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