QUEEN ELIZABETH 5th January 2012 Part 1

QUEEN ELIZABETH 5th January 2012
Part 1

On 8th October 2010 I was in Southampton with some friends to watch the new Cunard cruise ship come into her home port of Southampton: it was QUEEN ELIZABETH, and she made a splendid sight in the early morning light. We were part of a large flotilla of ships to welcome her in for the first time.

Queen Elizabeth arriving in Southampton October 2010

Fifteen months later I was again in Southampton, and this time I was to sail on the newest Cunarder for myself, for 3 nights from Southampton to Hamburg, on the River Elbe in Germany. There was to be one call at Le Havre, on the way, before a sea day on our way to Hamburg. It was a ‘New Year Getaway’.

It was a wild and damp January winter morning, with trees down on the railway lines in the south of England, faulty signals near Portsmouth, and I felt glad my coastal train was only half an hour late. A taxi whisked me to the Queen Elizabeth II Terminal and on the way there I had a pleasant chat with the driver about the lavender-hulled lovelies of the Union-Castle Line that we both remembered. In the Ocean Terminal I could see BOUDICCA berthed against the quay, held there seemingly only with the help of a large tug nose-in to the side of the hull. The tug seemed to be putting a lot of force into this, as sea water was churning up continuously from her stern. My ticket said I was to embark in Ocean Terminal, so it was a surprise to see BOUDICCA there but I know the weather and wind conditions were dreadful.

I had booked a single use inside grade D8 cabin for my 3 nights on board, and had been happy to be notified of an upgrade to a D1 cabin, so I was pleased to embark and be greeted by cheerful faces as I reached the top of the gangway. My cabin 8031 was large and comfortably furnished, the bathroom was spacious and there was a bottle of champagne in an ice-bucket on the small table next to the settee. Life was already looking good, so I set off to meet my travelling companion. He had booked for the full five days of the cruise from Southampton and back, and had been upgraded four times since booking, so we had a mini cabin-cavalcade between my inside cabin and his outside with balcony.

Then it was time to start to explore the ship and enjoy the new sights and sounds of a ship actually in the sea, and not in a dry dock. My recent experience on COSTA DELIZIOSA and going into the Marseilles dry dock is still so fresh in my mind, that I can’t help comparing it with being here on QUEEN ELIZABETH!

QUEEN ELIZABETH was built for Cunard in 2010 with a gross tonnage of 90,900, to carry 2,068 passengers at a speed of 23.7 knots, and she is another enlarged Vista class of ship (a hybrid Vista/Spirit class), as was COSTA DELIZIOSA. Her home port is Southampton, in Hampshire, England, and she is now registered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Her Captain for this voyage is Captain Christopher Wells. The ship was named by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, and I was so pleased to see the golden bust of Her Majesty on board, taken from the QE2 before she sailed to Dubai. There is also a beautiful painting of Her Majesty on board.

There are 12 passenger decks, with Forward A, Midships B and Aft C Stairways and Elevators. The lowest A Deck has the Tender Embarkation access and the Medical Centre. Deck 1 forward of Aft staircase C has staterooms, the Tour Office, Purser’s Office, and Voyage Sales Office. Forward of that is the lower part of the Grand Lobby,

The Linley ship

and then forward of that is the Internet Centre Connexions 1, leading on to more staterooms. Forward again from Forward Stairway A is the lowest level entry to the Royal Court Theatre.

Deck 2 aft is the lower level of the Britannia Restaurant, and forward of the stairway is the Britannia Club, The Verandah,

The Verandah

The Verandah

Cafe Carinthia, the second level of the Grand Lobby, and the lower level of the Library. Forward of Stairway B is the Book shop, Cunard Place, Queens Room,

Queens Room

Queens Arcade, Empire Casino and then Golden Lion pub. Forward again is the Stairway A and then the Royal Court Theatre.

Deck 3 at the stern has the upper level of the Britannia Restaurant,

Britannia Restaurant entrance

A stairway

Stairway C, Images Photo Gallery, Card Room, Midships Bar The Alcove, the top level of the Grand Lobby, and the Emporium/Library.

The Library

Forward of Stairway B is Cunarders’ Gallery, the Queens Room, then Connexions 2 and 3, Art Gallery and Royal Arcade.

Royal Arcade

Prize-winning sculpture

Forward of the Stairway A is the top level seating of the Theatre.

Decks 4 to 8 inclusive are all staterooms.

Deck 9 aft has the Lido Pool, Bar and Grill, and forward of Stairway C is the Lido Restaurant. Forward of Stairway B is the attractive Garden Lounge,

Garden Lounge

The Garden Lounge

which is another of the most attractive areas on the ship to my mind, especially in January when one can sit in very comfortable armchairs, with cushions, and be completely warm and safe from the vagaries of the weather in the North Sea. With a small bar in one corner to provide tea, coffee or whatever was needed, I enjoyed spending time there. Forward of that was the Pavilion Pool and Bar,

Funnel view on deck

Tiling outside the Pavilion

Outside Pool area

and forward and up again was the Yacht Club which was a very popular place at night for music and dancing.

The Yacht Club

Deck 9 forward had the Royal Spa and Fitness Centre.

Deck 10 forward had the Churchill’s Cigar Lounge, and then the Commodore Club which again was such a lovely venue especially at night time. The Games Deck was above this, with its canvas and rope-bound canopies to protect us from the weather.

Chess pieces

I was hoping to learn to play croquet but others had the same idea so that must be for another time.

There were other vessels in Southampton port, including ORIANA, BALMORAL and BOUDICCA, but it was a lovely surprise to look out and see a familiar but unusual small ship coming down Southampton Water towards us: it was the T.H.V. PATRICIA, the Flag Ship of Trinity House, going very slowly past us. We later discovered she went to shelter against the Isle of Wight, presumably to avoid the rough weather out in the English Channel.

THV Patricia

Lifeboat drill was next, in the wonderfully tiered theatre, and we soon departed from Southampton in the dark with the sound of suitable maritime music playing in the background and being blown towards us on the high wind on deck.

The Commodore Club was ideal for a pre-dinner drink, and then the Britannia Restaurant was our next destination for dinner. I had been allocated a table with seven other passengers on the upper level on Deck 3, which surrounded the lower level on Deck 2, and was accessed with the sort of light-edged curved staircase where one can ‘sweep down’ in a very feminine and elegant way. My travelling companion was with other congenial passengers on a table on the lower level, but the Maitre d’ had said he would arrange for us to sit together on subsequent nights. The menu was varied and full of desirable things to choose, so it was a pleasant occasion.

I sat in the middle of an oval table for eight, with my back to a wall. The Wine Waiter appeared with Wine Lists which she rapidly gave to the two men on the table, before rushing away and taking orders at other tables. I wanted to order a glass of wine, but was unable to do so until about 10 minutes later when I managed to catch her eye and wave as she rushed past again. She seemed rather surprised, but gathered herself and gave me a Wine List. It took another 5 minutes before she reappeared to take my small order and then another 10 minutes before the glass of wine appeared. It was obvious the member of staff was under intense pressure and perhaps Cunard need to think again about the number of Wine Stewards they have in this restaurant.

Plates of After Dinner Mints and small pieces of crystallised ginger were outside the Restaurant (welcome back to Cunard, Ann, I thought) and then it was time for the Welcome Aboard Show in the three-deck-high Royal Court Theatre. The Queen Elizabeth Theatre Company and eight-piece Theatre Orchestra entertained us after we were welcomed by the Entertainment Director Amanda; after that Show it was time to head up to the Yacht Club for music and dancing, with the wonderful silver model of QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 in a glass case at the entrance to the room.

Clocks have to go forward one hour tonight to put us on Continental time, so it was a short night ahead of me despite the beautiful linen and pillows on my bed.

Ships seen: Queen Elizabeth, Oriana, Balmoral, Boudicca (held alongside with a tug), Autostar, Great Expectations, Red Jet 4, Svitzer Ferriby tug, Patricia

To be concluded...

Summer 2011 Part 14 (the final one)

Hamburg



Sunday 17th July 2011

I slept well in my cabin on CAP SAN DIEGO. However, I was woken once during the night by something or someone out in the corridor, which was unexpected as there were few of us staying on board. This is the one thing I now realise about staying on this hotel ship – it seems there are no members of staff on board other than the man on the gate at the top of the pontoon gangways. Once the guests had left the hired rooms at the end of my corridor, the ship appeared to be empty. I think I imagined the ship would be full of guests, especially on a Saturday night in high summer.



When I met my travelling companion for breakfast we compared notes about the quiet ship, and he mentioned that he had also heard what he thought was a ‘prowler’ outside his cabin (on another higher deck) - the person seemed to have been carrying something heavy which knocked against his cabin door. We decided that this was rather eerie and slightly disturbing.



Breakfast was welcome and generous again and we were surprised when a group of six other people arrived in the Bord Bistro. Presumably they must have been staying on board the hotel ship too.







This morning we are going to visit the famed Hamburg Maritime Museum, walking east along to HafenCity and enjoying the sights on the way. I particularly liked the artwork on a bridge pavement created to look like a beautiful carpet.









We stopped for a coffee break beside a plastic wrapped hotel, which may or may not be its finished outer covering, near a ferris wheel.







Also in this area were several holes in the ground, which were destined to be hotels at some stage in the future. There were lots of people walking around, wrapped up to cope with a brisk breeze under a grey sky, and some of us tried the ‘playthings’ set into the paving around the coffee shop. We sat and looked at the two cruise ships that had arrived in Hamburg port – the AIDA BLU and the AIDA LUNA – and at the other harbour vessels.







Once in the Maritime Museum, it was another world – Mr Peter Tamm’s collection of thousands of ship models of all kinds, and other nautical items now housed in this 1878-built warehouse, with its internal wooden beams. It opened in June 2008 and is internationally popular. We enjoyed seeing so many items from Deck 10 down to Deck 6. I saw many Union-Castle Line ship models, and layouts of various ports around the world, and everything was fascinating and amazing – thank you Mr Tamm.



It was soon time for my companion to set off on his journey home, so we retraced our steps west and back to CAP SAN DIEGO to collect his and my luggage, and say goodbye. I walked further along the quay and bought a ticket to take a harbour cruise; there was a choice of seeing the docks on a long cruise down river, or a shorter cruise taking in the main harbour area and the cruise ships and this was the one I decided to do.



I boarded the little KIRCHDORF, which was built in 1962, and has obviously done good service over the years. We left the quayside and headed down river and saw the strange-looking building known as Docklands,



Docklands



a lovely sandy beach,







the tower with the time and temperature on one face,







lots of huge cargo ships in the dock basins on the south side,











and many local ferries. Heading up river again we approached the plastic-wrapped hotel we saw this morning, and then the two cruise ships (AIDA BLU and AIDA LUNA) alongside HafenCity.



On the way back we could see the rather new-looking MISSISSIPPI QUEEN and the LOUISANA STAR, and then the CAP SAN DIEGO beside her pontoon.



































I’d been on the harbour cruise ship for nearly an hour, and enjoyed it tremendously, so I was reluctant to have to leave this amazing maritime city to get to Hamburg Airport for my flight home.



Ships seen: Aida Blu, Aida Luna, Kirchdorf, Mississippi Queen, Cap San Diego, Louisana Star, Navi Baltic, Lion King ferry, Tarzan ferry and many other local ferries and working craft.



I’ve enjoyed nine nautical days on such a variety of different ships in previously unknown waters, as well as calling or staying in ports that were new to me, and had the most amazing and fun time throughout – I feel so lucky.









THE END

Summer 2011 Part 13 Hamburg

Summer 2011 Part 13

Happy in Hamburg



Saturday 16th July

After a plentiful breakfast on board CAP SAN DIEGO we set off down the long gangways



The Schaarhorn was just across the river



to the pontoon, and then across the old bridge with its newish roof covering. At the end was a little shop selling all sorts of souvenirs from the ship, which were hard to resist. When I think about buying Union-Castle Line goodies, I usually ask myself if I can wear it or use it; if the answer is no, then I probably won’t buy it. Today, I asked myself the usual question and ended up buying a rather lovely china mug, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the ship.



Just outside the shop was a sign set into the pavement, describing how the 3 funnel ships of yore used to come into Hamburg.



Quayside sign



There was a picture of one, with no name or date to be seen, obviously berthed just where we were standing, so I think that might be a good clue as to where the ARANDORA STAR might have berthed in August 1931 and 1932 when Father was working on there as an Assistant Engineering Officer. I took a few photos of the view this morning from the CSD deck. Father’s photograph includes one of the many churches and by checking his picture, I think I can identify it as St. Nicholas’s Church which is quite distinctive. Nowadays just the outer walls and spire of the church are intact and much-visited.



Hamburg in 1931 and 1932



Possibly the same view







As a first-time visitor to this city I was happy to walk to a wonderful bookshop, which also sold ship models – the Galerie Maritim. What a glorious place that turned out to be, as the 3 of us spent a very happy time there and the usual ‘wear it or use it’ question had to be put to the back of my mind when looking at the hundreds of 1:1250 models for sale in the glass cabinets. Conversation with the proprietors naturally covered all our favourite ships and shipping lines, and some of our favourite maritime authors too: Anthony Cooke, Bruce Peter and William Mayes (when is his next book due out, they asked) and Les Streater. I left the shop clutching a small bag – I seem to be a new addict… Oh well, I was warned.



The next bookshop we went to had a maritime section, so that was interesting too. I found a box of old photographs and when I started looking through them the young lady behind the counter asked if she could help with anything in particular. I smiled and said I wondered if she had any photographs of the ARANDORA STAR in the 1930s in Hamburg, and showed her one of Father’s photographs. She said she had more pictures in the back room and went to look for them. She re-appeared a short while later and handed me two black and white photographs of Father’s ship said to be taken in the early 1930s in Hamburg. They were obviously not taken at the same time, as her masts are different in the two pictures as are her forward arrangements.



Arandora Star arriving in Hamburg



The ship in Hamburg



One photograph had the name of Wolfgang Fuchs of Hamburg printed on the back. I was so astonished and of course I bought them. Life takes extraordinary turns, doesn’t it? I think this morning we all realised that Hamburg just loves its ships and shipping, and it is truly a maritime city to enjoy.



One of my chums had to catch a train after lunch so we saw him off safely at the Hauptbahnhof, and took a train ourselves to go to Wedel and the Welcome Point. Of course, as it was a weekend there was the inevitable engineering work on the line which meant we had to get a replacement bus (coo, it’s just like home) from Blankenese and then walk to Welcome Point. It is obviously a very popular place to visit and enjoy the café, restaurant or snack bar; we decided not to visit the ‘Ship in a Bottle Museum’, but did enjoy sitting on benches built in front of a long mural which we had seen from the HALUNDER JET yesterday. We waited in the warm sunshine to see several ships and hear the music.



Team Lines' Tina



Grimaldi's Grande Francia



The journey home was the expected walk, bus and train, followed by dinner in the city,



Restaurant toilet sign



Interesting thought, but NO.



and a soiree on deck to complete the day.



Ships seen: Transvaal Castle, Capetown Castle, Reina del Mar, S. A. Oranje (OK, they were models but what a collection they came from!), Grande Francia, Apollo, Tina, Lion King Ferry and lots of other ferries of all shapes and sizes.



To be continued…

Summer 2011 Part 12 Cap San Diego

Summer 2011 Part 12

Cap San Diego in Hamburg



Saturday 16th July











My cabin on this hotel ship was very comfortable, and I slept well. Unfortunately I heard all the party-goers leaving the hired rooms along the end of my cabin corridor and walking past me very noisily. I think all the empty beer bottle crates were taken out too, along the same route. Ah well, when I went to the tea-making tray beside the television and found a good selection of tea, I also saw two packets of ear-plugs, so now I know why they were there!







The sun was shining on the water so I was soon out on deck and able to take pictures with no-one else around, on this beautiful summer’s morning. I was to meet my two chums at 9 a.m. for breakfast in the Bord-Bistro so I had time to explore in the sunshine the few areas available inside the ship and the outside decks.



Lovely woodwork



CAP SAN DIEGO was built in 1961, so this is her 50th anniversary year. She started life as a freighter designed in Hamburg and built for the Hamburg-Sud shipping company by Deutsche-Werft, and sailed regularly from Hamburg to South America, with a gross tonnage of 9998. Eventually she was sold on and finally returned to her home port in 1986 to be used as a Maritime Monument from 1987, bought by the Hanseatic City of Hamburg (http://www.capsandiego.de). Parties, conventions and events are held on board and every summer she also makes daytime trips with passengers on board.



Outside deck space



The Bridge







Certificate of Class







Chart room







Two sextants



Surprise occupant!



Looking forward



Bridge wing



View from the Bridge



Masts and gear



Covered pool



Hatch cover



Looking aft



And up I go on the fo'cs'le deck



As far forward as I can















Looking aft at the shear



I enjoyed seeing what I could, and looking out at the Hamburg maritime city. One of Father’s photographs was ever in my mind, as I wanted to try and identify where his ship had berthed when he was here in August 1931 and I think it must have been more or less where I am now. After breakfast we plan to go ashore and enjoy some of the sights so I may find out more then.



Hamburg picture postcard





To be continued…