At Sea after San Francisco

Monday, February 5, Boarding Day

Perhaps we will be on Pacific Time tomorrow, it wasn’t today. Despite the early morning coffee we managed not to be the first at the buffet for breakfast. We managed a bit of conversation with two other couples in the dining room. The remainder of the morning was just easy going. Our luggage was ready for pickup before 9 AM as requested but was not in fact collected until after 11 but who cares. We made a second pass at the breakfast buffet just before the 10 AM close then retreated to the room to await travel to the ship.

The lobby was a mad house between 9 and 10 AM. By waiting until 11:30 to check out it was over in a minute. The wait in the lobby was not long and shortly after 12 noon we were  escorted to our coach for the 5 minute trip to Pier 27 and the terminal.

Boarding was done in a very orderly, British fashion. Upper classes immediately, the rest of us were assigned groups for checkin then boarding was permitted immediately. The whole procedure really didn’t take very long and best of all, our luggage was delivered to the room very quickly. One arrived before we did.

Immediately after checking in to the stateroom we needed lunch. Up to the buffet, a quick lunch and a bit of exploration of the upper decks. Queen Elizabeth is, by current standards, a relatively small ship. Listed at 90,901 Gross Tons carrying around 2,000 passengers. The interior is quite impressive, old school decor. She has a library, book shelves covering two decks complete with spiral staircase.

Thursday, February 8

Without the luxury of nearly unlimited internet time as we have with Princess, this is the first post of the cruise. We are just past the halfway point from San Francisco to Honolulu. The first three days have been relatively uneventful, as sea days should be. We have a celebrity guest on board by the name of Philip Gray who is promoted as an “Extreme Artist”. This intrigued me enough to take a look, although art is not usually my pursuit of choice. I think we will follow him through to Honolulu. He is, of course, promoting his art but in an entertaining way. The “extreme” characterization has come from his habit of practicing his art in dangerous locations including the slopes of Everest, shark infested tropical water, Icelandic volcanoes and Antarctic waters.

His descriptions of his adventures have proven to be quite interesting indeed. He has also chosen to execute three canvases while on board and has found ways to include passengers in the process by allowing them to help fill the canvases. Subsequently, he develops details from his experience. We have found it enjoyable to watch him work. I will include some photos of his work in future posts/

Like all Cunard ships, the Queen Elizabeth is beautifully appointed and the walls are frequently covered with historic memorabilia. I will collect some photos to post later. The staff dress code is evident regardless of the task they are assigned. Passengers too observe a more elegant dress code than on other lines. There is an older demographic on this ship to be sure, but there are very few mobility vehicles visible. Last evening provided the first opportunity for everyone to show off their formal attire. It was the Cunard Ball, at least for an hour or two. During that time the professional dance couple showed an extremely well executed Viennese Waltz as their first performance. I look forward to seeing them again.

The weather has been mild but not yet summer like. The sea temperature and air temperature are nearly identical, around 18°C to 19°C and today has been very overcast with moderate seas bouncing us just a bit. Gail doesn’t find the ship’s motion too comfortable so we’re having a cup of tea in our stateroom. We have the luxury of an electric kettle in the room so we can make tea or coffee at will, so to speak. The coffee is instant so we are avoiding it, the tea, however is just fine. British I suppose. We lan to fix the coffee situation shortly after arriving in Honolulu. We brought a Melita coffee system with us for Australia but we’ll activate it as soon as we buy coffee in Hawaii.

We share our dinner table with two very nice couples, one from New York, the other from Brisbane, the seventh and eighth chairs have as yet remained empty. Conversation has been quite easy. We are learning about the Gold Coast from the Australians and the New York couple are learning what to do during their stay in Sydney from both of us.

We were among the first group to the dining room for breakfast on the first two mornings and found ourselves with three women who were on a third or forth world cruise within the last five years. Even taking inside cabins this would kinda break the bank for us. This morning we were a bit later and found ourselves with another great group.

We reach Honolulu on Saturday and I will find some WiFi to post pictures etc.

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