Arriving in New York aboard Queen Victoria, together with the brand new Queen Elizabeth, making her maiden arrival, I transferred the same day to Queen Mary 2 for a 23 night cruise down to South America, Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo and then across the South Atlantic to Cape Town!

View from Table Mountain, with Robben Island in the bay

Itinerary Part 2
Thursday 13th January	-	New York, USA Transfer to Queen Mary 2
Friday	-	at sea
Saturday 15th January	-	Ft Lauderdale, Florida
Sunday	-	at sea
Monday	-	at sea
Tuesday 18th January	-	Bridgetown, Barbados
Wednesday	-	at sea
Thursday	-	at sea
Friday	-	at sea
Saturday	-	at sea
Sunday 23rd January	-	Salvador da Bahia, Brazil
Monday	-	at sea
Tuesday 25th January	-	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Wednesday	-	at sea
Thursday	-	at sea
Friday 28th January	-	Montevideo, Uruguay
Saturday	-	at sea
Sunday	-	at sea
Monday	-	at sea
Tuesday	-	at sea
Wednesday	-	at sea
Thursday	-	at sea
Friday 4th February	-	Cape Town, South Africa
Saturday	-	Disembark Queen Mary 2 and
Sunday	-	transfer to hotel for 2 nights
Monday 7th February	-	Cape Town, South Africa fly overnight to UK

The photos of all the ports of call and Queen Mary 2 taken on this cruise can be found on my account at Captain Martini >>

Thursday 13th January 2011 New York, USA

		At 5.00 am, we passed the Statue of Liberty, with Queen Elizabeth a short distance behind us. But there was no sign of Queen Mary 2, as we passed her Brooklyn berth, so I went inside for a Full English Breakfast, to set me up for the day. I was going to need it - there was 18 inches of snow on the ground!

Statue of Liberty at 5.00 am!				Queen Elizabeth at her berth (from Queen Victoria)

It was also bitterly cold and with the biting wind, the official "wind-chill factor" was -13 deg C! In fact, it was so cold that I put my pyjamas back on under the rest of my clothes and with so many layers on, I felt like one of those Russian dolls!

Disembarkation was painfully slow and I didn't get away until 10.00am. My luggage was all supposed to go on ahead to Queen Mary 2, so it was rather strange leaving the ship with just my camera and a few belongings in my back-pack, as I set-off through the snow!

USS Intrepid Air/Sea Museum		The 2 Queens From the Weehawken Ferry		The Cliffs (& steps!) at Weehawken		Queen Victoria & W 50th Street

But now there was a clear blue sky as I passed the USS Intrepid Air/Sea Museum, heading for the 39th Street Ferry Terminal and the ferry across the Hudson River to Weehawken.

				Why? For the view from on top of the cliffs of course! And with over 200 steps to climb, that breakfast came in handy! It's worth the climb though because the view of Manhattan from the top is just amazing, although the little park that was my objective was almost lost beneath the snow!

For Rent		Hamilton Park Weehawken Heights

By now I was getting sunburnt in the brilliant sunshine, even though it was still well below freezing! So returning across the Hudson River to the 39th Street Pier by the ferry, I then took advantage of the free bus service (included in the price of my ferry ticket) into Midtown Manhattan, getting off at Times Square, for the Marriott Hotel and the shuttle-bus to Queen Mary 2.

		Queen Mary 2 now docks at a new Cruise Terminal in Red Hook, near the old Brooklyn Navy Yards, rather than the piers at the foot of 50th Street where Queen Victoria & Queen Elizabeth docked this morning. It's closer to JFK Airport but for passengers staying in Manhattan, it's a 45 minute drive through run-down districts to get there.

Thursday 13th January 2011 Boarding Queen Mary 2 The crowds for Queen Victoria in Southampton were nothing compared with the "Bedlam" for Queen Mary 2 when I got there! But this was where being a "Diamond Member" of the Cunard World Club really paid off; with "priority check-in", I was in my cabin in a record-breaking 25 minutes! As with Queen Victoria however, "priority luggage delivery" didn't make any difference and it was during Boat Drill 3 hours later that my luggage arrived!		( The Grand Lobby )

"Welcome Back" ( B3-grade Sheltered Balcony Cabin no.5212 )

My Pathological Cabin Stewardess My Cabin Stewardess (name witheld!) was very sweet and extremely efficient; so much so that my bathroom resembled an operating theatre, after she had reorganised my toiletries with all the method and precision of a pathological axe-murderer! (see right) More about her later......

		Cunard Royal Rendezvous Thursday 13th January 2011 The Fireworks Sailaway of Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria & Queen Mary 2

At 6pm, following Boat Drill (during which, thankfully, my luggage at last arrived!), Queen Mary 2 began pulling away from her berth, as she reversed out into the Hudson River, until she was just opposite Battery Park. Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria left their 50th Street berths and took up positions in line astern of Queen Mary 2. In honour of the occasion this evening, the Empire State Building was floodlit in Cunard Red.

Queen Mary 2 reverses into the Hudson River	Queen Elizabeth & Queen Victoria The Empire State Building is floodlit Cunard red			Royal Fireworks!

With a signal blast from Queen Mary 2, there commenced a fabulous 18-minute fireworks spectacular in front of the Statue of Liberty, all set to a triumphant music accompaniment, broadcast simultaneously from all three ships, as crowds lined the shoreline and passengers huddled on deck, the now biting wind returning the outside temperature to its -13 deg C of this morning!

		I managed to take these two short video clips of the performance. The first clip was shot from the stern but in the cold wind, my fingers were getting numb holding the camera! The second clip was taken from the shelter of the Promenade. (Both clips are in HD, so adjust the playback setting to suit your Broadband speed) (Left & Below: Internet Photos)		Pt.1 Video Pt.2 Video

Queen Elizabeth & Queen Victoria behind Queen Mary 2 with the Verrazano Bridge, Statue of Liberty & Fireworks in the distance				Royal Rendezvous 2011 (official photo purchased on board)

It was all really rather wonderful as the Three Queens then saluted the City of New York with their ships whistles, as they proceeded out to sea in formation. However, the cold night air defeated many passengers, who retreated indoors after little more than 5 or 10 minutes. I was glad I stayed the course but I needed a long hot shower and the rest of that bottle of bubbly when I returned to my cabin, my luggage still to unpack and still wearing last night's pyjamas under my day-clothes!

It was now time to go into Dinner and to meet my new table companions.

		The Britannia Restaurant (Decks 2 & 3) With its musicians' gallery & 2-deck high Tapestry >> by Barbara Broekman, this is the main restaurant of the ship and it certainly says "Ocean Liner"! The menus were by now no surprise and were similar in format to those aboard Queen Victoria. Sample Menus: Menu 16 Jan >> Menu 19 Jan >> Menu 26 Jan >>

My table (no.63) was in a good position, just off-centre and as requested, another table for six. Once again, we were all singles but I was more than pleasantly surprised to discover that one of my companions was Lyn, who had also shared my table aboard Queen Victoria. Tonight, there was also Heather from South Africa and Edward, a Jamaican from New York; larger-than-life character Doug would join us the next night but our 6th seat would remain unoccupied for much of this cruise.

Service from our stewards was reliable and efficient, if a little detached, it taking longer than usual to establish that comfortable rapport I prefer. Nevertheless, Fermin & Carlo would serve us well throughout the next 3 weeks.

		Saturday 15th January 2011 Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida After a day at sea, during which we left Queen Victoria & Queen Elizabeth well behind, the weather warmed-up considerably and I spent the day recovering from my rather strenuous day in New York, we reached Port Everglades at midday, where we found no fewer than 6 other ships in port! (left) Queen Mary 2 approaches Port Everglades & (right) Aerial shot taken on the day

Making nearly 1 million tons of cruise ship in port, Queen Mary 2 took her berth in pride of place in the middle of all the others! The second smallest ship in port was Celebrity Constellation (which seemed quite big when we were on her in 2008!) but she was a baby compared to Oasis of the Seas, at 222,900 tons, currently the largest cruise ship in the world, carrying up to 6,300 passengers. In fact, she carries more crew (2,164 in total) than there are passengers on Celebrity Constellation!

Crown Princess (2006) 116,000 grt 3,100 passengers	Navigator of the Seas (2003) 137,276 grt 3,100 passengers			Oasis of the Seas (2009) 222,900 grt 5,400 passengers		From my cabin balcony Carnival Freedom & Oasis of the Seas

Aside from its cruise ships, Port Everglades' most attractive feature is the Intra-coastal Waterway, a network of channels separating the barrier islands from the mainland. So my table companion Lyn & I decided to team-up for the afternoon, taking a taxi across the 17th Street Causeway Bridge to the Pier 66 Hotel, where I knew there was a stop for the local "Water-Taxi".

Luxury homes on the Intra-Coastal Waterway		Stranahan House (1901) Local Heritage Museum		Jungle Queen IV Sightseeing Boat		Close to Downton Fort Lauderdale

		Back at QM2, I watched from the Commodore Club (drink in hand!) as the sun went down and the other cruise ships departed, Celebrity Constellation making an especially lovely sight with all her lights ablaze. Departing (left) Navigator of the Seas & (right) Celebrity Constellation

We eventually sailed, to the wonderful cacophony of bells & whistles, horns & flashing lights, that are now a tradition from all the condominiums lining The Cut, the channel leading back out to sea.

Queen Mary 2 generator troubles....
There was much consternation amongst passengers when we had been told while aboard Queen Victoria that the arrival time of Queen Mary 2 in Cape Town on 4th February was being revised from midday to early evening, resulting in the cancellation of all the shore excursions. These problems arose from the failure of one of her six generators, resulting in a slight reduction in power and speed. Today however, we had loaded a replacement generator and a few days later, when this had been successfully installed, Captain Wright announced that our arrival time in Cape Town would be "back on schedule", much to everyone's relief!

		Sunday 16th - Monday 17th January 2011 2 Days at Sea The first Formal Night was the Black & White Ball and at the cocktail party, I had my photo taken with the Deputy Captain, who I thought looked a bit like John Travolta! (left) Passing Celebrity Equinox & (right) Me & Dept Captain Robert Camby

Priceless!
An elderly lady emerged onto the Promenade Deck one morning as I was doing my 6 laps (2.2 miles). As I approached, and with the sea going past in front of her, she pointed aft in the direction I was going and asked, “Is that the front of the ship?” Much tempted, I politely pointed behind me and said “That-a-way!” as I sped past her!

A Wardrobe Malfunction!
Another "Formal" night and one of my Patent shoes fell apart en-route to Dinner! While I had to institute emergency repairs using "Bostik All-Purpose" (packed for just this eventuality!), I had to resort to plain black shoes with my Dinner-suit - the shame of it!

		Tuesday 18th January 2011 Bridgetown, Barbados We arrived to pouring rain and high humidity, although it brightened-up as we docked across the harbour from Celebrity Millennium. (left) Celebrity Millennium (90,228 grt) We cruised on her to Hawaii and Vancouver in 2009

With memories of Mum's death here in 1990, I was in no mood to spend time ashore but equally, I didn't want to spend the day moping around, so I had booked a boat-trip up the coast aboard a catamaran, going snorkelling amongst the Hawksbill Turtles, so prolific in these waters.

Snorkelling with the Hawksbill Turtles
Today I paired-up with table companion Heather, as we were all taken to board one of two boats nearby; ours was Silver Moon II a spacious 45ft catamaran with just 24 passengers and 2 crew.

Sailing up the coast as far as Holetown, we made two snorkelling stops, first feeding the fish, then following our snorkelling-guide over a sunken wreck, then at last to swim with the turtles, while our guide fed them to keep them interested! (The photos below were taken with a cheap disposable underwater camera!)

Snorkelling & the other Catamaran				Living Coral		Feeding the fish

Feeding the Hawksbill Turtles				Our Crew		Lunch Break at Sandy Lane

With ample supplies of drinks to welcome us back aboard, it was first-class service from our crew who then dropped anchor off the Sandy Lane Hotel, which supplied a delicious on-board buffet. This excursion, with its fully supervised snorkelling sessions and 5-star food and service, was a fabulous trip to do and a wonderful way to take my mind off past memories of Barbados.

But as we all relaxed as the catamaran motored back towards Bridgetown harbor, the heavens opened and by the time we got back to the ship, wearing my green plastic "poncho", I looked rather like a bedraggled bag of wet rubbish! Thankfully, there's no photo!

Back at the ship, I ordered Earl Grey tea and a sandwich from Room Service and was pleasantly impressed when it was delivered promptly! Meanwhile, Celebrity Millennium slipped away quietly at 6pm, while the Saga Pearl II remained across the harbour, as we made our own late evening departure. (right) Saga Pearl II 18,591grt 450 passengers (ex-Astor of 1981)

This evening, I was invited to pre-dinner drinks at Dave, Romney & Nigel's cabin, to celebrate the birthday of "BR" Dave (one of my new drinking buddies aboard) and a number of my new on-board "circle" were also there, all excitedly exchanging tales of cruises and ships, past and present.

Wednesday 19th - Saturday 22nd January 2011 4 Days at Sea and "Crossing the Line"

		With simply glorious weather and calm seas, I soon settled into my routine of an early swim in the indoor pool before breakfast in the "works canteen" (my name for the deeply unpleasant King's Court Buffet! (left) The Pavilion Pool & (right) Illuminations, the best theatre at sea!

Then 6 times round the deck (2.2 miles) before the rest of the day spent lazing about or attending one of the many excellent talks in the ship's second theatre, Illuminations; in my opinion, the best theatre at sea, made all the more so by it's unique alternative use as the ship's Planetarium.

		King's Court - the "Works Canteen" With its confusing jumble of serving areas with no clear identity and stations that are too small and congested, this poorly-designed "self-service restaurant" exceeds all others with its constant noise of clattering trollies of dirty plates and cutlery across tiled floors.

My dislike of this horrid space was first formed during our Atlantic crossing in 2010 and it was confirmed today by the absence of any Shredded Wheat at the hopeless breakfast buffet. When I asked for supplies to be replenished (at 7.15am), I was told that I had to wait until 8.00am when the provision stores opened! Needless to say, I made the Restaurant Manager aware of my views!

Even Casual Afternoon Tea (on sea days only) is less than a poor joke. With a just small section of the Carvery cordoned-off, a cake & sandwich selection is laid out at 3.30pm but with inevitably long queues, you have to be patient. And at 4.30 on the dot, the stewards close the area off and take the food away, so woe betide you if you turn up at 4.25pm expecting a snack!

A happier distraction up forward, is The Lookout, a protected walkway above the Bridge, not particularly suitable for photography but nonetheless popular with passengers when arriving in port.

The Lookout The forward viewing area above the Bridge				Bridge Viewing Area (Deck 12 - sea days only)		3rd Officer Conor Mulligan prepares the noon log

Inside on Deck 12 below The Lookout, on sea days they open the Bridge Viewing Area >>, a slightly disappointing corridor with 3 windows round the back of The Bridge. Regrettably, this is the best we can expect in these days of high-security but even so, quiet observation can still be interesting.

Crossing the Line
On Friday, we crossed the Equator and it was time for the traditional ceremony in which all "Pollywogs" (ie those who haven't crossed before) are subjected to ritual public humiliation, including being covered in all manner of gunk, "Kissing the Fish" and then being dunked in the pool!

King Neptune & his Court		Kiss the Fish! (It's a real one!)		"Crossing the Line" The traditional "slap-stick" ceremony for those crossing the Equator for the first time

The best part was when some young members of the crew were covered in gunge with particular enthusiasm! But if I'm honest, the show was fun but it wasn't as good as when I was on board Black Watch 4 years ago. You can see the video of that show here (right)		Show Video

		Sunday 23rd January 2011 Salvador da Bahia, Brazil The first colonial capital of Brazil, the city is one of the oldest in the New World and is situated on a peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean & the Bay of All Saints, discovered in 1501. However, Queen Mary 2 was obliged by her size to enter the port travelling backwards for nearly 2 miles! (left) Approaching the city & (right) Queen Mary 2 reflected in one of the office buildings

		Bleu de France - a jewel in the making Also in port was the rather nice looking Bleu de France (37,301grt), currently sailing for Crocieres de France but originally built in 1982 as the German ship Europa, one of the highest rated cruise ships of her day. With just 700 passengers, she is exceptionally spacious and will shortly join Saga Cruises as the new Saga Sapphire.

As I had never been here before, I was reluctant to go wandering-off exploring on my own, so I booked an organised excursion into the city. Unfortunately, while my tour did reveal a few things, it wasted a lot of unnecessary time at a souvenir centre, which I found particularly frustrating.

The Lacerda Elevador Linking the Upper & Lower City		"A Bunda" The City Monument	"Traditional Costume" (Especially for the tourists!)			Palacio Rio Branco in Praca da Se (State Governer's Palace)

The oldest part of the city is set on an escarpment, roughly 85m (279ft) above the city which now surrounds it. First stop on our tour was Praca da Se, the main square, and a terrific view of the Lacerda Elevador, a set of now 4 lifts, the first pair of which were opened in 1873, linking the Upper and Lower Towns. Here there's also a good view of the city monument, "A Bunda" (The Butt!) by Mario Cravo (1970); the lovely building behind it is the District Naval Headquarters.

Facing the square is Palacio Rio Branco, reconstructed in 1919 but dating from 1549 and once the State Governor's Palace.

Quiet Side Street	Zumbi dos Palmares The Indian leader beheaded by the Portuguese			Local Street Artist The entire process took just a couple of minutes

Trivia - Zumbi dos Palmares
Quilombo dos Palmares was a self-sustaining community of runaway slaves, largely of African origin, which developed throughout the 17th century, giving rise to constant conflicts with the Portuguese. Zumbi was free-born in Palmares in 1655 but captured at the age of 6, he was raised and educated by a priest. However, he escaped at 15 and rose to become a fierce warrior, expert in martial arts and strategy. By 1675, he was the uncompromising leader of the Quilombos, sometimes generically referred to as Maroon Indians, always maintaining resistance against the Portuguese until his eventual military defeat in 1694. Although he escaped, he was betrayed, captured and beheaded, his head mounted on a stake in the main square in Recife, destroying forever the myth that had grown-up around him of his immortality. Brazil was the last country to abolish the Slave Trade in 1831.

Terriero de Jesus The Catedral Basilica & local street performers				Praca Anchieta towards the Basilica		Church of St Francis Praca Anchieta		Church of The Third Order of St Francis

It is claimed that there are 365 churches in Salvador; it's certainly impossible to look far without seeing one and there's an immense history represented by the buildings in the Pelourinho District, which is why this entire area is today a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

When the Jesuit Order became too powerful and was expelled from Brazil in 1758, their church in Terriero de Jesus became the new Cathedral of Salvador. Nearby in Praca Anchieta is the church and convent built in 1723 by the Franciscans, while almost next door is the church built by the Third Franciscan Order; almost impossible to photograph, its remarkable facade was hidden for 150 years until 1936, when a piece of plaster was accidentally knocked off by a workman.

Slave auctions were once held in Pillory Square, considered to be the historic heart of the city.

		Seriously declining and dilapidated however, a contraversial restoration programme in the 1990's resulted in the forced displacement of many residents from the Pelourinho District for new shops, bars and restaurants attracting tourism. Nevertheless, the area is today a vibrant mix of colourful local art, music and culture.

(above) Pillory Square and the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary of the Blacks - commenced in 1704 and built over the next 100 years with meagre resources by and for the Afro-Brazilian community in Salvador da Bahia.

		Returning to Queen Mary 2, I felt a bit disappointed with my tour not allowing us into any of the churches, on the grounds that they were closed; but I learned that some passengers, not being part of large groups, had been allowed inside. So next time....... (left & right) Forte Sao Marcelo, built in 1912 to protect the harbour

From here, my adventure would continue to Rio de Janeiro, Montevideo and Cape Town See Page 2 >>

Lots more photos of Queen Mary 2 and all the places visited on this cruise can be found on my account at Captain Martini >>

Cruise Mileage (so far)
on Queen Mary 2: 4,987 nautical miles
Total Mileage to date: 153,928 n miles