All too soon the crossing was drawing to an end. On May 7^th we awoke again to the sound of the foghorn. Looking outside there was not much to see.

As much as I hate packing, there was no choice, so out came the 4 suitcases and 2 carry on bags. Let the packing begin.

When we had returned to our stateroom the previous night there was a note that there was a bottle of Pol Acker in the fridge. Well, it turned out to be half a bottle. This was instead of the World Club cocktail party which is currently on hold due to COVID. Well, I’m not really sure that it makes up for missing the party – normally you get the Pol Acker on embarkation AND a drink or 2, or 3, at the cocktail party, but what the heck. If the first half bottle was unpacking juice, this would be my packing juice. Then I thought again. We were packing 3 suitcases to be left in storage by Cunard in Southampton for delivery to Queen Victoria on June 5^th, 1 suitcase full of clothes for the Hebridean Princess, and 2 carry on bags for our travels though the UK. Pol Acker could cloud my mind and cause all sorts of mix ups with what should go in which suitcase, so I decided to leave it alone and consume it before dinner.

Our final dinner was as delicious as ever. There was no parade of chefs or waving of napkins. The napkin waving had always seemed a bit unhygienic, so it was probably not a bad idea not to get your neighbors dirty napkin circling above your nose. However, it seemed a shame not to show our appreciation for the hard-working kitchen staff. In the good old days, before it was declared a fire hazard, they would dim the lights and the chefs would parade with flaming baked Alaskas. I loved the sight! However, the baked Alaska always tasted very nasty.

After dinner it was time to place our suitcases outside the stateroom door for collection. I am always mindful of previous departures from the ship that did not go as planned. Such as when I had packed all of my shoes in the suitcases, and thus had to walk around Cape Town bare foot. Or when Brian left my key card in the pocket of his trousers that I packed, so I couldn’t get off the ship. That actually didn’t work well, I was given a new key card and told to disembark. Or when the inside doorknob fell off, so we were trapped in the stateroom. And then on the fateful day we had to abandon ship in Fremantle in March 2020, I had packed all of Brian’s shirts in the suitcase. I thought they would let me off the ship to go down to the luggage hall the next morning and grab a shirt for him out of the suitcase, but no luck. I was told that if I left the ship, I would not be able to return. Brian ended up buying a T shirt at the airport in Perth. Not the best way to end the truncated world voyage 2020.

But there were no mishaps this time. We left the ship fully clothed, said goodbye to the peacock in the Grand Lobby,

and took a cab to Southampton Airport to get our COVID tests done in order to board the Hebridean Princess in 2 days’ time, and then fly to Glasgow.

We bade Queen Mary 2 a fond farewell.

It had been a different kind of crossing, but it was still wonderful. And beats a Transatlantic flight from the West Coast every day!