May 1st, 2024
I have loved being at sea ever since I can remember.
Living in East Africa with family to visit in the UK and South Africa, and having a mother who hated to fly, made for regular sea journeys. I loved them all.
However, one voyage stands out.
It was 1962 and my parents and I were sailing on the Queen Elizabeth from New York to Southampton. We had had an eventful year traveling around the world, and this was the finale. In a few weeks we would return to our mundane lives, and I would have to go back to school.
For me, the highlight of the crossing was to be the fancy dress competition. When we went on sea voyages, my mother always made me fabulous costumes, and I was so proud to participate in the parades.
This time I was a geisha girl, with my mother’s black petticoat doing a splendid job as a beautiful black wig for me.
The captain was enthralled with my costume, and I easily won the competition. He proudly offered me my prize, a small sailor doll with a cap that said Queen Elizabeth.
Not wanting to seem ungrateful I thanked him for the doll, but blurted out that I really would rather have been able to steer the ship.
He seemed a bit taken aback. Then kindly told me that I could keep the doll, and enquired as to what my plans were for the afternoon, and could he interest me in a tour of the bridge?
I was more than excited, and my parents and I dashed back to our stateroom. In a flash the geisha girl was gone, and I had on my best party dress.
The bridge was the most beautiful place I had ever seen. It was all shiny brass and dark wood, with dials and wheels everywhere. And there was the biggest wheel of all. The captain’s steering wheel. I stood in awe looking at it.
“Go ahead, give it a try” smiled the captain. I grabbed it with both hands. It seemed taller than I am, and I really couldn’t see where we were going. Were we out of range of icebergs? What if there was another ship in front of us? I trusted that the captain would grab it from me if I was steering us into danger.
This is the highlight of my life, I thought. Here I am steering the largest ship in the world. Would I ever have another honor as great as this? I am the luckiest girl alive.
That whole trip was fabulous, and by the time we disembarked, I was totally hooked on Cunard.
There would be many more cruises after that crossing, but what I really wanted was to be on a Cunard ship.
Well, I have been fortunate enough to travel with Cunard many times again.
First it was on the Cunard Countess, and then the very lovely Vistafjord, but it wasn’t until many years after sailing on Queen Elizabeth that I was lucky enough to travel on another Cunard Queen, QE2.
Since then I sailed on Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, 5 more beautiful queens.
Then I heard that there was going to be a new Cunard ship. Not unexpectedly, she was to be named Queen Anne.
Well, I simply had to see what she was all about.
So here we are, packing yet again and getting ready to fly to Heathrow to join Queen Anne for her maiden voyage.
My 6th Cunard Queen (well 7th if you count staying on the Queen Mary in Long Beach). I am bursting with excitement to get on board, and sail down the Solent on this new Queen.
Itinerary for Queen Anne Maiden Voyage
May 3rd Southampton
May 4th At Sea
May 5th La Coruna
May 6th At sea
May 7th Lisbon
May 8th At Sea
May 9th At Sea
May 10th Southampton
Really looking forward to reading about your trip, Bon voyage!
Thanks!
We’re like sailors passing in the.
night – you & Brian on Queen Anne & me on Queen Elizabeth cruising Japan. Otherwise I would have been with you. Loved your story about the Geisja costume and how you got hooked on Cunard. Just learned there are only about 1,000 Geishas left – a dying art but still very respected. Look forward to more of your adventures and details about the new ship, as I’m booked on the maiden world voyage in 2025 & very much looking forward to it. As always, smooth sailing !
Queen Anne is not Queen Elizabeth, but she is a beautiful ship. Have a wonderful time in Japan, one of my favorite destinations 🙂
We are on Queen Anne in October. Will be really interested to hear what you think?
As a Cunarder at heart, I really want to like her but she will have to be v good to best Queen Victoria
I was comparing her to the other Queens to begin with, and Queen Anne wasn’t matching up. However, I have decided to look at her from a different perspective. She is simply not like the other Queens, but she is a beautiful ship. Is she my new favorite Queen? No way, but I really do like her in many ways 🙂
Oh my goodness I cannot wait to follow you on this trip.
I also did Trans Atlantics as a child but on Empress of France this was early 1950,s .I do not remember very much but I learned to walk on Board .That is where I got my Sea legs ….we made many crossings .
Wow – I am sure that your crossings were amazing. The Empress of France was an beautiful ship. Weren’t we so lucky to have experienced those sailings? I laughed when I read that you learned to walk on board! I took my first steps on the Southampton docks after sailing to the UK from Mombasa. The Southampton docks will always be very special to me.
Please let us know more details about the new Queen … why she isn’t matching up and what you do and don’t like. At first I didn’t like Mary, but after sailing with you transatlantic, and then the Xmas trip, she is fast becoming a favorite.
I think I have come to terms that I have to stop comparing her to the other Queens. She is a beautiful ship in her own right and many of the Cunard traditions persist. You will love her. I am so looking forward to sharing her with Marjorie 🙂