March 20th

On Stormy Seas

When I looked out the window there was a dark, cloudy sky and a confused swell. I was proud that I remembered the lecture we had on QV last year on “How to Recognize the Waves”. Another sea day lies ahead to enjoy this beautiful ship.

Although this was meant to be a port day in South Korea, you would not have known it from the quality of scheduled programs for the day.

There were enrichment talks from Maureen Ryan on QE2 and Marie Conte-Helm on Japanese Art and the West.

It has been so exciting on this cruise that there really has been great exposure to Japanese culture, heritage, and food.

First of all there are all of the Japanese guests on board. Apart from the fact that they all dress so well and seem to be having the time of their lives, they are all so polite and nice. Everyone greets you with a smile. Unlike some other passengers, they don’t seem to be in a hurry to get places, and seem to be savoring every aspect of the ship. And of course, formal nights are a real treat to see them dressed so beautifully.

I am sure the bean counters at Carnival are enjoying having the Japanese guests on board too. The Golden Lion is always crowded. You can’t move in the photo gallery with them purchasing their formal photos. As they should, the portraits are fabulous. The shops are also buzzing. Rumor has it that Evana has been helping out with crowd control on deck 3.

There have been several specially themed Japanese food and beverage events which both the Japanese passengers and the rest of us have been enjoying. Having Japanese options in the Lido at breakfast and lunch has been great fun, although the sushi leaves a lot to be desired.

One of the activities this afternoon was an Interactive Japanese Workshop. This was a totally brilliant idea. There were 4 different stations: how to use chopsticks, origami, how to put on a kimono, and how to write your name with Japanese calligraphy. The best part was that they were all run by Japanese guests.

I didn’t participate in the kimono or chopsticks activities. I have always loved origami so I was very excited to give it a try. I first learned how to make a Japanese helmet. My instructor was the cutest little 10 year old, who was very patient with my fumbling, and an excellent teacher. I think she was more proud than I was of the finished result. I think I made her day by wearing the little helmet.

Next it was time to make a crane. Especially after seeing the cranes at the children’s memorial in Hiroshima I have wanted to make a crane. This time I had an adult teacher, and she too was very patient, and exacting. She kept on making me redo folds that did not meet her stringent standards. Despite the expertise of her instruction, my crane ended up looking more like a Canadian goose that had flown into a brick wall. OK, so I’m just not talented at folding paper. I will have to stick to folding napkins. At least I can do that well.

The calligraphy was actually done by a Japanese guest rather than by us. The lady I worked with explained what she was doing with every stroke of her brush. The end result was beautiful; certainly worth framing when we get home.

Feeling in a crafty mood I also went to the Arts and Crafts class. Today’s project was making heart shaped beaded window hangers. The class was held in the Britannia Dining Room, which was a good move. Last year in Hemispheres on QV I was constantly dropping beads on the floor as the ship lurched, and losing my needles. I had been concerned that someone who was dancing bare foot (as I do due to having enough problems just walking in high heels, let alone trying to dance in them) would slip on a bead, or get a needle impaled in their foot. I didn’t need to worry on QE. I doubt there will be much barefoot dancing in the dining room. The other improvement was a beading tray. What an innovation. You put all your different beads in to little compartments on the tray, keeping them from running all over the table and on to the floor. Even better than a beading mat.

I can’t say the window hangers were a great success. They look more like an anatomically shaped heart than a romantic one. However they are unique. When I joined Brian in the Commodore Club to show them off, I could sense his concern that yet again one of our suitcases will be filled by my craft projects. However he didn’t say anything, and politely asked where we would hang them. Good man.

I finally ventured out on deck to hear and record the sound of the noon whistle. During her noon announcement, the captain stated that the weather was deteriorating. You could tell that by looking out the windows. There are 9-meter waves, the wind speed is currently 60 knots, and we are in a Force 9 gale, and things are going to get worse. She had hoped that we would be able to shelter from the storm in one of the nearby ports, but there are no berths available, even in Osaka, so we will have to drop anchor in a sheltered area in the Inland Sea, and ride out the storm. She reassured us that we were on a ship built for these kind of conditions. Somehow I think I would rather be on QM2 in these conditions. On our first voyage on QE, the maiden transatlantic crossing, we watched the waves breaking against the windows in the Commodore Club (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79YKK88HER4&t=74s), and one night while we were sitting in the Commodore Club, after we hit a particularly large wave, the light fixtures above us came crashing down. That was kind of scary.

Despite her dire warnings, the weather didn’t seem to get worse. From our seats in the Commodore Club it looked like the waves were large, but we were riding though them just fine. Good ship. I took a video of the large waves, but it really doesn’t show just how big they are unfortunately.

I took a break from wave watching to visit the logo store before everything was gone. The deck 3 shopping area is now devoted to the duty free and specialty shops, and the bookshop relegated to a small area, as is the logo/sundry store, now in a very small space on deck 2. It is a challenge doing any shopping there when there are more than 5 people in the store (slight exaggeration), but I was able to get the T shirt I wanted, as well as a world cruise tea towel (yay!) and a mug. However my best purchase was a QE2 limited edition plate. They had been selling them for about $230 when we were on QE2 in 2008, which was rather a steep price, so we didn’t get one. Now they are on sale for $15! I couldn’t resist it. One wonders where they have been for the last 10 years. Having a piece of QE2 with us in the cabin, almost, but not quite, makes up for the loss of the QE2 artifacts on board. The bell and builder’s plaque have already gone; I fear that our dear queen can’t be too far behind.

Today is the day that the 2020 world voyages go on sale, and when I went down to the tour desk there were several people outside the future voyage sales office looking pleased with themselves. They had booked the voyages they wanted. I felt very excited for them.

On my way back to the Commodore Club I noticed that the QE2 bell and the plaque had gone. I suppose the next time they will see the light of day will be in the new QE2 hotel in Dubai. I had seen a couple of crewmembers photographing them this morning. They had both worked on QE2 previously, and still miss her. This is my last photo of the bell, now it is in storage.

Somehow the afternoon slipped by as we sat working on our computers and watching the waves. Suddenly the waiter brought us delicious canapés, and we knew it was time for a sundowner had there been sun, and to get ready for dinner. Sea days just go by too fast!

After dinner we decided to try out the Gin and Fizz menu at the Midships bar. Choice of fizz for me was very easy, although I wish they still had Veuve Clicquot. However, for Brian there were pages and pages of options. We are going to need to stay on the ship longer if he is going to manage to get through everything on the menu. He settled for the Queen Elizabeth, which looked quite attractive, and he approved of the taste.

We sat listening to Lara Szabo who was playing her harp on the deck below, and chatting to the waiter, Ranny (?). It was another perfect evening. I was disappointed that we had not experienced more rolling and pitching during the storm, at no time did those little white sick bags appear at the lifts, but it just goes to show that although she is not an ocean liner, QE can handle rough weather well.