To the Orient and Beyond

DAY 21

March 31st Hong Kong I love it when we have an overnight stay in a port. This morning when I turned on the bridge cam channel on the TV, there was good old QM2 still right in front of us. When I went down to the Pursers office this morning I...

Apr 2, 2018 4 min read

DAY 20

March 30th Hong Kong We arrived in Hong Kong early this morning. I turned on the TV to watch the bridge cam channel so that I could hear announcements from the bridge about going ashore, and there parked right in front of us was Queen Mary 2....

Apr 2, 2018 6 min read

DAY 18

March 28th Xiamen When we booked this cruise one of the things I liked about the itinerary is that we were going to stop in Keelung, Taiwan. Then we received an email from Cunard alerting us that the Chinese authorities were not happy about us...

Apr 1, 2018 7 min read

DAY 17

March 27th At Sea In a Fog When I awoke this morning I could hear our foghorn. Yes we are still in the fog. The foghorn has not stopped all day, although the sun came out later this afternoon. After my huge success with the glass elephant...

Mar 29, 2018 4 min read

DAY 16

March 26th Shanghai We were still in fog this morning as we sat outside the harbor waiting to get to our berth. I checked the weather forecast on my phone. It predicted an overcast day, with unhealthy air quality. We docked at 7:00, and we were...

Mar 27, 2018 9 min read

DAY 15

March 25th At Sea On a Slow Boat to China We woke up to a totally calm sea, and thick fog. It was surreal. From our balcony I could see fishing boats appear out of the fog, and then suddenly disappear again. I hoped the captain could see where...

Mar 26, 2018 4 min read

DAY 14

March 24th Nagasaki Our Last Day in Japan ☹ By the time we woke up we were already docked in Nagasaki, and we were thrilled to see that it was a bright, sunny day. Finally, a day with no rain. The cruise terminal was buzzing with vendors by the...

Mar 25, 2018 4 min read

DAY 13

At Sea Spa Day Our wonderful travel agent, Sue, had given me a voucher for the spa, and today is the day to use it. I have been on QE for 4 cruises, and have always visited the spa for a pedicure, but never a massage. I decided today that it was...

Mar 25, 2018 4 min read

DAY 12

Osaka We pulled up our anchor in the early hours of the morning, and quietly headed into Osaka harbor, so by the time we woke up, we were safely tied up to the pier. It was laundry time, and I had hoped to get in a load first thing in the...

Mar 23, 2018 6 min read

Day 11

At Anchor in Osaka Bay The not a sea day sea day We dropped anchor in Osaka bay at about midnight. When I looked out of the window this morning it looked like we were still out to sea, but as the fog lifted the factories appeared, and we had a...

Mar 22, 2018 4 min read

DAY 10

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...

Mar 21, 2018 8 min read

DAY 9

March 19th Kagoshima We saw the mist, and missed the view…………… We were awoken by an announcement from the Captain. Usually the Captain only makes announcements in the cabin if there is some dire emergency like a fire or we are taking on water. I...

Mar 20, 2018 6 min read