The first full day on board ship started with a great breakfast in the Britannia room. Guests are asked if they are willing to share a table. That first day we shared the table with three couples---one from West Virginia, one from Halifax, Nova Scotia, and one from England. It was a pleasant group with whom to exchange stories.
After breakfast we headed to the immigration line so we could get checked through British immigration. The process other than standing in line, was quite easy: Hand over your room key card to get checked into Cunard; hand over your open passport to the British officer; answer a couple of questions; get your passport stamped; move on.
All stamped and cleared, we headed off to the library to check out books. It is a lovely little library with a nice selection of books. The bookshelves are beautiful with glass doors to protect the books. Checked out books and headed to the other end of the ship to listen to a lecture by Bill Miller, an expert on ocean liners. His talk was about the palaces of the Atlantic (oceanliners)...a wonderful talk with wonderful pictures.
For lunch we shared a sandwich in the interest of waistlines and such. During the afternoon Neil took care of that mundane chore...laundry. I went down to the internet to ask about connectivity. I talked to a number of the people on line with me who were helping solve each other problems because the line to talk to the computer guru was so long. After an hour in line, I got my answer. I moved onto the post crossing travel office to ask about early disembarkation for the four of us. They told me it was not a problem. Apparently, it was not a problem since our new tags were delivered that evening. The laundry was finished in good order.
We spent the little time that was left of the afternoon resting and watching a very interesting video on the ship's network about doing the finishing construction touches to the Queen Mary and the training of the crew. The crew works hard with long hours.
Our dinner companions are Neil's sister, Jan, and her friend Bonnie. The other two people are a couple from San Diego...Bob and Marsha. They are former New Yorkers. He was a fashion buyer and his wife was a stay at home mom. They are very demanding and are borderline rude. They order food and then they do not eat it. They ask for things not on the menu, for example, the spinach that they have to eat every night. They complain about the food, the service and anything else they can think of.
Tonight was the Black and White Ball...everyone was supposed to dress in black and white formal clothing. Some of the guests seem to think this is the beach or their neighborhood barbecue. There seem to be a number of guests who feel they do not feel the rules apply to them...two fellows who showed up for dinner in golf shirts...guess they got lost.
The theater presentation tonight was Showtime: Craig Dahn.". He filled the Royal Court Theater with piano music. He played everything from rock to jazz to classical. He included a Gershwin piece that I really like.". A good time was had by all.
After the theater, we walked through the casino and spent our dollar on the penny slots...sorry kids, we did not add to your inheritance. Then we stopped in the Queen's Ballroom to watch those people who can dance do their thing. We (okay primarily me, not Neil) had a great time looking at the various ball gowns. I really liked the bright red one at the black and white ball. There was no hiding in the corner for her.
I managed to lose my step meter, so we have to rely on Neil's. Lost an hour tonight.
Steps today: 9,779
Time... 6:26 AM. 66.2 * F. 98% humidity
Barometer: 29.8 and steady
Wind 30 knots across the deck Force 7 near gale
Seas: moderate 4 to 7.5 feet
Position: 40, 28,01N and 68.14.18 W
Distance in nautical miles: From New York....275.2 To Southampton....2,939.7
Time 10:40 PM
Humidity; 90%
Speed: 22.8 knots
Seas: Moderate
Wind 19 knots Force 5 across the deck
Position 40,:43:26 N 60:08:08W
New York: 640.5 miles To Southampton: 2,574.5
Pictures today are around about the ship. The picture of the swirling water was taken over the edge.
Pool at back of ship. Never saw anyone in it....too cool.
Deck 7 ... No power walking or jogging before 8 AM or after 8 PM.....something about the cabins on deck 6 not appreciating the pounding.
The water right next to the ship.
A lifeboat
Extra propellers
The Atlantic
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