Last year, we were absolutely delighted to be
invited on board by Cunard for lunch. This year, we were invited to have dinner
in the celebrity Chef Todd English’s restaurant. We joined a small group of
people and had a drink in the pub after which we were taken on a tour of the
ship, which is huge and very luxurious. Then it was time for drinks on the deck,
to watch the sunset and, finally, to enjoy a really good silver service dinner
Queen Mary 2
in all her glory in Cape Town harbour beneath our beautiful mountain
This very
glamorous group of drum majorettes was part of the local entertainment provided
for the passengers that evening
It’s a long
walk to the gangway, we really do need to build a reception centre for cruise
liners, quickly
All of these
supplies were being loaded on board for the 16 day trip to Southampton
Lots of wine
going on board and, sadly, we couldn’t spot one South African wine. It seems
the sommelier prefers wines from Europe. The starting price for a bottle of
wine is about $40 US, we were told by some Australian passengers we met in the
bar
Going on board, there is very strict security
Charles Canning,
Pipe major of the Cape Town Highlanders, was supervising the show of local
performers in the theatre. Here they are rehearsing
A view of the
city and the harbour from an upper deck just below the bridge
One of the
smaller lounges, a good place for bridge players
We met a man
who, when asked where he was travelling, said New York to New York. The journey
round the world takes about 3½ months. This private lounge is for him and other
passengers doing the round trip
The Atlantic
Lounge
from another
angle
One of the
many bars on board
This one has a
detailed scale model of the Queen Mary 2 behind glass
Cocktails
anyone?
One of our
favourite places is the library. If we ever went on a cruise, we would spend a
lot of time here. It has a huge collection of books, and other media. And, as
it is at the front of the ship’s superstructure, it has great views from its
windows
Great
perspective. One of the very long corridors
Sunset on the
promenade deck. Four times around is a mile
The crew call
these the Commodores’ Cuff links. Spare propeller blades should they ever be needed
Sunbeds at the
ready
Our guide
around the ship was the Entertainment director, who was full of information
The Winter
Garden
You find your
way around by boards outside the lifts. We visited most of these decks,
starting with Deck 1, where we came aboard
The dinner
menu for the main restaurant. There are two sittings. We like the dishes with
the calorie counts!
The second
page. There certainly is lots of choice for everyone. As we were told, you will
never, ever starve on a Cunard ship. We would have a hard time choosing, as
there are so many enticing dishes. And the menu changes every meal
Another lounge
with a bar and a view
This is where
they hold the dances, some shows, balls and other entertainments
All set up for
the live band, ready for dancing later that evening,
and Queen Mary herself
The entrance
to the Todd English restaurant
But first, a
sunset drink on the deck with a great view of the mountain and the centre of
the city
The large windows
above the bar are those of the private suites on board
Veuve Clicquot
Champagne will help passengers celebrate departure the next day
Lynne taking a
photo in quite a strong wind. This deck is reserved for over 18’s. No children
allowed. There are other pool areas for them
Our menu for
the evening
We had not
heard of Todd English and could read all about this American chef
Our table
studying the menu
We started
with a Chablis from the Côte du Loire
Delicious pink
fresh tuna crudo with minted avocado
Or you could
have Todd’s Truffled Potato Love Letters. Very good pasta, very good truffle
flavours but filled, strangely, with plain mashed potato in a butter and
parmesan sauce. John and Lynne shared both dishes
Main course
was served with Chamuyo, a dark and moody Malbec from Argentina. Good fruit
Our hosts for
the evening were Carol and Shaun McCarthy, owners of White Star Cruise and
Travel, Shaun on the left with Michael Barker from Johannesburg
John’s choice
of main course, Grilled Beef tenderloin with Braised oxtail ragu, tempura green
beans, whipped truffled potatoes & glazed carrots. Very tender, very rich
Lynne’s choice
was the Pan roasted Sea Bass, a meaty fish with large flakes, coated in salsa
verde, served with an almond romesco sauce, a bean salad and rather chewy octopus
tentacles. It was a large portion
The Malbec
went very well with the beef, Lynne had a small glass but stayed with the
Chablis for the fish
Dessert was
hard to share, but we ate half and then swapped. This was a perfectly cooked
hot chocolate fondant, so correctly cooked, oozing melted dark chocolate. It
came with vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce. Fallen was the eater, not the
cake
The other
dessert was a Wild Maine Blueberry cobbler (crumble). Very good sharp
blueberries and more good vanilla ice cream
Time for a
farewell drink on deck before disembarking
All lit up and
everyone seemed to be in bed
No they
weren't, they were in the second sitting in the Britannia dining room
Off home to
Southampton in the morning
