2023 - September - Queen Mary 2

For visitors who are interested in a lot of sightseeing, Southampton is certainly not the first place to go. And yet the English town is probably known worldwide, especially as a port city.

Many cruise ships arrive and depart here and of course THE famous ocean liner, the Queen Mary 2! And it was precisely this ship that we boarded after an overnight stay in Southampton.

With your camera always at the ready, you can hardly get enough of the beautiful and elegant furnishings of the ship. This is based on the ocean liners of the great times of transatlantic passages and can be seen as a nod to them. At that time, around 100 years ago, they were used on regular services between Europe and America and there was a real competition for the size and beauty of these ocean liners.

In the 1960s, demand for transatlantic passages by ship plummeted. The reason was that traveling by plane was now relatively easy, even over long distances.

The transatlantic passages were almost stopped completely because of this, but then the film “Titanic” came into cinemas. Although the tragic end is well known, the transatlantic route has been given new life.

So the ocean liners had somehow survived two world wars and the aircraft age, when a tiny enemy was about to finish them off: Covid 19! For two years nothing worked at all, which put all the shipping companies in dire straits.

However, all ships are now sailing again and transatlantic passages are also being offered again by various shipping companies. However, the majority of these are cruise ships, because there is actually only one ship built as a transatlantic liner and that is the Queen Mary 2.

She is the flagship of the Cunard group. Tradition is still respected here. Both the conventions on the Queen Mary 2 and the equipment take a look at earlier times. Both the large Brittania Restaurant and the large lobby extend over three decks. There are curved stairs on which elegant clothing is particularly effective. Accordingly, there is actually a dress code for the evening. What initially sounds stuffy and old-fashioned, but then fits wonderfully into the upscale furnishings and the habits of all the very nice waiters.

In addition, the shape of the ship itself matches that of earlier ocean liners, although the Queen Mary 2 only entered service in 2004. It is just as slim and elegant in shape, the bridge serves as protection and the stern has several steps. This means it is also well protected against unpredictable weather conditions. Because the sea in the Atlantic is always a little rougher.

On our short trial trip, which included two overnight stays, the North Sea was more of a problem for us this time. Although we hardly noticed the fluctuations over the days and on the first night, we woke up from them on the second night.

My attached screenshot shows it: At 3:23 a.m. at night we had a wind speed of 59 kmh, which is the equivalent of 7 in Beaufort. Our captain then described it in his announcement as a "very rough sea".

What we had noticed as slight fluctuations was so strong that both the port of Hamburg and the mouth of the Elbe had to be officially closed. Our Queen Mary 2 therefore had to loop in the open sea for hours and all ships in the port of Hamburg were not allowed to leave. So in the end we were in the port city of Hamburg over 7 hours later.

As a guest, it is difficult to imagine what this means for a crew. In any case, all departures and all excursions for Hamburg had to be reorganized. But an additional lunch also had to be prepared for all guests and then an ad hoc leisure program had to be set up.

Speaking of the program: On sea days you can really have fun here from morning to night. Various lectures (some in German), dance, sports and bridge workshops as well as stage programs are available. There is also a planetarium and a lending library, both of which are the largest options at sea.

Finally, another novelty: dogs are allowed on the Queen Mary 2! These then have their temporary home on deck 12. And to make them feel completely at home, there is (like on the original Queen Mary) an original New York fire hydrant and an also original London street lamp for walking the dog.