2023 - September - Queen Mary 2

For visitors who are interested in lots of sights, Southampton is certainly not the first address. And yet the English town is known worldwide, especially as a port city.

Many cruise ships come and go here, including THE famous ocean liner, the Queen Mary 2! And it was on board this ship that we boarded after spending the night in Southampton.

With the camera always at the ready, you can hardly get enough of the ship's beautiful and elegant interior. This is based on the ocean liners of the great times of the transatlantic crossings and can be seen as a nod to them. At the time, around 100 years ago, they were used in scheduled 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 sea crossings plummeted. The reason for this was that it had become relatively easy to travel by plane, even over long distances.

Because of this, the transatlantic crossings were almost completely stopped, but then the film "Titanic" came to the cinemas. Although the tragic ending is well known, it breathed new life into the transatlantic route.

So the ocean liners had somehow survived two world wars and the airplane age, when a tiny enemy almost put an end to them: Covid 19! For two years, practically nothing was happening, which put all shipping companies in dire straits.

In the meantime, however, all ships are sailing again and various shipping companies are also offering transatlantic crossings again. However, the majority of these are cruise ships, as there is actually only one ship built as a transatlantic liner and that is the Queen Mary 2.

It is the flagship of the Cunard Group. Tradition is still respected here. Both the conventions on the Queen Mary 2 and the furnishings are reminiscent of earlier times. The large Brittania Restaurant and the large lobby extend over three decks. There are curved staircases on which elegant clothing looks particularly good. Accordingly, there is actually a dress code for the evening. What initially sounds stuffy and old-fashioned fits wonderfully with the upscale furnishings and the demeanor of all the very nice waiters.

In addition, the shape of the ship itself matches that of earlier ocean liners, even though the Queen Mary 2 was only put into service in 2004. It is just as slim and elegant in shape, the bridge serves as protection and the stern has several steps. This also protects it well against the vagaries of the weather, as the sea in the Atlantic is always a bit rougher.

However, on our short trial trip, which included two overnight stays, the North Sea gave us more trouble this time. While we hardly noticed the fluctuations over the days and on the first night, we woke up to them on the second night.

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

What we had noticed as slight fluctuations were so strong that both the port of Hamburg and the mouth of the Elbe had to be closed by the authorities. Our Queen Mary 2 therefore had to make loops in the open sea for hours and all ships in the port of Hamburg were not allowed to leave. So we ended up 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 to Hamburg had to be reorganized. An additional lunch also had to be prepared for all guests and an ad hoc leisure program had to be put together.

Speaking of the program: On days at sea, you can really find entertainment from early in the morning until late at night. Various lectures (some in German), dance, sports and bridge workshops, and stage programs are available. There is also a planetarium and a lending library, both of which are the largest at sea.

Finally, a new feature: dogs are allowed on the Queen Mary 2! They will have their temporary home on deck 12. And to make them feel completely at home, there is an original New York fire hydrant and an original London street lamp for walking the dogs (like on the original Queen Mary).