Cruise 2010
Jul. 7th, 2010 08:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
indigo_rose99This year on our cruise.... No, let me start at the beginning.
We have wonderful friends. Truly wonderful ones.
For our tenth wedding anniversary, our friends P&J talked us into taking a transatlantic cruise (6 days, all the vacation days we could afford) on the Queen Mary 2. We LOVED it. T insisted that it was the first time he had ever seen me truly, completely relaxed.
Since then, we have taken a QM2 cruise almost every year to celebrate our anniversary. We tried a Meditteranean cruise one year when T got more vacation, and discovered that it was less relaxing.
Since our tenth anniversary, we have asked P&J to join us for the yearly trip that they inspired. This year, to celebrate our 15th anniversary, they accepted. We also invited L&D to join us, this being the favorite ship we have long tried to convince them to cruise. We have always cruised the QM2 with just us, and thought it would be really lovely to hang out with friends.
Which brings us to this year. T made all of the arrangements (a flip, since every previous cruise I have made 100% of the arrangements and he just showed up). I knew he was planning something, but he seemed so happy with it, I left him to it.
Well, he, P&J conspired heavily. P evidently paid to upgrade us and J made lots of pushy phone calls and had the cruise line upgrade us again. So for this 4th of July cruise, we got upgraded to the cruise equivalent of First Class. The cabin is twice the size of any QM2 cabin we have ever had. My favorite two cabin things: (1) The WALK IN closet. I adore it. It has its own little dressing alcove. I can wake before T, close a curtain, do yoga and get dressed with a light and not disturb him. I adore it. (2) The jacuzzi tub. Who ever heard of a TUB WITH JETS in a cruise ship?! Well, we have one. Perfectly sized to fit me, with jets in all of the ideal locations. I'm writing down the brand in the hope that I can buy this model for my future house.
But really I know that is all boring gushy stuff. You want to hear about our adventures!
We wandered Halifax with P&J&D. My personal highlight was watching J get on a stage and do The Cuban Missile Crisis in Interpretive Dance (the short version), starting in October 1962.
Favorite quote in a formal dining room "If you can't go without pants in Queens Grill, where can you?"
I got a personal tour of American history from a history expert. Which is totally cool when he points to a building and starts describing the important events that went on there. Just for me!
You know those fireworks on TV for July 4th? The ones in Boston? We watched them live, from the observation deck of the ship.
Let me preface this next story and quote with a firm WE DO NOT COLLECT RUBBER DUCKS. Not.
The first evening at dinner a small rubber duck appeared on T's plate. Oookay...
On the second evening, I was watching the lovely flames of duck a la 'range, then as it was served... There was a camo rubber duck on the platter. I got duck, T got... rubber duck. And he served it with a completely straight face!
Then on the third evening we were at a cocktail party talking to the head engineer on board. I was chatting with him about his upcoming retirement and he said, "You know what keeps me going? This!" And he hands me a rubber duck.
We have wonderful friends. Truly wonderful ones.
For our tenth wedding anniversary, our friends P&J talked us into taking a transatlantic cruise (6 days, all the vacation days we could afford) on the Queen Mary 2. We LOVED it. T insisted that it was the first time he had ever seen me truly, completely relaxed.
Since then, we have taken a QM2 cruise almost every year to celebrate our anniversary. We tried a Meditteranean cruise one year when T got more vacation, and discovered that it was less relaxing.
Since our tenth anniversary, we have asked P&J to join us for the yearly trip that they inspired. This year, to celebrate our 15th anniversary, they accepted. We also invited L&D to join us, this being the favorite ship we have long tried to convince them to cruise. We have always cruised the QM2 with just us, and thought it would be really lovely to hang out with friends.
Which brings us to this year. T made all of the arrangements (a flip, since every previous cruise I have made 100% of the arrangements and he just showed up). I knew he was planning something, but he seemed so happy with it, I left him to it.
Well, he, P&J conspired heavily. P evidently paid to upgrade us and J made lots of pushy phone calls and had the cruise line upgrade us again. So for this 4th of July cruise, we got upgraded to the cruise equivalent of First Class. The cabin is twice the size of any QM2 cabin we have ever had. My favorite two cabin things: (1) The WALK IN closet. I adore it. It has its own little dressing alcove. I can wake before T, close a curtain, do yoga and get dressed with a light and not disturb him. I adore it. (2) The jacuzzi tub. Who ever heard of a TUB WITH JETS in a cruise ship?! Well, we have one. Perfectly sized to fit me, with jets in all of the ideal locations. I'm writing down the brand in the hope that I can buy this model for my future house.
But really I know that is all boring gushy stuff. You want to hear about our adventures!
We wandered Halifax with P&J&D. My personal highlight was watching J get on a stage and do The Cuban Missile Crisis in Interpretive Dance (the short version), starting in October 1962.
Favorite quote in a formal dining room "If you can't go without pants in Queens Grill, where can you?"
I got a personal tour of American history from a history expert. Which is totally cool when he points to a building and starts describing the important events that went on there. Just for me!
You know those fireworks on TV for July 4th? The ones in Boston? We watched them live, from the observation deck of the ship.
Let me preface this next story and quote with a firm WE DO NOT COLLECT RUBBER DUCKS. Not.
The first evening at dinner a small rubber duck appeared on T's plate. Oookay...
On the second evening, I was watching the lovely flames of duck a la 'range, then as it was served... There was a camo rubber duck on the platter. I got duck, T got... rubber duck. And he served it with a completely straight face!
Then on the third evening we were at a cocktail party talking to the head engineer on board. I was chatting with him about his upcoming retirement and he said, "You know what keeps me going? This!" And he hands me a rubber duck.
Re: First Class Cruising
Date: 2010-07-09 02:51 pm (UTC)