QM2 at last

Greetings land lovers!

We are firmly aboard our beloved QM2 after the first ever delay (!) due to “small technical difficulties”. Leaving from England is, unquestionably, less dramatic than leaving from New York. It is not just the skyline (stodgy South Hampton’s vs. the greatest in the world); but the general English-ness of it all. They are so resistant to drama-everything so ho hum and disorganized. In New York they have a reggae band and are madly trying to sell you champagne (I appreciate this) ; in England they had (no joke) the sounds of Handel’s Messiah (HALLELUJAH) while we watched another cruise ship leave first. But it was totally incongruous: I mean we were excited, but not that excited to see another group leave for Bermuda. And it was especially weird when it switched to organ music.

When the captain announced the delay, I retreated to my deck chair, and the boys started playing what has become their constant occupation: paddle tennis. There is not a lot of paddle tennis played in Lech where our heroic traveling companion Luis S lives, so they are getting him up to speed before tomorrow’s tournament.

Luis is wonderful traveler…gung ho for anything; especially if it involves a ball…so he and F are having a, well, ball.

Thomas is as ever, such a reliable safety czar. During the life jacket, don’t jump over-board too early demonstration, he was explaining to Luis that even though an electric socket has fewer volts than a Taser, and a Taser does not kill you, that is because the relevant number is volts times amps….and that is why it will kill you if you put your finger in a socket.

Apparently Luis has tried this before …thankfully without success.

Same Turkish maître d’, and this year he really seemed to remember us…..he  seems a little confused on the array of children we have, but offers no judgment.

What else? No planetarium shows at all this year!, don’t ask me why. Still frozen yoghurt, still same paddle tennis director, same butlers, only change is Thomas is now into vodka….ordered it as part of the free booze in our room….and was caught in a hot tub drinking one on his own (!) wonders never cease.

He is now valiantly defending the family honor in the golf competition. I don’t have much hope however: there are a lot of Scots of this cruise. Also a lot of Germans (we just came from Hamburg), so our sneaky secret language is not a lot of use.

our bed..more comfy than at Claridge's!

Waving to fellow cruisers to sounds of Messiah

Ok it is now day three....internet is so slow, getting the blog out requires a great deal of time and luck. But the big news is we have, for the first time ever: gale force winds! very exciting. I am waiting for our guest to wake up...poor kid: between paddle tennis, ping pong, long discussion in English with waiters, and this constant rocking, we cannot keep his eyes open.  Pictures will come today, along with storm report! Seas are "rough" and up to 12.5 feet.