Embarrassing

[singlemalt]

The social faux pas? the inappropriate advance? caught in the act? wanting the Earth to open up and swallow you?

I posted this on Isabelle's flickr stream as a comment about a photo of the Queen's Room ceiling. Was very glad to hear I wasn't the only one!

One of my favourite views on the grand old lady.
Another QE2 confession.... something else that seemed like a good idea at the time!
One evening last summer (after an agreeable evening in the Yacht Club ;-) I was making my way back to my room and tottered past the Queen's Room. The ship was early hours of the morning quiet, so, obviously I decided it would be a good opportunity to take my shoes off and lie down on the floor for a proper view of the ceiling.
I had a fabulous time - lying on my back and wiggling around to get some different views. Silky dress = no friction when sliding along the floor propelled by my feet and arms. Think of a moving 'snow angel' to get the general idea!
I was having marvellous fun until "Madame, are you okay? Do you need some help?" from one of the Bar Staff who had been clearing up and I hadn't noticed them looking at me from the other side of the room. Oops!

[Andy F]

I'll have to think of something but that shouldn't be difficult!  However, I have this recurring image in my mind of you lying there prostate (or is it prostrate, I can never quite remember?) and believe me, it's very difficult to type when you're laughing so much!

Btw, while I agree your observation of Isabelle as being 'Grand' and of course a 'Lady', I have to disagree strongly with the refrence to 'Old'...! 

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Better show you the pictures 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/prondis_in_kenya/2971950793/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/prondis_in_kenya/2971930269/

Enjoy them!

[Andy F]

Always a delight to see them again Isabelle.  I'm just waiting in anticipation of the pictures of Ali doing her, now what did she call it, ah yes, 'Snow Angel' wasn't it?  Given I don't recall reading about this in the Sunday papers at the time, I'm sure the cctv footage is safely tucked away in some dusty corner of the Cunard Offices somewhere lol!

[cunardqueen]

Rob,
 Your photo now makes sense as to how you managed it, here was little old me thinking you were on your back on the Queens Room floor when all was quiet, really l should have known better  

[Andy F]

OK, so not really embarrassing as such but it was funny at the time so I guess I'd better share it with you.

During dinner in the Caronia one evening, I was considering my options for dessert when all of a sudden we were surrounded and serenaded by the Maitre Ds and waiting staff in a rousing rendition of that Cunard classic 'Let me call you sweetheart'  (ah yes, no-one can possibly do it the way Cunard can...), followed by the customary cake.  'Happy Anniversary' they wished us and we enjoyed the traditional applause from our fellow diners.  Although much appreciated of course, I didn't have the heart to tell them our anniversary was not for another 2 weeks and the day after we disembarked but hey, the thought was there!

While on the subject of dining; I always had trouble deciding which dessert to have. Oh dear, decisions decisions (I used to be indecisive but no I'm not so sure), do I go for a or b?  Thanks to my wonderful waiters  Buddy & Jeffrey, they solved the problem by bringing both and henceforth from that moment on, I became a 2 pudding guy. Despite the additional strain this placed on my trousers (and praying the button would hold out otherwise it could easily have taken someone's eye out), they were such happy times!     

[QE2_MATTHEW]

I have exactly the same story but in a different location. Picture it --- A Stairwell Deck 5...

From here you can see from bottom to top of all passenger decks, so I had to take a shot and laid on my back getting it just right, when a cabin steward rushed over thinking I had trown myself over the stairs and landed on the floor unconcious-i it was a bit odd seeing as I had my arms up supporting a camera, still it was very nice of him to check on me!

Later on once I'd discovered this photo opportunity I took a few table companions down to see what I had found. 

[Pia]

My moment isn't terribly embarrassing either, but it did help to get the captain (Nick Bates, a definite favourite!) to notice and remember me   

One formal evening (on a cruise along the coasts of Sweden, Finland and Norway, not necessarily in that order, in 2005, I think) after all the formality of the evening was over, Isabelle and I were on Boat Deck waiting for the pilot to arrive with the intention of witnessing his mode of entering the ship. After having listened to several explanations I was hoping to see a pilot diving head first through a narrow opening in the hull, perhaps successfully, perhaps not.

As it turned out we were waiting on the wrong side of the ship. Isabelle saw the lights of the pilot boat approaching on the other side and as we were close to A stairway we dashed in, past the entrance to Queens Grill and out the other side. Taking only a split second to deposit my empty wine glass on top of the glass case of a ship's model I dashed out the other door, forgot the raised doorstep, tripped over it and fell down the three (or is it two?) steps to land full length on the deck. Isabelle later said that the wide skirt of my dress lay spread around me very elegantly...

Later, when I got off the ship to wander around Stavanger I met Captain Nick walking along the pier. He recognized me straight away and wanted to know how I was. Touched by his concern I was eager to explain that I had just missed a... and while I paused for a split second to search for the right word he put his hand on my arm and said "You missed them all!"

Turns out he had seen it happen from the bridge and even sent security staff to Boat Deck to check that I was okay, but by the time they arrived I had already gone back in.

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

... or, to put it another way, while Pia was lying flat on the teak deck, wondering whether she was concussed, and I was admiring the elegant way her swishy dress had spread about her, Captain Nick was taking it all in from the Bridge and sending his security man down to offer any help needed! Same security man found me soon afterwards on the Boat Deck, enjoying the night breeze alone, since Pia had taken off to her bed.

Nick Bates remembered both of us for the rest of that voyage, and included our Mum in his remembering too, as we had many a wee chat with him, from that day onwards!

Two memories stand out. The first was of meeting him on one of the stairways and telling him how happy we were to have him as Captain again (he had been Captain on Caronia for our Baltic voyage a year earlier). And how about QE2? "I think I have died and gone to heaven!"... I remember the sheer joy with which he spoke...

And another time, meeting him on our of our last few days on board that year, as he came up the stairs from the engine room. How was QE2? Did she have it in her to continue for another while? And he gave the alleyway panels a soft slap and said : "The engines are perfect. And the hull is solid. There is no reason why she wouldn't keep going for a long time yet." Those were the words which made it much easier for us to leave the ship and look forward to our next cruise...

I am sure he would say the same thing even today. Quite sure. 

[Rob Lightbody]

So... 20.5 years having passed since I last set foot on her and there I was as a 35 year old, standing on the viewing platform of the QEII terminal at Southampton looking in AWE at the best ship in the world, and the one that had been in so many of my dreams in those intervening years.

I was as excited as a schoolboy and my friend Rob who was with me thought I was completely nuts.  I was also really quite ill with the flu, and should really have been in bed, but the excitement completely overcame the illness (at that point anyway...)



I was so excited, taking photos and pointing out things to Rob, that when I dropped my rucksack, I didn't think much about it....

On entering the midships lobby, my excitement was interrupted for a second as I wondered why they hadn't cleaned the carpet properly - it was sticky!
In fact the corridor along to our cabin away forward, was also quite sticky in places.  Even more weird, the carpet in the cabin was sticky too... never mind that, I was just happy to be back on the QE2!! 
We didn't even unpack, we rushed along and up to the Queens Room for afternoon tea and... oh dear.... the lovely yellow seat was all sticky too!!

And then the penny dropped... my bottle of cough-medicine had smashed in my rucksack when i dropped it on the viewing platform.... I thought i was smart, but my nice new grey sweater had pink cough medicine all down the back, and onto my nice trousers too!!  DISASTER! 



On returning to the cabin, my rucksack was full of medicine, it was dripping out of the vent holes in my laptop, and some irreplacable QE2 memory paperwork that I'd brought with me was also ruined and had to be chucked out...  my first experience of 2154's infamous shower, was rinsing my rucksack and its contents out!!

Anyway, i just about composed myself, it was sailaway time so we went and got champagne from the Yacht Club, then walked all the way forward to the observation deck.  There I am, full glass of champagne in one hand, empty little bottle in the other hand, and Rob asked me what the time was as we seemed to be running late....  can you guess the rest...?  Yes... thats right... i got even more sticky.... argh!

[Rob Lightbody]

I have exactly the same story but in a different location. Picture it --- A Stairwell Deck 5...

I was crawling around on that same spot just a few weeks after you probably!

[Twynkle]

These make me smile! Oh dear - sorry!
Andy, our story was similar to yours - an enormous surprise - and completely unprepared for the gentle hum before the crescendo - and waiters grabbing our hands, had no idea what on earth was going on - then a cake for our 42nd wedding day (yes, but I'm not That old - yet)
It was the first night of the cruise, and we were the first to get the serenade - there were several other Sweethearts that night too...
Can't ever remember it happening in the Caronia...

[Malcolm]

We've had threads about favourite foods, cocktails, places, pastimes, etc. What about those occasions that you'd rather forget or simply wish hadn't happened? What don't you like to remember about the QE2?

I suppose that as I've posed the question I should be the first to answer I remember visiting someone in his penthouse suite in 1995 and then returning to my cabin at 6-00am the following morning. I was dressed in full evening dress! Now I don't regret it happening but I was so embarrassed at the time

That does raise a question that I have never had answered. What is the correct etiquette? Should you stop to fasten your bow tie before venturing into the public areas of the ship or doesn't it matter? Does the fact that you're exiting through the Queens Grill Lounge make any difference? 

[cunardqueen]

We've had threads about favourite foods, cocktails, places, pastimes, etc. What about those occasions that you'd rather forget or simply wish hadn't happened? What don't you like to remember about the QE2?

I suppose that as I've posed the question I should be the first to answer  I remember visiting someone in his penthouse suite in 1995 and then returning to my cabin at 6-00am the following morning. I was dressed in full evening dress! Now I don't regret it happening but I was so embarrassed at the time

My goodness, you must had had a long hard night, all that way for an after dinner coffee, or were you having something more fullfilling like a late night   early morning BLT   

That does raise a question that I have never had answered. What is the correct etiquette? Should you stop to fasten your bow tie before venturing into the public areas of the ship or doesn't it matter?

Hmm in times of doubt, shoulders back, head held high and s m i l e

[Malcolm]

you must had had a long hard night ... a late night  early morning BLT    

That'sit You get the gist