Wow, Journeys end, its bad enough disembarking after a regular cruise, but three months , how did it feel, what were the highs or the lows , what surprised you the most about the cruise . QE2 always had her fair share of mad passengers, did you encounter any such ones on the World Cruise ? Did you end up having a day to day routine for the seas days or was every day a new day at school ?
And how was the "ocean motion" its a funny thing being on dry land and you feel the earth moving after so long at sea.
How was the logistics for your luggage ? Did Cunard give out advice on how to deal with such a long voyage .
I know what l was like after 3 weeks , l can only begin to imagine how you felt after 107 days
Anyway Welcome Home and thanks for taking us along with you..it was rather fun !
Thanks MylesHighs, lows, what surprised most about the cruise: What surprised me most was that the 107 days away from home was not a problem. In the age of the internet you are only a click away from information, viewing home cameras, speaking to friends and family etc. Many highs but we both loved the transit through the Panama Canal, Wellington in New Zealand Sydney and Hong Kong. The Captain's WC cocktail parties, when we were in warmer climates were held on the aft deck. Sitting chatting to fellow WC passengers enjoying a cocktail or two was lovely. The only lows I can think about were we had Norovirus onboard ship twice. I have to say that the restaurant staff were excellent and as soon as the virus was diagnosed procedures were put in place to bring the virus under control.
There were a few eccentric passengers on the cruise, but listening to their stories only added to the WC experience. I encountered a couple of really rude American men in the Lido restaurant, who thought they could bully a small Scottish woman. They got that one wrong as I had the last word and they went away with their tails between their legs.
We mostly followed the same day to day routine. Food, exercise, coffee, lectures exercise, food and relaxation ....
The Ocean motion was mainly very calming. We had some rough seas coming out of Bermuda and San Francisco, but it could have been worse.
Regarding logistics for packing and luggage: I had joined a very informative Facebook group where the admin posted a lot of advice regarding what to pack and what not to pack. Information on what visas we required was useful as Cunard office staff got advice wrong. They were telling us to obtain a visa for Sri Lanka or we would be denied boarding at Southampton, but the reality was the Purser's Officer arranged this for passengers. The group discussions on what you could do to optimise space in your cabin was useful. e.g. there is space under the sink in the bathroom, so I took folding storage boxes to store medication, toiletries etc.
Luggage: we took eight cases and when packing at the end of the cruise I vowed I would never take so much, even though I wore most of what I had packed.
Motion: When we came off the ship yeah we were rocking and rolling a bit until we got used to dry land again.
Shopping, cooking and housework was a big adjustment after coming off the ship. We had over three months of having all this done for us by the fabulous restaurant and housekeeping crew.
A fabulous account of your world tour Lynda, thoroughly enjoyed reading all your posts as I'm sure you enjoyed posting them! The only question remaining is: have you booked for the next one yet ?
Thanks Ben, so glad you enjoyed the posts and yes the next one is booked for the Voyage of Discovery around South America.