Maggie O'Donnell, QE2 Casino girl 1981-1983

[Casinogirls]

Happy days..

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

I wonder whether you might have met this Casino Concessionnaire?

https://www.theqe2story.com/forum/index.php/topic,3189.0.html

[Casinogirls]

Don't say I do... but I sent them a message..we usually always know someone... Thanks for the link 

[peter ward]

Oh yes the Atlantic crossings, now that was hard work.
you inevitably came across inclement weather at some point (and sometimes all the way) and that was a welcome relief as a lot of the punters would stay in their cabins .we of course were not affected so we enjoyed the storms. the windows in the T.O.W restaurant were almost from the deck to the deckhead (floor to ceiling) and when the ship was in a bad one you could look out of the port window and just see sky and the starboard window you would just see water then vice versa ..ever tried serving soup in a force 9? 
But usually it was busy ..two sittings of 16 for breakfast (pre looking after the casino girls) lunch and dinner ..you had an hour and a half from taking the food order to serving three to four courses , getting everyone out ,relaying the tables and letting the second sitting in ! not easy. the only plus westbound was the hour back every night .extra hour in the crew bar .

[Casinogirls]

Do you remember once we hit a gale force 10... and that was something else... the whole  of the casino was up rooted.. and as you say Peter... we were just literally rolling from side to side... one minute you saw the sea and the next minute the sky... but we never felt in danger of any kind.... of course there were a few incidents onboard... like getting stuck in the bank when going into Barbados...

Hey... do you remember those ' no where ' cruises we used to do.. We would pick up in New York.. go out and sail around in a circle ... or just sail out and come back in three days... boy Oh! boy they were wild cruises... it was I think before we used to start the world cruises and they were these so called cheap ' come on the QE2 ' events... and I just met some crazy people in the Casino on those.  When we used to be going into dinner.. they were already packed sitting waiting at the tables for the casino to open... and some of the women ... well !....never seen such long nails and bling...( Oh well except the world cruise )....but that was very expensive..bling !!

Love to go back and do it all again... if only I could bring the same people, parties with the printers, out dancing with the TOW guys, all the amazing countries we have been to and things we have done... we have all been truly blessed...

[peter ward]

If I remember rightly maggie those cruises were just after we had come out of dry dock in new york and I think they were a way of testing the engines and making a few bucks as well.
The 'clientelle' probably couldn't afford  a full cruise so this was their chance to get on board .saying that though they were the best punters we ever served ,every single one of them was up for a laugh and just so pleased to be on board .most of the punters were black new yorkers and the bling was dripping off them !And ....could they dance ...I've never seen such rhythm from the kids to the elderly ,there was so much rhythm on board the ship was moving whilst we were still tied up !! fantastic ,we would sail outbound for a day and a half ,turn round and come back ....but those cruises were the best !thanks for reminding me of them maggie . Do you remember the bar/restaurant in fort lauderdale just off the quay with a ww11 jeep outside were eveyone used to go ? the croupiiers were ALWAYS in there ...what a great job you lot had ...always closed in port !!

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

I am really enjoying this conversation. Just keep talking... it is such fun to imagine those scenes!

[Casinogirls]

Hey... I agree those punters were great.. we loved it as they were proper gamblers.. and they looked after us well... as for the bar in Fort Lauderdale.. I have some photos somewhere taken there... and listen as you well know casino staff.. were always at every bar in every port... some of favourite were the Anchor bar in New York (gone now)... St. Thomas and I can't remember whether it was San Juan.. or somewhere else where they served the best chilli you could find.
Some dodgy places... South America.. especially Columbia and Cristobel... not nice...
I know we had one of the best jobs on there.. but the funny thing is we were not supposed to hang around with crew.. but of course they were some of our best friends.
I remember being in a bar with Babs and Debbie.. in Cristobel.. it was very dark inside, I mean very dark.. when we ordered a beer.. saw some of the guys from the ship in there... cannot describe what we were witnessing....when the owner (women) comes over and asks if we are in there to take her trade (men)... well ! I nearly choked on my beer... and you couldn't get a bus ticket between us.. then the door flys open.. one of the cruise staff guys runs in screaming... someones been shot... and all we could hear was gun fire outside... ( no one we knew )...
I swear we got out of there and legged it back to the ship.... I thought .. bloody hell, no one is going to believe this back home it's like the high chapperal... LOL !!!!
Like I said crazy days...

[peter ward]

yes there were some dodgy places ,like the texas bar in rio....a steward went ashore in rio and was met at the gate by a load of admiring females (local ladies of the night )and they virtually carried him across to the bar ,it was only when he ordered a beer and went to pay did he realise that the 'ladies' had used a razor on his jeans pocket and cut out his wallet! also his gold chains had gone and watch also,that was a dear do and he didn't even have sex with any of them !...you just didn't wear your bling in places like that !!
other notable bars (why do we know all the bars in the world ) hey sounds like a scene from 'Casablanca' ....what about Ned kelly's in hong kong , the rose and crown in Hawaii, the coach and horses in bermuda ...the texas bar in lisbon ...but the best by far was the Anchor bar in new york ..everybody ended up in there .
Back in the uk in the mid to late seventies you couldn't get a cold bottle of beer to save your life .in the anchor bar they had big plastic bins full  of ice and heineken or buds ...heaven .
I always thought jay was a bit aloof when serving her till I bumped into her in the anchor ...she had had a few and we got on like a house on fire .
I've seen guy's stagger out of there and go back to the ship and serve dinner !! god knows how .

[Rod]

Maggie, did you ever meet up with Gilly Patterson and Magical Maggie? Magical married an Engineer and ended up as a Chief Engineers wife.
AND what happened to the Anchor BAr?
Best chilli in ST. Thomas was just across from where the launches berthed, can't for the life of me remember what it was called now!

[Casinogirls]

Peter and Rod... yes it was St.Thomas had the best chilli.. I knew Jilly from working back in London.. but unless you know Maggie's surname not sure... unfortunately... like working on the ships - Casino people just move around all the time and it becomes like one big family.. eventually you bump into someone who knows someone you know... but where the rest end up god only knows..

As for knowing all the bars...it's so true (laughing)...I mean looking back - we had a few narrow escapes.. nearly missed the ship once...and quite often we were wasted going into work...infact sometimes it was one lon continuous work, party - dock - bars - back onboard - cocktail parties ( I loved them )... Captains cocktail parties, any party.. we were there.. I remember being in the Anchor Bar and they were playing eye of the tiger.. or somthing like that.. and people were just getting up on the bar and dancing... St.Patricks day in Boston... is a bit of a haze.. ( my family are irish ).... say no more !!!

A waiter once got in a taxi in Colombia... he drove him round the corner, cop got in... put a gun to his head and said give me your wallet, etc... robbed him ... and dumped him in the street... thank god he never got shot... crazy shit !!!

As for the Anchor Bar - they have knocked it down.. sad.. but I am sure lots of places have changed..more stories please.. I have got plenty more.

Do you remember those horrible kids that used to come on at Christmas.. spoilt and rude... always threw them out of the Casino...

How about Thailand then... was onboard when Alan Whicker made the film... you must have some tales from there - I certainly do.. 

[Rod]

Sparkies in St. Thomas

[peter ward]

First time I went to Pattaya .........couldn't believe it ! just one long street with bars ,restaurants whorehouses all the way along one side and then back on the other (I think it was built for the american troops for R&R from vietnam )we went into a nightclub and there was a live band on , we were chatting to the local ladies (I think they were ladies !)when the music stopped and the dance floor was cleared and a boxing ring was dragged out onto it .
then two guys came out and had a thai boxing match ,proceeded to knock hell out of each other for three rounds then boxiing ring was removed and dancing recomenced ......absolutely insane ! one young commi waiter hired a powerful motorbike and proceeded to drive thru a restaurant window !
Unfortunately I had left when alan whicker did his programme but I knew all the lads in fact I believe there were some divorces after the film of the boys ashore in Pattaya ..happy days eh .

[Casinogirls]

Rod.... thank you... sparkies... that was the name....great place and amazing chilli... Oh! spent many times in there.. and

Peter...

Thailand was a very, very crazy place... I remember the crew having to watch a video about the dangers of Pattaya... and all the various diseases etc... and scams etc that could happen in such a place... also people saying to us..Oh! when you get to Pattaya you girls won't have a look in... and they were right... it was unreal... like you said one great big main street full of everything and anything you wanted.... women who were drop dead gorgeous... only to find out they were men... and all sorts of going on's right in front of your eyes...

Young and old men from various ships.. getting into trouble... mostly being ripped off with scooters etec... too much drink and women.. a lethal combination for some... and the Alan Whicker show didn't help that year as you said..
We hired motobikes and went to Puket.. which then had one bar... and nothing else... I hear today that Pattaya and Puket are one long continuous stretch of seedy bars and row upon row of loud music and anything else you want...
When we were there once an American Naval ship came in and it was madness... anyone who is ignorant enough to think AIDS was a gay thing... should have worked on the ships in the 80's and it would have certainly opened their eyes to a thing or two..

some of it was just crazy stuff...but hey happy days 

[peter ward]

Don't know about you maggie but one of the best ports of call was Hong Kong .
four days in port , and most of the punters would be off on a coach trip to see the great wall. So ,that meant not many people left on board to look after so we would say work breakfast then have lunch and dinner off or work dinner and haver breakfast and lunch off (you lot had the four days off !) .so we got to see some of the sites , but I loved the night market in Nathan road ,absolutely fantastic then up to ned kelly's bar for some beers and live music .
They had a stage and a house band but some of the musicians from the joe loss band would go there and get up and jam with the band ..brilliant !stagger out in the early hours and get a rickshaw  back to the ship ...on other days the ships football team would play against the army barracks ( I think they were the royal ordinance corps)  and that entailed back to the naffi for a good old booze up .........god I miss Hong Kong !