Maggie O'Donnell, QE2 Casino girl 1981-1983

[Casinogirls]

Hey Peter

I bet the cabins were very different in 2002.... at least you know they were always happy cabins..

[peter ward]

Hello again maggie, I made some great friends with some of the girls on board ,one in particular was a girl called kim sealy ....an abosutely gorgeous girl from ilford , a west ham nut with whom I went the match when liverpool played there. stayed at her house a few times .also a girl called jenny although she prefered to be known as jay (she looked like kate bush) and I definitely had a thing for (and with ) her. other names ...babs fusaro, a great girl called sandy who's nickname for some unkown reason was 'worm' ..yvonne pitch , yvonne hall ...a slot tech called geoff ..I can see loads of faces but the names have faded .but one thing is for sure we all had a ball.
I left the ship in 82 but stayed in the merchant navy till 88...now I'm a head chef at a gastro pub in rural cheshire . x peter

[Pat Curry]

I made some great friends with some of the girls on board ... now I'm a head chef at a gastro pub in rural cheshire . x peter

Hmm, Nice one Peter  What is the name of the gastro pub where are you cheffing?

[Casinogirls]

Hi Peter,

Must have crossed each others paths at some stage... because all of the girls you have mentioned I know and have worked with. As for Jay she is one of my closest friends to this day... she is married and has been living in Australia for years.. never had any children..  did a few trips with Geoff myself.. was an OK guy.  As for Babs Fusaro andother very good friend of mine, she lives in Derbyshire now and has a farm with her partner.... all of these girls have long since left the business... but were great girls
I worked a lot with Babs and Jay, and also did many cruises working with Babs on the QE2... I will put up a photo of us..

Sounds like you have done well for yourself.. and Cheshire is a lovely part of the world.. I have many friends from you hometown..
last time I was in Liverpool hardly recognised it... the docks has changed so much... but a great place.

Check out the top two photos... Babs is in both of them...

[peter ward]

hi again maggie, what a small world eh , I thought I recognised babs in those pics ...what a great laugh she was , she would sometimes come down to my cabin or the crew bar for a drink .always up for a laugh.
Kim seally went to live in oz too..she married one of the waiters of the Qe2 .......good to hear that the girls are all doing well .

[Bob C.]

Welcome Magige.  Its great to have yet another "old school" QE2 fan!

[Casinogirls]

Hi Bob...

Thanks for that... it's funny the QE2 is such a special club of people, who either worked, travelled or visited the wonderful lady....it just holds such special memories for so many of us.. unless you have truly experienced the ship and of course the people onboard who always made it so special... no one else really understands.

These years working onboard and the friends I made until this day shall always hold a special place in my heart.

As Casino girls, as I said before in those days, we had the best of both worlds... and for many of us we truly took advantage of that... we worked hard.. even though it doesn't seem so.. especially in the Caribbean.. three shifts a day and sometimes not finishing until the butt crack of dawn.

Every cruise was different, the Med cruises were my least favourite.. World Cruises for us were a doddle... but loved all of them and some of the most interesting characters ever...plus all the famous people..

I have never done a cruise since... crazy that... maybe this year I will go to Florida and pick up a cruise for myself.. happy days 

[Bob C.]

I never had the opportunity to gamble at the casino onboard QE2.  I was 6, 9, 11, 14 and 16 the times that I went ('69-'79) although I do remember dropping in a quarter or two in the slot machines at 14 and 16, maybe as early as 11!

I highly recommend jumping on a cruise ship out of Florida or anywere for that matter.  All the lines have something for everyone (Royal Caribbean is my favorite though).  Best of all, you will finally get to see all that the passengers saw while you were working! 

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Fascinated by your story and your memories, Maggie -- great to have you among us!

How did your QE2 life begin, I wonder?

How did you get the job on the ship, and what were your first impressions when you stepped on board?

[Peter Mugridge]

May I ask why the Med cruises were your least favourite?

And I have to ask - did you enjoy the famous winter Atlantics?

[peter ward]

I think I can asnwer that ..maggie probably disliked the med cruises for the same reason as most of the crew .....................it was full of BRITS ! never did I  get to dislike my own kind as much as the british on board . they were the most picky ,fussy downright rude ,arrogant and ignorant punters I ever served .
the attitude of the majority was that because we were crew then we were beneath them . Inverted snobbery at its worst.
Suddenly the  blackpool landlady was a duchess and the landlord from birmingham was a baron !
and ...they were probably the worst tippers as well . OK I'ved calmed down now , maybe maggie has a different reason .

[Peter Mugridge]

I blame the modern education system...



Once upon a time the British knew how to behave anywhere in the World.

[Casinogirls]

Oh Peter..
I am so rolling around laughing.. as you very kindly hit the nail on the head.... shame as it might be but the Med cruises were full of British who just had not a clue... women were mutton dressed as lamb... and the men were just dragged around on a lead.
There was never any fun or atmosphere and certainly there didn't have a clue how to gamble.
If they did you'd be lucky if they would grace you with a conversation... let alone a tip...of course there might of been the odd one who was Ok... but overall we loathed the Med cruises because as Peter states... they looked down on us.

When you would go ashore and there would be lunch... imagine they would all be rushing back to get their quota.. never mind where we were... and probably putting the leftovers..in tupperware boxes.. LOL !!!!

But then again I suppose in hindsight that is what made it different....

As, for how I started my life on the QE2... we worked for a company called London Clubs and we were a concession onboard.
You were selected from 5 Casino's in those days (if you were lucky enough to ever go)... and got the chance to work onboard various Cunard lines... I was extrememly lucky and was chosen for over three years...happy days 

[peter ward]

You're so right maggie, it didn't matter which exotic port we would be in the brits would pile back in their hundreds to get their lunch (because they'd paid for it ) and yes ,they would take food to take back ashore as they didn't want to eat (all that foreign muck!) .that is if they didn't stay for afternoon tea !
the Carribean cruises were SOO different as the americans knew how to cruise and let their hair down .shame on you class ridden we are better than you brits !!

[Casinogirls]

Peter... so true.. I once had a British Passenger on a Med cruise ask me what I did for a proper job at home... and inevitably the first thing they would ask was where you came from... like if we gave a stuff.. people were people, working in Casino's just like catering or any form of dealing with the public you very quickly learn how to deal with people at all levels... and normally like the saying goes... treat people like you like to be treated yourself...

Bob... the Winter Atlantic crossings.. as I am sure Peter will support me in saying were a different kind of challenge..
very, very busy... to the point of sometimes hectic... absolutely great laughs, and great people... full of all sorts of characters..
the weather of course would ultimately throw a spanner in the works along the way... especially when we hit gale force weather conditions... we loved it.. as we had our sea legs... and I am sorry to say... but while the passengers were vomiting all over the place and fleeing to bed... we were so happy because this meant no punters = shut casino = off to disco, meet at the crew bars, have a party, go to the wardroom... many options...
But when it was busy in the Casino... it was crazy... I mean madness.. but just such a scream....
Every theme and every day was different.. had some great St.Patricks days either onboard or in the States.. celebrated about every day there was going...never missed an opportunity for fancy dress.. and too be honest I only ever once had a row with someone... and she worked in the Casino..I have endless stories I could tell.. endless..