Voyage Number QE817 - September 30, 2008

Our final voyage on QE2 began a year ago today, which is hard to believe a full year has past.  I will be revising and posting a daily account for QE2's emotional historic Final Farewell to the UK in upcoming posts.

Update:  I have posted a video on the departure from Southampton.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6wSynafiFg&feature=channel

Roger and Wendy dropped us at the Queen Elizabeth II terminal.  Thankfully, unlike our January embarkation, which was a bit chaotic since that was the boarding also for the World Cruise, we did not experience any problems whatsoever.  The line moved swiftly and in no time, we were waiting in the terminal for our boarding number to be called. 

This farewell voyage was sold out months before.  Actually, it was sold out before our January 2008 crossing.  I managed to grab a cabin, using the internet to my advantage, watching daily as cabins became available quite silently due to cancellations.  I got lucky and booked an M7 (?)  cabin at first, but then my travel agent got busy for me.  Ultimately, I wanted a cabin with a porthole and when one popped up, an M1 with a third pulman birth, I grabbed it.  That was about the 3rd cabin selection and while it was more expensive than the windowless 90sf cabin up in the bow I originally booked, it was worth every penny.

While we waited to board, we found the outside observation deck and ventured outside for a glimpse of our ship and object of my obsession.  We totally missed the waiting and the observation deck in January due to the computer delay during the embarkation process.  It was nice to be able to see her up close and personal for the first time since I last saw her in April in New York City.

Ryan was more than a little excited stepping foot onboard for the first time. 

Ryan, the Funnel Bar, and the iconic funnel.

Flags in our cabin for the sailaway festivities.  We would forget to take them with us.  The child care program was basically non-existent.  We think there were about 5 kids onboard and everytime we tried to access the daycare area it was closed.  We didn't need it anyway.  We had too much to do on our own anyway.

Vertigo inducing view of the A stairwell, looking from our 5 deck level all the way up to the boat deck level.

The P & O Artimus passed us with a horn salute just as we were slipping our own moorings.  Interestingly, I believe that Captain McNaught did a stint as Captain on this ship after the QE2's final voyage to Dubai.

We're off!  Lines have been cast away and Ryan heard the "voice" of QE2, her famous horns, for the first time.  The weather was dreary, but the rain we had earlier on our way in to Southampton from Luton held off for our departure.  Is this the end of the pier that you see as Titanic leaves Southampton in the movie?

Off on the horizon, oil refineries that we completely missed on our January 2008 departure from Southampton were ablaze.  Calshot is off to the right, birthplace of my great grandmother Emily Cochrane.

QE2 gets her own water show escort.  Not every ship gets this treatment.  The Artimus passed us with absolutely no fanfare.

Southampton at our stern.  The sea were dead calm, but all that was to change as we entered the English Channel.  We had been told that our stop at Cherbourg, France had been cancelled earlier due to strong storm with high winds that would potenially prevent us from docking in port.  Rather than risk the potential denial of entry to port, "No Ports" McNaught told us we were skipping this port and we would be arriving at Cobh a day earlier than schedule.  Thanks Roger for reminding us of his nickname in the car on the way to Southampton.......A nickname he dutifully earned on the Worlc Cruise that Roger and Wendy took.

Going back to our cabin, the signs of rough weather were cropping up on the ship.  Similar to our January trip, I was hoping for some decent weather for at least a day so we could experience some decent seas.  I know, I'm crazy.