At sea en route to Los Angeles

The final leg. This is it. Final Trivia. Packing. Saying goodbye. We disembark tomorrow. Paul and Amy have rented a van and our plan is to go to the old Queen Mary in Long Beach for lunch in the original Verandah. Then we’ll take Olga back to the ship, where she continues until Sydney, changing to the Mary and then flying home from Singapore, and we’ll go on to LAX for dinner at the Proud Bird - where we ate when I was in LA with them in December 2009. Then Paul and Amy will drop me at my terminal, head for home, and it will all be over………until the next time!
It’s been a wonderful trip, made all the more wonderful by the company of three dear friends. Looking forward to cuddling with Bau and seeing all my dear family and friends at home.

Cabo San Lucas

I read Steinbeck’s “Log from the Sea of Cortez” just before I left. In those days, Cabo had not been “discovered”. The log consists of the prose from the “Sea of Cortez” which is a description of a scientific expedition. Steinbeck does include a lot of descriptions of various fauna – along with a dollop of philosophy – but he also includes wonderful passages about encounters with the locals, of which there were few at the time, mostly isolated primitive homes housing fishermen and their families.


Cabo San Lucas, commonly called Cabo, is a city at the southern tip of the Baja California peninsula, in the municipality of Los Cabos in the Mexican state of Baja California Sur. As of the 2005 census, the population was 56,811 people. The largest community in the Los Cabos municipality, and second-largest in Baja California Sur after La Paz, it has experienced very rapid growth and development, often with adverse environmental impact.
Cabo is known for its sandy beaches, world-class scuba diving location, distinctive sea arch El Arco de Cabo San Lucas, and abundant marine life. The Los Cabos Corridor has become a heavily trafficked holiday destination with numerous resorts and timeshares along the coast between San Lucas and San José del Cabo. In the winter, pods of whales can be observed in the ocean. They bear their calves in the warm waters there.

A fishing village began growing in the area when in 1917 an American company built a floating platform to catch tuna and ten years later founded Compañía de Productos Marinos S.A. The plant lasted several years in operation and experts in the area say that this tuna plant was the beginning of development at Cabo San Lucas.
The warmth of the waters at Cabo San Lucas, the beauty of its beaches, the abundance of sport fish, and nearby surfing motivated a great number of both foreign and Mexican vacationers to spend their vacations in large-scale tourist developments there, starting in 1974 when the Mexican government created the infrastructure to turn Cabo San Lucas into a major center for tourism in Mexico. Upon completion of the Transpeninsular highway, tourist developments in Los Cabos often proceeded relatively unchecked. However, the rapid loss of vast stretches of desert and marine habitat has made the development of Cabo San Lucas controversial. There is now a growing collection of activists and attorneys now involved in preserving many of Baja's desert habitats, marine mammals and pristine stretches of coastline. A number of agencies including, The Gulf of California Conservation Fund and The Center for Environmental Law in La Paz are challenging the despoliation of wetlands and other ecosystems from Cabo to Ensenada.


We are only here for half a day and this is our first tender port of the cruise. The rumbling of both anchors woke me up early, so I jumped out of bed, dressed quickly and went out to take pictures shortly after sunrise. What a beautiful place. The rock formations are stunning and I could hear the sea lions barking.
Paul and Amy had signed up for a cooking course, but decided to cancel. I went whale-watching. I was worried about seeing any breaching because it was overcast. But off we went, passing the wonderful natural rock formation and a colony of sea lions whose barking we heard as we came in. Then out to where grey whales come to calve every winter after a migration of thousands of miles from their summer grounds in Alaska. At first, we saw spouts, some arching backs and a few flukes. We realized we were seeing the same mother and calf. Then the sun came out and mother and calf breached. Well, Mom did – she seemed to be teaching the calf who could only make it halfway out of the water. It was a wonderful sight….they were about 50 yards from us, which is as close as boats are allowed. You know me and animals, so you can imagine how excited I was.

During sailaway, we saw several pods of whales, some frolicking dolphins and leaping sting rays!
In the evening, we all went to the gourmet tasting dinner in the Verandah restaurant. Three and a half hours - 7 courses; 7 wine pairings and an introductory glass of sparkling Chardonnay. Wow! A tour de force from a young female Roumanian chef. It was a meal to remember! I will post the menu when I get home. Still impossible to upload photos.

At sea en route to Cabo San Lucas

No lectures today, but Trivia, yes. We lost by half a point!

There are all sorts of tastings going on: vodka, wine, scotch. We World Clubbers were invited to one on Monday, but I didn’t go – I never seem to like the wines they choose. Amy and Paul went and did not enjoy it except for one South African wine, which we’ve ordered at the table: a mix of Shiraz and Viognier – they apparently add the white Viognier grape to smooth out the Shiraz. The result is very nice indeed.

Today is our last formal night and it is the Burns Night Ball. Though his birthday was yesterday and haggis was on the menu last night (yes, with neeps and tatties – and of course I had it), the ball is always on a formal night. The kilts will all be on parade. I would have brought mine, but I can’t squeeze into it. I tried, but not heard enough I guess. My goal now is to do it next year on the Mary.

After dinner, cocktail party with the captain and the senior officers.

The show was a new dance show – La Danza – similar to Passion for Dance on the Vic and the original Appassionata on the Mary. It was fantastic and got a standing ovation – rare from this tough crowd! The finale had a Celtic theme, appropriate for the Burns Night ball. The African number featured two of Lady Black Mambaza songs and the costumes were gorgeous. In fact, all the costumes were beautiful and the lighting was exceptional. The numbers varied from the classical to the futuristic and everything in between.

Acapulco

Sorry no photos - I think the problem is more with Blogger and Safari than the internet. I'll keep trying - but sorry there is only lots of prose!

Scroll down to see my impressions. Here is some history.


Acapulco (officially known as Acapulco de Juárez) is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, 300 kilometres (190 mi) southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history. It is a port of call for shipping and cruising lines running between Panama and San Francisco, California, United States. The city of Acapulco is the largest in the state, far larger than the state capital Chilpancingo and as well, Mexico's largest beach and balneario - resort city, though latterly it has been eclipsed by Cancun and Cabo.
The city is best known as one of Mexico’s oldest and most well-known beach resorts, which came into prominence by the 1950s as a getaway for Hollywood stars and millionaires. Acapulco is still famous for its nightlife and still attracts many vacationers, although most are now from Mexico itself. The resort area is divided into two: The north end of the bay is the “traditional” area, where the famous in the mid 20th century vacationed and the south end is dominated by newer luxury high rise hotels.
The name "Acapulco" comes from Nahuatl language Aca-pōl-co, and means "At the big reeds" or “At the broken reeds.” “de Juárez” was added to the official name in 1885 to honor Benito Juárez, the former president of Mexico. The seal for the city shows broken reeds or cane.

Another enigmatic attraction at Acapulco is the La Quebrada Cliff Divers. The tradition started in the 1930s when young men casually competed against each other to see who could dive from the highest point into the sea below. Eventually, locals began to ask for tips for those coming to see the men dive. Today the divers are professionals, diving from heights of forty meters into an inlet that is only seven meters wide and four meters deep, after praying first at a shrine to the Virgin of Guadalupe.

By the eighth century, there was a small culture in the Acapulco area, which would first be dominated by the Olmecs, then by a number of others during the pre-Hispanic period. Later, Teotihuacan influence made its way here via Cuernavaca and Chilpancingo. Then Mayan influence arrived from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and through what is now Oaxaca. These people were the antecedents of the Aztecs. Acapulco formally became part of the Aztec Empire in 1486 during the reign of Ahuizotl. Then came the Spanish.
There are two stories about how Acapulco bay was discovered by Europeans. The first states that two years after the Conquest, Hernán Cortés sent explorers west to find gold. The explorers had subdued this area after 1523, and Captain Saavedra Cerón was authorized by Cortés to found a settlement here. The other states that the bay was discovered on 13 December 1526 by a small ship named the El Tepache Santiago captained by Santiago Guevara. The first encomendero was established in 1525 at Cacahuatepec, which is part of the modern Acapulco municipality. In 1531, a number of Spaniards, most notably Juan Rodriguez de Villafuerte, left the Oaxaca coast and founded the village of Villafuerte where the city of Acapulco now stands. Villafuerte was unable to subdue the local native peoples, and this eventually resulted in the Yopa Rebellion in the region of Cuautepec. Hernán Cortés was obligated to send Vasco Porcayo to negotiate with the indigenous people giving concessions. The province of Acapulco became the encomendero of Rodriguez de Villafuerte who received taxes in the form of cocoa, cotton and corn.

Cortés established Acapulco as a major port by the early 1530s, with the first major road between Mexico City and the port constructed by 1531. Spanish trade in the Far East would give Acapulco a prominent position in the economy of New Spain. Galleons started arriving here from Asia by 1550, and in that year thirty Spanish families were sent to live here from Mexico City to have a permanent base of European residents. Acapulco would become the second most important port, after Veracruz, due to its direct trade with the Philippines. This trade would focus on the yearly Manila Galleon, which was the nexus of all kinds on communications between New Spain, Europe and Asia. In 1573, the port was granted the monopoly of the Manila trade.
The Manila Galleon would make its yearly run from the mid 16th century until the early 19th. The goods were off-loaded in Acapulco and transported overland to Vera Cruz on the east coast – from there the goods went to Havana where all the Spanish treasure ships assembled for the run across the Atlantic to Spain. The luxury items it brought to New Spain attracted the attention of English and Dutch “pirates”, such as Francis Drake, Henry Morgan and Thomas Cavendish, who called it “The Black Ship.” To protect the port and the cargo of ships coming here the San Diego Fort was built. Despite the fort’s existence, a Dutch fleet invaded Acapulco in 1615, destroying much of the town and fort before being driven off. The fort was destroyed by an earthquake in 1776 and was rebuilt in 1783. At the beginning of the 19th Century, King Charles IV declared Acapulco a Ciudad Official and it became an essential part of the Spanish Crown. However, soon after the Mexican War of Independence began. In 1810, José María Morelos y Pavón attacked and burnt down the city, after he defeated royalist commander Francisco Parés at the Battle of Tres Palos. The independence of Mexico in 1821 ended the run of the Manila Galleon. Acapulco’s importance as a port recovered during the California Gold Rush in the mid 19th century, with ships going to and coming from Panama stopping here.
In 1911, revolutionary forces took over the main plaza of Acapulco. In 1920, the Prince of Wales and future King Edward VIII visited the area. Impressed by what he saw, he recommended the place in Europe, making it popular with the elite there. Much of the original hotel and trading infrastructure was built by an East Texas businessman named Albert B.Pullen in the area now known as Old Acapulco. But some of Acapulco’s best known hotels were built by others. In the mid 1940s, the first commercial wharf and warehouses was built. In the early 1950s President Miguel Alemán Valdés upgraded the port’s infrastructure, installing electrical lines, drainage systems, roads and the first highway to connect the port with Mexico City.
The economy grew and foreign investment increased with it. During the 1950s, Acapulco became the fashionable place for millionaires and Hollywood stars. From a population of only 4,000 or 5,000 in the 1940s, by the early 1960s Acapulco had a population of about 50,000. During the 1960s and 1970s, new hotel resorts were built, and accommodation and transport were made cheaper. It was no longer necessary to be a millionaire to spend a holiday in Acapulco, the foreign and Mexican middle class could now afford to travel here. However, as more hotels were built in the south part of the bay, the old hotels of the 1950s lost their grandeur. During the 1990s, the road known as the Ruta del Sol was built, crossing the mountains between Mexico City and Acapulco. The journey only takes about three and a half hours, making Acapulco a favorite weekend destination for Mexico City inhabitants. The port continued to grow and in 1996, a new private company, API Acapulco, was created to manage operations. This consolidated operations and now Acapulco is the major port for car exports to the Pacific.
Currently, the drug war in Mexico has had a negative effect on tourism as rival traffickers fight for control of the Guerrero state.

My impressions:

Acapulco has developed around a lovely natural harbor surrounded by dramatic hills. The bay is lined with hotels, condos, shops, restaurants, etc. I originally thought I might go out and see the divers…but changed my mind….they are no longer locals doing it for pennies. They are professionals with their hands out at the end of the display and they do only one daytime dive. So I figured I didn’t really need to see them after all. So I went off with Olga to walk the old town and look at the cathedral. Olga loves the grotesque Spanish crucifixes. I can’t bear them…I’ve seen enough in Spain. This unusual Byzantine-style 20th-century cathedral, the Cathedral de Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, did not disappoint…..it had a coffin lined with white satin in which lay a life-size replica of Jesus with real long black hair…and, of course, wounds. In my photo, it looks all too lifelike. The cathedral is on the Zócalo, a shaded square in the old section. On the way to the cathedral, we stopped in at a couple of large mercados (markets), but did not buy anything. On the way back to the ship, we visited the Fuerte de San Diego, mentioned above. It has been well preserved and is well maintained. It is now home to the Museo Historica de Acapulco with very interesting and well-planned exhibits.

I nearly got myself killed crossing the road where we shouldn’t have! I figured I’d survived Saigon and Cairo. Well, this was pretty scary. We got halfway to the middle divider and Olga turned back because it was a drop down to the other side. I found myself stuck in the middle with traffic coming at quite a speed…I managed straddle the middle divider and waited for an opening on the other side. I dropped down and I made it. Olga followed. Yes, I am mad. Well, we both were.

After a late lunch on the ship and a lie-down it was time to toast Robbie Burns’ birthday in the Commodore Club with mal scotch all around. After dinner, the show was an interesting act from Argentina: drumming (??- don’t know how typically Argentinean this is), dancing, whip tricks and bolo twirling (for lack of a better description). The last part was excellent, but not as good as the ones I saw in Rio. Still pretty amazing.

At sea en route to Acapulco

Trivia, as usual (we got 19/20 this time, but another team got a perfect score!!), followed by a final lecture by Martin Bell, this one about his role as UNICEF ambassador at large. He showed some harrowing footage of Yemen Congo and Somalia. Yemen is in the news again pretty much as he predicted. All failed states – and he added Tunisia to the list. He ended by showing the video from the war in Bosnia, accompanied by a haunting song, he had showed in the first lecture.

Shortly, after, Robert Macomber, the naval historian and novelist, presented his final lecture. We had been told to bring a beverage of any kind, not necessarily alcoholic for the topic was grog, as in the history of grog in the Royal Navy. Well, what do you think I got – yes a daiquiri made with dark rum. So rum and lime – making me a rummy and a limey just like the British sailors!! ☺ Too bad there was no Pusser’s rum, which Macomber did, of course, mention. He interspersed the history with toasts, starting with one to Samuel Cunard and then proceeding with the Royal Navy’s toasts – one for each day of the week, and ending with a toast to fellow sailors, i.e. us. He also included a US Navy toast and a CSA Navy toast, which was, at the time, considered raunchy.

“Here’s to our ships and our lovely women. May the first be well rigged and the second be well manned.”

Of course, we toasted the Queen! The lecture was both informative and fun. He is a very good speaker, though he did not draw the same crowds as Bell. I think that is because the majority of cruisers on board are Brits and Bell is a Brit – most would know him from his BBC and MP days. Macomber is American!!

Went out on deck and watched the sea for signs of animals and saw lots of turtles which just seemed to be floating on the water, but they came to life and flippered furiously as the ship approached. I hope they dived! Also saw a smallish shark – looked reddish to me, but it could have been the light. The ocean was filled with what looked like the detritus of thousands of jellyfish – they may well have actually been jellyfish!

The how tonight was an “original” work presented by the QE Theatre Company – “an elegant thriller set in the gatehouse of a large country estate in 1945”. In reality, a very bad whodunit with a very unsatisfactory ending.

Paul and Olga joined me on the deck afterwards and we just stared at the stars, totally mesmerized and philosophizing about life in the universe.

At Sea en route to Acapulco

Sunday! And you know what that means – full English breakfast – yum! Followed by Trivia (we lost ☹) and a lecture on the Spanish treasure armadas. Spain ruled the seas until that blaggard pirate, Francis Drake, put an end to it! Apparently the Spanish feel so strongly about him that they threaten their children with “If you are not a good little child, the Drake will get you!”. Of course, he wasn’t a pirate to the English, merely a privateer!!!!

After lunch with the gang, I retreated to MY private deck for the highlight of the day – a flock of brown boobies (feathered kind) following the ship (all day actually) and feeding on the tiny flying fish that the ship obviously stirs up. They are so beautiful with their beige beaks, white chests and yellow feet. One bird used a yellow foot to scratch his head while in full flight…without missing a wingbeat!!! What was amazing to see is how one minute they are just flying past the ship or hovering on the wind currents (in fact they barely beat their wings at all) and then the next minute they wheel at an incredible angle and dive for the fish. They were literally at arm’s length from me. I could see their eyes darting, looking for fish. I must say, though, that I had a very clean window before they arrived. Even though my window is sheltered, flying poop, aided by the wind, made a quick mess of things this afternoon!!

Another formal night tonight. We had drinks in the Commodore Club again – with the canapés that Gail (my travel agent) had sent for the first evening, along with a bottle of wine. Well, long story short, it has taken this long to get the damn canapés….and even then, they were one hour late tonight. They finally arrived at 4:30 just in time for 5pm cocktails. Then I got a phone call from the Room Service Manager with abject apologies and he was on his way personally with more canapés, since they had not done right by me. Well, in addition to the plate already received, he arrived with a huge silver platter, beautifully decorated and filled with caviar, shrimp and smoked salmon canapés. Paul carried it down to the Commodore for us and we really enjoyed the goodies. I took my champagne down to the dining rooms for dinner…so it was a pretty festive evening. We had New Zealand venison (I saw the deer farms when I was on South Island), which was so tender and tasty.

I did not feel like going to the show tonight. I really wanted to go out onto MY balcony…which I did. I just stared at he ocean and the firmament. The stars are unbelievable…there I very little ambient light here in the bow. I feel so much at peace with the world. I love being at sea, on the seas, near the sea. Yes, I love the luxuries…but that is not why I love cruising. I love the sea. Period.

Good night all! Meow Baudy!!!

Panama Canal Transit

A little history…well, a lot of history, followed by my impressions. Scroll down to the heading in caps if you do not want to read all the history.

The Panama Canal is a 77 km (48 mi) ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, annual traffic has risen from about 1,000 ships in the canal's early days to 14,702 vessels in 2008, measuring a total 309.6 million Panama Canal/Universal Measurement System (PC/UMS) tons.
One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the canal had an enormous impact on shipping between the two oceans, replacing the long and treacherous route via either the Strait of Magellan or Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of South America. A ship sailing from New York to San Francisco via the canal travels 9,500 km (5,900 mi), well under half the 22,500 km (14,000 mi) route around Cape Horn
The concept of a canal near Panama dates to the early 16th century. The first attempt to construct a canal began in 1880 under French leadership, but was abandoned after 21,900 workers died, largely from disease (particularly malaria and yellow fever) and landslides. The United States launched a second effort, incurring a further 5,600 deaths but succeeding in opening the canal in 1914. The U.S. controlled the canal and the Canal Zone surrounding it until the 1977 Torrijos–Carter Treaties provided for the transition of control to Panama. From 1979 to 1999 the canal was under joint U.S.–Panamanian administration, and from 31 December 1999 command of the waterway was assumed by the Panama Canal Authority, an agency of the Panamanian government.
While the Pacific Ocean is west of the isthmus and the Atlantic to the east, the 8- to 10-hour journey through the canal from the Pacific to the Atlantic is one from southeast to northwest. This is a result of the isthmus's "curving back on itself" in the region of the canal. The Bridge of the Americas at the Pacific end is about a third of a degree of longitude east of the end near Colon on the Atlantic.
The maximum size of vessel that can use the canal is known as Panamax. (We are a Panamax ship – the QM2 cannot transit the canal at this time).A Panamax cargo ship typically has a DWT of 65,000-80,000 tonnes, but its actual cargo is restricted to about 52,500 tonnes because of draft restrictions in the canal. The longest ship ever to transit was the San Juan Prospector, now Marcona Prospector, an ore-bulk-oil carrier that is 973 ft (296.57 m) long, with a beam of 106 ft (32.31 m).

French construction attempt
An all-water route between the oceans was still seen as the ideal solution, and the idea of a canal was enhanced by the success of the Suez Canal. The French, under Ferdinand de Lesseps, began construction on a sea-level canal (i.e., without locks) through what was then Colombia's province of Panama, on January 1, 1880. The French began work in a rush, with insufficient prior study of the geology and hydrology of the region. Excavation was conducted at such a steep angle that, in some years, rain-induced landslides poured nearly as much material into the canal as had been removed.[ In addition, disease, particularly malaria and yellow fever, sickened and killed vast numbers of employees, ranging from laborers to top directors of the French company. Public health measures were ineffective because the role of the mosquito as a disease vector was then unknown. These conditions made it impossible to maintain an experienced work force as fearful technical employees quickly returned to France. Even the hospitals contributed to the problem, unwittingly providing breeding places for mosquitoes inside the unscreened wards. Actual conditions were hushed up in France to avoid recruitment problems.[ In 1893, after a great deal of work, the French scheme was abandoned due to disease and the sheer difficulty of building a sea-level canal, as well as lack of French field experience, such as with downpours that caused steel equipment to rust.[ The high toll from disease was one of the major factors in the failure; as many as 22,000 workers were estimated to have died during the main period of French construction (1881–1889).[
Beyond the hygienic and technical difficulties, financial mismanagement and political corruption also contributed to the French failure.
U.S. construction


Construction work on the Gaillard Cut is shown in this photograph from 1907
At this time, various interests in the United States were also expressing interest in building a canal across the isthmus, with some favouring a route across Nicaragua (see Nicaragua Canal and Ecocanal) and others advocating the purchase of the French interests in Panama. Eventually, in June 1902, the U.S. Senate voted in favor of pursuing the Panamanian option, provided the necessary rights could be obtained. (It is claimed that the vote was swayed by William Nelson Cromwell)
On January 22, 1903, the Hay-Herran Treaty was signed by United States Secretary of State John M. Hay and Dr. Tomás Herrán of Colombia. It would have granted the United States a renewable lease in perpetuity from Colombia on the land proposed for the canal. This is often misinterpreted as the "99-year lease" due to misleading wording included in article 22 of the agreement that refers to property within the land but does not pertain to the control of the canal and the right for the United States to renew the lease indefinitely. It was ratified by the United States Senate on March 14, 1903, but the Senate of Colombia did not ratify the treaty. Philippe Bunau-Varilla, chief engineer of the French canal company, told Roosevelt and Hay of a possible revolt and hoped that the U.S. would support it with troops and money. President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt changed tactics, promising support for Panama's intermittent separatist movement. On November 2, 1903, U.S. warships blocked sealanes for Colombian troops from coming to put down the revolt, while dense jungles blocked land routes. Panama achieved independence on November 3, 1903 when the United States sent naval forces to encourage Colombia's surrender of the region. The United States quickly recognized them. Also, on November 6, 1903, Phillipe Bunau-Varilla, Panama's ambassador to the United States, signed the Hay-Bunau Varilla Treaty, granting rights to the United States to build and indefinitely administer the Panama Canal. Although Bunau-Varilla was serving as Panama's ambassador, he was a French citizen and was not authorized to sign treaties on behalf of Panama without Panamanian review. This treaty would later become a contentious diplomatic issue between the two countries.
The United States, under President Theodore Roosevelt, bought out the French equipment and excavations for US$40 million and began work on May 4, 1904. The United States paid Colombia $25,000,000 in 1921, seven years after completion of the canal, for redress of President Roosevelt's role in the creation of Panama, and Colombia recognized Panama under the terms of the Thomson-Urrutia Treaty.
John Frank Stevens, Chief Engineer from 1905 to 1907, argued the case against a sea-level canal like the French had tried to build and convinced Theodore Roosevelt of the necessity of a canal built with dams and locks. Stevens' primary achievement in Panama was in building the infrastructure necessary to complete the canal. He rebuilt the Panama Railway and devised a system for disposing of soil from the excavations by rail. He also built proper housing for canal workers and oversaw investment in extensive sanitation and mosquito-control programmes that eliminated disease from the area — particularly malaria and yellow fever, the vector of which had been identified as the mosquito by Cuban physician and scientist Dr. Carlos Finlay in 1881. Finlay's theory and investigative work had recently been confirmed by Dr. Walter Reed while in Cuba with U.S. Army motivation during the Spanish-American War (see also Health measures during the construction of the Panama Canal).

SS Kroonland at the Culebra Cut while transiting the Panama Canal on 2 February 1915.
With the diseases under control, and after significant work on preparing the infrastructure, construction of an elevated canal with locks began in earnest and was finally possible. The Americans also gradually replaced the old French equipment with machinery designed for a larger scale of work (such as the giant hydraulic crushers supplied by the Joshua Hendy Iron Works) to quicken the pace of construction.[10] President Roosevelt had the former French machinery minted into medals for all workers who spent at least two years on the construction to commemorate their contribution to the building of the canal. These medals featured Roosevelt's likeness on the front, the name of the recipient on one side, and the worker's years of service, as well as a picture of the Culebra Cut on the back.]
In 1907 Roosevelt appointed George Washington Goethals as Chief Engineer of the Panama Canal. Ellicott Dredges, a Baltimore, MD, USA company formerly known as the Ellicott Machine Company, built the cutter dredges used in construction of the Panama Canal.[17] The first machine delivered was a steam-driven, 900 hp (670 kW), 20-inch dredge. In 1941, Ellicott Dredges also built the dredge MINDI, a 10,000 hp (7,500 kW), 28-inch cutter suction dredge still operating in the Panama Canal.
The building of the canal was completed in 1914, two years ahead of the target date of June 1, 1916. The canal was formally opened on August 15, 1914 with the passage of the cargo ship SS Ancon.[18] Coincidentally, this was also the same month that fighting in World War I (the Great War) began in Europe. The advances in hygiene resulted in a relatively low death toll during the American construction; still, 5,609 workers died during this period (1904–1914).[19] This brought the total death toll for the construction of the canal to around 27,500.

The canal consists of artificial lakes, several improved and artificial channels, and three sets of locks. An additional artificial lake, Alajuela Lake (known during the American era as Madden Lake), acts as a reservoir for the canal. The layout of the canal as seen by a ship passing from the Pacific end to the Atlantic is as follows:

N.B. – We did the reverse.

From the buoyed entrance channel in the Gulf of Panama (Pacific side), ships travel 13.2 km (8.2 mi) up the channel to the Miraflores locks, passing under the Bridge of the Americas.
The two-stage Miraflores lock system, including the approach wall, is 1.7 km (1.1 mi) long, with a total lift of 16.5 meters (54 ft) at mid-tide.
The artificial Miraflores Lake is the next stage, 1.7 km (1.0 mi) long, and 16.5 meters (54 ft) above sea level.
The single-stage Pedro Miguel lock, which is 1.4 km (0.8 mi) long, is the last part of the ascent with a lift of 9.5 meters (31 ft) up to the main level of the canal.
The Gaillard (Culebra) Cut slices 12.6 km (7.8 mi) through the continental divide at an altitude of 26 meters (85 ft), and passes under the Centennial Bridge.
The Chagres River (Río Chagres), a natural waterway enhanced by the damming of Lake Gatún, runs west about 8.5 km (5.3 mi), merging into Lake Gatun.
Gatun Lake, an artificial lake formed by the building of the Gatun Dam, carries vessels 24.2 km (15.0 mi) across the isthmus.
The Gatún locks, a three-stage flight of locks 1.9 km (1.2 mi) long, drop ships back down to sea level.
A 3.2 km (2.0 mi) channel forms the approach to the locks from the Atlantic side.
Limón Bay (Bahía Limón), a huge natural harbour, provides an anchorage for some ships awaiting passage, and runs 8.7 km (5.4 mi) to the outer breakwater.
Thus, the total length of the canal is 77.1 km (47.9 mi).

During the last one hundred years, the Autoridad del Canal de Panamá has appointed a few "Panama Canal Honorary Pilots". The most recent of these were Commodore Ronald Warwick, a former Master of the Cunard Line's RMS Queen Elizabeth 2, who has traversed the Canal more than 50 times. As it happens, Commodore Warwick is on board. He was the master of the QE2 when I sailed on her and his father was a commodore before him.

Third set of locks project:
The current plan is for two new flights of locks to be built parallel to, and operated in addition to, the old locks: one to the east of the existing Gatún locks, and one south west of Miraflores locks, each supported by approach channels. Each flight will ascend from ocean level direct to the Gatún Lake level; the existing two-stage ascent at Miraflores. Pedro Miguel will not be replicated. The new lock chambers will feature sliding gates, doubled for safety, and will be 427 meters (1,400 ft) long, 55 meters (180 ft) wide, and 18.3 meters (60 ft) deep; this will allow the transit of vessels with a beam of up to 49 meters (160 ft), an overall length of up to 366 meters (1,200 ft) and a draft of up to 15 meters (50 ft), equivalent to a container ship carrying around 12,000 twenty-foot (6.1 m) long containers (TEU).
The new locks will be supported by new approach channels, including a 6.2 km (3.8 mi) channel at Miraflores from the locks to the Gaillard Cut, skirting around Miraflores Lake. Each of these channels will be 218 meters (715 ft) wide, which will require post-Panamax vessels to navigate the channels in one direction at a time. The Gaillard Cut and the channel through Gatún Lake will be widened to no less than 280 meters (918 ft) on the straight portions and no less than 366 meters (1,200 ft) on the bends. The maximum level of Gatún Lake will be raised from reference height 26.7 meters (87.5 ft) to 27.1 meters (89 ft).
Each flight of locks will be accompanied by nine water reutilization basins (three per lock chamber), each basin being approximately 70 meters (230 ft) wide, 430 meters (1410 ft) long and 5.50 meters (18 ft) deep. These gravity-fed basins will allow 60% of the water used in each transit to be reused; the new locks will consequently use 7% less water per transit than each of the existing lock lanes. The deepening of Gatún Lake, and the raising of its maximum water level, will also provide significant extra water storage capacity. These measures are intended to allow the expanded canal to operate without the construction of new reservoirs.
The estimated cost of the project is US$5.25 billion. The project is designed to allow for an anticipated growth in traffic from 280 million PC/UMS tons in 2005 to nearly 510 million PC/UMS tons in 2025; the expanded canal will have a maximum sustainable capacity of approximately 600 million PC/UMS tons per year. Tolls will continue to be calculated based on vessel tonnage, and will not depend on the locks used.
The new locks are expected to open for traffic in 2015. The present locks, which will be 100 years old by that time, will then have greater access for maintenance, and are projected to continue operating indefinitely. On September 3, 2007, thousands of Panamanians stood across Paraíso Hill in Panama to witness a huge explosion and the launch of the Expansion Program. The first phase of the project will be dry excavations of the 218 meter (715 ft) wide trench connecting the Culebra Cut with the Pacific coast, removing 47 million cubic meters of earth and rock.

WHAT A FANTASTIC EXPERIENCE!! I was up at dawn to watch the ships line up at the north end of the canal in Las Minas Bay. I had “my” entire deck to myself. Once we approached the Gatun Locks, I did have to share it! ☹ Still, I went in and out of my room for breakfast, for coffee and odds and ends and always had a good place for filming. It was very hot and humid and the crowds dispersed by the time we emerged from the three-stage locks. In the afternoon, at the single stage Pedro Miguel Locks and the two-stage Miraflores Locks, I could just sit in my window and watch the activity without leaving “home”. We had lunch during the transit through Gatun Lake and the very narrow Gaillard (OR culebra) Cut which has been widened, but has not been use for two-way traffic yet. At all the locks we saw the work on the new locks, which will allow enormous ships, including the QM2 to transit the canal. We went under the Centennial Bridge near the Pedro Miguel Locks, built in 2003 for the 100th anniversary of the canal. Then on through Miraflores Lake to the Miraflores Locks where a huge 3-storey viewing building was filled with cheering people and dignitaries (but who??) to welcome the QE on her maiden transit. Once we disembarked our pilots, we headed for the port of Balboa (We could just make out the tall buildings of Panama City) and out to the Pacific Ocean under the Bridge of tthe Americas.

I must say that the transit exceeded my expectations. I had always heard, from both family and friends, that it was a “must see”. I wasn’t entirely convinced…but they were all right. The technology of the locks and especially the “mules” – the little tinker toy locomotives that pull the ships through, all the while keeping them absolutely straight in the locks, that is exactly the same distance from both concrete sides – in our case a mere 2’ clearance! Unbelievable. Two cables are attached to the ship – bow and stern on both port and starboard. How do they get the cables to the ships – in a rowboat!!! Yes, they tried all sorts of new-fangled methods over the years and the old one worked best. So the canal workers row out with the cables attached to ropes. The ships hands pull in the ropes and attach them. When the mules are ready, they pull in the cables and tighten them. There were three pilots on board, all incredibly certified, who were in touch with the engines at all times. The engines whistled to indicate that they had received orders.

Another long and very tiring – from standing for hours and hours – day, but most satisfactory. After drinks in the Commodore Club, and a side-splitting dinner (one funny word on the menu set us off and our waiter joined in), we went to see a very good and very funny magician.

Two sea days ahead on the way to Acapulco!

Some photos

I am having trouble uploading photos to edited posts....I'll just try and post some separately. I can only do two tonight.

Limón, Costa Rica

Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica (Spanish: Costa Rica or República de Costa Rica, is a country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east and south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south and the Caribbean Sea to the east.
Costa Rica, which means "Rich Coast”. is the only Latin American country included in the list of the world's 22 older democracies. Costa Rica has consistently been among the top Latin American countries in the Human Development Index, ranked 62nd in the world in 2010, and is cited by the UNDP as one of the countries that has attained much higher human development than other countries at the same income levels. The country is ranked 3rd in the world, and 1st among the Americas, in terms of the 2010 Environmental Performance Index.
In 2007 the Costa Rican government announced plans for Costa Rica to become the first carbon neutral country by 2021. According to the New Economics Foundation, Costa Rica ranks first in the Happy Planet Index and is the "greenest" country in the world.

Costa Rica is a democratic republic with a strong constitution. The country has had at least 59 years of uninterrupted democracy, making it one of the most stable countries in the region, and the only Latin American country included in the list of the world’s 22 older democracies since at least 1950. Costa Rica has been able to avoid the widespread violence that has plagued most of Latin America, perhaps because it constitutionally abolished its army permanently in 1949.

Costa Rica is home to a rich variety of plants and animals. While the country has only about 0.25% of the world's landmass, it contains 5% of the world's biodiversity. Around 25% of the country's land area is in protected national parks and protected areas, the largest percentage of such areas in the world.


Another important factor behind Costa Rica's poverty was the lack of a significant indigenous population available for forced labor, which meant that most of the Costa Rican settlers had to work on their own land, preventing the establishment of large haciendas. For all these reasons Costa Rica was by and large unappreciated and overlooked by the Spanish Crown and left to develop on its own. It is believed that the circumstances during this period led to many of the idiosyncrasies for which Costa Rica has become known, whereby concomitantly setting the stage for Costa Rica's development as a more egalitarian society than the rest of its neighbors. Costa Rica became a "rural democracy" with no oppressed mestizo or indigenous class. It was not long before Spanish settlers turned to the hills, where they found rich volcanic soil and a milder climate than that of the lowlands.

Economy – ecotourism, coffee, bananas, pharmaceuticals

Puerto Limón, where we are docked, is home to a thriving Afro-Caribbean community, which traces its rots to Jamaican laborers imported for a railroad project in the 19th century. Others came from Nicaragua, Panama and Colombia. Until 1948 this group was not recognized by the government and their movement outside the province was restricted. The port is mainly used for shipment of bananas and for cruise ships.

I got up early to take photos of our arrival and was joined by loads of frigate birds – I hadn’t seen any of them for years! We set off early on the “Costa Rican Experience”. Unfortunately, as is so often the case, we are a long way from our destinations. A two-hour drive through banana plantations! However, we had a wonderful guide who explained the culture of bananas. He brought a “hand” of bananas which contains “105-200 fingers. He peeled back some leaves to show us the developing green and white “fingers” – fascinating! We went to a private reserve very close to the Tortuguero National Park….we were just to far away to the park. We took a 6-passenger aerial tramway through the rain forest…..at various heights above the forest floor. We were mainly on the lookout for sloths and toucans. Well, we did see a sloth and when I upload the photos you will see this strange woolly 3-toed creature hanging by two legs and er, well, er grooming, well er its, er naughty er bits!!!!! What a hoot! No toucans, but a huge king rat snake up in a tree and wonderful trees and plants, too numerous to mention here. Epiphytes and vines on all the trees; tree ferns; broccoli trees, lizard tongue ferns and much more. If I get my photos uploaded, you’ll see. We passed a steaming active volcano, Mt. Turrialba, on the way. Costa Rica is divided by a mountain range into the Caribbean rain forest and the Pacific dry forest. We enjoyed a very nice lunch of chicken in salsa, rice and beans, veggies (I am sure they add that just for Cunarders who have to have their obligatory cauli, carrots and broccoli no matter what the dish!!! ☺), fruit (papaya, pineapple and watermelon), soursop juice (delicious) and the best coffee – Arabica (we chewed on some beans during the bus ride). Then off for a boat ride on the Canal Tortuguero into the mangrove swamps, where we looked for caymans (none), but saw little blue herons; tri-colored herons; great white herons; egrets, yellow crowned night herons; little green herons; kingfishers; gorgeous flycatchers and sweet swallows ----- and a baby raccoon being rescued by mama from a security fence!!! And……two sloths – one curled up into a furry unrecognizable ball and another just hanging there who then decided to move….v-e-r-y v-e-r-y slowly. So, no toucans, but 3 sloths – not bad.

After a nice meal in the Lido with Olga and a very welcome large Shiraz, it was off to bed and the x-word puzzle. We were too tired to go to the show.

At Sea en route to Costa Rica

Another day for Trivia – we lost, but not to our archenemies! – and another lecture by Martin Bell. A hilarious account, punctuated with his own irreverent poetry, of his term in Parliament when, as an independent, he set out to unseat a scandal-plagued Tory from one of the richest areas of the UK (Cheshire). And he did it. This was during the time when MPs were charging their second homes to expenses because they could not commute -----all of 37 miles in one case!!! One MP has just been sentenced to prison; another is awaiting sentencing. Some of the videos made of his campaign are positively Pythonesque.

Spent the afternoon at the pool. Very hot indeed since there are no cross winds – we have a strong following wind……white caps but not rough. I ran for the pool and then the shade pretty quickly.

Another cocktail party in the Queens Room for World Club members. Then after dinner, the big show – a brand new one called “As Slice of Saturday Night” – teenage life in a disco in the UK with a new girl in town from the US – Yes, a combo of Grease, Hair Spray, American Graffiti – you name it!!!!

Curaçao

Bon Bini!!!

Arrived here after a nice blow last night and it is still windy, which mitigates somewhat the heat and humidity. Willemstad, the capital city, is a delightful port of pastel Dutch style gabled buildings on a natural harbour.

Curaçao, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, is the largest and most populous of the three ABC islands (for Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao) of the Lesser Antilles, specifically the Leeward Antilles. It has a land area of 444 square kilometres (171 square miles). As of 1 January 2009, it had a population of 141,766. Dutch and the local patois, Papiamentu, are spoken here. Papiamentu owes a great deal to Spanish. The most accepted theory of the origin of the name of the island is corazón(Sp.) or coraçãon(Port.) because of its heart shape.

“Discovered” in 1499 by the Spanish, who exported most of the native Arawaks to other island, Curaçao was occupied by the Dutch in 1634 where the Dutch West India company made it a center for the Atlantic slave trade. The island changed hands among the British, French and Dutch several times in the 18th and 19th centuries, but Dutch rule returned in 1815. Slavery was abolished by the Dutch in 1863, but this caused hardship and a form of neo-slavery, akin to the tenant farmers, was instituted. This lasted into the beginning of the 20th century. The discovery of oil in Maracaibo Basin in 1914 brought employment at the refineries of Royal Dutch Shell and affluence. Discontent persisted, however, and the protests of 1969 resulted in more influence over politics by the Afro-Caribbean population. The refineries, some of the largest in the western hemisphere, are currently leased to the Venezuelan state oil company. Tourism, the second largest industry, has been expanded in recent years. Willemstad is a UNESCO world heritage site and a wide range of historic plantations estates and slave dwellings, scattered all over the island have been restored.

The forty plus nationalities which have blended into the melting pot of Curaçao islanders include Dutch, Portuguese, Jewish, African, South American.

One product of the island is famous world-wide: the orange liqueur, especially the blue Curaçao.

We did our own walking tour of the town, heading straight for the oldest synagogue in the western hemisphere over the Queen Emma Bridge. This is a wooden pontoon bridge, known as the floating bridge or the Swinging Old Lady, which links the Punda and Otrobanda districts of the city. The bridge is powered by a diesel engine and it swings open many times each day to allow ships from al over the world in and out of the harbour. (We are too big and we are docked at the mega port – a bit of a misnomer!) When the bridge is open, people can take a ferry across.

The synagogue, Mikve Israel-Emanuel, was built in 1732 and is a superb example of Dutch colonial architecture: rich dark wood and enormous tiered brass candelabras, replicas of those in the Portuguese Synagogue of Amsterdam. The floor is sand – yes all sand – in remembrance of Moses leading his people to the promised land through the Sinai. Blue demi-lune windows cast wonderful light on the brilliant white sand. At one time there were 2000 Jews here. Another synagogue, built by a group of Reform Jews, is now the prosecutor’s office. It is a lovely building outside and actually looks more like a church. The Sephardic Orthodox and the Reform group merged in 1964 and became Mikve Israel Emanuel- Reconstructionist. 120 families now worship in this synagogue.

We toured the floating market where brightly painted fishing boats bob at the pier and people buy their food as they pass in their cars; the central market, in the round; and the old market, which now serves local food. I was not in the mood for goat stew and rice, much as I like it. We wended our way back to the ship, through Wilhelmina Square, past the beautiful government buildings and Fort Amsterdam which, with, Fort Rif across the bay, protected the city.

Entertainment this evening was a juggler/comedian. He was a very clever juggler, but he also had us rolling in the aisles with his explanations, his use of audience members and all-around clever silliness. I haven’t laughed so hard in ages.

At Sea en route to Curacao

Rough-ish seas – nice white caps and a good blow. We are moving and we love it.

Our team won a Trivia today, so our friends are on notice. After Trivia, went to another lecture by Robert Macomber on the role of the Caribbean in the American Civil War. Absolutely fascinating. Bill would have loved it.

We had lunch in the Verandah today. It is a beautiful venue, much lighter and brighter than Todd English. Menu is excellent. I had frogs legs fricassee in a delicious sauce followed by dover sole and then – what else? – chocolate mousse. We’ve booked for the last night.

Read in the room for a while and then it was time for cocktails in the Commodore Club and dinner more eating!

Show tonight was the xylosynth player – fantastic! And the violon virtuoso – better than the first night. A very nice show.

And so to bed - Curacao awaits tomorrow.

At Sea en route to Curaçao

Started out the day with Trivia and an expanded team; fared much better, but our nemesis team, consisting of friends, still beat us. Arrrgh! Next an excellent lecture on modern-day piracy by maritime historian and author, Robert Macomber. We were assured that cruise ships are extremely safe (despite one failed attempt a year or so ago)…well, we know we are because we have Ghurkas aboard!! ☺

Then lunch with the gang. Gorgeous sunny weather, tempered by a strong breeze over the decks. Still, I put my bathing suit on and spent the afternoon on deck 10.

We could just see Cuba on the horizon as we transited the “Old Bahama Channel”. Tonight we enter the Windward Passage which separates Cuba and Haiti.

Internet is agonizingly slow….but if I time it right, very early or very late, I might be able keep up with the posts.

Tonight was the captain’s reception for passengers who embarked in New York and Ft. Lauderdale….and our first formal night. Very nice as usual. Captain Bingham is very pleasant indeed with a terrific sense of humour. One of the nicest I’ve met. The Entertainment director, Alastair Greener, was on the QE2 and the Vic….and his assistant, David Moffatt is also on board. Many of the other officers are familiar, too. The Staff Captain is now called “Deputy Captain”. Yikes - Carnival at work again….sounds more corporate than naval.

The show was quite good, though we had to watch Roman and Svetlana wave heir hands around to some dreadful music. The tenor was not bad…. But the QE dancers (no longer called the Royal Cunard dancers, though I recognize some of them from as far back as 7 years!) were excellent. Very professional.

Ft. Lauderdale

In the Galleria in Bal Harbour

It’s Sunday, so it’s full English breakfast day. Only Paul was up to joining me. We sat at a table with some very interesting people: California, Luxembourg, Netherlands and UK. Then it was off the ship to meet Danielle who drove down from West Palm and picked me up. Nice weather – 73 or so, with a little cool breeze, but who’s complaining? Not I. We drove down to Bal Harbour and had lunch at La Goulue, a lovely French bistro where I had the charcuterie plate (yum) and we downed Sancerre! We just chatted the day away. After some window-shopping, Danielle returned me to the ship at 4pm and we sailed at 5. Port Everglades was like a cruise ship parking lot and 5pm is rush hour! We were the third ship out, accompanied by the fireboats because it is the QE’s maiden call.

We watched sailaway from the Commodore Club and then headed for dinner. Our waiter, server and sommelier are the best I’ve had on Cunard since the QE2 – just superb. I am also going to venture to say that the food is better than on the Vic!

I passed on the xylosynth player in the theatre….I was so tired…and hunkered down with the Sunday Times puzzle.

At Sea en route to Fort Lauderdale

Weather is getting warmer – no need for jackets any more. I went to Trivia this morning and joined a group of two British Merseysiders and two Americans. One of the Americans turns out to be the daughter of one of my North Farm neighbors, a retired Brown prof whom I met recently in my capacity as Governor. What a teensy tiny world. We called our team the Fab Five…but we lost big time!

After that, went to a terrific lecture by Martin Bell, a British war correspondent, broadcaster, MP, author, poet. The title: “Reflections of a War Zone Thug”. He has covered every war since Bosnia and showed some painful footage. He talked about the UN at its worst – the war in Bosnia when thousands of armed UN soldiers stood by and did nothing and the UN at its best – UNICEF for whom he is an ambassador. This will be the topic of one of his next two lectures. He has been called as a witness to the International Court at The Hague and Radjan Kara…………………, accused of war crimes in Bosnia, actually asked to speak to him. He spent 3 hours with him in his cell and described him as “affable”. How many mass murderers have been described thus in the past! Remember Uncle Joe!!! A terrific speaker…I can’t wait for more.

Then lunch with the gang in the dining room. Exccellent food and service again.

I spent the afternoon at the pool on a chaise with just one towel over me. It was lovely being in the sun. Then I moved in to the stunning Garden Lounge with its pitched glass conservatory style roof. On one wall there is a painting of a fountain in a lake anwith what I swear are Chihuly glass sculptures bobbing around…exactly like the ones I saw in the lake in the Miami Botanical Gardens a couple of years ago. I read for a while – very comfortable.

Drinks in the Café Carinthia and then dinner – lamb as only Cunard can do it. Did I tell you that they keep their own flock of sheep on board? ☺

Then the show – the resident Russian (or Ukrainian) ballroom dancers, Roman and Svetlana, performed “Ballroom Rush”. I just don’t like all the arm waving and twisting…although they did some amazing costume changes with the help of a little booth on stage. Still, I’d had enough after 10 minutes, so had Olga. So we left.

At Sea en route to Fort Lauderdale

Yesterday, I picked Olga up and we proceeded to the docks and then we all met up and had lunch in the Lido. Public health precautions en effect for 72 hours –we can’t even help ourselves to water! So there were long lines at lunch. We then went off to unpack and relax. At sailaway time, Amy decided to watch the fireworks from her balcony and have dinner in the room; Paul went off somewhere. Olga and I took her champagne and went out on my “private” balcony, which runs the width of the bow on deck 6. My window looks out on it - I leave my cabin, turn right through two doors and voila! I discovered this area on the world cruise.

We had the best vantage point on the ship for the Royal Rendezvous. It was exactly the same as in 2008; the ships lined up in front of the Statue of Liberty in the same order; the ship played the same music, including Handel’s “Music for the Royal Fireworks”; the Empire State Building lit up in red. But…..having experienced it before did not make it any the less spectacular. Last time we were cold and wet. This time, we were just perishing cold. We were clothed up to the gills and I even had gloves on - red thinsulate gloves (thank you, Ruth!). My hands were so cold I almost dropped the camera onto the deck below! I thought I had frostbite! It was worth it, though!

Afterwards, Olga and I went up to the Lido for pizza and a large glass of Shiraz and watched NYC recede into the distance as we passed under the Verrazzano Bridge. Then asleep by 9:30!!!

Today, after breakfast in the cabin, went to make arrangements to get the Times Digest delivered every day– yes, for the x-word. I vow not to read news or stock market!!! Checked in on Amy and Olga in watercolor class. Ran into people I knew, although many of the crew I know are off at present – shame. After a leisurely lunch, Olga and Amy went back for the afternoon class and I went to my cabin for a rest and to finish a good book.

The Vic is still with us, alternating on port and starboard sides. She, too, is headed for the Canal. The Mary, a much faster ship, vanished after NY.

Since this ship is a sister ship to the Vic, I could find my way around blindfolded. But there are some differences:

- colorways are more subtle - more blues and beiges, especially in the theatre. I prefer them to the Vic’s.
- Chart Room has been replaced by Britannia Club, open-seating dining one class down from the Grills (or one class up from Britannia!!)
- Cafe Carinthia has been enlarged and its “Alcove” has replaced the VC Bar
- Hemispheres is now the Yacht Club
- Todd English has been replaced with Cunard-run Verandah
- Cunardia “booth” on Deck 2 is no more – allowing for better traffic control and a clear view past the Queens Room

The rooms are identical, same colors, same fabrics.

David Linley’s (Queen Elizabeth’s grandson) marquetry rendering of the ship in the Grand Lobby is elegant and beautifully crafted…I like it better than the one on the Vic. On the other hand, I do not like the portrait of the Queen….but it might grow on me. Two items that have been “rescued” from the QE2 are the 1969 gilded bust of the Queen which now resides outside the Queen’s Room and the silver statue of the QE2, formerly in her Lobby and now in the Yacht Club. There are some lovely art deco touches such as room signage and etched glass that reminds one of the original Queen Mary.

Overall, we agree that, though the same on the outside, the Liz is more elegant than the Vic.

Cocktails in the Commodore Club with friends from the 2008 cruise and our first dinner in the dining room. Excellent menu. Wonderful show in the theatre – a violin virtuoso from Manchester, England, England.

New York

The day has arrived. All three ships are in port. I got up at 5:30 to see them arrive. I watched the QM2 glide into Brooklyn and then I waited and waited. I knew that the Liz and the Vic had encountered the storm and had slowed down to 7 knots. Rumors abounded that they would arrive late. The Port Authority still had them arriving at 7:30 and 7:45 respectively. Well, 7:00am rolled around and I became suspicious. Went on Cruise Critic and found posts that showed that they arrived at 5:48!!!! Now that is seriously early!!!!! So, I was bitterly disappointed...and cried in my coffee. (No I did not go to bed, get under the duvet and drink Glenfiddich!!!). C'est la vie...but that was not the "French" that I screamed to no one at the time!

Be that as it may, I've had a lovely 2-day stay here at the Ritz Carlton Battery Park - a little lagniappe! The bon voyage party last night- originally for 12, cut to 6 because of the storm - was lovely. The hotel was so helpful with the selection of hors d'oeuvres and the service was impeccable. We had such a good time. People who did not know each other found out how much they had in common. No such thing as 6 degrees of separation - it's 1. In attendance, Paul and Amy and Olga who are going on the cruise with me; Linda, my dear old friend; Christine, a Cunard lecturer whom I met last April, and a dear new friend! We missed the MandMs and Joisey Pat, from 2008, who could not make it in from Joisey and my dear old friends from Westchester days, Kathy and Chan, who were also snowbound.

Paul, Amy and Olga were on the 2008 World Cruise, so we are old hands!!

Here are some photos of the snow, the harbor and the QM2 at rest in Brooklyn. The views down here are just breathtaking. And that lovely lady, the Statue of Liberty, always gives me goose bumps. As long as she is still there, all will be right with the world.

Queen Elizabeth Maiden World Cruise, New York to Los Angeles via the Panama Canal

The latest Queen Elizabeth, the third Cunard ship to bear the name, going back to 1938, was launched by its namesake, Queen Elizabeth II in October 11, 2009 in Southampton, England. The $634 million ship, built in the Fincanteri Shipyards of Venice, weighs in at 92,000 tons and is the third new vessel to be launched by Cunard in a decade. With a length of 964.5 feet and a beam of106 feet, she is a sister ship to the Queen Victoria. Due to a slightly different configuration at the aft, the Queen Elizabeth will be slightly larger and, therefore, the second largest Cunarder ever built (after the QM2). She will carry a maximum of 2,092 passengers.

The interior design is very similar to that of the Queen Victoria – mainly art deco touches – though the colorways are different. The layout of the decks is basically the same with the exception of the addition of the Yacht Club and the Garden Lounge, favorites on the QE2, and the Verandah Restaurant of original Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth fame, which replaces Todd English. Stay tuned for more descriptions.

Itinerary: New York; Fort Lauderdale; Curacao; Limon, Costa Rica; Panama Canal transit; Acapulco; Cabo San Lucas; Los Angeles. And 9 days at sea!

I am getting ready for this new adventure. The suitcases are out...but that is as far as I've got with the packing. Well, you know me. And, no, there will be no last-minute light-bulb changing!!! I am going to start the blog when I leave for New York on January 12th, the day before sailing. There will be parties that day! And this just in.....................

On Thursday, 13 January 2011, Cunard Line's three luxury cruise ships flagship Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria and the new Queen Elizabeth will meet together in New York Harbour for a true grand celebration, a Cunard Royal Rendezvous. The youngest fleet at sea is scheduled to depart at approximately 6:00 p.m. local time; Queen Mary 2 will depart from her home port, Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, while Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth will depart from the Manhattan Cruise Terminal Pier 90 and Pier 88, respectively. All three Queens will rendezvous at the Statue of Liberty for a spectacular Grucci fireworks celebration at approximately 6:45 p.m.