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We have just three days left on this cruise. They are sea days and the mood changes on the ship. A lot of friendships have been made, new skills developed and it will be a shame to leave the QM2. It is very much like leaving school or a job for the last time. But, there is also excitement that we will be seeing family and loved ones after over three months.



Ian thinks that Cunard should put on ‘re-wilding’ courses so we can acclimatise ourselves back to normal life. Who is going to prepare our food, make and change the bed and entertain us in the evening?



On all World Cruises Cunard have a Country Fayre to raise money for charity. Guests can donate clothing to be sold , there are stalls ‘ Guess the weight of the Cake, Name the Teddy ‘ etc. The art department donate art work, paint bookmarks and there is a auction of Navigation Charts etc. I paint bookmarks and some pictures and to my amazement these are sold! Ian bids for a lump of oily metal and wins! I’m told this metal is a used fuel injector from the engine! At the end of the day over $17000 is raised for charity.



The days roll by with a sense of sadness increasing, we have after all been together for over three months. It seems to be just as bad for the crew. The ship’s entertainers do their last show and several are crying at the final bow. The last water colour session is another exhibition and it is wonderful to see what a range has been produced. Ian goes to more lectures that seem to be becoming ever more esoteric, the last is on black holes and Hawkins radiation and he is going on about the evaporation of black holes. (Ian - it was given by a member of the Royal Astronomical Society and was fascinating but also increasingly incomprehensible!)



An announcement is made that the QM2 will be arriving at Southampton early, Saturday evening rather than Sunday morning. It seems they have some engineering work necessary and require the additional time. We will not however be able to disembark until Sunday. This means the ship increases speed and just off Northern Spain we sight the Queen Victoria. We gradually over take our fellow Cunard vessel, the ships passing a few hundred yards apart and blowing whistles and horns. Passengers on both ships are waving and shouting, the decks are full. It is really enjoyable, and all we are doing is overtaking!



But the undoubted highlight of the period is the show given by Alfie Boe. There is huge excitement amongst the British, (the Americans and Australians have never heard of him) and it is announced that the theatre doors will be opened at 7:30pm for the performance at 8:00pm. We are there at 7:20 and there is already a queue. Precisely on time we go in and get a seat in the front row. We order drinks which arrive, unfortunately there has been a mistake made. Ian goes to have it corrected. A woman comes up to where we are sitting and says these are her seats, she had left her handbag there. There had been no bags on the seats at all when we arrived. She then goes on to say that if all the people push up there is enough room for three people where we are sitting. (There really is not.) Claire from Cunard approaches, the woman repeats the claim about the handbag keeping her place while she went off momentarily. Claire just says, ‘yes we came through here at 7:15 and took all the handbags away, you know you cannot reserve places. If you left a bag they were all taken off to the Pursers Office.’ The woman leaves clearly angry but with no choice. Later we learn numerous people tried the same trick, leaving dozens of handbags while the theatre was unlocked in the late afternoon. Good on Cunard!



Alfie Boe comes on stage. He is absolutely brilliant, as are the ship’s musicians who support him. The set opens with ‘Bring him home’ from Les Miserables before going into Italian Operatics which more than demonstrates his fantastic abilities. He then switches to more popular music including hits by Elvis (he has a Las Vegas residency) before finishing with Sweet Caroline. By the end the entire audience is standing, singing and dancing. Not bad given the average age and mobility issues, it is the first time we have seen this on this cruise. He seems to be enjoying himself as much as we are and the 40 minute show goes on for 80 minutes. (Subsequently we learn that the late evening show is similarly extended, Cunard asked that you only attend one show due to numbers.)



During the performance it emerges (confirmed by later talking to other guests) that the previous night Alfie had joined the karaoke competition (as Michael Ball) and unsurprisingly won. Understandably it seems everyone was delighted he was taking part. All in all he came across as a really nice approachable person. Credit to him and Cunard.



As a point of interest we research on the internet when we have chance, a show in the UK with similar seats would have cost us £121 per head.



The final evening dawns, we have the ship’s singers performing, who while nowhere near Alfie Boe really pull out the stops and get a standing ovation. Then on to the quiz, which wonderfully given it is the last one, we win. Then it is off to the Queen’s Room for a last time to listen and dance to the guest performers The Bluejays, a band specialising in 1950’s and 60’s hits, all the time enjoying the wine we have just won.



We wake up looking over Southampton docks and the Ocean Cruise Terminal. Interestingly the entire roof is covered with solar panels, something we saw nowhere else, even in tropical countries. We are back to normality, slight rain and generally grey skies, but it is home and looks good.



So it is over. 102 nights, 31,791 nautical miles, innumerable wonderful destinations and sights, good food, good company and fantastic times. We have been so lucky to do this and previous cruises. For those of you who have done any cruises you will know how good they are, for those of you who have not, we would recommend them unreservedly.



After each of these trips we say to each other that we will never do another such voyage and then a couple of years later find ourselves sailing away for an extended trip. But this time? No I don’t think we will ever do such a thing again, but then again……………

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