Lisa Plotnick

QUEEN MARY 2 westbound transatlantic, day 1

August 11, 2023

Looking aft from an upper deck as Queen Mary 2 leaves the terminal. Two more decks cascade below, one with a swimming pool but no swimmers yet, and both lined with a couple of dozen passengers enjoying the view of the river over the stern.
Sailaway on QUEEN MARY 2, Southampton, August 11, 2023, 5:50 pm. (c) Lisa Plotnick and NauticalNotebook.com

8:46 pm BST

I love it here.

Boarding was a breeze. The line moved quickly and we were onboard around 1:00, less than an hour after arriving.

We entered on Deck 2 and were directed to our stateroom, where our key cards were waiting in the mail slot. Nice cabin that I’ll write more about when I’m inside. [Note: I finally got around to this on August 17, our final day of the crossing, but I’ll include a photo I took on embarkation day below.]

From a small hallway with a full length mirror, the cabin opens up to show a king size bed, followed by a sofa and table on one side and desk and chair on the other, and the exit to a private balcony.
QUEEN MARY 2 stateroom 8051 as viewed from the entry. (c) Lisa Plotnick and NauticalNotebook.com

We then made our way to the Kings Court buffet for lunch, where I had a marvelous small plate of salmon and tuna sashimi that was very fresh and flavorful. Items from the buffet were served from behind the counter.

A plate holds one piece of a California roll, two pieces of salmon sashimi, two pieces of tuna sashimi, a small bowl of soy sauce, and a set of chopsticks.
My first meal on QUEEN MARY 2, a lunchtime snack of sushi and sashimi. (c) Lisa Plotnick and NauticalNotebook.com

But I need to go back to the beginning—my first impression. Wow—she’s stunning! Her walls evoke those of QUEEN MARY (1936) and she has a classy vibe. But there’s whimsy, too, such as a photo of Samuel Cunard that is comprised of small squares with photos of Cunarders.

A large educational panel of Cunard history fills most of the wall on Queen Mary 2. The first panel shows a sailing ship and is labeled 1840 Since the discovery of America by Columbus, nothing has occurred of so much importance to the new wold as navigating the Atlantic by steamers. The second panel shows a young man next to a portrait of Samuel Cunard that appears pixelated and is captioned Welcome aboard Queen Mary 2. The third panel shows an overhead photo of Queen Mary 2 with the caption 2004 she will be heir to all that have gone before and will carry the grace and elegance of a bygone era into the future.
Our son next to one of the many educational spreads on Cunard history, onboard QUEEN MARY 2, August 11, 2023. The portrait of Samuel Cunard is made up of small squares with photos of Cunard liners. (c) Lisa Plotnick and NauticalNotebook.com

After a fantastic dinner [which I detail in tomorrow morning’s entry], we are now in the Golden Lion Pub where trivia is about to start.

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