April 3, 2025

7:42 am GMT-1

Well, that was fast. [Ed: referring to yesterday’s lifting of norovirus precautions.] I stopped by Kings Court for a croissant and the staff was back behind the counters serving everything.

I woke up early to check out the forward-facing outdoor decks. I was too late for sunrise yet still enjoyed. My first stop was the Atlantic Room on Deck 11, my first time here. What a great space! A gentleman inside told me where the door was to the outer deck—it’s marked as an emergency exit. I got a tremendous view of the calm ocean over the bow. A small streak of faint yellow lined the horizon below some cloud cover.

Then it was up to The Lookout on Deck 13. Just a couple of minutes after the view I just described, the pale yellow strip had given way to a blue strip in the center between 2 layers of cloud cover with rays of white sunlight shining down through the lowest clouds. Magnificent!

9:56 am

Another speaker onboard is Dave Mallinder, a music historian. He is about to begin a lecture called “Legends of Popular Music: The Beatles Story.” This is the first time I’m attending one of his talks—he previously had presentations about Motown and Elvis Presley. The crowd is getting warmed up with instrumentals (recorded) of songs including Penny Lane and Blackbird. The latter is on keyboards and is lovely.

10:49 am

Oh my—that was fabulous! The narration was wonderful as he and the Beatles took us from old Liverpool to a rooftop in London. Soon the next lecture will begin as Brian Hawley will present “RMS Queen Mary: Cunard’s Art Deco Masterpiece.” The Illuminations theatre is packed for this one, as well.

1:12 pm GMT

We just moved our clocks forward an hour for the 4th of 5 times this crossing. While it makes for some adjustment mentally to do so during the day rather than overnight, it enables us to stay up later. Marty wants to go to the disco tonight, and a 10:00 pm start time is certainly doable.

As of 8:35 this morning: 48°3.4N, 030°3.7W, 18 knots, 10°C/50°F (air), 12°C/52°F (sea), slight seas, average swell, partly cloudy, good visibility, wind force 3.

3:00 pm

We just sat down to a special afternoon tea in the Champagne Bar. Both Neil and I selected a rose and Marty had fresh-squeezed apple juice.

A waiter has come around to offer a selection of teas—Earl Grey, English Breakfast, or Jasmine. I chose Earl Grey. It is loose leaf, the best way to enjoy tea.

There’s a timer on the table to inform when steeping is complete. There are 3 hour glasses—one is for black tea, one for green tea, and one for white tea. When the sand ran out, the waiter came over immediately to remove the diffuser from the pot. Great service!

And what wonderful treats—sandwiches, scones, and sweets delivered to us on a three-tiered serving stand.

8:09 pm

We tried to get a photo of the sunset yet it was so cold and windy we didn’t want to wait. We are moving at 18 knots, which accounts for most of the wind.

Dinner in the Britannia restaurant was another winner. Tonight’s soup was Asian-style chicken broth with sweetcorn and egg white. It was kind of like a mix of hot and sour and egg drop soups. For my entrée I selected slow-roasted beef sirloin with chunky chips, Yorkshire pudding, and Merlot sauce. It was a huge portion that I couldn’t finish, especially as I wanted tonight’s dessert—dark chocolate mousse with chamomile jelly, passion fruit, and cocoa nibs. So good!

10:13 pm

Silent disco in G32! This is great. Headphones have 3 channels and each of us is listening to a different one. ‘60s (Neil), ‘70s–‘80s (me), ‘90s (Marty). Not everyone who is wearing headphones is dancing. Several of us are in seats listening to the music.

It’s kind of neat to guess what people are dancing to. “Night Fever” was easy, as was “Macarena.” And definitely “YMCA.”

As the night went on, it was no longer silent as many sang along!