Queen Mary 2 - Jubilee Celebrations
An early start on the 7th for our Rotterdam arrival.  I love coming to this city, but would miss my friend Ben van Zeijl on the dockside watching the arrival.  It would be the first time he wasn't but only because he was in a hospice suffering terminal cancer.  Every memory I have of the place is connected to him so coming here was difficult, especially when I saw the Rotterdam ship come into view.  Last time I'd been before boarding Norwegian Epic, I'd stayed on there and we'd had so much fun.  Harry Cotterill and his dad were on the Observation Deck and we had a fireboat welcome after turning to back in.  I'd hoped we would go straight in, her gorgeous bow facing the Erasmus Bridge instead of her fat arse.
Breakfast in Kings Court and the fry up isn't bad, but other lines have more choice.  Then we went ashore for photos and I could not believe how much had changed in just two years.  All the viewing points for photos by the port plus coach park were being built on!  The road had become a one-way street, and horrendously busy with traffic being directed in a couple of parts.  Further down was the shuttle stop with a huge queue waiting and taking up the pavement.  A couple of the tenders from Rotterdam were milling around.
A quick return to the cabin because I was being picked up at noon and taken to see Ben.  I felt awful leaving Rob, but he didn't think it was right he came since Ben didn't know him.  Roger pulled up in a huge old American car and Rob said later a security guard was coming our way to yell at us until we drove off then Rob went to see the Rotterdam ship, finding the new bridge which cuts thirty minutes off the time.  By all accounts he had a great time since you could walk the decks for free but pay for anything else and was back by 2pm.  I was back more than two hours later, it being hard to leave Ben, knowing it would be the last time I'd see him alive.  I could never think of Rotterdam, the city or the former Holland America Line ship, without him being there.  Life is such a bitch.  We went to the Commodore Club where they were offering snacks on sticks and later did a bit of shopping.  Our all aboard was brought forward to 7pm so we left at 7.45pm instead of 8pm, Deputy Captain, Hamish Sunter, at the controls.  It was an amazing sailaway, with two fire boats, lots of blasting (including from Rotterdam) and lasted about half an hour, probably because she hadn't called for two years.  This is why I so much prefer cruising over doing an A-B transat where all you see is water for a week.  The only annoying thing was the drunken Hooray Henrys and Henriettas in adjoining balcony cabins.  A bloke I'd spoken to during our arrival from the Midlands recognised me from this site too and had also been on my previous Balmoral cruise with his wife, enjoying it far more than I had.  Hello!

Dinner was great, even more so since Hyacinth Bucket was at another table boring people about Holmfirth being where Last of the Summer Wine was filmed.  Rob got his chicken and chips again, despite it being a Jubilee menu.  It was actually very boring and I really wish Cunard had an 'Always Available' menu like sister brands and other cruise lines.  We don't all like poncey muck.  In the theatre was Worbey and Farrell, aka Four Hands, One Piano who were on my last Mary cruise.  Such variety of entertainment - not!  Instead after dinner, Rob and I dashed up to the Promenade Deck to watch us drop the pilot, which was more fun.  We were in such a hurry we forgot to take the lift so climbed five decks!  Good job my back is slowly getting better, but I was still knackered.  It was a bit windy and chilly.

A few hours later we went on deck and were disappointed to find her funnel and name unlit.  At least it was guaranteed when we were going home.  We wandered around the decks and two of the RADA cast came out with a telescope they'd borrowed from the Planetarium.  Rob got to see Saturn through it and could have stayed all night!  We also saw a beautiful moon rise, which looked like an orange blob then burger at first and then went to bed.
Morning was Zeebrugge and we slept through the arrival.  The Daily Programme stated you need your passport, just as Fred Olsen had, so they were right and the rules changed.  There was to be crew safety instruction in the theatre which was subsequently cancelled minutes after it was announced.  Turned out it was due to the tours being totally disorganised so the theatre was still in use.  Lunch in Kings Court was absolutely vile.  Bugger all salad choice, as was everything else, yet the Golden Lion was packed.  Why can't people sod off in port????  We went for a wander and found the Boston Cup, which really should be in a more prominent position and not tucked outside the Chart Room, which can be missed.
Out onto the dock through the exit on deck 2 since their gangway on deck 3 had become dangerous.  Unbelievably, the dock had changed too!  Where once you walked to the gate was no more.  Even buses came and went the long way round, via the end of the quay and around containers.  I hate what they think is progress and since Zeebrugge has so many cruise calls, it's time they started to cater for passengers only.  It was pretty windy, force 6, but when the gust came up we'd be pelted by tiny stones.  They were stopping anyone going to the front of the ship to take photos, chasing them away yet not having a guard on duty to do it.  We were completely barricaded in, it was ridiculous.  We heard two reasons for this.  The first was the traffic then the same blond guard told someone else it was due to the wind.  We sneaked some but blondie completely missed a Japanese couple who were there ages.  It was so stupid.  And whose fault was it for the traffic????  We began to wonder if the guards had a bet on how many they could stop.

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© Patricia Dempsey 5th-10th June 2012
Not to be reproduced without permission