| One last look at her gorgeous top deck before the addition of cabins then back to the cabin before lunch. Service was incredibly slow for Grill. Then back to the cabin for room service. The fruit hadn't been restocked and our butler told us he only does it each evening. Well he didn't the night before either. As we were enjoying our lovely balcony, he brought a plateful. The room service club sandwich also arrived and it was funny seeing how they presented it for Grill as opposed to common Britannia. The vinegar was incredibly strong - lovely! After the canapes arrived, Oskar decided he was going to use the whirlpool in the bathroom again only the silly bugger created an overflow of suds! I got my revenge by locking him onto the balcony before dinner. The menu was the same as the night before with just one meal changed which was disappointing. Water wasn't refilled, we had to ask for rolls which came eventually, and, as happened the night before, we waited ages for the Sommelier to bring the drinks bill s we could leave. I really don't know why people rave about Grill being superior when it isn't. We watched the sunset then went back inside. Later, we passed AIDAsol coming from the Hamburg pilot station as she was leaving Hamburg then got a couple of hours sleep. |
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| And so our final morning and Mary's as she has been for the past twelve years. It was a pretty misty morning. The World was somewhere behind us, due to dock in the Hamburg Cruise Centre for several days while Saga Sapphire was still undergoing refit. We would be docking in Steinwerder, out of sight from the city apart from her funnel. After our last breakfast in Queens Grill, we went to see what was going on around the ship. The workmen were already getting to work with tables in Britannia being removed. It was quite exciting seeing it happen before our eyes. Disembarkation was smooth and you went through passport control. We had opted for Cunard's transfer to the railway station for $8 each, which took about half an hour. Then we got our train to Blankenese where we had booked a hotel for the night. They were very good and let us in the room earlier than usual. Then we went to the city and I bumped into Katharina Bruggraf, a friend on Facebook, who was in town to see the dry dock entry as well. Oskar and I then went to find where we would get the boat from for our trip and saw the entry before returning to dry land and back to the hotel. |
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| And so that was the end of eight cruises and two visits on the 'original' Queen Mary 2 for me and Oskar's first cruise and just one visit. With the changes not looking as bad as some on other lines have been when companies get greedy and want to cram more people on while taking away public spaces, I look forward to seeing the QM2 Remastered!
For more photos of Mary entering dry dock in Hamburg, go here while what she looks like after refit can be found here. |
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