It was a great luxury for us to let someone else worry about paperwork, passage planning, provisioning and all the preparation required to get a ship out of port.
From living on our 42 feet long Lagoon catamaran to being aboard the Queen Elizabeth – a cruise liner of 965 feet – was quite a novelty!
One of the first things we noticed about the Queen Elizabeth is that it is like stepping into a movie set for a film made around the first half of the 20th Century. The opulent decor, the sweeping stair cases, the crisp white table linen and white gloved waiters at afternoon tea, the framed photos of famous film stars back in the day, the luxurious lounges, the monogrammed cushions all contributed to the feeling that there would bound to be a murder or two over the coming weeks and you were sure to meet some intriguing and mysterious characters out on deck at midnight.
like being on a movie set
After our suitcases had been delivered to our “stateroom” (cabin) and we had unpacked our clothes into the capacious wardrobes and various drawers and shelves, we were required to go to our lifeboat station and be signed off as having participated in lifeboat drill.
Soon it was time for “push back” – as we call it when leaving an anchorage or marina – a throwback to one half of our buddy boat’s (Sue and John on Catabella) career as an airline pilot. We decided to go up to the Commodore Lounge which is positioned forward and on the tenth floor.
Our first night is a bit of a blur, every thing was a bit bewildering- a bit like the first day at school! I do remember going to a show after dinner in the very swish theatre (reminiscent of theatres you’d find in London’s West End).
The first night’s entertainment was a virtuoso violin soloist called Juliette Primrose who has performed all over the world playing in almost every genre you can think of, including as lead fiddle-player for Michael Flatley’s Lord of the Dance. The house orchestra who supported her was also truly amazing.
It was a wonderful end to a busy day and we went to bed with nothing to worry about – no navigating to do, no watches to keep and no washing up!
Surprisingly there was no discernible engine noise and hardly any perceptible movement so we slept long and soundly.
Salty tales from Bali Hai on Sunday 
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