Around the Horn

Cruising on the RMS Queen Mary 2

The cruise was a wonderful experience! As we’ve often found, it’s as much about the people you meet as it is about the places you see. What are places without people? We love to share our stories and hear their stories - every life has a story.

Just a few facts about the voyage: We sailed with Captain C. F. Rynd, M.N.I. (a Kiwi) from Ft. Lauderdale to San Francisco (approximately 13,880 Nautical miles) with an average speed of 26 knots and calm seas for the entire trip. We crossed the equator south bound at 09:15 the 15th of January, and north bound at 07:30 on the 30th of January. There were about 2700 people aboard and it seems we met most of them.

We arrived at the cruise dock on the 10th of January, got settled into our stateroom and enjoyed a glass of the bubbly on the aft deck for a sail-away party - along with the Queen Elizabeth 2 (also starting an around-the-world cruise). They headed for the Caribbean to go through the Panama Canal and we headed for Rio de Janeiro and Cape Horn. I won’t bore you with details of all the fabulous meals in the beautiful, elegant dining room, but we enjoyed it all. Dinner was at the same table each evening and we enjoyed wonderful conversation with our dining partners. Breakfasts and lunches in the dining found us with a different group each day and more stories to share.

There’s never a shortage of things to do on the ship: Walking the decks for exercise, attending lectures, the daily ballroom dance classes, Trivial Pursuit and Pictionary games (also attended a few bridge lessons), shows at the planetarium (the only one on a cruise ship) hanging out at one of the four pools and spas, the daily 4:30 first-run movie, stops at the Pub, the casino, piano bars, and of course dancing each evening after dinner. Our friends, Bob & Fiona, convinced us to enter the first ever Queen Mary2 dance competition. Sixteen couples participated and we were able to choose our dance and our music. Bob & Fiona chose the Cha Cha and Doug and I did a Rumba. We had two days to practice and rehearse and then we were on! Each couple was on the floor alone for their dance and there were three professional judges (we didn’t expect to be critiqued to that extent, and everyone was a little nervous but we survived and received our marks (cards held up - just like at the Olympics). People asked later if we won. Doug’s answer is “Well, we didn’t fall down and embarrass ourselves and we’re still married, so I think we won.”

After eight beautiful days at sea, we arrived at Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (after all the stress and time spent getting our Brazilian visas, we definitely wanted to go ashore. Wally & Nancy had met someone associated with H.Stern Jewelry Stores who offered us a tour of Rio with included a stop at their factory. We thoroughly enjoyed the sights of Rio, the highlight of which was a ride on the aerial tram (Pao De Acucar) which gave us spectacular views of the city and coastal beaches from the top of Sugarloaf. We opted for some local cuisine and our guide took us to a great little restaurant to have faijado (grilled meats with rice, beans, etc.) and the local drink - caipirinha .which everyone loved. The factory tour was interesting and we enjoyed trying on gorgeous rings and bracelets designed around the local gems.

Two days later, we entered the port of Montevideo, Uruguay, where we were treated to an all-day tour provided by the Mariners Club (American Express related). Our tour guide entertained us with local lore and facts of her city and country, before arriving at a charming resort restaurant for lunch. The view from there was spectacular and provided lots of photo ops. Our tour took us to many of the beautiful neighborhoods and seaside resorts around Montevideo and a stop at a fascinating modern art gallery and sculpture garden..

Rounding Cape Horn on the 23rd of January, we were pleasantly surprised at the calm seas (we’d all read many stories of this difficult passage) and we were fortunate that the weather was clear enough for us to see and photograph this unique landmark at 56 degrees south of the equator.

Another treat was in store: The captain made the decision to take the ship through the Beagle Chanel and up through the Chilean Fijords. What a gorgeous trip - you just wanted to be out on deck the entire time, or watching from your balcony, as we sailed past dramatic rocky cliffs and mountainous, glacial covered terrain.

On the 26th of January we arrived in Valparaiso, Chile. This time we were on our own so we walked into town and rode one of several funiculars. We first took a cab to the top, enjoyed the view and rode down on this very old, wooden-sided funicular. The local people use this mode of transportation to get work and back or just to get around this very hilly town. Another cab took us the the nearby town of Viňa del Mar, where we had a beer at an outdoor café overlooking a beautiful white sand beach. After a paella lunch, we walked (and walked and walked) in search of an art gallery we learned of but had trouble finding. It was located (finally) in a beautiful park-like setting in a very old, beautifully-restored mansion and was worth the search.

Five days after leaving Chile, we entered Acapulco bay where we anchored out and went ashore in a tender. There were many areas we could walk to and we enjoyed visiting Casa De La Mascara (the House of the Mask) which represents the culture of the state of Guerrero. “Masks awake in man, fantasies that belong to a magical world in which man becomes a powerful entity. A mask forms a bridge between the spiritual world and our daily life.” Next stop was the fort which also houses a wonderful museum displaying historical artifacts and exhibits of Mexican culture. We met Bob & Fiona for a typical Mexican lunch (great tamales) and then continued walking and enjoying the sights, including a beautiful old Roman Catholic Church with interesting architectural designs, including an Islamic influence?! It was a very warm day and we happily headed back to the ship and a dip in the pool. That evening’s sail-away party was the best - perhaps because for many of us it would be the last one. About 1200 people were departing the ship in San Francisco and that many more would come aboard to continue on the QM2's around the world cruise.

On February 4th, we sailed into San Francisco Bay, and were amazed at the welcome we received. A few miles out, a pilot boat came alongside with pilots and also news reporters and camera crew to report on our arrival and interview passengers. There were helicopters hovering around us, fire boats spraying jets of water in the air, harbor tour boats, lots of small boats and people lining all the docks and lined up all the way across the Golden Gate Bridge. Everyone was up on deck and the champagne was flowing. This was the first time the QM2 had sailed into the Bay and under the bridge, and there is only a 12-foot clearance, so we all anxiously watched as we cleared with what looked like just inches to spare. Very exciting!

By the time we were cleared to leave the ship, we only had a few hours before heading for the airport but we did find a wonderful place for a seafood lunch ( Tadich Grill) in the financial district and jumped on and off three cable cars to get there and back.

Our return to the “real world” has been eased by the fact that we flew to Florida and are staying at a gorgeous penthouse at the Colony Beach Resort in Bonita Springs. The only problem is, we walk into the dining room and no one is there to serve us our meals. Oh well, we’re adjusting.
The best part of our stay here is spending time with our good friends, Sondra & Dan Bannister, who are in the next building. We’ve also had an opportunity to get reacquainted with Karen and Vince who were visiting from Virginia for a few days. Dan’s daughter and her husband (Linda & Maury) live nearby and we’ve also enjoyed partying with them. We’re really enjoying this beautiful part of Florida and will rank it pretty high in our list of potential places to live when we finish our year of travel.

The first of March will find us in San Miguel De Allende, Mexico. Stay tuned.