Before dawn the QE2 arrived off the cosmopolitan city/state of Singapore. Cabin #2140 sits directly over the propellers which is fine except when they change the pitch and begin to slow down, at they did at 3:20am. Then the cabin shakes like a blender and makes a horrible racket. The QE2 docked far outside the city at the Pasir Panjang container terminal. Free shuttles were provided into the heart of the city.
At Singapore, a large portion of the Australian passengers disembarked, to be replaced by new groups of Japanese travelers. Strange as it may seem, Cunard Line has a policy of changing crew in the middle of the World Cruise, and this affected all departments. Captain McNaught left to go on leave, being replaced by Captain David Perkins, the 25th person to be Master of the QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 during her 39 year career. The two men could not have had more divergent personality types or demeanors. The affable Captain McNaught would return for the final voyages and will be the one to take the ship to her future home in Dubai.
Quite unlike the grand sailaways from Australian ports, nothing significant marked the departures in Asia. Part of this was due to the ship being docked so far away from the city centers repeatedly.
Captain Perkins also seemed to have an aversion to blowing the whistle except when absolutely necessary, and certainly not for something as fun and trivial as a salute. So silently we slipped away from Singapore, weaving amongst the hundreds of cargo ships at anchor in the gathering darkness.
More than 570 new segment passengers had embarked at Singapore, but a larger number than that had left the ship, so it felt less full. The Lido restaurant added a buffet station serving dishes preferred by the Japanese passengers. Luncheon aboard the QE2 is available in five different locations daily. The main dining rooms all serve full course menus.
More than 570 new segment passengers had embarked at Singapore, but a larger number than that had left the ship, so it felt less full. The Lido restaurant added a buffet station serving dishes preferred by the Japanese passengers. Luncheon aboard the QE2 is available in five different locations daily. The main dining rooms all serve full course menus.
In addition pub food is available at the Golden Lion Pub, while The Lido, The Pavilion and The Funnel Bar all serve a variety of foods in a casual setting.
In addition pub food is available at the Golden Lion Pub, while The Lido, The Pavilion and The Funnel Bar all serve a variety of foods in a casual setting. When I first traveled on the QE2 in the 1970's it truly was a two class liner. Today, as a one class ship it actually has more class distinctions, as the main dining rooms are strictly divided by the type of room passengers are traveling in.
The elite from the Q-grade suites on Signal, Sun, Boat, One and Two Decks dine in the Queens Grill at the forward end of Boat Deck
Next in line are the P-grade guests in the attractive accommodations on Decks One through Three, who dine in either the Princess or Britannia Grills located forward on the Quarter Deck.
Passengers in the former first class cabins on Decks One through Four are designated as C-grade and use the Caronia Restaurant, also on the Quarter Deck. The remaining M-grade guests call decks Two through Five home, and dine in two sittings in the Mauretania Restaurant, on the Upper Deck, forward.
All of the restaurants serve basically the same menu, although the presentation and atmosphere certainly improve as one moves up the food chain. The quality of the food on the QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 was certainly good and occasionally excellent. One drawback of a longer voyage is that the same items tended to be repeated every couple weeks.
The next port of call would be a highlight of the cruise. March 12th the QE2 dropped anchor off the coast of Vietnam. With the deep, 32 foot draft of the ship, and the shallow coastal waters, we were anchored a very long way from shore. Tenders took about half an hour to reach the docks in the working port of Vung Tau. From there it was a 2 1/2 hour drive into Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon, on a tour. The traffic, made up primarily of millions of people on motor scooters, makes a lasting impression on any visitor.
We returned to Vung Tau, which means anchorage, long after dark. When it became obvious that the ship's tenders would not be able to handle the large number of guests still waiting to get back aboard, a hydrofoil named VINA EXPRESS was chartered and provided much greater capacity and faster service. At 9:00pm, two hours late, the QE2 pulled up anchor and carefully made her way through the shallows and back out to sea. Tonight, the clocks were set forward one hour. It was the first of 17 time zones that the ship would go through on the remainder of the World Cruise before reaching Southampton. For us, it also marked the halfway point in our 35-day journey.
Throughout the next day the ship sped along at 29 1/2 knots trying to make up some of the time from the late departure.
he Captain made one of his rare announcements to inform passengers that we would be arriving late into Hong Kong, but would make up for it by staying four hours later than scheduled. On most previous World Cruises, the QE2 spent at least two days in this magnificent harbor but this time it would be hours. Even more disappointing was watching the ship sail past her normal pier at the famous Ocean Terminal to the distant container yards of Kwai Chung. Besides ignoring the important historical aspect of this being the ship's last call at Hong Kong, the indignity of the container docks also cost passengers precious time by having to be shuttled once again to the city.
Ironically, the shuttle dropped us off near the Ocean Terminal which was being occupied by the luckier guests on the newly renamed SUPERSTAR AQUARIUS (ex. NORWEGIAN WIND, WINDWARD) and the CRYSTAL SERENITY. Hong Kong is such a great city for shopping and sightseeing. And the wonderful, vintage Star Ferry still gives the greatest harbor cruise in the world at just 0.30 cents for passage on the Upper Deck or 0.23 cents on the Lower.
After a full day of sightseeing on our own, we returned to the ship for dinner. At our table by the portside windows we watched the busy activity on the container dock while enjoying one of the best meals of the cruise, a delicious Peking-style duck dish, followed by Creme Brule for dessert. The only thing that could have made it better would have been a view of the lights reflecting off Hong Kong harbor. At 10:00pm the QE2 cast off for the last time from Hong Kong. For the first time, we changed into our cold weather clothing, and sat on the Boat Deck as the ship made her way through the beautiful harbor.
After Hong Kong we had two full days at sea to recover from all the sightseeing and prepare for our next stop in China. Passing through the Taiwan Strait the QUEEN ELIZABETH 2 left the South China Sea in her wake and passed into the East China Sea. The weather has cooled off considerably so less time is spent outdoors. The wind was blowing so hard that the ship was being held back a bit, and had slowed to just 16 knots. These sea days provided a good opportunity to participate in shipboard activities. Typically there would be a destination lecture in the Theatre at 11:00am, followed by a science or "learning" lecture at 12:15pm.

Today we took a break for a casual lunch of Fish & Chips in the Golden Lion Pub, before heading back into the Theatre for the afternoon movie. Another activity for many is shopping for clothing, jewelry, gifts and souvenirs in the many boutiques onboard or for maritime books in the excellent shop adjacent to the library. On Two Deck is an internet center where guests can check for emails from home. Then it was up to the Boat Deck to walk the five laps that equal one mile. Since the Boat Deck does not encircle the ship, walkers have to cut through the interior, just forward of the Queens Grill.
The only forward observation point on the ship up on Sun Deck is always closed at sea due to high winds. The best way to see what lies ahead unfortunately is on the cabin television set. The TV also provides several channels of movies, many of which are geared toward the geographic areas in which the ship is sailing. A good example is the 1932 Marlene Dietrich movie "Shanghai Express" which I watched while dressing for yet another formal dinner.