Thursday July 16th, 10.23, over breakfast in the Kings Court Buffet.

I meant to start writing last night after the superb Royal Court Theatre Singers and Dancers’ Let’s Dance.  I saw this on the outward journey, but seeing it for a second time made me realise much more, the creativity, artistry and talent that made up this incredible song and dance act.  It’s shame that DVDs of this and other productions are not available, given that “for Copyright reasons, photography and recording of any kind is strictly prohibited.” Does that include the pre/post-show backdrop?  Whoops!

Now to head of for Dr. Payne’s flagship talk on his ship Queen Mary 2 in the Royal Court Theatre.

15 minutes before the start, there remains a wide choice of seats. One irritating aspect of shows, and movies, people arrive after the lights have dimmed and disturbance is the norm. At the end, there’s a rush (of some) to exit the theatre before the cruise director has even started to thank the performers, who all deserve due praise, as well as give announcements for the rest of the evening and the next day. 

But today, I’m slowly packing for tomorrow’s brief return to Harpur Hill.  I attended Dr. Stephen Payne’s fourth and final lecture, not quite word-for-word on his previous QM2 talks. But there’s always something new or different.  To hear the actual ship’s designer explain the reasons behind almost every nook and cranny remains a rare privilege.  He admits that there is “no such thing as a perfect ship.”    I have met him on several previous occasions and during this voyage, I felt it appropriate not to repeat the encounter.  However, we did meet briefly in the Grand Lobby after today’s talk.  I told him that I had to disagree….there is such a thing as perfect ship!  Thankfully he appeared ok with that! 

I had a final lunch in the Britannia Restaurant, joined by a (presumably) mother and fourteen year old daughter from Sal Salvador.  Embarrassingly, she had to remind me where Sal Salvador was!  Also, a Scottish gentleman not overly bothered by England’s defeat in the World Cup clash with Argentina last night. 

I can’t get used to this. There is now no difference between Ship’s time and that of the U.K.  (16.36 hrs)  I should be home by this time tomorrow!  Fortunately we start all over again on 3rd August for another final three weeks on board until 2028.

Many thanks to you all for reading my blogs. If there are items/events you feel I could have written about more fully, I will endeavour to do so in August, e.g. areas of QM2 I did not cover.

David, 16.44 hrs in his stateroom, inside forward on Deck 6.