On board QM2

As with the previous trip two years ago on the Queen Mary II I had an intermediate bridge lesson and played duplicate bridge every afternoon for the seven day crossing from Boston to Southampton. The weather was calm. One does meet some interesting people. I met a couple of US citizens who have lived in Ecuador for 15 years. I met at an antique dealer who lived in Alabama previously from New York. There was a lot of anxiety on board because of hurricane Milton, which was affecting Florida. There were many Americans from Florida on board. Several people lived in “The villages” a 150,000 planned community in central Florida. The hurricane petered out fairly quickly and I don’t think there was a lot of damage. There are many things to do on the ship - talks, concerts, several eating places, the food selection is great. The service on Cunard is excellent. I think there were about 2200 passengers but about 1200 staff. I felt sorry for the staff. They spend nine months on the ship. I talked to one young Filipino woman who had been on cruise ships for 14 years. She spends nine months on a ship and three months at home and she had a six year-old daughter who is looked after by her grandparents. From a passenger point of view crossing the Atlantic is like a luxury ferry trip because you arrive with no jet lag and you get all sorts of entertainment and comforts during the crossing. Would I do it again? I think I prefer shorter cruises if any. As an  independent traveler, it’s more fun to be in a city and make things up as you go along. I have enjoyed spending time in European cities several times in the past.