Alone on a wide wide sea!

by Mary Jo

I’m just back from a rather splendid vacation, which started with a one week transatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2, followed by another week in Ireland.  Both are thoroughly blog-worthy.  

The Mayhem Consultant has long wanted to make a classic transatlantic cruise such as used to be required to get to or from Europe, and I agreed that it sounded like a fine idea.  The Queen Mary 2 is not a cruise ship, but the last and largest of the great ocean liners: ships designed to transport people from place to place.  They use more steel than cruise ships and have a higher freeboard (height above the water).  Crew members like to explain the differences. 

Though the QM2 also takes people on cruises, including an annual round the world cruise that lasts about three months, she is the only liner that still offers scheduled transport between New York City and Southampton, England.  When I contacted our cruise agent about taking the QM2, she said, “You know it’s seven days at sea?”

Yes, I knew.  We liked the idea of seven days at sea.  And now that we’ve experienced it, we like the reality.  I saw no land and only one other ship in those seven days—a container ship, maybe.  The rest of the time, what did we see?  We saw the sea.

It’s incredibly restful, which I loved since I’d turned in a manuscript mere days before and I really needed rest!  The ship was filled with lounges and cozy corners full of people reading.  (It seemed to be roughly 50/50 between print books and e-readers.)  I did my part by reading through line edited pages of SOMETIMES A ROGUE and adding my own corrections, which I’m incorporating now.  It was a nice way to work.

The QM2 is the flagship of the Cunard Line, which includes the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the Queen Victoria.  Samuel Cunard, a Canadian from Halifax, founded the line after winning the contract for regular mail service between the United Kingdom and North American in 1840. 

The Cunard Line was known for quality and safety, and over the decades absorbed other lines, including the White Star Line which owned the Titanic.  These days Cunard is part of the Carnival cruise line empire, but it retains a firmly British tone and many of the passengers were British, which I enjoyed.

It’s also unabashedly classist, with the different classes using different dining rooms based on the cost of the staterooms.  The top of the tree nobility dine in the Queen’s Grill.  A notch down is the Princess Grill, which I think of as gentry.  The third class, the average folk, dine in the very large and beautiful Britannia restaurant.  (Above)

There are also masses of smaller eateries.  Our favorite was Sir Samuel’s, a quiet coffee shop and wine bar where one could get a pleasant lunch or dessert.  There’s also a huge buffet restaurant for people who don’t like to dress up.

But the real secret of modern day cruising, whether a liner like the QM2 or a regular Caribbean cruise vessel, is that they fulfill posh fantasies beautifully.  The staff, many of them from countries like the Philippines and Indonesia, are wonderfully warm, welcoming, and very hard working. 

Even a passenger staying in the cheapest inside windowless stateroom is treated like royalty with multi-course meals, wine stewards, and crisp napkins snapped open and laid across one’s lap.  It’s a way to experience a modern day version of the Regency.  <g> 

Since I’m a history buff, crossing the Atlantic on a classic ocean liner brought up thoughts of what travel was like in the old, pre-airline days.  As a girl, my mother sailed from California to China when her father took up a teaching position in the Peking medical school.  She was only ten. 

How long was her family at sea?  Weeks, surely.  Perhaps months.  Long enough for the ship to become a way of life.  What was it like to sail from England to Australia?  I think that could run six to eight months in the days of sail.

The QM2 is a very large ship with stabilizers that made for a very smooth voyage.  How different it would be in a small ship that was much more at the mercy of the elements! 

Some of my books have included sailors and long voyages, and I did my best to imagine myself in a seafaring world, but actually traveling to Europe by sea made the experience more visceral.  There was a leisurely feeling to the days since they didn’t vary much, though NYC at the beginning was warm and sunny, and each day thereafter was cooler as we headed north and east to Southampton.

The QM2 is so tall that as we left New York’s harbor, the ship captain went on the ship wide loudspeaker to say that there was indeed enough clearance to get under the Verrazano Bridge. <G> 

Believe me, it’s quite an experience to sail by the Statue of Liberty as we steamed out of New York Harbor.  Seeing Lady Liberty brought images of immigrants arriving in America and seeing her as a hope for a better future:

"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

We had very good weather (the Mayhem Consultant has a sideline in weather magery <G>), but there was one day of pure white fog that was so featureless that it made me think of the Starship Enterprise moving through space.  There was no horizon, no sky, barely a sense of the sea through which we moved.  It was all a peaceful white cocoon pierced by the occasional muffled blast of the ship’s foghorn to warn other vessels that a Very Big Ship was in the vicinity.  (The QM2’s horn is deep and powerful and has a real sense of presence. <G>) 

We arrived at the bustling docks of Southampton very early in the morning, as Cunard ocean liners have done for going on two centuries.  Already we’re thinking that someday we’d like to make the return trip from Southampton to New York.  If that happens, we’ll be able to see Lady Liberty as she was designed to be seen: greeting foreign visitors to America. 

Cruising continues to grow in popularity, and this is not the first Word Wench blog on ocean liners: last year Nicola Cornick interviewed Michelle Willingham for a discussion of the research Michelle did on 19th century liners for her book The Accidental Countess.

Have you ever traveled on an ocean liner?  Taken a cruise?  Would you like to?  Some people totally love the idea of shipboard life where you get to visit interesting places while staying in a mobile hotel.  Others totally do not get it.  <G> 

If cruising appeals to you, where would you like to go?  Or where have you gone?

Mary Jo, who is very fond of being on or around water

Comments

[Jenny Reid]

Great blog Mary Jo. My first venture overseas was from Melbourne to London in 1969. It took 5 weeks because Suez was closed and we had to go around the Cape of Good Hope so I got to see Sth Africa. We landed at Tilbury Docks, London - the last passenger liner to do so. We were greeted by the mayor to make a speech, and a fleet of ambulances because we had an outbreak of measles on board! In the early days to Australia it took about 9 months because Elizabeth Macquarie had a good and fast voyage of about 8 and half months in about 1813. My ancestors all took about 3 and half months in the 1850s, weather permitting of course. Now it takes about 24 hours by air. It would be nice if everything just slowed down a bit. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself on the QM2

[HJ]

I'd love to go on the type of voyage which you did (if only I wasn't seasick) but I don't think I'd like to go on a modern cruise. I like the idea of gentle days reading on a steamer chair, covered in a rug if necessary, but do not fancy lots of activities or games.

I remember reading a while ago that one can book to go on cargo vessels (presumably now they're all container ships) on the basis that arrival at certain ports at certain times was not guaranteed, and only very few passengers are carried. I always thought it would be perfect for getting away from it all and writing something important! I suspect it is all but impossible to "get away from it all" now, but it might still be the best one can do to evoke the long sea journeys of the past.

I look forward to your blog(s) about Ireland!

[Cynthia Owens]

Oooh, I've always dreamed of taking ship for Europe! It always sounded so romantic and adventurous. Or a cruise to Alaska, or down the Mississippi. I love anything to do with the sea (rumor has it than an ancestor of mine sailed up the St. Lawrence River to discover Canada some 26 years before Jacques Cartier "officially" arrived).

The only "cruise" I've taken was a ferry ride from Wales to the "home of my heart," Ireland. Not only was I fulfilling a life-long dream to visit Ireland, but as I'd just started writing a new series in which my heroes emigrated to the States from Ireland, it gave me a tiny taste of what their journey must have been like.

Thanks for a great post, Mary Jo, and I'm really looking forward to hearing about your time in the Emerald Isle.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Jenny--

What a wonderful first venture abroad, tracing the route of your Aussie ancestors! As you say, things are much faster now, which is a very mixed blessing. We arrive at our destinations quickly, but jetlagged crosseyed. *G*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Helena Justina--

A great pleasure of cruising is that even on modern cruise ships with lots of activities, you don't actually have to DO anything. *G* The QM2 had shows with RADA students, non-stop games of a bridge, a casino, a game room, concerts, dancing, you name it. And I did none of that. *G* But the idea of a tramp steamer with a non specific schedule and cozy staterooms has a definite appeal. Fewer people. *G*

[Mary Jo Putney]

Cynthia--

I hope you have more cruising in your future! Very cool that an ancestor of yours might have beat Jacques Cartier to the punch--the records from those days are far from complete.

I haven't written a whole series set in Ireland as you have, but the book I just finished has a chunk in Ireland, and I was able to add a couple of details to the part in Kinsale for having spent a night there. About which more anon. *G*

[MJ]

We celebrated our 25th anniversary on the SS Norway, which originally was the SS France. Very Art Deco and posh inside with the same white glove service you had, Mary Jo.

Unfortunately about a year later, one of the boilers blew up, killing several crew members and injuring more. The cost was prohibitive to repair the ship, so it was scrapped. A sad end for a very lovely lady.

[Patricia Rice]

Great photos, Mary Jo, thank you! As you've pointed out many a time, I have a restless nature and could not tolerate 7 days of the same scenery, but it does sound exceptionally relaxing and the perfect place to work. Glad you're home!

[Mary Jo Putney]

Pat--

Ocean cruises aren't for everyone, but for someone whose idea of heaven is wallowing non-stop in reading, it's hog heaven. *g*

[Jennifer Kloester]

Wonderful post Mary Jo and you have inspired me to pursue a long-held ambition to cross the world by ship. That bit about the white fog and the ship's foghorn was so evocative and it must have been wonderful sailing past Lady Liberty at that height! The 'Golden Door' line in that poem always gives me goosebumps! Thanks for a great travelblog - can't wait to hear about Ireland.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Jennifer--

I'm sure you'd love retracing the ancestral route between Britain and Australia! It was a wonderful voyage, and I want to do it again!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Mary Jo Putney]

MJ--

The first two cruises we ever did were on the Norway! She was a grand lady. I knew the ship was no longer in service, but I didn't know of her sad end.

She would have been a great place to celebrate an anniversary for sure. Rest in peace...

[Andrea Penrose]

Wonderful post, Mary Jo. I did a golf cruise around Ireland in a fairly small ship (it held around 130 people and was not nearly so posh as your ocean liner. The seas got rough—and I got seasick. I love the sea, but unfortunately I am prone to mal du mer. I usually adjust after a few days, but it's not fun.

Nevertheless, I recently saw a brochure for a cruise from Venice, down the Adriatic coast, through the Greek Isles to Istanbul. That would be my dream cruise!

[Anne Gracie]

Lovely blog, Mary Jo. When i was a kid we went to the UK from Australia by ship— 'we' being my mother, my siblings and myself. My father had gone ahead months earlier for his work. A friend of his was a director of the line, so we probably got a discount, but whatever the reason, it was the best holiday my mother ever had. Instead of working full time and being the mother of four kids, ranging from mid-late teens to me, ten years younger, she finally had nothing to do—nothing but read, swim, lie in the sun and join in whichever of the many shipboard activities she fancied. no cooking, she probably didn't even have to do any washing. The older kids were well entertained, and as for me, I was in seventh heaven. It was an Italian line, and little kids were spoilt rotten — the stewards really indulged us. The trip took one month and we all had a ball.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Cara/Andrea--

I've DONE that Adriatic coast cruise from Venice, and it's GORGEOUS! I highly recommend it. If you are prone to motion sickness, pick one of the larger ships, though the Adriatic is generally not going to be as rough as the seas around Ireland.

There are pretty good meds to prevent motion sickness these days, I understand. A little patch behind your ear could make all the difference.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Anne--

How FABULOUS for your hardworking mother! And what better place for a kid than on an Italian ship? I'm beginning to get a yen for one of the longer cruises. With Cunard's round the world cruise, you can buy just segments rather than the whole trip. Australia to the UK or vice versa would be heavenly.

[Sarah Parr]

I very much enjoyed the story of your trip. Many thanks for sharing!

[Mary Jo Putney]

It was FUN, Sarah! I want to do it again. *G*

[Artemisia]

"...like the seafaring man on the desert of waters,..."--Carl Schurz. I know someone who went around the world in an ocean-going sailboat. She said indeed mid-ocean is "a desert of waters." There is nothing there, not even fish. I'd rather be on the QM2.

[Mary Jo Putney]

"a desert of water.." Yes, I can imagine that it would feel like that alone on the sea in sailboat. It would be a grand adventure for some, but like you, Artemesia, I would much prefer the Queen Mary 2!

[Teresa Hill]

Mary Jo,
I think one of the most relaxing reading spots I ever had was on a deserted side deck on a cruise to Bermuda. Me, the lounge chair and the ocean going by. It was heaven.
Bermuda was beautiful, too.
We had the cruise from hell once with 30 knot winds sailing from Florida to the Bahamas and Key West. OMG. You could look out the port hole and the horizon was tilting back and forth like it would on a cartoon. But the ship was smaller and it was a long time ago.
Bermuda more than made up for it.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Teresa--

We visited Bermuda earlier this year and it was lovely, but we rather boringly flew there. *G* There is nothing like a cruise for relaxed reading. I think it's the feeling of being away from the normal world.

As for you cruise from hell--I do hope you're not prone to motion sickness and the destination was worth the trip!

[Hannah Lee]

Thanks for this post, Mary Jo! I've long had qualms about cruise liners, both for their occasional food outbreaks (writing as a former epidemiologists)and the impact on the environment (sewage and trash dumping, etc.), but I recently read that ship transport has the lowest carbon footprint, so now I'm buying bananas from the Caribbean again and you've convinced me to add ship travel to my wish list.

I've also finished reading Marcus Samuelsson's fascinating memoir, Yes, Chef, and he wrote about his two stints working on a Norwegian cruise liner, where the lowest-ranked staff (Filipinos, mostly) work for 18 months straight, without a single day off. He learned to work at a fast pace, to be consistent ("like an actor in a Broadway show, having to be on time and do your best six days a week, except we did it for seven.") and he earned more money than he would have at stateside.

[Mary Jo Putney]

Hannah--

cruise ships are very aware ofthe dangers of norovirus infections, and there were hand sanitizers outside of all the eateries. That's no guarantee, but the ship stayed healthy duringo ur crossing. They QM2 also advertises itself as very green, which I hope is true.

I've read elsewhere just how miserably hard the crews down under work, and I hate to think of how killing a pace it is. But, as you say, the money is better than they might earn at home, so I guess they decide it's worth it, at least for a while. They should get a day off a week, though!

[HB]

In the 1950's, my mother flew from England to India in a "flying boat", an large airplane designed to land on water. After flying halfway there, the boat landed in the ocean, motored up to a hotel pier and everyone got out for the evening. There was swimming, a fine dinner and comfortable bed.
After breakfast in the morning, all the passengers got back on the plane to fly the rest of the way.

[Mary Jo Putney]

HB--

That sounds like the plane Indiana Jones flew across the Pacific in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Fun! It would be being packed like a sardine in a red eye. *G*