The QE2 Virtual Cruise

I wrote this virtual QE2 voyage 18 Years after it took place. Shared on my Substack, it takes you on a voyage aboard QE2 during the ship’s final weeks of service, back in 2008.
This was a very special cruise for me, as it was my first ever Cunard Insights voyage as a guest speaker. It was also the first cruise where Rachelle and I saw our book, QE2: A Photographic Journey, sold on board.
QE2 Mediterranean Sojourn

Voyage: Mediterranean Sojourn
Dates: 27/08/2008 to 10/09/2008
Ship: Queen Elizabeth 2

Voyage Index

You can read each day for free on my Substack by selecting the day below: 

Sample of the Voyage Diary

Taken from “My last ever Lecture on QE2”

I had been rehearsing my talk late into the evening the night before, in our cabin 3049. However, I didn’t realise that the sound proofing between our cabin and the one next door was not what it used to be.

Unawares, I must have been speaking at quite some volume, because at about 11:30pm we received a phone call from the Purser’s Office asking if I “wouldn’t mind turning the volume down” as our neighbours were trying to sleep. I was so embarrassed and apologised profusely to the crewmember, advising them that it was actually my rehearsals, not the TV.

So you can imagine my surprise this morning, when I walked out of our cabin, to find our neighbour in the corridor outside our room. I immediately started to apologise to her, but was quickly interrupted as she said it was perfectly fine, and if she had taken note of our cabin number she would have called me directly. But as she had just got into bed, she didn’t feel like walking out into the corridor in her pyjamas to knock on the door.

No lasting harm was done… phew… and we were on friendly “hello” terms for the rest of the cruise.

Once again we headed to the Lido for breakfast. As QE2 was making quite some speed towards the next port call, the windows of the Lido were rattling in their usual fashion. But you only really noticed it when you got up close.

Sample of the Memorabilia Shared

QE2 Mediterranean Sojourn