瑪麗皇后II號（下）／李明熙
8 日的 Queen Mary 2 郵輪生活，最擔心吃得太多體重上升，所以每天我都會在節目表中找一些運動課堂參與。由早上 7 時半開始至下午 6 時有各式的運動課堂及健康講座，還有社交舞班，而我選擇了早上 9 時的劍擊班。
我從未接觸過劍擊，但在 1 小時的課堂中，已經學會了基本禮儀及簡單攻防，可以自由對戰。被刺中並不痛，但穿上護甲及面罩的我早已滿身大汗，體力消耗得極快。意猶未盡的乘客可以到 7 樓平台慢跑，一圈約 530 米，不過陽光普照之日，曬太陽和散步客人特別多，倒不如到健身室或泳池。
我們的航程正好碰上美網公開賽，還有英超和歐聯，這些直播賽事都列在節目表中，你可以在房中獨看，但氣氛自然不及在 Golden Lion Pub 看時熱鬧。酒吧提供 Fish’n Chips 及 Cottage Pie 等典型 Pub Lunch，吃過幾天要穿禮服的 5 Course 晚餐後，還是覺得酒吧中大吵大嚷的輕鬆氣氛適合我們得多。遇上英超賽事時，兩隊球迷互相叫囂，有一刻還以為已經到了英國。
眾多節目之中，我最愛晚宴後的 Ball Room Party。我倆都不會跳社交舞，但能夠欣賞一對對年過半百的舞者在舞池中翩翩飛舞，的確是一件樂事。Cha-Cha、Waltz、Jive、Rumba，還有Line Dance，他們全部都能聞歌起舞。音樂一奏，男伴輕輕打著拍子，等待拍子一到，便帶動舞伴；女伴雙目不離男伴的眼神，完全信任及陶醉在男伴引領的舞步方向。即使舞池中有近幾十人，但大家都能在節奏中旋轉，場面的震撼和觀賞值，絕對不遜於郵輪上的其他特備表演。
Historic Transatlantic Crossing／Kimberlogic
Leaving the harbour in Brooklyn, aboard the Queen Mary 2 was a sight and a feeling I will never forget. As we left the USA far in the distance, it finally hit me that I would not see the land for another 7 days until we docked in Southampton, UK. This was my first time on a cruise and my first time spending more than a night on a boat.
Anyone who knows about the QM2 understands that this ship is famous for its transatlantic route and its luxury. They may also be under the impression that it is filled with old people, very old people. That was my impression when I found out we would be sailing on the QM2, I thought Ming Hay and I would be bored out of our minds and be the youngest people by at least 30 years. And boy, I was wrong!
There are a lot of old people, that is a fact, but out of the 2,691 passengers, they were not all old and there was a good mix of various age groups, nationalities and personalities on board. With such diversity, the Cunard company has done extremely well when they remastered the QM2 in 2004 to outfit this ship with something for every taste.
Each evening, the following day’s Daily Programme was delivered to our room, so we could plan our day. The QM2 has so many activities that we had to carry the programme with us at all times —— from Bingo and Trivia in the Golden Lion Pub to Ballroom dance lessons in the Queen’s room; from exercise classes, electronic golf, shuffle board, darts and table tennis competitions to art classes, seminars, wine tastings and afternoon tea events. The evenings were jammed-packed with events as well —— Orchestras, professional singing and dancing shows, magic shows and 3D movies. There was never a dull moment for us.
Besides all the scheduled events throughout day and night, there were even more activities to do on our own. There were a number of pools all over the ship and nice comfy lounge chairs on all of the decks. With so many restaurants and bars, we never went thirsty and always ate too much. There is even a planetarium on board! Although there is the G32 night club, there is so much live music throughout the day and into the night that we barely made it to the fabulous night club!
Throughout our time on board, we tried different games and activities, especially the ones that we never thought we would ever try. Ming Hay took a fencing class, and I tried a ballroom dance class, we even came close to beating the old ladies at Bingo! Trivia in the Pub was my favourite activity in the late afternoon, to sit and enjoy a beer and chat with neighbours while trying to beat them in general knowledge trivia was delightful.
There is no way to talk about a cruise without talking about the food. Every meal, every day the menu was different and very unique. Our server would give us recommendations and even on the menu there was a healthy option recommendation. The food was always cooked perfectly to order and the presentation was never dull. With the care of the service staff, wearing formal dresses and the high quality of the dishes, we were immersed in luxury and loved every second of it; even as we watched our waistlines grow.
我們的 #Home2HomeTravel
