Finished with engines

They wanted us out of the cabin by 08:30, so just had to watch the sail-in to Southampton – another charming view of Fawley oil refinery and the Coastwatch station before being passed by a real Red Funnel ferry, not the ersatz ferry QM2!

A beautiful Spring morning and the Commodore put us straight into the berth at the new Ocean Terminal port-side to after (actually) nearly 45,000 miles altogether. Queen Elizabeth just ahead at a standard berth.

Britannia breakfast and just time to shut down the cabin and await instructions.

Stores were coming aboard, luggage was leaving in cages and the ship was making ready for the trans-Atlantic voyages ahead as if she had never left the UK. Quite an amazing piece of logistics and a reminder that the World goes on!

Hand in the cruise card, show the luggage stubs and you are back to reality. Through the Red Channel to declare the Rocky Ponds (no-one there, had to dictate a list) and into the waiting car.

Three hours later and the reception committee was there in force – Jilly had taken a day off!!!! Simply fantastic and what a lovely day.

So there you are folks! A complete World Voyage in 104 days. Loved every minute once the expectations had been adjusted for the Cunard effect and missed everyone at home too.

Would we do it again? Not for a while!!

Favourite place? Too soon to know, but each port was spectacular

Would we recommend it? If you have the time and the cash

Would we recommend Cunard? Yes, if you don’t expect too much or believe the spin!

Hope you have enjoyed following the blog, it’s been fun writing it – bye!!!

Balcony 8116

Al & Maya - honeymoon nearly over

Alex & Vejlko - thanks a lot!

Artem - paying for his house

Beatrix - running the Champagne Bar now

Dani - off home to Bali & Aleksander (not a Meerkat)

Evelyn - off home to Chile

No more King's Court, thankfully!

No more queuing either

Perhaps they will replace the UV pictures in the refit

8 Bells for the last time

Commodore Club model

8116 ready for new people

Coastwatch station

Fawley - a lovely backdrop!

A proper ferry

Escort up Southampton Water

Home again

Finished with Engines

Reception Committee

The Home Run

Well, after over 44,000 miles travelled by sea we are almost back to our starting point, leaving the Med and passing within 2 miles of Gibraltar in the evening sunset, then Northward past Portugal, passing Ushant and St Nazaire (where the ship was built) to starboard and altering course to take us into the Channel Approaches Separation Zones and thence to the pilot station off the Nab Tower early tomorrow morning.

We have spent the weekend trying to fit in all those things we haven’t done already; lunch in Todd English, White Star afternoon tea (with the white gloves) and taking pictures of the things we missed, like the ringing of 8 Bells at Noon on the ship’s bell in the Grand Lobby. Then, of course there’s the dreaded packing. To pass the time we also had the last World Cruise Cocktail Party and a Cunard Country Fair – a bit like Nayland’s Church Fete – to raise funds for the ship’s charities. That was fun and we won another bottle of fizz, a cap and a teddy bear by chopping a carrot (Splat the Rat), throwing rings over bottles and suchlike. Got nowhere near the Daily Noon-Noon run though! Raised over $7000 in total.

Anyway, The Bay of Biscay was a disappointment as a test for THE LINER because the sea is smooth, the sky is blue but we still have a bit of gin and a bottle of wine to finish off!

Very much looking forward to returning home where there is so much to do and there will be so many memories and stories to recount. We could be boring for a long time! Hopefully there will be enough room in the boot for all the luggage – we will be coming home with more than we left!

Gib at sunset

White Star tea

Earl Grey

EOS string quartet

Free canapes

Our Japanese friend

Commodore's last speech

Country Fair

Splat the Rat

Discounted florist

They are all packing!

Didn't need it

Back to square one

Then they chuck us off

Just the formula

We really were at anchor this time, as stated in the programme! Nicely swinging to 600 feet of anchor chain making a lee for the tenders as they plied back and forth to the marina, amongst the super-yachts assembled for the F1 Grand Prix next month and probably for the Rolex tennis match this week.

A visit to Eze had been on the cards, but a quote of 40 Euros each way in a taxi or a complicated bus changed our minds back to an amble around the town in the chilly wind but warming sunshine.

Monte Carlo really is a place to people-watch and the yachts in the marina are simply awesome, so we explored up to the Palace and along the front by the Aquarium and Exotic Garden. This is a great spot on the cliff and we had a quick look in the Cathedral where the Rainier family have been married and are buried, passing Princess Grace’s memorial with its permanent flowers. Back down to the harbour, watching workers assembling the grandstand for the F1 circuit over part of the marina itself.

A little shopping had to be done, of course, with such a choice and being back in the Eurozone!

Suddenly it looked like rain, so back to the tender point and aboard the ship for the sailaway. Someone was trying a new gadget – a waterjet backpack powered from something like a jetski which sent pressurized water through 2 jets like the James Bond jet pack – limited only by the length of the hose – excellent!

As it was Monte Carlo the Commodore obviously had to show that his ship was bigger than anything in port, so in pouring rain we weighed the anchor drifting slowly broadside to the mole then swung the bow towards the shore with much hooting and pirouetted through 270 and headed West towards Barcelona for our last port.

Nice anchorage

F1 grandstand

Capuccino time

Exotic garden

Cathedral

Rainiers' graves

The lovely ladies

Damned seagulls everywhere!

Superyachts

Our budget

Rascasse

New sport

Showing off!