Three Cheers To Her Majesty
MiNDFOOD’s Editor-in-Chief Michael McHugh explores the charm of the Queen Elizabeth while discovering the Western Mediterranean as a momentous historical occasion unfolds.
My very first cruise was many years ago travelling with Cunard on board the MS Queen Elizabeth 2 sailing around New Zealand. I remember learning it’s not called a boat but a ship, not a room but a cabin or a suite (or now, on the MS Queen Elizabeth, a stateroom), and ginger pills can help in trying not to think about sea sickness and take the edge off feeling a little woozy. There was much to learn and enjoy on that cruise; it felt like a new world to me – like being on a movie set with art deco interiors and dining rooms filled with characters from a Hercule Poirot novel. Now with many cruises and ocean voyage tales to tell under my seagoing belt, I boarded the MS Queen Elizabeth in one of my favourite European cities, Barcelona. Embarkation was easy with the well-oiled machine of Cunard and we were greeted by staff wearing red uniforms with bellhop pillbox hats.
Once onboard, our stateroom felt large as our steward ran through all the bells and whistles inside. No longer do you have to appear on deck with your lifejacket and wait until the crew explains the emergency drill. You are now directed to watch the safety video from your cabin, review the emergency notice on the back of your door, and find your designated assembly station. Simple.
Wandering back to our stateroom, we make reservations for dinner and also use the My Voyage digital planner, my very own onboard smart device for instant access to reservations and information. A smart innovation indeed. We are keen to explore the ship as the art deco vibe still feels very much part of the MS Queen Elizabeth experience, and passengers line up to get their portrait taken in The Grand Lobby.
The art gallery is currently showcasing an exhibition of Spanish Masters exclusive to the voyage, with works from Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró and Picasso.
The two-floor library with connecting spiral staircase with floor-to-ceiling mahogany bookshelves has a good range to lose yourself in fiction and non-fiction, and where all IT and wi-fi questions are answered.
DRINK & DINE
The Golden Lion Pub serves traditional English pub lunches like Beer Battered Fish and Chips, Cumberland Sausages, Steak and Guinness Suet Pudding and Chicken Tikka Masala. It’s a taste of home for the mainly British guests onboard as you can enjoy pulled pints and daily pub quizzes. It feels like one of those quaint English village pubs complete with dark furniture, wood panelling and patterned carpets. No
surprises if you come across the Vicar of Dibley or Miss Marple in the corner having a quick ale or stout. There is also The Steakhouse at The Verandah on Deck 2, with a cover charge per person for lunch and dinner.
Every day at 3.30pm, white-gloved servers line up carrying silver trays in the Queens Room as the traditional Afternoon Tea ceremony begins. Three-tiered cake stands are delivered to each table with scones (plain or fruit), Devonshire clotted cream and jam of your choice. Crustless finger sandwiches are served (my favourite is the egg and cucumber), along with small cakes and patisseries, while Earl Grey tea is poured.
It feels rather special sitting listening to the piano and harp, sipping on tea and enjoying this afternoon ritual: all very civilised. Jeeves, another scone please! Glutenfree and vegetarian dishes are available and you can also upgrade your afternoon tea experience with Champagne and Godiva chocolate options. Meanwhile, The Lido on Deck Nine serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and afternoon tea as well, and offers late-night snacks. It is a large, long buffet of everything you can think of. I have learnt the English love to queue; however, I always seemed to be joining the queue at the wrong end, or cutting in when I didn’t realise!
RULE BRITANNIA
The real star in terms of dining onboard is the Britannia Restaurant, which is across two floors on decks Two and Three. I am never a great fan of large dining room experiences onboard cruise ships. Yet whether you’re in first or second sitting, this well-run operation with exceptional servers and knowledgeable staff is well worth locking in and booking as your main dining option at night.
Our wine sommelier had us ordering delicious New Zealand pinot noir from small, little-known vineyards, and the menu each day was varied with not too many choices, making it an easy dining experience after a busy day exploring a new destination. Our friendly waiters were the same each night and the speed of service and their recommendations were excellent.
With the couple of sea days we had during the cruise, it was the perfect excuse to sample the Mareel Wellness and Beauty spa on Deck 9. Thanks to its excellent range of massages and body treatments, you can’t help but nod off as the gentle movement of the ship lulls you into falling asleep. With marine-based treatments, I chose the Swedish massage, and woke feeling refreshed with aches and pains all melted away, ready for a walk around the open-air deck.
I ended up in the Royal Arcade of boutique stores that were very good, as was the book store that had an excellent range of biographical and history-based novels. All perfect holiday reading.
Well known for its enrichment programs, Cunard offers cooking demos, technology seminars, art talks, dance lessons, movie screenings and bridge lessons, to name a few. The watercolour painting classes in the Britannia Restaurant were popular and sold out quickly.
The Gala nights onboard with Black and White and Masquerade Ball themes are a great opportunity for
people watching as guests really do embrace the moment to dress up and transform themselves for a night.
Many guests visited the onboard beauty salon for that red-carpet hair salon special, which included a blowdry and style and sunglow application. I have no idea what a ‘sunglow application’ entails, but looking around the ship I have a fair idea as pale English skin palettes were transformed into Hollywood tans, some perhaps more successful than others.
We queued to buy glamorous feathered masks and there was a formal suit hire service onboard, so I also could have hired a tuxedo for the night. Looking down from the balcony above, watching guests dancing the waltz and foxtrot pre-dinner in their sequined and feathered masks, it felt like another era. During the day, you can have dance lessons or sit and enjoy jazz concerts and classical piano recitals in this same space.
Our first port of call was Villefranche in the south of France. We decided not to do a ship excursion but instead travelled by taxi to neighbouring Monaco. It was a glorious day, spent skimming the coastline looking out across the Riviera. We visited the cathedral where Grace Kelly married her prince, viewing the palace and stunning bay.
We headed to lunch at the newly launched La Môme Restaurant on the rooftop of the Port Palace Hotel on Avenue J.F. Kennedy. We had a great table with views out across the port: it was the perfect spot to just sit back in the very chic interior and enjoy the relaxed Mediterranean menu.
There were lovely touches, such as fresh pots of thyme that were brought to the table and cut with a pair of large golden garden scissors into our oil, plus balsamic vinegar served with freshly made, still-warm bread.
The dining experience was very personalised with embroidered linen napkins, handmade ceramic plates and fantastic service. The thing about Monaco is you never really know what colourful characters you might be sitting alongside, which adds to the experience.
Before taking a taxi back to the ship, we stopped off and a had a swim in the Mediterranean. Our next port of call was Civitavecchia, a coastal town northwest of Rome. We booked the train from the ship through My
“THE REAL STAR IN TERMS OF DINING ONBOARD IS THE BRITANNIA RESTAURANT.”
Voyage. Once in Rome, which we had visited many times, and so chose to miss all the tourist sites, we caught a local city bus and stopped at the Altar of the Fatherland, an imposing monument honouring Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of the united Italy.
We spent the morning walking and getting lost (which is always the best way to see a city) and rediscovering the Eternal City, with lots of stops along the way, sampling local delicacies and coffee. It was fun, even between rain showers and the Roman heat.
We had lunch booked at Le Jardin de Russie at the Hotel de Russie, a Rocco Forte Hotel where the restaurant is set in the most beautiful garden, complete with ponds that have turtles swimming among the waterfalls. With tables featuring large umbrellas that protect from the afternoon Roman sun, plus exceptional service, food and the gorgeous setting, it was all like a dream and will be remembered for a long time.
If you aren’t doing a ship excursion, it’s a good idea to have at least one thing planned or booked during your stopover so you have an anchor time and place to be; otherwise you can lose yourself in a city then get back to the ship and realise you haven’t seen much.
THE ORIGINAL & BEST
Next stop was Naples and the discovery, quite by accident, of the home of the OG Margherita pizza. Sitting in a steep laneway we didn’t realise until tourists kept passing by and photographing a plaque on the wall that the restaurant we were sitting in, Pizzeria Brandi, actually created this well-loved pizza in 1889. Wood-fired, the pizzas are made with only fior di latte cheese, tomato, extra olive oil and basil, and are delizioso!
After strolling and shopping with full bellies, we sat for a while outside a very pretty local church and watched a local wedding as guests arrived and finally the bride in a soft-top convertible and wearing sunglasses. Everyone looked so chic as they double and sometimes tripled kissed each other in greeting.
Palma is the resort city and capital of the Spanish island of Mallorca and there are very different experiences in both the new and old parts of the city. We arrived to our last port of call and caught the complimentary shuttle bus service between MS Queen Elizabeth and Camí de la Escollera, arriving in front of the Cathedral of Santa María, a 13th-century Gothic landmark overlooking the Bay of Palma.
As it was a Sunday, they were only admitting parishioners into the church. We headed via taxi to the main beach, where we had a swim and breakfast. Being a Sunday, it was quiet but still walking around the old city, we saw great examples of Moorish-style architecture. A delicious lunch outdoors in the middle of the main tree-lined avenue at Born8 in the old city was a memory maker.
The appeal of traditional elegance and the old-world charm of cruising with modern-day influences is what you can expect onboard Cunard’s MS Queen Elizabeth. Unpack once and sit back and enjoy everything the western Mediterranean has to offer. Three cheers to the Queen!
For more information about the 7-night Western Mediterranean sailing roundtrip Barcelona with Cunard, visit cunard.com