THE QE2 HERITAGE TRAIL

More pictures from the QE2 Heritage Trail walking tour with Thomas Quinones as the "solo" cicerone.

In the first picture, Quinones is in front of the Mauretania painting that has meanwhile been returned to Newcastle upon Tyne, and will not go to Dubai.

Pictures by Isabelle Prondzynski and Pia Sosua.

QE2 REAL CHARACTERS: THOMAS QUINONES

He leads daily Heritage Trail tours around the QE2.

Almost everybody knows him because the walking tour is very popular.

He speaks several languages and this German based in Costa Rica is the most famous QE2 cicerone.

Quinones is always passionate, dramatic, and eloquent.

And a great dancer as you can see him dancing many nights in the Queen Lounge.

Gary Bembridge said in a 2007 post in the excellent All Aboiut Cunard Blog;

Thomas Quinones is the social host who calls everyone 'darling' and rattles off facts like machine gun fire. He has worked for Cunard for over 20 years and manages the activities in the public rooms; balls, parties, dances, bingo, auctions etc.

The picture of Pia Sosua captures very well his character.

Deborah did the tour and she told me about his best rhetorical moment:

"I will go to Dubai?

I will stay in Dubai?

...I am NOT sure!" said Quinones in a very dramatic way.

THE LAST CROSSING UNDER THE NEW YORK'S VERRAZANO BRIDGE

It was on Thursday October 16, 2008.

The QM2 waited and gave preference to the QE2.

The Grand Dame of the Seas went first.

We were outside and from our cabin balcony we saw how the QE2 funnel passed just a few feet under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge that used to had the world's longest suspension span.

Seasonal contractions and expansions of the steel cables cause the double-decked roadway to be 12 feet lower in the summer than in the winter.

The bridge was named after Giovanni da Verrazano, who, in 1524, was the first European explorer to sail into New York Harbor.

A great picture by D.James Gal.

GREAT PICTURES OF THE QE2 ARRIVAL TO SOUTHAMPTON

Andy Fitzsimmons did what good QE2 fans do: wait for her early in the morning and catch the arrival of the Gran Dame of the Seas to Southampton after her Last Atlantic Crossing.

So this Wednesday October 22, he got up at 5am.

I actualy managed, he says, to arrive in good time to await QE2's arrival. With an air temperature of around 4C, it was very cold standing around but worth every minute.

You can see more great pictures in his Flickr gallery.

THE QE2 IS IN BILBAO FOR THE LAST TIME

ANY PICTURES, VIDEOS OR BLOG POSTS ABOUT THE LAST CROSSING?

I am going to start a second round of posts about the QE2 Last Crossing with new pictures, videos and links to other blogs and websites.

If you have found anything interesting please let me know and I will be more than happy to add these new content in the next few days.

I am looking for comments of fellow passengers from the QE2 and QM2, in order to have views from both sides.

It was very impressive the hundreds of flash lights from the QM2 when we were leaving New York.

There must be incredible pictures and videos of those moments.

In the picture, the view of the QE2 docking in Southampton from our cabin's TV.

DAY SEVEN: ARRIVAL TO SOUTHAMPTON

We did it!

At 6:15am this morning we saw from our cabin the early lights of Southampton.

And the QE2 docked without any special sound.

Very smooth.

Very slowly.

The pilots, the landings, and the Cunard agents wete in the dock waiting for us.

We had our last breakfast at the Queens Grill.

We thanked Roslyn and Nick that were our best friends in the restaurant.

Denis was at the front door saying goodbye to all of us.

And at 8:45 the penthouse passengers were escorted to the terminal.

We got our luggage, and a taxi took us to the AVIS office.

The car was ready and we left the QE2 in the harbor.

Tonight she was sailing again, this time to Bilbao, Spain.

We spent a few hours in Salisbury, crossed Bath and just a few minutes ago arrived to our house in St. Davids, Wales.

Peter, that runs an excellent art gallery across the street, knew about our trip.

How was the sailing? were his first words.

A lifetime experience!

DAY SIX: THE TANDEM CROSSING ENDED A FEW MINUTES AGO

As I said, the QM2 had to speed to arrive as soon as possible to Southampton.

In both ships, all the outside decks were full of passengers taking pictures, videotaping, and screaming in the last minutes of the tandem crossing.

Chase Heilman, a photographer from Missouri (USA) was taping for a podcast with the last horn salutes.

The horns went wild and louder than ever.

Twenty, thirty, forty times?

In the QE2 travels the chief design architect of the QM2, so he was really moved when he saw his ship taking the lead very fast,. heading to Southampton and despairing in a few minutes from our view.

The Captain spoke to us and the QE2 sent a tremendous applause to the QM2.

I am sure that the same happened aboard the QM2 and we will try to find in the next few days pictures, videos and memories of all these final moments.

The weather couldn't be better.

It was sunny and warm.

The perfect Atlantic conditions for the final farewell between the two Cunard Queens.

DAY SIX: GOODBYE TO THE QM2

The QE2 Captain announced that this afternoon the QM2 will leave us and take the lead in order to arrive Southampton earlier and she is leaving tomorrow for a three-week cruise.

At 4:30pm the QE2 and QM2 horns will say goodbye to each other.

During the day the distance between them is one mile.

At nights, two miles.

But this afternoon during the mutual farewell I am sure that they will be closer.

We will start the disembark tomorrow at 7:00am.

The last day is a very sunny one.

DAY FIVE: MEMORABILIA SIGNING

Captain Ian McNaught spent today more than one hour outside the library signing QE2 and Cunard memorabilia.

There was a long queue.

But Tam David went early and was one of the first to get the Captain' signatures.

One for his "My notes", a QE2 personal journal of the last crossing.

And another for the "Queen Mary 2: Book of Comparisons", a book that will go to Chiqui Esteban as a little token of appreciation for helping us in this blog.

DAY FIVE: WINDY AND ROCKY

Today the Atlantic is rocky.

In the "Noon Information", the QE2 Navigation First Officer released some specific data:

Voyage: 818. From New York to Southampton. Date: Monday 20th October 2008.

Latitude: 49, 22, 2 North

Longitude: 025,23,8 West

Distance: 586 Nautical miles

Average speed: 25.5 Knots...

Air Temperature: 52º F (11º C)

Relative Humidity: 56%

Barometer: 1019 millibars...

Wind: North Western

Force 7 (30 Knots)

Sea State: Rough.

DAY FOUR: BLOGGING FROM THE YATCH CLUB

As I said, blogging from the QE2 it's not easy.

I found that many fellow passengers willing to go wireless they come here to the Yatch Club.

So I do the same.

The view from the back of the QE2 is magnificent.

DAY FOUR: GREAT SUNSET

These pictures were taken from outside the Yatch Club.

Many other passenger were with photo and video cameras.

It was the first real sunset during the trip.

DAY FOUR: NICE AND WARM WEATHER

It's a sunny and warm day.

The weather changed as soon as we entered yesterday in the North Atlantic Current or Norh Atlantic Drift, known for its powerful warm ocean current that continues the Gulf Stream northeast wards.

We are on GMT-1 and the Sunset will be at 6.21pm.

The QM2 was very close, tandem with the QE2.

DAY FOUR: THE FUNNEL THAT WILL BE THE FRONT DOOR IN DUBAI

We had cocktails before lunch at the Funnel Bar.

The picture shows the magnificent funnel that in Dubai will be the front door access for the QE2 hotel.

In his lecture today, Stephen Payne, Chief Naval Architect of Carnival and the designer of the QM2, told us that this is nor the original funnel but a recent one.