Aboard the QM2

For people who want to know what the ship looks like, here are a few pictures.

*	This is our level B4 cabin. Deck 4, category B, with an in-hull balcony.
*	View from the other direction.
*	The usual view off the balcony. We have had mostly good weather, exceptionally good off Cape Horn.
*	Mary and Blazo dressed for dinner on a formal night.
*	Each leg of the cruise merited a cocktail party where you could get your picture taken with the captain. This is Captain Christopher Rynd.
*	In Sydney we traded the captain for a commodore. Higher rank, same job. This is Commodore Bernard Warner.
*	When we first saw these, we thought it was some sort of sculpture. They are spare propellor blades for the four pods that are used instead of the usual engine, shaft and rudder. Two pods are for propulsion, two for directional movement, so no tugboats are required.
*	This picture is to show you the size of the propellor blades. Remember Blazo is 6 foot 6; he is sitting on the railing placed around each blade to protect passengers.
*	There are three outdoor pools and one indoor pool, as well as numerous Jacuzzi's. I would have preferred fewer but longer pools but no one asked me.
*	Balconies on Deck 8 have obstructed views because of the lifeboats. They had to get a variance to put them up so high, but they didn't want to block views from the restaurant.
*	The grand lobby. Indoor pictures of the public rooms required a better camera than ours. This and the following pictures were for sale in the Camera Shop.
*	The planetarium, one of two theatres. This one was used to show movies as well as planetarium shows. Both were used for lectures. The other one was used for music and dance shows, also for assembling tour groups.
*	The Winter Garden. This was where we assembled for life jacket drill. Occasionally it was used for lectures, but mostly it was a lightly used bar (I think there were 17 bars; we didn't try them all, or even count).

*Hover over pictures marked with an asterisk to enlarge them.