My last QE2 trip, Mediterranean, late July 2008

[Thomas Hypher]

Hi everyone,

I now have access to the old Windows XP computer (dating from 2005 ) and have transferred and backed up everything wanted off it. This included the rest of the photos I took on my last QE2 trip. I have just made an album on Flickr so they're separated from the rest of my photos. I daren't embed the photos here since there are 108 of them in all and Rob won't appreciate me testing the forum's server or software! Here's a link to my album on Flickr of them instead:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsm4EnWgT

Hope they enable all who travelled on her to relive happy memories and give an insight into what she was like onboard for those who never had the chance to experience QE2!

Thomas

[Brandon Sterkel]

Awesome pictures, Thomas! Glad you were able to save them!

If I had the opportunity to cruise on QE2, I too would have had a field day with a camera!

[Thomas Hypher]

Awesome pictures, Thomas! Glad you were able to save them!

If I had the opportunity to cruise on QE2, I too would have had a field day with a camera!

Thank you Brandon! Knowing that I would never step aboard her again as an active, seagoing, Cunard ship I took the opportunity to take as many photos as the tiny in storage SD cards in my camera back then would take!

[Peter Mugridge]

"Late July 2008"... Thomas, was that the 31st July 2008 sailing?  I have some pictures somewhere on this forum of the sailing on 31st July 2008.  Though I suspect that's actually the voyage immediately after yours?

[Thomas Hypher]

"Late July 2008"... Thomas, was that the 31st July 2008 sailing?  I have some pictures somewhere on this forum of the sailing on 31st July 2008.  Though I suspect that's actually the voyage immediately after yours?

Hi Peter, your photos are of the voyage immediately afterwards. We (me and my parents) were onboard when she called in Monte Carlo on the 28th July 2008 (confirmed by a fan and fellow QE2 traveller on Facebook).

[Peter Mugridge]

Thanks; I suspected that would be the case - it does at least mean we must have passed each other in the Southampton area at some point on the morning of the 31st.

I see you got a bridge visit. Whereabouts in the cruise did that take place?

[Thomas Hypher]

Maybe we did unknowingly pass each other! My Dad touched her hull on leaving for the last time. I might have done similar too, although I definitely did at other times (anchor ports being a prime opportunity!). I'm not sure we looked back though as it was an emotional event.

The bridge visit (my 2nd and my Dad's 1st - I had previously visited with the Children's Club in Summer 2005 when she was going 28.3/4 knots in calm sunny weather - the weather dissipaters - forgotten their names - didn't stop me getting blasted by her headwind as I stood on the compass platform on the port bridge wing!) was on the way back to Southampton (David Perkins was Captain on our last trip) somewhere in an unusually calm and sunny Bay of Biscay if I remember correctly.

My Dad wrote a letter to him as did a number of people. We were not hopeful in this post 9/11 world but were told to meet near the Britannia statue on Boat Deck (forgotten the letter of the stairwell!) and to not tell anyone else about our visit. We arrived to wait and met a bunch of people who had also been sworn to secrecy haha so we were all standing around saying nothing but all knew where we were going! On both my bridge visits I remember the "rabbit warren" behind the bridge of many different rooms and a square spiral type staircase up to the bridge that was adorned with framed photos and plaques given to the ship over 39 years of active service!

Sorry for my essay and verbal diarrhoea!

Thomas

[Peter Mugridge]

Sorry for my essay and verbal diarrhoea!

Don't be; this is exactly the sort of story and detail that we really want to read. 

[Isabelle Prondzynski]

Great photos, Thomas! They tell a good story .

You are right, it is better to take this topic straight to your Flickr album, where all the photos are collected together. Later, when you want to respond to another topic, your pictures are ready to be embedded where they can illustrate a point you want to make. It is my feeling, for instance, that you have the greatest collection here, of QE2 "towel sculpture"!

[Thomas Hypher]

Peter - Two things I wish I had done was have much bigger capacity SD cards, and have taken photos in the bit behind the bridge (although I think we were being ushered up and didn't really stop or have time for photos  ).

Isabelle - Our steward on the last trip went the extra mile in many ways (like the crew did and still sometimes do on QM2) and one of the ways was the towel animals that always impressed me and my parents and we tried to keep them intact until a new animal came along the next day!

[Thomas Hypher]

I have more photos I'll be uploading to Flickr (mainly taken by my Dad and will be uploaded and shared with his permission) soon.

[Peter Mugridge]

When I was on board it was still film cameras... So not as many pictures as I would have liked with hindsight, full stop.

[Thomas Hypher]

When I was on board it was still film cameras... So not as many pictures as I would have liked with hindsight, full stop.

On my first trip in August 2003, six year old me used two disposable film cameras (I recently found a spare, I think from the same time too - it says to develop the film by 2011  ). My parents used their early digital cameras though. I'm starting to feel old haha.

[Trevor Harris]

Thomas, your photos are incredible! I love each and every one! Thanks for sharing with us!

[June Ingram]

Hi Thomas - Your photos are just great !  What a record to have !  June