I remember lengthy internal debates on how final ports should be handled. It was decided, quite rightly I think, that anything extra or special should be the responsibility of the port. I drafted a release about it being QE2s last call there and sent it to every port to customise and issue if they wanted. We knew some ports were always going to be more proactive than others. It was also the right decision as Cunard did not have the manpower to galvanise ports into action and it was right to focus on the designated farewell voyages to make them more special. Every cruise in 2008 would have had a last this or a last that and it would have affected onboard morale if a fuss was made every other day about it being the last....
The planning could have been extra sad, had everyone not been so busy both practically as well as thoughtfully - and professional.
Quebec, Stavanger, and in particular - the QE2 Supporters Group in Geiranger must have read the releases extra well!
The latter celebrated with a gathering on the edge of the fjord, plus cannon and smoke!
The on board approach was interesting - depending on who it was involved in any conversation - Crew, in particular - in so many cases, QE2 had been their home - and what came across was a significant level of underlying sadness, and the unsettling aspects of not knowing where the next contract might be... 'No Ma'am, not yet...I have asked for Queen Mary 2'
and 'spose it'll be cargo ships' - and to this day, the cargo ship thing is still (of course) inevitably something that wasn't ideal....
The start up teams had been gone - and there weren't many in the July / August voyages who were certain of their next move...
Officers were business like, and I cannot remember any conversations regarding 'the next step', interestingly, neither then - or since.
Talkng about QE2, thinking about QE2 and smiling about QE2 continues to this day - and the crew and seniors still light up when there are a couple of moments to remember the 'old home' - mostly these are for brief 'stories' - usually ending in laughter!
(This is now well off topic - sorry to Rob 'n all!
It has great potential for present day discussion - maybe we could have a new one?)
