This was our third cruise on Queen Elizabeth so we knew that the standard would be high and we were not disappointed.
Despite boarding taking longer than on previous occasions due to delays in passing through security, we were settled into our cabin by early afternoon.
We had chosen one of the partially obstructed view cabins on deck 5 because they are near the midship elevators and convenient for reaching most onboard facilities.
The obstructions caused by the lifeboat gantries are not too intrusive although the balconies do seem a little smaller than the norm.
Our suitcases were soon delivered and we were greeted by our cabin stewardess who provided a wonderful service throughout the voyage.
She was typical of all the staff we met being cheerful, polite and helpful.
We took all our meals in the Britannia Restaurant preferring the excellent table service to the buffet style arrangement in the Lido.
We feel that meals on a cruise ship should not simply be feeding times but more opportunities to meet fellow passengers over an unhurried dining experience.
This is especially true of dinner when we always opt to share with others and, once again, made great new friends.
Our two lady servers made the experience even more enjoyable by proving an efficient but unobtrusive table service.
We enjoyed all the ports of call although the weather was cool for Spain In April.
Access to city centres was fairly easy with free shuttle buses in Lisbon, Malaga, Barcelona and Valencia.
The ship was moored near the city centre in Cadiz although the walk to the main areas of interest was quite long so we were ready for our refreshments when we reached the historic Catedral Plaza.
The call at Gibraltar was aborted at the last minute as the winds were too strong to safely enter the harbour so the captain secured our berth in Cadiz one day early and headed off full steam ahead for a peaceful overnight stay.
Sadly, there was a delay in going ashore the next day as the visit was chosen for an essential crew safety exercise ‘ perhaps it could have been scheduled for a more convenient time of day although we would never question the need to prioritise passenger safety.
We enjoyed most of the onboard daytime entertainment with interesting talks in the mornings on crime detection and popular music of the 60s and 70s.
The final guest speaker was Sir David Frost who told amusing anecdotes about his time in the entertainment business ‘ ‘That was the Week that was’, et al.
He was interviewed on the final sea day by the Entertainment Director with questions relating to his Nixon interviews and with other famous personalities.
We enjoyed several recent feature films in the afternoons and the evening entertainment varied in quality, as usual on cruise ships.
The team of singers and dancers were pretty good but the shows they were required to perform were not.
Whoever designs these shows should try to include more familiar songs.
So as we complete the 2 weeks of laundry and contemplate buying a sheep to deal with the rapidly growing lawn, we look back on a most enjoyable cruise.
Although the weather is warmer at home than it was most of the time we were in Spain, it was a pleasure to spend 12 days experiencing the delights of cruising on the beautiful Queen Elizabeth.
