In 2011, my Mum was told she couldn't fly due to an ulcer on her leg. As she wanted to go away & wanted to see my apartment in Cape Canaveral, Florida, I booked two return trips on the Queen Mary 2 to New York.
Queen Mary II.
We cruised from Southampton to New York, drove down the east coast of America & stopped at my apartment at the Villages of Seaport in Cape Canaveral for three weeks before driving back to New York to join the Queen Mary again & cruise back to Southampton.
I enjoyed the cruise on the Queen Mary & although I think mum enjoyed it, she said she didn't like that I always had to help her everywhere. The Queen Mary 2 is nearly a kilometre long & as we were at the opposite end of the ship to the dining room, I walked at least 6 kilometres a day taking Mum to & from the dining room in her wheelchair.
The food onboard the ship was fantastic & there was plenty of it. We ate in various restaurants, but all meals were included in the price of the cruise. Unfortunately, the drinks were not & we spent more on our bar bill than the cruise cost.
On our first night onboard, we were introduced to the Admiral of the fleet. He met us as we were going for dinner. Not judging distance too well, I pushed Mum, in her wheelchair, right over his feet as he shook her hand. I did apologise & asked if I would have to walk the plank, but he let me off.
There was some fantastic entertainment onboard, with big shows, guest speakers & smaller acts in the ship theatre. A piano player in one of the bars had a soft spot for Mum & would regularly sing whatever she wanted & buy her a drink. He asked me if he could escort Mum to our room one night so I could stay out & have a drink on my own, but Mum declined his offer.
We stopped once overnight on the drive down to Florida before continuing the next day. On the long drive, we were cruising along following another car when we were flagged down for speeding. The car we were following just accelerated & kept going. The police car chasing us mouthed for us to follow him & to pull over when we caught him up, he then gave chase to the other driver. Several miles later, we pulled in behind the police car that had pulled in the other driver. I was giving him my details & explaining to him that mum couldn't get out of the car without the wheelchair & he let us off with a warning before going back to the other driver & giving him a ticket.
Our stay in Cape Canaveral was relatively quiet, staying in my apartment, & spending time by the pool or on the beach. We watched a rocket launch at Cape Canaveral from the beach by the apartment & went out for meals at different local bars & restaurants. Time flew by & it seemed no time before we had spent three weeks in Florida, had driven back to New York, cruised back to the UK on the Queen Mary 2 & were back at Mum's house in Fareham.