In 2011, my Mum was told she couldn't fly due to an ulcer on her leg. As she wanted to go away and 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 and 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 and cruise back to Southampton.
I enjoyed the cruise on the Queen Mary, and 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, and 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 and from the dining room in her wheelchair.
The food onboard the ship was fantastic, and 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, and 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 and 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 and more minor acts in the ship theatre. A piano player in one of the bars had a soft spot for Mum, regularly singing whatever she wanted and buying her a drink. He asked me if he could escort Mum to our room one night so I could stay out and have a drink alone, 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 and kept going. The police car chasing us mouthed for us to follow him and pull over when we caught him up, and he then chased the other driver. Several miles later, we pulled in behind the police car that had pulled in the other driver. I gave him my details and explained to him that Mum couldn't get out of the car without the wheelchair, and he let us off with a warning before going back to the other driver and giving him a ticket.
Our stay in Cape Canaveral was relatively quiet, as we stayed in my apartment and spent time by the pool or on the beach. We watched a rocket launch at Cape Canaveral from the beach by the apartment and ate at local bars and restaurants. Time flew by, and it seemed no time before we had spent three weeks in Florida, driven back to New York, cruised back to the UK on the Queen Mary 2, and were back at Mum's house in Fareham.