All the time in the world, and it’s still not enough for a day full of activity

Leaving the sunshine of the Canaries behind, Queen Elizabeth has turned for home. Since late on Sunday afternoon, when we cast off from Arrecife, the capital of Lanzarote, we have been heading north towards Lisbon, our final port of call before returning to Southampton.
Today is another sea day, and it’s when the ship comes into her own. We have all the time in the world, and it’s still nowhere near enough to do everything on offer.
With apologies to the stretch and relax class, the fab abs class and the total body conditioning on offer in the Royal Spa fitness centre, my day began with a late lie-in and a leisurely breakfast in bed.
Up in time, though, to grab a seat in the Royal Court Theatre for Michael Kushner’s lecture on U-Boats and the Battle of the Atlantic. His earlier talk on the wartime code-breaking team at Bletchley Park had also pulled in a good crowd, and he’ll be back on stage later in the week to hold forth on the sinking of the Bismarck.
He was followed into the theatre by Captain Alistair Clark, who provided an entertaining 45 minute question-and-answer session with Entertainments Director Amanda Reid.
Capt Clark has had a long career at sea since joining the Peninsular and Oriental Steamship Company as a deck cadet in 1974, and has had command of a number of P&O and Princess cruise ships – from Canberra to Azura, with Aurora, Oceana, Crown Princess, Dawn Princess, Ventura and Oriana in between.
Queen Elizabeth is his first Cunard ship, and it comes after a spell in charge of Carnival Corporation’s training centre and ship simulator in Amsterdam.
The morning’s theatre programme concluded with an insight into confidence tricks by comedy scriptwriter Brad Ashton, while elsewhere on the ship passengers were kept occupied with a watercolour class, bridge lessons, a trivia quiz, line dancing in the Queens Room, and a workshop for amateur video enthusiasts editing their holiday films on Apple iMovie.
At the sharp end of the spa an acupuncture demonstration was taking place, while outside passengers were battling for prize points in competitions for quoits and croquet. Those wanting to see where their meals were prepared went on a galley tour, while for people who just wanted to sit and listen there were talks on the history of Impressionism and an introduction to the jewellery of Adam Le Galliene (no, me neither).
There was even a samba class to work up an appetite for lunch . . .
Which was closely followed by shuffleboard and table tennis competitions and a spa seminar on how to lose up to eight inches (no smirking at the back!). There are even some passengers braving the increasing wind to grab a few more rays of sun before we return to whatever Britain has to offer.
Back inside, a classical concert by guitarist Martin Vishnick made way for a screening of multi-Oscar-winning movie Argo, while the energetic could squeeze in a Photoshop class, a needlework session or a few cards of bingo before repairing to the cabin to scrub up and change into posh frocks and dinner jackets for the third of the cruise’s four formal nights.
Tonight is the Elizabethan Ball and “international dance couple” Eugene and Darya will be taking to the floor of the Queens Room at 10.15 for what is promised as an “exhilarating demonstration,” while on stage in the Royal Court there will be two performances from Irish TV and recording star Peter Corry (anybody?).
Me? I will be enjoying dinner in The Verandah restaurant, as a change from my regular table in the Britannia Club. Because after eight days of two-course lunches and three and four-course dinners, it’s time I gave myself a little treat. And tomorrow I will be pounding the streets of Lisbon to work it all off. I promise.