The Hindu Business Line : When the Queens met...

It was an innocuous invitation that landed on my desk a few months ago for a cruise in the Sydney Harbour on February 20. I did not pay much attention to it until the actual day of the cruise, and my host reminded me of the imminent meeting of two majestic ships — the Queen Mary 2 (QM2) and Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2), at the Sydney Harbour that evening. The media had gone into a frenzy that day with pictures and stories of the vessels, and people in thousands headed to the harbour to meet and greet the two queens.

Not anticipating the huge crowds and the gridlock it created on the city roads, my wife and I jumped into a taxi for a ride that would normally take 30 minutes to get to the harbour. That day this was not to be! After pulling every favour, and the promise of a generous tip, we rushed through the special taxi and bus lanes, as our driver tried to distract us with the woes of the world and how the British were to blame for everything. He deposited us on the footsteps of the Opera House with barely five minutes left for our cruise boat to leave. Wading through thousands of spectators, we managed to board our boat just as it was pulling away.

QM2 had arrived that morning, but it was the arrival of QE2 and the meeting of the two liners for the first time in Sydney that was going to be historic. The Sydney Harbour looked splendid with bright summer sunshine, with the Harbour Bridge as the backdrop and the Opera House as the setting. From our very vantage view on the deck, I could see hundreds of thousands of Sydneysiders, including families with small children, packed at every viewing point on the harbour. The harbour itself was completely choked with a flotilla of boats and vessels of all types and sizes, there to participate firsthand in the historic meeting. I could barely see the water, as the Marine Police in its patrol boats did a splendid job of keeping the hundreds of boats at bay.

As QE2 regally entered the harbour, it was led by a boat with water cannons spraying the harbour ceremoniously, even as several tug boats steered it safely in. The two queens exchanged traditional hoots and blowing of horns, as the crowds went into thunderous applause. QE2 then moved into her berthing place just below the Harbour Bridge and next to the Opera House, as the crowd celebrated the great meeting.

QE2, one of the oldest cruise liners, was built in 1967 and has carried more than three million passengers since its launch. It has sailed 120 times around the world and boasts the largest floating cinema on board; it typically visits 41 cities, 25 nations over 108 nights of sailing.

Soon after the meeting, there was a fireworks display in the harbour that lit up the evening sky much to the delight of the passengers on board the two colossal vessels.

QM2 stood silently as our boat pulled alongside to help give us a good look at this grand lady. The largest luxury cruise liner in the world, it stood like a huge, brightly lit icon on the water; her sheer size and presence had us awe-struck. The 23-storey-high liner was too tall to sail under the Sydney Bridge and was berthed at the naval base. Built in 2003, the QM2 has long marble corridors, and sweeping staircases that greet passengers. Nearly 16,000 meals are served every day in the four restaurants, where many a black-tie dinner is hosted onboard.

For culture enthusiasts, the Royal Court Theatre — which would be the envy of any West End theatre of London — can seat up to 1,100 people and offers two shows a night. Art connoisseurs can feast their eyes on the nearly $10-million worth of paintings adorning the interiors. The liner has the world's only floating planetarium for the pleasure of star-gazing guests; five swimming pools and jacuzzis occupy the top sunset decks — all equipped with bars and live music. There are facials and beauty treatments too on offer on the deck, and a spa complete with steam rooms and soft channel music.

For those who can afford the most luxurious cabin with a private balcony, the $250,000 package for an 80-day around-the-world cruise includes a personal butler and a private gym. The QM2 in all offers six types of accommodation.

We were joined on our boat by some people who were travelling on the QM2. They regaled us with details of the liner's splendid 8,000-book library and the numerous romances that blossom on board. They told us of a couple who met and fell in love over 21 days of cruising; what's more, the man popped the question at the end of the trip, accompanied by live music and violin that the guest relations manager had secretly arranged in the guest's cabin. The whole ship had followed the story as it unfolded!

That evening, QM2 left for Hong Kong and our boat escorted her out of the Sydney Harbour. She was a floating monolith that moved gracefully and seemed to transport her 3,000 passengers into a world of make-believe during their stay on board.

Back home, my wife recounted the exciting events of the evening to our 10-year-old daughter and regretted that both the children had missed seeing it.

But the little one quietly replied that there was nothing to regret so long as we took her sailing on the real QM2 rather than just watch it sail away!

It truly was a grand welcome and a spectacular party that only Sydney could throw at such short notice. It was a great rendezvous reminiscent of the British Empire when ocean journeys and conquests were the order of the day. Only this time, the conquest was one of our hearts and minds that left everyone smiling... a night when the two queens passed into our memories forever.

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