|
CRUISE REVIEW
CHAMPAGNE AFTERNOON TEA ON QUEEN MARY 2 by Richard H. Wagner |
|
|
The afternoon tea held each sea day in the ballroom on Queen Mary 2’ is renowned throughout the cruise industry for its elegance. White gloved stewards bringing trays of finger sandwiches, scones and cake to passengers seated at small intimate tables while a string quartet or harpist plays.
However, QM2 also offers an even more elegant tea than the complimentary tea in the ballroom. For an additional fee, one can have a Laurent Perrier Champagne Afteroon Tea. This tea is comparable to the afternoon teas at the top London hotels such as the Ritz or Brown’s. Appropriately, The champagne teas are held in the ship’s champagne bar, a relatively small venue, which opens out onto the upper level of the Grand Lobby. Natural light floods in from the picture windows. Iconic movie stars pictured in the act of having drinks look down from the paintings that decorate the walls. The 20 or so small tables are covered with crisp white tablecloths. When you enter you see that there are champagne glasses on the tables. Soon after you are seated, a steward dressed in a white shirt and a black tie arrives to ask if you would prefer Laurent Perrier brut or rose as your complimentary glass of champagne. This is real champagne, not sparkling wine. Real champagne is made differently than most sparkling wines, giving it a different flavor. Furthermore, many people find that it does not produce the terrible hangovers that are commonly associated with New Years Eve sparkling wines. It is best to drink the champagne before commencing with the tea. The tea and the food tend to overpower the subtle flavors of the champagne. The steward returns offering a choice of three different teas. These teas are not in tea bags but are loose tea leaves. Once you make your choice, the steward places the leaves in a metal ball that is then inserted into an individual size pot of hot water. Also on the table is a device that combines three hour glasses, each with a different color sand. Before turning the device upside down the steward explains that when the sand runs out the tea is ready. If you are having your tea with milk watch the glass with white sand. If you are having green tea, watch the glass with blue-green sand and if you are having your tea plain, watch the dark colored sand. While waiting for the tea to perk, you can sip the champagne and relax to the sound of a harpist (or sometimes a string trio) playing in the room. Soon the steward returns with a three-level tower of food. On the first level are an array of premium sandwiches, on the second level are scones along with clotted cream (individual jars of strawberry preserves are on the table) and on the top level are a series of individual cakes. It is a good idea to skip lunch if you are going to this tea. Although the tower contains more food than one should eat , the steward returns offering to replenish the tower. It is hard to say no as the items in the tower are both fresh and tasty. A second pot of tea is offered. Why not try another flavor? Because the tea is made with loose leaves, you can really appreciate the distinctive taste of the various types of tea. All too soon the experience ends. In all, it lasts about an hour. But it is one that stays in your memory. |
|
Cruise review - - Cunard Line - - Queen Mary 2 - -Champagne Afternoon Tea - September 2024