HISTORIC CRUISING
HIGH SOCIETY DINING
For real exclusive dining, Queen Elizabeth boasted the 108-seat VERANDAH GRILL. Situated aft on the Sun Deck, this was the place to be. High up and overlooking the stern, it was the haunt of the rich and famous and, despite a 10-shil- ling cover charge, was usually fully booked for the entire voyage. It had a
separate kitchen and its own dance orchestra and was more like a supper club than a restaurant. The Grill con- cept of course, continues aboard the modern
Queens, alas with probably fewer famous faces.
They became well-known faces on the ships and the atmosphere of familiarity was akin to British Airways’ Concorde lounges at JFK and Heathrow airports. First class passengers accounted for more than a third of the total carried, with the remainder travelling in what was then very comfortable ac- commodation in cabin and tourist class. Despite catering mainly for American passen- gers, it is surprising the ship had air-conditioning only in her first class public rooms and main res- taurant. Full air-conditioning was installed only in the mid-1960s. Even though she was such a large ship, she rolled in the heavy north Atlantic swells and had no stabilisers until 1955. It was for this reason her main restaurant was situated amidships, low down in the ship. This magnificent room could seat nearly 800 first class passengers in a single sitting.
ers could enjoy the splendid offerings produced by world-famous chefs. The menu was immense and, if there was a special dish passengers would like at dinner, all they had to do was ask the head waiter at
C
ool veneers of London plane tree burr, finished in coffee and milk-coloured tones, created a relaxed atmosphere in which din-
lunchtime and it would be ready that evening. Cunard proudly boasted it could serve any dish requested, be it Japanese, Jewish, Indian or European. The waiters were experts in silver service and able to prepare flambé dishes at the table as well as carve barons of beef, transported between tables in dome-covered trollies called silver bullets. In the main restaurant, there were also three private dining rooms.
‘Getting there is half the fun’ was Cunard’s famous slogan of the 1950s and the crew of Queen Elizabeth did their utmost to ensure passengers enjoyed their five-day crossing of the Atlantic. Un- like today’s version, which has a relatively small proportion of British crew, most of the first Lizzie’s crew hailed from either Southampton or Liverpool and had been with the company for years. However, because of low basic wages, tipping
was a vital part of the smooth running of the ship. For stewards in first class, especially in the Verandah Grill, this could be extremely reward- ing as some of the Hollywood movie stars were extremely generous. These waiters then tipped behind-the-scenes colleagues, such as chefs, who had helped along the way to ensure excellent personal service. And so it went, all the way down the crew hierarchy. Iniquitous as it might seem, it engendered a great sense of teamwork among the crew. Daily life aboard was relaxed, with none of the frenetic activities found on many of today’s cruise ships. The entertainment was also relatively unsophisticated,
54 WORLD OF CRUISING I Spring 2011
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