February 12, 2014. The Queen Elizabeth. Lahaina, Hawaii.

Serving afternoon tea is a lovely tradition. Yesterday, Ken and I enjoyed drinking our afternoon tea on the 11th deck of the lounge, right beside our dining room, The Princess Grills. The event was delightful. The tea is served every day but until yesterday, we did not feel the need for more food in the middle of the afternoon. Yesterday, after our several hours of prowling the ship, we finally succumbed. The tea was perfect. White gloved waiters served, bringing us scones, tiny sandwiches and cakes, along with clotted cream. And we drank ginger tea. It was elegant, to the highest degree. The Cunard Cruise Line used to be British. Mr. Cunard was a Canadian from Nova Scotia but he took his business to London, where it stayed and grew. The company ran very proper British ships. In 1956, I travelled home on the original Queen Elizabeth, along with the other Canadian delegates from the International Salvation Army Corps Cadet Congress . I was 18, and had a wonderful time, but I do not recall the elegance of the ship. Several years ago, Cunard was purchased by Carnival, an American company, but they have kept the Cunard Line running exactly the same, right down to the afternoon tea. It was lovely, taking afternoon tea yesterday, but I think I will skip it today. I ate a big lunch!!