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Thu May 4th At Sea: Breakfast today with the very personable Broadway producer Steve Fickinger, just two days after he'd learned his play (Dear Evan Hanson) had been nominated for a Tony Award.

But a very busy day: My old friend Rick Senat, a former vice president at Warner Brothers, gave a talk on the old Hollywood studio system; then a standing room-only talk by actress Lainie Kazan; next, a cocktail party up in the beautiful Palm Court; then the 1:30 lecture slot went to Hollywood designer David Page, who presented Behind the Seams: Iconic Motion Picture Costumes (and, at the same time, Steve Friedman held court with a talk titled The Broadway Golden Age 1950-60). David did an especially fine presentation: great costumes worn by the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor and even Marlon Brando's t-shirt from Streetcar Named Desire. Later, just before dinner, my dear friend Jim Brochu did his extraordinary one-man show Character Man, a brilliant presentation about all those supporting, if perhaps less famous stage actors & actresses (and some of the songs they sang). After dinner, it was another cruise ship friend, Dale Gonyea, who cleverly put this voyage & its guests to musical & video humor. And for anyone still standing, even awake, there was concert violinist at 10:15.

Fri May 5th Huatulco (Mexico): First time visit here, but a great charmer. Specially developed in recent years by the Mexican Tourist Office, it might be the French Riviera: a small, enclosed harbor with a narrow channel beyond for small pleasure boats, an inner town with Mexican-style buildings, lots of stylized cliffside hotels and, beyond, a rocky coastline continuously splashed by Pacific seas. Great, great charm. And a concrete cruise pier & where Holland-America's Amsterdam later joined us.

White gloves: Nice chat onboard today with Manuel. He was my waiter some twenty years ago, on the Crystal Harmony. But these days, he's head butler, up on Deck 10, Penthouse Deck, here on the Crystal Symphony. A native of Portugal, he is charm, friendliness and precision. He also reminded me of an earlier shipboard butler.

Serving on another Penthouse Deck: Few shipboard staff can lay claim, at least these days, to 43 years with the same company, the same shipping line. Gordon McKay was the exception. By 2004, when we met for an interview, he had been with the historic Cunard Line since 1961, when he joined the illustrious Queen Mary, the last of the last of the distinctive three-stackers on the North Atlantic run. He then went on to serve aboard the likes of the Caronia, Mauretania, Sylvania, the original Queen Elizabeth and, from late 1968, aboard the QE2. Notably, he was the most senior steward on Cunard by 2004. He was then to retire (and lives on to this day, but reportedly in poor health).

"I will have done 50 years in service," he told me – with discernible pride. "Beginning at the age of fifteen, I did seven years in private service with the Guinness and Rothermere families. I used to rise at 5 in the morning and each day shine 50 pairs of shoes and then join a junior footman and polish the silver for the luncheon and dinner tables. I live in a little room high up in a turret in a castle in Scotland. But I wanted to travel and so joined Cunard to see the world. I stayed 43 years."

"Those earlier Cunard liners, like the Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth, were highly segregated ships," he noted. "They were three class and the divisions were rigidly enforced. Midships was first class and, of course, we still had lots of celebrities on the crossings between Southampton, Cherbourg and New York in the 1960s. I served Rosalind Russell, Bette Davis, Joan Bennett, Merle Oberon and many, many aristocratic and wealthy people. There were many rich people, who traveled in grand style in those days. Some would bring along their own servants. One British couple sailed often and with their own valet and maid, and used the Queens to go between their homes in England and Bermuda. They would cross on either the Mary or the Elizabeth and then connect at New York with the Queen of Bermuda. We had separate cabins for servants that were adjacent to the passenger cabins and suites aboard the Queens."

Luxury cruising: One of Gordon's favorite ships was Cunard's celebrated Caronia, that luxurious liner that did almost nothing but long, expensive cruises and which was well known as the "Green Goddess". A big ship in those days at 34,000 tons, she carried 600 crew for 600 or fewer passengers. "I was with her for seven years," he noted, "and she was then the happiest ship in the Cunard fleet. We had lots of repeaters, including passengers who stayed aboard for months at a time. I recall that it cost $40,000 for the 95-day cruise around the world and for the best suite onboard, Main Deck Number 39 or 40 [1965]. I served Miss Clara MacBeth, who lived aboard for 14 years and who traveled with a lady companion. She had the same waiter and steward year after year. She was a lovely lady, who kept all her wits quite close to her 100th birthday. I looked after her on the maiden voyage of the QE2 in May 1969. She occupied inter-connecting cabins 2065 and 2067, but passed away shortly afterward. No one has surpassed her to this day for continuous travel."

Gordon was aboard some last voyages, some sentimental voyages, as well: The last cruise, a six-week trip around the Mediterranean out of New York, on the Caronia in October 1967 and the final crossing from New York to Southampton of the Queen Elizabeth, October 1968. Immediately afterward, he was sent up to Clydebank on Scotland's River Clyde to join the nearly complete QE2. "I was part of the so-called 'advance party'," he said, "and looked after Prince Charles when he traveled with us for the first trip along the River, from Clydebank to Greenock. I prepared Cabin 1048 for the Prince's day use and served breakfast to his personal detective. The Prince was aboard from 7 in the morning until 3 that same afternoon. Years later, in the 1980s, I met Princess Diana and told her that I had served her husband. I almost met the Queen herself when she came aboard for a pre-maiden voyage visit in May 1969, but missed her when her schedule fell behind and the routing onboard was changed."

Top deck: Gordon was assigned to the QE2's suites and penthouses up on Deck 8 since they were fitted aboard in 1975. "I've looked after many guests, passengers like Lillian Gish, Cliff Richard and Meryl Streep, over the years," he reported. "I was also aboard for the Falklands War in May 1982 when the QE2 was used as a giant troopship. I looked after the commanding officers in the suites. It was interesting to see the truly brave and then the not-so-brave during that voyage. But it was no time to be frightened."

Up until his last year, Gordon was up at 4:30 and on duty by 7. He prepared cabin breakfasts, answered calls from the passengers and later did cabin service. "I am one of only three original waiters left onboard the QE2 [2003]," he said proudly. "To the very end, I still liked the QE2. She is a very agreeable ship. The Queen Mary 2 will be lovely as well, but very different. But I will not be going to her, however. 2004 will be my last year with Cunard."

And speaking of royalty: Soon-to-be 96, Prince Philip announced just yesterday he is withdrawing (not retiring) from most royal engagements beginning this fall. A BBC reporter suggested he might like to retire to the tiny South Pacific island of Tanna in Vanuatu. It seems Philip was made a "god" there when he visited six years ago. There's even a temple and shrine to him – the main altar has a biography & signed photo of the Prince as its centerpiece.

Sat May 6th At Sea: The lap of luxury – and laziness: Went to the gala brunch in the Crystal Cove (enough food to feed all of Bolivia!), then a soaking in the pool, but then watched a lecture on the last Romanov's & their murder but in the quiet comfort of my cabin (it was broadcast live). Yes, Beulah, peel me a grape!

Sun May 7th San Juan del Sur (Nicaragua): Another first time visit to the port as well as country.

Tue May 9th Panama City (Panama): This has been a remarkable cruise. A theater & film theme cruise, there has been a wealth (and second round to come starting today) of superb entertainers & speakers. Alone, we've thoroughly enjoyed talks on Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers, Joan Crawford, Gene Kelly, Lucille Ball, Duke Ellington & Barbra Streisand. Then there's been talks about Broadway musicals, Hello Dolly and the Tony Awards. And presentations by Hollywood directors & producers, Lainie Kazan, Ilene Graff (among much else, she was the mother in the TV sitcom Mr Belvedere) and talks & group shows with world-class song writers: Artie Butler (who has written for Streisand, Bette Midler, Barry Manilow, Peggy Lee, etc); Alan Roy Scott (Celine Dion, Luther Vandross, Roberta Flack, Cher, etc); and Allan Dennis Rich (Tina Turner, Rod Stewart, Ray Charles, Dolly Parton, etc). Alone, Artie's song Here's To Life is a new addition to the American Songbook and Alan Rich's songs have sold over 65,000,000 copies. Each brilliantly presented a trio of their compilations. But Artie Butler left the greatest impression on me with his touching words: "There is a universal plan for everyone – and it is a gift. And in that plan, there are no real mistakes in life – just lessons to be learned. But yes, along that right road in life, we can occasionally take the wrong path."

We're anchored at Puerto Amador (near Balboa), happily Michael joined today & tomorrow we pass through the Panama Canal.