QM2 - Ship Description
Trip Start
Feb 19, 2008
1
7
Trip End
Feb 29, 2008
Queen Mary 2, United States
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
This ship has everything.
Illuminations: Planetarium with several showings daily to choose from. Only 150 people can attend each showing, so get there early to get your tickets. In the afternoon, there is a full size movie screen with current movies being shown.
Royal Theater: The students from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts from London perform most evenings with some skits during the day.
Library: Over 8,000 hardback books to choose from. You may also join the Book Club and meet later to share your review of the book you choose.
Card room: Had about two dozen card tables; gave lessons on bridge and met each afternoon for a match.
ConneXions: Internet café available 24 hours. They had several classrooms and taught about a dozen or so classes on the four days at sea. These classes included Beginning Word, Excel, Photoshop and so much more. When these rooms weren't used for classes, you could use the computers to study or use the Internet. WiFi was only available in the public areas, which was disappointing since we were also working from the ship. Our suite was sandwiched between two decks that offered WiFi, the Card Room and the Commodore Club, but we couldn't get access from the suite.
Special lectures: Varies with the cruise
Casino: Busy each night and during the day when at sea.
Ambassadors: Readily available to ask the ladies to dance in the Queens Room.
Q32 (Disco): They used a combination of live music with a DJ. The Caribbean Vibez band would play; take a break while the DJ did a special era of music. The band would return from 12-1AM, followed by the DJ until everyone stopped. The music was wonderful and appropriate for anyone 30 or older, great to dance to. At 1AM, folks in their 70s and 80s were still rocking to the music.
Other Organized Activities: They had dance classes, tables lined the windows of the forward sections on Decks 2 and 3 with all types of table games, lots of deck chairs (padded), a family pool, daily entertainment even when in port, Afternoon Tea, and the list goes on and on.
Shops: Harrods is on the ship. There's an excellent selection of clothes, accessories, souvenirs.
Crew: One of the things we found different from other cruise lines were the duties of the Cunard staff. For example, our cocktail server in the disco only worked in the disco from about 10PM to closing each night and at special events in that room. Staff were given an area to work and that's what they did. Cunard does move their staff around so that they don't get bored. For example, the Bartender / Supervisor in the Commodore Club had been with Cunard two years and during that time has worked in all the lounges. He started as a server, then bartender and now he's a supervisor. Everyone we met enjoyed their jobs, loved this ship and their passengers. Many become like family to them. One couple in our group has sailed on this ship 23 cruise segments. Everyone knows them, they're family.
Dining:
Queens Grill: All our meals were in the Queens Grill at an assigned table. Seating was open for each meal and you were served as each party arrived. We shared our table with two English couples. Each couple was usually at a different stage of dining. The food was superb. There was a daily lunch and dinner menu, which were delivered to our stateroom each day and a complete set given to us at the end of the cruise by our wait staff, with a note signed by them. An A la Carte menu was also provided each evening that was constant. We were advised that if we ordered from the A la Carte menu, it would be an additional 25 minutes before dinner would be served, but we found the timing much shorter and never had to wait long. If you want duck or Chateaubriand for dinner or Crepes Suzette for dessert, we recommend you ask for it the night before so that the chef is prepared to do the splendid job that he can do if he has advanced notice.
Cunard still has the Class System on their ships, meaning the type of stateroom you purchase dictates the type of dining you experience. Queens Grill is the highest category, followed by Princess Grill. The QM2 has a new category called Britannia Club. The majority of passengers dine in the Britannia Room. Everyone in the Queens and Princess Grills dressed appropriately each evening. I was told by a passenger that some people in the Britannia Room did dine in jeans at night and nobody asked them to leave to change into that evening's attire, but most complied and stayed dressed. The few I saw in casual clothes in the evening were young people, which were in the minority on this cruise.
One couple at our table was invited to dine with the Hotel Manager in the Britannia Room. His sister in England is a friend of theirs. They said the food in the Britannia Room was excellent.
Kings Court: This is the casual dining for breakfast and lunch. In the evening, it's divided into three restaurants...Italian, Steak and Seafood, and Oriental. Because it's sectioned off to use in the evenings as alternative dining venues, it's a bit awkward and somewhat confusing during the casual dining hours. Most people preferred to eat in their assigned dining rooms.
Queens and Princess Grill passengers have some other advantages as well. They have a private lounge open from 10AM-11PM daily and Afternoon Tea is served here each afternoon at 4PM. They have a private lounge area on Deck 11 Aft with a Jacuzzi, a VIP lounge with a Concierge, Shore Excursion desk, a DVD library, refreshments and a supply of their own tickets to the Planetarium. Guests in Q1-Q4 receive a Priority Pass for tender disembarkation, which is very handy. Our Welcome Cocktail party was on a different night from the Britannia guests and we were invited to a Senior Officers cocktail party as well.
The Deluxe Apartment is really a waste of good money as a category to purchase. However, many of those who purchased Penthouses were upgraded to the Deluxe Apartment. I'd recommend each person to at least once sail in a Princess Suite or the least expensive Queens Suite to enjoy this experience. It's totally awesome and will spoil you for life.
We went on this ship thinking it would be too formal and a bit stuffy. We were wrong. We had just as much fun on this ship as we would on Carnival or Royal Caribbean. Plus we got to enjoy the elegant ambiance that we thought no longer existed. What a jewel this ship is!!
TIP for Transatlantic Sailings: A friend sailed on the Transatlantic from England to New York in July 2007. She had a balcony stateroom. It's too cold to be on your balcony even for two minutes. She advised that you get an oceanview stateroom and spend your time exploring the ship and attending all the lectures and activities that this ship has to offer on these six-day sailings.
