We have just returned from the 5 day Christmas Markets cruise on QM2 (10-15 December). I thought I would post about our experience. As background I should say that we have been cruising for many years and have experienced lots of different cruise lines during that time. We have previously always preferred to be on smaller ships and our favourite smaller cruise lines are Silversea, Regent and Seabourn. We have avoided larger ships, but because of Covid cancellations, a lot of our planned holidays got kicked into touch. As this was a special year for us (50th wedding anniversary) we were looking for a luxury break that would not involve air travel. So Cunard from Southampton popped into the frame and we thought we would give them a whirl. So we booked this mini break in a QG suite. I would stress that this is our personal experience and others may have different experiences to ours.
Travelling down to Southampton on the morning of the 10th was problematic and a journey of 130 miles took nearly 2 hours longer than it should have done. We thought we would arrive by 12.00 but it was just past 2pm when we joined the CPS queue at the Mayflower terminal. From there it took an hour to board the ship even though we had priority marked on our boarding passes. We just joined one queue after another. Our fault for arriving late. We weren't asked for our Covid vaccination status information. I asked if they wanted to see it and was told no. We were asked if our health had changed since completing the health declaration?! They obviously didn't get the email stating that this had been withdrawn. Nobody was wearing masks. We missed lunch as it was 3pm by the time we got to our suite on deck 9. Not to worry - we checked in at the muster station as instructed and then ordered some room service.
Our suite was lovely and quite spacious. Very well equipped and warm (unlike the outside temperature!) Our butler popped in to say hello and take our order for the mini bar. I had phoned Cunard several weeks ago to ask that the beers be replaced by cider, as my husband cannot drink beer. They assured me that this would be no problem and that they would ensure it was done. Of course that was not the case and we had to explain to our butler what we needed. After a lot of confusion he sorted it out and the next day cider was provided. Our butler and steward were very pleasant and kept the suite looking lovely. However unpacking and packing were never offered (not that we wanted them). We also never had fruit delivered or offered. The champagne was Laurent Perrier. We had booked a gift experience of a wine tasting event. This was reserved and paid for many weeks ago with Cunard. During our first dinner in the QG, the Sommelier told us that wine tasting was not available on this cruise and we would be refunded. Such a disappointment. I discussed this with the Concierge the next day and she told me that Cunard knew which cruises could not offer these experiences and it should not have been sold to us. She assured us that it would be refunded immediately. Of course that has not happened and I have had to send an email to Cunard to find out what is going on.
We also bought a package for access to the internet. However I would say that the service provided (for the price charged) is shockingly bad. It would not work in the suite properly and the excuse given was that the signal is weakened by the fire safety panels. You really should not have to pay for such a bad service. Not good enough Cunard. The Concierge said she would send an email to ask that our package be cancelled. She may have done this but it was not cancelled and we were charged the full price on our account.
Food in the QG was good and all staff were wonderful. They are a credit to Cunard. We tried most of the special items on the menu including crepes suzette which did not appear on the menu any of the nights we were there, but the staff were quite happy to do them for us. Our table for 2 was fine and we had very friendly neighbours. I do think the tables are a little too close together though. Dress code seemed to be followed by the majority but I was a bit amazed at one passenger who thought it was ok to wear a baseball hat in the restaurant.
The Channel was very calm during our voyage and there was little to no movement felt onboard. We did not get off the ship at any of the ports visited as it was so cold. We just enjoyed the ship. On a couple of days the decks were closed because they were icy. It was sometimes difficult to find a quiet spot to read a book. The lounges had music playing all the time even when they were not really open, including those awful Christmas songs that worm into your head!! The library was a lovely space and we chose some books to read in the quiet zone there. One afternoon I spent a couple of enjoyable hours exploring all the decks and facilities on the ship. The Queens room is a lovely space but I was astounded to see a queue forming for afternoon tea some 30 minutes before it was scheduled to take place. As the gangways were open to the elements and a lot of cold air was circulating, people in the queue had their coats on. Not something I would do though. I went elsewhere.
On the last morning we got up early as we were to disembark at 8am. We went to breakfast leaving our overnight bags to finish packing when we returned from the restaurant. We were rather taken aback on entering our suite to find that the bed had been split into twin beds and had fresh linens for the next occupants. The bathroom also now had full bottles of shampoo etc. When you are trying to keep everyone safe from infection and everything is supposed to be cleaned thoroughly, we thought this was very strange and worrying. We hadn't finished with the suite and we felt that we were now trespassing. I know changeover times are tight but we have never experienced anything like this before on any other cruise.
We enjoyed our break. It was relaxing and enjoyable but it could have been so much better. Disembarkation was simple and quick and we were in our car 15 minutes after leaving our suite. The journey back home was quicker than the trip down. Would we cruise with Cunard again? Not really sure.
