Fashion Week Cruise Review

This was a girls cruise with my daughter, my sister, and a dear friend. I celebrated my 61st birthday on the voyage. My daughter is 33. My sister is in her 40s and her friend is in her 50s. I share our ages so you will understand that this cruise was a smashing success over four decades of passengers. We really went all out for this cruise. My daughter and I were in the Windsor Suite, a Q2 duplex on the aft of deck 10. My sister and her friend were four doors away in a Q5. We spent several days in London before embarking. That was incredibly lovely, as well, but I won't bore all of you with that tale.

I will try to hit the highlights in this review as best I can. We took tons of photos, but I have not a clue as to how to put them into this review and I am too old to learn now! If after reading this, any of you would like to see pictures of the suite, the Queens Grill, the Queens Room, or anything else, just ask and I will have my daughter Sara post photos on this thread.

Pre-Cruise

Cunard does claim to offer a pre-cruise concierge (perhaps just for Grills???) that they call an Onboard Services Coordinator. I made a few modest requests that were definitely not accommodated. We didn't ask for much. We just wanted to have some general idea of when the fashion week activities would occur so that we could plan spa services and other activities around that. We also asked to have the same butler assigned to our two suites. The coordinator responded to my emails, but only to note that she received the email and would get back to me. After four emails over the course of three weeks, she didn't give us a single answer. It was a complete waste of time.

I have to give credit to our fellow Cruise Critic fan, BELL BOY, who made up for what Cunard did not provide in this regard. Bell Boy went to the onboard concierge shortly after boarding and he, not Cunard, made sure that the same butler was assigned to both of our suites. Such a kind and valuable effort by someone who, at that point, hadn't even met us!

Embarkation

We planned to arrive at 12:30, our embarkation time, but traffic delayed us. We didn't arrive until nearly 2 pm. By that time, the terminal was nearly empty. There was no line whatsoever to check in. We were whisked onto the ship by a red-coated bellman and arrived at our suite in just a few minutes. Our luggage already had arrived.

The Windsor Suite

This was a really gorgeous suite. Three bathrooms, a very large bedroom, huge walk in closet, nice sized balcony, living room with dining area, two desks, and a large butler's pantry. As I said, we have tons of pictures that Sara can upload upon request.

Our butler, Vishal, was a relatively young man from Mauritius. He was professional and steadfast. Nothing was too much to ask. He upgraded our alcohol selections to top shelf brands and brought us an extra bottle of Cointreau so my sister could mix up Cosmopolitans for us every evening with canapés. Special requests for nightly canapés were encouraged. Vishal arranged for a pre-dinner cocktail party for 14 people on my birthday, the final evening of the cruise. He arranged for specific canapés we requested, and served cocktails and champagne throughout the party. He and the room steward, Rex, even gave me my own bottle of Veuve Cliquot and a box of Godiva chocolates as a birthday gift. Rex also was very professional, amiable, and flexible with our inconsistent schedules. The room always was in pristine condition and Rex decorated with balloons and other fancy stuff for our birthday cocktail party.

Dining

The Queens Grill is a gorgeous restaurant. it feels much lighter and less crowded after the refit. the Maitre d' Oliver was excellent, as was the head waiter, Abdul, and the rest of the wait staff. The lead waiter for our table, Max from Ukraine, was very attentive, funny and just a fine human being. Really, they all were. Special requests were encouraged. Every day at lunch, Oliver would ask us if we would like anything special. Nothing was too much to ask. We feasted on lobster (prepared at least three different ways), fois gras, and caviar. One night, Oliver prepared a family style Indian meal for us and another couple at our table that included starters, four different kinds of curry and a carrot-based dessert pudding that was really delicious. On these special nights, we often would just identify a type of food we were interested in, and then ask Oliver and Abdul to "surprise us." They never failed to both surprise and delight.

The only other place we dined was in The Verandah for a lunch that included wine pairings. it was a wonderful meal. Unfortunately, they poured eight varieties of wine. So, even though I didn't drink all of a single glass they gave me, I still ended up so tipsy that I can't remember a single thing they tried to teach me about wine pairings! I do recall, however, that, while the fool in the Grills restaurant tends toward the traditional, the food offerings in the Verandah were more modern and adventurous. We didn't have anything approaching a bad meal in either venue.

I did try to check out the Carinthia Lounge to answer questions I saw here about whether they were offering small plates. I didn't see any, but we didn't pass through there often enough to provide a definitive answer.

Fashion Week Events

For the most part, Absolutely Fabulous! The Julien MacDonald runway show, offered twice during the crossing, was glamorous, vibrant and fun. The clothes were mostly collected from bespoke garments he makes for celebrity clients. (Among his clientele are Beyoncé, Madonna, Taylor Swift, Janet Jackson, etc.) the gowns and menswear was gorgeous and adventurous but ultimately unwearable for ordinary mortals. But that wasn't the point. We weren't there to buy. We were there to feel a part of something avant garde and adventurous. He did not disappoint. It really was a highlight.

Julian MacDonald did a conversation with Colin McDowell in the Royal Court theatre that also was a real treat. Learned quite a bit about how one might make a mark in the fashion world, as Julian did. Colin McDowell is funny and charming. We also very much enjoyed his lecture on the fashion exploits of the British Royals.

Once again, I have to thank BELL BOY, who made arrangements to insure that we had reserved VIP seats for all of these events. He is such a kind and generous man! We were very happy to make his acquaintance and especially delighted that he and his traveling companion joined us for our birthday cocktail party.

Canyon Ranch Spa

The thermal pool and saunas (aromatherapy dry sauna, Finnish sauna and steam room) were well maintained and nice. We all were able to find loungers around the pool, although not all together.

The spa services were not as good as we had hoped. My sister, who was traveling with us, owns a luxury day spa, so it would be fair to say that we come to a spa with high expectations, but I think you will agree that these services were not all up to snuff, particularly considering the high cost compared to comparable treatments on land.

I had a deep tissue massage early in the cruise that was fine, but nothing to write home about. Then, my daughter and I both had facials. Our appointments were with the same aesthetician, but two days apart. The concern is that she didn't really tailor the facial to our specific needs. Keep in mind that I am 61 and Sara is 33. I have an olive complexion with wrinkles and bags under my eyes. Sara has bright, very fair skin with no wrinkles. The aesthetician told both of us, almost verbatim, that we had the same exact skin problems (something about bursting capillaries) and then recommended the exact same, very uninspired, facial for both of us. I couldn't help but wonder if she made the same recommendation for both of us because it happened to be the most expensive facial they offered.

Finally, on the last day of the cruise, I had a Thai massage. I have had this type of massage a half dozen times before, including services in Thailand and Cambodia, so I know what to expect - a lot of stretching and compression. But on this occasion, I got a lot more compression than I bargained for! After telling the massage therapist that she was compressing too hard, she continued, and climbed onto my upper back. She placed her knees below my shoulder blades and her hands on my shoulders and began to bounce. I felt and heard a CRACK in the front right section of my rib cage, immediately followed by pain. I had to end the massage early (although I paid her.) When I got home, I had an x-ray, which revealed a cracked rib! After telling her that the compression was too hard, I really was a bit upset that she continued to the point of injuring me! (If any of you are curious, I have no intention of suing Cunard or making a fuss. I am only sharing this experience because any review should include the good and the not-so-good.)

Sara and I each treated ourselves to an "updo" in the hair salon. That service was very good and we were quite happy with the styles we received.

Other Activities

It really is impossible to do and see everything you would hope to on a 7 day crossing. There is more that we didn't get to experience that inspires me to do this voyage again. For example, we only saw one show, a piano duo, in the Royal Court theatre. We enjoyed it very much.

We went to the casino with some of the folks we shared our dining table with. Played blackjack until we ran out of the limited funds we allowed ourselves. The dealers were professional and friendly. Sara played some kind of three card poker on her own two nights and won a few hundred dollars! Overall we probably balanced each other out.

We enjoyed watching the dancing in the Queens Room several nights. One night, I actually worked up the courage to dance when asked by one of the dance hosts. He was very kind and pretended not to notice I had two left feet. I did take the advice of several of you on this site and wore flat shoes, but they didn't make me a better dancer. My daughter also took your advice and actually bought dancing shoes for the cruise. She also danced the entire night away, with the Julien MacDonald models, on the second to the last night of the cruise. She had a blast!

We went to the gym most every day. All of the equipment seemed to be in working order and the facility was well utilized but also kept quite clean. We walked or ran on the promenade deck a few mornings when weather permitted. If you want to actually run or walk fast on the promenade deck, you must do that in the early morning. By mid-morning, there are a lot of strollers and loungers and it is impossible to get in a work out.

We checked out most of the bars, spending time in the Commodore Club (excellent canapés around 8 pm), the Golden Lion, the champagne bar and the Grills Lounge. Excellent service in each location, and the only place that was a bit crowded was the Golden Lion. We never paid a bit of attention to the price of drinks. We were on holiday and just let it roll over us.

We visited the Pavillion pool, which was warm and cozy in all weather. We also spent part of an afternoon on the Grills Terrace on one of the nicer days. Both locations were very nice, although the hot tubs could be a tad warmer.

Weather (Aug. 31 - Sept 6)

We had a few fairly nice partly sunny days toward the end of the voyage as we approached New York. We also had about a day and a half of somewhat rough seas in the middle. During that time, the television said we were experiencing a "severe gale," but the ship was relatively stable. On those partly sunny days, the pool deck, visible from our balcony, was well utilized. But this voyage was not about warm weather. The activities inside the ship are the focus and there was way more available to do than we had time to do it in.

Disembarkation

I have read of passengers' negative experiences disembarking in Red Hook. We had a good experience, perhaps because we disembarked relatively early with the QG group. We found our bags, all more or less together, very quickly. The wait in the queue to pass through immigration was 20-25 minutes. The immigration officer was polite and efficient. We were outside the terminal by 9 am.

Closing Thoughts

We paid a lot of money for this cruise. I have felt a bit uncomfortable commenting here today, and in some of my pre-cruise posts, about our luxurious suites. I do like to cruise in a suite because I only get a few weeks of holiday each year and I want to relax and pamper myself. But I have never stayed in accommodations as luxurious and beautiful as this duplex suite on any cruise line. We four girls took this amazing cruise, and spent more money than we should have, for a lot of reasons. First and foremost, this cruise was for my daughter. But also, this was an important bonding time for all four of us. That effort was made so very easy when all of us could convene in the Windsor Suite to drink Cosmos, to help each other select dresses, pull up each others' Spanx, and to fuss with each others' hair. It was extravagant, but it was also such a relaxing and important week for all of us. We made memories that will last a lifetime. Will I cruise with Cunard again? Definitely. In a Duplex? Probably not, but probably in a more modest QG suite. The service Cunard provides in Queens Grill lives up to the marketing, in my opinion. I can't imagine not having a go at it again, even if a somewhat more modest way.

I want to close by again thanking all of you, especially BELL BOY and SOLENT RICHARD, for your input and good natured support. I know I was a bit of a pest asking so many questions in the weeks leading up to this voyage. You all treated me kindly and offered a lot of help. I am grateful, and so are my traveling companions who (mostly silently) followed along on the threads with my questions. I hope someday to have enough Cunard experiences to offer similar support to other less well-traveled voyagers.

And if I can answer any questions, or post any photos (with Sara's help), just ask.

Vanessa

My husband and I have 19 days booked for our first Cunard experience on the QM2 next June/July. We are looking forward to it and really appreciate the time you took to write this thoughtful review.

I'd love to hear more about the beautiful gowns, tuxes, and themed formals if you wouldn't mind sharing.

I am happy to share! On this seven day crossing, we had four informal nights and three formal nights. Of the formal nights, the first (on the second night) was the Black and White Ball. Based on my one prior crossing, and what I have read here, I think they have a Black and White Ball on nearly every cruise. The middle formal night was not themed. The final formal night had a Roaring 20s theme. I didn't expect to see a lot of people dressing to that theme, but there were quite a few, perhaps 10 - 20 percent of the passengers who went to the ballroom that night dressed to the theme. I would estimate that half of the men wore tuxedos or dinner jackets on formal nights, maybe more than half.

The informal nights were subject to fairly broad interpretations. Many women wore glitzy cocktail dresses, our group included. On the other end of the spectrum, some women wore smarts slacks and tops without a hint of sparkle. All were considered to be in compliance with the dress code. Men were in jackets, to include sports jackets and blazers. There were more men without ties than I expected to see.

I didn't see a lot of people who didn't dress in the evenings, but I am sure that we just weren't going to the same locations after 6 pm.

Daytime attire is similar to other cruise lines, although many people were better dressed than I have seen on mainstream lines, such as Norwegian. My daughter dressed up day and night every day and she never felt out of place. Because of the weather on a transatlantic, there were not many people wearing shorts and Hawaiian shirts, although there were a few.

If you would like Sara to post pictures of some of the dresses we wore, let me know and she will get that done in the next few days.

Where are you going on your cruise?

Great review. There is always something special about travelling in Cunard's Q1 Suites. We too occasionally feel guilty about the expense but compared to turning left when you board a plane its great value!!

Hope to see the photos in due course.

Thanks for a comprehensive review.

One thing, I sincerely hope that you appraised Cunard re your cracked rib.

The 'therapist' needs retraining and nothing will be done to stop her injuring others if Cunard are not made aware.

A cracked rib should not be the outcome of a massage :eek:

Thanks so much for reporting back, it sounds like an amazing experience (apart from the rib).

I look forward to seeing some photographs.

 

Where are you going on your cruise?

Thank you for the wonderful detail. It reinforces why I chose to try cruising on Cunard and in particular the QM2.

We are taking the 7 day Norway Fjord, followed directly with a 12 day TA which includes an overnight in Boston for the Fourth of July.

I was hesitant to move to Cunard as we can not afford the top suites on this line. On Princess I spend the same amount for a 500-730 sq ft full suite with same day free laundry and full MDR room service (along with a host of other perks) as I will spend for a BU sheltered balcony which I think is in the 250-300 sq ft range. I won't have accesss to the anytime (and no waiting) nicer club class dining that I'm used to. While Princess still has formal nights, they aren't strictly enforced and as my husband and I just love to dress for dinner we are looking forward to that aspect of the trip being better on QM2.

I think 19 days will be long enough for us to decide if we think the trade off of personal space, special suite treatments and such are worth the elevated dressing experience.

Thanks again.

What a lovely review, thank you for sharing and I hope you get to have many more wonderful times like this one! I am not a bit envious - much :*

Thank you for a great positive and informative review. I really enjoyed reading it.

Personally I wouldn't take a cracked rib after a Spa massage very lightly. And I would have definitely pursued this with Cunard. They should know this, even if it can prevent future victims suffering the same fate. And I feel you should be compensated for it accordingly.

Spa services can be a bit of a hit and miss onboard cruises. Heavily overpriced, with at times mediocre results usually followed up by a very irritating sales pitch (which is part of your actual massage time). On the other end Spa staff is being pushed relentles as far as working hours and expected sales. So I simply stopped using them anymore, apart from a Spa pass for the sauna, steam room etc..

I expect Cunard to read all of the postings so I wouldn't be surprised if this has already been followed up internally ;-)

I will be sending an email to Cunard about my unfortunate experience with the Thai massage. I agree with posters here - It needs to be brought to their attention and the therapist needs retraining so nobody else is injured. My hesitation comes from concern that the massage therapist might be terminated. I don't want to be responsible for that. (I know that she is ultimately responsible, but I still would feel horrible about it.) I am thinking hard about how to phrase the email so that it is clear why I am writing and what I think should be done about it.

I have no interest in being compensated for the injury. I am in the legal profession so I know what a miserable experience it is to make such a claim, for everyone. While I still experience discomfort from the cracked rib, I can't honestly call it pain at this point, and my doctor tells me it will heal in due course. (There is no actual treatment for a cracked rib.) If they wanted to reimburse the cost of the massage, fine, but I won't even ask for that. It's not at all about money for me, but rather about the potential risk to other passengers. Happily, I am healthy and I will heal. But I could have been an older or more frail passenger who would have experienced more serious and sustained injury. I just have to figure out how to make a report to Cunard without causing serious economic harm to the therapist.

I will report back on the outcome, if any, of the email.

I will be sending an email to Cunard about my unfortunate experience with the Thai massage. I agree with posters here - It needs to be brought to their attention and the therapist needs retraining so nobody else is injured. My hesitation comes from concern that the massage therapist might be terminated. I don't want to be responsible for that. (I know that she is ultimately responsible, but I still would feel horrible about it.) I am thinking hard about how to phrase the email so that it is clear why I am writing and what I think should be done about it.

 

I have no interest in being compensated for the injury. I am in the legal profession so I know what a miserable experience it is to make such a claim, for everyone. While I still experience discomfort from the cracked rib, I can't honestly call it pain at this point, and my doctor tells me it will heal in due course. (There is no actual treatment for a cracked rib.) If they wanted to reimburse the cost of the massage, fine, but I won't even ask for that. It's not at all about money for me, but rather about the potential risk to other passengers. Happily, I am healthy and I will heal. But I could have been an older or more frail passenger who would have experienced more serious and sustained injury. I just have to figure out how to make a report to Cunard without causing serious economic harm to the therapist.

 

I will report back on the outcome, if any, of the email.

My wife and I did the roundtrip, first week to New York left the ship, had a cup of coffee, back on ship to Southampton. It sounds like you and your party had a great time on your first Cunard cruise you also picked the best liner in the world to cross the Atlantic , we think you would have loved the entertainment on our second week we had the National Symphony Orchestra I cannot describe how much we enjoyed the shows they did. Sorry to hear about your unfortunate accident in the spa and hope it heals very quickly. Also very kind of you not to make a claim, very rare in today's world.:)

Was your daughter in the Queen's Room enough to form an impression? It sounds like she enjoyed G32.

I would love to see any photos that your daughter can post on here. The gorgeous cabin, your lovely clothes, etc. Thank you for such a well-written, comprehensive and positive review. It was a joy to read. Having taken many many QM2 crossings and voyages, I could picture what you were writing about.