What's not to be missed on the QM2?

Would all you QM2 veterans choose the best of your experiences for the benefit of all those looking forward to sailing her? Last one to post wins.:p

Since I was on the Tandem Crossing. I would say the departure from NY was maybe the most memorable event in my life. Probably tie with seeing the Pyramids of Gaza, but up there on the list. The other memorable experience, even though a simple one. On the last night of the Crossing, it was very foggy. I was sitting up in the Commodore Lounge at the bar nursing a martini, every couple minutes the horn would blow. I've never experienced that on a cruise ship before. It was very cool!

J.P.

First and foremost EXPLORE and take your time. The ship is huge and there are many areas that you have to take specific routes to get to or you'll miss them. Take time to study the paintings, posters, murals, and overall decor. The ship is truly a destination in itself. If you are in the Britannia restaurant, splurge a little and dine at Todd English 1-2 nights. And if XTSEA is playing in Q32, go be surprised by their talent. WE are definitely not ballroom dancers, and we were worried the disco would be music of our kids generation. But it was very suited to 40, 50 and even 60 somethings.

Phoenix cruiser is offering good advice.

I would add, if you are interested into nautical things, be sure to visit the Observation Area behind the Bridge. Through glass windows, one can view the activity on the Bridge on days at sea from 9:00 A. M. to 4:00 P. M. The windows are directly behind the main console and you have a view of both the long range and short range radar. You can stay there as long as you like, watching. The area is not open every day at sea, but did seem to be open most of them. Access this area by using the "A" stairwell/elevators.

Things not to miss ..... How about the QM2 itself? On our cruise (Royal Mediterranean, October 2004) ... The roll call of passengers (and staff!) over the tannoy made just after leaving each port asking certain passengers (and staff!) to immediately contact the purser's office (Cos they had 'missed the boat') though amusing at first, did become rather tedious (all those unpronounceable japanese names!). Luckily, the alto-sax player, on re-joining the ship in rome after getting lost in barcelona was not sacked on reporting aboard as it was rumoured was going to happen (he did though receive a stern warning) as he later contributed to some excellent 'jamming' sessions with the jazz trio in the Chart-room.

Make sure that you go to the library and the bookstore that is at the library entrance. I would also recommend looking at everything forward of the forward stairs and behind the aft stairs. Start at the top and work down. Between those stairways is mostly cabins except on decks 2, 3 and7. There is so much history posted around that you can spend hours reading in. If you go to Todd English try the lobster chowder. Best soup I have ever had. It is only at dinner. Lunchwas great too but no lobster chowder. The dinner is well worth the $30. I would do dinner twice if I went again. Rather then one dinner and one lunch. The planitarium is not to be missed. There are three different shows and all are wonderful. Dean

My wife and I love ballroom dancing, but most cruise ships we have been on have small circular dance floors where you just about manage a smooch or a shuffle if it isn't too crowded. With the 'largest ballroom at sea' and an excellent dance band, the QM2 was paradise for us with 'real' ballroom dancing not once, not twice but sometime three times a day. Wonderful !!!!

Fish & Chips in The Golden Lion Pub.

The model of the QM2 in the Commodore Club.

The outside glass elevators on each side of the ship near the front.

We're making a list so keep it coming.:)

Forgot to mention that you should have a video camera available when they offer the 50% off sale on Cunard shirts and hats. It makes the wedding dress sale at Filene's look like amateur night at a garage sale. Never would have believed passengers who paid $1500 to $15,000 for a cruise would practically kill each other to save $7 on a shirt they hadn't considered buying before. For real enjoyment, stay off to the side and ask the staff questions like "When is the 50% off sale at Hermes?" :rolleyes:

On a more serious note, hopefully you will be fortunate enough to have some top notch lecturers on board. On our cruise one of the lectures was by a Hollywood and Broadway author/actor who had gotten to know Lucille Ball and Kathryn Hepburn and had been given permission by Lucy to write her biography. My wife and I were enthralled with the behind the scenes facts and film clips, and Illuminations was only 1/3 full.

Forgot to mention that you should have a video camera available when they offer the 50% off sale on Cunard shirts and hats. It makes the wedding dress sale at Filene's look like amateur night at a garage sale. Never would have believed passengers who paid $1500 to $15,000 for a cruise would practically kill each other to save $7 on a shirt they hadn't considered buying before. For real enjoyment, stay off to the side and ask the staff questions like "When is the 50% off sale at Hermes?"

Sounds like fun. We can film it all and then blackmail the mad shoppers.:D

BTW, what's in the Atlantic Room on 11 Deck Forward? Thanks.

the atlantic room is a card room.

Meeting up with passengers and crew we knew fromn other ships.

Watching the fish swim past the Britannia windows when things get choppy. Watching the waves break over the Chartroom windows, then going down to the Golden Lion for a real experience, or some portholes on 1deck to be frightened to death.

The photo we took in the Commodore Club - after a day on deck - where my wife's face is somewhere between the colour of her aubergine suit and her raspberry martini.

Dancing in the Queens Room at 11PM, and G32 at 3:30AM (didn't close until 5AM!)

Lady Liberty and the Manhaten skyline appearing through the dawn mist after six days of nothing but a flat watery horizon.

But as with most cruises our most lasting memories will be of the people we met: A couple of outragous passengers, whom I won't describe beacause you wouldn't believe me; The steward who, when I coldn't make up my mind and was thinking aloud said "something wet", threw his arms wide and puckered up.

Sometimes you make your own memories, sometimes they come at you out of nowhere.

We agree with Darrell6t. Our favorite bar was the Golden Lion Pub for its pub lunch in the early afternoon and for the music and sing alongs in the evening. Pub lunch is served from noon until 2:00 pm (I think. I’m not quite sure when it finished). Although the pub was always crowded, it was usually easy to be seated if you were willing to share a table. The hot lunches were always served within 10 minutes of placing the order. The menu contains six lunches: 1. Fish and chips with mushy peas; 2. Bangers and mash with Yorkshire pudding and onion gravy; 3. Steak and mushroom pie with potatoes and gravy; 4. Traditional cottage pie with minced beef, peas topped with mashed potatoes; 5. Chicken korma with basmati rice and mango chutney; and 6. Ploughman’s lunch with ham, mature cheese, onions, crusty roll, and Branston pickle. I tried two of these (1 and 2) and my wife had #6. With at least modest experience in various London pubs, we found these lunches to compare very favorably.

Don't miss the Rock'n around the opera floor show it was the best of the cruise.

The Commodore Club Lounge and the service there by Sandy Gavin and Gerreth. They are both exceptional employees and good ambassadors for Cunard and the QM2. They are also both good at remembering the names of the passengers.

Also, the cooked to order french fried onion rings at the Boardwalk Cafe outside on Deck 12 are pretty good.

Sitting in the Commodore Club and gazing out the windows in the most forward seating area, right before the sun goes down......

Many of the activities on the ship give out coupons for participation or winning. These are redeemed on the last afternoon of the cruise. I thought that there would be only usless junk but there were tee shirts, photo albums ans tote bags along with some smaller item. My wife and I teamed up with a couple from England for the trivia games and between the English and American questions we did quite well. Check out the activities and team up with other nationalities. It was lots of fun and we got quite a few prizes for our coupons and lots of interesting conversations. Dean and Carol

1. Fish and chips with mushy peas; 2. Bangers and mash with Yorkshire pudding and onion gravy; 3. Steak and mushroom pie with potatoes and gravy; 4. Traditional cottage pie with minced beef, peas topped with mashed potatoes; 5. Chicken korma with basmati rice and mango chutney; and 6. Ploughman’s lunch with ham, mature cheese, onions, crusty roll, and Branston pickle. I tried two of these (1 and 2) and my wife had #6. With at least modest experience in various London pubs, we found these lunches to compare very favorably.

Obriendan,

I'm not clear on what these items are :

#1, clear enough

#2 ?

#3, I think I get

#4, Clear

#5, ?

#6, is that a sandwich?

Fun to look forward to a bit of English culture :D

YvonneE

2. Bangers and mash is large sausage with mashed potatoes and gravy. Yorkshire pudding is "a batter of egge, flour, and milk, baked in meat drippings" to quote Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary.

5. I'll just say its a chicken dish! Didn't have any of this.

6. The Ploughman's lunch is not a sandwich, just a plate of the fixings mentioned but you can make a nice sandwich with these.

We particularly enjoyed our lunches in the Pub!

Obriendan,

I'm not clear on what these items are :

#1, clear enough

#2 ?

#3, I think I get

#4, Clear

#5, ?

#6, is that a sandwich?

 

Fun to look forward to a bit of English culture :D

Yvonne,

Well, in answer to your question on English cuisine (which the French would regard as an oxymoron):

1. Real Mushy peas (with Marrowfat) may be an acquired taste
   
2. Sausages, mashed potatos, 'yorkshire pudding' = flour/milk/egg pudding baked in oven, traditionally served with roast beef see here: http://www.britannia.com/cooking/recipes/yorkshirepudding.html
   
3. .
   
4. .
   
5. Mild curry 'Britain's new national dish' according for former Foreign Secretary (but that was Chicken Tikka Masala, to confuse things further)
   
6. No, its a plate with cheese, ham, pickle, bread, butter, possibly a pickled onion - you mix & match yourself
   

Enjoy!

Peter

Not sure if this belongs here, but to be sure not to miss things, I took along the deck plans from the catalogue. It helped me pinpoint cabins and where I needed to go. I found it much more useful than the little foldout vertical chart that is in the room.

I did enjoy seeing everyone clutching the maps on the first few days. I used mine until I got off.

While I never went to the Disco, I did enjoy the band, Xtasea, at the sail away parties and the Pirates Ball.

Jane in PHL

My cruise was 2/19/05.

Don't miss at least a couple of formal nights, where you have the ice sculptures, and the musicians in the Britannia. Also skip one formal night, eat at the food court, go back to your room, put on your swim suits, and go to the hot tub at 10 pm to midnight. Watch the moon follow the ship, and the reflection on the ocean behind the ship. It is a unforgettable site.

Also, don't miss the chocolate pie and neopolitan dessert, also the rosemary chicken, and the pork chops cooked in apples

And the planitarium, and if you are nice to him, the clerk in the jewelry shop will let you get a picture wearing the replica of Queen Mary's crown.

Beth

Don't miss at least one lunch in the Golden Lion Pub! I had the Fish and Chips; mushy peas came along with it--and was quite a surprise; but, a very pleasnt one. If one likes green vegetables, one would like mushy peas, too, I think.

The other menu items I did not try. Lunch--on a cruise ship--is the least important meal of the day for me.

What wonderful ideas! Keep'em coming!

I've copied and pasted all your responses.

We're taking our first QM cruise at the end of May, and can't wait.

I love sailing on a cruise, looking like I KNOW what I'm doing. Now I do!

THANKS!!!