Rotterdam Transatlantic Review Part 2

PART 2

In the past I have chosen to sail on QE2 for my long summer voyages from New York. As many readers may know, one could book the QE2 for a crossing to England, stay on board for a 12-18 day cruise to Northern Europe or the Mediterranean and then stay on board for the return crossing from England for a wonderful 24-30 day adventure. Single fares were very reasonable ($7000-$9000 for a CARONIA grade single) and you would almost always end up in a great double cabin to yourself (with great room service) and dine in the single sitting CARONIA DINING ROOM, really the most beautiful festive dining room on the ship. In the CARONIA DINING ROOM, one sat at the same table for all three meals unlike the Mauratania dining room where breakfast and lunch was open sitting with assigned tables for dinner only. (Two sittings). The QE2 really welcomed single travellers and by request you could usually find yourself sitting with one of the senior officers including the hotel manager, chief engineer, doctor or Captain for the length of the trip with many invites to private functions in the ward room, doctor's quarter or captain's quarters. The captain's receptions in the QUEENS ROOM were always very pleasant affairs because of sweet music, lots of cocktails and champagne. And too, they weren't mobs scenes with people fighting for seats after a long wait in a horrible line. This was so because he held three different receptions during the voyage. One for Grill and Caronia class passengers and one for each sitting for Mauratania class passengers. It was all very civilized. The QE2 is a beuatiful ship with a wake as rhapsodizing as white lilac especailly with a full moon rising .

No, the QE is not a perfect ship but it is sure charming like a country inn that happens to be at sea...I sure miss her...

I had entertained thoughts of doing such a long voyage on the new QUEEN MARY 2 but having heard of the terrible service problems and design flaws on the ship thought otherwise. It also didn't help that the ship has no single cabins and charges a greeedy 75% single supplement. ( A 24 day round trip from New York with a cruise in between would have cost over $14,000 in an obstructed view verandah cabin!!!! And one would still be in a two sitting dining room with very uneven service. And one would have to put up with open sittings in the dining room for breakfast and lunch and a crowded KINGS COURT and long lines and terrible overcrowding for the captain's receptions and the like. No thank you. I just hope that Cunard Line gets that ship up to speed otherwise its going to be more and more difficult to fill without a lot of discounting, which of course, causes other problems if you want to maintain standards. Time will tell but I am not optimistic.

So I chose the ROTTERDAM along with over 1,200 souls for my crossing over to Europe where I was to meet up with family in Italy for a reunion in beautiful Tuscany. Beginning with the first dinner with wonderful table companions, every hour on the voyage made me happy that I had done so...

More Later.

Deck Chair,

I am so enjoying your review. We are doing the Transatlantic in July next year from Boston so I am looking forward to reading more of this entertaining account.

Also welcome to the boards, I hope you will enjoy them as much as most of us do.

Jennie

Welcome to the HAL section of CC.

Your revew sections posted thus far are wonderful. I have so enjoyed reading them and look forward to the next installment.

Having cruised Rotterdam a number of times and thinking her a beautiful, elegant ship, I'm happy to hear that it seems you were pleased to have chosen to sail her.