Kings Court

We last travelled on QM2 8 years ago and are due to travel on her next month. Can anyone tell me how the Kings Court has changed since we last travelled on her?

Have you had a look at the photos in the sticky here

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2410214

There are also some before and after photographs in the "Welcome" sticky.

https://cruisecritique.net/2016/07/19/queen-mary-2-remastered-and-revisited/

Yes, it was completely gutted out and rebuilt in the 2016 refit. In my opinion it is a 1000% improvement over the original. It is now a casual dining area more befitting a grand ocean liner than some corporate cafeteria. At breakfast there is even an eggs made to order station. Here's one example from the publicity images: http://wearecunard.com/2015/12/kings-court-remastered/

Is breakfast in Britannia served buffet-style? The sample menus I've seen on cunard.com and here look more like the description of foods available from a self-serve area than a list of foods one can order from a server.

No, Kings Court is a buffet, Britannia is waiter service.

If it is 1000% better it must have been absolutely dire before!

We were on QM2 for the first time in July and thought it was the worst ever experienced on a Cunard ship (or any other for that matter).

Seating was an absolute premium with very long walks with food and the need to leave someone at the table to guarantee having somewhere to sit after returning from a second visit.

Very narrow passageways and areas frequently closing down in advance of when expected.

We often chose to have the lighter offerings from Cafe Carinthia because at least there was space to sit.

Del

Yeah, some of the KC seating is a bit of a hike from the main serving areas (maybe some of it is a bit closer to the aft serving on the port side). But we never had much trouble finding a table near the main serving area on the starboard side, either in one of the window alcoves or down that passageway aft just a bit.

But Cafe Carinthia is definitely worth a look especially if you just want something light for breakfast or lunch.

QM2 buffet is less appealing than the buffet(s) on QE and QV. I have been on all 3 ships in the last 18 months.

Many of QM2 buffet sitting areas are not along side windows, but are enclosed so you may as well be on the inside of some tall office bldg.

I am not faulting the food on ANY of them..... just the design of the QM2 seating areas leaves a LOT to be desired.

There's other " funny" aspects to QM2 ----- location of the dining room in relation to the Queens court....and

Odd, 6-8 step access between some decks.

QM2 buffet is less appealing than the buffet(s) on QE and QV. I have been on all 3 ships in the last 18 months.

Many of QM2 buffet sitting areas are not along side windows, but are enclosed so you may as well be on the inside of some tall office bldg.

I am not faulting the food on ANY of them..... just the design of the QM2 seating areas leaves a LOT to be desired.

There's other " funny" aspects to QM2 ----- location of the dining room in relation to the Queens court....and

Odd, 6-8 step access between some decks.

Yes, it's one of the quirks that were necessary because deck 7 on QM2 is the evacuation deck. Stairway C for example has to provide clear access between the port and starboard sides...so King's Court necessarily gets cut into two sections.

Also, there are necessary structural elements for this mighty liner in the core areas that limit the options for the serving areas - and also the seating. The layout was absolutely improved, but is still problematic. As for the fare and service, evaluating such things is necessarily subjective. While many believe the quality has dropped, I think most would agree that it's an area that still could be improved.

QM2 buffet is less appealing than the buffet(s) on QE and QV. I have been on all 3 ships in the last 18 months.

Many of QM2 buffet sitting areas are not along side windows, but are enclosed so you may as well be on the inside of some tall office bldg.

I am not faulting the food on ANY of them..... just the design of the QM2 seating areas leaves a LOT to be desired.

There's other " funny" aspects to QM2 ----- location of the dining room in relation to the Queens court....and

Odd, 6-8 step access between some decks.

Maybe it's my nature, but I LOVE such quirks. Knowing about secret stairways (and which ones bypassed which decks) was a big part of my love for the QE2. Likewise, I adore quirky houses after growing up in a 20's Tudor amongst 50's ranch houses and boxy colonials.

I also LOVE Stephen Payne's solution to putting the dining room near midships and providing extra-high ceilings and full-width rooms for the MDR, showroom and ballroom. The half-deck burrows beneath the top tiers in the Britannia Dining Room and the Royal Court Theatre are ingenious.

(...not that this is related to King's Court - sorry!)

I have some pretty strong opinions about Kings Court on QM2. On the positive side, it does look better and most of the seating is more attractive. And sometimes you can find someone to serve you a beverage. Otherwise, I avoid it. The food quality and variety has not improved much. Check out the pre-prepared hot dogs and hamburgers that sit endlessly under heat lamps, instead of made-to-order sandwiches. And while the re-design had an objective of improving traffic flow, it often seems that there are bunches of poor passengers wandering aimlessly.

Instead I recommend going to your dining room, ordering room service, or the Carpathia Lounge, which is truly lovely. Life is too short on the QM2 to spend it in an unpleasant cafeteria serving mediocre food, when there are much better alternatives.

We sailed QM2 for the first time this year and thought the Kings Court was dreadful so much so that after the first 3 or 4 days for breakfast we went to the Chefs Galley area (which serves pizzas at lunch time) and had a continental breakfast each morning. We had lunch and dinner in Britannia.

The design of Kings Court just seemed all wrong with the central serving station, no trays.....so you have to find a table, usually a long way from this area, leave a bag or something to reserve it, then walk back to servery collect plate or two of food and then walk back to table along narrow passageway with people coming towards you and in front behind you......in my view this was most uncomfortable and almost a Health and safety issue. Of course if you forgot something , like butter for the croissant, you had to walk all the way back again !!!!!!

We have sailed on at least a dozen other ships and this is the worst set up we have encountered......why no trays??

We sailed QM2 for the first time this year and thought the Kings Court was dreadful so much so that after the first 3 or 4 days for breakfast we went to the Chefs Galley area (which serves pizzas at lunch time) and had a continental breakfast each morning. We had lunch and dinner in Britannia.

The design of Kings Court just seemed all wrong with the central serving station, no trays.....so you have to find a table, usually a long way from this area, leave a bag or something to reserve it, then walk back to servery collect plate or two of food and then walk back to table along narrow passageway with people coming towards you and in front behind you......in my view this was most uncomfortable and almost a Health and safety issue. Of course if you forgot something , like butter for the croissant, you had to walk all the way back again !!!!!!

We have sailed on at least a dozen other ships and this is the worst set up we have encountered......why no trays??

The reserving of the table with a bag or other thing ,

disrupts the flow of diners by taking tables out of availability longer than just going to a table with your food .

Then let's think of those who linger at the table reading while others search for a table to eat .

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The reserving of the table with a bag or other thing ,

disrupts the flow of diners by taking tables out of availability longer than just going to a table with your food .

Then let's think of those who linger at the table reading while others search for a table to eat .

 

 

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So in that case one would be wandering around aimlessly, with one's bag AND two plates of food getting cold, looking for somewhere to sit ......in my opinion best to get table first then at least one knows where one is heading !!

So in that case one would be wandering around aimlessly, with one's bag AND two plates of food getting cold, looking for somewhere to sit ......in my opinion best to get table first then at least one knows where one is heading !!

Wouldn't have to wander as far if there were not bags on empty tables.

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But there would probably be more accidents if everyone was carrying bags and two plates of food !!!!! Why do they not supply trays....or at least large oval plates which one could use to carry more than one plate at a time.

My wife and I have never had a problem finding a table as we are more than willing to share a table.We frequently see people wandering around looking for seats when there are plenty if they are happy to share with others.I have no doubt that these are the people complaining about the lack of seating

We're always happy to share tables but were unable to find any spaces close to the servery. We were on a two way crossing which we knew was sold out (as it went to Halifax as well as NY) so perhaps it was busier than normal.

Anyway we solved the problem by eating in the pizza/ pasta area where we could have a continental breakfast from close by the table !

Hi,

The reconfigured Kings Court is not wonderful, but it certainly has been greatly improved. I sailed aboard the ship four times before the "remastering" (2004, 2006, 2009 and 2014) and twice following the "remastering" (2016 and 2017). I have always been able to find a table, but sometimes it is a very long walk from the buffet to my table. It tends to be less crowded in the aft area of the restaurant (toward the grill restaurants).

Chuck

Ok, so KC is not perfect but I have to say that we've always managed to find a table and some food that is tasty. Lack of trays is a nuisance but there is always a member of the crew to help carry plates. Plus, if you want a drink from the dispensers they will get it for you so you don't have to worry about slopping drink around. In fact on our trip in January a steward overheard DD saying she was going for a refill and went and got it for her - despite the fact we were just about within reach of the machines anyway and she said it was fine and she would get it herself.

All with a smile. Service at its best

IMHO, the best way to avoid all of these service, tray, and table problem is to avoid Kings Court. Oh, and besides the alternatives that have been suggested, there is also the Pub for lunch.

Hi,

 

The reconfigured Kings Court is not wonderful, but it certainly has been greatly improved. I sailed aboard the ship four times before the "remastering" (2004, 2006, 2009 and 2014) and twice following the "remastering" (2016 and 2017). I have always been able to find a table, but sometimes it is a very long walk from the buffet to my table. It tends to be less crowded in the aft area of the restaurant (toward the grill restaurants).

 

Chuck

That was my point, that it is a long walk carrying plates of food from buffet to table, along a narrow walkway with two way traffic !!!

That was my point, that it is a long walk carrying plates of food from buffet to table, along a narrow walkway with two way traffic !!!

Hi,

Yes, I agree. Because there aren't any trays, I take my plate to the table. I then do another long hike to get my drink. On the bright side, this gives me some exercise.

Chuck

On HAL this summer there was no shortage of waiters in the Lido Market buffet to pour coffee and to fetch a glass of your choice of juice. I've seen waiters in KC with coffee but I don't recall having them offer to get juice. Is my memory correct?

My impression has been that both Princess and Holland America do a better job of personal service in the buffets than Cunard.

Somewhat unrelated but on HAL self-service is almost nonexistent in the buffets. You could grab rolls, a pre-made (wrapped) sandwich, or a pre-poured glass of juice but almost everything else was put on a plate per your request and handed to you. This remained the case over a 2-week cruise, not just as part of a post-embarkation Code Yellow precaution period.