Just off this sailing as well. I haven’t been aboard the Queen Mary 2 in a while (for obvious reasons), but have been on several trips with Cunard over the years, and am definitely a fan of the Cunard experience. I have no major complaints—I had a perfectly nice time onboard.
I had been warned about the chaotic embarkation by posters here. It took me a little over an hour to get through the terminal and board the ship. I was expecting worse, so this was a bit of a relief.
The most uncomfortable part of the embarkation was the line outside, as it was very warm that day, but the line moved relatively quickly. I made sure that I had ALL required documents printed and accessible—that alone made a huge difference. In my opinion, most of the problems and delays I witnessed were with people scrolling through their phones to find emailed docs, or those that arrived with little in hand, expecting staffers to deal with the paperwork.
Overall, I only had very minor complaints. Yes, the exterior spaces are in desperate need of maintenance and renovation. However, for the most part, the interior was as beautiful as ever. But that said, there are a few areas that are looking a bit dated and could use a refresh, most notably the Grills Lounge.
The service I received was fine. Obviously, there are some Covid-related staffing issues, so things run a bit more slowly and perhaps awkwardly, and new staffers are inexperienced. But this is true of literally all cruise lines right now. Further, the inevitable “supply chain issues” persist—some items are simply not available. But again, this is not unique to Cunard, but is true everywhere.
Frankly, many of the passenger “complaints” I heard related to service issues were so minor as to be laughable. I witnessed one older man throw a fit in the pub when a server didn’t arrive to take his drink order fast enough, and he was forced to walk literally 4 feet away to place an order at the bar. However, I’m sure there were some legitimate service issues, but again, I didn’t experience any.
I was concerned about the number of passengers not wearing masks, including many very elderly people. I witnessed a shop employee advise a passenger to wear a mask as he entered the small, crowded shop. He put one on, but later when exiting, he ripped it off and threw it at the young employee’s feet. (I tried to be as careful as I could—I tested when I got home, and it was thankfully negative, at least so far!)
Overall, a good trip. I guess my concerns about the Queen Mary and Cunard in general are more “higher level” issues about the direction and future of the line, but that is a discussion for another time!
