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QM2 not what it is made out to be


chloe kitty
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HI. Three QM2 crossings. One (crossing) each on QE and QV. If anyone chooses to sail with Cunard based on food, know this - you have not made the best decision. CUNARD is not known for its culinary excellence in Britannia. However, the Grills offer a different dimension of dining at sea. I did have the privilege of crossing in a PG suite on my QE crossing - it was nearly flawless. Oceania does deliver great food, some of the best. Cunard's buffets on QV and QE are average at best, serving the same fare each day and in limited fashion. Very limited. QM2's Kings court is good with much more variety and fare than the twins.

 

Now, the QM2 is like no other ship. Period. Sail on her for the legacy, the tradition and the greatness of this fine ship - she is an ocean liner as we all know. Don't expect an experience anything near that of a cruise ship. On QM2, you can walk around the promenade in 25 foot seas at 22 knots. On any other ship - forget about it. Even the pools are open in really bad weather, in January.

 

Cunard has done the best job with the Vista/Signature class platform (QE & QV). The Interiors are awesome and carry on the Cunard tradition offering a wonderful array of lounges and spaces that are far superior than any other ships (and there are many) using this footprint of ship. It will be intriguing to see how Cunard outfits their new ship, comparing that to the Koningsdam which I have sailed on and was seriously disappointed with the fragmented design and layout of that ship.

 

I began my cruising life at age 10, 50 years ago on the SS Rotterdam. I like old world, old style, traditional voyages and today, I find that it is only CUNARD that can deliver those memories in any type of manner or fashion. I tolerate mediocre food and shower curtains. I sail CUNARD because they still produce what this whole business was founded on - a seafaring experience. No rock climbing, no skating rinks, no neon. It's about the only pure, authentic ship line left and that said, it is a stretch. It requires a certain level of tolerance and CUNARD is not for everyone. The trade off is worth it. I love CUNARD.

 

I feel the same way... except I would dig a skating rink, since it is my preferred method of exercise. My husband always laughs when I say that.

Dining in the Grills is great - we have been doing that for our last 7 voyages on her. We take fewer (once yearly instead of more) so we can enjoy the large cabin, and the relaxation of the Grills. I love QM2 for the elegance and atmosphere, and I was sorely disappointed in HAL on an Alaskan trip this past fall. Never again. I have never been on the Elizabeth but we sail her next year to Alaska for 10 days - trying to be patient : )

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I took my very first cruise on the Rotterdam, but it had been bought by the Premier Cruise Line and was renamed the Rembrandt.

Happy memories :)

I was on her when Premier declared bankruptcy outside Halifax. Not quite-so-happy memories. (Although we had three days on that glorious ship, and for that, I'm thankful.) As a testament to the durability of her design, she never underwent significant changes in 45 years or so - even when Premier remodeled her to meet SOLAS requirements.

 

In comparison, while the midcentury elements and general good design (including the unique staircase) of the Rembrandt served her well over the decades, the jet-age QE2, being a conscious break from the past, had a real discordance with people's expectations and was so regularly remodeled that the original decor is long gone.

Edited by MarkBearSF
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This is about the supplier "Cunard" delivering their marketed product offering, every single time.

 

I have posted this before on other cruise line threads.

 

Unless there is unforseen circumstances, any provider is accountable to deliver their advertised product offering, every single time. Otherwise it is deliberately misleading.

 

If there is some advance notice that circumstance is different that will materially affect delivery of the advertised, therefore contracted product, they are accountable to advise those that purchased there will be differences.

 

I remain amazed that consumers let the cruise lines off the hook.

 

It is not up to me to confirm that Christmas, March break, short cruises from Hamburg etc will materially impact the delivery of the "typical" Cunard product - it is Cunard that owns that accountability.

 

Not letting Cunard or any other cruise line, hotel off the hook.

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We have traveled on the QM2 every Christmas/ New years for the past 8 or 9 years. We considered ourselves loyal Cunarders. We have never encountered a Christmas cruise as awful as the 2017/18 cruise. In fact, we looked forward to the sailing since we had wonderful experiences in the past. After that cruise, we decided never to sail again on the QM2 at Christmas. Maybe never. Sad, because we had come to love the ship. We did not complete the survey but instead decided to vote with our feet. There are other choices out there and maybe for us it is time to try a new line, one not owned by Carnival. We have seen a deterioration over the years of all lines owned by the company. I too caught the cough and sat people watching while I drank several cups of tea every afternoon. What I observed amazed me at passengers' behavior. For us it is time to let go.

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We have traveled on the QM2 every Christmas/ New years for the past 8 or 9 years. We considered ourselves loyal Cunarders. We have never encountered a Christmas cruise as awful as the 2017/18 cruise. In fact, we looked forward to the sailing since we had wonderful experiences in the past. After that cruise, we decided never to sail again on the QM2 at Christmas. Maybe never. Sad, because we had come to love the ship. We did not complete the survey but instead decided to vote with our feet. There are other choices out there and maybe for us it is time to try a new line, one not owned by Carnival. We have seen a deterioration over the years of all lines owned by the company. I too caught the cough and sat people watching while I drank several cups of tea every afternoon. What I observed amazed me at passengers' behavior. For us it is time to let go.
We did the same cruise and will not cruise Cunard again.
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Oh dear, it sounds as if the Christmas/New Year cruise was a disaster last year. We did it in 2009/10 & had a wonderful time although I do remember a few "interesting" characters on the return crossing.

Edited by Host Hattie
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We were on the 8th December crossing and it exceeded expectations. Overall food was excellent.

 

Just a thought but if guests were hit by the flu were a large number of staff also which then affected service.

 

Although I am not convinced those ships can ever be comfortable when you add in an additional 20/30% guests with 3 in a room occupancy.

 

 

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Our group of 6 pax recently cruised to NZ on the QM2, overall we were very disappointed with the cruise.Accommodation was reasonable in a Balcony, bathroom has a-shower curtain,Pillows were not good and limited choice.Food was very average and in the Britannia Restaurant it was very ordinary, the last night on board was the best meal,service in the restaurant was very pedestrian.Kings Court food was the ok for Brekky, terrible at lunch time ( same burgers and sandwiches everyday)and at night time the pasta and pizza ( thick bases yuck!)were the same .Service in the Kings court was hard to find. In the Corinthian room they serve food but it is the same choice Everyday!Beverages are expensive.Entertainment was reasonably good.

The Queens room was nice and Afternoon tea was well done .

Dress code was no problem for our group , but not always policed , Cunard should stay on top of the dress code.

NZ ports were great and the weather was very warm.

My cruising background is almost 600 days on many cruise lines, but Cunard for the basic passengers is not as good value ,as Holland America or Celebrity in my opinion .

 

 

 

 

 

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Agree.

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Oh dear, it sounds as if the Christmas/New Year cruise was a disaster last year. We did it in 2009/10 & had a wonderful time although I do remember a few "interesting" characters on the return crossing.

Not being an apologist (not trying to be anyway) but aside from the Cunard Cough (which we picked up about mid cruise) and some flu cases around us I'm not sure what everyone else found objectionable.

Cunard doesn't own the situation with decimated islands and the follow-on impacts even when we were at an unaffected port, sos I'm sure that's not the issue.

I've seen others' comments comparing the 12-day New York segment to a Norwegian cruise - I have no further comment there.

We've recently done a couple of shorter (7 and 14 day) HAL cruises and they're priced well but we still prefer Cunard and QM2.

 

Can someone point it the issues with the QM2 Christmas voyage that put so many other off from booking the ship again for Christmas?

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We would never cruise on any cruise line over Christmas. It is a very special time at home and with our church family. Cruising during holiday times often attract a different type of passenger. Certainly more children.

 

We cruise Cunard for the tradition and the elegance. We are not foodies and try to not overeat on cruises. Have always found something to eat, especially fish. We love the pub for a casual lunch or dinner.

 

If you do not enjoy Cunard, especially the QM2, there are many other choices in the market.

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HI. Three QM2 crossings. One (crossing) each on QE and QV. If anyone chooses to sail with Cunard based on food, know this - you have not made the best decision. CUNARD is not known for its culinary excellence in Britannia. However, the Grills offer a different dimension of dining at sea. I did have the privilege of crossing in a PG suite on my QE crossing - it was nearly flawless. Oceania does deliver great food, some of the best. Cunard's buffets on QV and QE are average at best, serving the same fare each day and in limited fashion. Very limited. QM2's Kings court is good with much more variety and fare than the twins.

 

Now, the QM2 is like no other ship. Period. Sail on her for the legacy, the tradition and the greatness of this fine ship - she is an ocean liner as we all know. Don't expect an experience anything near that of a cruise ship. On QM2, you can walk around the promenade in 25 foot seas at 22 knots. On any other ship - forget about it. Even the pools are open in really bad weather, in January.

 

Cunard has done the best job with the Vista/Signature class platform (QE & QV). The Interiors are awesome and carry on the Cunard tradition offering a wonderful array of lounges and spaces that are far superior than any other ships (and there are many) using this footprint of ship. It will be intriguing to see how Cunard outfits their new ship, comparing that to the Koningsdam which I have sailed on and was seriously disappointed with the fragmented design and layout of that ship.

 

I began my cruising life at age 10, 50 years ago on the SS Rotterdam. I like old world, old style, traditional voyages and today, I find that it is only CUNARD that can deliver those memories in any type of manner or fashion. I tolerate mediocre food and shower curtains. I sail CUNARD because they still produce what this whole business was founded on - a seafaring experience. No rock climbing, no skating rinks, no neon. It's about the only pure, authentic ship line left and that said, it is a stretch. It requires a certain level of tolerance and CUNARD is not for everyone. The trade off is worth it. I love CUNARD.

I was so relieved to read this post. I leave in a few weeks for my first QM2 experience, 21 days which,as a solo traveler, is costing rather a lot. And now yesterday I was delighted to receive an email informing me of an upgrade! But then I went online and saw so many negative reviews and started to worry. But your post has eased my mind, I now know what to look for and what to ignore. And I’m happy again :)

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Doing a transatlantic "crossing" has always been on my bucket list. Taking a "cruise" has never appealed to me. Since the QM2 is the only ocean-liner still still in service, that's the only ship I've ever considered sailing on.

 

I'm not considering any other cruise line (& for the same reason I won't consider QV or QE either).

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Onehappycruiser, I'm with you. We oncedid an inexpensive, port intense Carribean cruise with friends. Wehad a good time, we were with our friends, but I did not care for theship nor the constant on and off. The QM2, however, was on our bucketlist, because my father left Northern Ireland for Canada by himselfas an indentured 14 year old farm worker, travelling steerage on aCunard ship. He never saw his parents again. We did Princess classon the QM2 in 2013, because I thought that he would have been soproud to have his daughter make the same trip that he did, but up ontop! We enjoyed it, but found the dining room a bit stilted (couldhave just been this crossing). Later that year, Cunard offered us acrossing for $900 Cdn each, Britannia class, and we were hooked! Wehad access to everything that we enjoyed, the lectures, the theatre,the concerts, the planatarium, the Promenade deck, plus we found thatwe enjoyed sharing a table with others, rather than being byourselves. Food is very subjective, but we preferred Britannia. Ihave a dodgy knee, so having a walk in shower rather than a tub wasvery welcome. We have now done 5 crossings and two cruises on QM2,and find that we enjoy the crossings the most. The cruises wereinfinitely better than our Carribean experience, but we are crossers. Nothing handles what the ocean doles out like the QM2.

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I was so relieved to read this post. I leave in a few weeks for my first QM2 experience, 21 days which,as a solo traveler, is costing rather a lot. And now yesterday I was delighted to receive an email informing me of an upgrade! But then I went online and saw so many negative reviews and started to worry. But your post has eased my mind, I now know what to look for and what to ignore. And I’m happy again :)

 

 

 

You will have a fabulous time on QM2. She is a lovely liner. I have sailed in her a lot and have trips already booked to sail with her again. However, this thread was about the way QM2 was not as she should be on the Christmas New Year cruise 2017 /2018.

People in here have only posted what they found to be their experience of that particular voyage

Go and enjoy, you will love her.

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.. However, this thread was about the way QM2 was not as she should be on the Christmas New Year cruise 2017 /2018.

People in here have only posted what they found to be their experience of that particular voyage...

 

After reading your previous reply in this thread, I'm more than ever convinced that the passenger mix on board will greatly affect one's overall experience and enjoyment.

 

I was on a B2B Dec. 8th - 22nd and it met my expectations of a QM2 TA. So service and standards could hardly have gone to hell that fast. Or could they?

 

What would have changed is the passenger turnover. On the B2B there are international travelers who enjoy civility and varied interests. On a "holiday" cruise nobody is into the Cunard ocean liner ethos but instead into a party mode and their personal trilateral commission. (Me, myself, and I.) Would it affect service? Sure would if the crew has to deal with constant rudeness and entitlement 24/7. Those who save loungers with no thought of anyone else are just plain mean and selfish. That's likely not the only thing they do that is mean and selfish. Ditto with anyone who would come to a theatre in a bath robe. It's an announcement, "It's not worth my time to get dressed for you." Rude and arrogant.

 

Another sailing that I now avoid in the 5-day NY-Halifax-Boston loop. For much the same reason. Maybe Cunard thinks of these sailings as necessary evils as the fares are higher and likely so is onboard spending.

 

Situations like this make these boards so valuable. Those who choose to sign on are at least forewarned. But I feel sorry for the first timer who gets sold elegance and refinement but gets mediocrity and coarseness.

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Nice to see you back Maggie...thought we had lost you.....:D

 

Hi Roscoe. Nice to see you also. Miss your blogs.

I am still around, just had a busy year moving countries, cruising and travelling etc. I hope you are well. Regards Magggie. X

 

 

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I feel the same way... except I would dig a skating rink, since it is my preferred method of exercise. My husband always laughs when I say that.

Dining in the Grills is great - we have been doing that for our last 7 voyages on her. We take fewer (once yearly instead of more) so we can enjoy the large cabin, and the relaxation of the Grills. I love QM2 for the elegance and atmosphere, and I was sorely disappointed in HAL on an Alaskan trip this past fall. Never again. I have never been on the Elizabeth but we sail her next year to Alaska for 10 days - trying to be patient : )

 

We went to Alaska in 2015 on Holland America. A reasonable price was available for a Neptune Suite (identical in size and otherwise similar to a basic QM2 Queen's Grill suite but without the benefit of a single-seating dining room). I won't say we were disappointed with the amenities of this level of accommodation because we knew what not to expect, but overall we were not pleased with the food and entertainment.

 

 

We are delighted that Cunard is going to offer Alaska cruises next year. We had a cruise to Norway on the Queen Elizabeth in 2013 and were very pleased. A significant lowering of the Grills fares encouraged us to upgrade ourselves to Princess Grill. We enjoyed the PG restaurant, lounge and deck space much more than on the QM2. The staterooms, however, are not nearly as good in our opinion. They are just longer versions of a regular narrow stateroom with a full bathroom and a tiny balcony.

 

 

For the QE Alaska cruise, the fare for PG would be 2 1/2 times what we are paying for a Britannia balcony stateroom. Of course we will miss the benefits of PG, but we have always enjoyed our crossings/cruises no matter which of the four restaurant categories we have travelled in. I do not feel "hard done by" in the least in Britannia.

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On a "holiday" cruise nobody is into the Cunard ocean liner ethos but instead into a party mode and their personal trilateral commission. (Me, myself, and I.)

Respectfully, I disagree with your characterization of that cruise (which you point out you were not on).
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After reading your previous reply in this thread, I'm more than ever convinced that the passenger mix on board will greatly affect one's overall experience and enjoyment.

 

I was on a B2B Dec. 8th - 22nd and it met my expectations of a QM2 TA. So service and standards could hardly have gone to hell that fast. Or could they?

 

I don't think there is any question that the passenger mix affects the experience. Like BlueRiband, we were also on the B2B Dec. 8th - 22nd crossings and found the experience equal to same high standards of our previous crossings. Obviously, something changed in the very next cruise/crossing and it wasn't the ship or it's crew. Just like at home, holidays are a different than your usual day to day living. I'm sure many on holiday are not on the QM2 for the Cunard/QM2 experience and it shows to those of us who are.

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I can agree with most of your post. Although there are still some of the older traditions still around on Holland America ships. They still have the working bellboys, still play the chimes to announce dinner. Still have teak decks.

I have been sailing for many years and actually started out my cruise life working on the SS Rotterdam. I did my first world cruises on her in 1981.

I have always loved all things Cunard and have clocked up hundreds of nights onboard various Cunard Ships. I love what Cunard offer.

I have three cruises booked for the coming year, two in Britannia, one in the Grills. I do not care where I stay as long as I am onboard.

Unfortunately, there were too many things that were not a Cunard style on my last cruise.

Even Cunard customer services told me they had been many complaints and they were looking into this.

Good that they do as they need to keep one step ahead of the game as cruisers are now a different breed to the ones that sailed on the ships like SS Rotterdam. They do not have the same style of the glamour of the old style ships. Wearing anoraks into the bars on a formal night etc is not what one expects.

As a point of interest. This time last year we took a cruise on the MS Rotterdam. Sailed on her repositioning cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Rotterdam. The ship is 20 years old. Has a wrap around teak deck and. Still has portholes. I loved her!

Plus the food was far, far superior to what we had on QM2.

Stephan Payne who designed QM2 took his idea if the wrap-around teak deck from the SS Rotterdam, plus the Staircase in G32 is his modern take if the stairs in the Ritz Carlton.

He told me this himself .

The SS Rotterdam is now a floating hotel and conference centre in Rotterdam harbour.

We stayed onboard last year after disembarking the present day Rotterdam. She is in incredibly good condition and it was wonderful to step back in time to what had once been my home. Fabulous dining rooms and other rooms still in tact in their original state of design, well worth the visit.

One has to wonder what QM2 will be like when she reaches the grand old age of 60 like SS Rotterdam.

 

 

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My first cruise in 1967 was on the SS Rotterdam. I celebrated 50 years of cruising last year on her in Rotterdam as well - in an original suite which I stayed in back in the '70's. I sailed on her frequently through the 70's. In the past year, I have sailed on HAL 3 times: MS Rotterdam to Norway, Westerdam TA and the Veendam to Cuba. Just two bellboys left per ship and staffed mainly in the dining room to serve mints and ginger and seat people to their tables. No chimes at dinner time in any of the lounges. Payne was also inspired by the original QM and Normandy which gave QM2 a lot of her inherent and iconic liner design features. You would enjoy this book, about QM2 which includes Payne and the SS Rotterdam...www.qm2divine.com.

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I have sailed on the Victoria, numerous b2b t.a. crossings on the QM2 and i have sailed numerous Caribbean Christmas/New Year sailings. I have sailed on the SS Rotterdam, the MS Rotterdam and several other H.A. ships. I have sailed Princess and Celebrity. Nothing compared to 2017/18 Christmas voyage.The standards were way off. Not what I would expect from Cunard.

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We went to Alaska in 2015 on Holland America. A reasonable price was available for a Neptune Suite (identical in size and otherwise similar to a basic QM2 Queen's Grill suite but without the benefit of a single-seating dining room). I won't say we were disappointed with the amenities of this level of accommodation because we knew what not to expect, but overall we were not pleased with the food and entertainment.

 

 

We are delighted that Cunard is going to offer Alaska cruises next year. We had a cruise to Norway on the Queen Elizabeth in 2013 and were very pleased. A significant lowering of the Grills fares encouraged us to upgrade ourselves to Princess Grill. We enjoyed the PG restaurant, lounge and deck space much more than on the QM2. The staterooms, however, are not nearly as good in our opinion. They are just longer versions of a regular narrow stateroom with a full bathroom and a tiny balcony.

 

 

For the QE Alaska cruise, the fare for PG would be 2 1/2 times what we are paying for a Britannia balcony stateroom. Of course we will miss the benefits of PG, but we have always enjoyed our crossings/cruises no matter which of the four restaurant categories we have travelled in. I do not feel "hard done by" in the least in Britannia.

 

Ours was a Neptune on the Eurodam - it was a disappointment, but I will say HAL has a nice on board program highlighting Alaska - they had Alaskan beer tastings, some nice food options (a salmon bake on deck though the rest of the food throughout the week was blah) they had a nice day in Glacier Bay with a park ranger. But in general - did not compare to Cunard. We booked PG so i am excited to check out the Grills on another ship - and just check out another ship in general, having only sailed the QM2.

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