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QM2 not what it is made out to be


chloe kitty
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While I can share some criticism (I posted earlier), I have no choice other than to share another thing - a real story.

Two young men in the museum were talking near The Sistine Madonna: "This painting does not impress me.."

A famous actress that happened to be there turned to them and said: "This painting has been impressing so many people for so many years, that now it can decide by itself .. whom to impress".

 

I believe a good advice to those who is planning a sea travel on the Queen of all ships is to get prepared. This is a special ship with a special history, and a special mission. Almost everything you are going to see on this ocean liner is done for a reason, and has a special meaning.

Even the things that could have been on this ship but are missing - are missing for a reason.

This ship is telling a story. Are you ready to listen?

 

The liner is created for the North Atlantic line, so the best way to know and understand it is to make trip from Southampton to New York.

 

It's a good idea to learn something about Van Gogh before you go to the exhibition.

It will make someone's experience more enjoyable.

 

Well stated!

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Reading the posts I have to agree with some of the comments posted. My partner and I are keen "Cunarders" with several transatlantic voyages on QM2 and European/Med on the sister ships.

 

It is difficult to compare the Britannia experiences across the sister ships as each has their own style and atmosphere for example we found the crew on QV to be more bonded as a team and "old school" with many having worked on QE2 therefore the dining experience was fantastic.

 

Qm2 sufferers from several issues, firstly the sheer size of the Britannia dinning room is a wonderful space, but lacks atmosphere, IF in our opinion you sit in the Deck 3 level in towards the centre of the room.

The upper levels seem to work better especially nearer to the desirable windows tables and the waiting staff seem more cohesive in their team work and delivery.

 

Our gripe, and believe me as I type this I realise it truly is a first world problem, is the repetition of dishes.

It's always the same and mostly in the same order on a transatlantic voyage.

 

We now go to the Veranda on certain nights because In Britannia, although its a perfectly nice dish I don't want to eat lobster tail with jollof style rice and tempura prawns for the 5th time or the beef wellington for the 3rd, each presented exactly the same way as previous crossings.

 

I guess its incredibly personal how you enjoy your dinning experience but i would agree that Cunard needs to listen and respond more to those who are loyal to the brand engaging on social media etc and not resting on their history and reputation to fill the every growing ships .

 

For us as a couple we are the new generation of Cunard customers, middle aged and potentially several decades of voyages ahead however I will say our heads have been turned by other companies and sometimes we just wish there was a little more to offer.

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Excellent analysis and as previously posted it applies to the purchase of all goods and services, not just cruise lines.

 

The "obedient consumer" is most beloved by business and is the foundation of increased profits.

 

The cruise lines are all reducing the value of their product because of the "obedient consumer" as well as favorable economic conditions which is allowing consumers to cruise more.

 

I believe basic marketing should be taught to every high school individual so they learn about their future willing and repetitive exploitation by private enterprise. May be people will wake up to the methods of modern capitalism. While reasonable profit is required, gouging and deliberate downgrades are not.

 

We have enjoyed Cunard and now Oceania. We fired Celebrity in 2015 because of their vast (and continuing) downgrading of their once unique and great product.

 

I am a ruthless consumer and will kick to the curb any and all service providers if I even smell of downgrading that can not be justified by inflation or because of difficult sector circumstances like government intrusion/legislation/product scarcity.

 

I read posts on CC and shake my head at people complaining about downgrading but still booking future cruises. Or being incredibily loyal trying to minimize downgrades.

 

It is called the consumer behavior bell curve folks and after 40 years in marketing I still shake my head at "obedient consumers". We just love today's obedient consumers!

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A useful and objective review will mention both the good and bad points of a voyage while giving specific examples. Other than bad steak we see no specifics here. The OP clearly had a disappointing experience. But declaring QM2 a "sick ship" is a bit dramatic. No wonder the "perfect" brigade jumped to her defense.

 

For example, how was the tour desk "lacking"? Hours open? Choice of tours? Details about them? The one the OP wanted was sold out? We haven't been told how it was "lacking".

 

Did they like their stateroom? The dining room service? The public rooms and cleanliness of the ship? Did they enjoy at least one show? I hope the OP will be back to give examples or will write a formal review and tell us exactly what was QM2 "made out to be" in their expectations and how those expectations were not met. Telling us that their vacation sucked isn't helpful to anyone.

Edited by BlueRiband
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How true! Unfortunately there are people who enjoy to complain all the time - I ignore them because they do not only spoil the time of other guests but their own time as well. To me it has never happened before that the food was as bad as described, and if it was, there are plenty of other places on the ship to go to.

 

The ship itself is of high quality, elegant and solid and represents what one expects from a true ocean liner.

 

Full stop.

 

 

 

It’s all down to individuals standards, some are higher than others.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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And some people enjoy different things, it's unrealistic to expect everyone to enjoy the same cruise lines.

I am sorry that the OP was disappointed but it doesn't mean that those of us who enjoy the Cunard experience are blindly loyal, we have found a holiday experience we enjoy and we will carry on enjoying it for as long as we can.

I haven't been on a cruise since November 2016 & I'm really looking forward to being back on QV next month.

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Perhaps the OP's expectations were simply too high? I'm sure we are all fair and honest enough to admit that Cunard is not perfect - it's close (!) but could do better in certain areas. I'm more than happy to sail on a Queen (busy looking for our next trip) but if another cruise line was to come along with a good offer I would take it.

 

I do wish, however, that people would give more reasons other than state 'it's a sick ship'. I don't even know what this means.

 

Please OP, come back and fill in the blanks.

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Seems a little harsh. I certainly don't consider Cunard food and service to be the best at sea, but I'm not sure I would call it "low quality" either. I suppose it all depends on what you're comparing it with. If you expected Crystal, Silversea, Seabourn, Oceania, or Regent food/service standards on Cunard you would probably be disappointed, but overall I think Cunard does fairly well in the category. Perhaps slightly better than average. Overall I still prefer the cuisine on Celebrity (more apples to apples comparison), but of course there is only one QM2 and it's the ship that keeps bringing me back to Cunard.

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The OP does have a point food was good cream tea had gone downhill in terms of selection from our previous crossings and the men's toilet for the queens room was full of 100 people's urine and completely blocked up and it was disgusting. Cunard standards have fell off. I don't see them making it to 200 years old despite the new ship being ordered.

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We have sailed often on Holland America and Princess. We fully expected the food on Cunard to at least equal them in the main dining room. Sadly, that was not the case and we were often disappointed by the lack of selection and quality in Britannia. We enjoyed the teas and found the buffet great. The only explanation that I can offer is because of the Grills. They offer a class system in dining. This is not the case on Princess or HAL. Whether you are in a suite or an inside cabin,the food offered is the same. While we enjoyed a lot about Cunard the food quality leaves a lot to be desired and will be a big factor in deciding on future cruises.

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Clearly you and I have been sailing on very different QM2s; you should try the one I sail on sometime.

 

Great quality food, lots of choice each evening. Marvellous live entertainment in all areas of the ship.

 

After many, many voyages, I am looking forward to my next voyage on QM2 :) .

 

Next trip; Queen Elizabeth later this month (2nd cruise on her) can't wait :)

Too bad the ship you describe isn't the one I was on. I will not try yours, as I will never book Cunard again. Too many good cruise lines out there.

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How true! Unfortunately there are people who enjoy to complain all the time - I ignore them because they do not only spoil the time of other guests but their own time as well. To me it has never happened before that the food was as bad as described, and if it was, there are plenty of other places on the ship to go to.

The ship itself is of high quality, elegant and solid and represents what one expects from a true ocean liner.

Full stop.

Obviously you would like to think it is an elegant ship, but it isn't. It has a loyal following who see no evil. I usually don't complain, but this cruise needed to be addressed.

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Make no mistake, I love Cunard (as a scan of my past cruises in my sig will verify) but feel that they are in danger. Not only from the aging of their customer base, but from falling behind the competition. No, not in razzle-dazzle, but in other ways.

 

Internet. More lines are offering high-speed Internet. These have also been accompanied with a variety of plans, many not timed. As we all know, that is not the case with Cunard. Improvements have been mentioned with no specifics and no dates. It's not just millennials who are tied to their phones. (Of course, given this platform, I'm clearly preaching to the choir here). It's becoming more common for cruisers to have expectations for something better than two-generations-old connectivity.

 

Related to this, I think every line exceeds Cunard at providing access to reservations and folios and ability to order and manage excursions and dining, before and during the voyage. Literally. I haven't encountered a website which lacks so much information and is so limited in over a decade. Bottom of the pack. Login? Creaky. Advance reservations for excursions, transfers, and dining? Limited. In cabin online reservations? Nope. They certainly must have a review of charges?? No such luck.

Literally, the worst in the industry.

 

What once had been sufficient or even leading (I remember the original QE2 Computer Learning Centre before they could be connected to the Internet or anything else and I went up to the radio room to enter an email on their equipment) - is now woefully out of date. And these aren't frills. They have become expectations.

 

Likewise the food is missing the boat for many. For years, the cuisine was international "country club fancy" dining, as we'd refer to it in the states. And budgets have been shrinking on all lines. In this case, Cunard Britannia is certainly far from the worst amongst its competitors, but Britannia falls short of the consistently luxurious experience that is sold. Perhaps more often a factor of unrealistic expectations, but a cause for disappointment nonetheless.

 

Additionally, today's new passenger profile has different expectations. They like having different experiences and options. With the explosion of food programming and interest in cooking, there's interest in cuisine that goes beyond the old standards. (Dining in foodie San Francisco, I think many restaurant menus come from a "Chopped" mystery basket.) Personally, I found that Celebrity went too far to the trendy in that the best part of some of my meals was the description in the menu. Adding a "Something different" daily dinner option would be helpful for those growing numbers of foodies. On the other end, I think all the other lines offer a standard list of basic items which are always available. Adding these items explicitly to the Britannia menu would help here. (Especially if a new cruiser is feeling "trapped" by fixed dining and few menu choices) I'd also consider adding a truly good burger with good fixins (not the usual preformed patties with a thin slice of pale tomato). Yeah, it's downmarket - but it's also found at some of the top restaurants in New York. I'd also make the alternative dining option more well known. Not only can you not make reservations before boarding, and again, not from the TV either, but if you want to know the schedule for the week, you must chase down the Maitre d' upstairs.

 

Finally, Cunard REALLY needs to step up its presence and interaction with its customers.

 

Note, these are different from the ever-present difficulty reconciling the expectations of ultimate luxury with the reality of being one of 1500 (?) passengers in Britannia - at a per diem of as little as $150. Also none of these suggestions disturbs Cunard's niche and special traditions of formal dress code and fixed dining assignments.

 

I fear that Cunard is sitting on its laurels and has missed how customers have changed and how the rest of the travel and hospitality industry has moved forward and left them behind.

 

Reading the reviews can be enlightening.

EXCELLENT! Well said.

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We have sailed often on Holland America and Princess. We fully expected the food on Cunard to at least equal them in the main dining room. Sadly, that was not the case and we were often disappointed by the lack of selection and quality in Britannia. We enjoyed the teas and found the buffet great. The only explanation that I can offer is because of the Grills. They offer a class system in dining. This is not the case on Princess or HAL. Whether you are in a suite or an inside cabin,the food offered is the same. While we enjoyed a lot about Cunard the food quality leaves a lot to be desired and will be a big factor in deciding on future cruises.

Please take me back to Princess, Celebrity, or RCCL. No Cunard.

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Obviously you would like to think it is an elegant ship, but it isn't. It has a loyal following who see no evil. I usually don't complain, but this cruise needed to be addressed.

 

The QM definitely IS an elegant ship and by far more elegant than Celebrity, RCCL and Princess, which you cite later in the discussion. I regret that your last cruise has been disappointing, but preferring these lines to Cunard's ships when it comes to elegance is just simply wrong.

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Please take me back to Princess, Celebrity, or RCCL. No Cunard.

 

 

even if I agreed with every one of your comments there is no better ship afloat for crossing the Atlantic in storm/ hurricane conditions which I have done more than once

 

 

steak, salmon and chicken are always available off menu in the Britannia you only have to ask

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We just traveled on another line MSC and could not believe the difference. We always wondered how it would be on another line and now we know!

We can not wait to get back on Cunard!

We all wish you well as you move on, but we will remain with our Elegant Queens!!

 

 

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We have sailed often on Holland America and Princess. We fully expected the food on Cunard to at least equal them in the main dining room. Sadly, that was not the case and we were often disappointed by the lack of selection and quality in Britannia. We enjoyed the teas and found the buffet great. The only explanation that I can offer is because of the Grills. They offer a class system in dining. This is not the case on Princess or HAL. Whether you are in a suite or an inside cabin,the food offered is the same. While we enjoyed a lot about Cunard the food quality leaves a lot to be desired and will be a big factor in deciding on future cruises.

Two years ago we had a cruise on Holland America. We booked a suite (identical in size and shape to a basic Queen's Grill suite on the QM2) knowing there is no restaurant for suite passengers. Breakfast is available in the Pinnacle Grill which was a nice perk (same menu as the MDR but that was fine) but lunches and dinners were a disappointment. At lunch the food was barely edible and the service inept, albeit very polite. We generally avoid buffets so we were pleased that light food is available in the Neptune Lounge and this was where we took most of our lunches. At dinner (second sitting) the service was excellent and the food acceptable in most cases, although two scrawny grey lamb chops do not meet my definition of rack of lamb.

 

 

I find Cunard's food - and we have travelled in all four "classes" of restaurant - to be much better even in Britannia.

 

 

As for Princess, they are introducing a designated portion of the MDR with an enhanced menu for suite passengers. This is already available on several of their ships. We have not travelled with Princess but were considering an Alaska cruise with them next year. The availability of Alaska cruises on the Queen Elizabeth have put an end to that thought.

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Two years ago we had a cruise on Holland America. We booked a suite (identical in size and shape to a basic Queen's Grill suite on the QM2) knowing there is no restaurant for suite passengers. Breakfast is available in the Pinnacle Grill which was a nice perk (same menu as the MDR but that was fine) but lunches and dinners were a disappointment. At lunch the food was barely edible and the service inept, albeit very polite. We generally avoid buffets so we were pleased that light food is available in the Neptune Lounge and this was where we took most of our lunches. At dinner (second sitting) the service was excellent and the food acceptable in most cases, although two scrawny grey lamb chops do not meet my definition of rack of lamb.

 

 

I find Cunard's food - and we have travelled in all four "classes" of restaurant - to be much better even in Britannia.

 

 

As for Princess, they are introducing a designated portion of the MDR with an enhanced menu for suite passengers. This is already available on several of their ships. We have not travelled with Princess but were considering an Alaska cruise with them next year. The availability of Alaska cruises on the Queen Elizabeth have put an end to that thought.

 

I have only done one cruise, Princess Crown in an inside room (last minute cruise). We have booked an obstructed view veranda for the July 1, 5 day cruise out of New York. Since it only goes to Canada and back no testing of the QM2 across the Atlantic. The Princess and Cunard lines are sister companies and share many things including customer databases (I had filled out my Cunard passenger profile and the information showed up on my Princess profile).

 

I found the Princess service excellent and the MDR food quality OK. It reminds me of the food quality and service found in the better US National Park lodges run by Xanterra, e.g.,

Lake Yellowstone Hotel dinning room.

I realize I am getting a Veranda room on the QM2 however, it is also 3 times the price for the same length of cruise. The QM2 veranda works out to about $600/night for the cabin. I certainly hope the food in the MDR is at least as good as the Princess or this will be my first and last trip.

There are a great deal of cruise lines out there competing for business, this is not a captive audience like vacationers in National Parks.

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