A short note on the may 10 cruise.

The ship itself is quite unique.The service in the main dining room is slow,the food not to good (the menue needs a total revamp) They deliver a roll as if it came from a safe. My table was one chair short(my chair) one night:I was told by the waiter that I would just have to wait until she got to it. The kings court reminds me of an institution cafeteria.Some of the staff were very helpful and some very rude.I was shocked to see a pile of greesy fat covered bacon in a serving container every morning .Some one ought to be ashamed of offering that mess every morning .They must have been short of grapefruit,only served last two days.The tender service in st thomas was a mess ;it took until 11:00to get off the ship.There is no question,the ship itself has many great features .The Queen's room is a marvel ,nothing like it at sea and few places on shore to compare it with.However,Cunard will have to do better,much better, in the line of food and service in order to compete in the cruise trade,further it may not make much difference ,The ship must be able to dock to make sence in cruising. The faster they get rid of the wine and champagne bars the better.The shops are a joke .Ships pictures,27:50 a joke The way passengers sign for drinks(which by the way are quite reasonable)an invitation to fraud.Eventually when all the hype dies down , this ship will have to compete !

I'm going out on a limb here. As for the food, I'm not sure what people expect. I was pleased with the food, I thought it was very good. The only thing about the food was the midnight snack was the same every night. Other than that, I found the quality to be good. I think people confuse presentation with quality. Restaurants do a good job at making their dishes look nice, but the food its self isn't anything superior. Did you get to eat in Todd English? Now that's what you call great food and "presentation" Our table had one chair too short one evening, out waiter put it there really quick, same for when our table wasn't full, he took the extra chair away. As for the roll situation, I just asked when I wanted another. I think Cunard is trying to hand out the roll one at a time, because very posh restaurants do that. I think the way I look at life has alot to do with things. I would never complain if I asked the waiter for another, and another, and another roll but if he was rude to me about it, that's another story. I'm not sure why your waiter was rude about getting another chair? As for the Grapefruit situation. It verywell could be, Cunard couldn't get any in NY. This happens all the time on land too. Ever been to a grocery store and they were out of something because it wasn't shipped? I would say that's what happened to you. Then when the ship was in St Thomas or such, they got a new shipment of food and grapefruits were there. I know we pay alot to vacation, alot of people don't except any gliches. But in reality nothing is perfect, not even on a ship. I fell in love with the Queen Mary 2. I can't wait to go again. Next time is the 8-day cruise out of NYC on March 9th. At least this time I don't have to wait 2 years, like I did for the tandem crossing.

J.P.

JP There was only one soup I could eat ; when it arrived it was luke warm.The menue was just plain odd. Service was slow ,you couldnt find anyone to ask for another roll:that is when we got the first one.Ships never get stores in saint thomas .If You can't get grapefruit in new york you can't get them anywhere ! We ate at the tod english restuarant It was good but not great ,I had to ask for more water twice. The ship is much show and and not much on substance .In 1979 I went to europe and back on the QE2 tanasatlantic class .I Swore that if Iwent again it would be in the columbia dining room ,the food was really bad.If Cunard wants to be posh they ought not play at it ;Just do it. Attention to detail is missing. Supervision is lacking Why did their chief chef resign or was he fired?Did you notice that there is no place to put a small ensamble in the dining room.I suspect this was done on purpose because the Grill patrons would complain that they didn't have a dinner ensamble . Such a grand dining room and no music. What a shame. The QM2 wants to be all things to all people The sea jack of all trades ,a nostalgic trip into the past. I have taken about 20 cruises and I am of the considered opinion that Cunard better get it's act together fast. The people I talked to on this cruise have no intention of booking with Cunard again. JR

I was also on the QM2 but it must of been on another QM2. While I respect your opinion, I would not say it was a joke. and if only 20 out of 2600 would never sail again, perhaps Cunard is doing something right. When I sail, I sail with a smile on my face and am thankful for what life has to offer. Many people would dream to be able to sail on the QM2 or any ship but are too poor, old or sick to do so. Please do not think I am criticizing your opinion but rather your description of events aboard. Were you polite when you asked for another roll? I have listened to some of my fellow passengers insult the crew as if they were slaves. Perhaps a more thoughtful, precise review rather than saying everything was a joke. I don't think paying the money we did is a joke. If you were displeased, did you complain or just wait to write on this board?

30+ Cruises and Counting

Queen Mary 2 - May 2004

Pride of Aloha - August 2004

Caribbean Princess - February 2005

louchamp! I didn't say everything was a joke nor did I treat any of the ships crew rudely.I was the one treated rudely .I certainly don't think spending money a joke .The service and food on this ship is simply not up to standards .Please read the ratings on this ship in the rating section of the cruise critic ,Where do you get the figure 20 out of 2600 would not sail again on the ship? The current survey indicates that 48% would not sail on this ship again!How many cruises did you say you were on? JR

I've been on 15 cruises. Okay 14 cruises and one transatlantic crossing. Plus I've done other types of travels, such as Egypt and working on getting most of Europe down pat. The Queen Mary 2 is my favorite so far. When I was on QM2 I didn't meet anyone who said they wouldn't sail her again. In fact I've met lots who have been on her before. I had a roommate and he was on the infamous maiden yoyage, he went right back. I think Cunard made the tandem crossing special because I was onboard

J.P.

I have been on over 30 cruises and you did say several things were a joke (photo, etc) My point is why were they rude? What did you ask for that elicited a rude response? I did not encounter any of the rudeness you did, nor my parents who have sailed on her twice already. That is not to say your opinion is invalid nor anything like that. I think that if you were treated rudely, an immediate complaint to the staff members supervisor should have been made. I would not tolerate any rudeness by any staff member on any vacation whatsoever. I just find that on many of these boards, people complain without some specifics. You stated the bacon was "slop". I did not think so. Perhaps you could say the bacaon was not to your liking. Someones "slop" is someone elses "prime cut"

30+ Cruises and Counting

Queen Mary 2 - May 2004

Pride of Aloha - August 2004

Caribbean Princess - February 2005

I am looking forward to a Trans-At sailing in a few weeks. The main reason...to experience the ship with no annoying disturbances, such as a port of call. I do not think I would choose QM2 for a Caribbean cruise ONLY because it is so large, they tender in so many ports. We have spent too much vacation time waiting in lounges for our tender # to be called. The novelty of the first time was fine, but after that it is simply annoying, inconveninet and time consuming.

We were on the 17 day Three Continents Cruise in March. I agree that the service in the dining room was slow and spotty. Most nights it took over two hours to finish dinner. On one evening, our appetizer did not arrive untill 7:10, an hour and ten minutes after we were seated. Rolls were also parcelled out one at a time. One of our table mates used sweet-and-low. She had to request it virtually every night and sometimes several times.

I didn't use all of the public mens rooms on the ship but the ones I used near the theater and queens room had one toilet (no urinal).There was a line of men waiting to relieve themselves.I am told that the same situation existed in the public ladies rooms(Potty parity- Cunard style).Did anyone find a urinal on the ship? Oh well keep a stiff upper lip and carry on.