Our Fantasy Cruise Part 1 April 2nd 8 Night QM2

[Chuck & Phyllis]

We’ve been cruising twice a year for the past 14 years but this was our first Cunard cruise.

 

Embarkation was a breeze. Before boarding, we were able to make Todd English reservations so took advantage of that as they were set up just before you take your boarding picture. We were onboard by 12 noon and directed to our cabin. We sailed in cabin 4108, a hull balcony. The cabin is bigger than those on other ships are, and better designed. The closet is divided into 3 sections. The first is for formal wear as it’s tall for hanging gowns. The second is an upper closet containing the safe and shelves, with four large drawers below it. The third section is a double closet with plenty of hangers. Opposite was the bathroom that was spotless and large for a regular cabin. It didn’t seem compact at all and plenty of room in the shower, plenty of corner glass shelves for stuff. Continuing into the cabin, a king sized bed with decorative pillows on it, very comfy mattress. Continuing towards the balcony was a seating area with a 60" loveseat (not sleeper), and an adjustable cocktail table. Across from that was a vanity with 3 drawers (one had a keyboard in it and one had a hair dryer) and the fridge with a TV on top. The bed tables have drawers also so there’s plenty of space to store your clothes and things. The room was nicely decorated in wood tones with three art pieces on the walls. We read comments about the room appearing dark because of the because of the hull type balcony but we thought it was just fine. The balcony was 8.5’ X 9’ and very private. No one can look in while at the rail and the partitions were solid with thin seams. Yes, you do have to stand up to sea the ocean but there was plenty of sun for tanning when the sun was on that side. We were only in the cabin five minutes when a knock on the door brought our luggage. We were unpacked by 1:00 PM (all 7 bags fit under the bed), and headed for the buffet, for a bite before our exploration. We always request a table for two when we cruise and this is the first time we didn’t have to visit the dining room for it. In your cabin will be a card with your table # on it and map of the Britannia showing your table. Ours was as requested. Our cabin stewardess was Ana Lisa who was by far the best room attendant we ever had. She always addressed us by name, ran to the door to open it if she saw us coming, and kept the room spotless. BTW, they take in the balcony lounger cushions the first night and they re-appear clean and dry the following morning. You won’t believe the music library on the interactive TV. Thousands of songs of every type, and free too!

 

Kings court is divided into 4 sections but we just grabbed a tray on the first line (Carvery) we saw to save time (food was very good). We would later check the other sections as we wanted to check out the upper forward section and then meet all the CC’ers at 3PM in the Commodore Club. We walked forward and looked at the winter garden. Before going further, I’d like to say that all the public rooms and lounges are full size enclosed entities so to speak rather connecting abbreviated public rooms on most ships. Next we went up to the library on deck 8. It’s totally awesome. Picture oak double size curios connected one by one to make rows. Quite a few rows at that, looks like a real public library almost (in a very rich town, LOL). There were nice seating areas and some computer stations also. A bookstore was next door. Next it was up to the Commodore Club to await the others. First impression was a classy country club setting. The QM2 model is really something to see. It was really nice meeting all of you guys. Sorry we missed Jim and Angela.

 

The rain let up a little so we went to check out the deck 8 pool. A sign ask that you not use Todd English for a passageway but to go down to deck 7 and use the outside stairs. The kids pool area is quite nice although there weren’t many children on this cruise. Rain started up again and we were getting ready to sail so we headed back to our cabin to get ready for dinner. The first night was casual. Kristoff and Hadj waited on us, with Kelly as the head waitress. The dining room is gorgeous. We sat on the middle tier of the second level. One thing we noticed was that they have extra staff help going for the food trays. We found the service to be very prompt. One of the reasons we dine alone is that we eat and run sometimes not staying desert. The food was great. All of our requests were cheerfully granted. I like just a plain lettuce and tomato salad all the time, Phyllis likes to have an extra appetizer, etc.

 

After dinner, it was time to explore deck 2 and 3 a little before heading to the show. I’ve read other reviews saying that pictures can’t do justice to the actual sight of it all and I agree. It’s all elegant. The artwork is astounding! Make sure you’re not running place to place and not look at it all. All of the shops are beautifully laid out and have nice merchandise. We ended up spending about a $1000 in them. We’re setting up a QM2 collage at home.:D The show was nice. Featuring an intro from Brian the CD, a sample of the Cunard singers and dancers, and a comedian. After the show, we looked in at the casino and decided to call it a night. Back at our cabin, I noticed that the pillow were feathers. Phyllis is allergic to feathers. I called the desk and in about 15 minutes, foam pillows were delivered. We were tired so we turned in a little early. The seas were rough that night.

 

We ate all breakfasts in the Britannia except for two days when I ran up to Kings Court and brought cereal back to the cabin. We always bring our little coffee maker, as we need a cup as soon as we get up and don't want a delivery. Service for breakfast was very good. Allow about 35-45 minutes in the dining room though as your meal is cooked to order. The seas were still a little rough that first morning but calmed down by afternoon. We went up to the indoor pool and no one was there. The pool and hot tubs were open but water was spilling out as the ship rocked. It was fun riding the waves in the pool and it’s all fresh water, not salt water. Towels were supplied on the loungers. Others slowly started to arrive and BTW, we never saw any chair saving at the pool or the show lounge. We had lunch at the Golden Lion Pub. We loved the Steak and Mushroom Pie. They don’t list the Golden Lion as an eatery in the program. We were glad about that because there would be a line throughout the entire lobby if everyone knew. We ate lunch there 3 times. As the cruise wore on, more and more people found out about it and it started getting a little crowded during lunch. We did notice that there was always room at the bar and you can eat there. Be aware it is a smoking area at the bar though.

 

We went to Afternoon Tea and it was as nice as everyone on the boards had posted. It was to be our only time though as we seemed to always be doing something at that time during the day. Or we just forgot about it. We left tea to get ready for the first formal night about 4: 15 PM as we had early seating. The phone rang in our cabin and I thought to myself, that can’t be good, it must be some bad news. I was really surprised when I heard it was Captain Wright’s secretary Krystal who said the Captain would like us to dine with him that night. OMG! We never in all our cruises, ever been invited to the captain’s table. Why us? What do we talk about? OMG! Well, now we had time to think about it cause it was at the late seating. Went back out to explore more of the ship. What a special feeling it was. Came back to get ready about 6PM and all of a sudden it was 8:20 PM and off we went still wondering, why us? When Captain Wright entered, I stood and introduced Phyllis and myself. He said "Oh yes, Chuck and Phyllis, I know all about you". I said, "you read the boards", and he said, "I read everything". He complimented my accurate weather forecast (I posted on our roll call thread). Captain Wright is a very personable man and we felt very comfortable being around him. He sat across the table from us so it was difficult engaging in conversation as I don’t hear that well. I sat next to Betty who is the Ship’s cruise sales director. We spoke a lot about the QM2 and what itineraries she will be doing in 2006. She had mentioned that there may be a crossing Eastbound with a Mediterranean cruise before crossing back Westbound. This may be something we’ve been looking for because we want to visit Great Britain for a week and sail both ways. We’ll be looking into that soon. I did ask why all the discounting, and she said it was to get as many people to try the QM2 as possible knowing that once they experience her, they’ll want to come back. She’s right about that. We were served first white wine and then red wine during dinner. For desert, ten waitpersons stand behind each diner and then all at once put a long rectangular plate in front of us with a sampling of all the deserts on the menu. We all posed for pictures as a group at the table. Captain Wright did mention how he surprised Victor knowing about that program he brought along (Victor mentioned it on the thread). After dinner was over and as we were leaving, Captain Wright said he was going to have us up to the bridge sometime. OMG! :) We went to the show afterwards and then the casino. The shows that we saw were all very good but I tend to fall asleep at them often so sometimes we leave before the end. Something with the darkness looking at the lightness. At the casino, the quarter Wheel of Fortune slot machine is fun to play. We lost a few dollars in that machine during the cruise but we also won more back at the Black Jack table. Overall, we did no worse than break even. We returned to our cabin and we had mail in our mailbox (room number plate has a place for mail). It was an invitation to the Senior Officers party the following night, which was again formal. OMG!

 

TO BE CONTINUED

 

[Zipper25]

Dear Chuck and Phyllis

 

I am new to the boards and the cruise that we will be taking on August 15 round the Med will be the first time on board a liner of any size or shape. Your enthusiasm and the excitement you manage to generate prior to leaving for your holiday makes my waiting all the harder!

The trip we are taking is a gift to ourselves to celebrate so many things - our 15th anniversary, two milestone birthdays and a combined age of 90!. So we are telling everyone that this is our 90th birthday present to ourselves. Your review so far is living up to my hopes and expectations and certainly the improvement in the problem areas can be tracked across the boards. How exciting for you to be invited to dine with the Captain! I bet you were thrilled. Good on you.

We live in Australia and have done for many years now so it was essential that our first trip was aboard one of the great British liners. It's a long trip from Perth to Southampton but I am sure that it will be worth everymile of the way.

Here's to your next post!

 

Thanks for the enthusiasm

[guernseyguy]

Chuck & Phyllis,

 

Thanks for posting your thoughts - sounds like you've had a fantastic time! Have you gone to any of the talks? The Cunard web site is rather silent on that...

 

Look forward to reading more.

 

Peter

[lannp]

:) Thanks, I looking forward to the continuation. I sail eastward on May 4 and I'm counting the days. It's nice to read some positive comments and I appreciate the tidbits of info.

[iceman666]

Chuck and Phyllis,

 

Thanks for such a comprehensive report. We travel to New York on Saturday (16th) and are finding it hard to sleep with the excitement. It will be our first ever cruise and we are celebrating our wedding anniversary as well while on board.

 

Please try and post Part 2 before Friday night so that we can read it while packing !!

 

Andrew

[Mickb]

Chuck & Phyllis

Thank you for your very informative report. We are sailing eastbound on May 4th and an informative account such as yours is really good and useful to read. I really look forward to the next installment.

[ciaobella]

Great information! Thank you!

[Chuck & Phyllis]

Just a note as we start Part 2. The Officers Party was later in the week. The Captain's reception was the second Formal night. So many things happened as you'll read that our days are a little mixed up. Part 2 should be finished by tomorrow night and if there's a Part 3, it will be posted on Friday. Thanks for all the nice replys. We wish our cruise was just coming up now:(