Review - Christmas & New Years Cruise - Dec 22, 2013 - Jan 3, 2014

[Paul NH]

Allow me to jump to the conclusion of this review from the outset: this cruise was a very enjoyable one and my family and I had a great time. This was my 6th trip on QM2, and all the prior ones were transatlantic. The itinerary was perfect with 3 full days at sea heading to the islands, then island hopping for 5 days, then 3 full days at sea on the return. I was traveling with my wife and two sons, 20 and 21, who are typically away at college these days. The dates for this trip were perfect for all of our schedules, and the great tropical weather is a good getaway destination. Sailing out of New York allowed us the luxury of not having to get involved with a plane, although I know a number of people connected to the port via flights. So, having provided a "thumbs up" to this trip at the start of my review, I will now move onto the good and the bad details (some may be called nits) I experienced during the 12 days. After all, this site is called Cruise *Critic*.

 

The layout and grandeur of the QM2 continues to impress and please. The reason I keep returning to this ship is ... the ship. The boat deck (Deck 7) is a great walking deck with a continuous deck all the way around. The cabins are well designed and can absorb a lot of clothing. I never felt claustrophobic in our Deck 5 balcony cabin the entire 12 days. The life center of the ship, Decks 2 and 3 are well laid out and especially shine in the evenings. The Chart Room is my favorite lounge. Sir Samuels during the day is a great place to park ones self and have an espresso or other hot beverage, and read a book or chat with someone (they have great little desserts as well). The champagne lounge continuous to look very classy. The Grand Lobby always has a hub-bub of people milling about. I can go on and on about the various public rooms, including the Commodore Club, Churchill's Cigar Lounge, Royal Court Theater, etc. They all function well at the job they are supposed to do.

 

I saw an improvement in the Britannia Dining Room since 2011, but there are still issues that we observed - not because we were looking for them, but because we could not help being made aware of them. First of all, I am impressed at the amount of fine-tuned work going on in the dining room to get hot, sometimes gourmet food out to 2,000+ passengers. Our table was situated about 30 or so yards on the starboard side of the ship from the kitchen entrance, and my seat faced that entrance and I could not help but watch the intensity of waiters coming and going with scores of trays, at lightning speed. Those waiters work hard.

 

What I started to noticed though, after a few days, was that this was a highly tuned dining room machine, created by fine-tuning the exact minimum number of people needed to get the job done. As a result, I eventually noticed that there was always a hurrying going on and that things were going to happen in that dining room when Cunard needed them to happen, not when we were ready for them to happen. It becomes more noticeable as more time goes by like a 12 day itinerary.

 

The sommelier service in Britannia is very poor. This comment has nothing to do with the particular sommelier that covered our table, but everything to do with a calculation that someone in management made on how many sommeliers they think are needed for the Britannia Dining Room. Our poor sommelier was running around like crazy. I thought she was going to have a heart attack on Christmas night - and I am not exaggerating that observation. She was working as fast and as hard as she could but it was obvious she had way too many tables to cover. I noticed all this because I would be waiting for her to get to our table to take a wine order, and then I would be waiting for her to being the bottle over. And since the finely tuned dinner machine would never pause to coordinate the timing of the wine with the appetizers and dinner, it detracted from the meal to wonder if the wine would arrive in time for the entree. In 2005 I remember asking our sommelier what wine she would recommend for the meals we were having, and how relaxed the conversation was and well thought out the suggested pairing was. Now, it is a completely ludicrous, rushed service. Our table skipped wine many nights because we did not want to experience the stress of the whole process. In an attempt once to get our wine early, towards the end of the cruise, I figured out a rather pathetic method; when she brought the wine list at the beginning of the seating, I didn't even open up the list so as not to let her go away, and immediately said: "Bring me your least expensive Merlot". That way I got my order in before the nightly craziness started with all the tables she had to cover. I would have thought that wine at dinner would be a lucrative business for Cunard and that they would staff it accordingly.

 

Our waiters were friendly, and were never late or out of sync with delivering the plates, but they just barely spoke English, and this really detracted from the experience in Britannia. Three times we had a wrong plate put in front of one of us. In all those cases the problem was remedied promptly. On two occasions the one waiter did not know what a particular dish or appetizer was when we asked him for an explanation and had to go off and find out. And when he did explain a dish at our request, I could not fully understand what he was saying. I got to know a table neighbor with the same waiters, via Churchill's, and he told me their table was having the same language problem and that he had received a wrong order several times and had resigned himself to just accepting whatever was put in front of him because the food was good.

 

The food was generally good and frequently of gourmet caliber, but one night I ordered Venison and literally could not chew the piece in my mouth to resolution and had to remove it. Another friend I met in Churchill's told me he had the exact same problem. So I have to be surprised by this because I would not expect to experience a poor quality meat like that at a local restaurant or diner - much less a Cunard ship.

 

I never got tired of walking into that dining room and taking in its ambience, the soft lighting, the live music on the balcony, the nicely dressed passengers, and smiling, pleasant staff. It's a classy experience with lasting power. People dressed well even on informal nights when most of us wore ties under our jackets and women wore very nice dresses. The Britannia Dining Room had a great feel to it the whole voyage.

 

I suppose I have gone on too long about the experience in Britannia and will take a break and pick up with other parts of the trip in a later installment(s).

 

Paul

[pmb1]

Thanks for the review. Let us all pray that Cunard may learn that the staff to serve the passengers most essential needs, i.e. food and wine, is not where to economize.

 

How about more details about your daily experiences?

[brigittetom]

 

How about more details about your daily experiences?

 

Thank you for taking the time to write such a great "part 1" review. Really enjoyed it. I, also, look forward to more. :)

 

I forgot to add.....that's been my impression of the diningroom as well, for the last few trips. Love the room and ambiance but the waitstaff is simply too rushed. The service can't feel right when the waitstaff doesn't have a minute to spare without taking that minute away from another table.

Edited January 5, 2014 by brigittetom

[cruiseluvva]

Really enjoying your review so far - and looking forward to more. Thanks for taking the time.

[capnpugwash]

I believe that there are only 8 sommeliers for the Britannia Restaurant which means that they each have about 18 tables to service.

[turquoise 6]

I believe that there are only 8 sommeliers for the Britannia Restaurant which means that they each have about 18 tables to service.

Ah. Very interesting fact!

[cruiserking]

Always enjoy reading your reviews Paul. I feel as if I'm in the Britannia dining room steaming for the tropics myself.

 

Jonathan

[Paul NH]

Because the weather was so nice on this trip, I did not spend as much time indoors attending events or places that I might have done more of had I been on a transatlantic. A typical routine at sea would be to wake up around 7-8, have a cup of coffee in the Kings Court, walk several miles around the boat deck, meet up with family for breakfast in Britannia, walk some more on deck, or sit in a deck chair, maybe go to Sir Samuels for a coffee or by then head into the Chart Room for a jazz concert, then to Britannia for lunch, then catch an afternoon concert in the Royal Court Theater, or go back up on deck, and then to Churchill's Cigar Lounge and then dinner. The days would go by in such an entertaining and relaxing way. Our family of four would sometimes do things all together, or just a couple of us would meet up, or we would be off on our own doing our own thing. It was a nice mixture. On Christmas Day, for instance when we were still at sea, I parked myself on a deck chair on the boat deck from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and switched between reading, sleeping, and staring out at the deep blue water. It really was a wonderful and relaxing way to spend vacation time.

 

One of my favorite routines was eventually wandering up to Churchill's Cigar Lounge and meeting up with people. Several of us became shipboard friends as we all settled into a routine that by chance brought us into Churchill's at similar times during the day. We would relax with a cigar and talk about anything and everything, frequently with a late afternoon cocktail. I really enjoyed my time in that lounge, so it is unfortunate that the ventilation is so awful in there. I do not understand how this cigar lounge was planned from the birth of this ship and yet contains no fresh air circulation. The air in there gets very, very cloudy with cigar smoke and all of us were amazed by the poor circulation. Cunard has some portable piece of equipment on the floor in the corner that I nicknamed the "Placebo Machine" which would make a lot of unnecessary noise while doing nothing to clean the air. And for some reason Cunard has taken away the matches from the lounge tables ... in a cigar lounge mind you. I once saw a gentleman come in and purchase a cigar and the waiter could not light his cigar. Luckily a number of passengers had lighters on them, but we were all puzzled on how the staff that serviced a cigar lounge had no lighters/matches and couldn't explain why they were not provided. Despite these two issues, this lounge is a big draw for a select subset of passengers and I meet the most interesting people in them - many who I feel would make great longer term friends under more practical circumstances.

 

The Tea Service in the Queens Lounge was improved from a couple of years ago as well, in terms of coverage by the waiters. My favorite day for tea is when the QM2 band plays during it. But the service seemed more attentive than prior years, although it could still fluctuate at times. But my son did tell me though that one time he and my wife were there and he asked for four desserts off the tray at once and the waiter said to him, "The Kids Zone is down the hallway." My wife and him (I had not yet arrived at the tea table) and other son were surprised by the comment, and my son was a bit insulted. When he came over again and my son had some sandwiches, he told him that he should watch his appetite for dinner. They couldn't tell if he was trying to joke with him or what was going on with his comments, and thought it was very weird. Similar to Churchill's, we would sometimes share a table with other passengers and meet some nice people and have a good chat about random things.

 

I'll continue my thoughts on this trip in another installment.

 

Paul

[pmb1]

...

I'll continue my thoughts on this trip in another installment.

 

Paul

Looking forward to it. BTW, did any cigarette smokers get grief by trying to puff in Churchill's?

[Paul NH]

BTW, did any cigarette smokers get grief by trying to puff in Churchill's?

Only once did a couple of women come in and ask if we minded if they smoked and the four of us who were there with cigars told them that we did not mind. But they hurried their smoke along because they said they did not want to get the waiter in trouble, or get him agitated.

[Paul NH]

Cunard did a good job with Christmas and New Years on this trip. On Christmas Eve there was a passenger sing-along of various Christmas hymns and songs in the Main Lobby. There was a huge turnout for the event and it was moving to sing and hear the collective singing of one to two hundred passengers gathered on both levels and along the stairs. There was also a Christmas Eve service conducted in part by the Commodore. When we returned to our staterooms that evening there were wrapped gifts and a card from Cunard - a nice coffee mug. We thought this was a nice gesture. On Christmas day there were various services/mass about the ship and the Director announced over the lounge speakers that Santa had been sighted, and eventually he "arrived" and paraded first through most of the Kings Court with a Dixie jazz band following along playing Christmas music, until going down through the Main Lobby and back to the Queens Lounge to sit with the children on board. Later they broadcast the Queen's Christmas Address in the Queens Lounge and Golden Lion Pub. I had never seen her address so this was mildly entertaining as an American. On Christmas night paper crowns were provided in the Britannia Dining Room. The only thing lacking, I thought, was the evening show in the Royal Court Theater. It was advertised as a Christmas Show and it was really not. There was a great electric violinist (sorry, forgot his name but he is somewhat known in England) and it would have been nice if he played some Christmas songs, but he did not. As hinted at before, the best Christmas gift of all was the fantastic tropical weather out on deck.

 

For New Years Eve, the dining room was really done up festively, with brightly colored balloons and confetti on all the tables. Party hats and tiaras were waiting for us at our tables as well as horns. The horns were great fun. Many people took to blowing them as we were all getting seated which was a lot of fun to see the dining room in that sort of sound state. The horns settled down but every once in a while there would be an outburst that would spread through the room. The waiters were clearly rushing things along by the end of the meal; I assume they had somewhere below that they wanted to get to. We went next to the Commodore Club, where sometime after 11 the Commodore appropriately came through wishing guests a Happy New Year. Around 11:30 we wandered down to Deck 2 and the Main Lobby was packed and we proceeded back to the Queens Room and did the countdown from there in a very packed room. Free champagne was passed about. We then went back to the Main Lobby which had the sail-away band and there was a lot of dancing going on. Young people were in the glass elevators dancing and going up and down the two on them continuously while the band played on. Then we went to G32, which I never saw so crowded and alive (although my older son told me that's because I'm never back there after midnight on other nights when the club really picks up).

 

I am happy to confirm that a tidal wave did not come along and capsize the ship shortly after midnight.

 

So I did not know what to expect for both of these events on this holiday cruise and we ended up being very happy with the level of festiveness.

 

Paul

[brigittetom]

 

I am happy to confirm that a tidal wave did not come along and capsize the ship shortly after midnight.

 

Paul

 

Is that how you thought the holiday trip was supposed to end. :)

 

Fun reading, thank you for taking the time.....again.

[balf]

Thanks Paul for a well balanced review. Very fair and so much more useful than some of the "everything perfect" or "worst cruise ever" ones.

 

I think the Britannia dining problems are to do with cost cutting. In real terms a Cunard cruise is probably cheaper than at any time in the past. Something has to give!

 

David.

[Whitemarsh]

I am happy to confirm that a tidal wave did not come along and capsize the ship shortly after midnight.

 

That's because Maureen McGovern didn't come on to sing

. If she ever does, make for the lifeboats.

 

Thank you for your interesting report. May I add (on behalf of all smokers) that we appreciate it greatly when cigar & pipe smokers in Churchill's don't make a big deal about people smoking cigarettes).

[pmb1]

BTW, did any cigarette smokers get grief by trying to puff in Churchill's?

Only once did a couple of women come in and ask if we minded if they smoked and the four of us who were there with cigars told them that we did not mind. But they hurried their smoke along because they said they did not want to get the waiter in trouble, or get him agitated.

I'm still searching for a cigar-shaped cigarette holder to ease my wife's visits to Churchill's.

[brigittetom]

Pmb1, This isn't what you asked for but I use small cigarette shaped filtered cigars. They aren't any stronger than my cigarettes, less expensive than cigarettes, and pass Churchills regulations.

[BlueRiband]

Thanks Paul for a well balanced review. Very fair and so much more useful than some of the "everything perfect" or "worst cruise ever" ones.

 

I think the Britannia dining problems are to do with cost cutting. In real terms a Cunard cruise is probably cheaper than at any time in the past. Something has to give!

 

David.

 

Pretty much what some here have been saying. This "game of chicken" to wait out a rock bottom fare had to eventually lead to this cost cutting. Everyone wants a great deal but the laws of economics cannot be defied forever.

 

Only 8 sommeliers for the Britannia Restaurant? This means less than 5 minutes per table before dinner is over. Somewhere an accountant as crunched the numbers of wine sales revenue lost versus salary savings gained.

 

OP, thank you for your balanced review. I hope you submit it as a formal review as it will be very helpful to others planning a similar voyage.

 

I am astonished that you encountered waiters who could not communicate in English. It's something that would not be a problem for the technical crew as they meet passengers only in passing. But inexcusable for Cunard to hire wait staff - who are directly involved in customer service - without basic language proficiency.

[pmb1]

Pmb1, This isn't what you asked for but I use small cigarette shaped filtered cigars. They aren't any stronger than my cigarettes, less expensive than cigarettes, and pass Churchills regulations.

Thanks for your suggestion. I'll make sure that my wife reads it.

[keithm]

We had the same problem with the sommier being overwhelmed in Jan.2012 on the QV. The 2 past voyages with Cunard were in the Grills, so there were never any issues. There shouldn't be in that price range! A friend of my mother traveled twice with us(separate cabins)On QV we were both in Britannia. The sommier was late with Liz's drink..which is something you don't want to be.After the second night the sommier seemed to get it nailed down, but still was quite rushed. Though the food was good on QV, it was not near as good as the other Britannia times on QM2. I think we're all starting to see cutbacks in quality of staff as well as food quality. This,along with so few cruises to the Caribbean is a reason we're now giving Celebrity a try. If Cunard would resume some of the B2B TransAtlantics from New York, we'd definately go back. I will post a good review on our Jan.25'th Celebrity trip & will advise whether it's a good deal.

[keithm]

That's because Maureen McGovern didn't come on to sing

. If she ever does, make for the lifeboats.

 

Thank you for your interesting report. May I add (on behalf of all smokers) that we appreciate it greatly when cigar & pipe smokers in Churchill's don't make a big deal about people smoking cigarettes).

I would certainly hope the QM2 could ride out a tsunami better than the "Poopsidedown" did in that lame movie!

[Underwatr]

We had good service from our wine waitress (I refuse to call them sommeliers, as I don't believe they're that well trained) but we kept her on a tight rein and had wine each evening shared among two couples.

[Whitemarsh]

I would certainly hope the QM2 could ride out a tsunami better than the "Poopsidedown" did in that lame movie!

 

Let's hope so. She is, after all, an ocean liner (despite what anyone says). :)

[Rileyspike]

Thank you for the review, I very much enjoyed reading it. Cunard get so many things right but it seems to be the small things that let them down. That being said we all seem to keep going back.

[bobby1119]

The holiday cruise so exceeded my expectations that I am compelled to post a mini-review in the form of a few observations. The weather was great on the way to the Caribbean, throughout the Caribbean, and for most of the way back to New York. The ship was festively decorated, and the celebrations on Christmas and New Year's Eve were fun to be a part of. We had a perfect table for two (a banquette) directly next to the window at far end of the Princess Grill, looking out onto the aft decks. The dress code was respected in the dining room where many gentlemen, including ourselves, wore ties on informal nights, and in most of the public rooms, although Kings Court remains a different story no matter what time of day one ventures there. The service provided by our waitstaff team in the Princess Grill was superb, and the quality of the food was much improved since our last cruise in PG about a year ago. We were invited to attend the wedding at sea of the wonderful couple seated next to us in the dining room who also asked us to serve as their witnesses. The ceremony was lovely, and we enjoyed sharing the event with them and the Commodore who joined us for a reception afterwards. As we had been to all of the islands except Tortola, we took local transportation to our favorite beaches and a few new beaches, including Maho Bay in St. Maarten where we experienced the low-low-flying planes landing at the airport. In Antigua, however, we wanted to sail, so we booked a Cunard excursion of six hours duration that consisted of a terrific catamaran sail along the western coastline of the island with two extended stops for swimming, sunning on the beach and a beachside barbecue. The return journey to New York provided a leisurely respite from all the island-hopping until the Commodore informed us that the decision had been taken to increase the ship’s speed (from 17.5 to 22.5 kts) in order to berth in New York by 11pm Thursday night, rather than Friday morning at 6:30 am as scheduled, and thereby avoid the worst of the gale force winds and snow which were already affecting the ship by Thursday afternoon. Seeing decks previously bathed in warm Caribbean sunshine now blanketed in deep snow was a magical sight to behold and arguably a once in a lifetime experience. Yes, there is evidence of cut-backs just about everywhere, but this fact did not diminish our enjoyment of this very pleasant cruise.

[Salacia]

Bobby, I'm very happy to read that you enjoyed the cruise. Must be very pleasant to recall those beautiful warm beaches as we bathe in the current freezing temperatures!

 

I'm getting the impression that the difference in terms of service and quality of food between the Grills and Britannia is becoming more and more apparent. (I always expected there would be a considerable difference in keeping with the difference in rates, but it seems to be more of a contrast now.) Or is it the same as it has always been?

 

Thanks for you review & welcome home. Cheers, -S.