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Notes from an 8/26/18 EB QM2 crossing


ew101
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In late 2018 we waited to find another amazing bargain on an off-season Med trip on the Queen Victoria. Given the increased demand for cruises, this was not to be. The backup plan was to re-create the original idea for our honeymoon over 30 years ago, a transatlantic cruise. Prices were decent on Queen Mary 2 crossings and frequent flyer miles /points could be used for flights and a Manhattan hotel as the school holidays were mostly over.

 

Cunard requires or at least celebrates formal attire and dressing up, so for that one needs baggage. The New York yellow cabs in the form of small Nissan vans are ideal for jumbo suitcases. The cab to the Holiday Inn Flatiron from LGA was around $50 and the same from the hotel to the ship. After reading many postings online, we jumped in the cab right after hotel check-out at 11 and arrived at the Red Hook Cruise Terminal at noon. We were aboard and unpacking our checked luggage in our stateroom by 12:45. I tracked down several senior hotel officers at the welcome reception and thanked them personally for this amazing effort. The secret on the speedy luggage delivery was later revealed by one of the waiters – a draft of crew from other departments helps to expedite the ship turnaround and bag delivery.

 

Once aboard the Golden Lion Pub did not disappoint. I am still slowly working my way down the beer list aboard, and a Jaipur IPA was a good choice. I managed over the week to try most of the excellent lunch choices. I started trying to decide between the fish and chips and the chicken tikka but ended upon the ploughman’s platter with the duck mousse, ham, chutney and an excellent soft bun.

 

A glance at the program for embarkation day revealed ballroom dancing with the live orchestra was at 8:30, which was also the time of our dinner seating. We are early dinner people and the reported 260 person wait list and notice in the program and signs to not try to seek early dining were not encouraging. Buffets seem unsanitary and remind me of a school cafeteria no matter how classy they are.

 

We are not steak people either, so Veranda was out (they had a six only week trial of a steakhouse menu) but the Italian alternative option – La Piazza -up in the buffet area ($14.50 on sale) seemed fine. They set up tablecloths and the china and the buffet wait staff did a credible job of providing fine dining for us. I had a shrimp and scallops entrée that was well prepared. The way to arrange early MDR seating if it is utterly sold out is to wait a day, then ask kindly for the dining room leadership to sort out a temporary place. The no-show rate is significant for assigned dinner places. You can also start a self-important rant as one woman we know did but that seems tacky.

 

The dancing was good. The dance floor seemed smaller (or perhaps wider and shorter) than the one on Queen Victoria or even the NCL Breakaway. We loved the orchestra (seven pieces and a skilled vocalist). Dances included foxtrot, waltz and rumba. They would mix in a jive and quickstep and play also recorded sequence dances on the band breaks. Note a metronome as in use by the bandleader. We were counting noses on the dance staff and came up short. There is usually a ranked dance couple aboard along with the hosts and hostesses. There was apparently last-minute incident involving the scheduled dance couple. The lead dancers from the theater filled in – the lessons were just right.

 

I despise in room refrigerators and the one on our deck five sheltered balcony cabin tortured me. Every 32.8 seconds it cycled, ran a bit then shut off. I called the front desk and they came out to fix it. After a new motor it now cycled every 40 seconds. Our cabin attendant, Nancy, got wind of this and agreed to have it unplugged. In the cabin you get a real teapot and plenty of outlets. The drawer pulls are pretty but useless as reported.They had a blissful limit to piped in music and announcements broadcast over the PA- even on the morning of departure.

 

Britannia dining was hit and miss. Several of us mentioned looking at the main dining room menus and the published-online “French” one for Verandah and being baffled as to what some of it was. The idea of mixing salads and starters on the menu was unusual. One of our table mates was surprised to see the fish course was fried with chips. It got better over the week- for those wanting lobster tails at no extra charge those were served the last formal night. The service was flawless.

 

 

We had a lovely discussion over breakfast on Morocco with our fellow passengers (a trip on my bucket list) which is a feature of Cunard. The morning breakfast large tables never failed to produce fascinating conversation. The lectures were interesting- I am a bit of a cruise ship/liner historian and one of the retired staff – Maureen Ryan (who is a rock star brand ambassador) - from the Queen Mary and QE2 gave a stirring several first person account of life aboard.

 

The idea of second seating dining continued to bother me untilit was pointed out that the clocks were to be set on hour later five timesduring the cruise at noon. So, after awhile, late seating got earlier and earlier by our body clocks. And the band started at 9:45 after the firstdays. The only line all week was to enter the teadance, which was well executed.

We peeked in at one show – it was dancing – but a bitstylized for us.

 

Cunard has on board boxing rings- the guest laundries. If you chose to join the fray, don’t wander off after your washing is done as there is keen competition for washers and dryers. On the other hand, lost socks were politely placed in the basket.

 

 

We had lovely mild weather all week- calm seas and Force 2-3 winds. This is apparently more common in summer – and Force 10 winds and matching storm driven waves are not unheard of in January as an example. The aft pool is a must have feature. There was still a bit of grousing about the cost of single cabins aboard- they at least have some. There were reportedly more than 300 single passengers aboard.

 

 

The new spaces post dry dock are attractive – I would have found a way to make the Britannia dining room and the dance floor larger, the rest of the ship layout seems sensible. There was not a trace of smoke from the modest casino or anyplace else on board, except, sensibly, the after outside teak deck, downwind. Several of the public rooms, such as the disco (G32) were quite stunning. And of course, the best feature, the wrap around promenade desk, was in constant use.

 

The only real gap all week was the Edwardian Internet- the Internet Centre was ground zero for angry guests and those filled with stress and worry about slowness, application access and the ancient logout.com feature not working. Cunard needs to a invest a little here in more satellite dishes- reliable Internet is as important as say tea or scones these days. On Saturday around 11 am, it took exactly 50 minutes to download a 79.2-megabyte file. This is also a crossing not a cruise and historically, captains of industry dictated memos and managed business affairs by letter (and later telephone) all along.

 

We took a cab to Southampton Central with our vast luggage. Note the last group leaves the ship at 10:15 (deck 3/4) so plan accordingly. We had a 10:00 train so switched to the self-directed carry departure at the last minute and were on our way by 8. There was no long line at customs at the UK end. Advance purchase rail fares can be very cheap.

 

The days flew by. By the time we realized this it was Friday afternoon- and there was a good trade at the on board booking office. My four novels, three movies and one (the shame of it) business book were finished. And life was good.

Edited by ew101
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Cunard needs to a invest a little here in more satellite dishes- reliable Internet is as important as say tea or scones these days.

 

Madam, Sir, you do wildly underestimate the importance of a proper afternoon tea. I will happily sail on a ship without internet, but I will not tolerate the absence of tea and scones!

 

Also, cucumber sandwiches, but then, there's an entire play by Oscar Wilde on that subject.

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Thanks for your review! We were on the same crossing and thoroughly enjoyed it. This was our third crossing. We thought:

QM2 looked amazing and we enjoyed the space and the lack of congestion that is found on the modern mega-ships.

The updated (for us at least) cocktail menu at most venues was excellent.

Food in Britannia was excellent in our opinion. Service was solid.

Our room steward did a fantastic job and we thoroughly enjoyed our stateroom on deck 8.

Thermal spa...oh so great and I think a bargain at $120 for the crossing.

We actually are able to drink the sparkling wine provided at embarkation and enjoy it. Thanks Cundard!

Orchestra and singer - just top.

Quality of speakers always a pleasure. We enjoyed Maureen Ryan, Lord Astor and Giancarlo Impiglia very much.

 

Out of Cunard's control:

Weather was fantastic compared to other crossings we have done

What a delight to see a huge pod of pilot whales!

Fog horn in use most nights it seemed. Didn't bother us though

 

Oops:

Sorry, but the coffee served in the buffet is truly wretched. Would prefer they put out packets of "instant" coffee instead.

Verandah meal was pure confusion. Good steak, but price/performance not aligned

Drink prices are starting to get a bit silly. Yes, there are locations on this earth where they may still seem to be appropriate, but they are getting fewer and farther between.

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Madam, Sir, you do wildly underestimate the importance of a proper afternoon tea. I will happily sail on a ship without internet, but I will not tolerate the absence of tea and scones!

 

Also, cucumber sandwiches, but then, there's an entire play by Oscar Wilde on that subject.

I also would choose afternoon tea over the internet access. I am fortunate that I do not need the internet and would never pay for it. I sympathise with those for whom it is a necessity. The Cunard World Club provides it as a perk so I do use it - a glorified toy, one could say. Yes, it is very slow and occasionally, such as in some Norwegian fjords, it doesn't work at all.

 

I would also sacrifice lunch for afternoon tea. Although now that we always dine late I have no reason to choose between lunch or tea. I can manage both.

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The way to arrange early MDR seating if it is utterly sold out is to wait a day, then ask kindly for the dining room leadership to sort out a temporary place. The no-show rate is significant for assigned dinner places.

What exactly does that mean? I thought if you chose your time slot that would be the time you would get a table for your evening meal or is it like P&O where you arrive at that time and if there’s no tables available they provide you with a pager?

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The way to arrange early MDR seating if it is utterly sold out is to wait a day, then ask kindly for the dining room leadership to sort out a temporary place. The no-show rate is significant for assigned dinner places.

What exactly does that mean? I thought if you chose your time slot that would be the time you would get a table for your evening meal or is it like P&O where you arrive at that time and if there’s no tables available they provide you with a pager?

 

No Cunard dont provide Anytime/Freedom dining and provide pagers. When you book you have either first or second sitting and you have a set table and time for every night of the cruise. The only chance of changing from first to second or vice versa is to go and see the Restaurant Manager to ask if it is possible. He might have spare tables and he might not its pot luck if you get a change.

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All passengers are given an assigned table even if they don't ask for a specific size or sitting. It is my experience in Britannia that some people never come to dinner. In the past few years we have twice asked for a table for six and one couple never came to dinner. Some people just don't like main dining rooms and prefer the buffet or other alternatives. We have had better luck with a full table when we have requested a table for eight.

 

 

 

When we have been in the Grills or the Club everyone has come to dinner every night with only a rare exception.

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In late 2018 we waited to find another amazing bargain on an off-season Med trip on the Queen Victoria. Given the increased demand for cruises, this was not to be. The backup plan was to re-create the original idea for our honeymoon over 30 years ago, a transatlantic cruise. Prices were decent on Queen Mary 2 crossings and frequent flyer miles /points could be used for flights and a Manhattan hotel as the school holidays were mostly over.

 

Cunard requires or at least celebrates formal attire and dressing up, so for that one needs baggage. The New York yellow cabs in the form of small Nissan vans are ideal for jumbo suitcases. The cab to the Holiday Inn Flatiron from LGA was around $50 and the same from the hotel to the ship. After reading many postings online, we jumped in the cab right after hotel check-out at 11 and arrived at the Red Hook Cruise Terminal at noon. We were aboard and unpacking our checked luggage in our stateroom by 12:45. I tracked down several senior hotel officers at the welcome reception and thanked them personally for this amazing effort. The secret on the speedy luggage delivery was later revealed by one of the waiters – a draft of crew from other departments helps to expedite the ship turnaround and bag delivery.

 

Once aboard the Golden Lion Pub did not disappoint. I am still slowly working my way down the beer list aboard, and a Jaipur IPA was a good choice. I managed over the week to try most of the excellent lunch choices. I started trying to decide between the fish and chips and the chicken tikka but ended upon the ploughman’s platter with the duck mousse, ham, chutney and an excellent soft bun.

 

A glance at the program for embarkation day revealed ballroom dancing with the live orchestra was at 8:30, which was also the time of our dinner seating. We are early dinner people and the reported 260 person wait list and notice in the program and signs to not try to seek early dining were not encouraging. Buffets seem unsanitary and remind me of a school cafeteria no matter how classy they are.

 

We are not steak people either, so Veranda was out (they had a six only week trial of a steakhouse menu) but the Italian alternative option – La Piazza -up in the buffet area ($14.50 on sale) seemed fine. They set up tablecloths and the china and the buffet wait staff did a credible job of providing fine dining for us. I had a shrimp and scallops entrée that was well prepared. The way to arrange early MDR seating if it is utterly sold out is to wait a day, then ask kindly for the dining room leadership to sort out a temporary place. The no-show rate is significant for assigned dinner places. You can also start a self-important rant as one woman we know did but that seems tacky.

 

The dancing was good. The dance floor seemed smaller (or perhaps wider and shorter) than the one on Queen Victoria or even the NCL Breakaway. We loved the orchestra (seven pieces and a skilled vocalist). Dances included foxtrot, waltz and rumba. They would mix in a jive and quickstep and play also recorded sequence dances on the band breaks. Note a metronome as in use by the bandleader. We were counting noses on the dance staff and came up short. There is usually a ranked dance couple aboard along with the hosts and hostesses. There was apparently last-minute incident involving the scheduled dance couple. The lead dancers from the theater filled in – the lessons were just right.

 

I despise in room refrigerators and the one on our deck five sheltered balcony cabin tortured me. Every 32.8 seconds it cycled, ran a bit then shut off. I called the front desk and they came out to fix it. After a new motor it now cycled every 40 seconds. Our cabin attendant, Nancy, got wind of this and agreed to have it unplugged. In the cabin you get a real teapot and plenty of outlets. The drawer pulls are pretty but useless as reported.They had a blissful limit to piped in music and announcements broadcast over the PA- even on the morning of departure.

 

Britannia dining was hit and miss. Several of us mentioned looking at the main dining room menus and the published-online “French” one for Verandah and being baffled as to what some of it was. The idea of mixing salads and starters on the menu was unusual. One of our table mates was surprised to see the fish course was fried with chips. It got better over the week- for those wanting lobster tails at no extra charge those were served the last formal night. The service was flawless.

 

 

We had a lovely discussion over breakfast on Morocco with our fellow passengers (a trip on my bucket list) which is a feature of Cunard. The morning breakfast large tables never failed to produce fascinating conversation. The lectures were interesting- I am a bit of a cruise ship/liner historian and one of the retired staff – Maureen Ryan (who is a rock star brand ambassador) - from the Queen Mary and QE2 gave a stirring several first person account of life aboard.

 

The idea of second seating dining continued to bother me untilit was pointed out that the clocks were to be set on hour later five timesduring the cruise at noon. So, after awhile, late seating got earlier and earlier by our body clocks. And the band started at 9:45 after the firstdays. The only line all week was to enter the teadance, which was well executed.

We peeked in at one show – it was dancing – but a bitstylized for us.

 

Cunard has on board boxing rings- the guest laundries. If you chose to join the fray, don’t wander off after your washing is done as there is keen competition for washers and dryers. On the other hand, lost socks were politely placed in the basket.

 

 

We had lovely mild weather all week- calm seas and Force 2-3 winds. This is apparently more common in summer – and Force 10 winds and matching storm driven waves are not unheard of in January as an example. The aft pool is a must have feature. There was still a bit of grousing about the cost of single cabins aboard- they at least have some. There were reportedly more than 300 single passengers aboard.

 

 

The new spaces post dry dock are attractive – I would have found a way to make the Britannia dining room and the dance floor larger, the rest of the ship layout seems sensible. There was not a trace of smoke from the modest casino or anyplace else on board, except, sensibly, the after outside teak deck, downwind. Several of the public rooms, such as the disco (G32) were quite stunning. And of course, the best feature, the wrap around promenade desk, was in constant use.

 

The only real gap all week was the Edwardian Internet- the Internet Centre was ground zero for angry guests and those filled with stress and worry about slowness, application access and the ancient logout.com feature not working. Cunard needs to a invest a little here in more satellite dishes- reliable Internet is as important as say tea or scones these days. On Saturday around 11 am, it took exactly 50 minutes to download a 79.2-megabyte file. This is also a crossing not a cruise and historically, captains of industry dictated memos and managed business affairs by letter (and later telephone) all along.

 

We took a cab to Southampton Central with our vast luggage. Note the last group leaves the ship at 10:15 (deck 3/4) so plan accordingly. We had a 10:00 train so switched to the self-directed carry departure at the last minute and were on our way by 8. There was no long line at customs at the UK end. Advance purchase rail fares can be very cheap.

 

The days flew by. By the time we realized this it was Friday afternoon- and there was a good trade at the on board booking office. My four novels, three movies and one (the shame of it) business book were finished. And life was good.

 

 

Concerning the internet at sea. This venture is such a cash cow for all the cruise lines as folks burn through their minutes seeking to find the internet, send an email and such while at the same time the connections keep breaking and one must begin again and again and again. Why would you ever fix that money maker when there is no alternative for the passengers and by the time they return they have like child birth forgotten the pain of last time.

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Concerning the internet at sea. This venture is such a cash cow for all the cruise lines as folks burn through their minutes seeking to find the internet, send an email and such while at the same time the connections keep breaking and one must begin again and again and again. Why would you ever fix that money maker when there is no alternative for the passengers and by the time they return they have like child birth forgotten the pain of last time.

 

I did a little math here- let's say internet packages bring in $40,000 per 7 day voyage. Indeed each additional package sold is all profit - as the running costs are fixed. The passengers do have a clear alternative- RCCL and other lines with better internet. (The state of the art on ships is you can stay connected all day for like $15.95- no logout.com- so your emails and Facebook flows in, and you pay extra to stream movies). It takes just 20 passengers to take their cruise business elsewhere for the next cruise to remove $40,000 to Cunard. This is not the wedding dress business- loyal repeat customers are a key revenue stream. If internet is critical to my life I don't buy more minutes I would book a different line. I personally overheard five formal complaints made to the line on this topic during our trip. I think of all the effort it takes for an outstanding guest experience- 21 flawless meals, tidy staterooms, well mixed drinks - this has to be a fly in the customer service ointment.

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The way to arrange early MDR seating if it is utterly sold out is to wait a day, then ask kindly for the dining room leadership to sort out a temporary place. The no-show rate is significant for assigned dinner places.

What exactly does that mean? I thought if you chose your time slot that would be the time you would get a table for your evening meal or is it like P&O where you arrive at that time and if there’s no tables available they provide you with a pager?

 

You know there might be an idea here. If they put a tablet on the wall outside of the MDR and you could enter your barcode number and "release" your table space if you are going to the buffet. Otherwise the manager has to roll the dice and hope you don't show up if they give away your assigned space that evening. I wonder if they do this in the system if you make an alternative dining room reservation? Or maybe you can call in.

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An excellent idea ew101. My husband and I are booked for the first sitting on a table for 2, on our next voyage, and one reason for the table for 2 is because I know we will not be there some evenings and don't want to keep anyone hanging on a bigger table. For instance, if we take afternoon tea, there is no way I would be able to do justice to a full Brittania meal, so will have something small in the buffet. Same goes for a lunch in the pub, sometimes there is only room in there later than we would like. I do feel that someone could have benefited from our absence for those couple of evenings.

Loved your coverage of the transatlantic, seems like no stone was unturned.

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Thanks for all the information. Our cruise is not until next year. It's been awhile since we were last on QM2 and really looking forward to it. I was reading some drinks lists on another post but did not see any seltzer listed. Does anyone know if seltzer is available on the QM2?

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