QM2 Refit? Refresh?

[Covepointcruiser]

The problem with shower doors is with oversized people.   They can’t shut the door while in the shower.   The curtains allow a little extra room.    Last December in a Q5, we had a rub and a good size walk in shower.    There was a ledge as we weren’t in an accessible cabin.    The furniture in the Grill Lounge looks the same as last year.

[exlondoner]

5 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

The problem with shower doors is with oversized people.   They can’t shut the door while in the shower.   The curtains allow a little extra room.    Last December in a Q5, we had a rub and a good size walk in shower.    There was a ledge as we weren’t in an accessible cabin.    The furniture in the Grill Lounge looks the same as last year.

I’ve been in several Q5/6s on QM2 and never had a separate shower. How did you manage that?

The Grills Lounge in July 2022 was a maroon/purple colour scheme. The new version looks much nicer.

[Covepointcruiser]

I am speaking of the QM2 , and the Queens Grill.

[exlondoner]

4 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

I am speaking of the QM2 , and the Queens Grill.

I too, as I stated.

[BigMac1953]

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

I’ve been in several Q5/6s on QM2 and never had a separate shower. How did you manage that?

The Grills Lounge in July 2022 was a maroon/purple colour scheme. The new version looks much nicer.

 

On both QV and QE, there are separate stand alone showers in all "Q's".

 

[exlondoner]

Just now, BigMac1953 said:

 

On both QV and QE, there are separate stand alone showers in all "Q's".

 

Indeed, and rightly so, but, as I have said, not on QM2.

[Winifred 22]

4 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

There are USB ports and a US & European outlet by the bed in my solo cabin on 3L, but I suspect they were there before.

 

 

Yes as the solo cabins were only added at a previous remaster they are more modern. They were like that before. 

 

[JT1101]

I wouldn't hold your breath on them rewiring every stateroom on the ship just to put USB ports next to beds (especially when USB is on its way out as a technology in favor of USB 3 / Thunderbolt which uses a different connector). Now when it comes time for the big midlife redo? Who knows? 

[matdark]

No change of power outlets (the same old us and uk sockets only) in my sheltered balcony cabin, no usb added

[Guest SilverHengroen]

15 hours ago, JT1101 said:

I wouldn't hold your breath on them rewiring every stateroom on the ship just to put USB ports next to beds (especially when USB is on its way out as a technology in favor of USB 3 / Thunderbolt which uses a different connector). Now when it comes time for the big midlife redo? Who knows? 

I thought the idea was introducing lamps that had them built into the base, that way no rewiring would be required. I think you mean USB-A vs USB-C, which are the connector types, USB 3.2 and thunderbolt 4 are simply the latest communication protocols, and the former is compatible with both type A and Type C connectors. The protocol isn't really relevant for charging though (well, maybe for some large laptops that draw a lot of power) it's more for data transfer. 

[TowandaUK]

Our new phones have the new C usb, it’s easy enough to get a small adapter to fit the C into the A. 

[D&N]

I'm not sure we would use USB sockets much. Our current phones can charge at 30W & 33W respectively. Future replacements are likely to accept 58W or more. Most built in USB sockets offer much less so the charge would be quite slow.

What was in deck 12 cabins on QM2 was perfectly adequate for us and I've since bought one adapter with 2 USB outlets, which will let us charge both phones and lower output articles at same time just using one UK socket.

We don't take laptops or tablets since we can do everything we might want to do on a ship on the phones. If I want to do stuff like swapping faces between photos or other Photoshop type work I can wait until I get home. And if I really need to see a large version of a photo I view it on the cabin TV screen.

The only other thing is my camera that I didn't have last time but it takes about 700 pics between charges and I have a spare battery. It backs up automatically to my phone, which then backs up to one of my cloud facilities. It can charge when the phones aren't plugged in.

[transatlantic fan]

Each room  does now have a wi fi hot spot in,and is much faster than before.

[jollyjones]

30 minutes ago, transatlantic fan said:

Each room  does now have a wi fi hot spot in,and is much faster than before.

 

That's the really important improvement!

 

[dadsbdaycruiser]

On the ship now- on for the Time’s writer’s crossing.  The captain said in his announcement that 3000 people had worked on the ship during the refresh, it appears that a number of soft goods and carpeting has been replaced (although the carpeting in our cabin has not, so it appears they have prioritized common areas).  I haven’t been on this ship since 2009, so not the best judge but everything looks pretty good.  In a Queens Grill cabin- and all the soft goods look very new (although not sure if it’s this upgrade)- the lounges across the ship look updated- and in general the ship looks good.  The grills lounge does seem updated- the concierge lounge seems not quite as much- but still fine- I don’t have a frame of reference on this. I don’t think any of the electronics have been updated- they look like older photos and the internet is indeed very fast- we’re at sea now and its very close to what we have at home.

Edited November 20, 2023 by dadsbdaycruiser

[Underwatr]

The reclining (red) planetarium seats have been replaced by entirely new seats with different recline actuators.

[NE John]

FYI…There are a couple positive YouTube videos out showing the QM2 refits. Including video of the planetarium seats. 

[Queenvee]

Disembarked yesterday in Brooklyn.  The refit updates I noticed were in the Commodore Club:  all chairs have been re-upholstered and the carpet was replaced.  Chairs are covered in lux velvety fabric in either a soft blue jacquard pattern or gold jacquard (the pattern is diagonal lines - modern but not jarring).  The overall effect is elegant.  Carpets in Royal Court Theater were also replaced.  Note that in my Deck 11 inside cabin, there are no USB ports; the same sockets/outlets as they've always had (a US version and a UK version); so I used my iPhone charger and cable in the US socket.

[Queenvee]

I forgot to mention that the dance floor in the Queen's Room was redone.  Parquet in different wooden shades, I think the design is a compass and the QM2 logo appears in the center (maybe 10 inches in diameter?). The captain commented that the floor was slippery but I didn't try it out!  (Only one dance host on board, the husband of a couple.) 

[moses0]

Thanks for all the comments on the refit. Does anyone know if the furniture in the Carinthia Lounge was replaced? It was looking very threadbare when I was on earlier this year. 

[Germancruiser]

Thanks from me, too. A good thing the Britannia Chairs have been replaced, since they have been totaly worn out. I also saw how treadbare the furniture has been.

I sometimes wonder if some responsible walks through the ship, before deciding what needs to be done and in which order- whats urgent, what will do and so on. That " someone " should use the public toilets all over the ship..!

[moses0]

Checked out the You-Tube video and it looks like there is new furniture in the afore mentioned lounge 

[Mudhen]

I just watched the new YouTube video and it give us a good idea of what has been done. We'll be boarding in Dec. so it was nice to have a heads up on what to expect. I didn't see anything that warrants  a "WOW, that's different" sort of reaction, but everything shown has a fresh, clean glow about it, befitting the "Queen".

We look forward to seeing her in all of her newly found glory!

 

[Underwatr]

I don't believe this is important, but the reclining chairs in Illuminations no longer have the little table that swings up from between the seats. The gold non-reclining chairs still do. 

The recorded message before a planetarium show explaining how to recline the seats still explains pressing down in the lever which isn't the method for the new seats. C'est la vie.

 

Other changes I've noticed from my prior voyage in December 2019:

 

Slightly different controls in the shower. Same layout (knob on the side to adjust temperature, knob in the middle to adjust flow), just newer.

 

New thermostat in room with two dials. One adjusts temperature (just ranges from - to +) and the other adjusts fan speed (0, Auto, 1, 2, 3).

 

Fridge interior shelves have been removed. No shelf on door (wine glasses used to store here). No pre-stocked canned sodas (which I used to ask the steward to remove). No water bottle on counter above fridge (which you'd be charged for if you used it). More room for my wine & sodas, so net positive.

 

Speaking of wine, I know the info always has said you get a half bottle of Pol Acker on embarkation but starting with my second cruise is has always been a full bottle. It reverted to a half bottle this time, although a second half bottle of Pol arrived on Day 3 with a welcome note from Cunard World Club.

Edited November 30, 2023 by Underwatr

[Queenvee]

As a side note to @Underwatr's comments about changes to the staterooms, not all the changes he noted (post #149) were made in my interior Deck 11 stateroom.  Thermostat is the same as always (no separate fan controls); shower controls are the old ones; fridge has shelf on door however I think the interior shelf was removed and there were no pre-stocked canned sodas - the only items in the fridge upon arrival were the two glass flutes and the small bottle of Pol Acker;  the 2nd small bottle of Pol Acker from the Cunard World Club arrived midway through the crossing.  These are minor points but wanted to clarify that not all updates occurred in all cabins, so that folks know what to expect.

 

@moses0 Interesting that you mention Carinthia since I attended all the progressive trivia and early evening events in there and we commmented on one of the ivory, armless chairs (with brass tacks) that where the entire side had the leather badly scraped off.  I didn't notice any shabbiness of the other furniture in Carinthia which probably means it was updated and that one chair somehow missed updating or was damaged in the process.  Note that Carinthia was overflowing for progressive trivia and the evening events associated with the Literary Festival; twice they had to bring in stacks of black plastic & metal office chairs for the extra people so the scraped chair I saw may have been placed in storage due to its' condition and brought out for the need.

 

Edited November 30, 2023 by Queenvee
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