Another little Review of QM2´s 9th of June to 25th of June voyage

[Germancruiser]

There are already some reviews of the voyage from June 9th to June 23rd - so I thought I have to throw in my two cents...! This voyage marked my 10^th voyage on QM2- so kind of a little Jubilee. Two voyages with QV and QE throwen in.

 

 

I rebooked to this voyage after I had to cancel my planed Transatlantic in April for some family issues- turned out that both legs of said TA- Crossing where canceled anyway-  due to technical problems QM2 developed on the previous TA, which also marked the ending of the World Cruise for those from England.

 

 

The voyage was wonderful- as usual on board the QM2  and this one was even more special. QM2 is a unique ship- there is simply is no other like her- and so she remains my favorite  ship out there- even though QM2 needs a little tender love and care ( which she will get in the near future).

 

 

Here are few of those parts that are very obvious:

 

 

The chairs in both QR and the Britannia are in need of upholstery.

 

 

Some furniture ( the lounge chairs and the plastic loungers )  on decks 7 and 8 aft are in dire need of replacement- they look tired and worn- in some parts downright shabby- definitely  to up to Cunard standards. I hope they keep the teak chairs and tables.

 

 

Those things have been visible- but it would never spoil my voyage. QM2 feels so comfortable – one step on board and I feel like coming home.

 

 

The service was excellent as usual. The menu in the Britannia Restaurant changed - and not always for the best. I am not a 100% sure, but I think there was a selection, called something available every night- like Cesar´s  Salad etc. That is gone- I hope it comes back, since I really missed to have an alternative choice.

 

 

Some mentioned the Queens Room in another topic of this voyage, so I will mention a few bits and pieces of my experience in the Queens Room.

 

 

I love watching the dancers in the QR- I looked in almost every evening/night. Such a joy to watch. The orchestra and the Duo where both excellent.

 

 

Some nights the QR was packed on others there have been still seats available- but still,  the dance floor was in good use. I did ballroom dancing for many years in my younger years- so I really enjoy the QR, even though I do not participate- except for one special dance!

 

 

The professional dancers where- well-  so so- nothing to call home for-  the male dancer is to blame - the Lady was superb though. The male version seemed more like Robot who tried to dance ( well he knew his steps, but that's about it) , with an expression as if he just bite on a piece of extra sour lemon- not the done thing on the dancefloor.

 

 

I talked to the great waiter in Britannia about the parade at the end of the voyage.  Since Covid they no longer do the little parade of chefs, waiters and staff through Britannia- they should bring that back- it was a nice way to show the staff our appreciation for their excellent service- and the passengers- including me- enjoyed it also.

 

 

Amanda Reid was the Entertainment director - and as usual - she did a great job. Very nice Lady.

 

 

Capt. Hashmi was on the helm- for the first with me on board. LOL. I rather liked his daily noon messages always ending with a proverb and the explanation where it came from and the meaning.

 

 

What sets Cunard apart from the other mainstream Cruise Lines? Well it´s the little things really, the platter with the little sweet things to go with the coffee or tea at the end of dinner, the cold towel when coming " home" from shore ( okay- Celebrity provides them, too) , the guest choir, the upkeep with traditions - Cunard Insights- “ The eight bells”  just to name a few.

 

 

Queen Mary 2 is a Liner built for Crossings - so it was almost the first time that I experienced QM2 in warmer weather during a Med- Cruise with sunshine almost every day. I almost missed the times spent indoors in the sometimes rather rough weather on the Atlantic. The Med was like a lake- so no movement of the ship at all- kind of missed that too.

 

 

So another voyage completed and it felt the time was just flying. Until the next time on board QM2.

Edited July 4, 2023 by Germancruiser

[ballroom-cruisers]

Good review.  Yes, it is worth mentioning those lovely cold towels once you get back on the ship after being ashore. They were very welcome and help cool your face and neck down. I don't remember seeing that before this voyage.

 

Those little chocolates/ginger/marshmallow with coffee after dinner are called 'petit fours', and are a nice touch at the end of the meal.

 

Yes the QR was well in use the entire voyage, which for us makes a voyage the best enjoyment of all, in addition to nice meals.  My feeling was that the food was not at the same standard as previously, with several nights where meat such as beef, lamb, and pork were quite tough at the level where we felt we had to leave quite a bit on the plate. Though on other nights the choice and quality of the ingredients, as well as the level of preparation and cooking were excellent. The buffet was a little lacklustre at breakfast and lunch though, quite a lot of the time, and quite often the coffee and drinks machines were in 'servicing' mode and unavailable.  The hot water machines often had a button to turn on the hot water that became 'stuck' on, and you had to tap the button hard to stop the water coming out - by which time the coffee had overflowed the cup by quite a bit!

 

Yes there is a need to refresh some of the furniture, but externally there were crew members working to restore the paintwork around the decks almost every day of the voyage, and the ship is looking neater than last year as a result.

 

Overall a lovely voyage and I agree with your comments. Oh, and we particularly loved the port of call at Calvi, Corsica - which was a first for us, and a beautiful place, with an amazing long beach with fine sand and clear turqouise water, that was perfect for swimming with a gently sloping sandy base as you waded out from the shore.

Edited July 4, 2023 by ballroom-cruisers
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[NE John]

OP, thank you for reminding me to give high praises to Cunard for having not just one great live orchestra/band in the QR but another live orchestra in the Royal Court Theatre along with numerous live performances all around the ship, day and night. 
When some review that “standards are slipping” and complain of cutbacks, those concerns thankfully are not involving the great music offerings on the ship. 

[Germancruiser]

Oh, that´s someting I really forgot to mention- after the first week or so, i tried, for the first time ever, Cunards roomservice breakfast. I really must say it always came on time - on the dot, even and was just wonderful. So for the remainder of the voyage I had breakfast in the room.

They call them little chocolates and ginger things petit fours, well I know Petit Fours, of course - they are totaly different from the ones we know hereabouts. Interessting, thank you.

[ballroom-cruisers]

I guess being strict petit fours are baked little cakes according to the original definition, sometimes decorated. But little chocolates seem to be included in the name by many people now.

[nybumpkin]

On 7/4/2023 at 4:11 AM, ballroom-cruisers said:

My feeling was that the food was not at the same standard as previously, with several nights where meat such as beef, lamb, and pork were quite tough at the level where we felt we had to leave quite a bit on the plate.

We boarded the day you disembarked, and I have to agree about the beef (I didn't have either lamb or pork). One night I felt as if I needed a hacksaw to cut through it. Our waiter asked if there was a problem and I told him it was too tough; he asked if he could bring me something else, but between the appetizer and the sides (not to mention the dessert to come - I enjoyed all the desserts!), I had enough. The fish was very good, though.

[Germancruiser]

I do not order beef as much as I used to, but I have to agree, the Filet Mignon in the Britannia was - well rather " petit " - but not tough- i just thought to myself- " What a sorry excuse for Filet Mignon"- but the sides where really nice- so I rather enjoyed it despite the FM.

[Winifred 22]

I ordered two last time guessing they were small. They were lovely cooked how I like and not tough 

[Germancruiser]

That is exactly what I am gonna do next time. LOL.

[Victoria2]

11 hours ago, Germancruiser said:

I do not order beef as much as I used to, but I have to agree, the Filet Mignon in the Britannia was - well rather " petit " - but not tough- i just thought to myself- " What a sorry excuse for Filet Mignon"- but the sides where really nice- so I rather enjoyed it despite the FM.

My comment was slightly more forceful than  'well rather petit'!

My 'that's pathetic' pronouncement gained me two quick replacements! 🙂

 

I shall warn the waiter on our next trip I don't  do minuscule fillet mignons.

[exlondoner]

I am impressed. We have the opposite problem. The portions are invariably too large. We both hate leaving stuff, so rarely have any of the steaks, because we find them simply enormous. The steaks we have had have always been tender.

[Victoria2]

35 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I am impressed. We have the opposite problem. The portions are invariably too large. We both hate leaving stuff, so rarely have any of the steaks, because we find them simply enormous. The steaks we have had have always been tender.

Well as my fillet was definitely mignon'ish in the extreme, you would have been delighted. As I have already said in another thread, my fillet was smaller than the one which came with my husband's surf and turf.

There is small but ample sufficiency, and then there's pathetic. Even the Head Waiter was a little embarrassed at the portion size.

It won't happen again.

[Germancruiser]

So was mine Vicotria2- I ordered surf and turf , without the surf- so my baby Filet Mignon arrived- I almost asked the waiter - " and where is the turf?" Maybe next time i should. LOL.

[Pear Carr]

I am very disappointed to hear about the quality of beef on board QM2, given we are due to sail on her for 26 nights in November. We had no issues with any of the beef/lamb/duck etc., dishes on our recent QV cruise and did in fact think it was some of the best we have had.  Do the ships share the same supplier when sailing from Southampton?

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, Pear Carr said:

I am very disappointed to hear about the quality of beef on board QM2, given we are due to sail on her for 26 nights in November. We had no issues with any of the beef/lamb/duck etc., dishes on our recent QV cruise and did in fact think it was some of the best we have had.  Do the ships share the same supplier when sailing from Southampton?

I think it can sometimes depend on the cut.

I made the mistake of ordering beef New York [I think it was New York Strip]] off the menu on our first night [QV] in May. I left most of it.

The fillets, which I had on a couple of nights, once of a decent portion were really tender and wonderfully cooked [rare].

Lamb was fine, as was the duck.

[exlondoner]

51 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

I think it can sometimes depend on the cut.

I made the mistake of ordering beef New York [I think it was New York Strip]] off the menu on our first night [QV] in May. I left most of it.

The fillets, which I had on a couple of nights, once of a decent portion were really tender and wonderfully cooked [rare].

Lamb was fine, as was the duck.

I think it may also depend on the chef. On one QV voyage, my husband had roast lamb at lunch and, on a different day, some venison at dinner which were both impenetrable. Even I can reliably roast leg of lamb so it is tender. We did wonder if it was a particular individual who should be on puddings or something.

[Victoria2]

12 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I think it may also depend on the chef. On one QV voyage, my husband had roast lamb at lunch and, on a different day, some venison at dinner which were both impenetrable. Even I can reliably roast leg of lamb so it is tender. We did wonder if it was a particular individual who should be on puddings or something.

Possibly although in the case of my steak, it most probably had to be the product rather than the chef as I'm not sure what can go wrong when putting a cut of meat  to grill or pan fry, rare.

 

if the chef is that incompetent in the QG galley, he should be demoted to washing up! 😄

[alc13]

We had steak and eggs for breakfast a couple of times.  The first time Mr ALC pronounced the steak the best he ever had; the next time they were absolutely awful, dry and tough.  It never occurred to me to send it back ("eat all the food on your plate and don't complain," I guess) but we should have, if only to remind the kitchen that some beef shouldn't be served in the first place.  Cut it up for a stir fry instead.

[TouchstoneFeste]

9 hours ago, Germancruiser said:

So was mine Vicotria2- I ordered surf and turf , without the surf- so my baby Filet Mignon arrived- I almost asked the waiter - " and where is the turf?" Maybe next time i should. LOL.

As Victoria2 suggests, you should have ordered the turf and turf.

[ballroom-cruisers]

Does 'surf and turf' now mean that your serrated steak knife 'surfs' over the top of the impenetrable lump of meat, before you 'turf' the offending slab over to the edge of the plate where it will remain until the plate is collected! Hopefully the original meaning, with a beautifully tender perfectly prepared filet hardly needs a knife to gently move a delicate mouthful onto the fork, alongside a perfectly cooked and full flavoured lobster tail accompanies the filet ready to ease the lobster meat over to the same fork, after the expert waiter has gently (!) separated the meat from the shell.  Now what is a lobster, I hear you say, since on our last voyage such a food was nowhere to be seen on any evening! (OK tongue no longer in cheek!)

[D&N]

We're in the minority camp that prefer smaller servings.

We rarely plate more than 300 grams for our main course and we don't want meat or fish to account for more than half of that. We also have bread, fruit and ice cream with that, plus cheese a few days a week.

 

We generally found the servings to be about right, and all our meat, fish and poultry was of decent quality and cooked to our liking.

 We did make it quite clear to waiters that we didn't want huge servings and would order something else if we were still hungry

 

The dauphinoise potatoes were the biggest disappointment, dry and industrial. What we make here is swimming in cream. Needless to say we don't make it often, perhaps Cunard's is the healthy version!

The bread rolls are also a bit boring compared to the variety of breads we buy here.

[exlondoner]

Bread rolls boring? There are so many different types: brown, white, flaked, seeded, cheesy ones, the helical salted ones, and I’m sure some I’ve forgotten. I think that’s pretty interesting.

[D&N]

I did say, what we buy here. Hypermarkets and many supermarkets have instore bakeries that produce scores of different breads. Some of the small independent artisan bakeries are wonderful.

One of our favourites has this list:

https://www.facebook.com/368459773652819/photos/pb.100063476623209.-2207520000./923589248139866/?type=3&locale=fr_FR

And we particularly like their "Sportif":

https://www.facebook.com/368459773652819/photos/pb.100063476623209.-2207520000./715295478969245/?type=3&locale=fr_FR

Edited July 7, 2023 by D&N

[ballroom-cruisers]

Like D&N we never find Cunard portions too small, usually either about right or too large! But then again different people have different ideas about how much they wish to eat!

[Host Hattie]

The Turf that came with my Surf and Turf was lovely unlike the Sirloin ! Nice size portion and perfectly cooked.