QM2 Review November 29-December 2, 2006

[judy&steve]

The Voyage

A few months ago, an email came to my in-box advertising a few Caribbean cruises on the QM2. Recognizing that this was an opportunity we couldn’t refuse, we acted immediately and called our Travel Agent who got us a Princess Grill guarantee for a very good price. Knowing that this trip would ruin us for other cruises, Cunard got us forever.

We sailed on November 25, 2006 and returned December 2.

Pre-Cruise

We planned our own pre-cruise stay in Fort Lauderdale. Normally I would not discuss the pre-cruise arrangements, but the hotel was so wonderful, I have to mention it. We stayed at the Ft. Lauderdale Doubletree at the Galleria. This was based on a recommendation from a Cruise Critic contributor. We were thrilled with the accommodations and would definitely stay there again.

Saturday morning, we were taken to the pier by a car service which was arranged by the hotel. It was the same price as a taxi, but much nicer arriving at the Queen Mary in a Lincoln Town Car than some yellow taxi!!

Security and Check-In

The check-in was abysmal at best.

There was already a large line formed outside the security area. We waited out there for at least an hour. At one point, someone decided to change the entry door and the person who had been at the front of the original line was now at the end of the new line. It was pandemonium. When we were finally allowed inside, they had ropes set up so we could wind our way through a maze before we could go through the security screening. This took another half hour. When we were finally allowed to enter the building to check in to the ship, we were herded into another set of roped off areas (grill and non grill were pointed to opposite ends of the building) At some point, a Cunard representative decided one of the lines was for people in wheelchairs actually asked the men who were at the head of that line to get out of line to allow the wheelchairs priority. Recognizing the stupidity of this plan, those in front, simply held their ground and continued with their check-in. There was no sign for wheelchairs, only the whim of the Cunard dock person.

The actually check-in was okay. We were on the ship within mere hours of our arrival to the pier!!

On the ship, at last!

After a long walk uphill to the ship (and the obligatory photos) we made dinner reservations at Todd English. Upon actually boarding the ship, we were greeted by white-gloved personnel, taken to the elevator where another white-gloved person pushed the button for us. There were still people who didn’t get it that they were being assisted and felt like they had to push the elevator buttons or one would not arrive. In fact, they were using a set of elevators for luggage and this is why the woman was there to offer assistance.

Okay. We are on the ship. We are in our Princess Grill suite and we are happy. There is a bottle of champagne chilling on the coffee table with a bowl of strawberries. There is fresh fruit on the counter along with another two bottles of champagne. The room was spotless and the closets were beyond adequate. We actually had hangers to spare. The walk-in closet had in it shelves and a dresser of drawers. Also, two robes, an umbrella, some slippers and a clothes brush. The bathroom had Canyon Ranch toiletries, which were replenished every time the stewardess made up the room. The towels were full-size bath sheets. Absolute heaven for me, since this is what I use at home. I am very happy at this point and have all but forgotten the fiasco that was check-in.

We were pleased to learn that lunch was being served in the Princess Grill. Can’t remember what I ate, but it was good and the service was very good.

The second afternoon, we went to lunch in the grill. There was nothing on the menu that looked appealing to me. I was almost reduced to tears, because I couldn’t just get a plain burger. (They would fix ANYTHING, but it would take an additional 20 minutes and I was getting upset.) I am pre-diabetic, so my blood sugars sometimes have an evil influence over my personality. I was probably getting a little testy. Someone must have run out to the buffet and grabbed me a burger. I could only eat a bit of it. It really wasn’t very good. The headwaiter offered to send menus to our cabin nightly so I could look over the choices and then ask for whatever I wanted to be prepared in whatever way was suitable for my dietary needs. Perfect solution. It was a great idea and it made me very happy. I was able to order my foods cooked without any sauces, butter, cream, cheese or flour. I like my vegetables steamed, not sautéed or sauced. I know it doesn’t sound too appetizing, but it makes me happy to be able to eat to my specific needs. We were off to a positive start food-wise!

The Cabin

A little smaller (aren’t they always) than we expected. The walk-in closet could have been a tad smaller and the living area could have been larger. There was very little space between the bed and the desk chair. Also, the coffee table was a little too large for the space. Otherwise, the cabin was clean, very elegant and comfortable. The bed, pillows and linens were the best we have ever experienced on any ship. The refrigerator was actually a useful size and the temperature was cold enough to keep things chilled.

Canyon Ranch Spa

I made use of the salon and spa. I never took advantage of the facilities, including the therapy pool, saunas and reflexology bath. I felt a little intimidated when I was there alone.

I had my hair syled at the salon.

I had a facial and an eye treatment.

Unfortunately, my face broke out from the facial. They tried to give me some products to help with the breakout, but nothing worked and I’m still looking like an aged teenager.

I had a massage, also. Nothing much to say about that, except it was a port day and I stayed on the ship to take advantage of the spa specials that day.

A positive note on Spa personnel. They do not push or even attempt to sell products after the treatment. I found this remarkably refreshing.

The Buffet

We tried a few times to get coffee or little snacks in the buffet (there are four, but I don’t remember which) There was a interesting little pink square of something edible. It was really intriguing, so I took it. It was marshmallow flavored with whatever pink flavoring is – bubble gummy or fruity. I couldn’t eat it. But, the buffet had lovely cookies and cakes around tea time. There was a time that I wanted a cup of coffee and the machine was empty. That upset me a bit. Also, there was no Splenda (sucralose artificial sweetener) available (at least not visible) in the buffet. I know they had it on board, because it was readily available in the Princess Grill.

The Grill

Lovely, gorgeous, great food, wonderful personnel, from the Matire d’ to the Junior Waiter. I couldn’t have asked for any better treatment and I certainly didn’t expect the level of personal service we were given. I have dietary restrictions and they worked with me for every menu so I could have food I would enjoy. Everything was cooked to perfection and I adored it.

The Library

Possibly the best room on the ship. I loved being in there. I could always go in there with my Zune and read some trashy gossip magazine! I loved it. Great for people-watching. They had a few computers for internet use. I found the hot spot in the library not always reliable. I enjoyed the bookstore adjacent to the library.

Disembarkation

The least bad disembarkation we have ever experienced. That doesn’t make a lot of sense, I guess, but getting off the ship shouldn’t be a negative experience. You should get off as happy as you were getting on. It was a relaxing time in a pleasant waiting area. I looked forward to our next cruise while we disembarked this ship. The luggage was easy to find; porters were accessible. Customs was a breeze and we were in a cab within minutes.

The Itinerary

Typical Western Caribbean Itinerary:

Montego Bay, Jamaica

We went on Cunard-sponsored tour to Rose Hall Mansion. It was actually an interesting excursion. Part of the tour description was a “shopping opportunity” which we believed to be the little gift shop at the mansion, but it turned out to be a 30-minute stop at a tourist mall full of jewelry, coffee and trinkets. I thought the passengers on the bus would start a revolution, because everybody just wanted back on the ship. It was hot and no body appreciated the Shopping Opportunity. Interesting observation – the Shopping Specialist just so happened to be in one of the shops we wandered into. She couldn’t believe the loose discounting policy on watches in that particular store. More about shopping later.

Grand Cayman

We’ve been here many times. I enjoy shopping on this island. There were seven or eight other ships in port. It was very crowded. We found great bargains at Kirk Freeport Clearance Store and their perfume store. We got back to the ship in time for lunch!

Costa Maya

Steve went off on an eight hour excursion to two Maya archaeological sites. It was a little anti-climatic after visiting Chichen Itza in the past.

They spent most of the time traveling on a bus. Lunch was included, but nobody wanted to eat the cheese sandwich that was provided. Actual ruin-time was one hour at each site. The four buses that took the excursion came back very late after dark.

I spent the day on the ship. I had a facial in the morning and had a lovely lunch in the Princess Grill. A ship was trying to dock at our pier. It was an interesting feat. I spent an hour watching the Fantasy back in to her berth. I spent time in the library. Went back to the spa for my massage.

Cozumel

We were able to dock downtown in Cozumel. In the past, we have docked further out and had to take taxis downtown. This was a very convenient location. We shopped and then went back to the ship for lunch.

 

The Ship

I didn’t see it all. It is enormous and took me a few days to learn how to find my way around. Everything is beautiful and non-glitzy! I felt very special on this ship. There are some interesting architectural (?) aspects to the QM2. Some of the halls are actually on an incline. I understand this is because some of the rooms on the ship have very high ceilings. There was a little game area where they had set up puzzles, Scrabble, Boggle, Chess, Checkers and other board games. It was a nice touch. We visited several of the bar areas! Again, my favorite spot was the library. I never made use of the pools. I am a little sun-o-phobic, so I don’t spend a lot of time outdoors. On some ships, you have to go outside through the pool deck to get to other places on the ship. Not on this ship. I loved not having to be outside if I didn’t want to be.

We went to one planetarium show. There were three and just not enough time! It was a wonderful experience to be in a planetarium while on a ship. I haven’t been to a planetarium since I was a child. We never went to see a movie in the movie theatre (Illuminations). We just didn’t have enough time to see it all.

Adherence to Dress Code

This was very interesting. We have been on about a dozen cruises over the last 26 years. We always try to dress according to the requested dress codes. There were far more tuxedoes and dinner jackets on formal nights than not. Most gentlemen wore ties and jackets every night. We were definitely in the minority on “elegant casual” night when Steve wore a shirt with no tie or jacket. There were three such evenings (first, last and one other night.)

Todd English

Since I have such a rigid eating regimen, the head chef at Todd English was emailed by our maitre d’ to alert him that I would request unsauced, plainer food. I ordered the roasted chicken and it was perfect. They did leave the potato cake under the chicken which I did taste and it was really good. I did have dessert. I was pretty strict about what I was eating, but always tried something. The desserts were unbelievable in general, but in Todd English, they were exceptional. After our dessert of crème brulee, Key lime pie, and assorted little bon bons and petit fours, they presented us with a gorgeous chocolate cake for our anniversary. They knew we weren’t going to consume it there, so it was delivered to our cabin later that evening. We gave it to our stewardess because we weren’t going to eat it.

When selecting your table at Todd English, try to stay away from the windows. We initially were seated there. The crew was attempting to set up a buffet outside the restaurant. It was really windy that night and they had trouble setting up. We didn’t like the view and thought that they should close the curtains at night. But, we asked to move as soon as we were seated and selected a table closer to the center of the restaurant. Many people were seated by the window and moved away.

Same Time, Same Ship, Next Year

I said a long time ago that there would never be a cruise longer than seven days for me. I get antsy and just want to be home. This trip was just different. No endless PA announcements for BINGO, for jewelry by the inch; for Tee-shirt opportunities, etc. The only time we heard from the bridge was when our departure was delayed (every port), when they had to close the pier and gangways for a docking ship; when the helicopter had to make an emergency evacuation.

We decided to look into booking onboard. The benefits are great. There is a generous ship-board credit depending on the type of cabin and length of cruise; they will hold a deposit for up to four years so they don’t pressure you into making a rash decision.

Since Cunard will not be doing the Ft Lauderdale cruises next year, we are going to sail from New York on 10-day cruise – November 30, 2007. We booked another Princess Grill Guarantee. We can drive to New York in a couple of hours, so we won’t have to worry about excess luggage or fret over the anxiety of flying.

[judy&steve]

I am so dyslexic that I screw up numbers all the time. I couldn't change the review nor the title. I am going to try to email adminsitrator to get the title change.

--Judy a/k/a Ms. Lexic

[pnhmrk]

I am going to try to email adminsitrator to get the title changed

 

I wouldn't bother. The title's not the important thing the content is. (And that content is good. Thank you)

[imacruizer]

Thanks Judy and Steve for an excellent review.

 

Beth

[travel-to-go]

Judy,

What a amarvelous review. Thank you very much. It must be very disappointing and frustrating for you to eat out most of the time. I admire you for your perseverence. it sounds like your adherence to strict dietary guidelines most of the time have enabled you to splurge a bit (creme brulee and key Lime Pie- one of my favorites) on occasion. Hope the stewardess did not have to submit the cake for splitting amngst the other crew!<LOL>

 

Additionally, how difficult to be able to enjoy a Caribbean cruise when you are not comfortable in the sun. Fortunately, although the builders must have known she would do some Caribbean jaunts, she was built primarily for crossing. For that reason, you know that they would pay special heed to being able to get around the ship with out having to go out of doors. When discussing our next cruise with Marc, and mentioning crossing, he was anxious- He loves to do his deck walks- around the deck- a mile, preferred. I can't do them any more, but I used to, and they kept me from gaining weight onboard. (I still don't gain on board. I attribute that to the increase in activity from my normal daily life along with the relaxed pace of eating.)

 

As I mentioned before I won't be able to join you in November. We go to Key West in November. But when you go out of Brooklyn, as I have also mentioned before, on the waterfront is a place called Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies. we finally made it there after our Sept cruise. I brought home a 9" pie, plus had a frozen chocolate covered Key Lime Tart on a stick for the drive home. If you are a Key Lime afficianado, do check them out. He makes them the way I do, from scratch and with real ingredients! We had our GPS, but it wasn't difficult to find (especially if you look for the authentic 40's style panel truck in the parking lot) and it didn't really take us too long. It's only a couple of miles from the pier.

http://www.stevesauthentic.com/

 

Enjoy your next cruise! It appears that the QM2 was just built for your tastes and needs! BTW, I used to tease Marc- We used to go on Caribbean cruises. where he would wear jeans on deck on the shady side of the ship, with a long sleeved shirt! He has finally loosened up some, but you still need sunglasses for the glint off that pasty white skin! Mind you, he is not particularly sensitive to sun, just prefers it this way. In fact, If I didn't drag him kicking and screaming, he'd spend all of his time on the computer, or reading! I've gotten him hooked enough on the Trivia, that he often made it when I didn't, this last cruise!

 

Karie,

who is in need of planning her next trip soon- and getting her passport renewed!

[judy&steve]

Judy,

What a amarvelous review. Thank you very much. It must be very disappointing and frustrating for you to eat out most of the time. I admire you for your perseverence. it sounds like your adherence to strict dietary guidelines most of the time have enabled you to splurge a bit (creme brulee and key Lime Pie- one of my favorites) on occasion. Hope the stewardess did not have to submit the cake for splitting amngst the other crew!<LOL>

 

Additionally, how difficult to be able to enjoy a Caribbean cruise when you are not comfortable in the sun. Fortunately, although the builders must have known she would do some Caribbean jaunts, she was built primarily for crossing. For that reason, you know that they would pay special heed to being able to get around the ship with out having to go out of doors. When discussing our next cruise with Marc, and mentioning crossing, he was anxious- He loves to do his deck walks- around the deck- a mile, preferred. I can't do them any more, but I used to, and they kept me from gaining weight onboard. (I still don't gain on board. I attribute that to the increase in activity from my normal daily life along with the relaxed pace of eating.)

 

As I mentioned before I won't be able to join you in November. We go to Key West in November. But when you go out of Brooklyn, as I have also mentioned before, on the waterfront is a place called Steve's Authentic Key Lime Pies. we finally made it there after our Sept cruise. I brought home a 9" pie, plus had a frozen chocolate covered Key Lime Tart on a stick for the drive home. If you are a Key Lime afficianado, do check them out. He makes them the way I do, from scratch and with real ingredients! We had our GPS, but it wasn't difficult to find (especially if you look for the authentic 40's style panel truck in the parking lot) and it didn't really take us too long. It's only a couple of miles from the pier.

http://www.stevesauthentic.com/

 

Enjoy your next cruise! It appears that the QM2 was just built for your tastes and needs! BTW, I used to tease Marc- We used to go on Caribbean cruises. where he would wear jeans on deck on the shady side of the ship, with a long sleeved shirt! He has finally loosened up some, but you still need sunglasses for the glint off that pasty white skin! Mind you, he is not particularly sensitive to sun, just prefers it this way. In fact, If I didn't drag him kicking and screaming, he'd spend all of his time on the computer, or reading! I've gotten him hooked enough on the Trivia, that he often made it when I didn't, this last cruise!

 

Karie,

who is in need of planning her next trip soon- and getting her passport renewed!

 

Thanks for the remarks! I just ran into a friend and she commented that Steve and I still had our tans! Some sun must have worked its way through the SPF. Steve is the Key Lime Pie maven. We learned about some place in Key West -- Blonde Giraffe maybe? -- and every time we are there, he has to go get something.

My rigid diet has helped me lose 90-ish pounds. I could slide easily down the slippery slope to diabetes if I'm not careful -- and also, all my great new clothes would not fit!:)

Your Marc sounds like my kind of guy! I like to be in the house (or in some sheltered, air conditioned area in a sweatshirt) as opposed to being in the heat and sun. Must be the Southern girl in me!

I'm glad you enjoyed our review.

Judy

[Therapst's Lady]

I am so dyslexic that I screw up numbers all the time. I couldn't change the review nor the title. I am going to try to email adminsitrator to get the title change.

--Judy a/k/a Ms. Lexic

 

Hello Judy:

I loved your review! That certainly took a lot of time and effort.

I just posted elsewhere and had the same problem:( --until I happened on the 'go advanced' button next to the 'save' button after I got to the 'edit' area.

 

Try that the next time you need to 'edit' your heading...:)

[patwell]

Hi Judy...and thanks for your review. And also thanks for being willing to get off the ship so I could get on on Dec 2nd!!! I enjoyed doing my "Live...from the QM2 thread that is on here someplace, and It was fun to read about your trip to the other side as we were contemplating that one too.

 

I agree on the embarcation mess...ours was not much better and does leave a bit of a bad memory. Fortunatly it starts to receed the moment one sees that grand ship but for the moment it was nasty, uncomfortable and just plain unnecessary. Probably my only fault with the whole cruise experience and I don't understand why it is so difficult for Cunard to get us on when other lines don't seem to have this problem so frequently. Our line seemd to have no end to it and once in off the sidewalk the next line was endless too. All together it was about 2 1/4 hours while all I wanted to do was set foot on the ship. The best part of embarcation was that it took so long, our luggage was in the room before we were!

 

I missed the chance to do the advance booking...too busy having fun I guess and also not enthralled about sailing from NYC which I don't particularly like.

 

Sorry your spa facial turned into a problem. And I know what you mean about the intimidation. Perhaps they could have made more of an effort to acquaint you with things when you arrived for treatments. We were 3 who went the first time and between us we sort of figured it out and did use the spa pool and steam room but it would have been nice to have a bit of indoctrination. I also agree that the lack of hawking products was very welcome....no one even suggest anything to me altho I found out the last day that Steve loved the hot oil they used. I'd have gone back to get some if I'd known in time.

 

And like you I have become hooked on the QM2...she is one for the ages and I feel privileged to have enjoyed her. Stop by the other thread if you have time and read some of my experiences.

 

Cheers, Penny....wishfully "LIVE" from the QM2

[travel-to-go]

Penny,

I'll bet you can order some from Canyon Ranch Spa's web page. They are not too, too far from us in the Berkshires of Massachusetts.

 

It seems there is a Spa Club in Kissimmee, also.

Here is their website.

http://www.canyonranch.com/default.aspx

I don't see the hot oil listed, but there is a phone number, and I did not spend a lot of time looking (got to get some sleep so I can get up at 8 to get ready for work and be there at 10:00 PM! HOW am I going to satay awake all night? :eek:)

 

Karie,

who can't thi of anything bright to say right now.

[judy&steve]

Hello Judy:

 

I loved your review! That certainly took a lot of time and effort.

 

I just posted elsewhere and had the same problem:( --until I happened on the 'go advanced' button next to the 'save' button after I got to the 'edit' area.

 

Try that the next time you need to 'edit' your heading...:)

 

I was too late to change it. After 20 minutes, it's no longer editable. Oh well. I guess being a little ditzy is part of my charm;)

Judy