What's the "Real Deal"?

[twinkletoes915]

Can anyone please tell my husband and I what the real deal is on the QM2? My husband has booked the Transatlantic crossing on April 22nd for us and we WERE really looking forward to it until I started reading the message boards. I must say that I am SO surprised as we have cruised on 4 other occasions on Celebrity and had a blast. We wanted something more "upscale " and less mass market, so John chose QM2 as he had been told that this ship was "the best." We do have the Queens grill, so I think the food will be good, and we are fairly easy to please, but since this cruise was definitely double what Celebrity would be I am looking forward to a nicer ship. Can anyone help with this question? Especially if you have cruised on Celebrity.

Thank you in advance.

Elly

[mufi]

I can't answer your questions - I have not sailed on QM2 yet, but I have read all the comments on these boards. Some have slated it others have heaped praise. That's the way it is with humans, we all have an opinion and it is not always the same one. The only way you will ever know is to go see for yourself. And the very worst thing you can do is to worry about if you are going to like it, and whether it will be a rip off for you at twice the price.

 

Afraid you won't get the answer you want on these boards. Enjoy your cruise and let us know your opinions when you get back.

 

David.

[lknick]

No matter how you look at it, the QM2 is a very large ship with problems in the public areas. In the King's Court, Golden Lion etc where food is served, tables are hard to find. The staff makes little effort to be helpful.

 

IMO, throughout the ship, service levels are more lackadaisical than attentive.

 

My crossing on the QM2 was very disappointing. I found the inconsiderate behavior shown by many of the passengers exceeded that of any of my other cruise experiences, including Carnival Lines. There's just too many people jostling for position.

[mufi]

See what I mean.

David.

[Chuck & Phyllis]

Go for it! We're sailing her and are very excited about it. The reviews for the Queens Grille are very positive and lately, the reviews have been getting a little more positive overall. If you cruise as much as we do, you know you're going to eventually sail her so just get excited about it and pick out the things you like about the ship. As we see more and more pictures, we adore the interior and dislike the outside public spaces excluding the promenade deck and the pool area on deck 12. Our balcony, the spa, the promenade, that pool, and all of the interior will satisfy our cruise experience. We're in the Britannia and anticipate the food and service will be just fine. If not, we'll make it that way. Yes we're paying more than our usual cruises but this is THE SHIP to sail right now. You know you have to sail her so just get and stay excited about it.:)

[rkacruiser]

I respect lknick's opinions greatly; we have shared views on Holland America's Message Board several times. I often find myself in agreement with him.

 

But, from my experiences on QM2, the service issues that he had when he sailed her may since have been resolved. Service from every crew member with whom I had any contact, starting with the check-in agent on the pier, was as good as I have experienced on any of my cruises, Royal Viking Line and Holland America Line, included.

 

lknick is correct about the difficulty of finding a table at King's Court or at the Golden Lion Pub(for one of their excellent pub lunches), if one goes at prime time for breakfast or lunch. That problem can be solved by going there at off-peak times. (Golden Lion Pub is a good place to go when the ship is in port. I had the entire room all to myself.)

 

Queen Mary 2 is a beautiful ship, not at all hard to get around, particularly for her size. She has several touches that remind me of Queen Mary(i.e. Commodore Club in place of the Observation Bar; Todd English in place of the Verandah Grill; the lovely art deco decor in most areas of the ship).

 

Travel with an open mind, keeping in mind what others have said--both good and bad. And, judge for yourself. Enjoy your trip!

[gentlemancruiser]

I wanted to put your mind at easy. I have cruised on 3 Holland America ships and 2 Cunard (QE2 & QM2). Last January we were on the Maiden Carribean Voyage and really enjoyed ourselve. I found the QM2 to be the most spacious ship I've ever been on. There is plenty of outdoor & indoor spaces. I do agree that AT PEAK MEAL TIMES!!! the Kings Court can be difficult to navigate but otherwise it's totally fine. There is a difference between HAL & Cunard, and that's the dining experince. The china is wedgewood & linens are pressed, rather then those on HAL. The serivce in the Grill suites are wonderful and the dining experience is something you will love.

Many people who have been critical of the QM2 have sailing on the QE2 and try to make comparisons, but you can't. They are two totally different expereinces.

[twinkletoes915]

Thank you to everyone who wrote. My husband did buy the insurance, and he offered to cancel, but as it was a gift from him we will take our chances. As I said in my first post we usually meet fun people and have a good time regardless, so I won't worry about it. Also since it is a transatlantic crossing there will be a lot of relaxation in the day and dressing up at night, and we love to do both.

Thanks again,

Elly

[momomo]

You must go! I went last May (not a crossing but an 8 day Caribbean trip). She is a wonderful, beautiful ship. The people we met were amazing, the food and service was great (we were in late seating Brittania). Just avoid the buffets and you will not run into the "rude crowds". Please, go and enjoy your trip and don't look at the negatives - there are as many good as there are bad reviews this page (many of the bad I believe are due to the "short trips"). Your trip will be what you make of it and believe me, you will not regret it! - Mo

[Phoenix cruiser]

I have posted my review of our recent cruise elsewhere. In brief, however, we were in the Queen's Grill suites and the service, accommodations, food and ship were the best we have ever encountered. My biggest fear was that I had so built up the experience in my mind before we left that the real thing could never measure up. Well, it was even better than I had hoped. Yes, we met people who complained about everything, so don't be put off by the people who expected it to be like the scenes from a 40s Hollywood movie. This is real life and believe it or not, people wore shorts in the Caribbean during the day and not furs and tuxedoes. I am confident this will be a memorable trip for you, enjoy!:)

[twinkletoes915]

Dear Mo and Phoenix,

Thank you for the encouragement. I will rest easy now!!! I think I will stop reading the boards till closer to the trip and then I will get all excited.

Thanks again,

Elly

[Winchester]

QM2 and cruises in general are different. Each trip is unique. The staff is different, the route, weather, the group that travels with you... all different.

 

QM2 in whatever form is not to be missed. Go aboard, and inhabit the spaces. Take the time it takes to figure out how the ship ticks. AND what were they thinking about how they put some of the spaces and passageways together. Just smile and say hello to everyone, and make the experience your own. Many of the staff are doing their best to make sure you have a good time. As with any trip, if you are not whiney, but have a relevant comment, make sure the staff know it. The couple things I mentioned on my last trip, the staff bent over backwards to fix as much as they could.

 

Go and make it YOUR adventure.

[JoeWillie]

I agree with most everything you say except for the part about getting around the ship. I had people coming up to me, a passenger, on the last morning of our cruise crying "I still can't find my way around this ship!" Here's a tip, the stairwells are marked A, B, C, D. The suites run from the low numbers (front of ship) to the high number (back of ship). The deck number is the first number of the room. So, to get to suite 10001, take the elevators in stairwell A, the front of the ship, to deck 10 and you're there. Now for the rub. The Britannia restaurant is two decks high. So, if you're in Stairwell A on deck 3, you will either have to walk through the restaurant to get to the rest of the ship, or go to deck 4 to get around the restaurant. Not a good plan from the designers. We walked through Brittania about 4 times during the cruise.

[Chuck & Phyllis]

Doesn't deck 3L bypass the restaurant?

[geoffUK]

Yes there are 'in between decks' at each side of Brittania which take you through the Art Gallery or the Photo Arcade to the Queens room.

[wripro]

i always used the art gallery passage since if i went thru the photo gallery i had to look at all the horrible pictures of me.!!!!!

[JPEvans]

As for the QM2 being hard to get around? I think it's not the design of the ship, but the people who can't find their way. I had not one problem finding anything. I felt it was just as easy to get around as on a small ship. Some people just have a bad sense of direction. They are probably the same people who will get lost in Disney World.

 

 

J.P.

[imacruizer]

Do they still provide the tiny fold out maps of the QM2? They were the perfect size to put in your pocket or purse and very helpful during the first few days when exploring the ship.

[J Cruise]

One of the "Pocket Guides" that fits in a shirt pocket is on the desk in each cabin. They are helpful but bring your glasses as they are small. There is a deck chart by each bank of elevators and a list of what public areas you can get to on each deck from those elevators. The main thing is to spend a little time to explore. It all makes sense. Once you know the ship, it is not difficult to navigate.

[JoeWillie]

However, the quickest and most direct route is to go by elevator or stairwell to deck 4 That is, of course, unless you want to continually walk past those hideous photos

 

As for those who state it's easy to get around the QM2, they too had to take time to learn. As is the case with Disney World. With hindsight it's easy to claim it's easy.

 

I've been to Disney many times and I guarantee you that very few people can tell you a quicker way than I to get to the Animal Kingdom. So, the next time you think you know it all, think again.

[ANSalberg]

We are frequent cruisers now that we are retired, cruising up to 2 months a year now. We ALWAYS book Portside cabins; Then when you walk out your door- you know immediately that left is forward, right is stern! We found the Queen Mary2 a DELIGHTFUL ship and had no MORE trouble there than on the 1200 passenger HAL ships -where we use the same idea; Book PORTSIDE!

WE did get lost a few times - but simply stopped and asked; It really wasn't that "big a deal" and we had several fun chats with people; Come on -guys- this isn't brain surgery! QM2 is a terrific ship!

[cusyl]

Anyone signed the Cruise Critic visitor's log in the library lately???

 

Happy Holidays to all you cruisers.