QM2 TA Review - Quick Synopsis

Glad to hear you enjoyed your crossing, and I look forward to hearing more about it! Thanks for posting

Scarlet

Thank you so much for reporting back and it's good to hear your first Cunard experience was outstanding.

I look forward to reading your full review.

Thank you for your enthusiastic review. She is a lovely ship, isn't she? Happy to hear your first crossing was a success!

Wonderful post, and great news that you had such a good time. I look forward to reading your full review, thank you for posting this teaser! :)

Thank you softsands

Rodger

I, too, was on the same crossing, and in fact, am still in a rather hot and sticky NYC as I write.

As stated, the staff were as wonderful as usual, with many welcoming us back by name.

There is simply nothing to complain about.

On our last day, we had the England Vs Wales rugby match. There were lots of Welsh supporters, some of whom distributed flags. All the Scots became honorary Welshmen for the day.

I've never seen the GLP so busy. The atmosphere was terrific! All in all, it was an exciting game.

BTW, the Welsh won the singing in the pub too!

My only comment (not a complaint) was the age on board. It was probably the highest average age on a TA that I've ever seen in 6 crossings with only a handful of teens and 18 - 30's who always meet up.

Stewart

I was also on this crossing, my 3rd transatlantic on this ship, and it definitely didn't disappoint. the only parts of the ship that were seeming old were all in the Canyon Ranch. Sauna broken the entire trip, the steam room never up to the right temperature, and some services that seem slightly outdated.

Stewart, i thought it was probably the best mix of ages i have seen on this ship. And great to have a few pints with you.

Simon

I haven to agree with your calm seas comment. When I take a TA I want some rock and roll!! :D And, yes, QM2 can handle it better than QE2 did.

Thank you for the great (early) review. That would be the exact same review I would give at the end of our trips on the QM2......if I actually posted one. :)

Thanks for the review. I was already looking forward to our crossing in November, now I can't wait! Just over 7 weeks to go but who's counting :D

Southampton to New York, September 20th to 27th

I have bad news and I have good news.:(

I had promised to share my QM2 TA report/review recapping her crossing from Southampton to New York and our experience aboard. However, this is requiring more time than my real life is prepared to allow. So, the bad news is I’m going to deliver the review in separate parts over the next couple of days. No Netflix-style binge reading, unfortunately. Stay with me, though, it'll be worth it.

The good news, for those of you who have a disdain for long drawn out review process, I am providing the shortened version:

Shortened Version

Transatlantic. Cunard. Queen Mary 2. Book it. Enjoy it. Rinse and repeat.

Full Length Version

Part 1 – Preamble and First Impression

This is a first time for me traveling not only with Cunard but also on such a vessel the size of QM2. To provide a frame of reference about me, I have been fortunate to have sailed with many of the well-known lines in the luxury, premium and mass markets, including Seabourn, Crystal, Silver Seas, Regent, Celebrity, RCCL, Norwegian and Carnival, sailing almost exclusively around the Americas, including Newfoundland.

If you take only one thing away from this review (other than the sense I’m in need of some form of professional help), let me say this: See Shortened Version above.

On this particular trip, I traveled with my brother (or Bro' for the remainder of this review) as we both had named a TA crossing on our respective bucket lists and neither of our respective spouses cared to join us. A fear of being stranded (or worse) in the middle of the ocean was cited by my sister-in-law (despite my mentioning that the Costa Concordia rolled, like, 50 feet from shore). In the case of my wife, fear of pure boredom was given as the reason for non-interest. This fear was actually previously proved when I surprised her with a Seabourn Pride Caribbean trip two years ago. Move along, nothing to see here. Maybe better luck with my next ex-wife. No matter, their loss, and two brothers holding two kitchen passes in hand are off and running, er, I mean crossing.

I am reviewing the ship from the perspective of a Britannia class passenger and will not be able to speak specifically to Queens or Princess Grill accommodations, dining and amenities except to say I am certain they are very, very nice. Of course this review is highly subjective and as this is not a paid gig I make no apologies. Sorry. Oh, wait.

Additionally, while I normally have a very critical eye when traveling, I had few expectations of this particular adventure other than some serious R & R, decent dining options, nice spa facility with treatments, fitness facility, outdoor escapes and daily whiskey. I was prepared to overlook the nitpicky items I was bound to find and only make waves (no pun intended) on serious matters, for example, rouge icebergs or U2 boat sightings. I was somewhat disappointed that there were no shore excursions offered during the trip.

Embarkation/Disembarkation

I held some trepidation about the size of QM2 and the potential chaos to be experienced at time of boarding and departure owing to what I understood was a full ship with 3,500 passengers. But it all could not have been smoother. Our e-docs specified a boarding time of 13:30, however, we arrived just shy of noon. By 12:40, we were in our stateroom. It was an absolutely relaxed process with short lines and little waiting. Cunard personnel processed passengers in a very efficient, yet warm and friendly, manner.

Debarkation was equally seamless. We chose the ‘self-help’ option which allowed us to leave the ship by 7am, the only pre-requisite being we carried our own luggage. Done and done. By 7:50am we were at Newark Airport (and bear in mind this was the day of the Pope’s visit), rebooked on a 10am flight (originally 13:00) to Toronto, Canada, no line at security pat-down, a casual breakfast before boarding and home watching the PGA FedEx golf by 13:00. Remarkable.

Regarding the alcohol policy, absolutely no problem bringing on board a couple of fine whiskeys to be enjoyed across the Atlantic.

First Impression

Perhaps it is simply the name Queen Mary, or her distinctive colors, or our knowledge of Cunard’s history, but at initial approach to the ship, the word that sprung to mind – regal. Stepping into the main lobby of the QM2 on deck 2 provides an impressive site. Bright, airy and a pleasant mix of nautical decor, accompanied by a sensible balance of glass and metal. A very refined and elegant look and feel. Reminded me of a fine, character hotel from days past. We were warmly welcomed by a team of Cunard staff.

We committed to never using the elevator to move about the ship. I’m happy to say we honored that commitment despite our 11th deck accommodation and our need to traverse, typically, four or nine flights of stairs, multiple times daily, depending on our target destination. Only on our final day did we make use of the elevator due to ‘self help.’

Exploring as many public spaces as we could before sail-away the ones we viewed all appeared inviting and purposeful. The Britannia dining room was a huge two-deck space. I found the lower dining floor to be very expansive, however, the second floor was a surrounding three-tiered configuration, centrally open to the dining area below. The tiered spaces created a far more intimate setting than the first level.

The Spa at first glance looked just perfect for my needs, the aqua therapy pool with its rainfall feature, massage taps and, well, all its bubbles and currents. I knew I had to visit. But only daily. The facility had three sauna types (and, yes as reported, sadly, the dry sauna was inoperative the entire week (I guess once you’re established at sea, replacement parts via FedEx ain’t going to happen)). However, the herbal sauna, steam baths and reflexology basins did call out to me.

The other various bars and theatres (Royal Court, Illuminations) that we peeked our heads into appeared functional and in good state.

Concluding our truncated walk-about, my first impression of the ship was very positive and despite her size, and my preference for smaller vessels, I figured this would be a great trip. And, we hadn’t even started into the whiskey yet!

Part II – Accommodation

(to be continued)

Loved the shortened version and Part 1 of the full version, please don't keep us waiting too long for the rest !

Agree with Hattie. Can't wait for the next installment!

I, too, was on this crossing so am anxious to hear your views on it. I loved the whole experience and will post a short synopsis this weekend when I have a bit of time. Can't wait to hear what else you have to say :)

Part II – Accommodation

Our stateroom was port side, most forward, 11th deck, BF category – a location selected for specific reasons – the most important being potentially greater feel of the ship’s motion. The rockier, the better for me. Bro’, not so much, but he appreciated (as did I) the nearly all day sun and the great views out to sea – a sea that for most of the trip looked (disappointingly) the same. C’est la vie. The Atlantic is still beautiful in whatever mood it’s feeling but my little inner sailor guy was hoping for some angriness in them thar swells.

The most forward location also provided easy access to the stairs (and, yes, elevators) as well as to the Atlantic Room for observation of where we’d be heading (and, not that the view changed much over the course of seven days).

QM2 is long! And often we would return to our room via the forward stairs and not a soul in sight as far as the eye could see down that long corridor. Returning from dinner via the aft stairs required a short break about halfway down deck 11. And while I’ll touch on this later, rarely did we feel crowded.

But I digress – accommodation. Now, I love my Bro’, he’s like…well, he’s like a brother to me. And, not that I’m not a little curious, however, we went with the twin bed configuration. The separation between the beds was a 12” nightstand. I knew the room would be ‘cozy’ and I usually like to have a little more leg room, but I had the location I wanted and the essentials in the room were all there. The balcony was surprisingly large and easily accommodated two upright sitting chairs and a small table. It was perfectly designed for stimulating our artistic juices as we had an objective to pen a sitcom over the course of the seven days aboard (unfortunately, that plan fell apart by day two due to creative differences, and I believe Bro’ ended up crafting a musical based on a short story. Me, I just sat, gazing. For hours. Thinking about what could have been. At least until I got hungry (see Chapter 3, I believe).

Despite being that high up on the ship, the sound of the Atlantic was loud, clear and magical. Lying in bed, one can gaze out the floor to ceiling windows to the horizon and watch the rise and fall of the ship against the horizon in concert with the crashing of ocean swells against the bow.

Now, I don’t want to start any debates or raise anyone’s ire and I will speak no further of it beyond this paragraph, however, we kept the balcony door open on most nights. C’mon, who doesn’t love the sound of the ocean, coupled with movement of the ship while drifting off to that special happy place? Notwithstanding implications to HVAC efficiencies, the interior vs. exterior pressure differentials created a substantial whistling sound when the winds were up and I think we may have offended numerous parties outside of our stateroom. While there was no direct threats of violence or warnings of possible expulsion to an inside room from management, there were signs we were interrupting other’s slumber as evidenced by towels jammed into the door sill on the exterior side. To them, I sincerely apologize, and we did take to keeping the door closed during windy periods, particularly at night. Our unfortunate steward was on several occasions blown into our room when opening the door. He was very polite about that but did finally, and delicately, suggest it would be better that he avoid our room when he detected the winds swirling above 30 knots. As I mentioned above, we did take tactical measures to quell further negative repercussions and I have now locked this particular topic away inside the vault.

Other than that apparently-annoying whistling sound, the stateroom and surrounding location was very quiet. I always fear external noises making their way into your space but I found the room (and the corridors) to be extremely quiet. And, I really appreciated the minimal (and I mean minimal) announcements. Captain Wells' daily report was pretty well it...

The sunny, warm weather we experienced for most of the crossing allowed us to fully enjoy the balcony. While I would imagine this particular balcony type might be less desirable during inclement weather, it was the place to be when the sun be a shinin’. Definitely worth the price of admission. A side note to our room’s location, I did contact Cunard some months ago to ensure we had ‘no upgrade’ blazoned across our reservation. The Cunard rep was very surprised suggesting it was highly likely we would be ‘upgraded’ to a mid-ship location; why in the world would you want to be that far fore? I like to know I’m on a ship, perhaps? Anyhow, no thanks to an upgrade, although I did ask if a bump up to a Queens Grill penthouse was in the realm of possibility. Click.

The stateroom was well appointed, all fixtures operated without fail, sufficient power ports, furnishings and carpet in great condition (however, not the balcony furniture). The bed was not too soft, not too firm and made for a good sleep. Not surprisingly, the bathroom is a tight squeeze, even for a 'smaller' person such as myself. The upside? You can reach everywhere and everything from anywhere in that room. Shower pressure was acceptable and the enclosure was a tad worn with a few dings here and there. I was at a loss to explain those dents. But the water ran hot and consistent.

The bath's toiletries were quite good, pleasant aromas, rich lather, that kind of thing. I typically only abscond with the Bvlgari and Molton Brown’s when I come across them but I did come home with a few Penhaligon’s (London)…Nice reminder of the trip when I need a pick-me-up.

Bro’ and I are sports fanatics and while we love our English football, we also enjoy the US sports. Unfortunately, no ESPN on the tele. English sport channel(s) only. A greater selection of channels, sports or otherwise, and a larger screen would have been appreciated. FoxNews, CNBC were the American news channels. A few just-ok films were offered. We survived, though, plenty to see beyond what’s on the idiot box. Side note, there are av connections available so if I had brought the right cable(s), I could have viewed content from my notebook. You know, like my Seinfeld episodes.

And, as for internet, it was generally a painful experience. As I described earlier, I was unable to access and post to Cruise Critic which had been my intention as I enjoy the “Live from…” threads that occasionally happen and I wanted to pay it forward, if I may use that over-used cliché. Access to the login page was slow and general email and browsing performance was extremely hit and miss. Strangely, we were able to run Skype video sessions with surprisingly good performance. But as is the case with any passenger internet use at sea, reliability and performance is not to be counted on. Nor is access to the outside world in this manner inexpensive.

Our room steward, Richard, was extremely friendly, dependable and thorough. Kept the ice bucket full, the towels fresh, the room spick and span and, of course, delivered superior turn down service.

Absolutely no complaints with our accommodation or housekeeping. Well, perhaps I’m not being completely truthful…if we consider the passenger launderette facilities aboard QM2 as part of housekeeping. Either by design, or oversight, we observed these facilities were constantly in use during operating hours. It actually became a game for us at any point we were coming or going from our room to pop into the launderette with our predictions around the three washers, three dryers and two irons and whether they’d be in use, or not. The first couple of days, there were passengers lining up to get access. In any of our many drop-ins, not once was something not in use. We validated our sampling by inspecting other deck’s facilities and found them to be the same. I actually thought the price list for the send-out services to be fairly reasonable but I guess most passengers disagreed or were protective of their undies.

All in all, we were pleased with our BF accommodation and I wouldn’t hesitate to choose that category again for a future voyage.

Part III – Food, Glorious Food!

To be continued.

Thanks for posting Part II so promptly, still loving your work !

WOW.

Rodger

Admittedly, I am no food connoisseur but I’d like to think I can tell the difference between great, good, mediocre and downright lousy chow. Of course, it’s all highly subjective and I would never dispute someone’s unfavorable opinion of fare I might otherwise find decent.

Therefore, we entered the Britannia dining room on our first evening with a very open mind based on the mixed reviews read earlier on the CC Cunard forum. To my reading audience (or, at least the one or two of you still following out of having nothing else to do), on my Bro’s life, we did not have one mediocre or unsatisfactory meal in the Britannia room – dinner, lunch or breakfast. Maybe we got lucky or are lacking in advanced foodie skills but I drew upon my past sailing experiences with the luxury, premium and mainstream cruise lines. As an aside, best dining experiences for me to-date is with Crystal (God, those soups! And, completely calorie free, too!), however, the fare we enjoyed in the Britannia dining room was either very good, or excellent, on our scale, and quite comparable to the likes of my travels with Seabourn, for example. I’d even argue, overall, the quality of food was better than a previous experience I had sailing with Silverseas. Hence, while I will respect a negative review of Britannia’s menu, I can’t agree with one based on my week aboard. Bro’ was thumbs up, too.

Let’s face it, serving a huge number of diners concurrently and under time-constrained conditions should be an Olympic event; but gosh dang it, the kitchen got it right on all of our meats – the beef, lamb, and chicken cooked to spec. Even the lobster tail was flawless, a nice size, expertly removed from its shell by our waiter, tender and a delight to the buds. Entrees were accompanied with perfectly cooked vegetables and potatoes. Only once did I not leave a cleaned plate (and I mean cleaned, I surreptitiously scooped up the sauces with my little finger). The one time I couldn’t close the deal was due to me being a hog and consuming three appetizers first.

Speaking of appetizers, they widely varied in choice and were all tasty. The hot and cold soups I enjoyed immensely. Our waiter was quite happy to provide multiples and duplicates. Desserts hit the mark, too, in particular the ones that had something to do with the cocoa bean. As Homer Simpson would say “Mmmmmmmmmm….chocolate.” Well, mmmmmmmmmm, chocolate. Presentation across the board was always pleasing. At least to us it was.

I suppose my only so-so in the dining room was the bread basket; standard variety, nothing such as grissini et al, but fresh nonetheless (I only wish that bread be served warm). Bread’s empty calories, anyhow. Save it for the cocoa bean.

We had requested a table for two and did, in fact, get one. It was located on the second level of the dining room and adjacent to the waiters’ station which would at first glance caused me some concern but ultimately was just fine; definite upside was we received superior service as our wait team was never very far from us. We did not find the station intrusive or negatively affecting our dining experience.

As I mentioned earlier, the Britannia dining room is a huge two-level space. Bright and airy, we were happy to have been located on the upper level as its tiered design contributes to a more intimate feel. Now, we were placed on the lowest tier of the upper level, hence, no views, direct or indirect, to the outside. Just didn’t matter to us, although we had mixed feelings about the twosome table as we have both in the past enjoyed meeting new people. We accepted that this might necessitate staring into each other’s eyes when out of conversation but as you can probably read in this review, I’m fairly verbose; Bro’s even more so. And, we enjoyed interacting with the wait staff.

The upper level did not have unreasonable noise levels and we were able to conduct a conversation without yelling at each other, although the more wine we drank, the louder the words seemed to get. I did not observe any passenger getting turfed for improper dress and from what we could observe everyone complied, or went beyond the minimum code of the evening. Really, I have never seen so many penguins since Happy Feet.

Further, we did not find the prevailing dress code onerous in any way. One evening, we decided to try Kings Court in lieu of the Britannia room. It was interesting how far Cunard goes to enforcing the dress code in effect – plenty of signage telling us to politely get the hell out of Dodge. On the night we visited Kings Court, it was steady and not overly busy, lots of tables available, and the food fare was very good with a carvery going. Nothing disappointing about the set-up although our expectations were low as they should be when choosing to go that route instead of enjoying the formal dining room.

We concluded that if Cunard banishes us without jackets from the dining room, then those in jackets and the like should be banished from Kings Court. A sign that reads something like ‘Please respect your fellow guests and note that formal wear is not permitted in this area.’ It was surprising the number of evening code-compliant guests caught wandering around Kings Court. “I’m warning you, penguin, stay away from my buffet.”

We reserved one evening for the Todd English experience. Our expectations were very high as in we each expected a culinary orgasm. I'm pleased to report that Todd delivered in the end but that, alas, we concluded Todd would only be a one-night stand.

The restaurant, while intimate, is roomy enough that you don't feel crowded (as you might somewhat in the Britannia restaurant in certain locales). A good number of tables for two are positioned by the windows that overlook the stern and the port side. The only downside to our table's location by the window was the observation of an occasional smoker, or two, getting in a fix. However, even that protected location could not avoid windy conditions so the puffers were mercifully quick.

Of course we weren't there for the view but for the food. There was only one (slightly) missed-the-mark dish. My appetizer of garlic shrimp set daintily atop a fried breaded tomato surrounded by a creamy, colorful coulis was great foreplay. My Bro' and I bartered for a taste of each other’s appy; Bro' concurred on my impression of the shrimp although I wasn't knocked over by his scallops baked in a pastry shell (nor was he). But my shrimp dish was amazing and I would have licked that plate if I wasn't plainly visible to other tables and wait staff. So, I resorted to my little finger method).

We were unimpressed with the lobster and corn chowder. It was just okay, I would have preferred it a touch creamier with more flavor (perhaps my standard was on the way up?). But the litmus test is how clean the china is at conclusion and my bowl showed only traces remaining – that speaks for itself.

We both chose the surf and turf as our mains - two smaller lobster tails, one in its shell, the other coated with a fried, tasty crust, accompanied by a small tenderloin cooked to medium-rare perfection. The vegetable was asparagus and parsnip shoots cooked in some, I think, sugar-based blend - outstanding. Breaded potato wedges rounded out the plate. This dish was alone worth the price of admission. That foreplay was moving nicely along.

However, the big 'O' was achieved at dessert and perhaps appropriately so. My chocolate fallen cake immersed in raspberry coulis was truly a work of art. Inside this delightfully light, fluffy cake was warm, rich, decadent, silky chocolate sauce that drizzled out each time I gently probed with my fork. This thing just worked and thank goodness a spoon was also provided. I think I annoyed the adjacent table with my scraping noise as I worked the spoon across the plate. While I didn't taste Bro's dessert - a delicate fruit tart, he reported it was excellent and he, too, proved that by cleaning every last morsel from the plate.

This first visit to Todd English was worth the $76 (total) upcharge. But as I said, we decided this was nice while it lasted, and we didn’t need a mistresses at this time. Therefore, no further dinner cheating on the Britannia dining room. We would remain faithful.

Lunch in Kings Court was just fine, lots of variety, fresh (I really enjoyed the sushi although it was not available every day). Breakfast was consistent, eggs to order, etc. Good selection of cold cereals and fruit and the coffee, well, it wasn’t half bad. I just needed caffeine, anyhow. Great tea selection, though.

Both breakfast and lunch are very busy at peak times but we still managed to find a table with minimal effort. Staff are efficient in clearing tables and I did not observe anyone struggling to find seating. The Chef’s Galley was interesting, too, serving up fresh sandwiches, burgs, and the like.

Okay, my apologies, I’ve blathered on far too long about the food experience. Wait, I should add we used Room Service a few times for breakfast and lunch, and all good there. Quick service, good quality. Unfortunately, we did not experience any of the three alternative restaurants so cannot speak to them.

While food preferences and experiences vary widely, I can’t comprehend that anyone could possibly be generally unsatisfied with Cunard’s Britannia class dining. Sure, there can be misses along the way, but our experience definitely exceeded our expectations.

Part IV – Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me

To be continued.

Absolutely loving this review. Can't wait for the next instalment.

I cannot praise this review highly enough, and your entertaining, witty, totally engrossing writing style; mere words fail me.

How I wish I had your skill as a wordsmith, THIS is how to write a review.

I cannot wait to read the next installment, thank you for all that you've posted so far.

:) ...

Absolutely loving this review. Can't wait for the next instalment.

I'm so pleased you're enjoying it, I'm having fun writing it although some of the notes I took I can't read...and we know why that is. Part IV likely tomorrow. Thanks for the positive feedback!

I cannot praise this review highly enough, and your entertaining, witty, totally engrossing writing style; mere words fail me.

 

How I wish I had your skill as a wordsmith, THIS is how to write a review.

 

I cannot wait to read the next installment, thank you for all that you've posted so far.

 

:) ...

Thanks for those kind words! Actually, I was going to apologize for my rambling...I'm glad you don't read it that way. Of course, if any one complains, I'll direct them back to my Shortened Review.:)

Please don't apologise for you rambling, it is a most enjoyable wander through the week so far as I am concerned.

I am impatiently waiting for my first crossing, and your wonderful words are staving off the pangs so many many thanks from me.

Scarlet

Please don't apologise for you rambling, it is a most enjoyable wander through the week so far as I am concerned.

 

I am impatiently waiting for my first crossing, and your wonderful words are staving off the pangs so many many thanks from me.

 

Scarlet

Agreed. Except we only have just over 7 weeks to go to our 3rd crossing and this review is giving me itchy feet!