QM2 after remastering - A very detailed Review, with many pictures

I hope you don't mind me posting my very detailed review about my time on the Newly remastered QM2. Like many fellow forum members I had lots of questions about the remastering and attempted to answer as many as possible on my voyage. The review contains many images of the ship and compares and contrasts the remastered areas with the areas they have replaced. I hope some readers may find it a useful read.

https://cruisecritique.wordpress.com/2016/07/19/queen-mary-2-remastered-and-revisited/

Thank you for your posting!

I will have to study further, when I have more time, but at first glance and I see many improvements. She looks beautiful :)

Thank you, again, Gazroberts80 !!!!!

Thank you very much, an excellent review and great photographs.

Fantastic! Thank you.

Thank you for the amazing post and sharing with us all!

Great Review, likes the Now and then pictures as well

Looking forward to our voyage on the 1st August

I most liked the before/after shots taken from pretty much the same locations. I've been trying to decipher the Carinthia layout from the photos.

Also looking forward to the cask ales.

Thanks for sharing your review and photos, it's great to see the before and after.

Many thanks, it is great to see the before and after photos together.

What a phenomenal, detailed, extensive and professional report. Thank you for taking so much time to do it. Wonderful before and after pictures. She's stunning once again!

Fantastic, in depth review. I sailed on her last year and on my first Transatlantic in October. To say I am excited is an understatement! ....

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I don't know which is more impressive - the remastered Queen, or your brilliant and thorough review. A million thank yous. What a wonderful reference.

I can't wait to see her again for myself in several months' time.

Thank you!

I hope you don't mind me posting my very detailed review about my time on the Newly remastered QM2. Like many fellow forum members I had lots of questions about the remastering and attempted to answer as many as possible on my voyage. The review contains many images of the ship and compares and contrasts the remastered areas with the areas they have replaced. I hope some readers may find it a useful read.

 

https://cruisecritique.wordpress.com/2016/07/19/queen-mary-2-remastered-and-revisited/

Thank you so much for your hard work! This is the best and most comprehensive review I've seen of QM2's remastering yet. You did an awesome job and your pics are fantastic.

I'm even more excited for my crossing on her in about 10 days time!

This might be one of the few cases of a refit where the ship is actually improved over when she was new. That is very rare indeed.

I think the QE2 was much nicer looking in the last 20 years of her life then when brand new...This refit of Qm2 has turned out fine.. I was worried they would go too far and ruin her original look, which for the most part is still intact .

Perhaps I am the only one who feels this ship looks like a modern law office now, rather than the classic, elegant vessel it used to be? Sigh...

I am sure the food, service, and general cruise experience is above reproach, but the look is just too slick and sterile for me.

Wonderful pictures, though. Thanks for posting!

I think the QE2 was much nicer looking in the last 20 years of her life then when brand new...This refit of Qm2 has turned out fine.. I was worried they would go too far and ruin her original look, which for the most part is still intact .

I feel just the opposite. I loved the look and style of QE2 when new. Very forward thinking and cutting edge. Over time she became a hodge-podge of styles and poorly executed refits. No cohesion. In the end a sort of Disney theme version of what people thought an old ocean liner should look like. I still loved the ship till the end, but would have loved to experience her when new and as originally designed.

I hope you don't mind me posting my very detailed review about my time on the Newly remastered QM2. Like many fellow forum members I had lots of questions about the remastering and attempted to answer as many as possible on my voyage. The review contains many images of the ship and compares and contrasts the remastered areas with the areas they have replaced. I hope some readers may find it a useful read.

 

https://cruisecritique.wordpress.com/2016/07/19/queen-mary-2-remastered-and-revisited/

Thank you , great pictures and excellent review.

Thank you for a superb, well-written and very informative review. Thank you also for the excellent photographs, so very helpful, you should be very proud.

Thank you for taking the time to write and post, and to share with us :)

Thank you all for the extremely kind words. I am so glad people have enjoyed it as I had such a lovely experience on the remastered ship :)

I think the QE2 was much nicer looking in the last 20 years of her life then when brand new...This refit of Qm2 has turned out fine.. I was worried they would go too far and ruin her original look, which for the most part is still intact .

Many people disliked all the changes in the QE2, but to me generally the ship looked better each time we did a crossing. I concede that not everything was better, of course, but most of it was pleasing. The original first class restaurant (Columbia) was unimpressive in its décor. When refurbished as the Caronia Restaurant it was quite attractive. The main tourist class restaurant went through many changes. Finally, as the Mauretania, it never looked better.

We are looking forward to seeing the remastered QM2 in October.

Perhaps I am the only one who feels this ship looks like a modern law office now, rather than the classic, elegant vessel it used to be? Sigh...

 

I am sure the food, service, and general cruise experience is above reproach, but the look is just too slick and sterile for me.

 

Wonderful pictures, though. Thanks for posting!

I feel the Grey tones are overdone in some areas such as the grill suites and the Deco look as Cunard have said is very much a "hint" though to be fair deck 7 never had much of a similar look and feel as the rest of the ship so this area is an improvement.

I hope you don't mind me posting my very detailed review about my time on the Newly remastered QM2. Like many fellow forum members I had lots of questions about the remastering and attempted to answer as many as possible on my voyage. The review contains many images of the ship and compares and contrasts the remastered areas with the areas they have replaced. I hope some readers may find it a useful read.

 

https://cruisecritique.wordpress.com/2016/07/19/queen-mary-2-remastered-and-revisited/

Hello GR. Well done that was the most informative and comprehensive post I have ever seen on CC. It must have taken you an age to produce !!

All the more interesting as we and four other friends were on the same voyage. I say voyage as it was really two, two days end and beginning of a TA to/from Hamburg rather than a 'Cruise'.

For four of us it was our third trip on the QM2 and a first trip for our other friends. Like most we had deliberately booked this to see the new remastered ship.

I would agree with just about everything you have said and to see the pre-remastering photo's is particularly interesting as although we were only on the QM2 in December 2013 I had difficulty remembering how it had previously looked.

I think you have covered just about everything except the fact that trays are no longer available in the Kings Court so several journeys may now be required to get one's food. (apologises if I have missed your comment).

I think it is fair to say however that we (the six of us) were not quite as enthusiastic about the QM2 as you appear to be. It was OK but we all felt that there were 'little niggles' that hopefully were just down to getting to know the 'new' ship.

It also did not help that the service in the Britannia Restaurant, second sitting, Deck 3 upper tier near the windows was unbelievably slow - taking over 2 hours and then we would forego coffee and petit fours !! We missed half of the 4Tunes performance and it was just as well that the shows on the other 3 days were at 7pm.

I do not think it was down to our waiter. He seemed OK but more the inefficient way food is served on the top tier. It has to be bought from the kitchens to one end of the Britannia and then carried to the other end and then served. The wait between courses seemed an age - thank goodness it was only a four day trip otherwise I am afraid words would have had to be said.

Lastly, from my wife and my own point of view, was the major administration malfunction relating to our stateroom.

Although we booked this trip 4 months ago we were only allocated a Stateroom on the Monday before departure and only able to print labels the day before we left!! It then only got worse causing my wife in particular some stress.

On arrival at check-in there was no boarding/cabin card ready, so one had to be printed. Then when our Cabin Steward, Tino,(who was excellent), greeted us as 'welcome Mr and Mrs Mullar' er no we are not German, but his schedule listed our cabin in the name of Mullar. We thought no more until later that night when Hamburg disembarkation labels and information arrived (in German) personalised to our cabin number.

A trip to the Purser's desk - quote 'oh that is always happening just ignore' !!

The next day - no daily information sheet for Hamburg? Questioning Tino, his response was "well you are departing at Hamburg" er no we are not, but according to Tino's schedule we are now turning into Mr and Mrs Kirsten ??

Sure enough returning to our cabin following a trip into Hamburg, there outside our cabin, were suitcases belonging to the Kirstens !! Another trip to the Purser's desk, who said the error was with the Tour office??

My wife was becoming more and more concerned that the 'Kirstens' would have access to our cabin and it was not helped when before leaving Hamburg we received disembarkation information for Southampton again personalised to our cabin and in German. A final visit to the Pursers Desk where we saw the Manageress who apologised and said she would look into, but we heard no more.

I can guess what happened to cause the problem but somewhat un-nerving particularly for my wife and obviously an administration problem somewhere??

Having had such an excellent cruise on the QE only three weeks before, we all agreed that the QM2 has some improving to do.

Wow! I am very impressed. You sure put a lot of work into it, especially going back and re-shooting the venues from the same position. We were on the QM2 in 2006 and 2008. In less than two weeks we board her again. Your story and photos provides us with much to anticipate and participate, such as the Indian dinner at the King's Court. Thank you very much.:)

... Lastly, from my wife and my own point of view, was the major administration malfunction relating to our stateroom.

......

Sure enough returning to our cabin following a trip into Hamburg, there outside our cabin, were suitcases belonging to the Kirstens !! Another trip to the Purser's desk, who said the error was with the Tour office??

My wife was becoming more and more concerned that the 'Kirstens' would have access to our cabin and it was not helped when before leaving Hamburg we received disembarkation information for Southampton again personalised to our cabin and in German. A final visit to the Pursers Desk where we saw the Manageress who apologised and said she would look into, but we heard no more.

 

I can guess what happened to cause the problem but somewhat un-nerving particularly for my wife and obviously an administration problem somewhere??

 

Having had such an excellent cruise on the QE only three weeks before, we all agreed that the QM2 has some improving to do.

Oh my gosh. You could make a movie of this experience. ;) Reminds me of the film The Out of Towners (1970) with Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis, where a couple come to New York City for a short vacation and everything that can go wrong, goes wrong.