Back from QM2 after not having sailed on Cunard for 8 years

As always I read these wonderful reviews on here so I feel I need to send you my feedback about my QM2 transatlantic last week.

Well, I had a brilliant time and loved every minute of it.

Ship is in very good shape indeed. Personally I really liked the new carpets etc compared to the old ones. I felt the ship has started to develop a personality by itself compared to 8 years ago.

I had a single balcony cabin (double single occupancy) with obstructed view. It was really obstructed, however I loved the space and the daylight compared to an inside cabin . A balcony is not really necessary on a TA but nice to have. Jerel was an excellent cabin steward, the cabin was spotless. I felt really at home there to relax or nap certain hours of the day.

Fellow passengers were really nice and I enjoyed their company. i had a great table for dinner with really nice table mates who made me feel good. I made an effort to share tables for breakfast and lunch in the Britannia and it was always to pleasure to do so. QM2 on TA does attract a different clientele than a regular cruise ship and I heard some very interesting stories from a lot of different people. The LGBT cocktail hour in the Commodore Lounge was always very well attended and I went there every day.

Considering my last Cunard voyage ws 8 years ago and having read a lot of “standards are dropping” articles for me it really hasn’t. Service and food were very good and on the same level as before. Couldn’t really find a weak spot, mind you I wasn’t looking for it either. Cabin service excellent, room service every day spot on time and dining room service very well organised.

Embarkation in Southampton went really smooth. I arrived by 1130AM and was given a check in number A1 just after the Grills and Priority people. and was on board in a breeze by 1210. Cabin steward allowed me to store my bags in my room and lunch was ready. I normally never do buffets however Kings Court improved dramatically compared to before. The Carinthia Lounge is a big success even though I already saw some wear and tear on the hot seats next to the windows.

Library assistants were very helpful. I loved going there every day.

The weather was good, a little chilly and a little bumpy on the second and third day. (I had hoped for more stormy weather) I noticed again how incredible seaworthy QM2 is as at times you hardly noticed any movement as all.

One thing which was vey badly organised was disembarkation in Brooklyn. I think this was not Cunard’s fault as it seems only half of the required immigration officers showed up. I booked a transfer to Penn Station and left the ship an hour late. In the terminal you had to collect your bags and queue up in a long line with these bags for another hour. All very inefficient and terminal staff didn’t seem to have an proper overview either. Once cleared it was a little hard to find the proper coach. I ended up with other people at the wrong one and a woman (fellow passenger) started loading our bags. Probably to help, however it was the wrong coach and it took a lot of effect to retrieve them again.

Next time I would definitely take early self disembarkation as I even saw Grills guest lining up with their bags for a long time.

I still find it very unfortunate QM2 doesn’t dock at Manhattan anymore which is so much easier. However I understand the logic behind the decision to move to Red Hook

Thank you very much for posting, disembarkation shambles in Brooklyn seems to be quite a common complaint - it seems ridiculous that either Cunard or the US Immigration Service can't sort themselves out.

It seems to work much better in the other direction when the checks are done on board.

I'm glad you had such a brilliant time and hope it's not another 8 years until you are back on board !

Thank you for your comprehensive review. The refit this year was extensive and the revamped Kings Court and new Carinthia Lounge are dramatic improvements over the old spaces.

I have to agree about the disembarkation in Brooklyn and self disembarkation is best if one can do it. More than one bag though it's not practical as one has to maneuver around housekeeping carts in the halls and the elevators are packed with others doing the same thing.

Nice review O.D. .... your reasoned discourse is appreciated. Back in the day, I remember your QE2 posts were usually spot on. Glad to see you back.

Nice review O.D. .... your reasoned discourse is appreciated. Back in the day, I remember your QE2 posts were usually spot on. Glad to see you back.

Thanks for your review, very honest and to the point. We are on QM2 on March 2, Sydney-HK, so learning a bit about Cunard on here.

I was interested in your comment re immigration etc in Brooklyn. Last October we did Aurora, Southampton/East coast of USA/Canada- Southampton - 25 days. First port was Manhattan, a disaster, took half a day for us to get through immigration, 2000 pax and 3 or 4 immigration officers does not work, sounds like you had the same problem. Our Cruise Director was even ashore walking up and down the long lines of pax, awaiting immigration clearance, telling them 'Don't stir up or complain to the US Homeland Security Officers,' It will only make things slower.!!

Thanks again.

Thank you for sharing your impressions with us! Great to read your review!

Great job Reint! I really enjoyed it!

I've been reading threads about the disembarkation problems at Brooklyn, and I'm starting to wonder if we've left enough time to make a 12:05 flight out of Newark. Assuming we've cleared customs at the pier, I'd like to arrive at the airport with 1.5 hours to spare; or like 10:30. This will be on Saturday, Nov. 26. I'm hoping that mid morning on Sat there won't be horrendous traffic and the trip might be an hour maximum. That means getting a cab and getting away from Brooklyn pier by 9:30. Is this going to be possible? We will be travelling light (1 small roll on bag and an over the shoulder bag each), so the "self disembarkation" seems to be the best option. Can someone tell me how that works? Do you need to sign up for it (as you do so many things it seems)? Depending on answers I may need to change my flight time but I'd prefer not to incur the $100x2 change fee.

I was on the same crossing as Oslo Dutch, sailing solo in Britannia balcony on deck 8 with a great view of a lifeboat.

We did share a table for breakfast one morning and I did enjoy the shared tables then and also at lunch.

Disembarkation was very poor and made worse as those people who used porters at luggage collection jumped the line and slowed it down for everyone else!

I also had transfer to Penn, found coach OK, but agree it should be better organised, especially as it costs 49$ per person.

I went to the meeting point at 8.30 and got to the Station at 11.30!

I've been reading threads about the disembarkation problems at Brooklyn, and I'm starting to wonder if we've left enough time to make a 12:05 flight out of Newark. Assuming we've cleared customs at the pier, I'd like to arrive at the airport with 1.5 hours to spare; or like 10:30. This will be on Saturday, Nov. 26. I'm hoping that mid morning on Sat there won't be horrendous traffic and the trip might be an hour maximum. That means getting a cab and getting away from Brooklyn pier by 9:30. Is this going to be possible? We will be travelling light (1 small roll on bag and an over the shoulder bag each), so the "self disembarkation" seems to be the best option. Can someone tell me how that works? Do you need to sign up for it (as you do so many things it seems)? Depending on answers I may need to change my flight time but I'd prefer not to incur the $100x2 change fee.

Hello, I'm just home from my crossing - disembarked in Brooklyn this morning.

There are two potential problems:

1. Cunard "throttle" the flow of passengers leaving the ship. I was on deck 5 and my allocated departure time was 11:15. So unless you are in the Grills class, you should definitely use self-help. In that case, you can leave any time. I finished breakfast, returned to my cabin for my rolling suitcase and just walked off. However, they were checking people without luggage to be sure they weren't trying to leave early.

2. US Customs. Today, 25 Oct, there were just half of the positions staffed and the line took about 30-40 minutes. There was also confusion because they commingled US/CA/other nation passengers in the same snake queue, so agents at the front of the line had to sort people out and send them to the proper agent position. The US employees seemed in NO hurry to move people through. Your tax dollars at work...

My flight was from LGA and I was there in plenty of time for a 12:20 departure. Your trip to EWR will be longer, but shouldn't be too bad on a Saturday.

All said, you should be okay if you use the self help option and leave the ship early in the process. You just report to the purser desk the day before arrival and register yourself.

Good luck!

Good information jcgeorge; thanks. We're going to take our chances and keep the 12:05 flight. We'll definitely use self debarkation. Did you notice if the taxi line was moving well? I'm still not sure if a hired car or a taxi would take us away quicker.

Jcgeorge

How was your crossing? I was following the satellite movements of ship as well as here reported weather observations. Looks like the first night there may have been an emergency evacuation of some one at the Sicily islands - the ship did several loops and was met by a small local boat. You may not have even been aware. Also it looks like you had quite strong winds the last few days. The ship was reporting 40-60 knot winds. Tell us all about it!!

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I've been reading threads about the disembarkation problems at Brooklyn, and I'm starting to wonder if we've left enough time to make a 12:05 flight out of Newark. Assuming we've cleared customs at the pier, I'd like to arrive at the airport with 1.5 hours to spare; or like 10:30. This will be on Saturday, Nov. 26. I'm hoping that mid morning on Sat there won't be horrendous traffic and the trip might be an hour maximum. That means getting a cab and getting away from Brooklyn pier by 9:30. Is this going to be possible?

That will be Thanksgiving weekend which can be crazy with traffic since it is the start of the Christmas shopping madness and many people traveling, but early Saturday morning should be OK. (Thanksgiving Day is Thursday and Friday is known as Black Friday i.e. mega shopping). Self-disembarkation will be the way to go.

Thanks OD for posting your cruise experience, pleased that on the whole you enjoyed. Happy cruising. :)

I've been reading threads about the disembarkation problems at Brooklyn, and I'm starting to wonder if we've left enough time to make a 12:05 flight out of Newark. Assuming we've cleared customs at the pier, I'd like to arrive at the airport with 1.5 hours to spare; or like 10:30. This will be on Saturday, Nov. 26. I'm hoping that mid morning on Sat there won't be horrendous traffic and the trip might be an hour maximum. That means getting a cab and getting away from Brooklyn pier by 9:30. Is this going to be possible? We will be travelling light (1 small roll on bag and an over the shoulder bag each), so the "self disembarkation" seems to be the best option. Can someone tell me how that works? Do you need to sign up for it (as you do so many things it seems)? Depending on answers I may need to change my flight time but I'd prefer not to incur the $100x2 change fee.

Do keep in mind that Saturday, November 26 is Thanksgiving weekend, a very busy time to fly. Self disembarkation as early as possible makes good sense.

Diane

If you can't carry off all your luggage yourself for self-disembarkation, which you have to sign up for, request the Priority Disembarkation, which you also have to sign up for. We were nervous about making our 2 pm flight out of LGA. The immigration line was a disgrace! I wished we had taken people's advice and paid for a porter - this line was much shorter. Once thru immigration, we easily got a cab - there were a lot of them lined up - you have to cross the street. We were at LGA by 10:45 am.

Jcgeorge

 

How was your crossing? I was following the satellite movements of ship as well as here reported weather observations. Looks like the first night there may have been an emergency evacuation of some one at the Sicily islands - the ship did several loops and was met by a small local boat. You may not have even been aware. Also it looks like you had quite strong winds the last few days. The ship was reporting 40-60 knot winds. Tell us all about it!!

 

 

I was on this crossing. Yes, the first full day, in the morning, there was a helicopter evacuation of an ill passenger and his wife. The ship had turned back to enable this. All outside decks were closed during the procedure, so few pax got to witness it. The helicopter hovered - didn't actually land. The word was that the poor guy survived and was doing better.

 

We did have rough weather a couple of days due to remnants of a hurricane.

I really appreciate all the feedback I've gotten on the situation at the Brooklyn terminal. Putting it all together we've decided not to make a tense situation worse by trying to make this noon flight. So we cancelled the flight and will be staying over in NY for two nights. Then we are taking Amtrak home. Two days in NY and three on the train seem like a much more relaxed way to end this journey.

I really appreciate all the feedback I've gotten on the situation at the Brooklyn terminal. Putting it all together we've decided not to make a tense situation worse by trying to make this noon flight. So we cancelled the flight and will be staying over in NY for two nights. Then we are taking Amtrak home. Two days in NY and three on the train seem like a much more relaxed way to end this journey.

I've never done three nights on the train, but we've done the one-night trains to Florida and to Chicago several times. It's far more relaxing than flying if you have the time.

If the checkout time for your hotel is significantly earlier than your train, you can check your luggage for the train trip and then take your carry-on to the Club Acela and they'll hold it until it's time for the train, giving you a little more unencumbered time in the city.

So you'll be in NYC for Thanksgiving weekend? The city will be all decked out, and the holiday markets will be going strong. Enjoy!!!

AnnMarz

Thanks for the follow-up explanation. I don't mean to be overly nosy and am certainly sorry that someone needed to be evacuated.

Thank-you though for satisfying my intellectual curiosity about what I saw on the AIS and read about the weather from the ship's satellite pings.

I really appreciate all the feedback I've gotten on the situation at the Brooklyn terminal. Putting it all together we've decided not to make a tense situation worse by trying to make this noon flight. So we cancelled the flight and will be staying over in NY for two nights. Then we are taking Amtrak home. Two days in NY and three on the train seem like a much more relaxed way to end this journey.

That sounds like a good plan.

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Good information jcgeorge; thanks. We're going to take our chances and keep the 12:05 flight. We'll definitely use self debarkation. Did you notice if the taxi line was moving well? I'm still not sure if a hired car or a taxi would take us away quicker.

Hi Again,

Just now back online. Yes, the taxi line took no more than 5 minutes. There are new "outer borough" cabs that call on the port in Brooklyn.

The cabbie, naturally, tried to upcharge me: He offered a flat fare of $51. I knew from previous trips that the fare isn't that much and told him to run the meter. It came to $35 for the trip to LGA in moderate but moving traffic the whole way.

Rider beware.

Jcgeorge

 

How was your crossing? I was following the satellite movements of ship as well as here reported weather observations. Looks like the first night there may have been an emergency evacuation of some one at the Sicily islands - the ship did several loops and was met by a small local boat. You may not have even been aware. Also it looks like you had quite strong winds the last few days. The ship was reporting 40-60 knot winds. Tell us all about it!!

 

 

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Hi Chris,

I can second O.D.'s comments about the trip overall. Met many nice, interesting and welcoming people. We all felt like old friends at the end of the sailing.

Yes, there was a medical emergency early on the first day out. The Captain came on to say we had diverted to the Scilly (sp?) islands and a helicopter was coming to take the stricken passenger and his wife. Strong warning to stay away from the deck and not interfere with the process. I was in a lecture and didn't know when it happened; spoke to someone who saw the chopper from his balcony. Poor fellow. There was a cabin with a Do Not Disturb sign in my corridor for the rest of the sailing and I presume that was the couple's.

We did have two days of high seas, but the ship handled them just fine! There are windows low fore, near the theatre, and you could see the size of the waves from there. Fascinating to see.

I'd add dittos to all the comments about King's Court and the new lounge. Much improved from my last trip in 2015.

I booked very late and had a double/handicap cabin for single use. It felt very spacious and the only drawback was the apparatus in the shower for handicapped people. In retrospect i would have asked to have it removed-just two nuts held it to the wall. If I had a crescent wrench I could have done it in 2 minutes myself!

I can highly recommend self-help at Brooklyn. It was difficult for us as we had 3 bags and we're not young. However, we just took our time and cleared customs very quickly, waiting less than 5 minutes. We were then able to make the most of our time in Ny before setting off on Amtrak.

I would also highly recommend a private transfer rather than the Cunard transfer which we've also used. This time, we used Dial 7 car and Limousine Service and paid $37 for the car to Penn. We were earlier than we expected on arrival because we did the self-help but we phoned Dial 7 and the car arrived in less than 5 minutes. On the way back we paid $41 from Upper West Side to Brooklyn. Great cars and polite helpful drivers

Glad to hear you enjoyed your crossing! I can't wait until I have the opportunity to cross again!