DG12345

We are on the 22nd December Christmas cruise on the QM2 and the Voyage Personaliser is quoting ‘steakhouse at the Verandah’, with the option to prebook at $39.95 per person. Looks like it’s sticking around.

I struggled to find a Southampton hotel I liked but I'd recommend the Novotel, which served a good breakfast and is very quiet.

We've always used Twelve Transfers who have been excellent and are competitive in terms of pricing.

All booked! Thanks for all of your comments (and the suggestions about decorating your stateroom). Seems like everyone who has been on this cruise really did enjoy enjoy it! I've only ever done Transatlantic crossings so it'll be interesting stopping at the various ports. I've also read the New Year's Eve midnight buffet is not to missed?

We did this trip in 2009, two things I would mention, the weather that year just before Christmas was terrible on both sides of the Atlantic. We had 2 nights in New York before the cruise, some of those who flew in the day before spent the night at the airport, some of those due to fly the day of departure didn't make it at all. I would consider going early if you can.

We had originally booked the New York return trip but a few months before sailing Cunard made us an offer we couldn't refuse and we stayed on for the return TA back to Southampton.

 

Have a great trip, it's a wonderful way to spend Christmas and New Year.

I have very vague memories of the storm that year on both sides of the Atlantic. I totally agree with your recommendation on going early and after my summer experience I'd love to. However, work commitments mean I'd struggle to make an evening flight from Heathrow the night before which is very frustrating and my biggest worry.

How unexpected to receive a call from Cunard with the offer you mentioned. I bet you arrived home rested and with no jet lag whatsoever!

Though a few years ago, and prior to the re-mastering, we had a wonderful Christmas on Queen Mary 2.

 

Here's a link to my review...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2013/09/25/queen-mary-2-caribbean-christmas/

 

 

 

We were also on the Christmas trans Atlantic in December (post re-mastering) so you can get a feel for what to expect from that revue, here is the link...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2017/01/02/queen-mary-2-remastered-trans-atlantic/

 

 

I've read both reviews and they certainly do give me a feel on what to expect, coupled with some great photographs. Looks like you had the best of times.

As ever your replies are very much appreciated. The fact there is an overwhelming consensus that the Christmas Cruise is wonderfully festive really does help to make my mind up and book this. It's a long time away but don't you all think the research prior to the trip is part of the fun?

Thanks again to all.

A question is, does this have anything to do with Brexit or all of the recent problems in the med?

It's certainly interesting and it would indeed be the year of Brexit. My first thought was that with there being so many Med cruises are they looking to differentiate themselves in terms of itineraries? :confused:

This was out thought too as we are on the 7 Sept Eastbound crossing too and we are coming by train from Oregon via KC and Windsor Locks, CT to visit family and friends first. We booked a room near the docks the night before rather than risk the train from Windsor Locks being late or the remodel of Penn Station not being finished.

Definetely wise. I arranged a Cunard air package and a delayed plane, a late transfer and dreadful traffic to Red Hook resulted in 30 of us arriving at 5.25pm, with the ship sailing at 5.30pm. It was not the relaxing start I wanted to my holiday although, as other posters mentioned,the stress soon disappears once on board. Have a great trip.

Oh no!

 

My son and his fiancee are hoping for a med cruise for their honeymoon in 2019. Looks like they may have to go to a different line.

 

I wonder why it is so heavily based on northern ports?

I was also hoping for a Med cruise and I'm surprised not to see any at all for the six week holiday period, which I'm constrained to.

I am just wondering if any of you have ever been on the voyage above? I'm looking at a 12 day trip, beginning and ending in NYC for 2018. I'd imagine the ship is very special at Christmas and New Year?

The price at the moment is around £2500 for an obstructed balcony on deck 8, with $1150 onboard credit. The 'Welcome home' booklet with the extension of the on board booking benefits has worked a treat with me, so congratulations to Cunard Marketing for this one!! I'm of the opinion that it's a good price especially considering it includes air travel.

Hi Rick,

That is so nice of you to say! I really appreciate it.

 

To be honest I've sailed on QM2 so many times now that it seems redundant to write a review. I did write one up last year with lots of pics since it was soon after her latest refit. I'm a big fan of the refit. I actually love the carpets and the way QM2 looks now. I think atrium is so much better without the two lifts, and the Kings Court and Carinthia Lounge are the two biggest improvements. They are both awesome spaces now. Even cabins are so much better with the large flat panel TV's mounted on the wall, and good riddance to those ugly rust color couches. The color scheme now is so much more inviting and the furniture more appealing.

 

Everything was great on this last crossing, with two small exceptions. As mentioned earlier on this thread I was not happy with the drinks, either the pricing or the pours. Certainly no bargain and I can get far better and cheaper drinks at most bars in the US. My other complaint is related to technology. I love technology but Cunard seems to think its passengers are too old to care. That could be a mistake in the long run. The Internet onboard is dismal. Very spotty and slow. Compared to other lines like ZOOM on Royal Caribbean & Celebrity, it pales in comparison. Also the TV is not interactive (it was when QM2 was first introduced), so no movies on demand, no music playlists, and no checking your onboard account. At the very least it would be nice if there were kiosks by the Purser's Office to check your shipboard account. It would same them having people lining up for a printout of their statement. Along the same lines, I'm disappointed there is not an app for your smartphone to check the daily program, book dining reservations, or access your shipboard account. This is becoming standard on other lines. Technology is one area where Cunard truly falls behind the curve, and as the line tries to attract a younger demographic to survive, it will be something they have to address.

 

Otherwise I was very happy with the experience and QM2/Cunard in general. Things are generally well done and quite civilized. Enough so that I'm booked to return in November. QM2 probably remains my favorite ship afloat, and is truly the only ship sailing today that I'm happy to sail on again and again.

I'd fully agree with your observations and also think the QM2 is the best ship at sea.

I do think technology could be improved massively. The picture quality on the in room televisions was abysmal and the lack of movies on demand was a huge hinderance, so much so it reminded me of past journeys on planes where the movie would be shown on a big screen at the front.

Most passengers have an iPad and I think it would be much more convenient to have a daily programme available on an app and much more cost effective for Cunard!!

I think OP was saying that there was no food served at lunch time. So any food was KC food brought in by people looking for somewhere nicer to sit. There are a lot of bar waiters, and I don't think half of the people there bought drinks. DH liked having his Guinness of the day there because it's on tap. I suspect the bar waiters resent having to clear dishes from tables, especially when they've come in from KC.

 

I agree that Carinthia was a welcome change from the underused Winter Garden. I would like to have seen more variety from day to day. The mushroom crepe was delicious, but I didn't want to eat that every day.

That's exactly right, the blinds were firmly closed at lunchtime and, yes, the bar staff spent much of their time clearing tables. I remember the trio of fish from last year, so missed that. I liked the original idea of tapas style dishes washed down with a beer or wine. Hopefully the food will reappear at some point.

I was on the same crossing and it was annoying as the shutters for the kitchens in Carinthia were always down after 10am, which is annoying as one of the things I would have liked to have done is sit there read a book with a light snack.

 

Regarding the prices of drinks, my bar tab came to around 400ish usd and that included an average 2 or 3 cocktails per day and two bottles of wine 30 and 45 usd each, so maybe a bit high for some, but I thought it was ok. But I had 300 usd OBC so didn't notice too much, photos I thought were / still are expensive. I'm always surprised how people complain about the drinks but not the photographs.

Never really noctied the cost of photographs as I didn't intend to purchase but did you see the sign which informed guests that if they took a photo of their photo on their mobile phone they will be charged accordingly!? I still saw some guests taking some sneaky photographs!

I wonder why the change at the Carinthia lounge?

I was on the same crossing and greatly enjoyed it, but also noticed the increase in drink prices. I tend to drink a fairly basic bacardi rum & diet coke. The first drink came with a hefty price of $13.50. I later found out that was for a 2 oz pour but was never asked if I wanted the larger pour. The standard 1oz pour was $10 and some change. If you wanted diet coke that meant buying the can which was more expensive. Diet Pepsi was cheaper and was from the gun behind the bar. Regardless of 1 oz or 2 oz pour, the drinks tasted the same and were weak, especially if you're used to the free pours we have at most bars in the US. On Cunard they were very careful to do an exact pour. Also I don't ever recall seeing the alcohol and mixer having separate charges on the bill. In the past (and on just about on every other line) it's charged as a single drink. I'm sure this is a way for Cunard to get more $$ for every drink purchased.

 

Anyway that aside I loved the crossing and will be back in November.

Couldn't agreee more regarding it being an enjoyable crossing and I really did find it to be a lovely week at sea. It was also a surprise seeing the spirit and tonic listed separately, which must be for in an increase in profits. We were constantly informed that Fevertree Tonic was much better compared to the soda gun, which I do agree, but it certainly made for some hefty bar bills.

Carinthia had its usual small plate lunch on our two TAs in July, so if they've stopped serving lunch, that's a very recent change. I love Carinthia for lunch, especially at the beginning of a voyage when few people have discovered it. After about 3 days, it gets crowded (mostly KC overflow) and it's difficult to get a seat.

That's interesting to hear and I also really did enjoy Carinthia for lunch. On the daily programme it listed a two hour window where 'light pasties' were available for breakfast but then nothing else. I certainly didn't see any light bites or hot food at all, just pastries and small slices of cake. In fact the colourful and funny sized plates used in Carinthia last year seem to be of use in the chefs galley now.

In my opinion the Cunard transfer in NYC is horribly overpriced at $40 per person from LGA (probably similarly priced from JFK). A taxi would've gotten you to the port at 3 or 3:30.

 

And yes, a scheduled arrival in NYC at 11 am the day of departure is cutting it close. Was it an international flight?

It was a planned arrival time of just after 11.00am from London but I was told this was relatively normal when booking. The transfer was included as part of the 'Cunard Fare', which is available in the UK. In future I'd pay the flight deviation charge and stay overnight.

I was afraid that the Carinthia might get less staffing attention over time. I'm looking forward to seeing it in December, because it looks very attractive. But if the incentive to frequent it diminishes, it could end up as barren as the Winter Garden was.

 

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Ironically I'd say it was overstaffed with bar waiters but they were pretty much surplus to requirements as most passengers had visited Kings Court and were using Carinthia as an extension of the buffet. I used to really enjoy the small bites and this was a major selling point of the new lounge so it was disappointing to see they have gone.

Thanks for reporting back, your arrival experience sounds a bit stressful, not a great start.

I glass of champagne in hand, ten minutes after boarding, certainly helped to ease the stress!

I've just returned from a recent Eastbound crossing on the QM2 from the 28th July to the 4th August. This is my second crossing. I enjoyed a Westbound one last year and just wanted to do it again: it's addictive! Thought I'd include a few observations below:

The Commodore club is my favourite place on board, particularly prevdinner drinks. The service here was faultless across the week, with waiters remembering our drinks order night-after-night. However, it's certainly not cheap. I'm a gin and tonic drinker and the increase in price with a 1oz or 2oz pour was noticeable. Elsewhere on the ship, some staff made it clear they wouldn't charge for the tonic if we ordered a 2oz!

The Verandah, whilst pricey, was comparable to a fine dining restaurant in a major city. There were plenty of extras included in the price and I like the theatre of some the dishes. However, I noticed the on-board photographers have now found their way to the Veranadah and they particularly enjoyed interrupting our food for a picture! A firm 'no, we are not interested' sent them on their way.

The Carinthia Lounge remains a very popular spot on board but food offerings are now limited. Last year I can remember chefs working in the small kitchen serving some delicious small plates but now it's simply early morning pastries available and the odd cake for afternoon tea. The blinds were firmly shut for much of the day. Has anyone else noticed this?

All in all, it was another fantastic voyage and whilst I'm going to give it a break next year, I can easily see myself booking another voyage in the years to come. Happy to answer any questions about my recent experience.

And finally, we arrived on the day of the crossing but our plane was delayed for three hours, which meant we arrived at JFK at 2pm. We cleared security at 2.30pm and were then left waiting for a Cunard arranged transfer for two hours! I understand this is managed by Intercruises? and they were truly dreadful. Our transfer arrived at 4.30pm and we arrived at the ship at 5.30pm, handed in our passports and were rushed in via an alternative entrance. Never again will I fly in on the day of the cruise!

I was also on board and your comprehensive photo review brings back some great memories, in fact I even spotted myself on one of your pictures of the rainy sail away in Southampton!

Thank you for your wonderful report. I was on the voyage to NYC and departed on the 9th and spent four nights in the city. This was our first ever time on a transatlantic voyage, our first time on Cunard and our first ever cruise! I found the whole experience superb. The ship looks brand new, with the remastered cabins being extremely comfortable. I enjoyed endless walks around the promenade and endless hours gazing out at the sea. I discovered the Commodore Club the first night and this became a regular feature of our days at sea -our final bill listed this venue numerous times! Also, as a young couple we immensely enjoyed the occasion of dressing for dinner.

We were also awoken on the stormy night with crashes and bangs as everything found its way on the floor, I also found myself at the very edge of the bed! I did, however, feel totally safe and was up early for a very quiet breakfast where the every conversation was dominated by the events of the night before. As a first timer I'm keen to know if the events that night are quite rare or is this relatively normal? I was just pleased to enjoy a whole range of different weather types. One other thing is that I would often hear would be rather loud vibrations that would wake me often throughout the voyage (I was on deck 8 midship). Is this a normal occurrence?

I'm now looking for my next voyage! I dream of being back on the QM2 and I'll be recommending it to everyone.

FYI. I received a notification this morning, which states 'there will be four formal nights and four informal nights. For this special Blue Note crossing, smart jeans are permitted (no holes or tears) on informal night'. I certainly don't plan on wearing jeans and will opt for a smart suit instead.

I'd recommend the Sofitel, which is just off Times Square. It's a remarkably peaceful hotel and has the most comfortable beds ever. The Viceroy is another potential option for a more modern stay, with some rooms having a balcony. Finally, the four seasons is a favourite of mine but it appears it's going under renovation at the moment.