Just off M236, my first time on QM2 since January 2020. There have been changes, most not for the better. Here’s a list for anyone contemplating their own return to the Mary:
Bathrooms now have big pump bottles of hand soap, shower gel and skin conditioner instead of the little containers of stuff and bar soap. Contents continue to be provided by Penhaligon’s Quercus brand. The pump bottles deliver a frustrating quarter-inch of their contents on each squirt so trying to put shower gel on a washcloth to use for soaping up in the shower is an exercise in frustration. Bar soap is available from your cabin attendant, but in my case, took two days to show up.
The Daily Programme has shrunk down to about 4 x 11 inches, with each activity or show allocated a single line with name, starting time and a little color block to reassure you that watercolo(u)r lessons are not stage shows. Down at the bottom, in another box, is a single line of what the Insights speakers are presenting, with no bio material. It is still usable, but not as usable as its full-sized predecessor.
For diabetics dining in Britannia, there are no longer sugar-free (years ago) or low-sugar (more recently) desserts. Other than that, I will say that the consensus at my table of experienced QM2 passengers was that the quality of the food has significantly improved, although the annoying “landscape mode” menus remain, awkwardly dueling for space with the menus of those seated on either side of you.
At breakfast in Britannia, there is no longer a server circulating with a basket of breads and rolls; these have to be ordered from your waiter, thus effectively curbing the impulse to have that second croissant. If the food in Britannia has improved, the service has deteriorated. Either they can’t find serving staff (possibly because the former 6-month contracts have now been extended to 9 months), leading to the sight of section managers (or whatever the guys in dark suits are called) waiting on tables alongside the waitstaff, or the bean counters at Carnival House have squeezed down dining room headcount.
The Duty Free shop is gone; you can still buy bottled booze on the ship, but there is no pretense that you are getting a bargain on name brands.
Room steward namecards stuck in the mirror are gone; not just my experience, but that of everyone I asked.
No more use of Verandah as a private waiting room for debarking Diamond passengers. I used to look forward to picking up the day’s New York Times there on my westbound crossings.
No Queens Room parties for World Club members, or Senior Officer parties for senior members (I am Diamond). I admit to having mocked these in the past, but I found myself unexpectedly missing them.
And saving the best for the last, apparently we won’t have Pol Acker to kick around anymore. My DC cabin was furnished with a blanc de blancs called Duc de Valmer Brut. Whether this is an improvement on or a step down from Pol Acker, I leave to others to say (see, for example, https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2894578-good-news-and-bad-news/); I took the unopened bottle with me for use on New Year’s eve. I should also note that two tablemates at Platinum level reported receiving Pol Acker, so we may be in a transition period.
Is the new Elizabeth Line considered a Tube, or a rail line, ie which strike affects it?
