Rileyspike

Not that I will ever be shelling out $42,000 for an 8 day crossing but I did find myself watching some really good YouTube videos about life in the financial fast lane and the Grand Duplexes looked really amazing - with one exception, their location.

 

They are located towards the rear of the ship and their large open patio areas look directly down onto the pool and rear entertainment area of the ship - so not really a true Fantail Suite that looks directly over the stern, but a suite that looks directly onto party town.

 

Surely this makes the cabin a nightmare for noise especially during the Sailaway parties and suchlike.

 

Am I missing something here ?

I have stayed in 9082 which is the middle duplex.

I have to say that I didn't like the suite for a few reasons :

1) The balcony is very open and not private, you can hear a lot of noise from the deck below. We could even hear conversations of the people in the hot tubs.

2) The Grills terrace is located above the bedroom and we were woken early each morning by the sound of sun loungers being dragged along the deck.

3) The stairs are a novelty but as capnpugwash stated they are actually a bit of a nuisance.

4) As it was a Q2 the balcony was actually quite small. ( the corner Q1 balcony's are considerably larger )

5) It seemed to take for ever to walk anywhere! Except the grills restaurant which was a short walk down two flights of stairs.

That being said I'm still happy to have had the opportunity to at least try one of the suites out! I wouldn't book one again and in my opinion the Q4 is a much better suite.

The Q1 on the Queen Victoria and to a slightly lesser extent the Queen Elizabeth are a completely different story and I would highly recommend them!

Thank you for taking the time to write such a comprehensive and thoughtful post, I enjoyed reading it.

I have only ever travelled with Cunard so its nice to read a balanced comparison between the different cruise lines.

Great list, thanks. I've never taken the Galley Tour but I have taken the Behind the Scenes Tour. It deserves being on the list. It's hard to book, lots of walking and stairs, costs $120 pp; but well worth the expense and effort. Here is what we experienced on that tour on July 10, 2013.

I agree with this ... I really enjoyed the tour. It lasts about 4 hours so its well worth the money.

We stayed at the hotel last year, yes it does need a refit but on the whole it was ok. We didn't pay that much money and its very close to the terminal so its convenient.

Its not as bad as the reviews are making it out to be .... in my opinion.

My TA managed to get me a suite for the full 20 days on the QM2, Cunard have since put the price up by nearly £3000 so I'm glad I booked straight away.

Im sure it will be a very enjoyable crossing and Ive heard that the reception Cunard receives in Liverpool is amazing. Ive also never been to Halifax so thats is something I'm very much looking forward to.

Whitemarsh,

Will you be posting a review of your recent voyage on the QE?

I'm not surprised. All it means is that not all that many of us have been in Q1s.

I see your point, but thats not really what I was getting at. What I meant was it is unusual for people not to post their opinions on all aspects of Cunard travel including the benefits of the grills. :)

I am wanting to book a birthday present 'surprise cruise' for my partner and would appreciate your help in choosing which ship to experience the queens grill. Am really considering Queen Mary as we have not sailed on her yet. Also which level of queens grill. Are the Q1's really worth going the extra mile for? Am wanting this to be really speical as I shall be popping the question, shhhhhh don't tell anyone.;) Many thanks in advance.:)

Im surprised that after over 100 views no one has commented on this! anyway first of all good luck with popping the question and I hope your partner will say yes.

I think it really depends on where you want to go, the QE and QV are cruise ships and the QM2 is a liner.

That being said the Grills deck/restaurant/ lounge areas are much better located on the QV/QE than the QM2. The QG suites on the QM2 tend to be bigger and I have been lucky enough to stay in a Q5, Q4 and Q2 duplex. The Duplex was amazing ascetically but actually staying in it was not so good, no privacy on the balcony and noise from the deck above being the main problems. In the future we will stay in the Q4 or Q5.

I have stayed in a Q1 on both the QE and QV, the suites are amazing and the balcony on the QV is huge!

The QV is my favourite ship and the Q1 suites are amazing however the QM2 is one of a kind and I highly recommend a transatlantic crossing. There really is something very special about crossing the atlantic on a cunard liner!

I think you need to decide on what type of cruise you want to do and then pick a suite that suites your needs. Booking one of the top suites will make it more special but I wouldn't recommend a duplex on the QM2.

I think almost every suite is viewable on youtube.

Good Luck

Thank you for the review, I very much enjoyed reading it. Cunard get so many things right but it seems to be the small things that let them down. That being said we all seem to keep going back.

I dont understand why you have to pre order caviar or foi gras as it used to be on the menu. That being said they have always been available on request.

Do Silversea, Sebourn and crystal have caviar listed on their menus?

Is Todd English still the alternative special dining for lunch on the QM2 or has it been replaced by Verandah?

 

Thank you

I was on the QM2 last week and it was still the Todd English.

The Todd English has been replaced by the Verandah on the QV.

Very interesting review, Martin. Thanks for your observations. It looks like you only dined in the QG dining room in the evening, skipping all breakfasts and lunches there. Is that correct and due to time, or some other reason?

We only dined in the QG restaurant in the evenings for a few reasons really, we do use it for lunch on the first day of the voyage.

I really enjoy the formality of Cunard and getting dressed for dinner and having good food in the nice atmosphere of the QG restaurant. However we prefer to have a much more relaxed lunch, the KC on the QM2 or the lido on the QV/QE offer plenty of choice. Its so easy just to pop in a grab some soup, salad or a slice of pizza. Its not fussy just perfect for lunch. On a longer voyage we will also use the Golden Lion or have lunch in our suite.

We have breakfast delivered to the suite as its lovely to wake up throw on a dressing gown and find breakfast set up on the table waiting for you :)

We also don't want to use the same restaurant up to three times a day, there are so many choices for food on board. Don't get me wrong I wouldn't use the KC for dinner! The QG restaurant really does provide good food and a personal service but we save it for the evenings.

Thanks for the review, my partner and I were also on this cruise, our first time on the QM2 but not Cunard. It's interesting that you said it felt crowded. We were so surprised how busy everywhere was, and we just didn't expect this at all.

We struggled to find anywhere to sit and have a drink with our friends in the evening. One night we couldn't get a seat in the Commodore Club, there was nowhere to sit in the Chart Room , there was a quiz in the pub so we had to go the the ballroom, it kind of killed the evening a bit.

But, like yourself we had a nice time. We were slumming it in the Britannia, and our suite didn't quite look like yours!! But thanks for the video. It was nice to see how the other half live:):)

Our friends are vegetarians and they struggled a bit food wise, especially in the KC, but they made up for it at afternoon tea!! We weren't wowed by the food but it wasn't moan worthy, just ok.

Im glad you enjoyed the cruise but I don't think this short cruise showed the QM2 at her best. Normally the ship doesn't feel crowded, naturally bars get busy at peak times but never feel over crowded. I really recommend that you try a transatlantic crossing that way you get to see the QM2 at her best doing what she was built for :)

Many Thanks, Was the Butler Peter ?

 

Thanks

Yes it was Peter, he was very nice and helpful and very easy to chat to.

Excellent video, really feels like being there.

 

Thank you.

 

David.

Thank you

Thanks for sharing your informative video of the Q4. My wife is still pretty sure she wouldn't trade a dressing table for a dining table plus a bidet.

LOL fair enough … the dressing table is a nice touch in the Q5.

Thank you very much for your balanced review and both of your video tours. The duplex is magnificent, but I have to say that it seems a bit overwhelming to me. The Q4 on the other hand seems to be just the right size. :)

Thank you, the Q4 is a lovely suite to stay in. We did enjoy the cruise, I think i focused a little to much on the negative in my review.

Hi Martin, Just checked out your Q2 video, what an amazing suite. I would love to spend some time in that suite.

 

Thanks for your review, enjoyed reading it.

 

Catherine

thank you.

We were on this short trip too and had an in hull balcony for the very first time on deck 5. It was a trip with the parents to see if they liked the QM2 after their previous cruises on QE and QV.

 

No one appears to know what happened with the CPS parking. We arrived at 11.30 and were in the third line waiting to be brought around to the terminal. We thought it might have been the lack of drivers as they had to be returned by minibus and couldn't get to the terminal due to the roadworks.

 

The ship did appear very crowded, especially on the first night as everyone was looking around. In Britannia dining room, the first night's service was terrible, as was the steak diane which was like shoe leather. I understand the first night is always bad in Britannia though so just rolled with it. The other 3 nights were much better. I've only ever been in QG or PG on QM2 so really have nothing to compare it with. The in laws service on their table on another level did not get better throughout the trip and they have said they will never sail on the QM2 again (except possibly for a TA), preferring the QV and the service levels every time.

 

Our in hull balconly was acceptable but as I'm quite short and I prefer the plexiglass balconies as I could only just see over it and certainly couldn't look down to see unless I climbed on the ledge which I know I shouldn't do.

 

We were near the back of the ship this time, which actually was quite convenient for a lot of venues (except the CC) and would certainly choose an aft location again.

 

We know what you mean about the Q2's and have always felt sorry for anyone who has one of those due to their overlooked nature. I think the Q4s are nice.

 

With regard to it being a booze cruise, we didn't consider it was as bad as one we had previously been on, with drunken girls falling everywhere. This seemed to be more family orientated with a wide variety of age groups. We were exceptionally lucky with the weather too. I did miss the casino on the third night due to the captain pulling into Le Havre earlier than scheduled but other than that, it was a nice pre-Christmas break.

Im sorry to hear the the food was not up to par in the Britannia, I didn't know that it was the norm for the food and service not be be up to scratch on the first night. My parents said that the food was fantastic in the Britannia restaurant on the QE but they much preferred the grills experience, they said it was a more personal service. Even though they enjoyed the cruise I think they will go back to the QE or QV on their next voyage.

From what I have read the in hull balconies are great for transatlantics as they provide shelter from the wind and spray.

I think I focused a little to much on the negative aspects of this cruise in my review. Like you we enjoyed our trip and it was a nice break before Christmas.

Gosh! An interesting review, which prompted thoughtful comments, to which the author replied individually and promptly. Things are picking up around here.

 

Another question or two for you. What was your parents' opinion of the cruise? Was this their first time on QM2?

 

My wife and I have been in PGs and Q5s but never in a Q4. Is it true that there is no dressing table in a Q4? The dressing table is the best thing about a Q5 as far as my wife is concerned.

Thank you for your nice comments which are very much appreciated and in answer to your questions:

This was my parents first time on the QM2 and they loved it, my dad especially liked the afternoon tea…… well all the food really! They have previously sailed on the QE but in Britannia so they enjoyed the added benefits of the grills.

The Q4 doesn't have a separate dressing table like the one available in the Q5's but it does have a dining table which for me is a huge plus. Ive now travelled in a Q4, Q5 and a Q2 on the Queen Mary and for us the Q4 is by far the best suite.

Ive added a link to a video me made of the Q4 on our transatlantic crossing last year.

Thanks for the review, it's good to hear that everyone is still making an effort with the dress code and that the food and service on board (with a couple of exceptions) is as excellent as always.

 

Pugwash probably has it spot on when he suggests that the crowded feel was down to everyone attempting to try everything during the one sea day in the itinerary.

 

Bad luck about the rudeness of the girl at the door (regarding the escort to the suite). If they're going to offer such a service then people shouldn't have to ask for it.

 

The video was excellent btw, a very good look at a duplex. I wouldn't be put off by the public balcony, if people are staring just give them a wave and a smile, they'll soon move on to something else.

Thank you …. I really enjoyed making the video so I'm glad you liked it. I really wasn't exaggerating when I said the suite was overlooked and not private, honestly the idea of staying in this suite is much better than the reality.

Thanks for the review, I don't really understand you having lunch in KC but each to their own. I wonder if the crowded feeling stems from the shortage of time for passengers to see/do everything on board rather than them being in the position of having more time on a longer trip.

The reason why we have lunch in the KC is because its quick and easy with plenty of choice. The KC cannot possibly compete with the grills but for lunch its fine. Your right about why the ship was so busy but Ive never seen it that crowded before, it was just a little off putting.

Hi Rileyspike. Thanks, I enjoyed your review. Many times while swimming in the Terrace pool, I've looked up and wondered about the attraction to that suite considering the lack of privacy. Now I know - it's the banister :D

 

Cheers,

Salacia

I simply couldn't resist the urge to slide down the banister …. maybe its true that men never really grow up! :)

Thanks for the interesting review. I agree with the opinion that short cruises bring out the worst in the passengers.

 

"We will not book a duplex again, we will stick to the Q4 or Q5." My first choice would be one of the two Q2s forward, either 10001 or 10004. Sadly, what I know about them is only second hand, but they seem to offer plenty of room, much more private balconies than the duplexes, and great views in three directions.

I shared your thoughts with the Q2's at the front but when I spoke to our butler about them he said that the curtains have to be closed at sunset just like the commodore lounge. He also told us that the fog horn is above the cabins so when its foggy you have the horn going off all the time! I really think the Q4 is the best cabin option on the QM2 and the Q5's are very good too.

Maybe you were being a little optimistic expecting the 'normal finesse and elegance of a QM2 voyage' on a four day jaunt to the Continent.

 

Many of the QM2 staff and crew refer to these short channel-hops as 'booze cruises' and it's fairly common knowledge that, for a number of reasons, the ambience on these short trips falls well short of what one would experience on a longer voyage. Certainly, Cunard's reputation is rarely enhanced by passengers' experiences on these short trips.

Maybe I was being optimistic but I was relying on my previous experience with the QM2. I am a little upset that I couldn't find enough time to manage a transatlantic this year. It wasn't a bad cruise ……. just not as good as previous ones.

Ive just returned from a four night cruise on the QM2 and thought I would share my thoughts on the good and the not so good.

Background:

We booked this cruise for a few reasons but if I'm honest the biggest was that I wanted to get on the QM2 this year but due to work and annual leave restrictions my partner and I did not have enough time to complete a transatlantic crossing. Dammed work getting in the way of fun again! Anyway this cruise meant we could get on the QM2 and have a nice break before Christmas, we also enjoyed our short cruise on the QE last year so it all made sense.

We booked ourselves in to a Q2 Duplex suite as I've always wanted to stay in a duplex, I couldn't see the point of booking the Q1 as the only difference seemed to be the large balcony which I knew we weren't going to get much use out of in December! As a Christmas treat we also booked my parents in to a Q5 suite.

BOARDING:

We left home picked up my parents and then drove the one and a half hours to Southampton, we were making good time until we neared the port when we suddenly came to a halt in horrendous traffic! The roadworks around the dock were causing chaos but after crawling along for what seemed like hours we finally made it to the Ocean Terminal. We arrived about 12:00 but unfortunately everyone else seemed to have turned up at the same time so we had to join another long queue of cars waiting to hand their cars over to CPS, this is the fifth time we have used CPS and we have never had to queue before! is this normal? Or was this just a knock on effect of the terrible traffic? (this was clearly not the fault of Cunard, just one of those things!)

After finally making it in to the terminal we proceeded to the check in where we joined another queue albeit a shorter one. We checked in and were told we would have a bell boy carry our luggage and escort us on to the ship but there wasn't one available and would have to wait! Im not high maintenance by any means but this is the second voyage on the QM2 where this service has not been available to us! We didn't want to wait and slow down the check in for others so we said we were more than capable of carrying our own carry on luggage, we were then told that someone would meet us on board to escort us to our suite.

We made our way through security and on to the ship …. we showed our red card to the waiting staff and asked if there was someone available to escort us to our suite, the look I received from the staff in return actually took me back! It was of complete indifference and she might of well have said 'what would you like me to do about it'. What she actually said was words to the effect of 'yeah but theres no one here', we decided we would find our own way. This is the first time in five cruises that I have actually come across a rude member of staff! I know it sounds as if I'm being a little pathetic but if you pay for a service you expect to get it, when we boarded the QV in June we were met at the gangway by our butler who escorted us to our suite …. that was service!

THE SUITE:

We made our own way to the suite and on opening the door I could only say WOW. The suite is very large and looks fantastic and is very grand, you enter in to a marbled hall area and to your left is the butlers pantry and to the right is the guest cloakroom. The sitting room contains a large sofa which converts in to a bed, two large arm chairs one of which has a foot rest. A dining table which can extend and seat up to six people, and STAIRS …. this suite has two levels!. Now I have stairs at home and I've never once got excited about seeing them or walking up them but on seeing stairs in my suite I couldn't help but actually run up them …. and yes I have to admit that I used the banister as a slide and slid back down :) The bedroom has a king bed, two bathrooms and a walk in closet. One bathroom has a bath and one has a shower, I believe the old fashion way to refer to this set up is his and hers bathrooms.

Overall the suite looks amazing its well appointed and has nice well placed furniture ……. BUT …… there is a major downside and that is the balcony and the fact the whole suite is overlooked from the deck 8 swimming pool area. If you are on the balcony you can be seen by everyone on deck 8 and hear everything that is being said, this includes what was being said by people using the hot tubs. Our butler also warned us that at night when we have the lights on other passengers can see right in to the suite so he advised that we keep our curtains closed. Also the bedroom is directly below the Queens Grill deck space so at 07:30 you were woken by the noise of deck chairs being moved around!

As per usual the butler and his assistant were fantastic and helpful.

I enjoyed making a video of our suite on the QV so we made another one for the duplex, I have to admit its good fun making the videos. I always check youtube to look at a suite before booking so I do hope people find them helpful. Anyway heres a link to the video tour of our suite:

We will not book a duplex again, we will stick to the Q4 or Q5.

DINING:

We dined in the Queens Grill Restaurant on a table for four with my parents, as usual the food was good and I don't have any complaints. Osman the maitre-d organised foie gras and caviar on request as well as Crepe suzette (my favourite desert), these items used to be on the menu but are now only available on request. From what I observed everyone adhered to the dress code with most men in the grills choosing to wear a tie each evening, I don't like the informal aspect of the new dress code so it was good to see people making an effort. We only had one formal night and it was good to see everyone dressed in their best in dinner jackets and the ladies in their formal dresses, I believe formal dress creates a nice ambience and feel for the evening. Whilst walking through the ship I even saw one man wearing full white tie including tails, how very Dowton Abbey.

We used the kings court for lunch which was fine, its not fine dining by any means but we prefer a casual lunch and the kings court meats our needs and the food is completely acceptable, the pizza was good as were the hot dogs and burgers and there was plenty of salad available.

Afternoon tea in the Queens Grill lounge was very busy and the staff seemed a little rushed but it was still a nice daily event to attend.

We had a light breakfast served in our suite each day which was always on time, I only eat a light breakfast which included fruit and coffee.

THE CRUISE

The cruise was four days / nights:

Day one : Embarkation in Southampton

Day two : Bruges

Day Three : Sea Day

Day Four : Le Harve

We got of the ship in Zeebrugge and used the complementary shuttle bus to get in to the local town where you could get the train to Bruges. My partner and I decided to just have a walk around the town, have a coffee and then return to the ship. Back on the ship I booked my self a facial at the spa and then spent an hour relaxing in the thermal pool, total bliss!

On the sea day I was rather surprised by how crowded the ship felt, it was packed especially the grand lobby where passengers were crowded around those horrid market type stalls in a rush to buy a load of old tat! The pub and other bars were all very busy as was the library. What I did find very annoying was that some people in the best seats by the window in the library were actually asleep! the temptation to tip them out of the chair was very strong indeed but I managed to resist. The kings court was heaving at lunch time and people seemed to have trouble finding a table to sit, the same goes for afternoon tea where for the first time I witnessed people waiting for a table in the QG lounge. I have completed three transatlantic crossings on the QM2 and not once have I felt that the ship was overcrowded so I am at a loss to explain why the ship felt so crowded on this occasion.

In Le Harve we wondered around the town looking in the shops and food marked for a couple of hours and then returned to the ship once again taking advantage of the free shuttle buses.

We didn't book this cruise for the ports of call but to enjoy the ship so we didn't spent much time ashore.

Overall I think the normal finesse and elegance of a QM2 voyage was lacking on this cruise, the atmosphere just didn't feel quite right. Im not saying I didn't enjoy the trip because I did and It was all very relaxing but something was just lacking. I don't think we will book another short cruise with Cunard and I think we will stick to the Queen Victoria for cruises and the QM2 for Transatlantic crossings.

Disembarking in Southampton was a total breeze, we left our suite at 08:00, made our way to the champagne bar and straight off the ship, I think we got to our car at about 08:15!

Anyway thats my quick review, I've once again written more than I intended so I hope you don't find it to dull!

Thanks

Martin

I was on board in July and the front was fully open.

This is a fascinating discussion. Please keep it going!

 

And as I am a small person who does not entertain on board, PG is my choice for travel. The thought of a creepy butler is more than I can stand.

All of our butlers have been fantastic, very helpful and professional. Roger and Andreas from the QM2, Emily from the QE and Sanu from the QV.

Dont get me wrong its not like having your very own Jeeves, but its still good.