QM2 - Behind the Scenes tour

As a marine professional I am obviously intrigued by the Behind the Scenes tour for my first voyage as a passenger. I have seen scant mention of this tour in the Discussion Boards.

Does anyone have any insights to share?

I gather the cost is $120, takes about 3 hours and includes a photo with the Captain.

Is there access to the Navigation Bridge or just the viewing area?

Does it include the foredeck?Any access to the Engineroom?

Is there an opportunity to ask questions of the Ship's Officers? (deck or ER)

Besides these tours, are there any opportunities for Q&As with the Officers?

Thanks for any comments!

PJ

...Does anyone have any insights to share?

I gather the cost is $120, takes about 3 hours and includes a photo with the Captain.

Is there access to the Navigation Bridge or just the viewing area?

Does it include the foredeck?

Any access to the Engineroom?

Is there an opportunity to ask questions of the Ship's Officers? (deck or ER)

Besides these tours, are there any opportunities for Q&As with the Officers?

Thanks for any comments!

PJ

In order (We did it last May)

1. I suspect the price may have increased a bit this year. But, yes.
   
2. I don't recall going out on the foredeck, but we spent time in the room with all the lines (which was fascinating in itself) and anchors. I know someone here knows the term for this area.
   
3. Not the engine room (for the usual reasons) but a long visit to the engine control room. This is where the nautical, electrical and mechanical engineers "nerd out" with MANY questions for the engineers in charge.
   
4. Related to the above, Officers in charge of each area gave tours at their site. I wish I recalled the departments and officers, but the tour included (besides the "line room" and engine control room already mentioned) Security, Trash, Water, Ship's stores and galley (with treats and bubbly in the Britannia for a break), backstage, and the bridge - with ample time to meet and talk with the captain.
   

Besides the photo, handouts, and pastries, attendees got a letter, Cunard apron and paper toque and souvenir pin. We enjoyed it very much and can recommend it. However, once was certainly enough.

I've done this tour on the QE but I believe that the areas you visit are the same as on QM2. As Mark mentioned, you are taken to the area where the lines and anchors are stored: I think this may may have been referred to as the forward mooring deck. Captain Hashmi, when he was Captain Wells' deputy on QE took us around this part of the ship.

We also visited the theatre dressing rooms and stood on the stage, where we had a group photo taken.

The safety officer talked us through the fire fighting equipment and the talk from the environmental officer about how the ship deals with rubbish and recycling was really interesting too. We saw the bakery and the machine used to shape the bread rolls and I think we also took a peak into the crew bar and canteen.

We also visited all of the areas Mark has listed.

I really enjoyed the tour - it's definitely one of the highlights of all of my Cunard voyages - and I think we spent quite a lot of time on the bridge, first with the safety officer then with Captain Wells. Both were very willing to answer everyone's questions. In addition to a group photo with Chris Wells, we had individual photos taken in his chair!

If I remember correctly, you get one photo included in the price of the tour, the others are an extra charge.

We had a ship's engineer on our tour so he had a lot of questions for the Chief Engineer when we met him.

You are accompanied at all times by a member of the entertainment team and a security officer. You may make notes but can not take photographs.

At the end of the tour, we had drinks and canapés in the Commodore Club (Cunard was quite generous with both.) The cruise director (Ray ?) and the hotel manager (Jacqueline Hodgson at the time) came and spent time with us.

I have certainly never spoken to as many officers for as long a period as I did during those 3 hours!!

We didn't wait for the tour to be advertised - I think I went straight to the Purser's desk when we boarded and asked if we could put our names down. I think the tour has become so popular that the Captain will try to schedule more than one if it is operationally possible.

I highly recommend the tour on QE - should we take a longer QM2 voyage in the future then I would be tempted to do the tour on her as well.

We took this tour in November on the QM2 and can confirm everything MarkBearSF and Kynance says above with the exception that our tour did not make it backstage of the theater. We did however have an extensive tour of the hospital and asked the doctor lots of questions about care, cost and the likes. Since our group was overly interested in the hospital we may have had the theater cut out due to time. Also, while traveling Burma Road we visited the crew's cafeteria, bar and peeked at one of their cabins.

Tickets to Back Of The House are a bit elusive. There are 16 in total with a certain number going to Grills passengers (see your concierge) and the rest are available at the Tours desk on the first full sea day of the voyage. We checked in with the Tour desk upon embarkation and there was no way to register early for us. Be there when they open at 900a the next morning. The clerk told us there was not much reason to line up before 8:30a but we arrived at 7:30a and were numbers 5, 6 & 7 in line. So it depends on how much interest your fellow passengers have.

Just a note, you are there to register your interest in the tour as opposed to buy tickets. How the actual process of selection works, who knows. But if you are among the chosen (we were), you will receive an invitation in your stateroom a few days later with all the details of where and when. You will be required to sign a waver.

And a photographer will accompany you and take several photos. One was delivered to our stateroom the final evening of the crossing. A rather unflattering one from the anchor deck. Not sure what became of the rest.

Very enjoyable but as MarkBearSF notes, once is enough.

That apron, though.

This post has been very helpful. We really hope we are able to go! We will be doing a B2B in a few short weeks, so hope if we don't make the cut the first week, we'll get in the second!

I did this tour in April of this year and it is indeed $120. I enjoyed it immensely and am very glad that I did it.

Our group missed the medical center as they had an emergency and were closed to visitors. As a medical professional I was very disappointed and asked if it would be possible to include me for that aspect only on the next tour. They took my name and soon I got a personalized invitation to be toured around the medical center. I got to spend about an hour with a nurse inspecting their entire operation, lab, x-ray, pharmacy, ICU, transport team & morgue. I was very pleased with every aspect of touring the QM2.

On my eastbound crossing last month there was a lot of interest in the Behind the Scenes Tour. I was first in line outside the Tours desk just after 8AM (enjoying the more spacious post-remastering Grand Lobby) and quite a few people joined me in the queue over the next hour. Eventually they ran two tours to accommodate everyone on the list.

The Tours team write down the place in line and time your registration of interest is lodged, and I was told this was the sequence people would be selected.

However, the back office team managed to lose my registration of interest so when I followed up the second last sea day they were most surprised and told me the tours had been run yesterday!

Thankfully I had taken a photo of my form on my phone and after some calls they managed to organise three tours (kitchen, bridge and engineering) for the last day at sea, which I felt was a comparable experience.

We got to see backstage for free on our last voyage by joining the ship's choir. We were accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra with Anthony Inglis conductor and choir-master.

We got to see backstage for free on our last voyage by joining the ship's choir. We were accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra with Anthony Inglis conductor and choir-master.

Don't forget - Captain Philpott also conducted a couple of pieces :-)

If there are two in your party, do both persons have to line up for reserving the tour or can just one represent both persons?

Thanks.

If by foredeck you mean the open deck forward of the superstructure, note that part of that deck is open 24/7, weather permitting (albeit not the "King of the World!" section of the bow).

If by foredeck you mean the open deck forward of the superstructure, note that part of that deck is open 24/7, weather permitting (albeit not the "King of the World!" section of the bow).

Mooring Deck would be the right name. This is on Deck 3, as far as I remember. It seems to be the Deputy's realm.

The location you mean is on Deck 7 and is not visited by the tour.

A few weeks ago, I made my comments on the Back of the House Tour here, on page 3:

Newbie to Cunard, specifically QM2, all suggestions welcome

Most of these "Behind the Scenes" tours on ships are not quite as thrilling as they sound.

I have done several on different ships and it really comes down to who is leading the tour. If the guide is interesting, the tour will be too.

Often the person leading the tour is just going through the motions and babbling on about rather dull things. Frankly, I would save the money, but, if you're a huge maritime enthusiast give it a shot, it's not often you get tour the QM2.

Jonathan

Have done several of these tours also. Always found them to be a good time and will take them whenever offered on a new ship. The price is really very reasonable compared to other things offered on the ships.

If there are two in your party, do both persons have to line up for reserving the tour or can just one represent both persons?

Thanks.

Each person could reserve for two.

In order (We did it last May)

1. I suspect the price may have increased a bit this year. But, yes.
   
2. I don't recall going out on the foredeck, but we spent time in the room with all the lines (which was fascinating in itself) and anchors. I know someone here knows the term for this area.
   
3. Not the engine room (for the usual reasons) but a long visit to the engine control room. This is where the nautical, electrical and mechanical engineers "nerd out" with MANY questions for the engineers in charge.
   
4. Related to the above, Officers in charge of each area gave tours at their site. I wish I recalled the departments and officers, but the tour included (besides the "line room" and engine control room already mentioned) Security, Trash, Water, Ship's stores and galley (with treats and bubbly in the Britannia for a break), backstage, and the bridge - with ample time to meet and talk with the captain.
   

Besides the photo, handouts, and pastries, attendees got a letter, Cunard apron and paper toque and souvenir pin. We enjoyed it very much and can recommend it. However, once was certainly enough.

Thanks Mark, that's helpful.

1. Yes, maybe it was $150 instead of $120.

2. That area was traditionally called the fo'c'sle head i.e the space below the fo'c'sle. But then the QM2 doesn't have a raised "forecastle" as such but rather a continuous main deck. Other commenters (Kynance and Shuffleboard Dude) referred to it as the "(Fwd) Mooring Deck" and it would certainly not be inaccurate to call it the Forward Mooring Station.

3. Yes safety and security concerns would certainly preclude public tours of the Engineroom, but I'll bet it's immaculate! Be cool to learn about the azi-pods, too!

4. Officers or ship's crew would certainly be able to offer better insights than a Cunard flunkie.

All in all the tour sounds pretty good, with the added bonus of an opportunity to pay respects to the Old Man.

Thanks again!

PJ

I've done this tour on the QE but I believe that the areas you visit are the same as on QM2. As Mark mentioned, you are taken to the area where the lines and anchors are stored: I think this may may have been referred to as the forward mooring deck. Captain Hashmi, when he was Captain Wells' deputy on QE took us around this part of the ship.

 

We also visited the theatre dressing rooms and stood on the stage, where we had a group photo taken.

 

The safety officer talked us through the fire fighting equipment and the talk from the environmental officer about how the ship deals with rubbish and recycling was really interesting too. We saw the bakery and the machine used to shape the bread rolls and I think we also took a peak into the crew bar and canteen.

 

We also visited all of the areas Mark has listed.

 

I really enjoyed the tour - it's definitely one of the highlights of all of my Cunard voyages - and I think we spent quite a lot of time on the bridge, first with the safety officer then with Captain Wells. Both were very willing to answer everyone's questions. In addition to a group photo with Chris Wells, we had individual photos taken in his chair!

 

If I remember correctly, you get one photo included in the price of the tour, the others are an extra charge.

 

We had a ship's engineer on our tour so he had a lot of questions for the Chief Engineer when we met him.

 

You are accompanied at all times by a member of the entertainment team and a security officer. You may make notes but can not take photographs.

 

At the end of the tour, we had drinks and canapés in the Commodore Club (Cunard was quite generous with both.) The cruise director (Ray ?) and the hotel manager (Jacqueline Hodgson at the time) came and spent time with us.

 

I have certainly never spoken to as many officers for as long a period as I did during those 3 hours!!

 

We didn't wait for the tour to be advertised - I think I went straight to the Purser's desk when we boarded and asked if we could put our names down. I think the tour has become so popular that the Captain will try to schedule more than one if it is operationally possible.

 

I highly recommend the tour on QE - should we take a longer QM2 voyage in the future then I would be tempted to do the tour on her as well.

Thanks Kynance, those are useful insights.

Actually getting to see the Navigation Bridge is kind of a deal-breaker for me ... I'd pay just for that!

The logistics of these massive buggers are impressive in themselves; in particular so much effort goes into managing the waste that I'm sure they'll be justifiably proud and eager to illuminate it to their clients.

Thx!

PJ

We took this tour in November on the QM2 and can confirm everything MarkBearSF and Kynance says above with the exception that our tour did not make it backstage of the theater. We did however have an extensive tour of the hospital and asked the doctor lots of questions about care, cost and the likes. Since our group was overly interested in the hospital we may have had the theater cut out due to time. Also, while traveling Burma Road we visited the crew's cafeteria, bar and peeked at one of their cabins.

 

Tickets to Back Of The House are a bit elusive. There are 16 in total with a certain number going to Grills passengers (see your concierge) and the rest are available at the Tours desk on the first full sea day of the voyage. We checked in with the Tour desk upon embarkation and there was no way to register early for us. Be there when they open at 900a the next morning. The clerk told us there was not much reason to line up before 8:30a but we arrived at 7:30a and were numbers 5, 6 & 7 in line. So it depends on how much interest your fellow passengers have.

 

Just a note, you are there to register your interest in the tour as opposed to buy tickets. How the actual process of selection works, who knows. But if you are among the chosen (we were), you will receive an invitation in your stateroom a few days later with all the details of where and when. You will be required to sign a waver.

 

And a photographer will accompany you and take several photos. One was delivered to our stateroom the final evening of the crossing. A rather unflattering one from the anchor deck. Not sure what became of the rest.

 

Very enjoyable but as MarkBearSF notes, once is enough.

 

That apron, though.

Thanks Jason & John.

Good to know about the booking arrangements!

I'm sure the theatre tour would be interesting in itself.

And yes, I won't consider it complete without a QM2 apron! lol

PJ

I did this tour in April of this year and it is indeed $120. I enjoyed it immensely and am very glad that I did it.

 

Our group missed the medical center as they had an emergency and were closed to visitors. As a medical professional I was very disappointed and asked if it would be possible to include me for that aspect only on the next tour. They took my name and soon I got a personalized invitation to be toured around the medical center. I got to spend about an hour with a nurse inspecting their entire operation, lab, x-ray, pharmacy, ICU, transport team & morgue. I was very pleased with every aspect of touring the QM2.

Thanks momzcruzing.

Yes, everyone enjoys a "bus-man's tour" of their own professional field!

Good on them for accommodating your request.

PJ

On my eastbound crossing last month there was a lot of interest in the Behind the Scenes Tour. I was first in line outside the Tours desk just after 8AM (enjoying the more spacious post-remastering Grand Lobby) and quite a few people joined me in the queue over the next hour. Eventually they ran two tours to accommodate everyone on the list.

 

The Tours team write down the place in line and time your registration of interest is lodged, and I was told this was the sequence people would be selected.

 

However, the back office team managed to lose my registration of interest so when I followed up the second last sea day they were most surprised and told me the tours had been run yesterday!

 

Thankfully I had taken a photo of my form on my phone and after some calls they managed to organise three tours (kitchen, bridge and engineering) for the last day at sea, which I felt was a comparable experience.

Good to know, Coathanger. Thanks!

PJ

We got to see backstage for free on our last voyage by joining the ship's choir. We were accompanied by the National Symphony Orchestra with Anthony Inglis conductor and choir-master.

Seems like an extreme step, joining the choir just for a tour! Still, whatever works ... (lol)

PJ

If by foredeck you mean the open deck forward of the superstructure, note that part of that deck is open 24/7, weather permitting (albeit not the "King of the World!" section of the bow).

Good to know, thanks! I had figured that area would be off-limits to pax.

PJ

Most of these "Behind the Scenes" tours on ships are not quite as thrilling as they sound.

 

I have done several on different ships and it really comes down to who is leading the tour. If the guide is interesting, the tour will be too.

 

Often the person leading the tour is just going through the motions and babbling on about rather dull things. Frankly, I would save the money, but, if you're a huge maritime enthusiast give it a shot, it's not often you get tour the QM2.

 

Jonathan

Thanks Jonathan, that aligns with my thinking.

PJ.

We did it and thought it was great

We went staright to the pursers desk after boarding and got our name on the list to do the tour

Pricey well yes for what it is but do i even miss the money now no but we have some great photos

We did it and thought it was great

We went staright to the pursers desk after boarding and got our name on the list to do the tour

Pricey well yes for what it is but do i even miss the money now no but we have some great photos

I wish it wouldn't be so secretive. An equal number of people say Pursers Desk after boarding and excursion desk first sea day. I guess I'll be standing in line twice!