Queen Mary 2 world cruise good and bad

[dancer11]

We sailed on the 2011 world cruise from Ft Lauderdale to Southampton. We had previously sailed once on the QM2 in the Caribbean and have sailed 8 times on Crystal. We have traveled to Europe more than 30 times independently, as well as South America. But this was a trip of a lifetime, to be on a world cruise.

Brittania Club was a great choice for such a long voyage, 94 days. Having the flexibility of dining times was great, plus we really got to know the wait staff. You have the same table for all 3 meals, and the staff quickly learns your preferences. The waiters even prepared a special tea with fresh ginger, honey and lemon when I had a bad cough. It's a quieter dining room than the main dining area, which we really enjoyed. We opted for a table for 2, in a row of 4 tables for 2. We really enjoyed chatting with those other tables, but we liked not waiting to be served together. It was ideal. The cabins on the 12th floor are in a hallway about half the length of the other floors. It is well worth the extra cost to be in Club.

Entertainment and speakers changed constantly, and the variety was excellent. We love to dance, and we had the opportunity to dance to recorded music as well as the orchestra daily. The recorded music is played until about 9:45 and the floor is less crowded.

The beauty of a large ship is the smooth sailing. I often woke up thinking we weren't moving at all, it's that smooth. We had 2 days with a little rocking, but it was minor. The cruise didn't include the Atlantic, but we were in 2 areas known for rough seas.

We were delighted with the itinerary, it had many places we wanted to visit. What we did not know was that due to the size of the ship, the piers would be commercial ports that were quite distant from the port cities themselves. Shuttles were always provided, though the 30-60 minute ride robs you of the brief day you have at each destination.

The large number of passengers leads to standing in long lines, often in crowded stairwells, in order to leave the ship. Often there would be 2 sets of stairs and the elevators all bringing passengers to a narrow and crowded area on deck 1, the employee area. All those crowds trying to filter through one small doorway is just a mess, and there aren't any staff managing the mob of people. The odd thing is that when tenders are used, it's run very efficiently, by giving passengers not on tours a numbered ticket. Passengers not on tour wait in the Chart Room for their number to be called, and are escorted to the exit, without the crowded mess on the stairs to fight. Even if you are on tours, you find yourself in those lines.

Those long lines, whether on deck 1 or deck 3 are a constant source of complaints.

We absolutely hated the King's Court. Think of a high school cafeteria: huge crowds, unappetizing food, and walking around with a tray in search of a seat in a heavily trafficked area. No service. In the evening, they "transform" these into specialty restaurants, by putting up a screen to the buffet line, but the tables are right next to a heavily used hallway. Do you want to pay $10 extra to have people walking by your table constantly? It's so unappealing, we ate 3 meals a day at the same table in Brittania Club for 94 days. On Crystal, we are quite happy to have breakfast at a beautifully presented buffet, and enjoy the specialty restaurants with a lower extra charge than Cunard, but I realize we pay more per day to sail on Crystal.

You read all the stories about the launderette. It's true sometimes, but generally I met great people, heard interesting conversation, and seldom saw rude behavior. The woman who left her little pile of clothes, even suggesting she hoped someone would put it in the next available washer, and then was amazed when she returned and a line of people told her she was not "next", she was going to the end of the line--that was just funny. Everyone told their laundry story during dinner, and there were so many. Yes, there are too few washers and dryers for 2500 on a long cruise, and if they offered the 30 items for $30 more often, I would take them up on it rather than running from floor to floor looking for an available washer. But we didn't find it to be as bad as described on this forum.

The other complaint voiced by many passengers who have sailed with Cunard for years is about the deeply discounted fares offered to last minute travelers. I was really surprised by how often passengers would tell me they will not sail with Cunard in the future, because of those discounts. One woman told me she had sailed over 1,000 days on Cunard, paying almost double for being a single passenger, and was furious that people were paying less than 1,000 pounds for the Dubai to Southampton segment, including air fare and one night's hotel. It will come out wrong to say, but that pricing brought a different type of passenger to the ship, not so nice.

Would I recommend a world cruise, yes. On Cunard, no. The long lines and inefficiency is tiresome, and could be addressed by the staff. I know there are many fans of Cunard, but I wanted to present my personal view to those considering the expenditure of a world cruise.

[Slow Foxtrot]

....We love to dance, and we had the opportunity to dance to recorded music as well as the orchestra daily. The recorded music is played until about 9:45 and the floor is less crowded.

 

We absolutely hated the King's Court. Think of a high school cafeteria: huge crowds, unappetizing food, and walking around with a tray in search of a seat in a heavily trafficked area......

 

 

Many keen dancers prefer dancing to recorded music as, presumably, the recordings are always in strict-tempo. Was that the case?

 

As for the King's Court; this was a chaotic design from its inception in 2004 and it seems that nothing has changed. Passengers on Cunard's flagship deserve better than this and it's about time this problem was addressed.

[missfrankiecat]

Dancer,

I can quite understand many of your views on the WC. I'm a huge fan of Cunard and QM in particular but having done a mere segment of the WC last year (Cape Town to S'hampton) I can see the draw backs. To my mind where QM comes into her own is on the Transatlantic crossings. Not only do you fully appreciate the comfort of sailing on a liner in even the roughest of sea but the trip is the prefect length ( 6/7 days ) to enjoy the entertainment, several formal evenings and avoid the King's Court for all but a quick snack. Cunard's pricing is a problem - it is dispiriting to be a regular customer and pay through the nose for the last minute discounts to people who will never come again. I do urge you to try a TA some time in the future (and if you are the bloggist McG - I enjoyed reading!)

[phillipahain]

Just returned from QE World Cruise

 

Exactly the same complaints were made by many about the £50 a night inc air fare for Dubai to Southampton sector

 

Also the complaints that its not a world cruise its simply segments and passengers getting on and off like buses

 

Also the self same TV programmes were repeated exactly the same on all 6 sectors as were the shows ........tacky and pathetic in the extreme

 

Certainly agree about the low standards of behaviour from many of the £50 a night passengers

 

Cunard needs to wake up and stop trying to run 2 world cruises with only just 700 out of over 2000 guests ........it should run just one really good World Cruise that is exactly that and make it realy special

[dancer11]

Yes, the recorded music was "strict tempo". Sometimes, guests provided music CDs, and the crew person would include some of that music, so we didn't hear the same tracts every night for 3 months.

 

And yes, my blog was mcgheetravel.blogspot.com

[keithm]

Just returned from QE World Cruise

 

Exactly the same complaints were made by many about the £50 a night inc air fare for Dubai to Southampton sector

 

Also the complaints that its not a world cruise its simply segments and passengers getting on and off like buses

 

Also the self same TV programmes were repeated exactly the same on all 6 sectors as were the shows ........tacky and pathetic in the extreme

 

Certainly agree about the low standards of behaviour from many of the £50 a night passengers

 

Cunard needs to wake up and stop trying to run 2 world cruises with only just 700 out of over 2000 guests ........it should run just one really good World Cruise that is exactly that and make it realy special

Well, it really is a world cruise if you stay on for the entire voyage. Pricewise, it may be pretty steep for some to do the whole trip. Same with taking nearly 3 months out of your schedule. The world cruise is what you make of it.

[Classiccruiser777]

I agree completely with the original poster about King's Court (what a mess) and the process of getting off a ship with so many passengers. We would love to travel via Britannia Club but find the cost beyond our means. (We sure do miss the QE2's Caronia restaurant and the QE2 in general.)

 

What I continue to question is why does every Cunard world cruise now stop in Dubai then travel to the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal? Are there large CCL shareholders in that region that have requested constant Cunard port visits? Was it part of the deal when Dubai bought the QE2? Speaking only for myself I have no desire to ever visit that area of the world again with all of the political instability, radicalism and piracy going on there. It is no wonder to me that Cunard has a difficult time filling their ships for that portion of the world cruises and thus resort to lowering the targeted market segment. I frequently travel on Cunard (platinum WC member) because of the overall quality of the passengers and such an experience of having to "experience" the "discount crowd" with the expected behaviors would leave me looking for a different cruise line, perhaps Fred Olsen.

[Jimsgirl]

Thought I was the only one who feels that Cunard deeply discounted fares attract the "Archie Bunkers", they were certainly in the majority on my QV Panama Canal Cruise Mch 3-18.

 

I find it depressing that posters who have not had to endure the behavior mentioned by the above posters will now label them 'Whiners" or "Liars" They are neither, they are the victims of HQ politics.

[garigoun]

So what we saying here? That Cunard are expected to sail from Dubai to Southampton half empty to just preserve a certain ambience. Never going to happen. Bodies in cabins is the name of the game no matter what anybody thinks. True, it is regrettable when one's sailing companions do not come up to one's own standards of behaviour. But then that is true in all aspects of life. And in my own personal experience, paying full fare is no guarantee of acceptable behaviour. Also you only have to look over many many posts on here to read of long standing members of this board and long time Cunard passengers exulting in 'Such a Great Deal I've Got'. Indeed in a current thread someone is considering a trip based on the current Cunard fantastic sale. It is galling for some people to hear of someone paying less than themselves for the very same product but hey, that's the free market. Cunard can hardly offer discounted fares to "Only well behaved people with good manners". In fact an acquaintance (with impeccable manners) is at this moment sailing who booked a Princess Grill cabin for the very first time purely and simply because of the fantastic discount. (Incidentally they got an upgrade to QG a couple of days before sail date.) If Cunard did not fill up their boats as best they can then I suppose that the fares would increase proportionately for those of a more discerning and fastidious bent.

A Well Mannered Gari

PS

I must declare an interest, I got a great late deal for June.

[William Dean]

Last minute fares for QM2 for the crossing she is undertaking were £1500. Per couple. In Princess Grill.

 

Queens' Grill was £2060.50.

 

Both without flight, and on the UK side.

 

WD

[foodsvcmgr]

Although it is frustrating to find out once onboard that others have gotten

a much lower fare at the last minute, there are other considerations:

 

Those who are still employed (like myself) must plan far ahead unlike retirees

and some self employed who may be more flexible on short notice.

 

Those that only want a particular grade of cabin or location may not care to

wait until there is poor selection or only guarantees left.

 

Booking far in advance still allows fare reductions (in the USA) prior to final

payment.

 

I agree that certain itineraries are slow sellers resulting in heavy discounting.

Why then do Cunard insist on repeating them with such little creativity year

after year?

[Whitemarsh]

Like others, I would hate to take a cruise filled with bogans. That's why I don't take any of the cruises around Fiji that currently depart from Brisbane.

 

Maybe Cunard is simply too expensive in the first instance - for everyone. If Cunard are having to have regular 'garage sales' to fill their boats perhaps they could look at reducing their fares overall and aim to fill their boats with grateful regulars.

 

I'm sure there are many, including those on these boards (for example), that would be cruising more frequently on a Cunard boat if the prices were not so steep. If the boats were filled with people who appreciate, and want to cruise Cunard, without first being tempted with 'garage sale' prices then wouldn't this be preferable?

 

For myself, it would mean repeat business for Cunard every year as opposed to every second year.

[Aggsy]

[30Those long lines, whether on deck 1 or deck 3 are a constant source of complaints.

 

 

When one travels on a ship with 2500 other people and perhaps 2000 of these want to get off at a certain location I cannot see how one can avoid a queue. Surely, everyone must be aware of this. Perhaps there is a genius out there who could devise a way to get 2000 people off a ship, using tenders, without a queue. On the QE you get a ticket and you can wait , in comfort, until your number is called. However, even this is a queue. The major problem is that nearly everyone wants to get off at the same time ( around 9.00am) to get time to explore the sights.

 

Similarly with the buffet - unless you give people times to attend ( or even a ticket) you will get queues at busy times. Again genius required!!

[Aggsy]

Like others, I would hate to take a cruise filled with bogans.

 

How would you define "a bogan" for the non-australian ?

[Salacia]

Like others, I would hate to take a cruise filled with bogans.

 

How would you define "a bogan" for the non-australian ?

 

 

My understanding is that is a pejorative.

I don't like pejorative terms.

 

Salacia

[keithm]

Like others, I would hate to take a cruise filled with bogans. That's why I don't take any of the cruises around Fiji that currently depart from Brisbane.

 

Maybe Cunard is simply too expensive in the first instance - for everyone. If Cunard are having to have regular 'garage sales' to fill their boats perhaps they could look at reducing their fares overall and aim to fill their boats with grateful regulars.

 

I'm sure there are many, including those on these boards (for example), that would be cruising more frequently on a Cunard boat if the prices were not so steep. If the boats were filled with people who appreciate, and want to cruise Cunard, without first being tempted with 'garage sale' prices then wouldn't this be preferable?

 

For myself, it would mean repeat business for Cunard every year as opposed to every second year.

In many cases the prices aren't much higher than Carnival/Princess/HAL. The Grills are still quite a bit higher. If they cut those too much, I feel that quality would probably drop as well. I book the Grills for the quality of the dining. I'd like lower prices, too, but I know quality doesn't come cheap.

[Whitemarsh]

How would you define "a bogan" for the non-australian ?

 

Here you go.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bogan

[Whitemarsh]

In many cases the prices aren't much higher than Carnival/Princess/HAL. The Grills are still quite a bit higher. If they cut those too much, I feel that quality would probably drop as well. I book the Grills for the quality of the dining. I'd like lower prices, too, but I know quality doesn't come cheap.

 

I see your point. I wouldn't like the overall experience to decline, I really enjoyed my first Cunard voyage.

 

I suppose it is a balancing act. Prices remaining at a certain level so standards don't have to drop, but, last minute deals are available to to fill the ships so the company makes money.

 

Like others have pointed out, I'm glad there is still a Cunard, and one with three ships to choose from. Cunard seemed (and was) a natural fit for me. It would be annoying and difficult to find another cruise line that suited me so well.

[dancer11]

[30Those long lines, whether on deck 1 or deck 3 are a constant source of complaints.

 

 

When one travels on a ship with 2500 other people and perhaps 2000 of these want to get off at a certain location I cannot see how one can avoid a queue. Surely, everyone must be aware of this. Perhaps there is a genius out there who could devise a way to get 2000 people off a ship, using tenders, without a queue. On the QE you get a ticket and you can wait , in comfort, until your number is called. However, even this is a queue. The major problem is that nearly everyone wants to get off at the same time ( around 9.00am) to get time to explore the sights.

 

Similarly with the buffet - unless you give people times to attend ( or even a ticket) you will get queues at busy times. Again genius required!!

 

My post stated that the system works very well when using tenders, it's the other times that the queue is a mess. Why not use the system for tenders for the other ports, as people seated waiting for their group to be called is so much saner than the crowded, long lines endured the other times. And yes, getting 2,000 people off is huge, but they lack organization except when tenders are involved.

[Salacia]

Regarding discounting fares, I've noticed an increase in e-mails from several cruise lines touting "special fare reductions". It appears that Cunard is certainly not the only Line struggling to fill the boats. Here's an interesting article on the topic: http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2011/04/europe-cruise-bookings-sales-weak-deal-promotion-royal-caribbean/167430/1

[Louise D]

I think those very cheap deals regarding the Dubai to Southampton sector were a one-off as that sector had many security issues with regard to pirates, Middle East unrest and questions over whether the Suez Canal would be closed. Therefore, a lot of potential passengers would have been put off because of those troubles. I really cannot blame Cunard for wanting to lower the price to try to entice people on board or else many cabins would have been empty on that sector.

[nyc511]

Dancer 11, your first post hit the nail on the head! I just got off the QM2 yesterday with my parents, albeit from Southampton to NYC only, but even in those 7 days we noted many of those same issues that you mentioned. I've sailed Cunard even as a child (Franconia and QE2) and my parents have sailed the QM2 on five occasions, and they (as well as other passangers) found this last voyage to be very disappointing. Like you, we ate in the Britannia Club, and this environment was very nice and really the only way to go -- especially if you were on a longer cruise. Unfortunately, the only way to eat in the club was to pay the higher fare, which in my case was excessive for one person, particularly on a translantic voyage where the balcony was never utilized.

 

The Kings Court was awful. There's no need to list the litany of complaints as you adequately addresssed them. Charging an extra $10 to eat in the cafeteria in the evening was particularly offensive. I'm told that this used to be free, but I guess it is indicative of cost-saving measures that cheapen the experience. In general, the food everywhere was adequate, but not much more.

 

The staff was friendly, but I have never encountered unfriendly staff on any ship.

 

I have been on three ships in the past 10 months: Holland America Veendam to Bermuda; NCL Gem to the Carribean, and the QM2. HAL had its own issues in regard to the age of the vessel and a very poor dining experience in terms of the long lines and the casual dinning room closing much too early. I suspect that these issues were unique to the Veendam. NCL was, well.....to be polite, a bit too Disneyish and many of the passangers made no effort whatsoever to look remotely presentable. Men, red-faced from too much sun and alcohol wearing blue jean shorts and tank tops were common place even in the more formal dining rooms, which was regretable because the food was very good.

 

The QM2 was certainly elegant and everyone at least made an effort to make it an experience. But, $ for $, taking everything into consideration, I regret to say that NCL was the best cruise in terms of enjoyment and value. Although I had a much nicer cabin on the QM2, as noted above, i had no choice if I wanted to eat with my parents. On NCL this wasn't an issue; the QM voyage at 7 days was 350% more expensive then the Gem's 10 days.

 

At nearly $600 a day, I expected more from Cunard.

[Aggsy]

I see a large number of responses have been removed from this section. I do hope that the ajudicators of this site do not remove everything where there is a little bit of disagreement displayed. All the comments which have been removed, I felt, were in good humour and worth reading.

 

The whole point of a site like this is to get other peoples views - impossible for a whole world audience to agree- so lets have a bit of common sense here ajudicators. and get off the PC band wagon.

[Salacia]

I think those very cheap deals regarding the Dubai to Southampton sector were a one-off as that sector had many security issues with regard to pirates, Middle East unrest and questions over whether the Suez Canal would be closed. Therefore, a lot of potential passengers would have been put off because of those troubles. I really cannot blame Cunard for wanting to lower the price to try to entice people on board or else many cabins would have been empty on that sector.

 

Louise D, I agree with you. I remember reading posts from someone who booked that voyage (cruise?), having availed herself of the reduction in fare. (I was very happy for her, although I did not write that it seemed to me to be rather dicey at the time.) The reduced fares only worked for those who were willing to take the risk, had the time to make the voyage, and would not have to pay astronomical airfares to get to the Dubai port or home from Southampton port. My guess is that there would be a limited amount of passengers for whom even the reduced fare would be attractive.

 

On board passengers spend money, generating income - whereas empty cabins are nothing but a drain.

 

I wonder if Cunard is re-thinking 2012 voyage schedules, as reports indicate a few other lines are considering.

 

Regards,

Salacia

[jonsey]

We sailed on the 2011 world cruise from Ft Lauderdale to Southampton. We had previously sailed once on the QM2 in the Caribbean and have sailed 8 times on Crystal. We have traveled to Europe more than 30 times independently, as well as South America. But this was a trip of a lifetime, to be on a world cruise.

Brittania Club was a great choice for such a long voyage, 94 days. Having the flexibility of dining times was great, plus we really got to know the wait staff. You have the same table for all 3 meals, and the staff quickly learns your preferences. The waiters even prepared a special tea with fresh ginger, honey and lemon when I had a bad cough. It's a quieter dining room than the main dining area, which we really enjoyed. We opted for a table for 2, in a row of 4 tables for 2. We really enjoyed chatting with those other tables, but we liked not waiting to be served together. It was ideal. The cabins on the 12th floor are in a hallway about half the length of the other floors. It is well worth the extra cost to be in Club.

Entertainment and speakers changed constantly, and the variety was excellent. We love to dance, and we had the opportunity to dance to recorded music as well as the orchestra daily. The recorded music is played until about 9:45 and the floor is less crowded.

The beauty of a large ship is the smooth sailing. I often woke up thinking we weren't moving at all, it's that smooth. We had 2 days with a little rocking, but it was minor. The cruise didn't include the Atlantic, but we were in 2 areas known for rough seas.

We were delighted with the itinerary, it had many places we wanted to visit. What we did not know was that due to the size of the ship, the piers would be commercial ports that were quite distant from the port cities themselves. Shuttles were always provided, though the 30-60 minute ride robs you of the brief day you have at each destination.

The large number of passengers leads to standing in long lines, often in crowded stairwells, in order to leave the ship. Often there would be 2 sets of stairs and the elevators all bringing passengers to a narrow and crowded area on deck 1, the employee area. All those crowds trying to filter through one small doorway is just a mess, and there aren't any staff managing the mob of people. The odd thing is that when tenders are used, it's run very efficiently, by giving passengers not on tours a numbered ticket. Passengers not on tour wait in the Chart Room for their number to be called, and are escorted to the exit, without the crowded mess on the stairs to fight. Even if you are on tours, you find yourself in those lines.

Those long lines, whether on deck 1 or deck 3 are a constant source of complaints.

We absolutely hated the King's Court. Think of a high school cafeteria: huge crowds, unappetizing food, and walking around with a tray in search of a seat in a heavily trafficked area. No service. In the evening, they "transform" these into specialty restaurants, by putting up a screen to the buffet line, but the tables are right next to a heavily used hallway. Do you want to pay $10 extra to have people walking by your table constantly? It's so unappealing, we ate 3 meals a day at the same table in Brittania Club for 94 days. On Crystal, we are quite happy to have breakfast at a beautifully presented buffet, and enjoy the specialty restaurants with a lower extra charge than Cunard, but I realize we pay more per day to sail on Crystal.

You read all the stories about the launderette. It's true sometimes, but generally I met great people, heard interesting conversation, and seldom saw rude behavior. The woman who left her little pile of clothes, even suggesting she hoped someone would put it in the next available washer, and then was amazed when she returned and a line of people told her she was not "next", she was going to the end of the line--that was just funny. Everyone told their laundry story during dinner, and there were so many. Yes, there are too few washers and dryers for 2500 on a long cruise, and if they offered the 30 items for $30 more often, I would take them up on it rather than running from floor to floor looking for an available washer. But we didn't find it to be as bad as described on this forum.

The other complaint voiced by many passengers who have sailed with Cunard for years is about the deeply discounted fares offered to last minute travelers. I was really surprised by how often passengers would tell me they will not sail with Cunard in the future, because of those discounts. One woman told me she had sailed over 1,000 days on Cunard, paying almost double for being a single passenger, and was furious that people were paying less than 1,000 pounds for the Dubai to Southampton segment, including air fare and one night's hotel. It will come out wrong to say, but that pricing brought a different type of passenger to the ship, not so nice.

Would I recommend a world cruise, yes. On Cunard, no. The long lines and inefficiency is tiresome, and could be addressed by the staff. I know there are many fans of Cunard, but I wanted to present my personal view to those considering the expenditure of a world cruise.

.

 

Hi I am not sure if I feel offended or not. I will tell you I am upset.... I love it when the Queens come down under as we can do the shorter sectors ,and was looking forward to the round Australia voyage next year I travel every year when she comes down under. Is 23 days long enough? I am not a bogan but hard working and enjoy the fruits of my labour. and yes I know my table manners. Watch the generalities. It is not fair treating everyone different to yourself.