QM2 refit has already started

[pepperrn]

Well, it seems to be working: people are talking about rugs rather than re-flagging

 

Salacia,

 

Well I suppose it depends on what is important to people, many won't know/care what port name is on the stern (will it affact their holiday?), whilst others are interested in practical things like colour shades of carpets and fittings and decor touches that alter the look of the ship for better or worse.

I am one of those who feels that re-flagging is a very important issue.

 

The last three cabins I've had were fitted with (immoveable) flat screen TVs. The B grade cabin I was in last week was in as good condition as my first B grade cabin back in 2006. The bedding/mattress looked and felt like new. Can I remember or care about the pattern in the carpet? No.

But then I'm a very dull sort of chap.

 

What I DID notice were the many, many uneven "sink holes" in the carpets on Deck 2. Some, esp one in the Casino, which could easily cause an elderly person to fall or a younger passenger to twist an ankle. They put warning signs up when there is a wet floor but not for these hazards...

 

Very best wishes,

[Salacia]

Salacia,

 

Well I suppose it depends on what is important to people, many won't know/care what port name is on the stern (will it affact their holiday?), whilst others are interested in practical things like colour shades of carpets and fittings and decor touches that alter the look of the ship for better or worse.

 

The last three cabins I've had were fitted with (immoveable) flat screen TVs. The B grade cabin I had last week was in as good condition as my first B grade cabin back in 2006. The bedding/mattress looked and felt like new. Can I remember or care about the pattern in the carpet?

No.

But then I'm a very dull sort of chap.

 

What I DID notice were the many, many uneven "sink holes" in the carpets on Deck 2. Some, esp one in the Casino, which could easily cause an elderly person to fall or a younger passenger to twist an ankle. They put warning signs up when there is a wet floor but not for these hazards...

 

Very best wishes,

 

Pepperrn,

 

First of all, I doubt that you are a dull sort of chap by any measure.

 

But I do agree with you about the "sink holes". I first noticed them during my voyage last Nov/Dec. On my July voyage, I tried to avoid them, but I still must have looked like a druken sailor in all my finery walking to the dining room (except that most sailors don't wear evening gowns and high heels). What I don't understand is why it is taking so long to fix what has become an obvious hazzard.

 

If I remember correctly, there has been a flat screen TV in any cabin I've been in for the past couple of years. Other than taking up less space, they carried no added benefit as far as I'm concerned. Not that long ago, the cabin TV allowed viewing of in-folio stateroom charges, menus for dining venues, wine lists, etc - and that to me was far more valuable than a small cheap flat screen TV with reduced news channels.

 

As far as the condition of the cabins are concerned, I understand that some have experienced nothing less than satisfactory conditions. Unfortunately, that has not been my experience in the past year.

 

But of all this things, what disturbs me most is the change of registry from Southampton to Hamilton and the manner in which Cunard/Carnival made this change. Trust is something that is earned, and they burned up their credit very quickly in a short amount of time.

 

Regards,

Salacia

[Ray66]

If I remember correctly, there has been a flat screen TV in any cabin I've been in for the past couple of years. Other than taking up less space, they carried no added benefit as far as I'm concerned. Not that long ago, the cabin TV allowed viewing of in-folio stateroom charges, menus for dining venues, wine lists, etc - and that to me was far more valuable than a small cheap flat screen TV with reduced news channels.

 

The interactive feature on the TVs finished before the flat screens were introduced. Someone at the pursers desk told me it was because they were having a lot of problems with it.

[keithm]

It is not that unusual for carpet fitters to be on board and replace flooring during a cruise. I remember the whole of the carpet being replaced in the Horizon Court buffet on Sea Princess over a couple of nights a few years ago and there were fitters on the QV a few weeks ago.

They were doing the same thing while we were there last year. There's always some refitting going on all the time. Really just routine maintainance.

[keithm]

Pepperrn,

 

First of all, I doubt that you are a dull sort of chap by any measure.

 

But I do agree with you about the "sink holes". I first noticed them during my voyage last Nov/Dec. On my July voyage, I tried to avoid them, but I still must have looked like a druken sailor in all my finery walking to the dining room (except that most sailors don't wear evening gowns and high heels). What I don't understand is why it is taking so long to fix what has become an obvious hazzard.

 

If I remember correctly, there has been a flat screen TV in any cabin I've been in for the past couple of years. Other than taking up less space, they carried no added benefit as far as I'm concerned. Not that long ago, the cabin TV allowed viewing of in-folio stateroom charges, menus for dining venues, wine lists, etc - and that to me was far more valuable than a small cheap flat screen TV with reduced news channels.

 

As far as the condition of the cabins are concerned, I understand that some have experienced nothing less than satisfactory conditions. Unfortunately, that has not been my experience in the past year.

 

But of all this things, what disturbs me most is the change of registry from Southampton to Hamilton and the manner in which Cunard/Carnival made this change. Trust is something that is earned, and they burned up their credit very quickly in a short amount of time.

 

Regards,

Salacia

From reading some of the posts, the changing of the registry allows Cunard to pay different pay scales for the staff. The EU makes them pay the same for all. This means the Asian staff would get the same wages as the European staff. I don't think it's fair,but I see their reasons. Now, if only the quality stays the same. We're on the Panama round trip(Jan.19)on the QV. We booked an A-1, rather than the Grills. Our TA put us in a "wheelchair" accessible room, which is actually larger than the P Suite we had on QM2 a few years back. If they need that room(for wheelchair folks) Cunard would have to bump us into a Grill room(hoping). I'm really curious to see how the service is. On our last Britannia trip,it was excellent. Service is not what it was in the Grills, but still excellent, overall. The only downside is we're in the 2nd seating. I'll meet with the Maitre D upon boarding to see if we can change that.

[Underwatr]

Why do you think the registry would have any effect on "quality"? Or even service?

[eroller]

Pepperrn,

 

 

If I remember correctly, there has been a flat screen TV in any cabin I've been in for the past couple of years. Other than taking up less space, they carried no added benefit as far as I'm concerned. Not that long ago, the cabin TV allowed viewing of in-folio stateroom charges, menus for dining venues, wine lists, etc - and that to me was far more valuable than a small cheap flat screen TV with reduced news channels.

 

As far as the condition of the cabins are concerned, I understand that some have experienced nothing less than satisfactory conditions. Unfortunately, that has not been my experience in the past year.

 

 

Regards,

Salacia

 

 

I sailed on QM2 last April last year and did not have a flat panel TV, so I'm not sure when this work was completed. Also had an old sagging mattress and original carpet with absolutely no pile left. I didn't think this was quite right for the flagship of the Carnival Corp fleet. The rest of the ship looked good though.

 

I was very dissaoointment to see the interactive TV go. I loved the fact you could create your own playlist of music. Very nice to listen to while getting ready for dinner. Removng this feature really seemed to be a step in the wrong direction, especially when so many other cruise lines have state of the art interactive TV's as standard equipment on their fleets. Perhaps Cunard feels their passengers are not savvy enough to operate them, or maybe it's just that they are too cheap to maintain the system properly?

 

Ernie

[southwestie]

The whole of deck is due for carpet refit, as will all the cabins over the weeks, when qm2 goes in for refit, new carpets and underflooring is due for the main walkway, the MDR, the pub is being changed all together, this my 8th TA and yes they are always doing something to keep standards up, new beds are needed, these creek like mad now, the new beds are metal bases, much better.

 

as for the name on the stern, Okay It is very sad, but it is a name, no RMS, no Red ensign anymore, but hey, Im booking TA number 10 and number 11, I just wont look at the name on the stern, it wont stop anyone sailing on QM2

 

 

 

 

But for now refitting is happening, and no problems:)

[SailorManBilly]

I'm huge fan of Cunard and usually a supporter of what they do, but I am sort of questioning the choice of putting a dark carpet into the rooms. I always take a room on Deck 11' because I like the sunlight and bright cheery room. But I've always wondered about trying an in-hull cabin for a crossing to be closer to the water and be able to go out on the balcony mid-Atlantic when it's too cold and windy up on 11...

 

BUT, I must say, that knowing they are putting a dark carpet in the rooms, which will only serve to darken the room, I think I'll forego ever trying an in-hull cabin, as I understand they tend to be darker anyway due to the hull cutting out some of the ambient sunlight.

 

I'm sure it's being done to minimize the inevitable coffee and red wine stains from passengers (and whatever else gets spilled when the ride is bumpy or the passengers are a wee bit tipsy!)' and from that angle it's probably good. But having grown up in a bedroom that had dark brown carpeting (which my parents seemed to think was more fitting of a boy's room), I'm not a great fan of the dark brown carpet because it muddies the room as opposed to adding to the lightness.

 

All that said, I'm sure that Cunard has chosen a beautiful carpet pattern. But it does make me want to not try an in-hull.

[Norfolk Brit]

I don't believe it: now they're worrying about a carpet they haven't even seen or walked upon.:eek:

 

Sir Martin

[shinyshoes]

I don't believe it: now they're worrying about a carpet they haven't even seen or walked upon.:eek:

 

Sir Martin

 

Why don't you believe it? This is after all Cunardland. That magic place where the slightest detail no matter how trivial can miraculously assume earth-shattering importance.

Shiny

[southwestie]

I'm huge fan of Cunard and usually a supporter of what they do, but I am sort of questioning the choice of putting a dark carpet into the rooms. I always take a room on Deck 11' because I like the sunlight and bright cheery room. But I've always wondered about trying an in-hull cabin for a crossing to be closer to the water and be able to go out on the balcony mid-Atlantic when it's too cold and windy up on 11...

 

BUT, I must say, that knowing they are putting a dark carpet in the rooms, which will only serve to darken the room, I think I'll forego ever trying an in-hull cabin, as I understand they tend to be darker anyway due to the hull cutting out some of the ambient sunlight.

 

I'm sure it's being done to minimize the inevitable coffee and red wine stains from passengers (and whatever else gets spilled when the ride is bumpy or the passengers are a wee bit tipsy!)' and from that angle it's probably good. But having grown up in a bedroom that had dark brown carpeting (which my parents seemed to think was more fitting of a boy's room), I'm not a great fan of the dark brown carpet because it muddies the room as opposed to adding to the lightness.

 

All that said, I'm sure that Cunard has chosen a beautiful carpet pattern. But it does make me want to not try an in-hull.

 

 

I think the carpet will be fine, looks rather smart, we are in an in hull for both crossings, I promise you its not dark in the least, yesterday was so sunny we had to draw the curtains across a little

[Oahucruiser]

I think the carpet will be fine, looks rather smart, we are in an in hull for both crossings, I promise you its not dark in the least, yesterday was so sunny we had to draw the curtains across a little

 

That's great to know. We were a little worried that it might make an in-hull room look dark and dreary. Thanks for all your updates on what is being done now and will be done in November!!

[Whitemarsh]

The whole of deck is due for carpet refit, as will all the cabins over the weeks, when qm2 goes in for refit, new carpets and underflooring is due for the main walkway, the MDR, the pub is being changed all together, this my 8th TA and yes they are always doing something to keep standards up, new beds are needed, these creek like mad now, the new beds are metal bases, much better.

 

as for the name on the stern, Okay It is very sad, but it is a name, no RMS, no Red ensign anymore, but hey, Im booking TA number 10 and number 11, I just wont look at the name on the stern, it wont stop anyone sailing on QM2

 

But for now refitting is happening, and no problems:)

 

Are we definitely losing the RMS then? That is a shame. They are keeping the red ensign though as Bermuda is included.

 

Why cant they make up for it by making the Queens Grill lounge look more upscale? It would go some way to alleviating the disappointment. Well, for me anyway.

[Salacia]

Are we definitely losing the RMS then? That is a shame. They are keeping the red ensign though as Bermuda is included.

 

Why cant they make up for it by making the Queens Grill lounge look more upscale? It would go some way to alleviating the disappointment. Well, for me anyway.

 

Are you kidding?

[Louise D]

The QG Lounge on QM2 has a similar "feel" of understated elegance as the QG Lounge on QE2. There is a world of difference in the amenities of a classic ocean liner as compared to, for example, the Burj al Arab hotel.

[Salacia]

The QG Lounge on QM2 has a similar "feel" of understated elegance as the QG Lounge on QE2. There is a world of difference in the amenities of a classic ocean liner as compared to, for example, the Burj al Arab hotel.

 

Looks like a nice hotel, but somehow, I think I'd feel more comfortable sitting in a lounge on a ship registed in Southampton than I would in a hotel lounge in Dubai...oh wait, soon QM2 won't be registed in Southampton.:eek:

[Whitemarsh]

Why cant they make up for it by making the Queens Grill lounge look more upscale? It would go some way to alleviating the disappointment. Well, for me anyway.

 

Are you kidding?

 

No, no I'm not. They're changing the registry regardless of what anyone thinks. Updating this rather uninspiring room would go some way to mollifying my disappointment in the registry change.

 

The QG Lounge on QM2 has a similar "feel" of understated elegance as the QG Lounge on QE2. There is a world of difference in the amenities of a classic ocean liner as compared to, for example, the Burj al Arab hotel.

 

Well, that's news to me that some of the interior design of the QE2 was/is considered "understated". I have always believed it was quite avant-garde for it's day. In anycase, I wasn't thinking of the Burj al Arab, but more along the lines of these examples:

 

 

 

And for something more eclectic:

 

 

This is probably a bit too far, but I still like it.

 

[Louise D]

Whitemarsh,

 

I think that you are probably on the wrong track in thinking that any passenger ship would have the decor of a luxury boutique hotel. (i.e all those furnishings look very like a luxury boutique hotel). I have not been on any ship that has furnishings of that kind. The ships need decor that is very serviceable. That kind of decor with all those nick-nacks and embellishments would be so time-consuming to keep clean and tidy. It would be too impractical for a ship like QM2.

 

The closest I have seen to any such decor on a ship (photographs only) would be some of the early German liners or the White Star liners. But even so, the decor is really too much even for those ships.

 

QE2 had somewhat avant guarde decor when she was launched, but a lot was toned down as the fashions of the 60s fell out of favour. By the time I was travelling on her, there were not many areas that had the original 60s decor. Probably only the Princess Grill Restaurant. (I only visited Princess Grill once but I think that was the restaurant with the original decor). Also some cabins had original wood panelling which was lovely. The Queens Room looked a bit 60s but even that was quite different from the original 60s designs. I do not think the decor of the QE2 was a major draw-card for passengers in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. She looked beautiful outside but inside everying was pleasant enough but not what you would want to reproduce in a home decorator magazine.

[Whitemarsh]

I think that you are probably on the wrong track in thinking that any passenger ship would have the decor of a luxury boutique hotel. (i.e all those furnishings look very like a luxury boutique hotel). I have not been on any ship that has furnishings of that kind. The ships need decor that is very serviceable. That kind of decor with all those nick-nacks and embellishments would be so time-consuming to keep clean and tidy. It would be too impractical for a ship like QM2.

 

I didn't consider that. Well yes, there are probably too many nick-nacks for a moving ship, but I do think that the Grill's lounge could be redone in a decor more upmarket than the current version. It is a trifle plain, it doesn't have to be as 'functional' as it is now. In some ways the Chart Room is a little more salubrious.

 

I'd like to think that someone could come up with a design that is somewhere between the current decor and the pictures I've posted.

 

QE2 had somewhat avant guarde decor when she was launched, but a lot was toned down as the fashions of the 60s fell out of favour. By the time I was travelling on her, there were not many areas that had the original 60s decor. Probably only the Princess Grill Restaurant. (I only visited Princess Grill once but I think that was the restaurant with the original decor). Also some cabins had original wood panelling which was lovely. The Queens Room looked a bit 60s but even that was quite different from the original 60s designs. I do not think the decor of the QE2 was a major draw-card for passengers in the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. She looked beautiful outside but inside everying was pleasant enough but not what you would want to reproduce in a home decorator magazine.

 

According to the internet the Queens Grill lounge on the QE2 looked like this.

 

 

I do have to say that the current version on QM2 is a vast improvement.

[Louise D]

Hmmm - I think the QG lounge had been a little more updated by the late 2000s and some of those partitions removed to make it look bigger. I will have to check my photos. It had a very nice view to the Boat Deck.

[KarenR_UK]

Qgl qe2 Aug 2008

 

not so different

 

sorry about the blurring - looking for a better one now...

 

 

umm... not a lot better, sorry:o

[SailorManBilly]

Wow! Absolutely hideous! If that's what the QE2 looked like, then I'm almost glad I never sailed on her. Complain all they want of the Vista class ships, at least the current QE has decor fitting of the name "Queen Elizabeth"!!

[david,Mississauga]

The QE2 went through so many changes in dining and public room decor that it was, to a large extent, unrecognizable if one only sailed every five years or so - as I did. My first crossing was in 1973 and by then there were already many changes: suites with balconies had been added; the observation lounge was gone; the casino had been converted to the Queen's Grill and the coffee shop/juke box was converted to the Queen's Grill Lounge. Its original use perhaps explains the rather unusual long and narrow shape. The original Grill Room was opened up to become part of the Columbia Restaurant, but a few years later the bulkhead was restored and it became the Princess Grill.

 

I only travelled once in the Tables of the World and by a stroke of luck we were assigned to the "traditional Londoner" which was, to my wife and me, the best looking of the five parts of this room. One thing that Tourist Class offered on the QE2 that you don't get on the modern Queens (except to a limited degree in the Grills) is the traditional "silver service." I like being able to choose what vegetables I like and how much of each. Despite what some people say about food being cold when served on silver salvers, we found everything to be hot thanks to the scores of chafing-dishes around the room, whether it be the Columbia, Caronia, Britannia, Tables of the World or the earlier years of the Mauretania.

 

In 1979, when we travelled in First Class (Columbia Restaurant) for the first time, the Queen's Grill lounge was open to all first class passengers, not just those in the Grills. At that time it wasn't very attractive to our taste - a modernistic mural adorned the long bulkhead - but it was a fairly quite room for a G&T or a cuppa.

 

In no way am I knocking the lovely QM2 which, in many ways, is a vastly superior ship. But the QE2 had many fine qualities which I fondly look back upon - and not through rose-coloured glasses.

[pepperrn]

Hi David,

The QE2 went through so many changes. My first crossing was in 1973 and by then there were already many changes:the casino had been converted to the Queen's Grill

In fact it was the 736 Club that was converted into the Queens Grill in the 1973 refit. This nightclub was (like QM2's) named after the yard "build number". I understand that there was no Casino provided on QE2 in 1969. The first one was installed in 1972 on Upper Deck I think.

and the coffee shop/juke box was converted to the Queen's Grill Lounge. Its original use perhaps explains the rather unusual long and narrow shape.

Actually the shape was planned to be used by an early (pre-launch) idea of it as a bowling alley. When QE2 entered service this long space was used as a 24-hour coffee shop and Teen-Age Juke Box Room. The Queens Grill Lounge arrived in 1973. I loved the views from this room of the Promenade and the sea beyond. The service from all the staff I encountered was superb.

In no way am I knocking the lovely QM2 which, in many ways, is a vastly superior ship. But the QE2 had many fine qualities which I fondly look back upon - and not through rose-coloured glasses.

Whilst I admit to boarding QE2 (as a passenger) rather late in her career (2007) and am certain that there was no better looking ship built since the Normandie on the outside, her interior layout and decor were a mess. I was most disappointed. She was majestic looking from a distance, just don't look to close...