Queen Mary 2 Mediterranean Explorer II

[islandsailing]

We will be sailing on the QM2 on August 15, 2005 for 12 days. This is the Mediterranean Explorer II. The ship had the exact same sailing itinerary in May 2005 and I was wondering if anyone on the May sailing could share some thoughts about the itinerary /ports of call on this voyage. Any information, comments, or recommendations would be sincerely appreciated. :)

[kennethwthomas17]

Hello Islandsailing,

 

We were on the May Med. Explorer so I will try to summarized but I would be happy to answer any specific questions you might have. This was our second cruise on the QM2. The first was from NYC in November 2004 to the Caribbean. The departure from Southhampton was much better than NYC as far as the check-in process. At that point your photo is taken for an ID which you used for ship charges and to board and leave the ship when in port. Most of the ports we have visited before, so the only shore excursion we booked was the Torres winery tour. All of the other ports we explored independently. Our cabin was on Deck 8 with a balcony. The weather was wonderful for the entire trip. Every morning for 6:00am "Good Morning QM2" is on channel 33 hosted by Brian Price. It is repeated throughout the morning. He talks about the ship activities for the day and if it is a port day will tell you the highlights. The Britannia restaurant was exceptional. The evening shows were entertaining for the most part. One surprise was that there were 4 formal nights when we thought there would be 3. We have been very fortunate in being able to travel extensively (we are in our mid-fifties) and feel the QM2 is the BEST at sea. We also booked the QM2 for February 2006 to Hawaii.

 

Karen & Ken Thomas

[islandsailing]

Karen & Ken,

 

Thanks for the information. I am happy and relieved to hear that you had such a wonderful trip. I was beginning to worry because making reservations, asking questions,getting concise answers, even paying the balance has not been an easy task. There seems to be a lot of confusion at the call centres and I was hoping that this wasn't indicative of the cruise experience.

Re: Ports. Do you mean that the ship docks within easy walking distance of the main city districts? How about one of two highlights from each of your day trips? We never been to Europe so this will be a NEW experience for all of us. Thanks so much for your help.

[kennethwthomas17]

The QM2 docked in all ports except Cannes and Gibraltar. There you had to take a tender into port. (15 minutes). We want you to have a great experience so if you tell us your interests, we could give you some suggestions. Are you in the USA? By August, we will have told you everything you need to know to have a GREAT cruise. Do you know your stateroom at this point?

 

Karen & Ken

[islandsailing]

Gosh! Thank you so very much for your assistance. It is really very generous of you to take the time for us! We live in Canada and will be in Stateroom 5153.

Our interests: Historical sites, Natural beauty ( enjoyed by biking, hiking, snorkeling, etc) and great places for lunch, preferably authentic, regional fare.

In Gibraltar, I'd like to take the cable car to the upper Rock for a fantastic view!

In Italy, we'd like to go to the Vatican City.

Beyond that, we are open to suggestions.

Again, thank you kindly!