QM2 not up to the standards presented

[Lady49Monet]

Me too. And because of it....I always have a terrific time. I even manage to overlook the imperfections of KC. I don't find the KC people to be all that friendly but I have found that if I make an effort to be extra polite and friendly, they respond . Which pretty much tells me that they are just tired of dealing with rude passengers. It goes both ways. :)

 

Well I have been reading this thread for awhile, and most of the time it makes me laugh. I agree totally with your posting. I believe that being polite to people and smiling at people is a better way forward. I honestly don't understand people having a go at the KC. It is what it says on the tin a cafeteria; I tend to avoid it because it was busy, and I prefer the Britannia to eat, which the last time I was on the QM2 was fantastic. I also must have low standards as does the other half, lol

[T5LHR]

Thanks to those who make the effort to be polite and nice to us minions… :)

[English Voyager]

Thanks to those who make the effort to be polite and nice to us minions… :)

I remember on a Silversea cruise saying to a fellow British passenger that I enjoyed chatting with the staff.

 

She looked absolutely horrified and replied that they were just there to take her orders.

[Cruachan]

I remember on a Silversea cruise saying to a fellow British passenger that I enjoyed chatting with the staff.

 

She looked absolutely horrified and replied that they were just there to take her orders.

 

I've met a few of those on Cunard down the years - they are PONTIs and can be safely ignored.

 

J

[cunardaddict]

Love just about everything about QM2 (and all the Cunard ships), but the one thing across the fleet I hate are the casinos with their awful machines. For me they jar far more than King's Court (easily avoided) - just tacky.

 

It is very easy to avoid them.

[pepperrn]

I remember on a Silversea cruise saying to a fellow British passenger that I enjoyed chatting with the staff. She looked absolutely horrified and replied that they were just there to take her orders.

Hi English Voyager,

 

I've also come across this short-sighted, rude and almost unbelievably patronising attitude in the past.

 

I sometimes wonder if there is a link between those (few) passengers who, like the "lady" on Silversea, treat those who are working hard (so they don't have to) as sub-human, and many of the complaints about poor service seen on all cruise boards?

 

As a child I was told by my grandmother that "The definition of a lady or a gentleman is someone who treats a road-sweeper or dustman (rubbish/garbage collector) with the same respect, and talks to them in the same way, as they would treat, and speak to, the Queen". I think some passengers should have met my grandmother.

 

I have to totally agree with brigittetom when she says " ... I have found that if I make an effort to be extra polite and friendly, they respond . Which pretty much tells me that they are just tired of dealing with rude passengers. It goes both ways".

 

Very well said brigittetom.

 

Thank you, English Voyager.

Edited July 11, 2014 by pepperrn

[Aquaphobic]

I remember on a Silversea cruise saying to a fellow British passenger that I enjoyed chatting with the staff.

 

She looked absolutely horrified and replied that they were just there to take her orders.

 

Thank you for your post. My DW and I regularly 'chat with staff' and have gotten to know many dinning stewards, wine stewards and a few cabin stewards rather well over the years. By and large they are charming, well educated and interesting people worthy of respect.

I find it offensive when some passengers (like the one you mentioned) regard them as lowly servants.

[pepperrn]

... they are PONTIs and can be safely ignored. J

HeHe :) ah, but, they fully believe they are of TI :) . Indeed, none more so than themselves.

 

 

 

:)

Edited July 11, 2014 by pepperrn

[Cruachan]

HeHe :) ah, but, they fully believe they are of TI :) . Indeed, none more so than themselves.

 

 

 

:)

 

Indeed - the PONTI breed appears to thrive on either a vastly enhanced level of self perception, or it's total absence.

 

I often wonder if part of the problem, at least, isn't related to the fact that we are now so far distanced from the era in which household servants were commonplace that we have totally forgotten how to relate to them.

 

I think what happens is that people, like the woman described, board the ship with their vision of an Edwardian fantasy world cranked up to full turbo-boost, and instantly start to treat the staff in what they fondly, but falsely, imagine is the way that servants used to be treated. Of course people who did treat their servants like that probably ended up seriously short of servants. :D

 

J

[Norfolk Brit]

Of course people who did treat their servants like that probably ended up seriously short of servants. :D

 

J

 

I always wondered why they'd buzzed orf.

 

Sir Martin

[pepperrn]

I always wondered why they'd buzzed orf. Sir Martin

Sir Martin,

 

Surely there is at least one servant left in your current abode that attends and waits upon you? You know, the guy with red skin, wild eyes, small horns, goatee beard, hooves and a tail?

Probably looks up to you as you taught him all he knows.

 

:D

Edited July 11, 2014 by pepperrn

[pmb1]

I've met a few of those on Cunard down the years - they are PONTIs and can be safely ignored.

 

J

"PONTI – Person Of No Tactical Importance", but I'll bet you have another definition, Cruachan.

[cunardaddict]

Thank you for your post. My DW and I regularly 'chat with staff' and have gotten to know many dinning stewards, wine stewards and a few cabin stewards rather well over the years. By and large they are charming, well educated and interesting people worthy of respect.

I find it offensive when some passengers (like the one you mentioned) regard them as lowly servants.

 

Indeed - and we are prepared to reduce our expectation if we notice that pressure is to hard on the service team. But to notice this one certainly needs a deeper knowledge of the processes. MR. Noro's visits cause certainly serious shortages of workforce as the crew always takes the highest health risk.

[Tomnorm]

I have often noticed this puzzling issue :confused: .

 

I sometimes wonder if there are two Cunard liners called Queen Mary 2 and I've always been allocated the good one :) .

 

Or is it that some people only truly enjoy themselves, or know they are still alive, if they can make a huge fuss on board and then have a good old moan about the trip after it is over, "and another thing"...

 

If everything is perfect, they invent an issue or three, just to make the cruise complete. Then they know they're having a good time.

 

Some people are never happier than when they are complaining. You could give them $1,000,000 in $50 bills and they'd moan because they'd have preferred it in $20s "and then we had all these $50 bills to use up"...

 

This is so true! We seem to meet similar complainers on all of our trips.

I believe the Australians call them "wringing? Brits"

[Cruachan]

This is so true! We seem to meet similar complainers on all of our trips.

I believe the Australians call them "wringing? Brits"

 

 

That would mean they were soaking wet! I think phrase you were searching for is "Whingeing Poms" :D

 

J

[lannp]

The staff are there to serve you. They are not your servants. When I go the Britannia dining room I try very hard to leave my evil twin in the cabin.:eek:

[JWB.ESQ]

Have I led a sheltered life? What is a crab shag?

 

Start with the Kama Sutra and add Old Bay seasoning.

[pepperrn]

The staff are there to serve you. They are not your servants. ...

Correct, well said :) .

[Cruachan]

I always wondered why they'd buzzed orf.

 

Sir Martin

 

I rest my case :cool:

 

J

[Austcruiser84]

We are just off the QM 2 this morning, and it is not what we expected.

 

Very disappointed. The food in the buffet is completely like a bad cafeteria. Workers handed us plastic trays with paper napkins and paper packaged salt and pepper.

 

The buffet is also very ric-rac, small cramped areas and old furniture.

 

Outside are stacked plastic lightweight chairs.

 

Not to mention the broken wooden chairs that fall apart if you move them.

 

Half of the deck 8 has nice wooden loungers with cushions, the other half has cheap rusted white and green chairs. Carnival at its best? Probably......

 

In the end if one wants to have a presence, it is only as good as what is presented. In other words, telling all to dress up, and have mediocre surroundings does not fit the bill.

 

Extremely disappointed in the cruise, and the line as a whole.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

I try not to judge a ship purely by the quality of its buffet (which is always the lowest level dining out of numerous restaurants on board) and the quality of the deck chairs. There's so much more to a ship than linen and upholstery.

 

I'll elaborate further in due course when I publish my recent QM2 and QE trip reports.

 

But I will say this (and I have high standards): I had an absolute blast (yet again) on two of the most beautiful ships afloat. Already looking forward to booking what I hope will be 3 segments totalling 26 nights in 2015.

[Lady49Monet]

I try not to judge a ship purely by the quality of its buffet (which is always the lowest level dining out of numerous restaurants on board) and the quality of the deck chairs. There's so much more to a ship than linen and upholstery.

 

 

 

I'll elaborate further in due course when I publish my recent QM2 and QE trip reports.

 

 

 

But I will say this (and I have high standards): I had an absolute blast (yet again) on two of the most beautiful ships afloat. Already looking forward to booking what I hope will be 3 segments totalling 26 nights in 2015.

 

 

ENJOYING yourself. This board is not intended for people who enjoy themselves. For goodness sake get a grip😉

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[theTom&Carol]

To give KC some credit, after a few hours of evening dancing, hunger nightly brings us to deck 7, as we enjoy some late night tasty calories.

 

Also, KC breakfast variety seems quite satisfactory; faster than any tablecloth service aboard. Coffee can be refilled much quicker, too.

 

Yes, KC is laid out like a large functional floating industrial cafeteria; that's what it is; so what! Deco's not the best, but the coffee's hot. How else you gonna feed the 2000+ masses?

 

At least one doesn't have to slip on a tux or evening gown to enter the KC individual hot omelet line. How sweet it is.

 

If still not happy, ring up room service and mutz through your delivered morning oatmeal and dry toast in bed. Like the 3-Bears, for some of you it'll either be too hot or too cold. Still bad news aboard, then go to da bar and gombey a couple stiff double shooters, while complaining to the bar-keep how the drinks are much better on land! He'll listen; assuming he'll understand is another matter.

 

Any comments on the oatmeal, KC, dry toast, or double shooters?

 

PS... Would rather be aboard any of the Queens in lieu of listening to all this unhappy stuffy talk.

[Salacia]

To give KC some credit, after a few hours of evening dancing, hunger nightly brings us to deck 7, as we enjoy some late night tasty calories.

 

Also, KC breakfast variety seems quite satisfactory; faster than any tablecloth service aboard. Coffee can be refilled much quicker, too.

 

Yes, KC is laid out like a large functional floating industrial cafeteria; that's what it is; so what! Deco's not the best, but the coffee's hot. How else you gonna feed the 2000+ masses?

 

At least one doesn't have to slip on a tux or evening gown to enter the KC individual hot omelet line. How sweet it is.

 

If still not happy, ring up room service and mutz through your delivered morning oatmeal and dry toast in bed. Like the 3-Bears, for some of you it'll either be too hot or too cold. Still bad news aboard, then go to da bar and gombey a couple stiff double shooters, while complaining to the bar-keep how the drinks are much better on land! He'll listen; assuming he'll understand is another matter.

 

Any comments on the oatmeal, KC, dry toast, or double shooters?

 

PS... Would rather be aboard any of the Queens in lieu of listening to all this unhappy stuffy talk.

 

 

Yes, I understand your comment. My experience has been that Kings Court is open for service - while limited at times, it is open 24/7. Being a night owl, I've appreciated that I've been able to get a hot cuppa, piece of fruit or a tasty treat in the wee hours of the morning in King's Court. It is what it is, and any "improvements" will no doubt result in added costs and hours when the 'buffet' is closed, just as it has on other CCL ships. As the saying goes - be careful what you wish for!

[north east girl]

Yes, I understand your comment. My experience has been that Kings Court is open for service - while limited at times, it is open 24/7. Being a night owl, I've appreciated that I've been able to get a hot cuppa, piece of fruit or a tasty treat in the wee hours of the morning in King's Court. It is what it is, and any "improvements" will no doubt result in added costs and hours when the 'buffet' is closed, just as it has on other CCL ships. As the saying goes - be careful what you wish for!

 

Hi Salacia, What I Like about KC is that you can help yourself to what ever you want. I love the choice at breakfast. I often go in there when they start serving afternoon tea just for a hot scone and a cup of tea.

 

My favourite seating is the area overlooking the deck, however I think a lot of people like them also. So they are not always available.

 

Catherine

[southwestie]

I hav learnt over the years to read these boards over the years and now I do it with great humour:).

 

I think people should be allowed to post there thought on ships, the food , the buffet, cabins etc, its there cruise, its the ship they wanted to try, its there thoughts, sadly though whenever I look I can the the same old same poeple rushing like children to defend the ship and company, the same old same like children stand up and fight to heilt, in the past this would have caused upset of the highest level something like play ground sulking, so its best in many ways never to run down the Cunard ship or criticise anything then even if it was true.

 

some of the same old have been on many voyages, we must say voyages and not cruises, some think they have been on a few more than they really have and become the expert on the ships, some can even tell you name of all the rivits in the building, but often the end results is a an almost rude sarcastic snobbery in the answers.

 

I have sailed on quite a few ships, many cunard, and I like them very much, i like the formality of cunard, there are other ships out and trust be they offer better cabins, better beds, better room service and better food, sadly these other ships glitter in brass and neon and upset the real cunarder, well not all because many of us who take several cruises a year book to go with them.

 

I have seen many changed since I started with cunard, food is not as good, service is not a good and can vary a lot with some cruises, I have sailed on MSC and RCL and there service beats cunard a lot and im happy to rebook with them again,

 

so why not allow people to have never cruised, cruised with other line to come and say what they think with the back lash, the words often appear, were you on the same cruise as me, well yes, they were on it, they saw something they didnt like, it maybe wrong in your eyes or just theres, but accept that some people just dont like cunard, some dont like p&p, NCL or RCL.

 

There was a time when some of the same old same old left and this board was amazing, there return has often brouhght back the bitter back lashing again, thank good not as they were.

lets all enjoy the ships, the ship we are going on or just back from.:)

 

Now, many wont agree, but I hope some of the new comers to cunard will ,or lord help me its my turn for the lash,