QM2 post-refit TA log

[tv24]

I thought the designer did a good job of making the deck 13 cabins look like they had always been there. The inside alleyway and signage matches the other QM2 staterooms.

 

However, when I reboarded the ship at 2:45PM on Friday the Redhook terminal was a sea of humanity. Usually by then anybody arriving checks in and boards the ship quickly. As one couple summed it up: "Forty five minutes to drive from West Chester. Two and a half hours waiting in line to check in."

 

Cunard has had three consecutive service failures with embarkation in Hamburg, Southampton, and now New York. An experience like this is bound to turn many first time passengers into last time passengers.

 

Blue Riband: I am so sorry that you and the other guests had to put up with this in Brooklyn. When I get around to writing up my review of our Hamburg to NY crossing, I will prominently feature the terrible embarkation in Hamburg, as well as the deplorable situations and service we faced when we tried to stay on board in Southampton while in transit. I will try very hard to not be too negative, because we love the QM2. But IMHO embarkations are a failure for Cunard, and we never ever experience such chaos and delays when we travel other lines. Surely a management issue. Maybe someday there will truly be White Star service in this area.

[deck chair]

I thought the designer did a good job of making the deck 13 cabins look like they had always been there. The inside alleyway and signage matches the other QM2 staterooms.

 

However, when I reboarded the ship at 2:45PM on Friday the Redhook terminal was a sea of humanity. Usually by then anybody arriving checks in and boards the ship quickly. As one couple summed it up: "Forty five minutes to drive from West Chester. Two and a half hours waiting in line to check in."

 

Cunard has had three consecutive service failures with embarkation in Hamburg, Southampton, and now New York. An experience like this is bound to turn many first time passengers into last time passengers.

 

Hi BlueRiband

 

I've sailed out of Brooklyn countless times and have never had a problem checking in especially as a Diamond member. Even those without that status seem to check in and board the ship rather easily and gracefully. In Friday's case I wonder what the holdup was. Computer problems?

 

No matter, once passengers board the ship and taken in by the beauty and the charm of the vessel I think most if not all will forget how unfortunate the beginning was. Lets hope!

 

Thanks, Blueriband for all your posts. I do hope I get to meet you one day.

 

Deck Chair

[sfbearcat]

They seem to have changed or added software /hardware during this refit that probably issues the IDs and controls your cabin door ..and it is a major flop..hopefully its corrected soon. I have not had any problems ever boarding QM2 in Brooklyn

Edited July 2, 2016 by sfbearcat

[MarkBearSF]

There was a huge delay boarding in SOU ("The computers are down") on the penultimate pre-refit crossing on May 10. I don't know how things went boarding in Red Hook for the return.

 

As seen with in the sad, deteriorating spectacle that is their website, I wonder if there's a larger issue with their computing infrastructure.

Edited July 2, 2016 by MarkBearSF

[Aussieflyer]

Thanks for the time to compile this log, even though you had difficulty with the slow internet which made posting not possible at times. Thanks for answering the many questions as I am sure that this has cleared up a lot of our 'wonderings'. She sounds beautiful and I can't wait to be on board again.

[tv24]

For what it's worth, the planetarium seats appeared to have largely been repaired last Christmas. At least there were no areas roped off. I didn't test many of them, just the ones I was interested in occupying.

 

There is a group of seats roped off in the center, all broken down. But it's just about 3 or 4 seats, tacky but not a big problem.

[tv24]

Unless I've missed it, I've seen no mention of the dreaded 'potholes' :D

 

I assume they have been dealt with?

 

We walked around quite a bit, public areas and on many of the corridors, and found none of the old potholes. Whatever they did with the new carpeting, it seems to have taken care of this problem.

[david,Mississauga]

I thought the designer did a good job of making the deck 13 cabins look like they had always been there. The inside alleyway and signage matches the other QM2 staterooms.

 

However, when I reboarded the ship at 2:45PM on Friday the Redhook terminal was a sea of humanity. Usually by then anybody arriving checks in and boards the ship quickly. As one couple summed it up: "Forty five minutes to drive from West Chester. Two and a half hours waiting in line to check in."

 

Cunard has had three consecutive service failures with embarkation in Hamburg, Southampton, and now New York. An experience like this is bound to turn many first time passengers into last time passengers.

 

Let us hope these problems are temporary. My experiences in New York and Southampton have been good except for once at the Manhattan terminal. The QM2 had been re-assigned there at fairly short notice because of issues at Brooklyn. The computer problems were fixed after a half hour.

 

My next embarkation is in Quebec. From reports that is always chaotic. Cunard makes no effort to give priority boarding to the Grills and the higher tiers of the club. (In fairness they don't promise it, but it's time they did:(.) Fortunately the ship sails the afternoon after boarding so it may be better to arrive for check-in later rather than our customary noon.

[Happily@Sea]

They seem to have changed or added software /hardware during this refit that probably issues the IDs and controls your cabin door ..and it is a major flop..hopefully its corrected soon. I have not had any problems ever boarding QM2 in Brooklyn

 

 

Southampton to Brooklyn: I never did have a picture on file- front desk said they couldn't take one - good thing it was only a crossing and no port visits.

 

On embarkation day, I was visited at my cabin twice [once to ask if I was a single (??)] and then called on the phone just before time to sail, all to check on whether or not I was on the ship. With all these problems, the keycard worked great in the door, thank goodness.

 

The worse part was the official visits, not hearing the new time for the safety muster [only on in the corridor], and trying to get in a much needed shower - with all this going on.

[AlexDouglass]

A friend on board now also had the two-and-a-half boarding experience Friday. Sadly, he's made it clear that between that and the lack of dress code (up to and including bathing suits after dinner in the Commodore Club), it's going to be his first and only Cunard trip.

[Bell Boy]

Pull the other leg, :p I doubt it was warm enough for bathing suits. Not only that,the Commodore Bar is quite a hike from the nearest swimming pool.

[turquoise 6]

Pull the other leg, :p I doubt it was warm enough for bathing suits. Not only that,the Commodore Bar is quite a hike from the nearest swimming pool.

Maybe they came from the SPA?;)

[AlexDouglass]

Pull the other leg, :p I doubt it was warm enough for bathing suits. Not only that,the Commodore Bar is quite a hike from the nearest swimming pool.

 

I didn't quite believe it, either - but he took a picture. They must have hiked forward from the Pavilion Pool. To be fair, I don't that they stopped for a drink - maybe just made a circuit to have a look around.

[turquoise 6]

I didn't quite believe it, either - but he took a picture. They must have hiked forward from the Pavilion Pool. To be fair, I don't that they stopped for a drink - maybe just made a circuit to have a look around.

lol. The cat and mouse games about here say . Pure gossip

[tv24]

I just now finished by written review of our Hamburg to NYC crossing. Balanced, the good and bad. Hopefully CC will publish it in a few days.

[turquoise 6]

I just now finished by written review of our Hamburg to NYC crossing. Balanced, the good and bad. Hopefully CC will publish it in a few days.

 

Great news. I'm looking forward to reading it . I am sailing to Southampton this July. I haven't seen any reviews of the remastered QM2

Edited July 4, 2016 by turquoise 6
Spelling

[BlueRiband]

At the moment I'm taking advantage of a free wifi connection at the Falcon terminal. I stayed on board for the 5-nighter but decided to "slum it" and move down form PG to Britannia Club. (The price differential, considering the solo supplement, was about $2k for the five nights.)

 

As menitoned previously Kings Court has vastly improved. The main section of the buffet is just aft of B stairway. It's well organized and the seating areas have cutlery wrapped in a cloth napkin. At breakfast there are also coffee mugs out and servers offer hot tea or coffee. That's a lot better than trying to balance a platter ansd full mug while looking for a seat. Moving aft, it's all seating.

 

Just before D stairway is what is being labeled the "aft buffet" and it is on the port side opposite the Chefs Galley on the stairboard. This has more limited variety and is the only one open in the very late evening.

 

My waiter said that during the refit all crew and contractor meals were in Britannia - contractors on one side and crew on the other. Carpets were replaced and the ceiling re-lamped.

 

Britannia Club is very nice although I miss the space and ammenities of the PG and would sail less often rather than book it again. The shower has a handheld head, and I've often seen complaints here that hand held heads would make showering more effective. I don't know if they plan to introduce hand held heads to the non-premium staterooms.

 

The room has a kettle but no coffee maker as was offered in PG. There are tea bags and packets of instant coffee. The upgrade is similiar to what was done in PG: replace cabinet hardware, replace headboard wall paneling, install wall mounted TV.

[Ray66]

Many thanks for all your updates. Makes very interesting reading.

 

t's well organized and the seating areas have cutlery wrapped in a cloth napkin. At breakfast there are also coffee mugs out and servers offer hot tea or coffee. That's a lot better than trying to balance a platter ansd full mug while looking for a seat.

 

This is how it was on the QE and QV last year. But they always come to you with the tea and coffee as soon as you sit down and we prefer to have our hot drink after the meal.

 

Britannia Club is very nice although I miss the space and ammenities of the PG and would sail less often rather than book it again. The shower has a handheld head, and I've often seen complaints here that hand held heads would make showering more effective. I don't know if they plan to introduce hand held heads to the non-premium staterooms

 

Regular Britannia balcony cabins are the same as Britannia Club cabins and have always had hand-held heads. It's on the QE and QV that the showers are fixed head.

[david,Mississauga]

At the moment I'm taking advantage of a free wifi connection at the Falcon terminal. I stayed on board for the 5-nighter but decided to "slum it" and move down form PG to Britannia Club. (The price differential, considering the solo supplement, was about $2k for the five nights.)

 

...

 

Thank you for your postings, BlueRiband. One question about the Britannia Club: the deck plan shows a second Britannia Club restaurant on the starboard side. Were you able to see if that is the case or is there an expanded Britannia Club on the port side? I appreciate that the Deck 13 cabins are not yet being sold so the extra space isn't needed at the present time.

[BlueRiband]

Yes, there is now a second Britannia Club on the starboard side.

[david,Mississauga]

Yes, there is now a second Britannia Club on the starboard side.

 

Thank you. We are booked in one of the Deck 13 staterooms for an October voyage so I was wondering if the deck plan was correct.

[BlueRiband]

Yes, the deck 13 cabins are scheduled to be occupied starting July 13 with boarding at Southampton. The new deck 14 observation area means that those in them will be awakened from all the foot traffic when the ship enters port.

 

Last night I overheard a comment about the Corinthia Lounge - that it was attractive, comfortable, but "the atmosphere sucks". Impressions are very subjective but it being new means that it has not yet found its place in anybody's shipboard routine.

 

Last night the fireworks could be viewed pretty well. At the conclusion QM2's original QM horn Ab was sounded three times - nice that she could be a part of the celeration. (I wonder how this comes across to those who don't know that she exists? "What the hell was that!")

[pepperrn]

... The new deck 14 observation area means that those in them will be awakened from all the foot traffic when the ship enters port. ...

Gosh! I thought, when I saw photos, "How clever; the Deck 14 walkways have been kept to above the Deck 13 balconies only, above the cabins themselves is out of use because of the metal deck". Shows you how wrong I was. Thank you. Edited July 5, 2016 by pepperrn

[CruiserTed]

Indeed, having just completed the Westbound myself, I must say that the ship has never been more beautiful, the service more gracious, and the atmosphere more convivial!

 

I also had no trouble at embarkation in Southampton.

 

PLEASE, those of you considering her, remember that she is regularly filled with happy passengers not found on this board and thus the "complaints" about her here are properly but murmurs all but inaudible in the symphony of pleasures aboard.

 

I am a Diamond Cunarder with many months on all the Queens so I speak from experience.

[Host Hattie]

That's good to hear, thanks CruiserTed