A HAL loyalist’s take on a Queen Mary 2 crossing

[sppunk]

I posted this in the Cunard forum but thought my HAL friends would like to read as well, since I post here mostly.

 

- - -

 

“Would you like pepper, sir?”

 

This was the repeated refrain we heard during our crossing on Queen Mary 2, which we disembarked this morning. We joked we were asked this so often they’d try it on ice cream.

 

My wife and I flew to London to celebrate our wedding anniversary and then sailed back home on the May 10 crossing. This was our first Cunard trip, and we have about 85 nights on HAL, 21 on Princess and a dozen or so on a few other lines. We are loyal HAL cruisers now, so naturally we did a few comparisons during our week onboard.

 

We sailed with 3 friends, so had a merry gang of 5 for evening activates.

 

We are DINKs in our mid 30s, and the Cunard atmosphere fits our style nicely. While I can do without strict formal nights, as I’m entirely indifferent on what others wear; it was a nice change of pace from every other cruise line today.

 

I normally do live blogs, but for this trip didn’t even keep a journal, so these ramblings are just that: random thoughts from our crossing. Take it all as YMMV and such!

Our boarding in Southampton was delayed about an hour due to the airbridge becoming disconnected from the ship. This wasn’t a big deal, but for those standing in security, I’m sure it wasn’t entirely pleasant!

First impressions of QM2: She is flat-out gorgeous. A sophisticated lady that looks virtually brand new (aside from weird flooring slants, holes and “mushy” areas). Millions of words have been written here about her, so I won’t bother. We greatly enjoyed the artwork of ships and the history panels that are everywhere. They really are great; take a day and read them!

 

We had a sheltered balcony on deck 5 very near the D stairwell. A very quiet and convenient location for most everything. The room is a typical verandah stateroom - no better than any HAL cabin IMO, but the bathroom lacked storage space and the shower curtain is awful. The low ledge of the shower must have been planned with older travelers in mind, but on the first turbulent days, I was worried water would slosh out of the shower all over the bathroom floor. Any slower draining time might yield a similar result. The bed was super comfy though, and we had great sleeps.

But the drawer pulls. Who on earth was asleep to let those get installed? They are horrifically designed with sharp edges that are difficult to grasp.

We had late seating dining and met each evening at 7:30 for drinks in the Chart Room. This was my favorite lounge, followed by Golden Lion Pub. The Commodore Club didn’t give me a warm feeling, and the champagne bar was a deserted wasteland most of the time. I enjoyed trying the many gins, mmhmm gin.

 

Dinner was OK. Britannia is a beautiful restaurant, and the service mostly was quick and efficient - but distant. The last night service was dreadful for some reason - waiting 40 minutes for appetizers and mains about as long.

Overall, food was a solid meh. I never ate anything that was great, and I had some things that were quite bad. Cold soups were inedible (think corn syrup-flavored fruit juices served in a bowl) and the desserts lacking in flavor. I found the menu far too complicated for the sake of pretentiousness with 9 ingredients in a salad listed but served in minimal fashion. Beef entrees were quite good - kudos there.

 

Breakfasts in the dinning room, according to our friends, was poor. Cold food, lukewarm coffee and bad service. They eventually gave up and joined us in Kings Court. Breakfasts there were good, ample selection and quick service. Carinthia Lounge has good breakfast options as well.

Lunches were split between Britannia, KC and the pub. I found the KC selection lacking and was disappointed in salad offerings. Britannia lunches were much better. Golden Lion Pub’s was a good change of pace and food was decent. After 1:15 it was easy to grab a table. The pub's afternoon tea looked interesting, but we never partook.

We only did afternoon tea twice, but it was fun and a good experience.

 

During days, we wandered around mostly, attended some lectures, saw the planetarium show, and walked the promenade.

 

The planetarium show was awful. You couldn’t hear the narration - the complaints about this afterward were loud. I feel this experience might be past its peak, the show from what we could hear was quite sterile.

 

The presenters were good. Michael Parkinson was onboard and while I'd never heard of him an am not British, I found his Q&A with his son fun. A military general onboard gave talks with a machine gun of facts, and the other two speakers gave talks on Cunard and random other history.

We did the behind-the-scenes tour, and I honestly felt ripped off. We have done these on other ships and seen more. On QM2 you go into areas and meet a supervisor but don’t see the inner workings. No laundry, for instance. They did two tours back-to-back, so we were discouraged from asking multiple questions that would risk delaying the second group. Staff actually complained about these tours taking too much time and being a corporate mandate. That left me feeling very cold. The bridge tour was terrific, though. But what upset me most is we had a photographer take photos in 5 places, including one on the bridge with Captain Wells. We only got one copy - a photo on the stage theater. It was blurry. We got two copies of the same photo. Bad form, Cunard.

 

The passengers were a fun, eclectic, friendly group. We had great fun meeting new people and hearing what their travel plans entail. I was floored so many do take QM2 as transportation solely to avoid flying.

 

Service everywhere was good and efficient. I felt the staff members were robotic and never got to get to know any which I missed from HAL specifically. This very well might be a British training difference, so ymmv.

Weather was, from what I gather, typical of mid May. First two days were bumpy with 8-12m waves and Force 8 winds. The rest was calm seas, cool, often foggy and rainy and windy. The forward decks only opened on the last day.

 

Overall we had a great time. We loved QM2 and the crossing. I don’t think we’d sail on a normal Cunard Cruise, but we’ll definitely take another QM2 crossing!

I’ll leave you with a few photos. Any questions, just ask!

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Enjoyed reading your review. Great pictures.

Our first TA was many, many years ago on the QEII. Loved it.

[Underwatr]

As a multiple-repeat QM2 passenger who has sailed on HAL a couple if tines so far, I think your reporting is accurate & fair. I'd rate the Britannia meals higher overall but the food budget may be higher on the holiday voyages I normally take.

 

We've begun frequenting the Carinthia Lounge for lunch, although there isn't really any variety in the small plate offerings from one day to the next.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Welcome Home!! :D

Good Review and NO I would not like Pepper ;p

 

With the QM2 being almost 150,000 tons did you feel she was really big?

I am a little bit surprised that some of the service in the Dining Areas were not better.

Would you say the majority of the Passengers were from the UK or a mix of North America and EU/UK?

 

Was there a lot of talk about the upcoming wedding?

 

Glad you Enjoyed and Sounds like you had a Very Nice Anniversary, great way to celebrate!!

[sppunk]

Welcome Home!! :D

Good Review and NO I would not like Pepper ;p

 

With the QM2 being almost 150,000 tons did you feel she was really big?

I am a little bit surprised that some of the service in the Dining Areas were not better.

Would you say the majority of the Passengers were from the UK or a mix of North America and EU/UK?

 

Was there a lot of talk about the upcoming wedding?

 

Glad you Enjoyed and Sounds like you had a Very Nice Anniversary, great way to celebrate!!

We’ve sailed RCI monsters in the past and I dislike big ships - she is too big for me. But she isn’t crowded so doesn’t feel as huge as those RCI ships imo.

 

I’d guess it was about half Americans, half Brits. Maybe a few more Americans but fairly even split from what I gathered.

 

Not much about the wedding x we were in Windsor the day before we sailed and that’s a different story lol.

[erewhon]

Thank you for reviewing your cruise, and sharing the photos.

Do you have a photo of your stateroom?

[navybankerteacher]

We've done a couple of QM2 crossings- I believe the write-up was fair and generally accurate. The thing is, if you have the time, QM2 is the best way to cross - much cheaper than first, or even business, class air - and far superior to the typical purgatory of a coach flight.

[sppunk]

Thank you for reviewing your cruise, and sharing the photos.

Do you have a photo of your stateroom?

Certainly! All from my phone so quality isn’t perfect.

 

 

 

[portofrome]

Thank you for the review. I did 2 crossing on QM2 and realĺy loved them.

[haladdict]

Sorry that Sppunk didn't enjoy the Planetarium on the QM2. It's one of my favourite places. Just after lunch, with comfy, reclining seats. The lights dim. Nap time.

Sandra

[Kiwifromkiev]

Certainly! All from my phone so quality isn’t perfect.

 

 

 

 

 

What’s in this photo- does not look like balcony?

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[aliaschief]

Thanks for sharing your experience.

[ski ww]

Enjoyed reading your review & pictures.

[ArtsyCraftsy]

Great write up! I'm booked on the QM2 in late 2019 for a B2B: r/trip New York --> Hamburg, followed immediately by r/trip New York --> Quebec (total 33 days). I especially appreciate your take on the various food venues. Very helpful!

 

Lana in Bellingham, WA

[navybankerteacher]

What’s in this photo- does not look like balcony?

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

Balcony cabins on lower decks have largely enclosed areas - essentially with holes cut through the hull, rather than being more open.

[Underwatr]

The sheltered balconies on decks 4-5-6 are because the walk-around promenade is up on 7. You're looking out through the hull, not a glass front superstructure.

 

The public spaces on decks 2 and 3 are unlike any other ship I've been in. Ceiling heights about twice the normal height.

[sppunk]

The sheltered balconies on decks 4-5-6 are because the walk-around promenade is up on 7. You're looking out through the hull, not a glass front superstructure.

 

The public spaces on decks 2 and 3 are unlike any other ship I've been in. Ceiling heights about twice the normal height.

The main central corridors on 2/3 are MASSIVE. It is a truly remarkable space.

[sppunk]

Balcony cabins on lower decks have largely enclosed areas - essentially with holes cut through the hull, rather than being more open.

Correct.

 

We had friends on 9 who couldn’t stand on theirs because wind. With a sheltered you are fully protected.

[Tampa Girl]

Having taken that crossing in early May, 2016, I concur with most of your observations. Although we were in the Princess Grille, I found the food to be the least attractive part of the ship - with the exception of the rack of lamb. Delicious!

 

We were quite disappointed in the Lion's Pub. The fish 'n chips were the worst that we have experienced in London.

 

Those disappointments aside, we thought the ship was beautiful and, being the true ocean liner that it is sliced through gale force winds like a knife through warm butter. And the library! Would that HAL would take a lesson from Cunard's playbook.

 

Thank you for your review. If we were not using FF miles for our TA flights, I would agree that a crossing on the QM2 is cheaper than business class on whatever.

[rafinmd]

Welcome home. I assume the Promenade deck photos were taken in the early morning during the daily power washing. I do like that the crew comes around with squeegees and the deck doesn't stay soaked for too long.

 

I'm a bit surprised by the planetarium report. I'm actually not a fan but it's a very popular show.

 

I LOVE QM2 for North Atlantic crossings but an not so sure about it as a cruise ship. I guess I'll find out how I really feel with a 50-day cruise in 2020.

 

 

Did you notice if the Boardwalk Cafe ever opened on your crossing?

 

 

Roy

[OlsSalt]

We were on a Hamburg harbor tour when the Queen Mary II was getting remastered a while back. Perched high above the water totally exposed on massive stilts, our impression of the grand lady was we were seeing her with her panties down - (blush). :o She does look lovely. Thanks for the report. Good news about the meh food - no temptations to over-eat. Thank goodness for small favors.

[puppycanducruise]

Thank you for taking the time to post your comments and photos.

[Diver2014]

We've been on 6 HAL cruises and 1 QE2 cruise----loved all of them. We also had an 'in hull' balcony. The only thing we didn't like about that was you had to stand up to see out. The chairs were too low. I wish there would have been a plexiglass lower wall but maybe the steel hull that close to the water is a better safety option. As for HAL, I'll never get over how clean their ships always were. Crew were constantly polishing brass railings (or disinfecting, don't know which) and fresh flowers in all the public areas. Wonderful ships.

[sppunk]

Having taken that crossing in early May, 2016, I concur with most of your observations. Although we were in the Princess Grille, I found the food to be the least attractive part of the ship - with the exception of the rack of lamb. Delicious!

 

We were quite disappointed in the Lion's Pub. The fish 'n chips were the worst that we have experienced in London.

 

Those disappointments aside, we thought the ship was beautiful and, being the true ocean liner that it is sliced through gale force winds like a knife through warm butter. And the library! Would that HAL would take a lesson from Cunard's playbook.

 

Thank you for your review. If we were not using FF miles for our TA flights, I would agree that a crossing on the QM2 is cheaper than business class on whatever.

The chips were good but yes the fish was poor. I forgot to mention that. The tikka masala was pretty decent if a bit too sweet.

 

Interestingly we went to the library a few times and it was deserted. Most readers were on tablets, I saw very few books out and about.

[sppunk]

Welcome home. I assume the Promenade deck photos were taken in the early morning during the daily power washing. I do like that the crew comes around with squeegees and the deck doesn't stay soaked for too long.

 

I'm a bit surprised by the planetarium report. I'm actually not a fan but it's a very popular show.

 

I LOVE QM2 for North Atlantic crossings but an not so sure about it as a cruise ship. I guess I'll find out how I really feel with a 50-day cruise in 2020.

 

 

Did you notice if the Boardwalk Cafe ever opened on your crossing?

 

 

Roy

I don’t wake up early, ha, so those photos are from the afternoon. It rained nearly every day and these were during our right after a shower.

 

The angry (but polite) Brits left the planetarium show midway through made quite a scene. The staff didn’t seem to care no one could hear the narration.

 

The Boardwalk Cafe was never open. That deck is imo an uninviting place and way out of the way for an eatery like that. It looked mothballed actually.

 

She is perfect for a crossing, agreed. But I have no desire to book a Cunard standard cruise on any ship. I think you and I feel very similar to Cunard iirc.