Afternoon Tea on QM2 vs QE2

[dtwtraveler]

We really enjoyed the formality of the Afternoon Tea in the Queen's Room on the QE2. Since we don't have a video of it from the QE2, we wanted to video it on the QM2. What a disappointment! Each course - tea, sandwiches and then scones, etc., were not each presented with the parade of servers with laden silver trays coming out together as each course was presented to us as they did on the QE2! The harpist played as servers merely carried the trays in no special order or formal presentation. I mentioned this to our server, and he peevishly replied, "This isn't the QE2!" I hope that they still formally serve the Afternoon Tea on the QE2. I assumed that the parade was a Cunard tradition.

[DreemCruiser]

Thanks, dtwtraveler, for that information! I'm traveling on QM2 to Hawaii soon and will take note of the tea service... I hope to someday be lucky enough to compare it to QE2's tea :) I hope Cunard continues with its traditions and doesn't give in to "mass appeal." I enjoy the ellegance of formal tea, and even dressing for dinner! - John

 

Also, why bother posting here just to be rude (trashieeuro)? Such childishness. I don't know why anyone would waste his time... trashy, trashy, trashy.

[2moose]

as woman's golf

your handle speaks volumes!!!!!!!!!!

[guernseyguy]

I hope that they still formally serve the Afternoon Tea on the QE2. I assumed that the parade was a Cunard tradition.

 

Absolutely! Just off the QE2 Transatlantic, and Afternoon Tea is one of not a few things the QE2 does much better than the QM2. For starters, its at 4pm, everyday - not shifted around to accommodate other things a la QM2. Then, as you observe, a parade of wait staff fan out to take tea or coffee orders, then deliver sandwiches - nicely fresh - not with a crust forming as on the QM2 - finally cakes and cream scones. While they no longer (in the Queen's Room, at any rate) allow you to create your own cream scone, but have them already prepared, the cream is at least from a cow, the jam from a berry - unlike the QM2 where both have the whiff of the petrochemical industry......MUCH BETTER on QE2 than QM2.

 

Peter

[wripro]

pretty much everything is better on QE2 than on QM2.

[mufi]

The message is slowly getting through.

 

David.

[Bramcruiser]

Thanks for the warning as a traditional English tea was something we were sort of looking forward to on our upcoming December 2006 cruise. I guess I am glad I did tea at the Empress hotel in Victoria, B.C. then. Sounds like I might be disappointed by it. Still, I probably will still do it with warnings and all. I mean 7 days - chances are good you'll eventually break down and just do it.

[cq6]

Just returned today from the January 3rd QM2 Caribbean cruise and the biggest disapointment was the Tea service in the Queens Room. When I sailed last March tea was a highlight. I made tea, sandwiches and scones for visiting friends for months after.

When we returned on ths trip it was one of the events I was looking foward to. The first time we went for tea the Queens room was closed early in preperation for a later event. When we returned a second time there were no tomato and creamcheese sandwiches, no salmon and creamcheese and no egg salad. They were replaced by tuna, plain creamcheese, ham and cheese and what I think was chicken salad. When I asked the server about the change she insisted these were the sandwiches that were always served. The wonderful scones with cream and strawberries were also replaced by little scones with a small bowl of whipped cream and a red jelly that I must admit was tasty but not the same.

This tipified the miriad of small changes that made this trip a little less special than the last. I must say still a wonderful vacation but they seem to be catering to a less traditional crowd.

[LM1]

We definitely noticed a difference on the QE2 versus the QM2 tea, but it was so crowded on the QE2 for tea on the Jan 3 crossing, that if you wanted a seat it was best to be there 45 minutes to an hour before tea started. That was time we wanted to do other things, but the tea was served better than on QM2. The selection of sandwiches was ok, and the scones already had the "stuff" on them. Couldn't do it yourself. The first couple of days we couldn't even pour our own milk/cream into our tea. But there was this whole "red" alert thing going on at first on the ship with cleaniness and all. Funny I haven't seen any posts about that. Salt and pepper came out of paper packets, butter in foil packets, at least in the Caronia. But, that's another thread to start I guess.

[mufi]

They must have tightened up even more since last month. We had the hand sprays and no self service in the Lido, but the butter was served in a butter dish. Looks like this is going to be a permanent routine from now on. Worth it if it cuts down on the dreaded Norwalk.

 

David.

[Allis154]

After the first few days, the milk, butter, salt, pepper and sugars all arrived on the table. The hand sanitizers were everywhere though.

[CruiserBruiser]

I recently returned from the Sunshine Holiday cruise on the QE2, which was my first ever cruise experience. I took tea in the Queen's Room a few times, but you definitely had to stake out your chair there at least by 3:00 pm, so I mostly had it in the Lido. The servers came with tea, little sandwiches, and cakes or scones. I'm not quite sure I understand what the OP is commenting on in terms of the way the tea was served but I would add that none of the food was all that tasty, at least not compared to the scones and cakes that accompanied my "high tea" at the Savoy or at the Orangery. On a side note, there was indeed an emphasis on cleanliness on my cruise. Before entering any dining area we were required to use a hand sanitizer and dispensers were located throughout the ship, presumably to help prevent the spead of infectious diseases. Since this was my first cruise, I assumed this was standard practice on all cruise ships.

[dtwtraveler]

I'm not quite sure I understand what the OP is commenting on in terms of the way the tea was served.... /quote]

 

Some of us were discussing that we miss the formal "parade" of servers in the Queen's Room on the QE2, because they don't do this on the QM2. Servers would appear on either side of the stage with the tea pots, cream, etc. on large silver trays, wait until all of them were all lined up, and proceed together to serve the tea. They would serve the tea, and then there was another parade of servers with trays laden with the tea sandwiches, and then another parade with the sweets, scones, etc. It made the whole process an enjoyable event. Do they still serve afternoon tea this way in the Queens Room on the QE2? If they do, this explains the passengers wanting to find a seat to enjoy the "Afternoon Tea Show" as they did on our crossing!

[susietb]

On the July 30th Cruise to Iceland and Norway this year, the tea service was very ordinary in the Queens Room AND the Queens Grill Lounge.

[wripro]

expectations for proper tea service are just more of the false White Star service marketing campaign Cunard (or should I say Princess) puts out. If you look at the photos in the brochure and expect that on board you will be sorely disappointed with the exception of the service in the Grill rooms.

[CruiserBruiser]

To DWTraveler,

 

I don't recall the tea service in the Queen's Room being quite the "show" that you're describing, but then again I wasn't looking for that either. It seemed to me the same service as the Lido, although the surroundings were different. But, again, I may simply have not noticed.:)