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Nov. 25th. to Dec. 8th. cruise from N.Y to the Carribean on QM2


Jeffrey1950
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We are on our way home...great cruise...but I did notice a slight decline in dress...men are still mostly in tuxes on gala nights,  but long evening gowns are not seen as much as in past cruises ...would say maybe 20%..this is the first time I felt overdressed. Also not a lot of ties on the other nights for men, mostly shirt with jackets..saw the same thing on QE this last summer

 

the weather was great as were the seas...food excellent as normal.

 

looking forward to our cruise next nov 10th

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We're doing this cruise next year.  What themed balls did they have?  I used to bring a suitcase with outfits for the themed balls.  We haven't been on QM2 in awhile so really looking forward to next year's Caribbean cruise.  Mostly for the warm weather and sunshine but we also enjoy dressing, etc. for dinner.  Hoping there will be some reviews of this year's cruise.

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We returned home this cruise yesterday, our 3rd time for this cruise. We were disappointed to find the food in the King's Court not as varied, appealing, or tasty as in the past. The pastries were all smaller and not as tasty as before. The hot main entrees were frequently unappealing and not especially varied. Desserts were consistent but not especially tasty. Lots of Asian type foods, but except for sushi and raw salmon and tuna bar, not very good. 

 

Although QM2 was refurb'd not that long ago, we saw worn carpet that needed replacing or at least tightened. a number of unfinished or poorly finished repairs degraded the overall experience, e.g. primer paint on deck railings, poorly puttied/caulked bathroom repairs.

 

I agree with Cool Cruiser that not only has dress become more casual, but that in a number of cases, the person's dress was really not appropriate for the venue and dress code at the time, i.e. really not even "smart casual", or shorts and t-shirts in the King's Court after 1800. LOTS of people not dressed to code of the evening in the Royal Court Theatre. Speaking of which, for 6 sea days, the speakers/presentations were not particularly interesting (many repeats from previous cruises), except if you were a Brit septagenarian.

 

QM2 is a grand ship; we especially love the public rooms' decor (but not the awful music they pipe into the Commodore and other places) and ambiance. However, I am convinced that some of my observations are a reflection of a conscious strategy by Cunard to cut costs and/or test how such cost cutting will affect demand. I hope they realize sooner rather than later that they are degrading their brand with these efforts.

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I am the original poster and although it is always wonderful to step aboard this majestic lady I am inclined to agree with poster eildonaus. Cunard needs to pull it's socks up or they will start loosing passengers. I got off the ship yesterday and here are some observations of mine. I had a sheltered balcony this cruise and the same cruise last year. Although, different staterooms I found the carpets to be very dirty. We all know that there is a same day turnaround in port but there is no excuse why these carpets cannot get shampooed once in a while or at least the stains removed. My first closet in the stateroom had one set of two hangers I had to ask for more hangers and was handed five wire coat hangers. I did not have a bathrobe in my closet I mentioned to the steward there was none twice and never did receive one. The ledge in my balcony had dirty stains all over it. Okay, these are just minor things but where it really gets annoying is when I follow the dress code in the evening planning eat outfit with care I go into the dining room and have to sit with people that look as if they were going shopping to the mall.The dress code should be enforce I noticed that in the evenings even in the lobby there were people dressed as if they did not care I even saw one guy in shorts and sandals. Yes, I know to each their own but when there is a code at least follow it don't ruin it for us that do. I found the Kings Court food mostly to be good but some how it did not match up to the standard of last years cruise. There seemed to be less choice regardless it was good. One other point I would like to make out if you like to jog around the deck and I envy those that still can please consider the passengers who are walking There was one gentleman jogger who was going full speed and acting as if he owned the deck he was jogging very quick and if there were passenger's walking he would not wait behind them till he had a chance to pass them up he would just keep going in he banged into me and I saw him to this to someone other passengers. Be considerate we all have a right to be there. So with all this I will say regardless I will be back on board next year but ladies always remember the world notices how you dress and this is Cunard...

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We got home yesterday from this cruise, also our third time doing this particular sailing (we have also done the Christmas/New Year's cruise twice).  For the first time, we originally booked PG but because of numerous price drops, we were able to upgrade to a Q6, first time in Queens Grille.   Our room was very spacious, well appointed and spotless when we got on and all week.  I wasn't terribly fond of the location, it was too far forward.   We always do room service for breakfast and normally just grab something in the Kings Court for lunch.  Service and dinners were outstanding.  You have the regular menu, an everyday menu and an alternative menu where you need to let them know durning lunch if you want any of those options.   If you didn't like any of those choices, you could ask for something else and if they had it, you got it.  I don't favor caviar but I saw lots of people having it, some every night.  The experience was fabulous!  We did sit next to Peter James and his lovely wife each evening after they boarded in Barbados; they are very nice people.   Most people that I saw in the evening were nicely dressed and lots of men in tuxes in QG in the evening but yes, there were others who didn't come close to the dress code, especially on gala evenings.  It didn't ruin my experience, I guess some people don't like to dress up.  I have been monitoring this sailing since we booked, and there have been lots of price drops and the price was very reasonable to begin with so I think there were passengers who booked because they got a good deal and have no experience with Cunard.  That's just an observation.   We had a great time and we were blessed with wonderful ports and weather.  I think we are going to skip this next year because it's only 5 ports and 6 sea days and honestly, I do think that we could get back in 2 days and have 7 ports but you never know.  Overall a wonderful trip and I'm glad we were able to do it.

Edited by CateW
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On ‎12‎/‎8‎/‎2018 at 7:09 PM, Luv2Crus40 said:

We're doing this cruise next year.  What themed balls did they have?  I used to bring a suitcase with outfits for the themed balls.  We haven't been on QM2 in awhile so really looking forward to next year's Caribbean cruise.  Mostly for the warm weather and sunshine but we also enjoy dressing, etc. for dinner.  Hoping there will be some reviews of this year's cruise.

Regardless of my comments I am sure you will have a great time. I cannot answer about the Themed Balls as I did not attend any. If you wish to send me a private message with your email address I can look at my daily info and give you an idea what there was this year any try my best to answer any questions you may have.

 

Edited by Jeffrey1950
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We've docked in Barbados on our two visits there. The same for St Kitts.

 

The ports where we've always tendered are St. Lucia and Antigua. Occasionally Cunard will say Possible Tender for other ports but I've noticed that when it looks iffy (St.Thomas was scheduled to be a tender port on the upcoming Christmas cruise) they reorder the ports a month or two before the sailing so as many ports as possible are docking ports. But I think the ship is just too large for St. Lucia and Antigua (although Antigua was cancelled last Christmas and this fall due to weather at the port not being conducive for tendering).

 

PS: Cruise Critic doesn't support private messaging despite appearances to the contrary. I've received a private message since the conversion but only from a forum Administrator.

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9 hours ago, Luv2Crus40 said:

I will have to figure out how to do a private email.  Meantime. Can QM2 dock now in Barbados?  She could not on our prior cruises. Also. Does QM2 doc at pier in St. Kitts?  DH and I prefer not to use tenders. Thanks. 

We docked in Barbados but St. Kitts was a tender because it was a last minute replacement for Antigua.    We have done this cruise before on QM2 and we have docked in St. Kitts.

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We have always docked in at St. Kitts.  Much easier for visiting the shops. Glad to know it still can do that.  Thanks.  

How is Dominica as a port now?  We had to tender last time there and just walked around a bit and went back to the ship. DH and I have limited mobility now so usually just visit the ports and go back on ship. We used to do lots of excursions but like to relax and enjoy the seas these days.

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Dominica is among my favorite Caribbean ports. The city of Roseau still looks very colonial and it's easy to access (but only if you're docked right in downtown Roseau).

I generally walk through the botanic garden and up to the "Morne Bruce Viewpoint" to see the city with the ship docked. You can also hire a cab to drive you up and back down.

 

IMG_20161228_095334.thumb.jpg.0d3e278c57c035669627ca791e61384b.jpg

Edited by Underwatr
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On ‎12‎/‎10‎/‎2018 at 9:16 AM, Underwatr said:

We've docked in Barbados on our two visits there. The same for St Kitts.

 

The ports where we've always tendered are St. Lucia and Antigua. Occasionally Cunard will say Possible Tender for other ports but I've noticed that when it looks iffy (St.Thomas was scheduled to be a tender port on the upcoming Christmas cruise) they reorder the ports a month or two before the sailing so as many ports as possible are docking ports. But I think the ship is just too large for St. Lucia and Antigua (although Antigua was cancelled last Christmas and this fall due to weather at the port not being conducive for tendering).

 

PS: Cruise Critic doesn't support private messaging despite appearances to the contrary. I've received a private message since the conversion but only from a forum Administrator.

Antigua was also cancelled fall 2017.  Three in a row?  Maybe it's time to give up.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Good day. If I may be inclined to ask, how was it leaving out of Brooklyn? It seems like a nice alternative. Also how did you get there? I am considering driving there myself and parking at the pier, but am slightly concerned about parking spot availability seeing as the cruise I am considering is a repositioning cruise, so there will not be anyone retrieving their vehicles after the previous cruise.

 

Thanks in advance!

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We did this cruise, drove to the pier and parked. Getting there is a little confusing, as signage is terrible, and signs that are helpful are minisule and somewhat vague. We had no trouble parking as it's a pretty big lot. 

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