QM2 Balcony Cabins

[snaefell]

We are considering booking a Transatlantic Summer 2021,we will be looking at a balcony cabin,just wondering,weather permitting,how sunbathing on the sheltered balconies compared to non sheltered,interested in any comments please guys.

[Pear Carr]

Would imagine first consideration should be port/starboard and recommendation is port sailing west from UK and starboard sailing east from USA.  Sheltered balconies will not afford you the same amount of sunshine as non sheltered but will give you closer proximity to the ocean but views are only really possible when standing.  That said I prefer a sheltered balcony on a transatlantic crossing as weather so changeable throughout the year and I like the stability of a mid ship/deck.  Whichever you choose it is lovely to have your own outside space for a quiet read and early evening tipple, however, you will likely find that there are so many areas of the ship that you enjoy or want to explore that it won’t really matter.

[bluemarble]

Here are a couple photos to give you an idea of how much sun you can expect on a QM2 sheltered balcony during a crossing. These were both taken from sheltered balcony cabins on the starboard side during eastbound crossings (the sunny side of the ship for those crossings). The first one is from August 2014 showing older style furniture while the second one is from July 2016 showing the newer style furniture after QM2's remastering. These pretty much illustrate the best-case scenario for how much sun you can expect on a sheltered balcony for a few hours each day during a summer crossing.

 

 

 

Don't get me wrong. We love sheltered balconies. That's our preferred type of cabin for crossings. But that's not because they provide much in the way of sunbathing opportunities, I'm afraid.

[snaefell]

Thanks for your help & advice guys,much appreciated!

[BklynBoy8]

On 10/14/2020 at 2:35 PM, snaefell said:

We are considering booking a Transatlantic Summer 2021,we will be looking at a balcony cabin,just wondering,weather permitting,how sunbathing on the sheltered balconies compared to non sheltered,interested in any comments please guys.

We are partial to Club Britannia cabins which do have balconies but on the 12th & 13th Decks.

Part of the 12th Deck is sheltered with the the overhang of the Sun Deck on Deck 13th. Cabins further forward

on Deck 12 are clear of overhangs and gets sun most of the day the sun is on that side of the ship. These are the

cabin location we prefer. We are very happy with the full exposure of the sun then in privacy.

Deck 13 cabins - Club Cabins , the new addition onto the ship during the last refit, do have the overhang from the new Lookout Walkway above the Bridge Area.

 

Everyone has a personal preference to the location they wish to sail in. We did have friends that sailed on the QM2 for the first time and had Sheltered Cabin on Deck 6. They thought it was interesting not having that type of cabin on other cruise ships. They favor Disney which does not have sheltered cabins.

 

The other addition to the Club Britannia Cabins is they have a separate pre-grill style dining room with preassigned table for the entire sailing for all three meals, with one seating at dinner time.

 

As always, after experiencing the QM2 for the first time I know you will want to return to sail on her again and maybe try another cabin cat. or the same.

[snaefell]

Thanks again for your help guys,looks like it's not going to happen sadly,the cruise we were looking at on June 23rd 2021 was a return TA with a visit to Halifax,an overnighter in Boston & two visits to New York,all places we really want to see & without flying,sadly the only balcony cabins left are sheltered ones & we both feel,having looked at a number of videos & photos,that they are not for us given how much time we would likely want to spend on the balcony on a 20 night cruise.

Thanks again guys,happy cruising!

[BklynBoy8]

20 hours ago, snaefell said:

Thanks again for your help guys,looks like it's not going to happen sadly,the cruise we were looking at on June 23rd 2021 was a return TA with a visit to Halifax,an overnighter in Boston & two visits to New York,all places we really want to see & without flying,sadly the only balcony cabins left are sheltered ones & we both feel,having looked at a number of videos & photos,that they are not for us given how much time we would likely want to spend on the balcony on a 20 night cruise.

Thanks again guys,happy cruising!

snaefell,

So sorry you won't get the opportunity to sail on the QM2 next year. Maybe in the future.

 

When we heard of the actions being taken early on with cancellations we decided to re-book for next year asap and got the same cabin for 2021. In the days and weeks to come, we saw and heard from others how fast re-booking were happening for 2021 in hopes of a vaccine would come about to assist sailing again. Unfortunately it seems precautions will continue next year too which we are fine with.

 

You mentioned the sailing would include the June visit to Boston & Halifax with NYC. That is the same sailing we were booked and re-booked for. We have done the July 4th Celebration Cruise many times and you would have liked it as we have. But I was not surprised to hear how booked the ship is thru your message.

 

Hope you dream cruise does come true in the future.

[CateW]

On 10/16/2020 at 1:25 AM, snaefell said:

Thanks again for your help guys,looks like it's not going to happen sadly,the cruise we were looking at on June 23rd 2021 was a return TA with a visit to Halifax,an overnighter in Boston & two visits to New York,all places we really want to see & without flying,sadly the only balcony cabins left are sheltered ones & we both feel,having looked at a number of videos & photos,that they are not for us given how much time we would likely want to spend on the balcony on a 20 night cruise.

Thanks again guys,happy cruising!

 If the transatlantic you are looking at is in June, I don't really think that it is going to be that warm during the crossing.  Don't get me wrong, you might get a good day here and there but not that many.   We did a round trip crossing a few times in August; the first time we had 12 good days out of 15 and spend lots of time outdoors.  The second time, also in August, we had 2 good days out of 14.   Crossing the Atlantic, you never know what you are going to get. 

[Bigmike911]

On 10/16/2020 at 12:25 AM, snaefell said:

Thanks again for your help guys,looks like it's not going to happen sadly,the cruise we were looking at on June 23rd 2021 was a return TA with a visit to Halifax,an overnighter in Boston & two visits to New York,all places we really want to see & without flying,sadly the only balcony cabins left are sheltered ones & we both feel,having looked at a number of videos & photos,that they are not for us given how much time we would likely want to spend on the balcony on a 20 night cruise.

Thanks again guys,happy cruising!

There are chez lounges on the promenade deck and around the aft pools, You will find them relatively empty much of the time. They are actually more suitable for sun bathing than the balcony's are.