Live the QM2 Back to Back NYC to Quebec

[misguy]

We left our hotel near JFK about 9:30, and the rain was pouring down.  All kinds of weather alerts for flash flooding, and in fact the entrance to the cruise port from the city street had about a foot of water in it.  Our uber was Toyota Highlander, and we went through the water to the terminal so many people were getting out walking in from the street to the terminal.  We were inside the terminal by about 11:30, and they opened check in at 12:00.  By  1:00 PM we were on the ship and dumping our backpacks into the room.  It is 3:00 now, and we have the luggage empty and the room ready for our trip.  We ate lunch in Kings Court, and found the food very good.

[misguy]

Internet in port was good enough for a zoom call.  Download was 33.-96 and up was 6.82.  We are in cabin 6024 and there is a access point outside our door.

[Host Hattie]

It's good to hear you made it on board, thanks for posting and have a great trip. 

[misguy]

The weather has improved and it stopped raining, we can see the Statue of Liberty and I hope the ceiling will have lifted before we sail away so that I can take some photos as we pass under the bridge.

[BklynBoy8]

4 minutes ago, misguy said:

The weather has improved and it stopped raining, we can see the Statue of Liberty and I hope the ceiling will have lifted before we sail away so that I can take some photos as we pass under the bridge.

 

Weather will continue till tomorrow with system bands will be returning so if you can take photos, get them when you can. 

[misguy]

Tomorrow, we will be a long way north headed toward Halifax, and hopefully we will have nice weather for our day there.

[NE John]

Looks like you’ll be good to go after the QM2 gets through the next 24 hours. 
 

[Germancruiser]

Seems there is a slight delay in leaving NY this evening. I still see QM2 docked  via Cruise Mapper.

[misguy]

We are leaving about 11:00 PM because they are waiting for delayed passengers.

[Germancruiser]

Oh - okay- thats the reason- I thought it has someting to do with luggage incident earlier today when passengers dissembarked. Thx a lot- and also for letting us joining in your voyage. I am boarding in Quebec at the October 6 th. So almost time to pack.

[misguy]

We are looking forward to seeing Quebec and then the journey back home.  We are traveling in Britainia Class this week, and Princess Grill on the return voyage.

[misguy]

This morning at sea, the ship is moving some, and Starlink is providing 68 M down and 4.82 up in my room.  There was a female singer in the theater last night and she was really good, sang a variety of genres.  Pictures coming later today.

[Host Hattie]

Thanks for the updates, it's good to hear that Starlink is operational. 

[Pushpit]

My speeds last week were 12 mb/s download, 0.6 mb/s upload, ping 62ms regardless of location on the QM2 or premium versus essential. There was an access point close to my stateroom (next door along). So something has clearly changed.

[Covepointcruiser]

We found the Grill Lounge on 9 and all public spaces have good Wi-Fi.   We did not have WiFi reception in our QG Suite.

[bitob]

2 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

We found the Grill Lounge on 9 and all public spaces have good Wi-Fi.   We did not have WiFi reception in our QG Suite.

The fire doors prevent signal. I was told that when ship goes into dry dock there will be routers in all the cabins

[rafinmd]

Continue to enjoy, especially the upgrade to Princess Grill.

 

Roy

[renji]

Any update on dance hosts on board?

[misguy]

I appologize for going silent, but internet got really bad by the time we got to Halifax.  We had a friend take us around Halifax and had a beautiful day there, and then as we went further north, the worse the internet got.   We were not able to visit sept-isle because the wind was to strong to dock.  Yesterday was a very nice day in Saguenay, and we did the hop on- hop off bus and toured the Fjord Museum, and the Airplane museum.  The HOHO is only partially accessible.  

 

I am 70 and the crowd on the ship feels too old for me, I am active, and the experience has been more sedate than I prefer.  The is the first ship I have ever been on where everyone seems to be reading a book.  

 

I have pictures of the food we have eaten, and most of the menus, I will start to share this evening.  Internet seems to be good in Quebec.  We will do a ships excursion this afternoon, and then do trips on our own tomorrow and Friday.

In Britannia, I haven't been impressed by the service, or the food.  We ate in the steakhouse, and found the food uninspiring.  The steaks in MDR have not been great either, it seems to be the way they are prepared.  

 

The steakhouses on RCCL, Celebrity, Carnival, Holland America, and NCL have all had better steaks than what we tried here.  The MDR seems to have better choices for breakfast and lunch than dinner.  We have eaten there twice, one night the menu didn't have anything we wanted so we ate room service, and we ate room service last night, because we didn't feel like getting dressed after our day ashore.

 

We did really enjoy the food in the Italian restaurant.  We will see how we fare in the Princess Grill on our return trip.  We only went to one show,  partly because we have been busy, but also, we have seen anything listed that caught our eye.

 

I am not sure that I hadn't let my expectations get the best of me.  I would be glad to sail again on a crossing or some other deep water cruise where the ship's hull would make for a comfortable ride, but I am not sure I would sail on the QM2 again other wise.

 

Internet at the dock in Quebec is 6.10 down and 5.38 up.

[Host Hattie]

Nice to hear from you, I'm sorry to hear that you're having a disappointing experience.  

I hope you enjoy the return journey more.

[Classiccruiser777]

We’re on QM2 since NY and we’ve noticed a decline in the quality of food as well. I suspect the financial losses due to COVID are the reason for the belt tightening. The menus are not as extensive, beef is less prevalent and for the “gala dinner” the “surf and turf” was steak and prawns, not lobster tail. Portions also are smaller.

 

There are cutbacks evident elsewhere and the exterior of the ship is in rough shape. Rust is prevalent. This is the first time I have ever seen a Cunard ship in such condition.

 

Live music no longer welcomed us upon boarding, a player piano was operating. No live music or candelabras in Britannia on the “gala” (formal) evenings. The TV options are limited and poor, including the aspect ratio and audio described by the OP. The bookshop is just disappointing, very limited selection and short hours. Cunard should bring back Ocean Books.

 

Despite these shortcomings we are having a good time. The ship still handles the weather better than any other, our cabin steward is excellent, the cabin is nice and the beds are very comfortable. And QM2 is truly the “only way to cross.” I hope Cunard steps up as the financials improve.

 

[renji]

30 minutes ago, Classiccruiser777 said:

We’re on QM2 since NY and we’ve noticed a decline in the quality of food as well. I suspect the financial losses due to COVID are the reason for the belt tightening. The menus are not as extensive, beef is less prevalent and for the “gala dinner” the “surf and turf” was steak and prawns, not lobster tail. Portions also are smaller.

 

There are cutbacks evident elsewhere and the exterior of the ship is in rough shape. Rust is prevalent. This is the first time I have ever seen a Cunard ship in such condition.

 

Live music no longer welcomed us upon boarding, a player piano was operating. No live music or candelabras in Britannia on the “gala” (formal) evenings. The TV options are limited and poor, including the aspect ratio and audio described by the OP. The bookshop is just disappointing, very limited selection and short hours. Cunard should bring back Ocean Books.

 

Despite these shortcomings we are having a good time. The ship still handles the weather better than any other, our cabin steward is excellent, the cabin is nice and the beds are very comfortable. And QM2 is truly the “only way to cross.” I hope Cunard steps up as the financials improve.

 

Is it selection or quality of food?  I am happy with simply grilled fish and veggies, are you experience good that isn’t fresh or high quality?  I hope your trip improves! (And not  only because we board tomorrow 😂😂)

Edited October 6, 2023 by renji

[exlondoner]

18 hours ago, misguy said:

I appologize for going silent, but internet got really bad by the time we got to Halifax.  We had a friend take us around Halifax and had a beautiful day there, and then as we went further north, the worse the internet got.   We were not able to visit sept-isle because the wind was to strong to dock.  Yesterday was a very nice day in Saguenay, and we did the hop on- hop off bus and toured the Fjord Museum, and the Airplane museum.  The HOHO is only partially accessible.  

 

I am 70 and the crowd on the ship feels too old for me, I am active, and the experience has been more sedate than I prefer.  The is the first ship I have ever been on where everyone seems to be reading a book.  

 

I have pictures of the food we have eaten, and most of the menus, I will start to share this evening.  Internet seems to be good in Quebec.  We will do a ships excursion this afternoon, and then do trips on our own tomorrow and Friday.

In Britannia, I haven't been impressed by the service, or the food.  We ate in the steakhouse, and found the food uninspiring.  The steaks in MDR have not been great either, it seems to be the way they are prepared.  

 

The steakhouses on RCCL, Celebrity, Carnival, Holland America, and NCL have all had better steaks than what we tried here.  The MDR seems to have better choices for breakfast and lunch than dinner.  We have eaten there twice, one night the menu didn't have anything we wanted so we ate room service, and we ate room service last night, because we didn't feel like getting dressed after our day ashore.

 

We did really enjoy the food in the Italian restaurant.  We will see how we fare in the Princess Grill on our return trip.  We only went to one show,  partly because we have been busy, but also, we have seen anything listed that caught our eye.

 

I am not sure that I hadn't let my expectations get the best of me.  I would be glad to sail again on a crossing or some other deep water cruise where the ship's hull would make for a comfortable ride, but I am not sure I would sail on the QM2 again other wise.

 

Internet at the dock in Quebec is 6.10 down and 5.38 up.

Sorry the food is disappointing (and sounds unlike what I recently experienced on QV).

 

What I found odd was your objection to so many people reading. Whenever I’m on Cunard in nice weather, the decks are full of people enjoying the sunshine and reading, me among them, and I’m not yet 70. Surely it is the natural thing to do? At least near the start of the voyage, books seem to outnumber kindles, less so towards the end. I really don’t think you should associate love of reading with age or semi-decrepitutde. Had I been lucky enough to go on Cunard in my twenties, that is what I should have been doing.

[renji]

18 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Sorry the food is disappointing (and sounds unlike what I recently experienced on QV).

 

What I found odd was your objection to so many people reading. Whenever I’m on Cunard in nice weather, the decks are full of people enjoying the sunshine and reading, me among them, and I’m not yet 70. Surely it is the natural thing to do? At least near the start of the voyage, books seem to outnumber kindles, less so towards the end. I really don’t think you should associate love of reading with age or semi-decrepitutde. Had I been lucky enough to go on Cunard in my twenties, that is what I should have been doing.

I’m often the youngest person around and always happy to be reading!  And we were on QV in Britannia in July (after last having done QE in Princess Grill) and were very happy with the food also. 

[Classiccruiser777]

9 hours ago, renji said:

Is it selection or quality of food?  I am happy with simply grilled fish and veggies, are you experience good that isn’t fresh or high quality?  I hope your trip improves! (And not  only because we board tomorrow 😂😂)

Both. My comparison is present day to pre-COVID. Grilled fish is still available most days, I’ve had the trout and salmon and both were good.