Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic Review - Britannia Club

[Smokeyham]

Here is a review of our transatlantic crossing in Queen Mary 2 from Southampton to New York.  Please feel free to ask any questions:

 

Queen Mary 2 Cruise Critic Review – May, 2024

 

Brittania Club Balcony – A1 Cabin

 

We thoroughly enjoyed our crossing from Southampton to New York.  Prior to this our most recent cruise experience was on board the much smaller 700-passenger Oceania Insignia.  While Queen Mary 2 is nowhere near the size of the mega-ships, we wondered how we would enjoy the 2,610 capacity Queen Mary 2.  For a transatlantic crossing, with six days at sea, we found the ship to be large enough to have a nice variety of venues and entertainment without being overwhelmingly large.

 

The ship itself is in very good shape.  Other reviews talked about signs of rust and worn looking areas.  We did not find this to be the case.  Our cabin was in very good condition, and everything worked.  Hint… to get the toilet flush button to work give it a quick firm jab, rather than a slow push.

 

Britannia Club Class:  We reviewed the various classes of accommodation/restaurants (Britannia, Britannia Club, Princess Grill, Queens Grill) and chose the Britannia Club class and an “A1” category cabin within that category.  

 

We really liked the benefits of the Britannia Club Class.  The priority embarkation bypassed a long line at Southampton (though the priority line was not well marked, and the signage did not indicate that it included Club Class).  

 

Having our own assigned table in the more intimate Club Class space, along with the same service staff, was a real benefit as there was often a queue at the entrance to the Britannia restaurant.  

 

Do be aware that there are no USB plugs on board.  If you use a CPAP then a convertor to allow you to plug in both the beside lamp and your CPAP (as well as a USB for your phone) will be helpful to plug into the socket behind the bed.

 

We bought the Wifi package and had solid service, even in our cabin, across the Atlantic.  Speeds were typically around 20 Mbps; not blazing fast but good enough for most purposes. 

 

On Board Activities:  In addition to the traditional bingo, trivia, etc. we really enjoyed the Cunard Insights enrichment lectures.  On our voyage we had a retired Concorde pilot who talked about his own experience as well as looking to the future of passenger flight.  In addition, we had a journalist who provided an interesting perspective into the death of Lady Diana.  Also, there was a university professor providing a history and perspective on immigration into the United States. 

 

There were a wide variety of musical offerings, and it was fun to see how well attended the ballroom dancing was in the Queens Room, as well dancing in the G32 night club.  We also attended a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company which was very well done.  We were disappointed that the onboard planetarium was not working.

 

The Cruise/Entertainment Director was not highly visible, which was absolutely fine with us.  It was nice not having a barrage of announcements and attempts to sell things.

 

A highlight of the crossing is the ship itself.  We definitely noticed how steady she was in seas where we have noticed more movement on other ships.  The historic nature of this liner was very evident, and we enjoyed the classic style of the ship along with the interesting history panels available around the ship.  The library and public rooms were very comfortable and classically styled. 

 

Other passengers were interesting and well-traveled.  Adherence to the Cunard dress code, definitely more formal than other lines especially on the transatlantic crossings, was very high.

 

In conclusion, we highly recommend a transatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2, especially in Britannia Club Class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Host Hattie]

Thank you very much for posting, it's good to hear that you enjoyed your crossing. 

How did the food compare to Oceania?

I see they have trademarked "The Best Cuisine at Sea" - a bold claim !

[elmsliebev]

7 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

Thank you very much for posting, it's good to hear that you enjoyed your crossing. 

How did the food compare to Oceania?

I see they have trademarked "The Best Cuisine at Sea" - a bold claim !

Host Hattie we are on QA in June, then Oceania's Regatta in October. I'm looking forward to seeing if it lives up to it's promise!!

[Smokeyham]

Just now, Host Hattie said:

Thank you very much for posting, it's good to hear that you enjoyed your crossing. 

How did the food compare to Oceania?

I see they have trademarked "The Best Cuisine at Sea" - a bold claim !

I would say the buffet was better on Oceania.  The selection in the dining room also seemed better on Oceania, but we enjoyed both.

[Jack E Dawson]

Thanks Smokeyham for a great review. Your timing was perfect as we will be boarding QM2 on June 9th and appreciate your insights. 

 

Jack

[NE John]

Wait…there’s another Cunard ship out there other than Queen Anne??! 😉

QM2 went in for a several week rehaul in Nov ‘23 so much of the rust and tattiness you read about was removed during that refit. Many rave reviews since then.
TA’s are a great experience and awesome review. 

[Tattycoram]

Thanks for this--I'm looking forward to my first Cunard trip--a eastbound TA--in July and you've whet my appetite further.

 

Did you by any chance use or visit the spa?  I'm not really a spa person, but I thought I might get self-indulgent with a day pass.  Some recent reviews and videos say it is (sadly) not so great, with missing tiles, nonworking stations, and even dirty.  

 

(I hope the planetarium is fixed by our trip--learning about it was a fun extra draw for my daughter and me.)

[D&N]

59 minutes ago, Tattycoram said:

Thanks for this--I'm looking forward to my first Cunard trip--a eastbound TA--in July and you've whet my appetite further.

 

Did you by any chance use or visit the spa?  I'm not really a spa person, but I thought I might get self-indulgent with a day pass.  Some recent reviews and videos say it is (sadly) not so great, with missing tiles, nonworking stations, and even dirty.  

 

(I hope the planetarium is fixed by our trip--learning about it was a fun extra draw for my daughter and me.)

How recent were the reviews?

It's not something we had time to use, but I understood it had a major refurbishment in November. The specialist company that treated the stainless steel central whirlpool section posted several videos.

[MCC retired]

18 minutes ago, D&N said:

How recent were the reviews?

It's not something we had time to use, but I understood it had a major refurbishment in November. The specialist company that treated the stainless steel central whirlpool section posted several videos.

Where can we find those videos?

 

[Tattycoram]

"How recent were the reviews?"

 

One semi-critical video on YouTube (by Suite Natured) seems to be right before the refurbishment (September 2023). A very negative review of the spa is here on Cruise Critic is from right afterwards (they put December 2023 as their sailing date).  

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=710512

 

Thus my confusion!

 

 

[D&N]

45 minutes ago, MCC retired said:

Where can we find those videos?

 

https://www.youtube.com/@BROMOCOInternational/videos

 

Bromoco International. I'd never heard of them until their videos appeared. I think there's six videos and another done as a case study.

 

 

[D&N]

44 minutes ago, Tattycoram said:

"How recent were the reviews?"

 

One semi-critical video on YouTube (by Suite Natured) seems to be right before the refurbishment (September 2023). A very negative review of the spa is here on Cruise Critic is from right afterwards (they put December 2023 as their sailing date).  

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=710512

 

Thus my confusion!

 

 

Think they've got the date wrong.

Their YT video of the Spa was posted about six months ago, but I think it was based on a sailing to Norway over eight months ago.

[Tattycoram]

"Think they've got the date wrong."

 

That would make a lot more sense!  It was really the date that had me confused.  I appreciate you drawing on your knowledge to clear things up.  Looking forward to seeing for myself if no one posts an update!

[Smokeyham]

6 hours ago, Jack E Dawson said:

Thanks Smokeyham for a great review. Your timing was perfect as we will be boarding QM2 on June 9th and appreciate your insights. 

 

Jack

I hope you have a wonderful time.  She truly is a beautiful ship!

 

[Smokeyham]

6 hours ago, Tattycoram said:

Thanks for this--I'm looking forward to my first Cunard trip--a eastbound TA--in July and you've whet my appetite further.

 

Did you by any chance use or visit the spa?  I'm not really a spa person, but I thought I might get self-indulgent with a day pass.  Some recent reviews and videos say it is (sadly) not so great, with missing tiles, nonworking stations, and even dirty.  

 

(I hope the planetarium is fixed by our trip--learning about it was a fun extra draw for my daughter and me.)

We walked through the spa but did not use any of the services.  It looked nice but I can't really give you any feedback on it.