Back from our first every cruise

[Deafcruise]

Hi we just got back from an our first ever cruise on QM2 to Hamburg. The ship was lovely and we had a great time. There were several issues on board that we had to deal with which put a slight dampner on the trip itself.

 

The first night the lights in our suite flickered quite badly. We had to get it sorted and it took them over an hour to sort it out. They had to change most of the bulbs. Sadly on the second night, we faced similar issues so they had to come again and changed the bulbs which addressed most of the flickering.

 

On the third night we received our spa confirmation but there was a mix up: wrong name allocated to our room and it was not what we booked. So another evening trying to sort it out but the Spa was closed so had to address it in the morning. They were kind enough to add 25 mins to our massage which made it to 100 minutes.

 

The Queens Grill was stunning, sadly it took staff a while to realised that the best way to communicate was via gestures. Once they warmed up to the idea (3rd morning) it was fine but then it was time for us to come home!

 

We are keen to try another company for May 2025 any recommendations would be welcomed.

 

Many thanks for all of your advice and tips. They were extremely useful.

 

J

[Host Hattie]

Thank you very much for your report, I'm sorry that things didn't go entirely smoothly. 

To be able to make recommendations we probably need a bit more information. Do you want to sail roundtrip from the UK ? What did you like about Cunard? 

[Deafcruise]

1 minute ago, Host Hattie said:

Thank you very much for your report, I'm sorry that things didn't go entirely smoothly. 

To be able to make recommendations we probably need a bit more information. Do you want to sail roundtrip from the UK ? What did you like about Cunard? 

Round trip would be preferable but happy to sail from elsewhere for example Greece, Miami etc.

 

We loved the sense of being looked after so will go for club or concierge level.

[Pushpit]

I was also on this sailing, and I enjoyed it, mainly thanks to the beautiful weather in Hamburg and the big send off from the people of that city on the Monday evening, which was unforgettable. It was like the whole city turned up to wave us off. Tuesday was a bit strange - a hot sunny period through the German Bight then a foggy afternoon off Holland and Belgium. It was good to hear QM2's foghorn every few minutes.

 

As for recommendations: if you really like QM2 as a ship then it has to be a Crossing, that was what she was built for. Some Crossings then link in with a trip to the Caribbean or Canada. But the longer timeframe would allow the restaurant staff to get familiar with communicating with you. If you were on fixed sittings in Britannia you would get the same table and same staff every night. I doubt that many of them can do BSL but as someone who has deaf patients I know from my own experience that over time it gets a lot easier. So the longer the sailing the better, I guess.

[Essiesmom]

As for trying a different company, I am suggesting MSC, with a cabin in the Yacht Club.  Separate dining, lounge, pool, butler…I have never sailed them in the Yacht Club but from accounts on the MSC board here, it might suit you.  And I think you should consider making up an introduction letter for your butler/cabin attendants detailing your deafness and how they can best accommodate you.  EM

[Bell Boy]

3 hours ago, Deafcruise said:

Round trip would be preferable but happy to sail from elsewhere for example Greece, Miami etc.

 

We loved the sense of being looked after so will go for club or concierge level.

Stick with Cunard ! I was also  on the same cruise in QG , I believe we were sitting facing you in the 'Embarkation lounge Southampton ' ( holding our Red cards 😅)  I occupied a table in the restaurant at the very far end by the rear windows not too far from you and your travel companion.  (I was travelling with my cousin) and we often waved to you both .

 

Do stick with Cunard !  and try a Transatlantic crossing crossing which is what the QM2 was really built for . Club dining is a half way house to the grills and is perfectly acceptable too.

Keep up with your cruising 👍