QM2 trip report

[merryecho]

Just a few notes from my first cunard trip, transatlantic on the QM2, NY to Southampton last week. We loved every minute of this cruise.The ship was much nicer than I expected- even though it was a completely full I never felt crowded, except perhaps in the cafeteria. We usually like small ships, but I would do this cruise again in a minute.

 

Embarkation: Not good! Luckily we gave ourselves 3 hours to get to the Brooklyn terminal- a 15 minute trip- as we needed every minute of it. We left from Trump tower and the doorman could not find us a cab willing to go to Brooklyn. We finally decided we should hire a car, but the best they could do was an hour to 1 1/2 hours. I finally found a cab and asked him to take us to the queen mary terminal-which I could see he thought was still in Manhattan. We piled all of our bags in, then told him the terminal was now in Brooklyn. He wasn't happy, but took us. The directions printed on the Cunard brochure are nearly impossible to follow. We finally flagged down another cab that gave us good directions. Finally arrived about 4:00, nearly the only ones in the terminal.

 

Onboard: Ship is elegantly decorated, beds were very comfortable, rooms large enough (B4), lots to do. Pleasantly surprised by the food. We took a Radisson cruise in April and the food was awful- I thought my standards might be too high. But the menus were appetizing and while nothing was 5 star, it was all very good, especially considering how many people were served. The multi-level design makes the room feel less crowded than most double seating ship dining rooms. We had wonderful table mates and enjoyed every dinner.

 

Southampton- Arrived at the dock at 9, just as scheduled. Started disembarkation about 9:30, deck 6 was allowed off at 10:30, lower decks followed. Utter chaos- retrieving luggage reminded me of scences of trying to get a lifeboat on the Titanic- every man for himself. If you have a tight airport connection, take the cunard arranged bus- they are first off the ship.

 

Dress code: Saw several people in cowboy boots and jeans the first day, all of them turned out to be Brits who had been shopping.

 

Ghosts: Hung out in the recommended area of the chart room, but failed to hear so much as a tap.

[guernseyguy]

I finally found a cab and asked him to take us to the queen mary terminal-which I could see he thought was still in Manhattan. We piled all of our bags in, then told him the terminal was now in Brooklyn.

 

Merryecho,

 

Thankyou for your review - and many thanks for the best tip of the year so far!

 

Peter

[merryecho]

Thanks for the praise Peter.

One criticism I have of this trip I forgot to mention- the Cunard website advertised John Cleese as being a guest entertainer on this cruise. He is my favorite, and one of the big reasons I booked the cruise. We were aboard a day or two and I saw no mention of him, so asked at the pursers desk. They replied, "John who? Never heard of him". I asked them to look at their own website, after which they agreed he should be onboard. They called someone else, then said "He isn't here, we don't know why." No apology, no explanation, no mention anywhere else.

[CubsFan1856]

John Cleese was on last yr at this time when my parent sailed. They bumped into him and said that he was quite pleasent to speak with. Are you sure you didn't read last years announcement by mistake?? That could have easily happend.

Gladd you enjoyed yourself, I plan on taking one of the fall cruise to Halifax

[CubsFan1856]

John Cleese was on last yr at this time when my parent sailed. They bumped into him and said that he was quite pleasent to speak with. Are you sure you didn't read last years announcement by mistake?? That could have easily happend.

Gladd you enjoyed yourself, I plan on taking one of the fall cruise to Halifax

[Bramcruiser]

Thanks for the review. Sorry about missing out on John Cleese though. That would be a bummer for me if I missed someone I was geared up to see but at least you did not let it ruin the cruise.

[merryecho]

Yes, I am sure I did not read last year's program. The purser's desk admitted that he was supposed to be on the cruise, just had no reason for why he wasn't