Just Returned From Qm2 Transatlantics

[pnhmrk]

Was it Malcolm who wanted the limoncella?

 

Not me.:confused: Wasn't it that Italian friend of Matthew who drank it?:)

[deck chair]

Hi Gang:

 

Paul Madden was not on the 7/6/07 crossing but was when I got back on the ship for the 7/28/07 sailing.

 

As a previous poster stated, breakfast and lunch in the BRITANNIA is open seating. I found, however, that you could get any table size you wanted if you so requested when you came in. I like sitting by myself at breakfast and lunch because I like to read. That was never a problem. Again, the service during the open seatings was excellent even though you were not being taken care of my your regular waiters. No complaints there. It really is too bad that KINGS COURT is such a disaster because the food there is good and the variety unbelievable with many more choices that you can get in the dining room. I don't know what can be done to improve the situation. Any suggestions?

 

Deck Chair.

[sailsalot]

Hi Deck Chair!

 

I was on the 7/18 eastbound, and your 7/28 westbound crossing. To answer your question about the morning senior officers party in the Winter Garden for CWC members, we went, and there was quite a crowd. We asked one of the staff why they had it in the morning instead of the evening, and she said it was to try something different. I thought it was very nice to have it during the day, and as for drinks, they offered mimosas, which was a nice drink for that time of day.

 

It was nice to read someone's review of the crossing. Thanks for writing!!

[Namvet4]

Hi Gang:

 

It really is too bad that KINGS COURT is such a disaster because the food there is good and the variety unbelievable with many more choices that you can get in the dining room. I don't know what can be done to improve the situation. Any suggestions?

 

Deck Chair.

 

Hi Deck Chair . . .

Based on very limited experience and our recent cruise on HAL Noordam, we found that breakfast and lunch in the Lido(equivalent to the Kings Court?!?!) was a pleasurable experience. The layout seemed to flow for the number of passengers on board, but most interesting was that there was wait staff available and willing to greet you by name, procure a tray for you and than, when filled with your selections, guide you to available seating.

My DW and I were fortunate enough to have the same wait person almost all the time and he addressed us by name and after a day or two even knew my preference for fresh squeezed orange juice ! :) ( And yes, I did tip him at the end of our cruise for what I felt was service above and beyond - plus his bright and cheery greeting and attention to service detail was a good way to start off the day!)

I am surprised that Cunard has not implemented something along these lines...

just my 2 cents . . .

[Oahucruiser]

In the Lido on the QE2, after you have gone through the buffet line, there are always several waiters at the end of the line to take your tray and lead you to a table. It'd be nice if they could do that on the Mary in the King's Court.

 

I also liked having the party for the gold and platinum members in the Winter Garden at 11:30 and it was nice to see the room used for something other than masses of art constantly stacked up everywhere and the art auction.

[3rdGenCunarder]

In the Lido on the QE2, after you have gone through the buffet line, there are always several waiters at the end of the line to take your tray and lead you to a table. It'd be nice if they could do that on the Mary in the King's Court.

 

The layout of Kings Court is so confusing that the waiters probably can't tell who is finished collecting food and who is still 'grazing.'

 

A big problem with Kings Court is that the serving areas are so open. People wander from place to place instead of moving through in a line. I know that QE2's Lido looks cafeteria-ish, but the structure keeps people moving through in an orderly way without people reaching across the line for things and the possibility of collisions/spills.

 

Kings Court might be improved by simply keeping it open longer to spread out the use of the space over a longer time period. Let one area stay open for late breakfast while another area changes over for early lunch.

 

Kathy

[msk68]

I heard about the room service on our crossing as well. A dear friend saw our room service menu and started howling (almost literally) that there weren't as many offerings on her menu. I had no idea there was a difference. I think the only way to change that is to let customer service know - seems ridiculous to me - I'll ask my TA if she knows about it since she knows a lot of folks over at Cunard.

[artvlay]

My question is, how could the designers of the QM2 have designed a space like the Kings Court area the way they have? Haven't they been on other ships to see the positves and negatives of areas and how they are used?

 

I keep thinking of how nice the Windjammer is on the Radiance and Voayager class ships on RCI. You have room to have a relaxing meal, the food is spread out, and the lines for food are almost non-existant.

[3rdGenCunarder]

My question is, how could the designers of the QM2 have designed a space like the Kings Court area the way they have? Haven't they been on other ships to see the positves and negatives of areas and how they are used?

 

Apparently not. :rolleyes:

 

I haven't been on a lot of other ships, spending as much of my travel budget on QE2 as possible. But I did go on Crown Princess this spring, and I was astonished at how well the buffet worked. The food area was arranged oddly, I never made sense of it, but somehow it worked. We ate nearly every breakfast and lunch there because the open seating in the dining room had such poor service and limited choice of food that my husband thinks they were trying to discourage use of the dining room during the day. (We had an assigned table for dinner, where food and service were great)

 

The differences that I could see that work against Kings Court all contribute to a feeling of chaos:

 

It's on promenade deck, so you get people wandering in from the deck, looking for elevators, not food, thus adding to the size of the crowd.

 

Too many different types of restaurants/food. People wander around tyring to see what each place has before they make choices. This adds to the size of the crowd.

 

In an attempt to make a large space seem 'cozy' the designers broke up the space with partial walls to create small dining areas. This makes it very difficult to see where available tables are. This adds to the number of people wandering around.

 

Due to broken-up seating, people get lost. People who go back for more food or to get utensils that they forgot can't find their table and table mates again. This adds to the number of people wandering around.

 

Layout of the lines is bass-ackwards. You get your tray at the hot stations, then after you get your eggs, etc, you have to go into the line at the cold station if you want fruit. While you are trying to figure out how to get into this line (the cold station is round, and people just circle it), your hot food is getting cold. And you still don't have your coffee, which is in another area, also awkwardly arranged.

 

All of this is the physical setup, and I don't see any way to fix it. The only possibility would be to extend the service hours. Princess had some part of its buffet areas open from 4 AM til after midnight, spreading out the use of the area.

 

Or go to the dining room, where the open seating for daytime meals is handled nicely.

 

Kathy

[Pilgrim70]

Just returned from QM2 TA and enjoyed the crossing greatly. However lunch in the Britannia took too much time. It appeared that dining room staff as well as cabin stewards were all in training. They were friendly but seemed confused at times. Kings Court is poorly designed as others have pointed out. The Commodore Club was very enjoyable and very popular. Afternoon classical concerts were excellent. I would do the crossing again but this is not a luxury crossing. It's been awhile but the QE2 was considerably better.

[cruiseluv]

Hi Deckchair,

 

Thank you for a great review. We were on the eastbound 8/3 crossing and wish I could have sailed back ! What a great ship!

 

Ditto to your comments on the Kings Court. I must have missed posts from other posters commenting on this as it was a surprise to me the zoo like atmosphere of that place. The fact that a lot of their tables are in the center of the room , away from the windows is , IMO, a major design flaw. After trying it twice, once for lunch and another for breakfast, I decided it was not worth becoming mortified by this place so we never went back. That took care of that. However, it's a shame that this area can't be more inviting.

[deck chair]

Hi Gang:

 

With respect to KINGS COURT, if we can go to the moon, CUNARD can fix this space and make it more passenger friendly. For whatever reason, CAROL MARLOWE obvioulsy isn't concerned given that there do not appear to be any plans to make changes. After all, KINGS COURT is is not causing a downturn in passenger loads given my sailings were both fully booked. In addition, the passengers on my sailings are NOT boycotting the area in great numbers: KINGS COURTwas always crowded at peak times. Perhaps CAROL MARLOWE believes it is just passengers who complain about it who are the real problem. I did notice on the deck plans of the QUEEN VICTORIA, that a much more passenger friendly lido restaurant appears to be in place.

 

DECK CHAIR

[cruiseluv]

That's good news that the Lido in QV will be more inviting.

 

Of course, the Kings Court will not prevent us from sailing on QM2 again, but it would be nice if they did something about it. However, if the majority of pax find it ok, I guess they will not bother.

[Kindlychap]

Not me.:confused: Wasn't it that Italian friend of Matthew who drank it?:)

 

Indeed. Will pack a bottle to be safe. Unless they can promise me when I'm on in October that it will be sorted.......

 

Matthew

[deck chair]

Hi!

 

I very much doubt that more than a few passengers find KINGS COURT okay. They just tolerate it as they wander/criss cross about the space like amnesiacs trying to remember where in this maze they are. It is so ridiculous it was designed so horribly.

 

Deck Chair

[cruiseluv]

....

The only thing I missed was the availability of Limoncello which I loved in Italy. It's on all the bar lists but wasn't stocked and the bartenders said they never get it. Delicious treat.

 

Aloha, Patti

 

Yes, same here! One evening I asked for it in Britannia from the wine/drinks steward. He assured me they had it. 10 minutes later he comes with the bad news..... there is none to be had. I had already asked in other bars.

[cruiseluv]

Hi!

 

I very much doubt that more than a few passengers find KINGS COURT okay. They just tolerate it as they wander/criss cross about the space like amnesiacs trying to remember where in this maze they are. It is so ridiculous it was designed so horribly.

 

Deck Chair

 

LOL!!!! Your description is so precise ! I started feeling like a zombie too, when I went there. That's when I told my husband that I refused to go there and have an otherwise flawless cruise spoiled.

 

Ridiculous is right!

[Uncle Pete]

LOL!!!! Your description is so precise ! I started feeling like a zombie too, when I went there. That's when I told my husband that I refused to go there and have an otherwise flawless cruise spoiled.

 

Ridiculous is right!

 

 

We agree....We opted for in-room service and/or Britannia restaurant

[Kindlychap]

Hi Gang:

 

With respect to KINGS COURT, if we can go to the moon, CUNARD can fix this space and make it more passenger friendly. For whatever reason, CAROL MARLOWE obvioulsy isn't concerned given that there do not appear to be any plans to make changes. After all, KINGS COURT is is not causing a downturn in passenger loads given my sailings were both fully booked. In addition, the passengers on my sailings are NOT boycotting the area in great numbers: KINGS COURTwas always crowded at peak times. Perhaps CAROL MARLOWE believes it is just passengers who complain about it who are the real problem. I did notice on the deck plans of the QUEEN VICTORIA, that a much more passenger friendly lido restaurant appears to be in place.

 

DECK CHAIR

 

It's not that bad. If it was it would be empty. And half the problem is the crowds.......

 

I really can't see the point when you've got a choice of decent restaurants to go to anyway. But that's just me - I've never once eaten in the Lido on QE2 for exactly that reason.....

 

Matthew

[lexxity]

Kings court would be better at the rear of the ship, with the buffet arranged along the walls with seating in the middle or out on deck.

 

Todd English would have to move. I am sure that the solution is not beyond the relms of Cunard. I think the idea of Kings Court is nice, but it just doesn't flow properly.

[deck chair]

Hi Gang:

 

Looking at some of my pictures from my crossings, I forgot to mention how romantic it is to be out in the middle of nowhere on this ship as it is shrouded in heavy fog and listening to the great fog horn and the passing sea as you lay in your cozy bed with your cozy lovebird. Fantastic! You can't have this experience flying to Europe that is for sure unless I have been missing something.

 

Deck Chair

[Estelle]

To add my opinion on Kings Court - although it doesn't flow well and it was a little confusing to find your way to a seat - the food there was the best and most varied we have ever had at a lunch-time buffet on any ship. The location off the Promenade made sense to us since that was where we spent most afternoons enjoying the deck chairs and the perfect weather we lucked into on our crossing. It made it easy to "pop-in" if one of us got hungry or thirsty. I don't recall a lot of confusion - we ate lunch late though most days so that might have meant less crowds.

 

We also enjoyed the pub for lunch and the Dining Room for breakfast - we never ate lunch there though. We also heard very good reports about the evening meal at the Chef's Table (not sure if that is the right name) for dinner although we did not experience it ourselves.

[Nepcib]

Got off the QM2 last week. I think the worse thing about kings court is the smell, esp when in rougher seas - uggh. In theory I like the idea of a buffet but the layout is insane esp. in contrast to the rest of the ship which is awesome.

 

Ate at a hosted table (total luck) and found the service very good - not too much of a surprise I guess. BTW for newbies out there if you eat at a hosted table the wine is free (well, I guess it is 'paid' for by the host) on formal nights.

 

Also re the room service - I would write down requests for smoked salmond each morning and always got it - I also tipped well each time - not sure if that made a difference but they were doing me a favor.

 

I think this past trip was even better then when I took it in 2005 - good times but glad to be off. Six nights of eating like that is a bit much for me. All I want to eat for a while is steamed broccoli and whole grain brown rice :)

[jonsey]

Thanks I wondered what QM was like as I have booked a sector of the epic world voyage NYC to SYD in 2009, mainly because she goes by my favorite Pacific Island and I get another beer and lobster at Tesa;s Bearfoot Bar. I gleamed there was plenty to do on board and I hope a well stocked library.

[judy&steve]

Last year for the first few times we made our way to the Princess Grill we got off the elevator and had to walk through the noise and chaos of the King’s Court. First B elevators then C elevators before we figured out that the D elevators took us to Dinner. I really disliked that the entrance to the Princess Grill is across from the King’s Court entrance. When you’re dressed for dinner turning left into the Princess Grill casually dressed guest are turning right into the King’s Court I think it detracted a bit from the Princess Grill experience.

steve