Queen Mary 2 (QM2) Review

4.0 / 5.0
1,327 reviews

Way Below Expectations

Review for the Western Mediterranean Cruise on Queen Mary 2 (QM2)

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Sail Date: Jun 2008

After cruising with several different lines (celebrity, princess, royal Caribbean and crystal), we wanted to try out the QM2 because of the hype that it was. The tagline itself says the most luxurious ocean liner. We had high expectations cause price-wise, QM2 would be considered a higher-end ship compared to the more mass-marketed ships. I will start with the good: - Stateroom was clean, bathroom was clean, the bedding was comfortable, and they greeted you with a bottle of sparkling wine. All the necessary facilities were there, plus there were slippers which usually signify luxury. Chocolates at the end of the day every night were the treats. - We did not have to queue long for food which means good flow of passengers. - Dress code for dinner was strictly enforced. That means no jeans, slippers and shorts even on casual nights (cause they called it elegant casual). Now the bad: - Service. I experienced a lot of bad service at all levels from this ship. Mostly found on the 7th floor buffet area by the waiters there. Example, I needed help getting a slice of pizza but the waiter there just said that it's self service and did not offer any help. Another example, my dad was waiting in line to be served and was skipped completely by the serving waiter for no reason whatsoever. Most of the ships that I have been to have their crew greet you, but I found few greetings by the crew aboard QM2. I could go on and on, but I would say the service at QM2 is the worst I've ever experienced, save for my stateroom steward and my dining table waiter. - Layout. I don't know who designed the layout of this ship, but found it to be quite funky and "interesting." All the other ships' gym would have full 180 deg view of the ocean, but at QM2 gym, you only get partial view and the rest can be happy looking at the mirror. The exercise classes were not held at the gym or near the gym, but on the 1st floor near the entrance to the crew area. This room is also sometimes used as the disembarkation points/x-ray checks during ports of call. To reach the library or Todd English the restaurant, you had to travel through other people's staterooms corridors. The grand lobby is hardly grand considering how small the lobby was. - Food. The so-called Chinese food was always the same, except that they call it by different names just by changing the type of noodles used. And please put some exhaust in the area, your clothes would smell like the kitchen everytime you go to the Asian section of the dining area (lotus). Room service menu was very limited.

All in all, I would not recommend this ship to others.

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