Queen Mary 2 (QM2) Review

Geezers at sea

Review for Transatlantic Cruise on Queen Mary 2 (QM2)
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oskiman
First Time Cruiser • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Jul 2008

Background. My wife and I flew from the West Coast to take the Queen Mary 2 from New York to Southampton in mid-July. We decided to try a transatlantic crossing after taking airlines on past trips to Europe for business or pleasure. Our thinking was that it would be far more preferable to be comfortable and enjoy the trip rather than being cramped into an airline seat and eat mediocre airline food. We also felt that it would be nice to get to Europe for once without having to experience jet lag in which we wandered around like zombies for a couple of days. In hindsight, this worked out very well as we enjoyed the cruise and were well adjusted by the time we reached Southampton. However, we were able to do this because we had the time since I am semiretired and my wife is a schoolteacher. Having travelled to Europe on business in first and business class on airlines, I can happily say that travel on the QM2 was FAR better than even flying first class. And since we were able to get a very competitive fare for an inside cabin from and internet agency, we were able to travel in comfort for only a little more than the cost of the coach airfare we paid to return. Embarkation. Although we left from New York, we flew into Hartford since we had a free ticket. We rented a car and drove to Brooklyn the next day. We easily dropped our luggage at the pier and then turned in our car in downtown Brooklyn, about a mile away. Because it was a beautiful day, we walked back to the pier along Clinton and Union streets. I had never been to Brooklyn before, but was impressed by the beauty of the trees and brownstones. When we reached the pier, there was a long line to check in, but it all went smoothly. By the time we reached our cabin, our bags had been delivered. Cabin. As experienced cruisers, we opted for an inside cabin. We figured on this trip there wouldn't much to see out of a window. We also knew that an interior cabin would be relatively quiet and very dark when we wanted to sleep. The cabin on the QM2 was very nicely designed, It also included robes and nice toiletries. The only problem we had respecting our cabin was a loud banging outside that woke us up at 7:30 the first morning. When I went out to investigate, I saw a panel removed from the ceiling near our cabin door. Wires and cables were hanging from the ceiling where the panel had been removed, and equipment were scattered about the hallway. When I asked our cabin steward about it, he nervously replied that he had already reported it. My wife later called reception to ask how long these repairs would take. We were rewarded with a complementary pass to the spa for that day. Our cabin steward did a nice job during the week, although he did start to enter once when we had the "Do not disturb" sign out. The cabin itself was in the middle of the ship and was very steady throughout the crossing. My wife was worried about seasickness, but she didn't need to take any medicine the entire trip. Dining. We ate all of our dinners in the Britannia Dining Room. The food was quite good though not outstanding. Portion size tended to be quite small, although the first night I got two large pork chops. We dined in the second sitting, and I couldn't help but think that the portions were dictated by how much the kitchen had left of each item. On the night lobster tail was on the menu I tried ordering two, only to find that I was served what appeared to be two halves. We were seated at a table with a Scots couple and a mum and adult daughter from England, all very likable dining companions. Our service at dinner was serviceable but not exceptional. One time I asked our server for a recommendation of an appetizer. Our server recommended one that was just okay to my taste. My wife ordered the other appetizer I was considering, which turned out to be much better, but which also required the server to do more. I couldn't help but think that the server's recommendation was influenced by that amount of work required. My real complaint about the dining room service is that on almost every occasion at dinner and breakfast I had to ask for a refill of coffee or tea. I almost felt like I was imposing. We ate most lunches in the cafeteria, (i.e. Kings Court) The selections and the food were fine. I particularly liked the availability of a variety of fresh fruit. We had one lunch at the Golden Lion Pub. I had a good steak and mushroom pie and my wife said her Indian dish was very good. (I guess it must have been since she wouldn't let me taste it.) However, as in the dining room, the service ended when we got our food. We also had tea in the Queens Room ballroom. Don't miss this, especially the scones with strawberry jam and cream. Fellow Passengers. Our cruise continued on to Hamburg after docking in Southampton. Accordingly, there were quite a few German passengers aboard. In fact there were more Germans than any other nationality the ship, followed by Brits and then Americans. This did not present a problem since all of the Germans we encountered spoke some English, and most spoke very good English. Also, the Germans seemed to be a bit younger than either the Brits or the Americans we met, nearly all of whom were empty nesters in their late fifties, sixties or beyond. Remarkably, many of the Brits and Germans, prompted by the favorable exchange rates, raved about the shopping in New York, touting the bargains they found there, especially at Macy's. It's unusual in my experience to hear the words "bargain" and "New York" used in the same sentence. Public Areas. The ship really is gorgeous. For me the public area I liked the best was the wraparound outside teak deck on Deck 7, filled with beautiful steamer chairs. The ship is so large that three laps equals 1.1 miles. I walked and jogged the deck many times, once spotting whales blowing water and diving with their tail flukes high in the air. The library is also nice. The casino was barely in use the few times I walked through, and the Winter Garden seemed to be almost exclusively for the "Champaign art auctions" the entire trip. Curiously, the Commodore's lounge had a commanding view in the forward of the ship, but it was used as a martini bar with country music. I'm not sure what the Brits and Germans thought about that. Tucked away next to the Commodore's lounge, however, was the elegant Boardroom with comfortable chairs and a faux fireplace. Gym and Spa. The gym was pretty standard for cruise ships. It has weight machines, exercise bikes, treadmills, and ski machines, as well as free weights. I went to the orientation by the Canyon Ranch instructor, who did an excellent job demonstrating how to use the machines. He even gave tips on how to vary your routine and how to get the same results using free weights instead of the machines. One of my major complaints had to do with the spa. The fee to use the sauna and steam baths was $40 per day. When I've cruised on other ships these have included in the locker room of the gym, and I was not willing to pay $40 to use them. However, having received a complimentary pass, I did get a chance to use them. The aromatic steam bath was quite hot and quite aromatic, with what seemed like the essence of an entire eucalyptus forest inside. The herbal sauna was not very hot. The regular sauna was very hot (about 180 degrees F.) Bottom line, it wasn't worth the cost of admission. My wife had an acupuncture massage, which she is still raving about. Entertainment. The only production show we attended was "Appassionata," consisting of good dancing and okay singing. We also attended a couple of the "balls." These were okay, but they really took me back to my junior high days when my mom forced me to go to cotillion to learn how to dance the waltz and fox trot. Apparently some people still know how to do these steps as well as the rumba and samba. We didn't, but we had fun pretending. The music was very dated. Think Gershwin's "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess. Cunard provides lecturers on various topics. On our trip we had Dr. Ruth Westheimer dispensing common sense advice about sex and giving us "homework" (wink, wink, giggle giggle.) There was also a British historian talking about the British welfare state, and a sailor talking about sailing the various oceans. We would have liked to listen to the sailor, but what with our "homework" and bridge games we didn't have a chance. We did play in the duplicate bridge games capably managed by Jim Soloman. Disembarkation. We cleared immigration while onboard the second day of the trip. Accordingly, when we reached Southampton we simply needed to take our luggage and get off at the designated time. It was very easy.

Cabin Review

very well designed inside cabin

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