Queen Mary 2 (QM2) Review
Rating by category
Additional details
3rd time (since we first went in Oct 2014) doing this cruise which we combine with a visit to US friends. I was very excited as we weren't expecting to make the trip this year and I was keen to see the changes post refit.
We had a balcony cabin on the port side (4171) Surprised how confused we were by it being "the other way round" to last time, initially we kept opening the bathroom for the wardrobe :-)
I liked having the kettle in the room because you can help yourself when one of you is awake in the middle of the night although it did make the tea taste a little of descaler, you can still get room service drinks if you prefer. Mid crossing we were given 2 x 2 packs of biscuits but they were never renewed so I'm not sure if I need to bring my own or not next time. I wonder if the cabin stewards are still getting used to routinely checking/stocking the area as we had 2 teaspoons to start with but only 1 by the end.
Cabin Review
Balcony, sheltered
Nice cabin with plenty of storage. Adjustable height table. Flattering lighting in bathroom makes you look very healthy. Balcony in good shape although had either had smokers on it before us or above it as some ash on the balcony rail. Very comfy bed I had to check underneath to be convinced it was 2 as you couldn't feel the join. Nice pillows as well some firm some soft so you can get it right for you.
Port Reviews
New York (Manhattan)
Disembarkation went smoothly. Slight holdup in customs as we were unfortunately behind some people who brought in something problematic. Used Dial 7 car service to take us to our connecting onward travel they arrived when scheduled and got us to our destination swiftly. 25 minutes to the Javit centre.
Southampton
Berth changed at the last minute so we were at the QE2 dock. Long queue to board despite arriving close to our designated time of 3.30 but it moved pretty steadily. We dropped our bags off from our hire car first intending to walk back to board but with the new location & impending rain decided a taxi was a better option. Not sure how car parking would have worked from that berth compared to the Ocean terminal.