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This was our fifth Caribbean cruise on the QM2. The level of service and quality of food has declined with each trip.
THE FOOD. The ongoing decline in the quality of the food in the main dining room is enough to make a poor traveler want to weep. The practice of accompanying entrees with frozen peas and carrots reminds me of a trip to a grandmother who can't cook. Add to this an over-reliance on whipped potatoes, and you you're apt to get meals with all with all the charm of a frozen dinner from the local grocery. I thought perhaps the food our last cruise was an aberration, but no, it's become even worse. And the little molded piles of overcooked rice... the less said, the better.
On the other hand the food at the added-fee Todd English restaurant was outstanding. We went once and there were eight of us. All were in agreement that the food was first rate.
SERVICE IN MAIN DINING ROOM Breakfast and lunch service were chaotic; the error rate for the two of us was an unbelievable 40 percent. The problems included items ordered that were not delivered; wrong dishes delivered, items delivered to other diners; items delivered that were not ordered, dietary restrictions that were bungled with the result that the ordering process needed to be repeated. The service for breakfast and lunch was so bad that it became a something of standing joke among the guests. Service for dinner, on the other hand, while not up to standards of old was acceptable.
THE ENTERTAINMENT Some of the shows are four and five years old and if you're familiar with entertainment in larger metropolitan areas will have a "High School Musical" feel to them. The featured guests were entertaining; the Royal Cunard Singers and Dancers were uneven.
THE DANCING So why would I ever want to take an over-priced Cunard Cruise? One word--the dancing. The Cunard line has the the best dance floors at sea and hires wonderful orchestras/bands to provide danceable ballroom and Latin music. There were six dance hosts who knew their steps. Unfortunately, the line no longer maintains the old standards for their appearance. Gone are the days of the buttoned blazer. On three different occasions the uniform consisted of shapeless, tired-looking tropical shirts.
On several occasions the social hostess and her staff were on the dance floor dancing for their own pleasure--ignoring the guests, taking up precious floor space and colliding with the ship's passengers. Very very amateurish, the term that comes to mind is "bush league."
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