We had never been on a cruise before our trans-Atlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2 in August 2011. This ship is marketed as top notch, quality, luxurious... ha! Admittedly we have nothing to compare it to, but if this is supposed to be top of the line then we'll never cruise again!

Embarkation at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in New York went fairly smoothly. The only negative element was the guy who took our bags. We don't mind tipping, however there are large signs posted about that say 'Tipping is not obligatory'. After this guy had taken our cases (putting them onto a trolley with other bags which we could have done ourselves) he stood there saying 'Tipping is not obligatory' repeatedly until we gave him a tip! We felt harrassed about that. Not the fault of QM2, but it was not a great start. It should be noted that the queues to get on board were lengthy and there was nowhere to sit down. To us it looked like the older folk were having trouble with that. Once on board there were more long queues to use the lifts to get to your cabin - which you had to find yourself. Lots of confused passengers wheeling suitcases up and down the (very narrow!) corridors. In the short trip from the dock to our cabin our luggage was damaged.

Accommodations: we were on Deck 11, up high, with a glass balcony. The room felt small and we wondered how people of a 'portly' body shape would physically fit in the bathroom. Shower slightly mouldy, and the whole room looked a bit 'used' and like it's due for a refit. We were very disappointed with the bed - a so-called king that was actually two singles pushed together, creating an insurmountable ledge in the middle. We like to cuddle at night but it was impossible in this bed! TV was very small and thus watching it from the bed was almost impossible. The hair-dryer was curiously mounted in a drawer in the corner of the cabin above the fridge and was difficult to use. Some parts of the ship are pretty, if you like that Las Vegas style. Closer inspection, however, reveals that the extensive wood veneer is actually plastic. Horrible patterned airport carpet everywhere, even on the steps - a nightmare if you have any kind of vision disorder! Read more