There are no bells and whistles like water slides or skating rinks on the QM2. But there is ball room dancing with a live band every evening, a show every night in the large theater, a jazz trio in the bar, piano players in the lounges, and an oldies band in the late night club. Definitely an older crowd. But there is a full children's area and teen lounge, both well supervised. Even the only dog kennel at sea. Also the largest library at sea with a full time librarian. And a planetarium that doubles as the movie theater. Food in Britannia left much to be desired. The dining room is beautiful and service was top notch. But the up charge for specialty dining was well worth the cost. Verandah was like a top NYC steak house. We were especially impressed with the cheese trolley rolled to our table with perfectly aged selections from England, Ireland and France. The specialty dining, Bamboo and Piazza was also a big step up from the food in Britannia and the atmosphere was quiet and elegant, nothing like the Kings Court buffet even though it was next door. If you don't mind the crowds in the buffet, the selection and quality was always very good. There is also a small room next to the specialty dining called the Chefs Table with fresh pasta and pizza every evening. Good for picky eaters or anyone wanting a small meal in a much quieter atmosphere than the buffet. About half the people cruising were from England. If your idea of a good vacation is the chance to have a quiet conversation with people from other countries, a drink before or after dinner in an elegant lounge, a little dancing and maybe catching up on a good book, then I recommend the QM2. PS--Embarkation in Brooklyn meant standing in line for about an hour. But there were many staff to assist with bags, and mobility, if needed. In fact, there was always staff nearby the entire cruise. Read Less

Once again we had a wonderful relaxing cruise on QM2. Have been on it many times.The embarkation in New York went very Smoothly for us. (we are diamond members) there were long lines for other people to enter the ship, felt sorry for them, heard many complaints.The ship is quite old, if you look for 'Luxury" it's not there , but still very nice. we were on the 12th deck with a balcony-club room. The room was very clean, bed nice and firm, the way we like it.The carpet was somewhat stained but understand they will be changing the carpets in their next refit. Our steward Wifredo could not be any nicer. Took very good care of us. Brought in a fresh robe daily for me so I could walk down a few doors to go to the pool. Being on the 12th floor is very convenient for the Pool deck. we found all the servers vey helpful and basically happy people, always smiling and willing to help. The food was very good and varied. We ate in the club dining room where your table is the same the whole cruise. You can come in any time between 6-9 in the evening . The first day we ate there I asked our waiter to bring us steamed vegetables with no salt or butter or oil in them. We had steamed broccoli, carrots and cauliflowers every day, did not have to ask for them.No set time which is wonderful. The new King's court dining area is so much better than previously.Open clean lines, food well presented. The chef looked at the presentation before every service time, very impressed with him. Many people are not aware that Chef's galley has organic veg and fruit smoothies every morning. I would have Beat and green apple and ginger drink every morning. We did not go ashore except in Quebec.Lots of walking on cobble stone streets, well worth the walk.Also had High Tea at the Chateau Frontenac , well worth the the experience.Not much in the entertainment this time. We do enjoy the lectures on board.We booked our next cruise on board a ship.they give you a good deal with very little money down and nice extras(money to spend). Read Less

After being on the regular cruise ships so many times I’ve decided to try a voyage on the only existing ocean liner, the famous Queen Mary2… Generally speaking, I liked the food, service and the atmosphere on this ship as being very quiet and kind of old fashion as opposite to the circus like, “bells and whistle” things going on aboard the other mega-passenger ships. However, I was really disappointed to see certain lack of proper maintenance done to this ship, that bear the name of queen and ultimately it has been acclaimed the pinnacle of luxury at sea… Below is the list of some of the problems Ive noticed during my vac trip (Canada/ New England, Sept 1-8, 2019). In addition, as “a picture is worth a thousand words” Im posting some photos as well. Hopefully, it will motivate the Cunard’s management to fix whatever needs to be fixed or improved… 1.The curtains in the main-grand “Britannia Restaurant” were dirty - really dirty and ripped off in clearly visible spots. It was truly unbelievable - after all, people wearing their best outfits, night gowns and tuxedos coming there and ultimately sitting beside those dirty curtains… 2.Lots of rust visible on the Deck 7th (Promenade), especially around the lifeboat’s davits. Also, lots of rust and pilling off paint can be seen on the ship’s hull, at the water line near the side door-platform where all the tenders dock whenever passengers go ashore – it really hits the eyes. 3.The carpet in all passenger cabin’s hallways look quite tired/ faded out of colors – unsymmetrical design of the patterns gives impression that one side of the carpet (plain-gray in color) is constantly dirty/ stained. Who has designed it - really?! 4.The black carpet/ floor-mat at the staircase’s exit, near one of the wooden door on the Sun Deck, (“Boardwalk Café” area) was literally sticky of old dirt and stains of drinks and residue of the “fingers’ food”. 5.The heavy wooden door leading to the “Boardwalk Café” was covered with a large mold-water stain at its bottom – fresh coat of varnish needed badly. 6.The tarp covers of some extra deck’s chairs stored on the Sun and Aft Decks were very dirty, dusty with some blackish residue on them – a simple power wash/ spray would do the trick with cleaning it and making looking in top shape – otherwise its true an eye’s sore, especially that its located on the “lounging decks”. 7.The most of the exit doors on the Deck 7th (Promenade) is the wooden-old fashion swing doors that are very heavy to open and all of them slams terribly loud whenever closing. All senior passengers had problem to use them as lots of strength/ push was needed to deal with those doors, especially on the windy days. 8. The illumination of the massive neon-sign/ marquee “Queen Mary 2” on the Sun Deck – was never turned on. It seems like its permanently out of order. Actually, the ship doesn’t have any illumination that might emphasise her beauty, even the side-flood halogen lights on the Deck 7th, near the life boats were always off. This grand ship’s silhouette was always in darkness at the night – so pity. 9. On occasions, when the ship was in the port, a special security warning banner “Keep away from the ship” was hanged out on Deck 7th. This banner was old, badly damaged by wind, ripped off all around – it looked like a piece of rug hanging from the ship. It was really quite shabby accent to the look of the ship. 10. The crew - not so friendly, not so courteous…On many occasions, I experienced crew members passing me without exchanging any greetings, smiles or even friendly eye’s contact, which is rather very unusual on the other cruise ships… Also, it was quite striking that some of the “entertainers aboard” (e. g. the reggae music band) were dressed very casual while on the stage… plain t-shirts, unmatched pants and tight leggings along with simple running shoes don’t seem like the right outfit for the performer on the “Queen Mary2”, even when the playing music is reggae. More finesse, glamour and good taste would be appreciated. Well, honestly the above list could go on and on, but I don’t want to sound too petty... All the above problems could be eventually excusable and tolerated on the other ships, but the title of the “ROYAL-FLAG SHIP” (!) of the oldest LUXURY cruise line should obligate and comes with certain responsibility in maintaining high standards, not only strictly about service aboard, but also about the appearance of the ship - it seems like this doesn’t mean much to the Cunard these days... Read Less

We selected this cruise to celebrate my 60th birthday and our 40th Wedding Anniversary, so it was very special and important to us. The embarkation at Southampton, despite the queues, was very well organised and slick. Our stateroom was not to the standard we had been accustomed to aboard other cruise ships. The room was very small and the bathroom tiny. A refurb is very much needed. The carpet was badly stained and there was masking tape all around the interconnecting door. We mentioned this to our steward who promptly removed it. Then we found out why it had been placed there - when the people in the cabin next to us opened their balcony door half a hurricane come through and a high pitch whistling noise accompanied it. Drinks on board were exceptionally expensive and the whole tipping policy has to be looked at as it clearly does not work from a service users prospective. Food was very tasty in the main restaurant but often the portions were small. Trying to obtain drinks in the restaurant was so bad that we resorted to purchasing drinks in the bars first and taking them into the restaurant with us. Everything onboard ship was geared up for the over 70s, so much so that on this transatlantic crossing of 7days we were bored. Shopping was very poor and the entertainment was awful. We have always looked forward to the shows on other cruises but these were the worst ever. The worst issue was disembarkation. Everyone is aware that American immigration is very slow and we were quite prepared for it. Despite Cunard regularly disembarking service users in New York the staff were clearly not prepared for it. We were told to vacate our rooms by 8am and to go to our particular meeting point. There they left us without communication, food or water for hours. When we did go to the restaurant to try and obtain some refreshments the staff were putting it away and quite clearly did not want us there. To add insult to injury when we disembarked the ship and went to retrieve our luggage one of our group had a suitcase stolen - and you’ve guessed it, no one wanted to know. Overall we were very disappointed with the cruise and we will not travel with Cunard again. Read Less

We chose this cruise because it fit our time schedule for a vacation. We thought it would be exciting to be in Boston for the Fourth of July and the departure port in Brooklyn was a simple 3 Hour Drive from our home. I blame myself a little for not researching the cruise more. We booked last minute, and we thought it would just be a lot of fun. We did not have passports as we don’t travel a ton outside Mexico and Canada. We were told by Cunard we could not have pre printed E tickets due to the fact that we did not have passports. This was a huge source of stress. I knew our enhanced licenses and birth certificates would be fine for getting us in and out of the country, but just not sure how it would all work. Getting on the boat was a complete disaster. We waited in line with everyone else for three hours. There were so many disabled people and elderly getting on the boat that simply had to go ahead of us. No one followed the time on their ticket and we were told to come at noon because we were unable to get pre printed tickets. The whole process was chaotic and confusing and people were very upset. Elderly people in line with us struggled to stand for three hours. There was no place to get anything to drink or eat. We had not eaten since the morning and didn’t enter the boat until 3 PM. People did not want to get out of line to even go to the restroom, because tempers were running thin. While waiting in line to enter the boat, we realized that we were probably some of the youngest passengers. Mind you we are not young in her late 40s. So basically getting on the boat was terrible. If I were getting on the boat again in Brooklyn I would get there around 3 PM. The boat didn’t even leave port until after eight due to a medical emergency and the boat being held for a flight coming from England containing eight passengers. Activities on the boat are OK. There is a lot to do. Definitely geared towards older people. If you are an active younger couple or group of people, I would suggest another cruise. We were interested in a fun time in wanted to be active during the day and have beautiful dinners and some nightlife in the evening. Activity was hindered by the poor condition of the swimming pools and hot tubs. Most of the hot tubs didn’t even work. They were simply warm small pools in need of painting and maintenance with no jets. The pools are not extremely clean and we’re in need of repair and paintings well. Be forewarned the Queen Mary two does not have five pools as advertised. One of the pools on the very top deck must have been removed in the refurbishment in 2016. We were disappointed with our lack of options for swimming and lounging during the day as the weather was quite favorable for such activity. One of the outdoor pools was netted for the entire cruise, so It was unable to be used by any of the passengers. Frankly the condition and access to pools was unacceptable. The walking deck, deck seven, was often closed in sections making it impossible to walk loops around the deck. Once again the Queen Mary fell short in providing the simplest of activity. The food was not bad. We enjoyed the main dining room three nights out of our seven night cruise. Our poor waiter really struggled with English and this hindered us from getting great service. He did try his hardest though. The food in the main dining room was presented nicely and there was a pretty good variety. The main buffet was also sufficient, but became a bit repetitive after seven days. I’m not sure how somebody does a 14 or 27 day cruise eating the same food over and over. The quality was quite good and overall we were usually able to find something we really liked. We were in cabin 4022. This was a sheltered balcony in the front of the boat. I’ve very favorable things to say about the cabin. Our steward Gerry was very friendly and hard-working. He did a good job cleaning the room quickly and was helpful when we had questions. Although the room was not brand new or in sparkling shape it was a fine cabin. Even for being in the front of the boat, I found there to be little motion or disturbance. Nightlife was also disappointing. Pretty much after 10 PM the place shuts down. The shows we saw in the royal court theater were nice. The dancers, singers and orchestra put on a wonderful production. There’s a nightly movie in the illuminations theater, but we were looking for more engaging activities. The night club is open later, but when we visited there it was quite empty. So basically if you’re not interested in going to bed around 10 or 11 PM you’ll have trouble finding anything to do. The ports we visited were wonderful and a lot of fun. Halifax with a cute little city and we enjoyed our time walking around shopping and visiting museums. Boston was a great deal of fun as well, We did the trolley tour and then met up with our niece later. We like to walk, so we did walk a couple miles back to the boat. Not a bad walk but it was pretty hot when we did it. We viewed the highest of the fireworks from the top deck. We had fun in Newport Rhode Island, but getting off the boat was another disaster. We had booked a tour that was canceled because they could not run the tenders due to fog. I understand they have no control of the fog or the weather. The problem we encountered was they told us not to get tickets for the tender, but when our tour was canceled They required us to have tickets. Consequently we were in the back of the line and one of the last tenders to go out to Newport. We only had a couple of hours to spend in Port. The kicker is the captain and staff went on and on about How incredibly unsafe it would be to run the tenders during the fog in the morning. They canceled the tours and we were understanding because we all wanted to be safe. The problem I have is when we return to the boat after visiting Newport the fog had returned. No one spoke of any safety issues or concerns as they loaded us on to the tender and we took the small boat in the thick fog back to the Queen Mary 2. It was so foggy that when we finally returned to the crew ship the 100 passengers broke out in cheers and were clapping As we were so relieved. It seems they were concerned about our safety in the morning, when the fog had returned in the afternoon our safety seem to go out the window because they were more concerned with keeping their schedule. In the end we had a good time because we made our own fun. I highly recommend this cruise for older people who want a nice quiet time. If you’re younger or want fun and a little nightlife look elsewhere. Read Less

Embarkation: Worse experience ever. Almost 2 hours just to check-in at the port. Two lines – one for priority one for steerage (us). Our line did not move. Meanwhile they closed our line (about 15 people behind us) and everyone was sent to the priority line. We watched people get in line an hour after us and checked-in within 20 mins or less. Were told the reason for our line not moving was that they permitted all those with wheelchairs or strollers (who were in a separate line) to check in immediately from our side. If this was the case then why didn’t they take people from both sides for the next available check-in counter? This was our 7th cruise on five different lines and we have never taken more than 15 mins. (if that long) for check-in. Cunard should be embarrassed. This was unacceptable and inexcusable and is how our vacation started. When we finally made it to the ship, dropped off our carry-on in the cabin and went to grab some lunch (because we spent lunch in line waiting to check-in) it was almost 3:30 p.m. and they were clearing the food from the buffet. Not a great first impression. Disembarkation: This was fine. We got in a line when we were ready (rather than waiting for the designated times provided by Cunard) and other than getting stuck behind two people who could not get their wheelchairs over the ramp, it took about 10 mins. Cabin: The cabin was fine. The furnishings were outdated, dusty in places, dirty carpeting (not just in need of a good vacuuming but stains), mold in the bathroom but there was plenty of closet and storage space for two people and the bed and pillows were comfortable. Horrible sewage odor at all times in the bathroom. We never, and I mean never, met our steward. We knew his name because there was a card in the room and we saw him in the hallway a couple of times but he never introduced himself or stopped by to see if we needed anything (we left him an extra tip every day too) – EXCEPT when we were still in the room at 8:30 a.m. on disembarkation day – then he knocked on the door and told us we had to leave. Again, having been on six other cruises this is the first time a steward was incognito. The location of our cabin was good. We had an inside midship (between stairs C and D but closest to D). HOWEVER, the cabin vibrated constantly – the bed, sitting on the toilet, the floor, sitting in the chair – the entire cabin almost the entire time. We couldn’t understand why because we were on deck 4 above the Britannia dining room. This was very annoying. Dining: The buffet set-up was weird – multiple locations separated by eating areas. The dining areas in the buffet were great but the buffet itself was very limited, especially at breakfast where there was no variety – same thing every day and they didn’t have bananas or hard boiled eggs. We ate in the Britannia for dinner all nights except the last (didn't like the menu). Britannia menu was also very limited but overall the food was good and service was very good. We were however disappointed because we were originally told we would be at a table of six but had a table for two. It would have been nice to have tablemates and I don’t know why they changed this from our initial reservation. Bars/Lounges: Golden Lion was nice, especially for lunch – it was always crowded and very difficult to find a seat. We didn’t experience Carinthia or Commodore. Drink prices were surprisingly affordable, including bottles of wine. Wine selection was extensive. Entertainment: The few shows were good, especially the comedian. We did not attend any of the lectures. Afternoon Tea: Afternoon tea was the best part of the cruise. Finger sandwiches, desserts, scones. All of it was delicious and decadent. Activities: What surprised me the most was the lack of organized activities. There were things to do throughout the day such as lectures, movies, trivia but there were only a couple of actual organized activities with cruise staff throughout the entire cruise. Ports: Halifax - great day – no issues. We were delayed getting into Boston and then had to go immigration. Similar to disembarkation we were supposed to go through at specified times but it seemed like everyone got in line immediately and it wrapped around almost the length of the ship. We waited 90 minutes before going to immigration and got through in about 5 minutes (great decision). Newport – we tendered and got fogged in so could not get off the ship until about 1 p.m. Tender ticket issuing was poorly handled, extremely disorganized and it took a very long time to get everyone who wanted to off the ship. Once on shore we only had about 3 hours to explore – disappointing. Pools/Spas: The children’s pool was closed the entire cruise because of an issue with soot from the smoke stacks landing in the pool. The other pool was fine but the hot tubs were not hot (the heaters were broken and were supposed to be fixed when we were in Boston but they weren’t). The inside pool and spas were always crowded. Casino: The casino was very small with a number of slot machines, a few black jack tables and a roulette table but no poker tables. Outside/Smoking Areas: One big issue was that the children’s pool was on deck six aft directly below deck seven aft which was the smoking section and deck eight aft which was the location of the outside pool as well as an additional smoking area. That meant that smoke wafted down (especially cigar smoke) to deck six where most of the lounge chairs were. Deck 13 (sports deck) was fine to get away from it all except they only had about 20 lounge chairs out and all others were stacked and covered. The deck chairs on the promenade were plentiful and always filled. Overall the cons far outweighed the pros for this cruise. If you like cruising (for me it’s about the destinations) with not a lot to do throughout the day/night, this is for you. Personally I thought the food options were very limited without much variety and was extremely displeased with the embarkation process. Fellow passengers were fantastic. I would only cruise Cunard again if the price was right. Read Less

Embarkation - Sunday September 30th We flew to Quebec City airport on Sunday September 30th and took a taxi to the QM-2. Embarkation was quick and easy as only a portion of the passengers were embarking/disembarking at this port. After we boarded, crew members guided us through the Grand Lobby to the elevators that took us to deck 10 and we found our cabin easily. As a testimony to the efficiency of baggage handling, one of our pieces of luggage arrived at the cabin shortly after we did! Cesar, our steward arrived to introduce himself and showed us where to find the light controls, thermostat, etc. He is an excellent steward, friendly, cheerful and efficient without being obtrusive, the epitome of Cunard’s White Star service. All passengers and crew attended a compulsory SOLAS drill at 16:30. This was a proper drill, because it was not a trip to the ship’s theatre to watch a video of what to do in an emergency, but you are required to take your lifejacket to your muster station and get instructions on how to proceed from there. Celebrity Cruises prefers to use the video-in-the-theatre approach, and we do not think this can be as effective as conducting a proper drill. We were pleased, but not surprised to see this done properly on the QM-2. Life Onboard This is our second trip on the QM-2, and our first after she underwent a refit in 2016. The ship is designed to be luxurious and the high standards are everywhere, from the elevators to the dining rooms. The Grand Lobby is 3 decks high and features large wall panels with Classical themes created in an Art Deco style. On every deck and stairway there are posters describing major events in Cunard history, and paintings of some famous Cunard liners. Space on deck 2 shows a display of the shipyards in Glasgow where many of the liners were built, and a commentary on the lives of the shipbuilders and apprentices. The sun was shining as we left Quebec, but the high winds made for an uncomfortable time on deck. This biting wind stayed with us all the way to Saguenay, and it dampened many people’s enthusiasm for outdoor activities. When the weather allowed we took every opportunity to explore the outside decks, including the bow area with the spare propeller blades (crew members refer to these as the Commodore’s Cufflinks) and the stern. There is plenty of open deck space on decks 12 and 13, but not many people wanted to play shuffleboard in the windy conditions. Fellow Passengers Lots of Canadians, some Americans and Germans, but mostly British people, many of whom had flown from the UK to Canada, so they could enjoy the Trans-Atlantic trip home. Food As you might expect, food was generally good and we have no complaints about the menus choices, quality or service in the Britannia dining room. Our table (336) crew did an excellent job of table service. Food in the King’s Court (KC) buffet is good, but the layout of this buffet is still not conducive to easy navigation nor fast throughput – it is now divided into forward and aft areas. You can also collect items from the Carinthia lounge (very tasty) and Chef’s Galley, but this requires a lot of walking as the food locations and seating are quite spread out. Breakfasts in the KC were disappointingly predictable. Waffles were not fresh-made here, nor in the Britannia dining room – toaster-waffles have a better flavour and consistency! The standard of baking needs to improve as does the range of breads on offer. Describing all breakfast baked goods under “Danish” isn’t really helpful; some more appropriate labels would be useful here. At lunch the curry station offered only 1 dish per day, and the beef curry we tried was so bland it should really be labelled beef stew. Other ships make a better job of buffets – Celebrity offer at least 4 different curries every day! However, the standard of patisserie is excellent. Decoration in newly refitted KC is dreadful. The interesting inlaid stone panel and the mosaics have gone, and have been replaced with some really awful daubs that are supposed to show different waterfront views of some of the world’s major ports. The only scene we could positively identify was the Pudong area of Shanghai (and then only because the ‘artist’ had included a rough version of the Pearl Orient Tower). The slapdash application of paint and the paint runs on the canvases made these pictures look amateurish; and compared to the exquisite detail and careful compositions of the ship portraits in the stairways, they really are cheap and nasty. Sorry Cunard, the ‘artist’ who created these pictures took you for a ride. The sameness of these images makes it difficult to navigate the KC and remember where you were sitting, because there are no distinguishable landmarks, and no clear indicators to show you Forward and Aft, or Port and Starboard. We were similarly disappointed with the replaced carpets in the hallways, elevator landings and the Grand Lobby. The design of the new hallways carpets gives us the impression of recent flooding, and we think the sunburst design used at the elevator landings and the Grand Lobby detracts from the elegance of the ship. Entertainment Most of the entertainment featured song and dance shows that were well presented, but a bit deja-vu. Specialist lectures were very good and the planetarium was excellent. Comedian John Joseph kept us amused on two evenings, but other than a violinist there were no speciality acts. Paul Garthwaite is a guitar expert and enthusiast who entertained us as part of the Amethyst duo in the Golden Lion pub. As well as singing plenty of great songs, he also gave us a history of the guitar and its influence on modern music from blues to rock and roll. His boundless enthusiasm and depth of knowledge really demands more than 30 minutes per session, because we could see that he has so much that he wants to say, but struggles to compress it into a half-hour. He is also the owner of a unique 22 string guitar. We think Paul should be given the opportunity to do a series of full hour lectures in the Planetarium. Channel 40 on the television shows a view over the bow from a camera on the bridge, and channel 43 shows more information about the ship’s position, weather, etc. Captain Wells’ midday Broadcasts-from-the-Bridge were very lively and informative, and delivered with typically droll British humour. If we have any criticisms we would have to say we wished he would talk for longer, or perhaps present one or two lectures on maritime topics during the voyage! Disembarkation Sunday October 7th Not nearly as good as boarding! Cunard uses colour-coded tags (for example, red) that you affix to your luggage before you place it outside your cabin door on the last evening. Members of the crew collect your bags and take them ashore for you to collect in a large, empty warehouse. You can easily locate your bags underneath the appropriate sign in the warehouse (for example, if Cunard issued you with red tags, you’ll find your bags under the RED sign). Very efficient. However, cramming passengers into the Royal Court Theatre and forcing them to wait until they are allowed to disembark really spoils an otherwise very enjoyable trip. Problems Time zone change announcements were not handled well: Cunard can and should do better. Many passengers missed some of the morning entertainments on Saturday 6th because the advice we were given in the daily newspaper was incorrect. Surely somebody who has a working knowledge of time zone changes could have proofed the paper before releasing it to passengers? There are no changing facilities in the Pavilion pool on deck 12, just showers and a toilet. You need to change in your cabin, and then wander about the halls in your dressing gown. We cannot understand why a pool area would not include changing rooms. A solution might be to close off the door leading to the shower area, add a bench and a curtain to separate this section from the washroom/ toilet area. Would we do it again? As seasoned sea-travellers we appreciated the luxury and stability of the QM-2. However, we think this ship cries out for the open ocean, and it was a waste to take her on a series of visits to minor ports. We think we’ll try one of the other Cunarders for our next voyage with Cunard. Read Less

Horrible customer service for six hour boarding. No attempt to provide customers any relief. No credit offered. Elderly people had to lie on concrete floors for hours. No food offered. No chairs. No communication until 5 pm when Cunard rep announced it would be another hour or more before checking could commence; this was followed by 1000 people groaning and booing Sheets dirty in stateroom No wine steward in brittania Wines offered have average markup of 500 percent The wine delivered to our stateroom was awful. Vinio rates the wine as in the lowest 2 per cent of wines in the Loire valley and with average retail price of $6. Cunard sure seems to be really cheap these days with the diamond class free welcome gift Food in brittania. Over cooked. Steak full of grizzle and inferior cut. Must be from a discount butcher toss away as certainly not quality. Dry. Tough. Desert chocolate cake gooey and awful. Waiters shakes at best. No pisitive communication with guests Purser desk staff rude and curt 12th floor outdoor restaurant closed for entire cruise even sunny windless days in port. Read Less

As experienced travelers, my retired friend and I looked forward to exploring the ports of call along Canada's maritime coast and the St. Lawrence River as described on Cunard's website. Unfortunately, the poor customer care which started with a 5 hour delay boarding the ship, continued throughout the cruise, even past disembarking. The customer care generally provided on other cruise lines was missing on this ship; for example, the extremely limited opportunities for entertainment included only one film in the movie theatre for the entire cruise. I'm going to say that selecting "Atomic Blonde" for a primarily senior audience was in poor taste. We also missed little things, like cushions for the deck chairs, having dirty dishes removed from our cabin, and actually having interesting tours on the brief shore excursions. However, the most distressing lack of customer service came immediately after I disembarked in Quebec City. I reached into the pocket of my backpack for my work cell phone and discovered it missing. I realized it must have fallen out of my pack when it tipped just before I left the ship. I knew exactly where the phone was. I asked to go back on the ship to get the phone. No - it was against security protocool. Could someone take me to get my phone? No. Could someone on the ship get the phone and bring it to me. No. I was told that I would have to wait until someone found the phone and turned it into Lost and Found. Really? I knew exactly where it was. The terminal security officer took my name and room number; she said it was all Cunard needed to reach me about the loss. However, within the next couple of days, when I contacted Cunard's Lost and Found department, I was told that I had also needed to make a lost and found claim. I filed the form. I then requested that the investigation be forwarded to Guest Relations when it appeared to me, that nothing was happening. I've now been told that I will have to wait up to 28 days for an answer. No work phone. No help from Cunard. Never going to travel with them again. Read Less

We first cruised on the QM2 in 2004, its inaugural year. Beautiful ship at that time, it still is, despite all the rust we see now, combined with a lot of wear and tear. We last sailed the QM2 just prior to the remastering and we like the changes to the Carinthia Lounge and Kings Court buffet. We do think that, overall, the standards, especially food quality, have slipped over the years. To put our comments into perspective, we are Platinum World Club members on our 9th Cunard cruise, but this was our 42nd cruise, including Princess (Platinum), Holland America (3-star Mariner), Disney (Gold Castaway) and 4 cruises with Celebrity (Classic level, I think). We remain flexible and reasonable, expecting that things do sometimes go wrong but that every effort is made by those involved to do what is necessary to mitigate the problems, which was not the case here. We were on the September 23-30 seven day voyage to New England and Canada from New York City to Quebec City. We were advised the day before embarkation that the ship would be late arriving in Brooklyn on its transatlantic voyage and to arrive two hours later than scheduled. Having already arranged for Cunard transfers from Newark, there was no flexibility to delay our arrival and we were at the ship shortly after 12 noon. Upon entry into the terminal, we were assigned boarding priority #5 due to Platinum status. We eventually waited until about 6 pm before being allowed to board. Throughout the entire wait, there was minimal information provided which was the most frustrating part. Any announcements were just garbled over the speakers. We repeatedly asked the terminal staff for more information and was first told that we would be allowed to board at 2 pm, then 3 pm, then 4 pm. Although water, tea and coffee were provided, there were only hot dogs and some pre-packaged pastries which went quickly due to the large group. We subsequently learned from fellow passengers that the ship had to change its normal route west from Southampton to avoid Tropical Storm Helene(or was it Joyce?) and then, due to a medical emergency, had to proceed towards Halifax far enough for the evacuation helicopter (with its limited flight range) to meet the ship. A number of other unfortunate events, including a turbine or other propulsion system failure, various issues with the US Customs and Border agents, and a scheduled quarterly Coast Guard inspection, all contributed to the extensive delays. We understand these things happen but the lack of information from the ship’s officers, combined with the failure to provide sufficient suitable refreshments (sandwiches and cakes from the ship?) while everyone waited patiently in the terminal, was a rather unpleasant situation. Later in the week, after many apologies, a bottle of wine was offered by Cunard as compensation. Now back to the cruise. Overall, the ports were not terribly exciting. Rockland, Maine is an industrial and fishing town. This was a maiden call but I would have preferred to go back to Bar Harbour. In Corner Brook, not much there so we hired a car and drove to Gros Morne National Park but the weather and 90 knot winds delayed the arrival so the time in port was considerable shortened. Sept-Iles was definitely not exciting as one of the tours being offered was a visit of an aluminum manufacturing plant. Quebec City is always exciting like the first time we went years ago. We dined in Britannia MDR. We cruise to eat food such as rack of lamb and filet mignon which we don’t normally eat at home or in our hometown. None of these were offered on this cruise to those of us in Britannia MDR. The US Choice steaks were rather tough, and most meats like veal were not the best quality. We were seated on deck 3 nearest to the main entrance, at a distance furthest from the kitchen. As a result, the food was often delivered just barely lukewarm and multiple requests for hot food and hot plates were just not met to our expectations without us becoming a nuisance, so we just accepted it. All of the above to say that a cruise is always a nice way to spend a week or more, but under these circumstances, this is one cruise we could have done without. The crew, as always, tried very hard and are to be commended for their efforts. I do think that Cunard has always marketed themselves as that ultimately luxury cruising experience, thus passengers arrive with high expectations which are often not met, unless you are in the Grills. More needs to be done to improve the Cunard experience so I will end with saying that the four star rating I have given is very generous. Read Less

Fantastic cruise on a great ship. Got off to a poor start in New York with a 3 hour delay in boarding. Not Cunards fault. however it would have been nice to be updated to what is happening. we received a bottle of wine from the ship as compensation. Cant fault the cruise. food and staff were wonderful. Shows were mediocre. Disappointed with the entertainment. We went Britannia club as we don't like having to eat at set times. Wonderful waiter staff and the food was very good. Quebec was a highlight and 2and a half days there was excellent. Our cabin was excellent and very clean. Nothing was too hard for our steward. Disembarking was disappointing as we were told to wait in one of the restaurants, we waited but no announcements were made. So we just got off and left. Overall an excellent cruise and thoroughly recommend the Queen Mary. Read Less

We wanted to sail out of New York City and thought this cruise would be a good fit. The ship was beautiful, the room was nice, however the service was very disappointing. It started with the 1.5 hour wait in line to get onto the ship. Then there was a long line to get into dinner the first night while only one crew member had the list to help find passenger’s s find appropriate entrance to the dining room. It was very disorganized. At least two waiters were unable to describe the menu items when asked. Although many staff smiled and said hello in a hallway, most did not. The bartender and wait staff on deck were unfriendly at best. It was not a good experience. There were no more than one staff person to direct passengers who were not clear how to navigate the process of getting off the ship for excursions. There were no signs on the ship to help people get to places where they needed to be. And when arriving in Brooklyn, we were told to assemble in the Queens room and once there, we were told we did not need to go there and could leave the ship anytime. Once again, this told us that the staff was not trying to anticipate passenger needs and assist them. And finally, we were very unhappy in both the written and verbal comments, we were told we could not see the Boston fireworks from the ship, but recommended places to go in the city to see fireworks. This was not true. We were lucky that we just happen to wonder onto deck 11 and see that the fireworks could be nicely seen from the ship. Overall, there was just a lack of service and attention to passenger needs. We do not recommend Cunard. We are truly disappointed in our experience. Read Less

I choose sailing on the QM2 (this was my 3rd voyage) because it is a civil and upscale voyage and if you want a peaceful journey with nice people, this is it. You are almost guaranteed no children on board because this is not a ship with children's attractions. I was on the July 1, 2018, cruise to Canada and Boston for the 4th of July Fireworks. We left out of Brooklyn, NY. The regular balcony staterooms are a good size and efficiently appointed. There were several noticeable stains in my carpet and also stains in my bathroom sink. Otherwise, the cabin was clean. In the Brittania, Golden Lion and King's Court, the food is mediocre at best and in a few instances the beef was inedible. Portions are average to small. The cocktails are priced fairly but it is about time that Cunard enters the 21st Century and offer an alcoholic beverage package. There is a soft drink package, a coffee package (waste of money as it does not include flavored coffees) and a water package - yes, can you believe it - a drinking water package! The therapy pool (which I love) in the Canyon Spa was closed for one full day for maintenance so people who paid for it lost a day of enjoyment. The excursion I chose in St. John Canada (Skywalk) was a waste of time and money. Crew is polite and friendly but no one goes overboard (no pun intended) with warmth and joviality. I cannot rate the shows as I do not go to them as a rule. Lecture on The Bermuda Triangle was not thrilling. The planetarium is okay. I might be wrong but I don't think there is a general souvenir / sundries store on the ship any longer - at least I could not find it - no where to buy Cunard "logo" type items - shops are upscale and I don't need that as I am a New Yorker and can shop Michael Kors any day of the week. The draw for this cruise is seeing the fireworks in Boston Harbor and from the ship, the viewing is limited. Read Less

We have cruised numerous times, but had not yet cruised with Cunard. We wanted to experience the Queen Mary 2, and a short, 5 night cruise over the 4th of July was a wonderful opportunity to do so. The QM2 is a stunningly beautiful ship. The décor is very “art deco” and reminiscent of a more elegant age. The many common areas on the ship are large, well appointed, and, even at capacity, do not feel crowded. In fact, the whole ship feels longer and wider than any other ship we have cruised on. Just being on board was relaxing. QM2 was built as an “ocean liner” and not as a cruise ship. This may account for the fact that it is laid out differently (and sometimes confusingly!) Example: Access to the main pool on Deck 8 is through the Verandah restaurant!! The dinner venue on board the ship is dependent on the basis of the category of room booked. “Queen’s Grill Suite” passengers dine in the Queen’s Grill; “Princess Grill Suite” passengers dine in the Princess Grill. “Britannia Club balcony” passengers dine in the Britannia Grill. All the rest dine in the Britannia restaurant. Anyone can dine at the buffet. There is no poolside grill. Room service is complimentary. The QM2 has a serious dress code. Men must wear a jacket for dinner in the dining room and in many of the bars. A tie is essential for “gala night.” There were many entertainers and lots of venues. The ship also offers a “matinee” at 2:15 on sea days with live performances. There is plenty to occupy one's time. Among the best things on board is an actual, functioning library with wood paneling, comfortable seating, and great views. It is very classy and a great place to just sit and read. We would sail “transatlantic” for 7-9 days on this ship without hesitation. However, we are not at all sure that we would take a longer, more port intensive cruise. This has to do with the fact that the ship offered very few good options for shore excursions and those options that were offered were too short. Read Less

First, this review is my personal opinion. This is my first time on the QM2 and second cruise ever. My first cruise ever was an inside cabin on the Crown Princess cruise in the Caribbean. For background while I enjoy cruising I would not consider myself a diehard cruiser. Also, if something is really subpar I will say so. I do not think the QM2 is subpar in any way for a mass market cruise ship. A Note on the Weather: We encountered fog on the way up and back. You might want to check to see if this is normal this time of year for this itinerary and decide for yourself if this would affect your enjoyment. The seas were generally calm. A bit of excitement: On the way north a passenger got sick and a US coast guard helicopter landed on the top deck to pick them up. I didn’t think there was room up there for a helicopter but apparently there was. Bottom line: We liked the cruise and would consider the QM2 for another cruise however my biggest problem was the price. I thought the $300 per person per night for a Britannia class obstructed view balcony cabin was not justified by the value received. I don’t feel cheated, just that it was a little overpriced. I would probably consider the QM2 for a transatlantic return to the US or possibly some other itinerary. More extensive review: This is a mass market cruise ship and so I review it as such. After 2 cruises I have learned that on cruises the attitude and how other passengers act very significantly affects your enjoyment of the cruise. If the other passengers are loud, obnoxious, rude and do not dress appropriately they can ruin your cruise. On the other hand if the other passengers behave appropriately for the cruise then you can have a better time. On this specific cruise I think the majority of passengers dressed and behaved appropriately, even the children. In my opinion, based on this cruise, the QM2 is appropriate for passengers wanting the following type of cruise: • a nice calm relaxing vacation, e.g., to destress, read a book from their extensive shipboard library • low key • dressing for dinner • ballroom dancing • afternoon tea • trivia contests • sipping a cocktail or glass of wine in one of the many bars or by one of the pools • enjoying a lecture on weather or whatever else is being discussed or maybe taking a class on fencing (personally I would have liked to try the fencing but never quite made it to the class) While most of the passengers were older there were younger passengers and some children a few of which dressed for dinner. I thought I saw a five year old in either a dark suit or tuxedo on formal night. If you enjoy the following I suggest you find a different ship or you will be wasting your money, will not be happy, and annoy other passengers: • drink a lot and get drunk • be loud and party (this is not a party ship, even on the Crown Princess cruise which skewed older there were more 20 and 30 year olds who discoed and drank more and were loud) • want to wear casual clothes at dinner • want water slides, rock climbing walls, etc. The food: On the whole I thought the food was fine. We ate most dinners in the main dining room (MDR). This is not a five star or Michelin rated restaurant in a large city. However, overall the service was excellent and I though the meals we had were Ok to very good considering the number of meals they serve. We had a 2 person table at the early seating which we requested when we booked the cruise. There is a dress code at dinner. I saw the crew turn one person away who was not properly dressed although I did see someone who was not properly dressed sneak in. As I stated before, if you do not want to dress for dinner (men wear jacket without tie on informal nights) you should probably pick a different cruise, you will be wasting your money on this ship. We also ate breakfast twice in the main dining room, once in our room, and once at the buffet. The breakfast in our room was very enjoyable, came on time and hot, same with the MDR. We didn’t particularly care for the buffet, the food was not necessarily bad. It is just that it gets crowded, can be hard to find a seat and generally reminds me of the buffets they have in US casinos in Atlantic City and Las Vegas. The one nice thing is it is open early if you need to get to an excursion and we found our way there at 1 AM one time and they still had a small selection of food available (some hot). For lunch I didn’t think the menus in the MDR were up to par, we never tried it. We did have lunch in the Golden Lion Pub on embarkation day (really glad we chose to go there instead of the buffet) and one other day. It can get crowded in the pub for lunch when it first opens so get there early or wait for a seat. It is a limited menu however, we very much enjoyed it and the atmosphere. They actually had some beers that had to be hand pumped out of the barrel. They let me sample a beer or two before I purchased, very civilized. They had 2 dart boards in the back and they play trivia here. They also serve a small selection of hot snacks and deserts in the Carinthia Lounge for breakfast and lunch. Given its proximity to the buffet at breakfast or lunch you can grab something in the buffet and from the Carinthia Lounge to round out your meal. The QM2 also has a proper afternoon tea in the Queens Room. We tried it once and it was very nice. Actually they do a very nice afternoon tea on the Crown Princess (my wife thought they were equivalent to the QM2) however it is much more crowded on the QM2 compared to the Crown Princess so they line up early on the QM2. On the QM2 they had a selection of teas (you can purchase champagne by the glass), finger sandwiches, scones with what they called clotted cream (I am not really sure it was true clotted cream although it tasted fine), and other nice deserts. They had chamber music during the tea. They also have scones etc. in the buffet which you can grab and enjoy out on the promenade if the weather is nice (the buffet and the promenade are both deck 7). Bars and night clubs. There are several bars on the QM2. Most of the bars have some form of live music or entertainment at various times of the day and evening (e.g., piano player, harpist, jazz band, rock group). For some reason they close the shades in the Commodore Club at sunset, wish they didn't. I thought the live music was on par with the Crown Princess. I think the Carinthia Lounge is the place to go if you want to try ports. I did a port flight there. In general I thought the cocktails in the bars were properly made and reasonably priced by US large city standards. Way better than the cocktails on the Crown Princess, maybe because they do not do drink packages on the QM2 for Britannia class. I tried a couple of mixed non-alcoholic beverages (smoothies, mock tails) that I thought were quite good. They have wine by the glass which we tried, it was OK. It is probably less expensive to buy wine by the bottle which they will supposedly hold for you until it is finished, another passenger told us that this is what they do. You can also bring your own wine onboard and consume it in your room for free which we did (supposedly you can pay a corkage fee and have it in one of the public venues, we didn’t try this). We also brought our own bottled water and soda on board, it was not inconvenient for us to do this. There is one location on the ship that I would consider a night club, it is G32. We looked in but did not stay, they had live music at night. Seemed nice and there were people there. The big thing about the QM2 is that they have a real ballroom for dancing (fox trot, waltz, tango, etc.), the Queens Room (proper dress required). The dance floor is relatively large. They have live music from a good band at certain times of the evening. Even if you don’t dance it is worth going there to watch other people dance. Personally, even if you are younger I would suggest trying to learn a little ballroom dancing, you might hate it however you might also like it. Personally, while some may consider it heresy, I would suggest to Cunard that they add some line dancing in the ballroom for the younger crowd, you DO NOT have to nor should you reduce/eliminate the dress code for this. The ship as a whole. I thought the ship as a whole was nice. I thought the ship itself was on par with the Crown Princess however, my wife really liked the QM2 better. A lot of time on the Crown Princess they are trying to sell you stuff. The pools were nice and one of the pools (Pavilion Pool) they will close the glass cover when the weather is inclement so it can still be enjoyed. I think they have live music by the pools at certain times however we didn’t see it. Other things we did on the ship. Saw a planetarium show, it was nice (you need to get tickets in advance). Saw a 3d movie in Illuminations. Played trivia in the pub one evening. Saw the show in the theater first night out, it was fine, not spectacular. Watched a lecture on the weather which I enjoyed. Listened to a ghost story in Carinthia Lounge, it was OK but should have been done later at night when it was dark. Took a book out of the really big library, for a ship. Walked the promenade a few times and sat out on deck a few times. Really liked the promenade. Tried shuffle board. One thing I did miss that they have on the Crown Princess is outdoor movies however I assume that they don't have this because it is more appropriate to the Caribbean as opposed to the itinerary that the QM2 usually has. Service overall was very nice everywhere. Shore excursions. As a whole we really didn't care for Saint John (not that much to do) however I did enjoy the Fundy Coastal Photography tour. I like and always have liked Boston, we are about a five hour drive from Boston.. Didn't do any of the ship sponsored tours, didn't need to. I did like that Cunard provided a free shuttle to and from a center of Boston. We could see some fireworks from the upper deck and other passengers chose to watch the fireworks there however you are pretty far away and do not have the same experience as if you are up close. We live near Brooklyn so we just drove there and left the car until we returned. If you have never been to New York before and your cruise either starts or ends here I strongly recommend allowing at least 2 to 3 full days to explore he city either before or after your cruise. Disembarkation was fine however embarkation could have been organized better. Read Less

Hey honey--I got tickets to Springsteen on Broadway--can we sail on Queen Mary 2? That's how this voyage began... We sailed on the five day portion of this itinerary--from NY to Saint John, New Brunswick, to Boston for the 4th of July, and back to NY. We were "trying out" the Queen Mary 2 with the idea of a world cruise in 2021. Five days is nothing like 113 days, of course, but we still felt like we got a feel for the ship, and we loved it. We embarked from Red Hook Terminal in Brooklyn, which definitely doesn't have a five star feel--very industrial port and waiting area. Our embarkation time was listed as 3 PM. but from reading reviews here, I learned that we could ignore that, get there early, and be aboard well before that time. This proved true, and we were aboard before noon. The bigger surprise was that our staterooms were ready, which was a treat. Nothing like a quick glass of bubbly before lunch! I also didn't think the Pol Acker was swill lol. Sail away in New York Harbor actually brought tears to my eyes. Seeing the Statue of Liberty and the New York skyline, sailing under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, where it looks like the ship is going to crash, listening to fun music on deck and waving a little American flag--it was a blast. We dined in Britannia for the late seating every night but one, when we wanted to catch the first show and ate in the Kings Court instead. I requested a large table in the dining room because we love to meet people from everywhere, but it was just the four of us. Table location wasn't great (not a huge deal), but the service was attentive and friendly. Dining choices were varied and generally very good. My daughter went for the Canyon Ranch choices (lots of chicken) most nights and was happy with them. My son and husband did steak/chateaubriand/short rib with good reports. I had an OK lobster tail, a delicious salmon filet, a dry sea bass, and a good sirloin steak. Our servers Ned and Ronald, the sommelier Oleg, and the head waiter Oliver all went out of their way to chat with us and assist us. We love wine, but live at the low end of the Cunard wine list. Oleg pointed us to well priced delicious wines and didn't make us feel cheap. We also paid the 20 dollar corkage fee a few nights. Kings Court was also a nice surprise after some of the reviews here. There was plenty of window seating when we ate there, and a good selection of both healthy and not-so-much options. The chocolate truffles made me grateful that we were only on board for 5 nights. I wish I had stashed some in my luggage though. Entertainment was one reason we chose Queen Mary 2. Our son loves live music of all kinds, so we spent a lot of time at concerts in pubs and lounges listening to a great variety of music. The musicians were without exception talented and professional. There was a guitarist who gave really informative lectures on famous guitarists like Jimi Hendrix and Carlos Santana. He was really knowledgeable and entertaining at the same time. We heard a lovely concert by Alton Fitzgerald White, who played Mufasa in the Lion King on Broadway. Comedian John Joseph had us in stitches, and the Royal Court Players were outstanding. They put on different full shows with great dancing and singing. The Broadway show was especially good. The a capella group Six Appeal was incredible. Our daughter is 23, and she made friends with some of the young women in the entertainment department. There are not many 20 somethings on board, but she still had a great time. We walked around Saint John on our own, found Big Tide brewery, and chatted with some locals. We didn't get off in Boston, as we live nearby and wanted to explore the ship some more. Another reason we chose Queen Mary 2 was because we like to get dressed up. I read some of the controversy on the boards about the "change" in Cunard dress codes, but we didn't really see anything untoward in the clothing department (except that one lady that wore her bathrobe as a coverup in the main area of deck 2--awkward). If I am being honest, what other people wear has no bearing on how I feel about my cruise experience, though I love to see people in their finery. I know my family looked and felt great in their tuxes and gowns. We took lots of pictures, had some delicious cocktails, and generally enjoyed the elegance of the ship and her passengers. Speaking of cocktails, here's my take on Cunard beverage prices. We live in a medium sized city, and when we go to our favorite restaurant, which is not super fancy and is in a mini mall, my favorite martini costs 10 dollars. In the Commodore Club--our favorite pre-dinner cocktail spot--my favorite cocktail was the Sazerac. It was 10.50. It was served with a bowl of spiced nuts and olives, some lovely canapes with shrimp, crab, and prosciutto, and a stunning view of the Atlantic. Well worth the extra 50 cents. My biggest concern with Queen Mary 2 has to do with accommodation choices for people with disabilities. We are a family of four. We were fortunate that our adult daughter could join us for this short excursion, so we booked two staterooms and were very pleased with the accessibility. Our daughter will not be coming on our world voyage, however. Our son’s wheelchair cannot fit through the door of a typical stateroom. But there are no wheelchair accessible staterooms that will accommodate three people. There are also no single wheelchair accessible staterooms. And there are no adjoining wheelchair accessible staterooms in any category except Queens Grill. These are grave concerns for us. When I met with a shipboard Cunard agent, he told me that I would need to book two staterooms and pay the full fare for a 4th person in order to do the world voyage with our son. This feels discriminatory to me, and is our one reservation about booking this dream trip. We're talking about over 30000 dollar difference in what we would pay for the voyage. I drive a crappy car, but that would pay for a pretty nice one. If you've read this far, thank you. If you have any advice regarding how we can reconcile this ship that we love with our predicament, we'd love to hear from you. Except for this major issue (for us), we loved this voyage. For able bodied travelers, we recommend Queen Mary 2 without reservation. Read Less

We choose the QM2 because we wanted to experience a Cunard cruise as well as the QM2 itself, being such a well-known ship, with so much history and sense of luxury. That it had from the start to the last day. While not avid cruisers, we would consider this ship for another adventure. We started with the option of arrival the day before staying in NYC at the Knickerbocker Hotel on Times Square, which was the perfect kick-off to this week-long trip, giving us a great spot to work from, to see a show, tour a museum, and enjoy a great meal in New York City. The Knickerbocker is well appointed, modern, and quite elegant, as well as well located at the base of Times Square, but not in the middle of all the tourists. Three of us were traveling together, and two black limos picked us up from the hotel to go to the Red Hook cruise terminal in Brooklyn. (They could have just done one, but that is OK.) While we did pay for this upgrade it was well worth it, and I encourage it. It takes the craziness out of terminal arrival, and being escorted like a VIP is very, very nice. Check in at the Red Hook Cruise Terminal went smoothly, the building was bright, clean, and fresh. Perfectly set up for a large group departure. (it appeared that the different cruise lines use this space, just change equipment for other lines. The facility was much nicer than I expected, and what we experienced out of Boston's Falcon Terminal.) One of our travelers has a disability, and while not in a wheelchair, we were offered access to the handicapped line providing extra help. Again because we had an upgrade, thanks to our travel agent, we moved quickly through and into the VIP lounge and up the elevator and onto the ship. Boarding the ship was easy, maybe it was because you boarded into their big center lobby, there were no crowds on the elevators, and we quickly found our rooms, (two rooms at opposite ends and sides of the ship.) The lack of crowds may have been because of this was a stop on an extended cruise, and the whole ship was not changing over with guests, only those getting on for this leg of the cruise. We had two similar staterooms on deck ten (we had the upgraded Princess Grill level) both were spacious clean, modern, with large bathrooms, plenty of closet space and private balconies. Baggage arrived quickly and without any hassle, while we took a quick tour of the ship before unpacking. Our travel agent had sent us some nibbles, and the captain had a bottle of champagne chilling in our room for us (I believe a part of our upgrade package.) After the Muster Drill where we found our lifeboat station and heard about how to put on the life jackets, (plus got a fun one-on-one people watching, and listening experience with some of our fellow cruisers.) Afterward, we toured the ship and found the Queen and Princess Grill restaurants, both are located at the back of the ship with a nice view. (Upgrade dining as part of a package in a tad fancier space is the Queens and Princess Grill. The Queens looked a little stuffy, making our choice of the Princess was perfect for us.) At 5 pm we stopped in at the Commadors Club at the bow of the ship, for an afternoon drink (which is also where the LGBTQ travelers meet for Happy Hour each day. Thus we made this a daily event.) Note: We had the drink package (drinks under $12 are covered in that package, we found that you had to order only one (shot) at a time if you did 2, it went over the maximum cost, and you would get charged. We took to one of the cabins for the cruise out and enjoyed glasses of the champagne and cheered our upcoming week together on the QM2. Cruise out went smoothly gliding by the Statue of Liberty and out along Long Island as sunset began to take hold. Always fun to watch for the Pilot Boat and to say goodbye to the Harbor pilot when they leave the ship, giving her back to the Captain. We took our time to head to the dining room, where we had a table for six. and got to meet the two other cruisers who would be our meal partners. While they were finishing up their meal, it gave us a chance to introduce ourselves to them, and see if indeed we would want to eat with them for every meal. While we could have chosen a private table, we always enjoy meeting new people for meals. QM2 dining options are many, from cafeteria style to private dining. We could have eaten in other spaces, one public space becomes an upscale $12 extra meal upcharge space, as we had already had the Princess Grill Dining room, we went there for, breakfast lunch and dinner. Though some mornings taking advantage of room service for breakfast. Internet service is expensive onboard any ship, and we used this time to force ourselves off our screens, and as we got further out into the water our cell phones went silent, so we just used them as cameras. While we did log on to the free wi-fi when in port, and access to our mobile carriers when we could. We put the phones and tablets into airplane mode most of the time, so as not to incur any extra unwanted charges. The first full day on the water was foggy with the quaint sound of the ship's fog horn. During that first day, one of the passengers became ill and had to be airlifted off of the ship, at which time all passengers were not allowed on the outside decks. While this took us a bit off our course, it did not delay us. Though we all thought, how sad that one would get sick and have to leave such a wonderful time aboard the QM2. And it made us think how much has the US Coast Guard with a boat, helicopter, and seaplane cost, and if insurance covers that. We took the opportunity to attend a lecture and several presentations in the QM2's onboard planetarium/auditorium. While the lecturer was not very good, the planetarium experience was enjoyable. The shows on the onboard television are limited, and not very wide-ranging in the way of news or other shows. Experience them to find out for yourself, if they fit what you want to watch. Our first port of call was St. Johns New Brunswick Canada. Cruise in was early in the morning, it was foggy so there was little to see until it burned off mid-day. We took the opportunity to get off the ship, just visiting the dockside tourist market and logging on to the free wi-fi. As we had already made up our minds that this trip was more about experiencing the QM2 and not the ports, we reboarded the ship. That afternoon we went through American customs on board the ship, as US Citizens the line was short, but as the QM2 had plenty of travelers from other countries, they had a long line. That evening we sailed away, again celebrating with glasses of champagne from the Captian on our balcony as we left port, and enjoying our delightful staterooms. Sail into Boston for the Fourth of July, was at 5:30 am. Getting up to watch as we came in enjoying the islands and the boats as we passed by was enjoyable. (Also cell service returned, so I could get off some social media posts.) Last summer we had sailed out of Boston's Falcon Port, it is dark, dingy and warehouse-like, not as well appointed as the Red Hook facility. Taking a Lyft to meet friends for lunch when we returned to the ship to spend the afternoon at the Canyon Ranch Spa for pedicures and manicures (easy to get an appointment on port days.) To celebrate the 4th of July we spent time in both cabins, as we were on opposite sides of the ship, both of them got the benefit of different views of local community fireworks. While not the big Boston Harbor display, you got to see fireworks lighting up the horizon all around the ship. The ship set sail in the very early morning hours of July 5th, spending the day at sea. Which meant the shops and casino on board were open. Cunard offered a 15% discount for shopping that day, and we took advantage of that in the bookstore (which is not in the shopping area, but beside the large library.) And of course picked up a few items in the shops, making use of our shipboard credits. Note: as a Carnival shareholder of at least 100 shares you get additional shipboard credits, depending on the length of your cruise. Make sure you submit a clear statement showing your holdings (I made sure information of any other holdings, balances were not visible before sending,) at least a ten-day prior to boarding the ship. That night we put out our bags for collection and delivery back to us at the port the next morning upon arrival in NYC. Keeping a small bag with necessary items and clothes to wear with us in the cabin, that we would then carry with us in the morning. Sail into NYC was early on Friday morning we were awoken by the lights of the Verazono Narrows Bridge. Quite a sight! Again seeing Lady Liberty and the skyscrapers of Manhattan is a wonderful way to start any day. Arrival on the last day of the cruise meant breakfast and room service was discouraged, so having a few things to nibble on, and coffee to make in the room was something we should have thought of. The cabin steward did not refresh our coffee for the arrival morning, so while the trip was quite wonderful, those last few hours on the ship, felt as if they were rushing you off, which in essence they are. Again disembarking from the ship was somewhat civilized, though with large amounts of travelers leaving the ship about the same time, means crowds. Getting into the terminal was fine, and finding our luggage (which was not with others from our deck) took some time. Walking out to catch car service (we did not have a limo this time) was somewhat involved, but not terrible. We took a lyft to NY's Penn Station and returned home on Amtrak. Tips: Use an experienced Travel Agent who has a relationship and an understanding of the cruise industry to get your best perks and deals. If traveling on any one of Carnival's many brands of ships, have 100 shares of stock for extra onboard credits. If you want to experience the ship, do so when you are in port and everyone is off on excursions. Take the opportunity to upgrade, it is well worth the cost. Be it a day before arrival, car service to and from the ship (This is a BIG YES) or for a better cabin and meal experience. It is more expensive, but the benefits are worth it in the long run. Meet new people, while you will probably never see, or speak to them again, it is always interesting to talk to different people and understand where they come from. And YES sometimes you have to zip your lip if they do not have similar beliefs that you do. You can always smile and move on, or ask to be seated at a different table. Or talk about them as a part of your adventure. Bring a small foldable carry-on bag in your luggage for that last day, when you have to put all of your luggage out, This way you will have what you need with you, and you can always repack it once off the ship, or more likely just use the space to carry the things you purchased. Have Fun, we are only in this life once. Read Less

Since this is the first time we had ever been on a cruise ship, we have nothing to compare it to. Crossing was from Southampton to Brooklyn. We were totally delighted with the food, professionalism of the staff, the gala events, dressing up for dinner each night, the entertainment. My husband took the WSET wine certificate course and is awaiting his score. We took the cocktails seminar and it was wonderful. Enjoyed eating lunch in the Veranda restaurant. Thought the jazz group on board was fine as well as the harpist, flamenco guitarist and all the entertainment. I especially loved my mornings at the Pavilion pool on Deck 12. Our cabin was on Deck 11 and was on starboard side. Next time I will book a port side cabin when traveling west. Met so many cruisers that said they have taken the QM2 many, many times. I will definitely consider taking this ship again. I was concerned about some of the reviewers that said the cabins were already in need of repair, food was not good, whatever. I needn't have worried. Only concern was boarding in Southampton. Our time slot was 1:30 and we arrived at 1:30. Found the line to be terribly long. Overheard many people saying they had later time slots but wanted to arrive earlier, causing the long line. Disembarkation in Brooklyn was a breeze. Suggest carrying your own luggage. Read Less

My husband and myself had never sailed with Cunard before and were worried that maybe we would feel out of place. We didn't have to worry as we met so many friendly people. I have read some other reviews on here and think that I must have been on a different ship. The staff were extremely friendly, helpful and very funny. We certainly were not pestered by bar staff to buy drinks. If you don't want a drink you just say so and the waiter puts a serviette on the table to let the other waiters know not to bother you again. The ship was spotless everywhere. Our cabin was clean, no dirty carpets where we were and we weren't in an ultra posh cabin. The talks were very interesting that we went to. Obviously there were some that didn't interest us, so we didn't bother with those. The production shows were very good. A couple of the older comedians we saw weren't great. You can't please everyone so we weren't too bothered. There really is so much to do that you can't get bored unless you are not interested in anything. We will definitely be going on Cunard again. Read Less

We traveled from Quebec City to New York (Brooklyn). The ship was in very good condition, with a very comfortable bed in our balcony room (deck 12). We were really disappointed that the Planetarium was not fully functional, only one show was available and that one had issues with sound. The ship did a really good job on Gluten Free food selections, much better than Princess or Celebrity. Note that there is NO signage on the ship to tell you what events are going on, and how to get around. You need to carry the daily newsletter with you all day. Best ship library I’ve ever seen. This is a great ship if you want to do formal ballroom dancing every night (think Dancing with the Stars level). Disco - not so much. There were only four of in us there at night. Both Embarkation and Disembarkation went very smoothly. Read Less

This was our 6th voyage aboard. First since the Re-Mastering in 2016 . The Service and general ambience continued very good as expected . Dining also was as good as it gets. Kings Court improvements were well received by most . Caronia Lounge was also a big improvement over the old , very underutilized Winter Garden. I was suprized that the cabins added on deck 13 seemed hardly noticeable and loss of that rarely used wading pool and bar were not missed. Cabin TV's and Hot water pot were a nice improvement. Now a few big negatives as far as we are concerned. Reducing the Casino size to make room for more cabins , I feel was a mistake. The congestion at popular casino times , turned us off from using it. Transfering all that interior space that use to be the photo gallery , making it into a hardly visited permanent Art Gallery , is a shame. The Logo Store has been reduced to a small corner of a larger store . Tiny selection of Logo items , Logo clothing , etc. Godiva Candy shop seemed seldom used . Planetarium had only 2 different shows for this 7 night cruise and 1 was broken , so it was the same 1 show every sea day.(why not just substitute an older show ?) Read Less

We selected this particular cruise for the dates and final destination (Quebec) Embarking in NY was a joke. You’d think they would have perfected this by now as they’re in the business of moving people. At first nobody knew what to do with us. The process took hours... Left NY 4 hours late because we needed fuel... You’d think they could have used the hours we spend boarding to do this. The food was reasonable but nothing special. Wine list prices were fair. Not sure about the 15% tip. Most of the crew was good but some definitely didn’t feel they had to even try..... When we stopped at a port crew seemed to disappear so nobody around to tell you where to go (seemed to be a common theme). Lots of confusion and lineups some of which I guess can’t be avoided. The captain was a joke. Yes, he did get us there in one piece but whenever he spoke I felt like we were listening to an infomercial... Not much ‘Captain like’ information. Never saw the man but apparently us mortals were allowed to come up to the upper deck to meet the man (no hand shakes allowed though) Entertainment was ok I guess if you’re 80+ Didn’t mind the 3 formal nights as it lends a certain elegance to the place. Ship was very clean. It’s a beautiful ship. We went up the St. Lawrence at night....So much for the fall foliage. I have to admit I’m not really a ‘cruise guy’ but the one I took to Alaska before was much better overall. Read Less

The Queen Mary 2 is a magnificent ship, our cabin and steward was wonderful. The late embarkation was quick and easy except that some ships elevators were not working, which was a common problem throughout the cruise. The fifth level balcony cabin was great. The balcony is not much use unless in port or very carm seas. The signage to the mini bar was poor some things are free and some are charged. We only realised that the bottled water was charged when it was noted on our room bill. We were also disappointed when we ordered a bath robe to take home. We were told $US45 and charge $US55. We quaried the cost and were told Cunard charges what is on your account not what price you were told or marked on the order form. Not good enough. The only other problem we had with the cabin was that the door to the balcony rattled in windy weather. We had a person come to fix the door but he bad little improvement. The Britannia Restaurant food was average and usually failed to live up to the men description. Steak was not tough but certainly not tender. My wife returned one seafood dish as it smelt off and another person at our table felt sick after a seafood dish. The deserts were usually good. The Kings Court Buffet was average with some food cold and or dry out. The Golden Lion had good cod and chips. We felt that the food quality was well below the quality of food served by other cruise lines. The talks by the speak were wonderful, delivered by quality speakers who were passionate about their topic. The classical performances were good but the Cunard performers we energetic but we did not particularly enjoy the shows. The movies were average. The planetarium was great until it broke down. The staff were generally very friendly but often appeared poorly trained. The except being the staff in the shop who were happy to talk to each other about their shopping trip to Boston and how it was not as good as Paris while I stood in front trying to get served. The shop also was poor as on the second day they only had small sizes remaining for some cloths. We did two tours the first to Cape Cod was a poor. We left the ship just before lunch and got to have lunch at 4 pm by which time we were very hungry and had lost interest in the incessant taking of the quide an the tour. The vist to the Grit Mill in total darkness was a joke. I am still not sure if the building was there or not. The other tour to Montreal was great. The tender to the Port was poor your were treat more like cattle loading on to a ship than a guest. When tied up to a dock reboarding was general good but at some ports there was two gangways one with a long line to enter the ship other with only a few people in line. This could have been much better co-ordinated. There were other problems two toilets had a lot of water on the floor when I tried to use them. The seat in the planetarium would reclaim back but when you came to the same venue for a lecture some seats would not return to the upright position so if there were limited seats you had to sit facing the ceiling. Our cruise was a Falls cruise unfortunately there was no Falls coloured to be seen and we were disappointed that we did not visit two of the port on the itinerary. Newport was too windy to visit but a couple at our table said this was the second cruise that they were on that had missed Newport. During the the cruise we noted that the port of Gaspé had been replaced by Sept-Isles not an interesting place. We got on the shuttle bus that was to go on a circular route stopping at a number of place. The bus was to operation every 20 minutes. We made the mistake of getting off at the first stop. It was an hour and ten minutes until we could get on to another shuttle as they were full and would not allow people to board the bus. An hour and ten minutes standing in the cold was no fun. When we eventually got on to the shuttle we went back to the boat fearing that if we got off that there would be another long wait. We were sorry for all the passengers refused access to our shuttle. We thought that the ship is magnificent but for us the food, service etc was below what is provided by other cruise companies. We spoke to other people on the cruise who have been on the Queen Mary 2 many times and just loved the whole experience. Maybe we expected too much. Read Less

We were on the Queen Mary for a New England-Canada 14 day cruise on September 22-October 6th. We were in a princess suite cabin 10010. The first thing you need to know is that Cunard ships are definitely Class ships. That means that the better the cabin or suite the better the food and service you will receive. The ship is big and beautiful. Of course it was just redone in May. The points of this cruise that we really liked was the suite was very nice and clean. The cabin attendant always kept our room neat and clean. We were so pleased to see a Catholic priest on board that said Mass every day. The Princess grill service was amazing. The first night we weren't to happy with the table. The following day when we arrived for lunch we were escorted to a beautiful table by the window and we were given this table for the duration of the cruise. The food was excellent and we had several desserts made tableside by one of the matre'd.. We ate at the Kings court for lunch on our arrival on the ship. The food there was terrible, cafeteria style that had been sitting for quite a while. This was the only restaurant you could use if you didn't want to dress up. We only went to two shows. One was a comedian that was excellent. The other was the singes and dancers from the ship. They were god but not as good as those on the Celebrity ships. Most of the other shows were more geared to the British passengers who like more classical music and singers. We did have some issues with some ports. We missed Newport News because the high winds from Maria did not allow us to tender. We also missed Gaspe because of the whales. It was mating season so the ship had to reduce its speed. The captain did manage to add a stop in Sydney NS. Most of the tours were nice. However some included rides on a school bus and another on a local bus. The best tour we took was in Quebec when we had an evening tour for dinner at the sugar shack. That was so much fun. The other port that we really enjoyed was Saguenay. We were awakened by a bull horn saying "wake up Queen Mary" when we opened our curtain to our balcony that was a huge show going on. There was a tee pee with an Indian standing at a fire. There was a man walking on a log.They also had at least 30 dancers in costumes that put on a show until the first passengers got off the ship We were then greeted by all their dancers and by many locals that showed up to the pier. They also gave us their flags and also was handing out blueberry pie(they are know for their blueberries.) I am sure that after reading the review you are wondering why I didn't give it the highest rating. We are 70 years old and we like great service. But we don't like to dress formal. This ship had five formal nights and the other nights men had to wear a sport coat to dinner and in the Grill lounge. Another reason we won't go on Cunard again is the drinks were ridiculous. A coke cost me $4.25 and a Martini cost me $20.00. We are not cheap but those prices are ridiculous. One other reason is that we will go back to Seabourn or Celebrity is that because what we pay on those ships all is included and the price for the cruise is less.The special line for suite check in was so long it took us longer to check n then the regular line. In conclusion I will say that if you enjoy dressing up this is the ship for you. Just make sure you book a suite! Read Less

WE chose this ship because of the ballroom dancing, so many other ships have discontinued this activity. The dance floor is large, there is an Orchestra and a vocalist, every night at 9:30 PM, and over a 2 week period there were 4 Tea dances. This is a little late in the evening for older people, but we adjusted our internal clocks and did it. I felt that the food was not as good as other ships, the buffet was not good at all, the food on the buffet was dried out and tasteless, the pizza was horrible ! There are many British passengers, the entertainment was ordinary. The passengers are of a higher quality than the ordinary ships. You do not need a Tuxedo, many men had dark suits, there is a jacket required for men at dinner, which makes it more pleasant than looking over at people dressed in t-shirts and sloppy clothes as you see on Princess, Carnival ( shiver ) Holland America, RCCL, Celebrity or Norwegian. If you are in the First Class category, such as the Queen's category of rooms, or a Suite, of course everything is better, you get a separate dining room and top notch treatment. I felt the discrimination....... I would say that the Crystal Ship line is a far better choice if you want a Luxury cruise. I'm looking into Oceania now, never been on it, but want to try it. I enjoyed the ports , Saguenay and Quebec were the only ones I got off the ship to go on, At Saguenay , the entire town came down to the port to meet our ship, they were dressed in costumes, there was entertainment, music, and free home-made blueberry pie. Quebec was terribly crowded, many ships in port that day, too many people to feel comfortable walking through, shops were very crowded also, so we went on a bus tour of the city which was a better way to see it. I would go on the QM2 again if I see a good price, as this one was. We are booked on QM2 in September 2018 to cross the ocean then return again immediately, but may cancel it before final payment, if we find an Oceania cruise that we like. Read Less