we chose this ship to celebrate our Diamond wedding anniv on the day of departure (I was actually born on the day QM was launched) and its juicy itinerary. .having cruised about 120 times all around the world the three places that had most appeal were first timers for us Okinawa, Taiwan & Brunei persuaded us to pay up 16 months before cruise commenced. imagine our horror when we received an email on Xmas Eve cancelling all 3 ports of call---yes 2 weeks before boarding at Southampton with no offer of cancellation.
the overall cruise was immensely disappointing and yes we feel it was poor value for what we paid (and are still paying the remortgage)
entertainment was banal,repetitive & frankly boring.-- hygiene standards were abused,
food in the Britannia was just acceptable, in the King`s Court unacceptable ,duplicate bridge (which interested me) was disorganised,chaotic and a shambles. embarkation at Capetown was as usual an utter disgrace, wine prices,excursion charges and quality were unjustifiable, port agents recommended by Cunard for emergency were unavailable
all the issues were brought to the attention of senior staff on board and despite promises nothing was ever heeded. care for the infirmed in ports of call was non sympathetic..communication with Cunard is an established horror story and they confirmed this status to Maril & myself. they just ignore you knowing their ship will always be full because it is the QM2.
the Purser, Mr Henry Wasserman, took devious measures to avoid even talking to us although we were spending 100 nights on board and were top category Cunarders..
we requested at booking for Southampton to Dubai quote. Cunard insisted for their convenience to divide this into 3 separate cruises which was more expensive and far more inconvenient for us. even the Hotel Manager Mr D Shepherd admitted this was totally unnecessary as he agreed that ourtreatment on board was way below standard
a great disappointment overall with many special moments. if we can help anybody call us at marilbrian@btinternet.com
first class bed decent balcony--poor sound proofing