This was our third Crossing in 5 years on the QM2 and I think this time our eyes were wide open. Our first Crossing (Britannia Club), in 2017, was magical, as first Crossings on the QM2 are. We truly saw everything through rose colored glasses. I think if the ship had sunk entering New York Harbor, we would still have given it a 5-star review. Our second Crossing (Sheltered Balcony), in 2018, was during Fashion Week and was a totally different experience. On top of the intense sensory experience of a QM2 Crossing, it introduced us into a world that we knew very little about. Again, a 5 star experience. This recent Crossing (Britannia Unobstructed), was the first time we had traveled with friends, another couple who had cruised but never on Cunard. So this provided a whole new experience but at the same time there were far fewer surprises. There were also times when we stepped out of our comfort zone and tried new things such as Ball Room Dancing classes, a Shuffle Board Tournament and G-32. Of course the elephant in the room was the COVID pandemic. As it turned out, COVID had very little impact on our trip as onboard mask restrictions were lifted 2 days before boarding and a negative test requirement was dropped by the CDC before we arrived into NYC. Some seats were still blocked off in the theaters and sitting a the bar in the Commodore Club, Golden Lion and Chart Room was prohibited.

It was obvious that passengers were glad to be sailing again but even more obvious that the crew was to. The service was the best we have ever received, and that’s saying something. We did notice at the Purser’s Desk and in the Library, almost all of the staff were new. So while everyone was eager to help, it was sometimes necessary to bring in a supervisor. Fortunately, there seemed to be an abundance of supervisors. We tried on a couple of days to locate the Cruise Critic log book in the library but I don’t think any of the staff we spoke to had an understanding of what we were referencing. No one there had more than a few months experience.

The food in the MDR was excellent and there seemed to be more menu diversity than on our last cruise. Here again there was an abundance of staff. We sailed somewhere around 70% full but the crew level was reportedly 100%. One of our favorite food venue is the Golden Lion where we typically have Fish & Chips every day. This time we only ate there 5 days and even then ventured out and had the daily meat pie a couple of days. They were super but I still went back to the Fish & Chips. I thought the presentation of the food in the Golden Lion was not quite up to par. We love those little ringed baskets that they use to put the chips in. There were a couple of tables missing from the Golden Lion and no bar seating, all for COVID, so getting a table was always a challenge. My suggestion, get there no later than 11:30AM and enjoy a pint of London Pride while waiting for the food service to begin. The Golden Lion staff definitely needs to do something about singles and couples who occupy tables throughout the entire food service period just reading or playing cards without eating or drinking. Read more