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

Everything about our cruise was great! We boarded very easily in NYC The ship, though older, is kept clean and well appointed. Restaurants: all were excellent! And I do consider myself a foodie! Have been on NCL, RCL, MSC, and way back on an Italian Line. Cunard was great in all areas; Buffet, Main Dining Room, and Verandah! Not a single line can cook a steak as well as Verandah! (Ships cannot use open flame so it’s difficult to cook a great steak without a flame!) The other point is cleanliness. Having been on all RCL mega ship crossings and each of their buffet rooms were not kept very clean when dining was going on. Waiters would wipe tables onto floor and often tables were hardly cleaned! So QM2 touché! Shows were ok. Not great but enjoyable. The walk/run deck was great! The Aqua Therapy was phenomenal and well worth the $$! Finally, as we enjoy the elegance of the QM2 the evenings, 3 of them formal, were great. The others require a jacket at dinner. (Tux are available and worth it!) The masquerade and roaring 20’s nights were a lot of fun. If you want casual go on a 7 day island cruise. If you enjoy great conversation, stimulating lectures, time to reflect and read great food, great drinks, formal evenings then go on QM2! And finally they do not beg for good reviews! PS our review for excursions says Excellent. But their weren’t any! Read Less

Second time on QM2 & first since a supposed re-furbishment. As always Cunard smugly bang on about their heritage with artefacts & pictures everywhere yet overall the Cunard experience whilst generally very good it's not 'that' special. Cabin immaculate except that the wooden ornamental balcony railing had come adrift from its metal frame. As to be expected public areas including lounge & bar areas immaculate & rather grand - with one exception ( see later ). Britannia dining room staff utterly charming & food was fine but evening meals taken to the accompaniment of frequent screeching of babies or hyper-active infants not Cunard's fault of course, but why take babies on a cruise it's not a floating creche? The self-service café or Kings Court or whatever still has all the ambience of a 1960's Wimpy bar with many seats in a sort of corridor or in bay windows that have some sort of blue tint on them - weird. The Kings Grille always empty & on the sole occasion I ventured there to get a cheese burger it was tasteless (the burger that is). McDonalds could teach Cunard a thing or two. Food from the café was never ever hot enough, so much so I played safe & stuck to cold meats etc. Given that class division is so obvious on the ship I doubt whether those in Princess or Queens Grille class would ever risk soiling their Gucci loafers in such a place. A certain aspect of the posh Commodore/commode Club was a disgrace. In several places the wood edging to the window apertures had split, come adrift & hanging loose. The inside of the toilet door adjacent to the library was covered in rust. It seems the QM2 is long overdue for it's next mild re-furb. Theatre entertainment was obviously on a low budget e.g. a shrieking girl singer & a so so conjuror/comedian - all a bit village hall I fear. BUT...a guitar concert was a joy as was a talk in the picture gallery. Good selection of day time activities too. Places visited were second time around so need to be ripped-off by over-priced excursions. Took lots of my own photographs including a photograph of a photograph taken with the captain - $35 for one print ! - no way Cunard. However enough good points to be looking forward to next booked Cunard cruise but NOT on QM2. Read Less

My first impressions began with late lunch on embarkation day in Kings Court. Dodging employees with food carts, they didn’t give way for guests - to the point of being dangerous. Good food selections available, although meat over cooked to toughness. First day party impressive poolside and music was excellent as we watched NYC fade away. Our eight-person seating companions at dinner each evening were excellent and we promised to stay in touch. Disappointed in repeated shows in planetarium. Was hoping for something other than dark matter and meteorites. Arson lecture was really good. As was lecture on British history. Live shows excellent in theater but very short. My very favorite restaurant was the Golden Lion. Trivia contests and space sharing brought us in contact with so many fine people for the fun competitions. My biggest concern was uneven flooring that felt like rotting wood under carpets, especially in the casino. With all the alleged grandeur, this seemed dodgy. Would not opt for balcony cabin again. North Atlantic, even in dead summer, is not conducive to enjoying outdoors. We didn’t use it. Food good in Britannia but as I don’t drink much alcohol, waiter acted as if I was less than when I ordered a soft drink with my dinner. Public spaces are beautiful. I might do it again, but looking at nothing but water for seven straight days was trying. I was excited on day six when I saw actually spied a bird as we approached land. All in all, I wasn’t all that impressed after reading all the glorious reviews about this glamorous ocean liner. 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

We (2 couples) chose this cruise to return from a European vacation rather than fly back to the US. We knew the cruise would be very formal but as one English passenger said when I queried him about his experience on the 2nd day of the cruise, "They are quite serious". LIkes: We booked the Brittania Club, therefore we had our own private dining table for four each night with the same servers. The food was truly excellent, on par with Oceania Cruise line, which is noted for it's food. (Kudos to our servers, Brendo and Orsulah). We ended up eating breakfast, lunch and dinner in the restaurant. We only gained an average of 2 pounds per person for a 7 day cruise and we believe that is because we mostly avoided the Kings Grill, which is very chopped up, located in several separated rooms with a limited selection of food. We understand it had been upgraded in 2016 from the original design. I cant see how it could have been much worse then. Also, the brewed coffee in the restaurant is very good, unlike the machine coffee in the Kings Grill. We had dinner one night in the Verandah steakhouse restaurant for a small upcharge of $39 per person and it was the best steak we have ever had. 35 day aged beef. The Enrichment and Art seminars, Tea Time and Gala Evenings were spot on great! We didn't mind the tuxedo and formal dress evenings and enjoyed the Masquerade Ball. The planetarium and Queen's Theatre were great venues also. Dislikes: Probably because we have been spoiled by cruises on Oceania Marina, Rivera, & Insignia and Holland Statendam and Koningsdam, we didn't appreciate the QM2 as much as we should. Even with the retrofit in 2016, she looks a bit tired. Very chopped up, no flow to the design. What's with the Churchill and Chart room locations? You have to go through the Brittania Dining room to access the Queens Ball room or go through the Art Gallery up and down stairs to access. Also, the aforementioned non functional Queen's Grill area. The Library boasts 8 thousand books and a room the size of an average family dining room and each passenger is restricted to 2 books at a time with the shelves locked during night hours? That's when most insomniacs need to find a book. We found this very unusual as Oceania ships boast great libraries with a barrista next door. Their libraries are unlocked and open to all cruise passengers 24/7. Finally, what ever you do don't buy the liquor package!!! Very limited pours (50 ml) which makes no sense, as it requires the staff to service you more often. (However, once they see you have a drink sticker on your card, they avoid you like the plague, and you practically have to tackle them to get service). This occurred in every lounge but was particularly acute in the Golden Lion Pub! The wine steward in the Brittania Club restaurant also was put off by our asking for wine refills at dinner, until 3 days before the cruise ended, when he finally increased the pours, which saved him extra trips. (We were not heavy drinkers, drinking no more than 2-3 50 ml pours at dinner) or any other sitting. The package was very restrictive, nothing over $11. If you want to purchase a $20 cocktail, you have to pay $16 (purchase price less 20%), which begs the ? why purchase the liquor package? Also, our traveling companions, (one who drinks and one who cannot drink because of medical reasons), cleared with Cunard corporate that if she brought a Doctor's excuse that he could by the package but she wouldn't have to. We spent the better part of the first afternoon being shuffled between the Purser's office, the G. L Pub and were even sent to the spa, because no one could or would make a decision on allowing our friend to purchase the liquor package alone. Finally, a bartender in the G.L. Pub told us in great whisper (I am not exaggerating) that he would allow it if our non drinking friend would purchase the $30 per day beverage package (water, soft drinks and coffee). You could not purchase wine by the bottle at dinner like on Oceania or HAL only by the 50 ml glass because of the liquor package restriction. The ship was good in the water, you never really felt any motion. However, it felt as if It was designed more for sailors than passengers and the staff was not there to serve you as much as ensure that all rules and regulations would be followed and not be infringed on! Read Less

We took a repositioning transatlantic cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to Southampton on Celebrity’s Silhouette, then took Cunard’s QM II back to the States. Taking longer trips is one of the perks of being retired! Retired or not though, I don’t appreciate Cunard’s ineptitude at getting passengers on and off the ship; a basic and routine task. As Platinum members we had a special line for embarkation. We waited until noon to get on, but I could hear the same announcements that I’ve heard on each of the 6 times I’ve been on Cunard about how something "unexpectedly" went wrong which was causing the long delay. I had boarded, had lunch, came off again, walked to the Southampton shopping mall, came back at 4 pm for a 4:30 all aboard, and the area was still jam packed with passengers waiting to board. Cunard really needs to stop making excuses and get this simple job done right, every time. Of the 43 cruises we’ve been on with various cruise lines, I’ve never been on a cruise that I didn’t absolutely love. This cruise was no exception. We had a great time. My taste is contemporary, so QM2’s old ship décor charm was somewhat lost on me. We were in a “sheltered balcony cabin” # 5023. Sheltered means the outside of balcony wall is not glass, but metal (although oddly, I couldn’t get a magnet to stick to it). Often we take the extra savings provided with an inside cabin since we really only sleep and shower in the cabin. However, we “splurged” this time since I do like the ceiling-to-floor, wall-to-wall daylight. The cabin was inconveniently away at the front and normally we pick a more strategically located cabin when we pick inside. Turned out we spent more time in the cabin than planned as the ship was very cold and we often dashed back to the cabin where we had the heat cranked up. On Celebrity Silhouette the towels were old and thin, so we felt like royalty with Cunard’s plush soft thick towels. The food was good, but not as good as Celebrity’s. For instance, my husband is a meat-and-potato guy so he’s so easy to please. At lunch first day he looked for his usual ham and cheese sandwich only to be told it was way at the other end of the cafeteria. When he got there they directed him back to where he’d started. Now, uncharacteristically frustrated, he went back and demanded his simple request. They told him he couldn’t get it today, but each day he could order one for the following day! On ANY of the 43 cruises we’ve been on, there’s a deli-like sandwich bar where you can have any sandwich of your choice for lunch. From there, as far as food was concerned, it was just all downhill for him. As for me, I missed my daily salad for lunch. Sure, there were salad offerings, but just not as many items to include in it as I’m used to (never grape tomatoes) and certainly there were never fresh berries of any kind, at any time. I’m a chocaholic and on one formal night, the cafeteria had 1” chocolate Cunard-logo logs with flavors inside to die for. I’d go on the cruise again and again just for those little chocolates! Cruising transatlantic is different from Caribbean cruises in that Cunard emphasizes dressing up. On the 7-day Atlantic crossing there are three formal nights, but actually every night is pretty much a formal affair (although the food doesn’t always reflect it). There are more guest lectures and I enjoyed the short plays as slightly different entertainment. There are more guest “competitions” (golf, hoops etc.) than other ships; Zumba is free and there’s a variety of ballroom dance classes as well as line dancing. Cunard ships have a large ballroom which is unique, and even more unique is that it is actually used at night for ballroom dancing, complete with a half-dozen men who are paid to ask single women to dance. The ballroom of course has many other uses during in day time. Celebrity arrived in Southampton one day, and the next day we sailed back to the States. We've been to London several times and we'd both spent our first 20 years in Scotland so we weren't interested in visiting there. Celebrity arrived at 5:30 am and we took the 8 am ferry to the Isle of Wight where we visited Osborne House (Queen Victoria's vacation home and where she eventually died) and Carisbrooke Castle where Charles the first was imprisoned before being beheaded. Pretty island and worth the trip. Fish and chips on the ferry on the return journey just hit the spot. We spent the night at the Holiday Inn on Herbert walker Ave (highly recommend it) which is just outside the gate of the port where we docked so we walked straight there and next morning we walked to the nearby Titanic sites and around the Walls of old Southampton. We still had time to shop at the shopping mall right down town and Cunard's ship was also within walking distance. So we had two days and one night before sailing home. A trip I would have like to have taken would be to Highclere (Downtown Abbey) but they have limited opening days. With the ship arriving at 5:30 am you could take a train to London and enjoy the day there, but of course you would want to spend the night somewhere. With our Celebrity ship we could have taken a back-to-back to Norway (kicked myself when I realized this too late) and since Cunard's QM2 leaves Southampton (alternatively New York) every 2 weeks, we could have taken a later cruise back to the States. Oh well, maybe another time. Yes, I’d say when I take another transatlantic cruise from (or back to the States) in Europe I’d travel to Southampton to take this ship back to the States rather than fly. The 2 week cruise on Celebrity was great, changing the clock only every other day. On Cunard it was almost every day (shorter cruise) but far better than changing the clock 5 hours in one shot when flying. Flying is tough enough. Read Less

We took a cruise from Singapore to Dubai, on part of the QM2 around the world trip. The cabin with sheltered balcony was great and we had an ice bucket with champagne waiting for us when we embarked. The ship is beautiful and the staff were helpful and efficient. The negatives for me were firstly the standard of food in the Britannia Restaurant which we were assigned to. The food was generally not prepared in a manner fitting the ship or the price of the cruise, meat and fish were dry and needed sauces, the vegetables were often hard - beyond al dente and almost uncooked, and the desserts were tasteless and unimaginative. The chefs seemed to focus more on presentation than the taste and texture of the food. We went to the buffet on deck 7 quite often which had a bigger variety of better prepared food and enjoyed it more than the restaurant. The other negative is the fact that there are two very small pools for a large number of people, the limit in each pool is 14 (I think) and there was hardly any room to move around if there was half that number in the water. As the temperatures were around 30 degrees and more, a lot of people were in and out of the pool especially on sea days. I preferred my previous cruises on smaller ships that had better food and bigger pools. Read Less

We booked a 50 day cruise with Cunard Queen Mary 2 primarily to visit Petra, Rome plus about 20 other countries. The cruise departed Feb 23 from Shanghai to April 14 in South Hampton. While boarding in Shanghai, I was bumped by a luggage handler and my knee was scratched. The scratch became infected by Feb 27 and I had to take antibiotics for the whole cruise, so we never saw any of the sights we intended. After the cruise, we submitted our claim to a Cunard cruise claims adjuster because I needed to continue antibiotics April 15 to June 12. The Cunard claim adjuster gave us a runaround and distorted facts to avoid paying any fair compensation. I wrote the President of Cunard asking to be treated fairly in compensation, and were emailed in return indicating since we purchased our cruise in the USA he could do nothing! I wondered why they are marketing in the USA if they cannot treat folks that book in the USA fairly in compensation. I must say the Cunard medical staff is excellent, but their onboard antibiotic selection is limited. The exercise facilities are limited for a person with a knee infection caused by Cunard. The pools are beautiful and clean, but someone with a leg infection can not use the pools or hot tubs. From the stern from the 11th floor or above, one can see 3 pools on 3 different levels. Dining room food is limited quality but good variety; and deserts are for a European palate. With my leg infection we were forced to do things we normally would not do, viz. painting, read and gamble. The casino has really nice folks working there and the odds aren't bad as my wife and I bot one several times. The art classes or lessons was a fantastic experience. On level 2 at the pursers desk or level 3 at the shops the central foyer is a classic 0 the flowers display is the nicest we have ever seen on any ship. Read Less

We chose this cruise for three reasons: 1. it stopped at many ports/countries we had never visited, 2. we wanted to be away for much of the Canadian winter. 3. we've travelled on Cunard, QM2 in the past and enjoyed the luxury and amenities it has to offer. It's been 4 years since the shipped was refurbished, and while still beautiful, she'showing the wear & tear in some areas (carpet in the Grand Lobby Hall had pulled away and created a walking hazard, especially for guests who had mobility issues. The only port that was not satisfactory was Goa, India. It is a commercial/industrial port, not set up to receive the travelling public. The whole process for getting the VISA was troublesome, and the process to clear immigration was disgustingly long and poorly organized. You can't expect seniors to have to stand in line, some up to 2 hours, for Immigration Inspection. On-boarding 4 Officers to clear 2700 passengers was ridiculous! Suggest Cunard take this port off their itinerary, unless the India Officials are prepared to make better accommodations and arrangements. Also, the calibre of the lecturers was fantastic, especially Judith Hinchcliffe, the Forensic Odontologist. Her presentations were AMAZING. Also, Roy Hunt, who presented on the lives of legendary musicians, Berlin, Gershwins, Hammerstein & Sinatra was wonderful, taking us down memory lane Read Less

I was on this cruise to celebrate my birthday. The ship was nicely decorated for the Holidays with even a small Christmas tree in our suite. We got lots of chocolate in the suite, at tea, and in the Princess Grill. Only 4 other people showed up for the Cruise Critic gathering on the first sea day. This lack of interest has happened on the past few cruises, no matter what line. They were setting up for a wedding where we met so I felt like I was in the way. One of the ladies told us about the books written by the bar waiter, so I bought them and look forward to reading them. He graciously signed them for me. We didn't stay up for NYE, so were interested in what was reported in a blog by one of the other passengers. We were in the Princess Grill which was wonderful. I booked the Veranda Steakhouse for my birthday, the last evening. Should have stayed in the Princess Grill, it is much nicer, less hectic and has better food, although we did have a couple of kids in PG who let loose once in awhile. Did not expect that. Cunard overbooked the PG and offered us and some others a free cruise if we would downgrade. We refused the offer. We had sailed on the QM2 once before in the sheltered balcony they offered us which was okay, but I wanted to see how the PG was in comparison with when we were upgraded to PG on the QE2. I am glad that we did it, but don't think we will do it again. Been there, done that. We had been to all of the ports before, so didn't take any excursions even though we had quite a bit of on board credit. Our port schedule was changed when it was too rough to go to Antigua and St. Kitts replaced it. This was on Boxing Day which is the start of their Carnival celebration. Stores were closed except the port shops and there was a big parade and crowds of people. We had to tender there and in St. Lucia. The weather was pretty good except for rain off and on in St. Maarten. The ship is very nice but sometimes difficult to navigate. The Queen's Room was very crowded at times. The entertainment was great but we had to get there early to get a decent seat. This happens on other ships though. Having some free internet time was nice but it was so slow that I couldn't do much. Missed seeing the American football games, particularly the Rose Bowl, only British soccer was shown. The water in the outdoor pool was cool even in the Caribbean, so I went to the hot tub on the Grill deck. They even served tea and scones up there which was very nice. I was surprised that even though the children seemed to have their own pool, they were still in the pool that said it was only for age 18 and over. The warmer indoor pool was full of kids, so I only went there once. We received two lovely cups and saucers with the Cunard ship logos on them, wondered if everyone else had. We had discarded some of the luggage tags that we put on prior to boarding and then found out we were supposed to use them again for disembarkation. Have never done this before on any of our cruises. I still had one on my larger bag, but it was placed in the wrong area in NY, as was my other bag with a new, handwritten tag they gave me. It took me awhile to find my bags and the people there didn't seem to know what was going on. Not sure if we will ever go on a World Cruise, but if we do, it will not be on this line. I am getting used to the other lines which don't make me dress up. We did like formals in our younger days. My number of cruises is about to pass my age, so I guess that's why my tastes are not what they used to be. Read Less

From the first of our 6 cruises with Cunard we have respected the dress,hand gel,guest conduct expected by Cunard that results in many guests returning,however!!! We wish to offer the following observations whilst on board for 26 nights recently over Christmas and new year. 1. Some Guests refusing to use the hand gel on entrances to food areas giving the following excuses. I washed my hands earlier in the cabin I take vit C tablets each day It makes my hands sticky It has an affect on my skin I washed my hands earlier in the toilet All these excuses even though they all used hand rails,buttons in lifts and handles on doors on the route to the food halls and restaurants. When the staff are asked why they did not insist the guests to use the gel,the staff said they were accused of harassment and did not get backing from their supervisors. 2. Guests using the beautiful coffee tables in lounges as foot rests with and without shoes. Again when staff asked guests not to do this they refused,claiming they paid the bill not the staff. 3.Guest wearing baseball caps,sporty tee shirts,torn jeans some looking like they have just come off a building site,around the ship and in the restaurants on formal nights sitting amongst smartly dress guests who had followed the issued instruction on dress code. Again when staff tried to insist on the code they were accused of harassment not getting support from their supervisors. 4. A guest walking around the ship and through the kings hall carrying a dog. Nobody stopped and challenge this action 5. Male and female guests in the kings hall wearing only swim wear and bath robes Again when staff tried to challenged this they were accused of harassment. No support given by supervisors. 6. Guests laying full length along the beautiful settles in the lounges with and with shoes on. Again when challenged by the staff the offenders claimed harassment ,without support from supervisors. 7. More and more guests failing to attend the compulsory safety drill claiming they did not care and having to do it the next day in the lounge disturbing other guests comfort. When questioned about the guests conduct,the officer just shrugged his shoulders. All in all this made the cruise quite disappointing and we will question wether we would want to go on Cunard in the future. What was great was the captain and staff,so friendly and polite,the serving waiters,excellent as always. Cunard please take note!! Many of these offending guests were not British, give it some thought. Read Less

As a critic, it becomes a nightmare to fulfil your dreams, as you are always on duty you never switch of. I choose Queen Mary2 because I still believe she is the most elegant ocean liner that’s sails, awaiting the new queen, many whispers on what she will be called “Queen Anne” is my answer now to wait and see, the cruise set sail and began its magnificent voyage to New York seven sea days. I was disappointed to find the ginger bread village had been cut only a quarter of the village displayed and they didn’t bring it out until we continued onto the Caribbean. The Cunard guest choir was outstanding. The staff always serving at such high standards. The North Pole making connection to say Father Christmas arriving the children amazed .. perfect xmas voyage - finally I could switch off.. place my sun hat upon my head and relax as we headed towards the Caribbean feeling the warmth as my body began to tan. New Year’s Eve the 8 o’clock party to bring in the new year in the golden lion was absolutely one of the best parties I have been too for bringing everyone together. The veranda head waiter and his staff for me shone more than any one with exception to Clyde and Romas in the golden lion. The Britannia restaurant food was of a good standard Christmas Day was exceptional. The spa for once on a cruise ship had a hairdresser that actually could do your hair. Maya. The events planner deepsha was professional in organising my event to perfection. The itinerary packed with things to do what ever your day you desired to fill with. The water colour class was a great class as 35 dollars also the floristry class with mikey and jay lo absolutely outstanding 50 dollars for a two day course. You practiced with beautiful flowers and Cunard never cheated you to gain money , they gave an exceptional class to ensure you had a five star experience. I took myself off to the 9.am fencing club now able to use a sword beware this critic can now defend herself. Midge Ure was performing and also gave lectures this was received well with passengers, whilst I carried in the moves with his daughter Molly in the fabulous G32. Until Dawn broke. The queen Mary2 suffered a complete power failure through out the ship on New Year’s Eve late in the evening. Darkness hitting the ship no power for around 25 minutes. The ship drifting as the chief engineer and his colleagues desperately trying to find a solution, alongside the captain who took almost 10 mins to make his announcement try to get to grips with what was happening to the ship before trying to let passengers know the details, some passengers complained this was too long but for the captain safety being his first priority. Three times they tried and Queen was back under command. A ship where no panic hit due to the training given to ensure passengers were safe and not frightened at this time. Another negative the social hostess was the worst I have ever come across, dosnt interact with passengers is very off putting Thai I was shocked to see, but I didn’t downgrade a star because I know Cunard will deal with it . So yes Queen Mary2 as you as sail keep on making dreams a reality. Yes she is a little more pricey but if you pay peanuts you get monkeys. Cunard provide excellence I await to sail again Lady Kendal Jaggar Read Less

Just a little history ,this was our 41st Cruise and our 3 rd on The QM2 , we've cruised all the major Cruise lines ,from inside cabins to Owners suites ,So we pretty much know what to expect . We choose this cruise because it seemed like a good value and according to all the printed material we viewed online ,they were staying to 10 PM on 2 of our favorite Islands , St Maarten and Barbados . [ see attached pics] At the time In May when we decided to book on Cunard we already had a Cruise booked at the same time [RCCL Anthem] so we had to pay 200.00 to re-book the RCCL cruise to a later date and booked on the QM2 . All went fairly smooth as we live on long Island ,and had car service to the Pier . Embarkation was a little slow ,But we were on the ship within one hour . The ship itself is a very elegant, But showing wear in both the staterooms and common area's ,Like in many places there are "soft spots " in the floor ,where you step down and get the feeling that the Carpet is all thats supporting you ,some were actually marked with cones . The Good Here's some of the good, Nice Gym ,no problem with crowding ,excellent Library , The Kings Court was OK for breakfast ,good omelets, breads etc. Stateroom was adequate ,by no means spacious ,with enough storage for a 13 day cruise . My wife seemed to enjoy the Puzzles that were available on deck 2 forward ,she and a group of people she met onboard spent hours on these 1000 piece puzzles, [ I have no interest in this] My sea days started with a visit to the gym , which was never really crowded, I guess because a good portion of the passengers were in there 70 and 80s , then head up to the Buffet for breakfast , Had my omelet chef trained how I like my omelet by the second day , He was good as I'm picky about any oil in my omelet, I spent at lease 2 hours a day in the casino at the black jack table ,the first night one of my table mates hit it big ,had 5.00 chip on the Lucky Ladies , he was dealt 2 queen of hearts and the dealer had black-jack payoff ,I believe he walked away with 6,250.00 nice on a 5.00 bet , first time I ever saw that in my 10 years of playing blackjack The Bad After a few visits to, the Kings Court for lunch which was always crowded, the lunch selection were only OK limited sandwiches, Sushi was available on certain days and was fresh . Tried dinner [to avoid formal nights] a couple of times and it was not good , seems like they put the better quality cuts out first , but if you show up at 7.30-8.00 it's gone and what was left was either over cooked or Luke warm at best , I decided to rename the Kings Court the Canine Court ,as most of the food I tried was only suitable for a Canine , Instead of thinking what can I choose today ,it turned into what can I possibly stand to try today , most choices were either cold or overcooked . We expected the Britannia Restaurant to be much better ,but we soon found out that it's not much better than the Buffet, although the service was good the waiters tried there best to satisfy us ,but you can't blame the waiter if the steak is tough or the fist is cooked to death , . . Our last QM2 cruise was in 2010 and it was excellent ,overall both service and food has declined considerably since 2010 Our room Horrible pillows , use a Duvet instead of a top sheet , How to cook in the Caribbean, this might be OK for an Alaska Cruise ,but not for the Caribbean .Even with the room temp all the way cold its still way to hot . No interactive TV system ,But did have a nice flat screen TV Overall it appears Cunard is trying to Cut Costs and relying on its past reputation ,to target 1st time cruisers ,that don't have any history to compare more modern newer ships . The Deceptive On about the 3rd sea day we went to the Pursers office to check times in Port as they claimed to have changed the Itinerary , This is when we found out that they were not staying to 10.00 pm in either St Maarten or Barbados , we were told that they never stay past 5.30 and that our travel agent had printed the wrong times . Very Unhappy ,we talked to about 6 other couples that had viewed the same info from different travel agency's, one couple offered to let us make copy's of the Itinerary they had with them ,we brought that to the pursers office ,but they claimed it didn't have enough info . the next day were in St Thomas ,we called out travel agent and had them email a copy of the Itinerary to the ship. Sure enough St Maarten and Barbados were listed as staying to 10.00 PM . They claimed they had to contact Corporate office , a few days later we were contacted by the person in charge of the Pursers claiming that even though we proved them wrong they had the option of changing ports and times at there digression. I kind of expected this ,but they offered to write a letter stating that the itinerary was changed and we might get some compensation from our trip insurance . Right Good luck with that . I feel like we got scammed , these are tricks that you might expect from a used car dealer ,not a claimed 5 star cruise line . We paid for 10 extra hrs as advertised [ bait] and than got zero with no compensation [switch] I would have been satisfied for the 200.00 it cost us to change cruises . I Can't recommend this cruise or ship when they pull stunts like this ,avoid them, even if this was listed by mistake ,they should have offered a retraction ,before we made the final payment ,Not while we had started out cruise. We won't set foot on this ship ever again . Read Less

it was our golden wedding anniversary and my wife wanted to go to new york. as i had spent 17 years working for american IT companies in europe and been to new york for a weekend some 38 years ago, i wasn't bothered. so i booked on the qm2 to go to new york and the caribbean. as expected the food in the britannia restaurant and the service was first class. the other features of the cruise showed that it was greatly overpriced. i am in a wheelchair so i booked an adapted cabin. this was very small. it was the smallest of all cabins on all of our 9 cruises, so far, and was only useable with the wheelchair, after our cabin steward removed some of the furniture. the entertainment was very like the curate's egg. the onboard song and dance company gave some of the worst shows i have ever seen. avoid new york unless you enjoy being forced to sit in US immigration sheds, even if you are not going into new york or any parts of the USA. as usual the weather in the caribbean was very nice. though the towns are not wheelchair friendly. lots of formal nights with the men dressed as penguins. i do not like formal nights. tried the buffet one night, to be informal. the food was below par. will not use cunard again. Read Less

This was our fourth crossing of the North Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2. As on the previous trips we opted for a obstructed view cabin on deck 8. We like the location, close to the gym, Commodore Club and buffet and outdoor promenade on deck 7. As it was a winter crossing we got some of the famous North Atlantic weather (motion of the ocean as the captain put it), two days of huge swells and waves and after that heavy wind. The ship pitched quite heavily but did not roll, it was a humbling experience to watch the sea wash by when enjoying a cocktail in one of the ships many comfortable bars. We had breakfast in our cabin for six days out of seven. It was delivered promptly as ordered but lukewarm. Lunch in the Kings Court buffet was a positive surprice, with good selection, no queues and wonderful views from the bay windows overlooking the promenade deck. We especially liked the sushi assortment. Lunch and dinner in the graceful Britannia restaurant was ok, with some hits and some misses. Food was always delivered quickly, service was impeccable and portions of good size. Some of the fish was a bit overcooked, some dishes lacking in taste, but in general we were always well fed. This time we chose late dining at 20:30 which in our opinion is better than the early 18:00 sitting, especially if you can't decline the delicious afternoon tea at 15:30. Late night buffet in the Kings Court was a bit of a disappointment. But you will never feel hungry on the QM2. As the outdoor promenade was closed for two days due to high winds we began our day on the treadmill in the gym. After that it was time for some tea, reading and wave watching in the Commore Club, followed by the nautical announcement at noon by the wonderfully entertaining captain Chris Wells. After lunch some more reading or attending lectures or simply having a nap before afternoon tea. Then a visit to the planetarium, some more reading perharps, enjoying the wonderful Ukrainian string trio in Carinthia Lounge with a glass of wine, before dressing for dinner. On day two everybody was invited to the Captain's Cocktail Party and on day four we attended Cunard World Club party, hosted again by the captain. After dinner it was time for the show, which we saw on four nights on this crossing. The performances consisted of some average singing and dancing, easy to watch for an hour but you weren't left hungry for more of the same. The music heard around in the ship in various locations by the harpist, pianist and the mentioned string trio was very good and fitting to the upscale surroundings. The lectures, pub trivia and planetarium shows seemed to be very popular as was ballroom dancing in the Queens Room and G32 disco for late night entertainment. The best thing to do on the Queen Mary 2 is to enjoy the wonderful public spaces of the ship. As the ship is designed for the Atlantic crossing where there may be days on end when you can't enjoy the open decks there must be enough interior space to accomodate the whole population of the ship without feeling crowed. In this the QM2 excels and you always manage to find a nice spot for yourself. Commodore Club, Carinthia Lounge, Chart Room and the Champagne Bar are extremely comfortable and classy spots to look at the waves and people passing by with a nice drink in your hand. Luckily the drinks are of good quality and made of premium brands, as the prices are not cheap. Tea in the Commodore $4, Vesper martini $15. A bottle of perfectly drinkable white wine in the Britannia can be had for $35 which is not that bad. Service in the bars was impeccable, friendly and courteous without being intrusive. Crossing on the QM2 is not for everyone, but if you feel even a little inspired go for it. Average age on this winter voyage was 60+, with just a handful of children and hardly any teens. It is the only ship in the world where you can relive some of the romance and thrill of the way how people travelled a hundred years ago in the first class of the grand ocean liners. It is a very well built quality ship and it's owners and officers are very proud of her. She was designed to feel classic and classy, not modern and she has aged well. With some attention to the cabins in the future she will an even more enjoyable experience. As this was our fourth crossing in five years I think it's now time for a brake but we will be back. Read Less

This was a bucket list trip for us and we were not disappointed. We had a balcony cabin on the 8th deck and dined at the Kings Court buffet for breakfast, the Corinthia lounge for a light lunch and the main Britannia dining room at night. We had a smooth sailing and every day enjoyed doing some rounds of the promenade deck on 7 for some exercise. The guest lecturers were varied and very interesting and the evening entertainment was very good. There were many classes and group activities to choose from such as ballroom dancing, art classes, bridge, trivia, book clubs and the fitness centre and spa were excellent. The afternoon tea is a must on at least one occasion and I happily went without lunch twice in order to enjoy this special treat in the Queens Room - complete with silver service, music and delicious food and tea. Read Less

Quite a long cruise -28 days. The cruise was enjoyable and the staff fantastic. The food in the Britannia restaurant was sublime. We mainly found the entertainment boring. Some of the good speakers had uninteresting subjects while others had a poor delivery. Eg a lecture on dining at the White House was 40 years out of date and not very interesting at that. My biggest disappointment was the excursions I took 3 trips all overpriced. On one we visited a pulp mill, a small house that had survived a flood and a large pyramid made out of road signs! That cost £100 between my husband and myself for 2 hours. The biggest rip off was in Halifax NS. We left the port, having had to change our plans. We decided to go independently on a hop on hop off tour. At the desk I asked for the price. Which ship was I on. I asked why? “Well we need your cruise card” I wanted to pay cash. No. QE2 cost $64, Celebrity $49 I subsequently found Viking passengers paid $35, same bus, same seat same tour. I walked!! Lastly I found 3 of the 5 Canadian ports not worth the visit. There was not enough to interest us, having said that the locals were wonderful, they threw themselves into making us welcome. On place handed out for free 2000 portions of blueberry pie but corner Brook charged us $10C for a shuttle bus to nowhere 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

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

Been on 7 Cunard cruises now and enjoyed them greatly with a couple of minor exceptions. This was our first on QM2 and we were excited as she is Cunard's Flagship. However, we did not feel the on board experience was up to the usual Cunard standard. Good points, the cabin (12001) was lovely, seemed a little larger than same grade on the other ships. General ship interior is very nice, light and bright and clean everywhere. Ship layout is somewhat erratic, takes a while to get used to it, there are some quite long walks between venues. But then she is larger than the other two. The bad points, well, we did not like the Kings Court Buffet compared to the LIdo Buffet on QE and QV. This one is very very noisy, no sound proofing, ie carpet anywhere, horrible seating layout (straight rows with little separation - like a canteen) and the food was not up to the usual high standards we have had before. its a bunfight at best. We tried for Planetarium tickets - notice says they are available from 09:00 on first come first served. I arrived at 09:00 to find 6 other people waiting. No-one came with tickets. So one passenger called the front desk. A very curt female arrived to tell us the tickets had all gone. I asked how could that be since it was now only 09:05 and we had been there since 09:00 and some of the group before that - and no tickets had been handed out - whereupon she told me very rudely: " Well I don't know, ask your fellow passengers!" - I took exception to that and told her no - that does not answer my question as to why there are no tickets - and that I did not believe her. Clearly these had already been given to a group in advance. I returned some 20 minutes later to find another set of people eagerly waiting at the Connexions desk - and so I advised them all tickets had gone - as no-one from Cunard was anywhere to be seen to let them know. This was disgusting. At least be honest !! The staff do lack in many areas. Our cabin attendant never introduced himself on embarkation as is usual, nor did he advise us of the muster drill time, etc. In fact we only ever saw him once when he delivered a bowl of fruit. Bar staff, I ordered a diet coke, she opened a regular coke then gave me the evils when I told her I asked for a diet coke. As for the MDR - well once again Cunard assigned us a table in a dark corner by a service station - heaven knows how you get a good table - if anyone knows the secret please tell me - 7 cruises and not a decent table yet. And now we will be platinum! In general the mini-cruise itself was good and it's a great way to try out a different ship. We love it that Cunard has wrap-round promenade decks on all ships. Really like to walk around the decks both day and evening. The Cunard tour we took to Rouen was excellent, lovely town, even on a very foggy day. This was a taster of the QM2 for us as we have a 14 night one booked next year. This trip was the "decider" as to whether or not we would still go. We will. Read Less

We made a atlantic crossing 2016 with Cunard QM2 from Hamburg to New York. It was New York fashion week theme 9 day cruise. The Programm and Food was excellent. Our cabin and restaurant was Princess Grill Category. We were very happy with this cruise. Unfortunately this last Cunard cruise was not up to our expectations. We had again a Princess Grill Suite. Eating and dining was not very good, princess Grill menu started repeat itself after 10 days and the quality wasn't always there. Dining experence was dissapointing. Kings Court buffet was only cantine quality! Passangers were mostly very old and the programm also up to them. This was also very dissapointing. A part of the cruise route was very strange: Adelaide to Melbourne and then back to Kangaroo Island and once again back to Melbourne! Cunard want only fill the ship with maximum amount passagers! Cunard is very creedy with the pricing. Internet is lousy, slow and expencive. All the drinks and wines are too expensive and Cunards adds still 15% service fee. Summary Cunard QM2 cruise in Princess Grill category was not enough value for money and not up to our expectations. Read Less

We chose this cruise on the QM2 for our first trip to the Caribbean. Unfortunately, due to two hurricanes passing through the Caribbean earlier this year, two of the scheduled ports were cancelled due to storm damage ashore. Two alternative stops were inserted into the program, and we accepted that this was necessary, and not the fault of Cunard, both Amber Cove and St Lucia were fine as replacement stops. We were told by others that our lost ports (St Barts and St Thomas) were better than the replacements, but as first timers we were not to know. A couple of criticisms :- In this day and age, I was a little disappointed to be charged a steep rate for the connection of internet access when aboard. The Cunard line is at the more expensive end of the market and purportedly highly provisioned. Most upmarket hotels now provide free WiFi in the room (or at least common ares), and Cunard should start to consider diong the same. Seasoned travelers thesedays are reliant on being connected for social media and emails to continue their lives while "on the road". Also, the cruise missed another port at Antigua, when the ship failed to set the anchor to enable tenders to operate a service to the shore. The reason given was that the wind direction was not favourable, and the anchoring location chosen had a sand seabed where the anchor continued to drag. No-one could understand why this specific location was chosen, the QM2 has obviously been to Antigua many times before, and the seabed and predicted wind directions would have been well known in advance of our arrival. Isn't there a Plan B for such circumstances, rather than sitting 1km offshore bobbing around waiting for the scheduled departure time? 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

It was my first West bound transatlantic. The embarkation was very smooth. I recommend doing all forms on line before you leave. I sent a bag ahead with the while glove service. It worked prefect. I boarded the ship and my bag arrived with in minutes. It is a beautiful and grand ship. The cabins were bigger. They added many new storage areas in the room. The service was unbeatable. From cabin steward to wait staff. The ship was clean and neat. It was very easy to get around. It was quiet and respectful. The entertainment was very talented and a good variety. Before I left I wondered about 7 days at sea. It was easy to stay busy or rest and relax. Your choice. I had read on cruise critic that west bound was easier. I totally agree. Each day at noon you gain an hour which was nice. Your on New York time when you arrive. The food was outstanding. We stopped one stop in LaHavre France. That was amazing port of call. At the end of our voyage we got in the end of a hurricaine. Yes, it was rain and high winds. But the ship is designed for such weather. The crew was always reassuring that the ship would be fine. For a non swimmer that helped me. That can happen. I would definitely recommend traveling on the Queen Mary 2. she is an elegant classy ship. You do need to be aware of the dress codes. The passengers do follow them. guys in Tux and women in long dresses on formal nights. Read Less