Cunard Line

Luxury Cruises

Family Cruises

Gay & Lesbian Cruises

Romantic Cruises

Singles Cruises

Cruises for the Disabled

Senior Cruises

Fitness Cruises

Gourmet Food Cruises

Southampton

New York (Manhattan)

Sydney (Australia)

Hamburg

Dubai

Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)

Singapore

Hong Kong

Cape Town

Brisbane

Quebec City

Santiago (Valparaiso)

Adelaide

Perth (Fremantle)

Shanghai

Los Angeles

Auckland

Melbourne

Nice

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

Rome (Civitavecchia)

Rio de Janeiro

Excellent

Queen Victoria

Queen Mary 2 (QM2)

After a shaky start boarding at Rio we finally boarded around 2p.m. It would have been nice to be given champagne or escorted to cabin, but i appreciate this is difficult on such a large ship. 
First impression was that everything seemed very clean the staff friendly that despite the fact we had 3 sharing a cabin -- was big enough with plenty of wardrobe space. 
We had Britannia restaurant and had the most wonderful American couple as dinner companions. I know we were very lucky having listened to the moans of others! Our waiters Robert and Ivan couldn't do enough for us. The fist meal went down a treat. 
Our first day was at sea, a bit choppy now and then but o.k. We explored the ship, went to a very funny lecture by A. McCall smith (Ladies No.1 Detective Agency), enjoyed the planetarium and put in details for the trips we wanted to go on. 
Due to the problems QM2 had earlier in the voyage (pod being damaged) our stay at Montevideo was cut short by a day. Getting off was easy. We chose to walk around on our own, but others that went on trips said they had a good time. 
We actually sailed in the very early hours of the morning. We also visited Puerto Montt, Ushia and Port Arenas. We went on organised trips for the most part and they were all excellent. 
Going round the Horn was definitely a highlight and although it was rough, it added to the excitement. We were each given a certificate to say we had sailed the Horn. We also visited the Pio V1 glacier which was fantastic. 
There was a real mixture of people onboard, mostly avid cruisers, some first timers ages varied but i would say mainly 65 and over, although some like us were under 55. There were a few families with small children, but not many and I only remember seeing one teenager. 
Personally I thought the ship was lovely, kept in beautiful condition inside and out. There were enormous displays of fresh flowers, all the tables had fresh flowers on them. the only time it felt crowed were during disembarkation for trips and after the shows, other than that you could always find a room or space with no one else around if you wanted to. The Library was better stocked than our local library at home, so you don't need to pack books. 
The King's Court did get crowded and sometimes a little frustrating, but we always found a table, you just need to walk a little way. The selection and quality of food was always first class. The chef's galley at lunchtime did fresh hot dogs and burgers plus sandwiches, was never crowded so makes a good choice. The Britannia at lunchtime was also a good choice, you can chose to sit with others or on your own. 
Throughout the cruise the food was fantastic, i am a vegetarian and they offered me a separate menu or said I could order from the main menu minus meat. I couldn't fault the food or the service. We ordered extras -- had soup instead of dessert, etc nothing was too much trouble, and the food was always hot,  even in self-service. 
If i had a negative it would be that the entertainment wasn't quite up to the mark. There were only 2 production-type shows and the rest ere mainly solo artists asked to do a 45 minute slot, a flautist was on 3 nights in a row, once on her own and twice for 15 minutes as support act for others. Also some of the enrichment talks had boring and not very competent guests, others thought the same..The quizzes were also very alike, geography for 2 days and then a mixture. We asked if there were ever any music quizzes and were told these had already been done in the first part of the cruise....come on guys sort it court and have a variety....only little niggles though. Generally I would give the ship 5 stars for cleanliness, food, staff, etc. perhaps 3 stars for entertainment. 
The Queens room does get very crowded on ball nights, and stays that way until it closes. 
Before I go if you only do it once have afternoon tea...it's simply lovely and the scones are to die for!! We did appreciate the fact there were very few announcements. We spent ages choosing evening wear, but despite the info in the brochure, the men could have got away with evening or dark suit and one other change, we had most informal nights--  men had to wear collared shirt (no tie) and the ladies skirts/slacks etc. Despite the moans and groans of others... one woman at the airport told me it was the worst cruise/holiday she had ever had and one of her complaints was the sheets hadn't been changed for 3 days...well, I don't think that matters and as for people saying the quality and lack of choice for food, I would love to know where they eat all the time?! In our opinion, it was better than Celebrity for overall ship and food and a little under for entertainment. definitely better than Royal Caribbean. I guess its all down to personal choice but we would say go and enjoy! 

Rio de Janeiro Cunard Queen Mary 2 (QM2) Cruise Reviews

Filters

1-1 of 1 Rio de Janeiro Cunard Queen Mary 2 (QM2) Cruise Reviews

Find a Queen Mary 2 (QM2) Cruise from $249

	Cabins
	Dining
	Entertainment