Cunard Cruises, Queen Mary 2

we were promised a free stay in Hong Kong but it never eventuated. Our second trip was a let down compared with our first around NZ.

The ship is a floating incubator of disease. I am still off sick a week after getting off, after contracting a head an chest infection on board. My last 2 days were in bed in my cabin. the infection control on the ship is not very good.

It reminded me of a floating nursing home more than a cruise.

As great as it is made out to be it vibrates constantly and is worst when when you are trying to sleep.

It is showing its age and the dress codes are for the 1800's.

we wont be back. that's for sure.

It would be nice to come off the ship in the same health I went on the ship in.

liked the ship itself,sailed transatlantic in very rough weather & she was brilliant.

Lovely lounges to sit in, a bit confusing getting around ship but you get there eventually.

Ate in buffet as don't like eating formaly,it was huge,grubby,very poor selection of food & always cold.Like a greasy spoon caf.

Crew were mostly very miserable everywhere on ship.

Cabin(inside)small but adequate.

Entertainment pretty poor most nights.

Didn't like the fact that if you ate in buffet even though we changed into evening clothes on Formal nights you were not supposed to use the rest of the ship out of respect for diners in black suits in formal dining rooms.

You were meant to use the one lounge next to buffet felt like second class citizens.

Men had to wear jackets after 6pm everynight & women formal clothes.

Sailed from Southampton to New York on Independence of the Seas,completely different experience,it was excellent in every way would certainly sail with them again.

QM2 NEVER AGAIN WOULD NOT RECCOMEND MANY PEOPLE FELT THE SAME WAY !!!!!!!!!!!!!

i was very disappointed in the channels. Since we were sailing in the u.s. For most of the 12 day cruise, I wish I could have watched my soap operas or the talk shows. Too much politics.

The QM2 is a tremendously massive ship at 151K tons with only ½ the number of guests (2700 guest) of other similar size mega ships and a much higher crew to guest ratio. Service, service and more service! The ship is very nicely decorated with lots of history of the other Canard ships and their history and special guest pictures(Cary Grant, Burt Lancaster,etc) and descriptions of who they have hosted. We just finished the NYC to London England crossing in May 2012 with an average speed of 22 knots. We had force 6, 7 and 8 winds most days but the QM2 just cut through the water with a little wiggle from time to time. We were told it sits 35 feet under the water compared to a similar sized ship, the Oasis, which is at 26 feet they said, so therein lies the ocean crossing comfort edge. The air temp only reached 59 degrees F and winds of 48 mph across the outer decks. Needless to say, no enjoyment of outdoor-deck venues. Some hardy people did bundle up in layers of clothes to manage walking the promenade deck most days. I am sure these decks and pool areas would be great during a Caribbean cruises which the ship does squeeze in from time to time. There are three outdoor pool and hot tub areas which never were used due to wind and cool weather during our trans-Atlantic crossing. The QM2 does 20 or so trans-Atlantic crossing per year which are combined with around the world cruises and holiday cruises extended itineraries. 1000 of us got off in Southampton and at certain ports you may have 1000 of the 2700 guests getting off and another 1000 joining remaining 1700 and another new group of 1000 guests continued onto Hamburg Germany and further into Demark and Sweden. During a transatlantic crossing don’t expect to enjoy your balcony; maybe in the dead heat of summer, I don’t know. They have an animal kennel on board for dogs and cats! On the cruise before us was the eldest retired President Bush and wife Barbra on board and Barbra was captured in ship video visiting the dogs. Not sure if they brought their own dog along. This is not a trip for the average teenager or young university adult crowd unless you are a rather sophisticated couple although there is one bar above the propellers and behind the ballroom that would rival any disco on Carnival or Royal Caribbean ships. Generally an older crowd and the average age in the late 50’s and above. Men will need a sport jacket and tie most nights and dark suit or tuxedo and white shirt and tie during formal nights 3 of 7 nights per week. Women can get away with any nice dress although apparently a gown is wanted on formal nights (defined as touching the ground) as opposed to a knee length, which is viewed as a ‘cocktail dress’.for semi-formal nights. However, my wife just had a knee length fancy black dress and it was accepted at format nights. There is one black and white formal night and the royal ascot night(women can wears fancy hats). The crowd is fairly cerebral with most people reading or walking around with book in hand. There are several lectures always going on. About 3 a day. They bring in 3/4 very qualified intellectuals to speak on their subjects. On our cruise there was a specialist on the Enigma code that was broken during the 2nd world war, a forensic specialist who gave talks on the Kennedy assassination, the Lindburgh abduction, etc, and a maritime specialist who talked about battles on the sea. There was also a woman who was amazing in that she was so talented she gave a speech on Art Deco in New York and on board the QM2 one day , and the next jumped to info on how the whole servant structure of an English mansion woud work. Amazing. And as there was so much going on during the day, if you missed one of the lectures, it was featured on television in the evening. Dancing is the order of the day with lessons during the day and the biggest ballroom dancing venue at sea during the night with cruise employed male companion dancers for the single women or women whose husbands that just can’t keep up! It is British entertainment with live bands and orchestras. There are ½ dozen or so nice bars around the ship. The in room service is super as was the water-works spa facilities (similar to Holland America spa), at $105 for the week or$ 40/day. This week pass was a must for us! Two hours per day was our regiment. Go in bubbly pool for 20 minutes, then hot tub for 10, then herbal hot sauna, eucalyptys steam room, then regular cedar sauna, then chaise lounges to read for an hour or two. There is one complimentary larger pool and lounge chairs with a covered roof that can open on the upper deck if there was miracle warm weather. You can bring your own wine and pay $15 corkage to open it at dinner. You can smoke on your balcony and only a few other designated areas on the ship with only two bars with smoking areas. Non smoking casino is very nice and fair and not too busy until after the evening shows somewhat high brow but still able to lose some money and have an enjoyable time – maybe even win but don’t count on it. There are normally no announcements rather the daily activity newspaper and the morning TV talk show with the cruise director. Next to no picture taking compared to other cruise lines. So if you were wondering if seven days at sea is too much – surprisingly no not really, there is much to do if you enjoy reading, lectures, entertainment, dancing, 24 hr food and drink; also they have a planetarium at sea show. You will not have champagne art auctions, hairy chest contests or be sunny on the open decks but there is some bingo, a huge library and lots of history to take in. For the most part, fellow guest are surprisingly chatty and pleasant and knowledgable, which is nice. Finally you will understand the power and history that goes with a transatlantic crossing and completed in different levels of luxury cabins with 23 hr days from NYC to London and 25 hour days the other way. We got a very good guaranteed balcony price within three weeks of the sailing. We ended up with a category premium “sheltered balcony” on deck 5 which are huge balconies within the steal hull of the ship with big 5x4 ft wide windows but not like the glass see-through upper balconies. You have to stand up on your balcony to look out on the water. But on these types of voyages, where the weather is very inclement, the sheltered balcony is very welcome!!

My wife didn’t want to get off if was such good cruise. However, the ship was going on to Hamburg and then to Norway,etc… before it went back to NewYork City. We would really recommend this cruise. It was wonderful if you want to relax, learn interesting things, meet fun people and enjoy good food and good lodgings! One thing to keep in mind, in this is NOT a warm cruise and make sure you bring WARM clothing to walk on deck. We are now in London and went on the double decker bus tour ( a must to see London) and it got very chilly up top!!!

Thumbs up for the Queen Mary 2 !!!!!!!!

Wife and myself early fifties quite lively. The ship is superb and very stable. We love art deco and this ship has plenty of it. We don't like to waste money on expensive cabins (state rooms) so we chose the modern equivalent to steerage. We were given an inside cabin on the 4th floor. It was quite roomy and plenty of storage. We don't much see the point of balconys, when your at sea all you can see is well, sea! The only time it's worth having is when your coming in or out of port but even then the view on deck is miles better, also the tv channels show outside views so you can check out what's happening there. The food and service is excellent. We were in the Britannia dining room (not the top class) and it was stunning. My only complaint is that the food wasn't always as hot as I would have liked. I didn't complain while on board. The planetarium was fun and educational. The entertainment was not the best I have seen but very good overall. We had Richard Farley (Dragons Den) giving a couple of lectures, great! The swing band was brilliant. It may be my personal preference but I was dissappointed with the late night pub etc. On previous cruises we have stayed up late in the pub, casino and nightclub. On this cruise these areas were devoid of people most nights it was a bit like looking for a good night out in Blackpool on a Tuesday in February. Having said that we loved all the dressing up and formal nights. My wife thought the cruise was brilliant.

The Queen Mary 2 is ideal if you like the smell of cigarette smoke. I waited over year before posting a review to see if the passage of time would dim the memory of poor food, the smell of cigarette smoke, the truly terrible temporary captain who seemed to think that his main task was to promote his upcoming book of anecdotes. We were in the Princess restaurant class - not cheap and not good. The door lock key card system doesn'twork, the route information system on the cabin tv doesn't work, the internet is expensive and unreliable and for pity's sake don't waste your time complaining. Cunard are very efficient at ignoring complaints.

Pray for bad weather so the smell of vomit and disinfectant will overpower the tobacco smell.

It was awful at the time and time has not dimmed the memory.

I assume now that the Southampton - New York leg of a world cruise was just a delivery trip with the second string crew and third rate entertainers. By the way, don't expect a decent expresso on this ship. I have better espresso machines at home!

This was our first cruise ever, and what a way it was to start! I traveled with my wife and 4yo son. We are Americans, although I am of European origin, and my wife is of far East Asian origin. We had an inside cabin on the 6th floor, and it was adequate. My son had a bunk bed, and loved it.

The ship is magnificent, and the entire experience is very British. I loved it! The lectures and shows were very intellectually stimulating. The children care is first class, and we used it every day both morning and evening. This allowed my wife and I to have a more relaxing dinner with the wonderful couple we were seated with.

We loved this cruise so much, that we later booked another cruise with RCI. What a difference between the two. Both were amazing, but Cunard is by far more elegant and more glamorous, whereas RCI is more laid back. The food is first class on both, but on Cunard is more refined. Personally I prefer Cunard, but I can tell you the cuisine and the wine selection is definitely tailored towards a more European crowd.

I heard several Americans complaining about formal nights, having to wear a Tux every other day, and the formality of the staff. This is what I loved about it, but if you are looking for a more laid back, RCI might be more tailored towards what you like. Do not make mistakes about it. Formal nights are really formal, more than the average black tie event in the USA. Some people hated it, I loved it. Looking at my wife dressed like a princess was truly great.

I also heard some Americans complaining about the food, and the lack of 'American' food (e.g. Chimichangas, Burritos, Burgers, etc). Although you can get some of these expressions of fine American cusine in the buffet section, you will not find the aforementioned items in the main dining hall (maybe in the kid's menu).

I believe that the enjoyment of the cruise is a factor of set expectations. I think Cunard does not have a very relaxed atmosphere, and it aims at a more elegant experience. I feel it is tailored towards an older (I am 33), mainly European, crowd, but youngsters and youngest can also have lots of fun.

What also made our experience amazing were our table mates, who were truly fantastic, about our age and with a son of the same age (our sons played together in daycare and became friends). The pairing was excellent, and I think it takes the experience only Cunard can offer to look at these details. But to be honest, also our table mates on RCI were truly great.

I consider the transatlantic crossing one of the nicest experiences I was lucky to have. I would love to do it again.

It was like a comedy of errors from start to finish. No greeting or direction on arrival or departure. Menu choice limited and in the main cold. Our wine at dinner did not turn up until towards the end of our main course. They were sorry but said it was because they were very busy???.Our breakfast order was lost and after waiting for about half an hour our order was retaken.there again they were sorry but said they were busy. After queuing for ages for afternoon tea, there were no scones or tartletts left as they had been busy and they had all gone.Entertainment limited. Generally very disapointing struggle to rate it as a 5* more like a 3*

I was very disappointed with the QM2. The food was terrible with a very limited selection. We ate one night in the Todd English resturante and the food was very bland. The average age of the patron was 80 years old. This ship is rated 5 stars but in my opinion it should be 3 stars at best. On other thing, the ship had an electrical problem in Canada and as a result the ship was six hours late returning to New York.

A smooth transatlantic crossing although we were in fog for most of the time. The ship is immaculate and the service excellent. The Royal Court singers and dancers are energetic, professional and entertaining with superb costumes. This was the first time we had a glass balcony rather than in hull and it was nice to sit out and watch the sea go by but it did mean huddling in the forward corner since these balconies are a lot more windy than the in hull balconies on decks 5 and 6.

The Queen's Room is always popular with the big band orchestra blasting away and lots of 'formal' dancing. The G32 disco tucked away behind the Queen's Room was busy on both this crossing and the one two weeks earlier except on the first nights. We ate in the Britannia Restaurant every night and found the menu to be varied and the food well prepared and presented. At lunch times we tried out the light lunches in Sir Samuel's and the Golden Lion pubs and they were a nice break from the food mountains. The Commodore's Club is a nice place to relax with a cocktail and read or chat. Great value for a luxury product and so much better than flying!