8 Nights Eastbound Transatlantic Crossing Cruise

Excellent first cruise

This was the first cruise by me and my wife. We had a Queens Grill penthouse Suite Sadly embarkation was a nightmare. Chaos.And long queues. However, having got to our suite we were delighted. A large lounge area, a lovely bathroom with a jacuzzi bath. (Mote on that later). A large walk in wardrobe had enough room for our extensive wardrobe. Luggage arrive quickly, within an hour and by the time we unpacked the butler had arrived and introduced himself. We went to lunch in the outstanding Queens Grill. I was a touch disappointed not to have a table by the window. I spoke to the Maître d'hôtel, the delightful Osman, he said it was unlikely but he would see what he could do. An hour later and a phone call saying we had a window table. Typically of the excellent service from the entire staff. The Head sommelier was quite exceptional, helping us choose from the extensive wine list and introducing me to the delights of fine wine culminating in a 6 course meal of fine food matched with outstanding wine with a running commentary on the excellent pairings. Having the same table and waiting staff, was ideal. They soon picked up our likes and dislikes and the service was beyond reproach. The variety and presentation of the food was like eating in a 5 star restaurant for 35 nights! The voyage did have its dramas. A member of the crew was taken seriously ill and we had to divert to madeira, this meant we did lose a Spice island visit. We did lose power for a few hours one night. There was another medical emergency with a passenger that resulted in a small diversion and an early hours ship to shore transfer. Give the average age of passengers appeared to be 70 this should be of no surprise. The entertainment was good to excellent. Sir Tony Robinson (of Blackadder fame) gave a couple of highly entertaining talks and the listening to the in-house group in the nightclub G32 was excellent. The vast majority of the excursions were good to excellent. One tour was poor, but Cunard gave all participants a partial refund. The interior of the ship was magnificent. Large corridors, interesting artwork, the grand lobby - quite excellent. The QM2 is an elderly ship and it show a little. The jacuzzi bath in our room did not work properly (although was still delightful). As noted we did have a power outage and occasional water issues - but nothing to dent the overall experience. The formal garla nights with black tie were spectacular harking back to the splendour of bygone times. A shout out to the ship photographers who took some of the best pictures of my wife and I that I have ever seen, and I am a professional photographer…. Disembarkation was a dream. No queues no immigration, no obvious customs. We were off the ship, reunited with our luggage (all 6 large cases) and with our driver within 20 minutes. Overall an outstanding experience and we look forward to our next trip on this elegant old lady of the seas.

Love cruises, can't imagine sailing any other ship

Absolutely fantastic. I have cruised with Royal Caribbean, Costa Crociere, Carnival, Holland America, Princess, Disney and Cunard in my lifetime, our sailing aboard Queen Mary 2 was exceptional. The ship is something special on her own, but when you consider the amazing attentiveness of the crew, from the Captain all the way down to the stateroom steward she becomes a bucket list experience. The crew to guest ratio is around 2:1 and you can tell as there is always a friendly face ready and willing to bring a drink or lend a hand. Her passenger capacity of around 2500 or so is wonderful on such a large ship (a little over 1100' long) shows in the Royal Theater were never jam packed and the Brittania Dining room always had tables available. Queen Mary 2 was fully booked on our trip but never once felt crowded. We brought our 14 month old with us which worked out great. Again, the staff and crew couldn't have been nicer and more welcoming to her, she had her fruit plate and glass of milk served at dinner before we had all taken a seat, and we learned how to play and say, "peek-a-boo" in our server Oding's native Indonesian language. Tea Time in the Queen's Room was a daily treat, our little girl also got to participate with a glass of milk in her tea glass. One evening as we rolled our stroller towards a set of stairs, we paused for a moment to figure out the best way to make our way up (elevator, carry the stroller, etc) when out of nowhere the Captain of the ship, Captain Aseem Hashmi caught up with us and offered to help carry our stroller up. We didn't even know he was in the same room. The Captain of the Queen Mary 2 caught up with us to help with a stroller. As I mentioned earlier, quite literally from the top of command to the bottom, the crew is extraordinary. Queen Mary 2 isn't for people who want all the fluff of a Royal Caribbean or Carnival ship, the pools aren't surrounded by giant screens and water slides. She does however offer a truly majestic experience at sea where you can relax in a deck chair with a good book, catch sports in the Golden Lion Pub or go for a swim and soak in the jacuzzi. Regardless of the itinerary, Queen Mary 2 is an amazing vessel that we will find a reason to cruise on in the future.

Exceptional Transatlantic Voyage on QM2

Knowing how helpful the reviews and community boards are to the Cruise Critic Community, I wanted to be sure to leave my personal thoughts and experiences on my recent transatlantic voyage on QM2. This was my first time cruising (on any line), I was traveling solo, and the crossing was recommended by a friend who had done the exact crossing the previous year. As I was unsure of what to expect, I did my research using all the tools and social media sites available to me. Prior to embarkation, I had read and watched everything I possibly could. I recognize that every individual has different needs, expectations, and filters when it comes to service and hospitality. For me, the QM2 experience did not disappoint and in many ways exceeded my expectations (perhaps that is due to the overly critical reviews I had read). A few more comments, and I will then bullet point the great, and the good aspects of my travels. There was really nothing bad in my opinion. I was a part of the Literature Festival that is hosted on board, and while this didn't determine the reason for my crossing, it definitely did not distract from any part of the overall trip, and in many way enhanced the conversations I had and the activities I participated in during the voyage. Traveling solo, while it can be daunting, I found to be easy while on board and met the most wonderful people during my time on the ship especially the individuals who joined me at my fixed dining time every evening. By the end of the crossing, I felt I had truly made friends who I would be happy to travel with again! What did I like or enjoy the most: The staff - everyone I interacted with was pleasant, eager to help, and approachable. Of course there were some who made a bigger impression then others, but that is par for the course in the service industry. Overall, Cunard has done well with their staffing, in what must be a unique field of service! I especially enjoyed the staff at the Chart Room! My cabin - I had a sheltered balcony cabin on the port side of the ship (great views of the Statue of Liberty when sailing into NY harbor). It was clean, the bed amazing, water was hot and plentiful, and the heat/ac worked perfectly. Additionally, my cabin attendant was excellent. He quickly learned my daily routine, and was able to service my cabin easily and conveniently. The Programming - As mentioned this was the Literature Festival, so there was plenty of excellent lectures and workshops to attend. In fact, I enjoyed the featured speakers so much, that many of the other activities planned didn't even make it onto my daily plan. I guess I will need to make another crossing! What I am saying is that I was never bored or at a loss for something to do. I could be as involved as I wanted to be, when I wanted to be. My fellow travelers - It was a full ship, but I never felt that the ship was filled. Everyone I interacted with were pleasant and very interesting. It was easy to strike up conversations at the bars and restaurants. I also had the pleasure of truly enjoying the other individuals who were seated at my assigned table for the dinner service. By then end of the trip we were meeting prior to dinner for cocktails, and then would enjoy jazz, drinks, and conversation post-dinner in the Chart Room. In this I feel I was very lucky! Behind the Scenes Tour - this was at an additional fee, but well worth the investment! It was the highlight of my trip. I loved seeing the various areas of the ship, and meeting the different department heads! Really great opportunity! What did I think was good: The food - overall I really didn't have a bad meal. I thought the food was good quality. It didn't blow me away, but neither did I find the need to complain or send anything back! I used room service every morning for breakfast (that was just my personal preference). I rarely used the Kings Court, and enjoyed the Golden Lion often for lunch (their daily pies were excellent). The one exception to the "good" food, was the meal I had at the Verandah! This was outstanding, and the service added to the experience! Politics - Of course, this was just the nature of the timing of the trip, but there was so much political talk on board - the lectures but also just from fellow travelers. As an American, I really needed a break from the exhausting global conversation, and sadly that didn't happen on board. (This was not a QM2 issue - just an overall observation of my experience) In the end, I was thrilled by my trip. I would do it again solo or with friends. The weather was in my favor, and the seas were smooth. There was something truly amazing about crossing into NY harbor as dawn is breaking. Yes, the ship is dated, but that is part of the experience. Its quirks adds to the charm and sense of history. For me, this was a once in a life time trip, that I hope to repeat one day!