Jump to content

Arcadia or Queen Mary 2 to Caribbean


Gymbod
 Share

Recommended Posts

My dad is looking at a December no fly cruise to Caribbean - both cruises are similar dates and nights but for the price of a club balcony on QM2 you can get a suite on Arcadia. I know what I would choose[emoji1] but never I've cruised with Cunard so not sure if I'm missing anything?

He is a keen dancer and likes the idea of the ballroom on the QM2 but with Arcadia being Adult only I imagine they have a bit of ballroom going on somewhere like most ships?

Arcadia goes South via Portugal, Azores while QM2 goes West to NY. Haa anyone done this cruise on either ship and can give an opinion? TIA

 

Sent from my SM-G935F using Forums mobile app

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Done both.

QM2 is a Liner not a cruise ship and is, therefore, built to cross the Atlantic in all weathers, since if movement is an issue she is definitely better.

The dancing will, without a doubt, be better on her as well. She is also much more formal, with most passengers dressing smartly even on non-formal nights. On Formal nights it would be difficult to find anyone not in Black Tie. She is also a much much larger ship and, therefore, will take longer to get around.

Arcadia is one of my favourite ships. She has a large number of bars with a good flow through the ship.

The Suites are reasonable, with more room, and stability, in the middle ones, although the balconies on the rear ones are bigger, but I would recommend the middle ones for that time of year as they will give some protection from the elements.

 

If I had to choose I would go for QM2 - there's no comparison.

 

Sent from my Sony Z1 Compact.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've done both.

 

QM2

The QM2 Christmas cruise to the Caribbean is a great experience. The weather can be rough as it was on the crossing to New York - so bad that QM2 didn't go straight across the Atlantic but followed to route through the Bay of Biscay before doing a sharp right turn :D to continue on to New York. Drawback is that QM2 berths in Brooklyn so not easy to get into downtown New York but excursions are available. You have to disembark and go through immigration even if you are planning to stay on board.

 

Cruise down to the Caribbean is similar to other Carib cruises in that you visit 5 or 6 ports of call. Christmas day and New Year's eve good with a few surprises thrown in - like at the carol concert in the atrium, a snow machine had been installed, so we had snow at Christmas in the Carib!

 

Returning to New York means having to go through immigration again. On my visit, it was very cold and windy, so didn't venture into New York.

 

On the sea days, there is far more to do on QM2 than on any of the P&O ships. Speakers, although many have been on P&O, there are usually 3 for the trans-Atlantic days and some are better.

 

Your dad will be in great demand in the ballroom - normally far more ladies than gentlemen looking for partners.

 

QM2 was built for the crossings to and from New York, and for me, the best way to travel there.

 

I would not bother with Britannia Club. Cabins are the same as glass fronted balcony cabins, you just get the ability to eat when you want in the evening rather than doing fixed dining.

 

Arcadia

I've done the Caribbean in November and, the ship handles the crossing to the Carib well but there is a danger of not getting in to the Azores due to heavy seas - this happened to me.

 

It is also a good trip and has the advantage of having the Ocean Grill and Sindhu if you want a change from the main dining room.

 

I've done Christmas and the New Year in the Carib on other P&O ships and have always had a good time. As with Cunard, Christmas and New Year's eve is also a bit special.

 

How to choose

Personally, I'd go for Cunard. Both have their pluses and minuses but there is the elegance of Cunard and travelling on a ship with so much internal space as QM2. Drawback on both ships though, is that due to the weather conditions you may not get much use of a balcony until you are south of Madeira or New York but as we can't predict weather..... On my return from New York there was snow on the balcony one morning. My cabin choice would probably be to go for one of the partially obstructed view balconies on Deck 8 of QM2 - there are plenty of pictures of the cabins and obstructions on the Cunard website - they offer much better value for money.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry, the following:

 

I would not bother with Britannia Club. Cabins are the same as glass fronted balcony cabins, you just get the ability to eat when you want in the evening rather than doing fixed dining.

 

should have read:

 

I would not bother with Britannia Club. Cabins are the same as glass fronted balcony cabins, you just get the ability to eat when you want in the evening rather than doing fixed dining with a few items added to the standard Britannia menu. You have a dedicated part of the Britannia restaurant allocated for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Been on both also. Very different ships, certainly QM2 would handle a rough Atlantic better, but in my opinion Arcadia is more relaxed. I would flip a coin. :halo:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...