Smokeyham

I don't know if this is always the case, but yesterday's disembarkation from a QM2 transatlantic was very disorganized and uncomfortable.

Printed materials said that the disembarkation time for our luggage group (Green 4) was 8:00 AM.  We vacated our cabin and went to the Atrium at 8:00 AM to be greeted with a long line.  We were Britannia Club Class, which was supposed to have priority disembarkation, but there were no signs for that and just a long line for everyone.   The public address system was not being used, just staff trying to direct people using their voices.

Eventually a public address message was issued saying that there was a delay and to sit in public areas until called.  A limited number of colors/numbers were called and then there was no further direction.   Eventually we were told that the final disembarkation was taking place and that we should leave the ship.   We exited the ship and joined a very long time in the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.  There was no chairs so it was a very long time standing.  It seems the ship could have allowed us to stay on board longer, sitting, in the public lounges.  

We timed it and it took three hours from the 8:00 AM time we were told we should be ready to disembark until we finally cleared Customs and Immigration.

We realize the ship does not have control over the pace of Customs and Immigration processing on shore, but they could have done a better job of communications and could have paced out the departures better from the ship.

Just got off a transatlantic on Queen Mary 2 and my perspective is that there was a very high compliance with the gala night dress code.  The people i did see who were not formally dressed were quite noticeable, though as others have noted there are options such as the buffet for eating, but access to the public rooms is limited.   

6 hours ago, Tattycoram said:

Thanks for this--I'm looking forward to my first Cunard trip--a eastbound TA--in July and you've whet my appetite further.

 

Did you by any chance use or visit the spa?  I'm not really a spa person, but I thought I might get self-indulgent with a day pass.  Some recent reviews and videos say it is (sadly) not so great, with missing tiles, nonworking stations, and even dirty.  

 

(I hope the planetarium is fixed by our trip--learning about it was a fun extra draw for my daughter and me.)

We walked through the spa but did not use any of the services.  It looked nice but I can't really give you any feedback on it.

6 hours ago, Jack E Dawson said:

Thanks Smokeyham for a great review. Your timing was perfect as we will be boarding QM2 on June 9th and appreciate your insights. 

 

Jack

I hope you have a wonderful time.  She truly is a beautiful ship!

Just now, Host Hattie said:

Thank you very much for posting, it's good to hear that you enjoyed your crossing. 

How did the food compare to Oceania?

I see they have trademarked "The Best Cuisine at Sea" - a bold claim !

I would say the buffet was better on Oceania.  The selection in the dining room also seemed better on Oceania, but we enjoyed both.

Here is a review of our transatlantic crossing in Queen Mary 2 from Southampton to New York.  Please feel free to ask any questions:

 

Queen Mary 2 Cruise Critic Review – May, 2024

Brittania Club Balcony – A1 Cabin

We thoroughly enjoyed our crossing from Southampton to New York.  Prior to this our most recent cruise experience was on board the much smaller 700-passenger Oceania Insignia.  While Queen Mary 2 is nowhere near the size of the mega-ships, we wondered how we would enjoy the 2,610 capacity Queen Mary 2.  For a transatlantic crossing, with six days at sea, we found the ship to be large enough to have a nice variety of venues and entertainment without being overwhelmingly large.

The ship itself is in very good shape.  Other reviews talked about signs of rust and worn looking areas.  We did not find this to be the case.  Our cabin was in very good condition, and everything worked.  Hint… to get the toilet flush button to work give it a quick firm jab, rather than a slow push.

Britannia Club Class:  We reviewed the various classes of accommodation/restaurants (Britannia, Britannia Club, Princess Grill, Queens Grill) and chose the Britannia Club class and an “A1” category cabin within that category.  

We really liked the benefits of the Britannia Club Class.  The priority embarkation bypassed a long line at Southampton (though the priority line was not well marked, and the signage did not indicate that it included Club Class).  

Having our own assigned table in the more intimate Club Class space, along with the same service staff, was a real benefit as there was often a queue at the entrance to the Britannia restaurant.  

Do be aware that there are no USB plugs on board.  If you use a CPAP then a convertor to allow you to plug in both the beside lamp and your CPAP (as well as a USB for your phone) will be helpful to plug into the socket behind the bed.

We bought the Wifi package and had solid service, even in our cabin, across the Atlantic.  Speeds were typically around 20 Mbps; not blazing fast but good enough for most purposes. 

On Board Activities:  In addition to the traditional bingo, trivia, etc. we really enjoyed the Cunard Insights enrichment lectures.  On our voyage we had a retired Concorde pilot who talked about his own experience as well as looking to the future of passenger flight.  In addition, we had a journalist who provided an interesting perspective into the death of Lady Diana.  Also, there was a university professor providing a history and perspective on immigration into the United States. 

There were a wide variety of musical offerings, and it was fun to see how well attended the ballroom dancing was in the Queens Room, as well dancing in the G32 night club.  We also attended a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company which was very well done.  We were disappointed that the onboard planetarium was not working.

The Cruise/Entertainment Director was not highly visible, which was absolutely fine with us.  It was nice not having a barrage of announcements and attempts to sell things.

A highlight of the crossing is the ship itself.  We definitely noticed how steady she was in seas where we have noticed more movement on other ships.  The historic nature of this liner was very evident, and we enjoyed the classic style of the ship along with the interesting history panels available around the ship.  The library and public rooms were very comfortable and classically styled. 

Other passengers were interesting and well-traveled.  Adherence to the Cunard dress code, definitely more formal than other lines especially on the transatlantic crossings, was very high.

In conclusion, we highly recommend a transatlantic crossing on the Queen Mary 2, especially in Britannia Club Class.

Currently on board the Queen Mary 2 and our cabin attendant provided distilled water.

Currently on board the QM2.  We brought an adapter to convert the one outlet to two outlets so I could use the plug behind the bed to plug in a CPAP and also the bedside lamp.  I wish I had purchased an adapter that also had a USB outlet so I could also have my phone charging on my bedside table, to use as an alarm clock.

In addition to the two American and Two British outlets visible in post #4's picture we also found two additional American outlets behind the kettle.

Just wanted to give a quick review of the Southampton Harbor Hotel, which we are staying at for three nights before a cruise.  We have really enjoyed this hotel.  Very comfortable room with heating and air conditioning that works well.  There is a pool and hot tub on site. A small decanter of gin is provided.

The restaurant and bar on the top (6th) floor provides lovely views over the Solent and we have enjoyed seeing ships arriving and departing.   The hotel is adjacent to a marina which is pleasant to look at and walk around.

Staff are very service oriented and helpful.  There is a free shuttle to cruise terminals, but there is limited space, so sign up early.  If you can't use that then there is taxi and Uber service, which are not too expensive.

There is shopping and restaurants nearby (including a Tesco Express), but this is not within walking distance of downtown.  The cost is also higher than other options.

I know this is an old thread, but we are in Southampton today and can see P&O's Britannia from our hotel room.  As someone living in America, it would be interesting to try this line.

I love that this thread is still going!  Hoping to hear many more crazy stories over the years.  

 

On 8/7/2023 at 12:02 AM, Sarnia 432 said:

@jcgeorge thanks for your insight.  I hadn’t thought of sending to the hotel.  We will be arriving a day early in port, so having the bags at the hotel will reassure me, rather than worrying until I see the bags arrive in my cabin!

Sending the bag to the hotel is a great idea!  We will be in Southampton for two days prior to boarding, so this is a great solution.  As you say, then you know that you have your bag.

Thanks for all of these great suggestions and information!

On 3/12/2023 at 4:39 AM, sundaypeople5 said:

I agree this is feeling very intimidating.  It sounds like even if my husband and I took lessons we will still not be up to par.  We were hoping for all of the romance that dressing up every night, eating fancy food and dancing to a big band in formal wear has to offer. I have two left feet and certainly don’t want to put my clumsiness on display for all to see by dancing around the perimeter.  Thus the idea of hiding in the middle. I didn’t realize that we would be messing up the flow for other dancers.My husband doesn’t mind my clumsiness thankfully. My husband is a P.A. In the ER and does not work a set schedule. This makes it challenging to sign up the for dance classes.  We guess tutorials are not suitable either according to the majority of comments. Maybe this isn’t the cruise line for us. Any suggestions for other cruise ships that offer the romantic activities, but are less critical about dancing?  

We are in the same situation, i.e. no dancing experience but want to give it a try.  We will try to learn from YouTube dance lessons, though we live a long distance apart and so cannot practice together.   

My hope is that the reality of the situation is that there will likely be some "serious" dancers, but also enough people that are in a similar position to ours that we still give it a go.

On 2/24/2024 at 10:30 AM, island lady said:

 

You do realize this was 2 years ago right?  

Actually, this was posted March, 2023 (one year ago) for Star Trek VI.  The information seems relevant for the Star Trek cruises and most will likely apply to future cruises.   A friend works on these cruises and the information posted tracks with what she has told me.

Can anyone advise if waltz lessons are offered on the Queen Mary 2 on Transatlantic crossings?  If so, when are they typically offered and is a sign up available/recommended?

Thanks.

P.S. We know it would be better to take these on land in advance, but our circumstances don't allow for this.

I know this is an older post, but I am still hearing good things about Dora The Explorer in 2024.  Thanks for your recommendation.  

On 2/25/2024 at 2:45 PM, Winifred 22 said:

There were no changes to the electrical sockets during the recent spell in dry dock. 

Thanks so much.  That is very helpful!

On 1/16/2024 at 8:46 PM, Flatbush Flyer said:

Perhaps you missed my post above where I gave you an example of at least one cruise line that does “quiet sales” through their preferred TAs while also giving them “pass through” funds to incentivize their clients. And this is in addition to added pass through incentive funds from certain TAs’ consortia. And all of that is before any commission sharing.

 

Thanks for that info.  We are currently trying out a variety of cruise lines so have not yet settled on as our favourite so far.   Our thinking is that we would like to find a good TA who will do a good job on both cruises and on land based trips, including securing good rates.  

We would like to have a one-stop shop where the TA would also make air bookings for us, but after reading the posts above it seems like some will no longer do air fares, and that is not critical to us.

Hello,

I previously started a thread asking about power outlets in the QM2 Britannia Club Class balcony cabins and had some very helpful answers.  I know the ship recently went through a refit and was wondering if there have been any changes (i.e. more plugs added by the beds and/or USB plugs added?

From the prior thread I understand there are American and UK power outlets at the desk, and one UK power outlet behind the bed (which is used by the beside lamps).  I am wondering if anything has been added beyond those.

Thanks

On 11/2/2023 at 5:26 PM, Seaside99 said:

Yes it was on the QM2. Can’t speak of the other Queens as we haven’t tried them yet. On other QM2 cruises in other cabins there was never a problem for our CPAPS. We did not have to use extension cords as our adapters did the trick to plug in close to the bed. Happy Cruising 

Thanks so much.  I understand that QM2 recently did a refit, so I wonder if they updated/increased the number of plugs in the cabins?  I have started a separate thread to ask that question: 

@rimmit

Thanks for this great review!  It is really interesting to learn how themed cruises are different from a regular cruise.  I'm looking forward to reading the next segments of your review.

Thanks for the responses so far.  If we are not to get a better fare, and only get a small reward for booking through a TA, then I guess we have to wonder if using a TA is worth the "cost" of losing control of the booking and relying on them to watch for lower fares.  

Am I missing something here?  Our TA will not book airfares for us.  She will look into hotel bookings and transfers, and is a one-person operation.

OP here.......

Just wanted to say thank you to those who provided feedback on how many people actually wear tuxedos on formal nights.  Looking through those answers it seems like a small number (roughly 10% to 20%).

This will help us decide whether or not we want to bring formal wear or to dress alternately on our 15 night Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles Panama Canal cruise on Princess.   I'm including those specific details in case anyone else has specific information on formal dress on this cruise.

Thanks again.

We recently booked a Cunard crossing that will cost us US $6,574 for the basic cruise fare.  Our travel agent is giving us a US $200 on board credit.  She wasn't able to get us a break on the cruise fares.    Seems like a pretty meager reward, but I wanted to see what others think. 

For reference, at the current rate of $14.50/person/night this will cover the cost of gratuities.