tjunmin

Yesterday was a gray and rainy day - probably the British passengers felt right at home ;-) - but today the sun and warm weather were back in full force. I added more photos of QM2, such as The Commodore's Cufflinks (and more!) [link], food offerings from The Verandah and Carinthia Lounge [link], as well as from Britannia Restaurant [link]. One more sea day before we reach Mauritius! Thom

My favorite Celebrity ships are the Millennium class; smaller and more intimate. I hope that by the end of this voyage, I'll be a Cunard convert. In the meantime, I'm paying close attention to the service onboard. I read before boarding that the Winter Garden was underutilized prior to the dry dock, and that the Carinthia Lounge is a much more welcoming and successful venue compared to its predecessor. I was not aware that the chairs in the dinning room were in dire need of an update; I can attest that at the present moment, they look fine and feel comfortable.

Glad to hear you are enjoying the photos. The QM2 is a truly beautiful ship. Hope you'll enjoy your sailing on her next year! If there is anything you'd like to see that is not in the albums, let me know and I'll go take a picture.

When I grow up, I'll get a full frame camera. ;-) Congratulations on your Sony A7C purchase! I've been looking at full-frame cameras for a while, but the prices of the top of the line ones are eye watering. How are you enjoying the Sony A7C? What are the pros and cons in your eyes?

I really enjoy the food at Carinthia Lounge. Generally speaking, the food offerings are tasty, the presentation is nice, and the serving sizes are small; it reminds me of Spanish tapas. The only downside is the lack of variety; the offerings are always the same, with little change. Regarding lenses, you are absolutely correct. Photos taken using modern cell phones like the most recent iPhones look fantastic, especially when shared on social media. However, when blown up on a large computer screen, the limitations of a cell phone camera lens are clearly noticeable. The 300mm lens is new to me. I purchased it for this trip, so I'm still getting used to it and learning its peculiarities. My previous lens was a FUJINON 18-55mm, and it did a relatively good job. Here are photos from my previous cruise on December 2023, taken using the FUJINON 18-55mm lens [link]. I've used Adobe Lightroom for years (with the 18-55mm lens). DxO PhotoLab is new to me and I'm still learning how to use it (with the 18-300mm). Each one of them has its own merits. If you don't use them and are considering purchasing, both of them offer free trials.

Today was a lovely day at sea, with pleasant temperatures and calm seas. For breakfast and lunch, Carinthia Lounge offerings were delightful [link]. I also included some photos of the amazing Easter chocolate decorations at Kings Court. Cunard Insights featured David Harper, with his humorous and entertaining account of The Big Three, followed by Danielle Barnett's life journey. The afternoon was spent reading Musashi - from Eiji Yoshikawa - on a comfortable Promenade deck chair. Friendly dinner service at Britannia Restaurant capped off the day [link]. Thom

Planning is half of the fun! I'm sure you'll have a wonderful experience, with such a competent crew onboard.

You are so kind. I'm just an amateur trying to improve my photography skills. Glad you are enjoying the photos!

I can only imagine how delightful it is to spend 65 nights on board the QM2, with all the fun filled activities during day time and the exciting entertainment in the evenings. I do hope that the photos will assist passengers new to Cunard in the future, planning their first voyage on this magnificent vessel!

I've never been on QM2 pre-retrofit, but I do enjoy some of the updated features, such as the new Carinthia Lounge.QM2 is a dignified grand lady, and it is a pleasure capturing her in the best light possible with my good old Fujifilm X-T20.

I've had the opportunity to work in Chicago for a year and half. I love the city, with its gorgeous architecture and fantastic food scene! My good old Fujifilm X-T20 is what I carry around to take photos. While I'm impressed with how easy it is to take good photos these days using top-of-the-line cell phones, I like the quality that good lenses bring to photography. I also hope that Cunard will be a good fit for my future cruising needs! Thom

Thanks for the suggestion! It will be a challenge to include people in the photos and ensure that faces are not recognizable. If I manage to capture any, I'll include in the albums!

Thank you all for your kind words. I'm using a mirrorless Fujifilm X-T20 with a Tamron 18-300mm F/3.5-6.3 lens. It is a somewhat older camera, but it does the job. The lens is a recent purchase. I take photos in RAW format and post-process them using DXO PhotoLab. I used to use Adobe Lightroom, but had to switch to PhotoLab because Lightroom does not offer a lens correction profile for the X-T20 with Tamron lens combination. I uploaded my Galle, Sri Lanka photos into the Ports of Call album [link]. I visited Colombo a few years ago, so I decided to explore the Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications - a UNESCO World Heritage site - in this trip through a Cunard offered tour. It was a lovely sunny and warm day (32C/90F). For lunch, we had the opportunity to experience a delicious traditional Sri Lankan seafood curry, among the many dishes offered. Four sea days ahead of us, until we reach Mauritius. Lots of food pictures to come. :) Thom

This is my first cruise on Cunard and on the Queen Mary 2, after being with Celebrity for 16 years. Currently on board, sailing from Singapore to Southampton. Photography is one of my hobbies. I've been taking photos while on board and on shore excursions. Food is a passion of mine and very important in my cruising experience, so taking photos of everything I've been eating as well. I love art deco, so it has been a delight to experience the QM2 and its refined interiors. My QM2 photos can be found here [link]. Before my sailing, I've struggled to find photos of the food offerings on board. Photos of the Britannia Restaurant and the menu items will be posted here [link]. I've been enjoying the food offered throughout the QM2, from The Verandah to Bamboo, through Kings Court, as well as Sir Samuel's, Carinthia Lounge and Golden Lion (although the service in the last one has been abysmal in my personal experience). Photos from all venues can be found here [link]. In this cruise, I'm doing a mix of Cunard-offered shore excursions and private tours. Photos of my experiences from Singapore to Southampton will be found here [link]. At this point, I'm only one week into my sailing. I'll be adding more photos on a daily basis throughout my journey. I'll write a full review of my experience, sharing my impressions about Cunard, at the end of my voyage.

Boarding in 6 days. Anyone else joining?

At the moment, 6 days before my sailing, I can see pre-booking available at Bamboo only for the first 3 nights of the cruise, but not for the remainder of the itinerary. Thanks for sharing that the pop-ups are cheaper on the first night!

At the moment I see Bamboo being offered at My Cunard for $20, which indicates the discount is applicable then. Thanks!

I learned on this board that the lunch and dinner prices at The Verandah are $5.00 cheaper if booked in advance through My Cunard. Is the same discount applicable to booking Bamboo, Coriander and La Piazza in advance?

Thanks for sharing the food photos! Hope you'll continue posting them. :)

For suite guests, seating in Blu will be based on availability. Approach Blu's maitre d' on the first day of the cruise and inquire. If you are sailing on a Millennium or Solstice class ship, you'll be able to order from the Blu menu at Luminae.

Just to remove any ambiguity, the way I interpreted your reply is that HDMI ports are not accessible at the back of the TV in your cabin/suite. Thank you for the suggestion. Unfortunately currently I have an iPhone and an iPad and I've never managed to make screen mirroring work on TVs. Many years ago I had a Samsung phone, and back then I was able to do so.

I believe I read in an old thread that the HDMI port at the back of the TVs are not accessible. Is that still accurate?

OP indicated that it is an upgrade from normal balcony, not inside.

Cunard says (from the daily program distributed on board):

I used this website and received the free transit visa: https://www.eta.gov.lk/slvisa/