Notes from another very short cruise on QM2

[Host Hattie]

For our 3rd and final cruise of 2019 we're sailing on QM2 tomorrow for a short break to Zeebrugge.

This was the first booked of the 3 when I realised we hadn't sailed on QM2 for 5 years and this trip almost fitted with Mr HH's days off work. As it turned out we were back on QM2 in July for the Southampton to Liverpool trip.

We had a problem free drive from South Wales to our overnight hotel near Romsey. 

As usual notes will be random, drink photographs many ! 

[Bell Boy]

Please check out the bathroom products, they appear  ( on Q.Vic) to be  now in re-fillable bottles and not to take away home ? ☹️

 

[Underwatr]

The removal of individual toiletry bottles is being toted as a reduction in the use of disposable plastics (if not single-use, then nearly so). It's hard to argue with that although I'll miss the little shampoo bottles. Yes, it's cheaper to stock (maybe they'll be able to stock something even higher end with the savings 🙂 ) but that alone doesn't impeach the idea.

[Bell Boy]

Whist I'm all in favour in the reduction of plastics, I'm not too happy that someone else has been handling these reusable bottles, then again I really don't want to see wall mounted dispensers. 

 

I guess this is the way forward and we are going have to get use to it,  not looking on it as cutbacks.

There was an uproar when Cunard removed the plastic pens from the stateroom and replaced with pencils.  😉

Edited November 16, 2019 by Bell Boy

[deck chair]

Hi.  Sad to hear about the bottles etc.   I was just off the QM2 a few weeks ago and the individual bottles of shampoo still there.   I sure hope they keep the individual soap as it has been for years.  I do hope the refillable bottles don't take up a lot of room.  The shower stalls are not that big to begin with.  

Deck Chair.

Edited November 16, 2019 by deck chair

[BklynBoy8]

We always enjoyed using the Penhaligon's Products offered in the QM2 cabins.

 

Even though they offer them in the Shops on board, we like taking the left overs home to remember the trip.

 

The stewardess didn't mine leaving new ones on the final morning seeing we liked them.

[Glenndale]

2 hours ago, Bell Boy said:

Whist I'm all in favour in the reduction of plastics, I'm not too happy that someone else has been handling these reusable bottles, then again I really don't want to see wall mounted dispensers. 

 

I guess this is the way forward and we are going have to get use to it,  not looking on it as cutbacks.

There was an uproar when Cunard removed the plastic pens from the stateroom and replaced with pencils.  😉

Saga have the refillable toiletry bottles and the quality of the contents were very good.

We don’t travel with Cunard so much but I was surprised that bath salts were no longer provided.

 

Edited November 16, 2019 by Glenndale

[Bell Boy]

Let you into a secret,   the other week the steward told me to take them home 😉  he even gave me an extra bottle of that Ginseng shower gel . 😉

[BklynBoy8]

17 minutes ago, Bell Boy said:

Let you into a secret,   the other week the steward told me to take them home 😉  he even gave me an extra bottle of that Ginseng shower gel . 😉

Always experience great steward and stewardess on the QM2 and the late QE2......

[Glenndale]

1 hour ago, Bell Boy said:

Let you into a secret,   the other week the steward told me to take them home 😉  he even gave me an extra bottle of that Ginseng shower gel . 😉

We’ll be on QV in a few weeks, are the QV toiletries worth taking home?

I’ll remember our little secret when we’re on board SofD in June and maybe blag some of the shower gel for myself.
😂

[durante]

Am on QM2 arriving in Southampton tomorrow in an obstructed view balcony on Deck 8 and we still have the individual small bottles of shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and moisturiser.

Edited November 16, 2019 by durante

[Underwatr]

1 hour ago, Glenndale said:

are the QV toiletries worth taking home?

Unless another thread has drifted without announcement into amenities only found in grills, yes, the Penhaligon's toiletries are good and worth grabbing.

[Aspidestra99]

I have a couple of bottles of the Quercus toiletries and would be sad if this was changed. A whiff of quercus and if I close my eyes I'm back on QE getting ready for dinner. 

[Bell Boy]

Oops ! folks, no more posts about bathroom toiletries , we had better leave space on this thread for Hattie 🛳️

 

Sorry for highjacking your thread Hattie, enjoy your break, hope the weather is good to you. 🍺🍹 

[Glenndale]

Enjoy your trip Hattie 🍸

[Host Hattie]

Thank you, we're just finishing breakfast at our hotel. It was busy here last night, a wedding reception and a black tie birthday party, neither of which we gatecrashed !

Dinner was a bit disappointing, my lamb was tough and £20 for steak & ale pie without proper pastry seemed a bit much. The hotel isn't particularly expensive so they seem to be aiming high with the food prices if not the quality.

 

[Host Hattie]

[Se1lad]

28 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

Good to see they are still there!  Wonder if they are in all categories of stateroom still?

[Host Hattie]

I'd booked with Cruisepark Southampton after my original booking near the hotel was changed to somewhere with poor reviews.

We arrived just before 11 & had to wait a little while for their transfer. We dropped a couple off at QEII terminal to join Oceana for 35 nights and then took us to Ocean Terminal. We are in the Grills this trip so were checked in quickly and onto the ship at just after 12. We checked the toiletries and chose our 1 allowed bottle of spirits, major disappointment we have a bottle of Laurent Perrier but no Pol Aker !

Our case arrived at around 12.30 so we unpacked and headed to the Queens Grill Lounge for a pre-lunch drink. Unfortunately everyone else had the same idea including a couple of large groups. There was one waiter and one barman so we had no chance of getting served. We gave up and went for a stroll in the November sun before the restaurant opened for lunch at 1. We were a bit surprised to be shown to a table for 2, I am sure I'd requested 6 but it's in a nice position so I'm not complaining. We made a start on a bottle of rose and had a pleasant lunch. We pre-ordered Beef Wellington for dinner and came back to our cabin to do battle with the coffee machine.

[Host Hattie]

We sat out on balcony for a little while making use of the blankets and watching/listening to some repairs to the lifeboat under our balcony. The cold drove us inside to watch "Rebecca", our butler and cabin steward came to introduce themselves. Muster was painless, station G had more seats than the one we had in July. Sailaway was more or less on time at just after 4.30.

 

[exlondoner]

The Daily programme seems to think you are going to New York. Should be interesting to find out.😀

[Host Hattie]

We opened our champagne and got dressed to meet a few members of our roll call in the Commodore Club. We had a good chat and a couple of drinks (no sign of canapes).

We got to to dinner just after 8 & were slightly surprised to be shown to a different table. Our original table had moved to form a 4 & we were moved back a row next to a window. The rest of our wine found us eventually, we had starters from the a la carte menu, jumbo tempura shrimp for me, Crab Scotch Egg for him. The Beef Wellington was excellent.

[Colin_Cameron]

Hi Hattie,

 

Have a great time.

 

Since you're in QG could you ask Osman if he's doing the second half of the World Cruise, Specifically Perth back to Southampton?

 

Regards, Colin.

[Host Hattie]

We went to the Queens Room to watch the dancing for a while, it was pretty busy and then to an equally busy Golden Lion where the guitar & vocalist duo were finishing their 80s set.

 

[lissie]

Thank you so much for that picture of the dancing - I keep on being told that men have to wear jackets at all times - including dancing -  but obviously its not true! Several wearing waistcoats - which make much more sense than a non-dance jacket for dancing!