QM2 May 15th sailing

[ak1004]

We are on the QM2 now.

 

Embarkation was terrible with people standing outside for almost an hour with no water and nobody cares. The whole process took almost two hours and was extremely chaotic and unefficient. One of the stations was answering a questionnaire with exactly the same questions that we filled in the mandatory health declaration at home.

 

The cruise is Theater at sea. To say that it's outstanding would be an understatement. It's a one in a lifetime event. Shows, workshops, activities and lectures all the day. No dull moment. The balls in the Queens room are wonderful. 

 

Other aspects: food is very mediocre with limited selection. We left the MDR in the middle of the meal on few occasions and went to the buffet. Nobody seemed to care or ask us what's wrong. The buffet is not much better but at least a bit more selection. 

 

Verandah the specialty restaurant was slightly better but not worth the $45 extra fee. To add insult to injury they offered me to add two prawns to my steak for $10 extra charge.

 

Service is good overall, nothing special. A typical nass market service, comparable to Celebrity or Princess.

 

Examples:

They don't escort guests to their tables at dinner anymore. 

Yesterday a waiter at lunch asked me if I want my courses all together or one by one.

Your water is not refilled on a regular basis.

 

Internet almost unusable.

 

We did couples massage. Definitely expected more for $412.

 

The ship is around 70% capacity. Still feels crowded sometimes especially in the buffet. long waiting times for elevators.

 

Masks optional. About 40-50% still wear them..

 

Overall everything is according to our expectations. We expected great entertainment and average food and service and this is exactly how it is.

 

Any questions you are welcome to ask.

[njguy_south]

23 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

23 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

Yesterday a waiter at lunch asked me if I want my courses all together or one by one.

Your water is not refilled on a regular basis.

 

 

I do hope that you were dressed appropriately (lol), according to the standards of Cunard, when the waiter asked you if you wanted your "lunch platter."  Amazing that Cunard still touts itself as luxury and a step above (and still expecting a man to wear a Tuxedo, when they are NOT worn anywhere but at weddings or seriously formal state dinners), and asks a question like that at lunch.

[ak1004]

14 hours ago, njguy_south said:

I do hope that you were dressed appropriately (lol), according to the standards of Cunard, when the waiter asked you if you wanted your "lunch platter."  Amazing that Cunard still touts itself as luxury and a step above (and still expecting a man to wear a Tuxedo, when they are NOT worn anywhere but at weddings or seriously formal state dinners), and asks a question like that at lunch.

 

No I definitely didn't wear a tuxedo, but 80% of the men did and seemed to enjoy it. Today even on weddings ypu rarely see tuxedos.

 

But yes, the disconnect between the hype and the reality is pretty big. Cunard offers a solid product overall but definitely far from luxury. 

[High C's]

Thanks for this info.  We are on board on Aug 5 for the first time.

Where did you board?  NYC or Southampton?  And what tine did you arrive at the pier?

Many thanks and continue to enjoy your cruise 🙂

 

[gumshoe958]

12 hours ago, njguy_south said:

Amazing that Cunard still touts itself as luxury and a step above (and still expecting a man to wear a Tuxedo)

It doesn’t. It’s just a certain element of the clientele that still seems to think they’re mandatory and looks down at anyone who’s not wearing one.

[ak1004]

6 hours ago, High C's said:

Thanks for this info.  We are on board on Aug 5 for the first time.

Where did you board?  NYC or Southampton?  And what tine did you arrive at the pier?

Many thanks and continue to enjoy your cruise 🙂

 

NYC. Came at 12:40. Boarding time was 1pm. But i don't think it mattered to anyone.

[ak1004]

I just found out that Cunard was charging my credit card each time there was a new charge instead of one time at the end of the cruise like other lines do. How cheap is this???

[Host Hattie]

They should just be holds, they don't actually process the charge until your final account is posted.

[ak1004]

Just got "Your Cunard voyage" brochure by mail, 2 days after the end of the sailing. What a joke..

[exlondoner]

4 minutes ago, ak1004 said:

Just got "Your Cunard voyage" brochure by mail, 2 days after the end of the sailing. What a joke..

 

Did you enjoy your voyage?

[ak1004]

8 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

 

Did you enjoy your voyage?

 

Yes, we did. We came with the right expectations, and this was the key. There is no point to compare Cunard's food and service with lines like Oceania - they are in a different league. As long as you are aware of it, there is no reason not to enjoy the cruise, especially with the London theater at sea which was absolutely fantastic.

[aungrl]

Very helpful review, as well as Q&A. Thanks so much!  

 

A QM2 crossing is a bucket list trip for us, and the only thing holding me back - other than Covid - has been the wifi issue.  I don't need wifi to upload photos or post on any type of social media, but with elderly parents, we need the ability to check in via email or text a couple of times a day.  How bad is connectivity these days?  I know you couldn't post your review while you were sailing, which suggests that it really is still pretty bad.  Any detail much appreciated.

[lissie]

1 hour ago, aungrl said:

Very helpful review, as well as Q&A. Thanks so much!  

 

A QM2 crossing is a bucket list trip for us, and the only thing holding me back - other than Covid - has been the wifi issue.  I don't need wifi to upload photos or post on any type of social media, but with elderly parents, we need the ability to check in via email or text a couple of times a day.  How bad is connectivity these days?  I know you couldn't post your review while you were sailing, which suggests that it really is still pretty bad.  Any detail much appreciated.

Realistically - what happens if you check in and the response is not what you wanted to hear? You'll need an alternative plan set up anyway - because its not like you are going to be getting off that ship before Southampton.  Email doesn't need much connectivity - if you are patient. Texting won't work unless you are using an app like whatsapp or you have text over wifi on your phone - which is not that common 

[ak1004]

2 hours ago, aungrl said:

Very helpful review, as well as Q&A. Thanks so much!  

 

A QM2 crossing is a bucket list trip for us, and the only thing holding me back - other than Covid - has been the wifi issue.  I don't need wifi to upload photos or post on any type of social media, but with elderly parents, we need the ability to check in via email or text a couple of times a day.  How bad is connectivity these days?  I know you couldn't post your review while you were sailing, which suggests that it really is still pretty bad.  Any detail much appreciated.

It's terrible. 

 

We are in the same boat - have elderly parents, and on TA crossing where you cannot use ports internet or call using your cell provider plan, it was very stressful for both of us. 

 

To add insult to injury, they refused to provide us a refund, and the excuse was that we used too much data.. well, of course we use data, continuously trying to connect or use skype with not much success.  

[Jack E Dawson]

11 hours ago, aungrl said:

Very helpful review, as well as Q&A. Thanks so much!  

 

A QM2 crossing is a bucket list trip for us, and the only thing holding me back - other than Covid - has been the wifi issue.  I don't need wifi to upload photos or post on any type of social media, but with elderly parents, we need the ability to check in via email or text a couple of times a day.  How bad is connectivity these days?  I know you couldn't post your review while you were sailing, which suggests that it really is still pretty bad.  Any detail much appreciated.

angry,

The WiFi on our QM2 was unusable for us. We used our CWC credit to partially offset the cost of the week long WiFi plan. As lissie suggested above, we had planned to use WhatApp to communicate with our family and basic internet to post updates on CruiseCritic. After spending a very frustrating first day unable to connect I went down to the Purser's Desk on the second day to cancel the WiFi plan. A very nice guest services agent persuaded me not to cancel. She reloaded the program and was able to get a connection. However, the Purser's Desk seemed to be the only location where I could connect. Finally, on the third day, I went down to the Purser's Desk again and cancelled the plan. I was able to do so with no push back and received a full refund. By coincidence, the passenger next to me at the Purser's Desk was also cancelling their WiFi plan and received a full refund. I think that on our cruise there were a lot of WiFi issues. 

Jack

[Jack E Dawson]

2 hours ago, Jack E Dawson said:

angry,

The WiFi on our QM2 was unusable for us. We used our CWC credit to partially offset the cost of the

aungrl,

Please except my apologies, I failed to notice that autocorrect had changed your name form "aungrl", as I had typed, to "angry", which I'm sure is not the case.

Jack

[canoncruiser]

I  have tolerable wi-fi  in my cabin on QM2 ONLY by leaving my cabin door propped open with a small piece of luggage or a running shoe- otherwise I have to go up to the library.

The one and only - and last - time I was on an NCL mega-ship - the wi-fi was excellent in my cabin with the door closed.

I do not understand why CUNARD has not extended the appropriate hardware into the cabins.

 

 

[TheOldBear]

27 minutes ago, canoncruiser said:

I  have tolerable wi-fi  in my cabin on QM2 ONLY by leaving my cabin door propped open with a small piece of luggage or a running shoe- otherwise I have to go up to the library.

The one and only - and last - time I was on an NCL mega-ship - the wi-fi was excellent in my cabin with the door closed.

I do not understand why CUNARD has not extended the appropriate hardware into the cabins.

 

 

I briefly discussed this with Steve Payne after one of his lectures - one problem is the available space in the internal wiring trunks and runs. The system is mostly using lower speed cabling, and it would be difficult [$$]  to pull additional fiber optic or high speed ethernet cabling. 

 

On the other hand, I hope that SpaceX / Starlink tele service will eventually help with the limited network bandwidth currently available from geosynchronous satellites. [bigger data pipe to/from the ship; still needs work within the ship]

[ak1004]

15 minutes ago, TheOldBear said:

I briefly discussed this with Steve Payne after one of his lectures - one problem is the available space in the internal wiring trunks and runs. The system is mostly using lower speed cabling, and it would be difficult [$$]  to pull additional fiber optic or high speed ethernet cabling. 

 

On the other hand, I hope that SpaceX / Starlink tele service will eventually help with the limited network bandwidth currently available from geosynchronous satellites. [bigger data pipe to/from the ship; still needs work within the ship]

 

Interesting that most other ships figured it out somehow.. including the older ships. The internet on Crystal Symphony which was the same age as QM2 was excellent. 

 

It's all matter of money. Cunard cuts corners in every possible way. They brought us water in plastic cups on few occasions.

[Victoria2]

16 minutes ago, TheOldBear said:

I briefly discussed this with Steve Payne after one of his lectures - one problem is the available space in the internal wiring trunks and runs. The system is mostly using lower speed cabling, and it would be difficult [$$]  to pull additional fiber optic or high speed ethernet cabling. 

 

On the other hand, I hope that SpaceX / Starlink tele service will eventually help with the limited network bandwidth currently available from geosynchronous satellites. [bigger data pipe to/from the ship; still needs work within the ship]

Que?

Just sit find a stairwell and sit on the stairs.

 

You meet so many lovely passengers; arrange to have drinks and with the added advantage of a half decent internet connection.

[aungrl]

20 hours ago, lissie said:

Realistically - what happens if you check in and the response is not what you wanted to hear? You'll need an alternative plan set up anyway - because its not like you are going to be getting off that ship before Southampton.  Email doesn't need much connectivity - if you are patient. Texting won't work unless you are using an app like whatsapp or you have text over wifi on your phone - which is not that common 

That is a very good point!  

[aungrl]

9 hours ago, Jack E Dawson said:

angry,

The WiFi on our QM2 was unusable for us. We used our CWC credit to partially offset the cost of the week long WiFi plan. As lissie suggested above, we had planned to use WhatApp to communicate with our family and basic internet to post updates on CruiseCritic. After spending a very frustrating first day unable to connect I went down to the Purser's Desk on the second day to cancel the WiFi plan. A very nice guest services agent persuaded me not to cancel. She reloaded the program and was able to get a connection. However, the Purser's Desk seemed to be the only location where I could connect. Finally, on the third day, I went down to the Purser's Desk again and cancelled the plan. I was able to do so with no push back and received a full refund. By coincidence, the passenger next to me at the Purser's Desk was also cancelling their WiFi plan and received a full refund. I think that on our cruise there were a lot of WiFi issues. 

Jack

thanks for that additional detail, Jack.   It's what I feared/assumed, but I appreciate the confirmation.  Is it worse post-Covid, or about the same as it always was?  (We generally travel on  another line that has included wifi as part of the fare, and the connectivity is amazing, even in really remote places, so I'm spoiled.  Again, only using it for email and texting, no social media or pictures.)

[aungrl]

7 hours ago, Jack E Dawson said:

aungrl,

Please except my apologies, I failed to notice that autocorrect had changed your name form "aungrl", as I had typed, to "angry", which I'm sure is not the case.

Jack

I laughed when I saw that...gotta love autocorrect!

[Lanky Lad]

Just a quick pre breakfast visit to say wifi and Internet on QM2 working for now. Also instant coffee in cabins now Taylors Choice by Nescafe. Not sure if this a permanent change.

[Germancruiser]

Maybe there really was something wrong with QM2´s hardware. I had no problem with WIFI on my last Transatlantic in March this year. Throughout the whole ship it worked quite well, my cabin includes.