QM2 - Changes

[babs135]

We've just booked a 14 nights cruise on the QM2 😁 and I've realised that it's 6 years since we last sailed on her. What, if any, changes can we expect?

[TheOldBear]

If you are dining in Britannia , 'open' dining was introduced for the late seating upper level [and likely there will be other changes in that area]

The Wifi and 'my voyage' stuff will likely be no better than what you had on our 'In Search of the Northern Lights' sailing.

 

There is a dry dock 'availability' period scheduled for this fall - there were a few threads speculating about possible changes/upgrades. For example the spa 'thermal suite' was originally due for reworking in 2021.

[Bell Boy]

Never mind Wifi connection , that's a problem on all cruise lines -  Please let me know when you find a cruise line with Excellent Wifi. I  recently disembarked from Silversea  - they call it  Ultra Luxury , however, Wifi problems no different to my years of experience with Cunard . 

 

The biggest  change you will notice is  the Evening Dress code for Gentlemen  (non formal evenings)  Jackets after six pm are now optional,  so brace your self for Polo shirts and Cargo pants,  of course Seasoned Cunaders are taking no notice of this and 75/% are continuing to make their evenings a sense of occasion. 😉

Edited February 2, 2023 by Bell Boy

[exlondoner]

Between 2019 and 2022, I found most of the things I liked (almost everything) were much the same. So,  unfortunately, were the few things I don’t like, like the QG Lounge.

[babs135]

15 hours ago, Bell Boy said:

Jackets after six pm are now optional,  

This was the same on our couple of Queen Victoria cruises.  I was rather hoping that the QM2 had refused to follow suit (pun intended), but obviously not.

[buchanan101]

17 hours ago, Bell Boy said:

Never mind Wifi connection , that's a problem on all cruise lines -  Please let me know when you find a cruise line with Excellent Wifi. I  recently disembarked from Silversea  - they call it  Ultra Luxury , however, Wifi problems no different to my years of experience with Cunard . 

 

The biggest  change you will notice is  the Evening Dress code for Gentlemen  (non formal evenings)  Jackets after six pm are now optional,  so brace your self for Polo shirts and Cargo pants,  of course Seasoned Cunaders are taking no notice of this and 75/% are continuing to make their evenings a sense of occasion. 😉

This indeed was the dress rule last October when I went on QM2 but it seems to have been tightened up again - i.e. "dress shirt", not "collared shirt"

 

I wore a smart polo shirt and chinos a couple of times on non formal nights. I thought it was plenty smart enough..

 

Jackets are indeed still optional, again I wore one some nights, with the polo shirt, sometimes without with a dress shirt. Such fun!! 

[sfred]

On 2/2/2023 at 9:58 PM, babs135 said:

We've just booked a 14 nights cruise on the QM2 😁 and I've realised that it's 6 years since we last sailed on her. What, if any, changes can we expect?

 

A big QM2 refit (the "remastering") was in May-June of 2016, if I recall correctly.  Depending on your exact sailing date from six years ago, you may have just made, or perhaps just missed, that refit.  Among the changes made back then:

 

• Winter Garden on deck 7 became the Carinthia Lounge with addition of the Port Bar and the dining area for breakfast items and snacks.
• Changes to Kings Court, and removal of the central lobby lifts.
• Updates to grills cabins and restaurants.
• New carpeting in most areas (some of which has been replaced again in later refits).
• Addition of deck 13 Club cabins, and removal of the splash pool and bar.  (The removed teak decking was sold off as souveniers in the shops for a year or so afterwards.)
• New single cabins on decks 2 and 3.
• More kennels.

 

Hope you have a great time, @babs135!

[babs135]

Thanks @sfred.   Despite a cruise pre-pandemic on the Elizabeth and 2 on the Victoria in the last few months I didn't realise how much I was missing sailing on the QM2 until we actually booked.  Only 174 days to go, not that I'm counting !!