Review of QM2 June 2023 14-day sailing in QG

[DaisyUK]

We are relative newcomers to Cunard, having been on one very brief (4 day) trip on QM2 and one 14-day sailing on QE2 in the last year.

 

For context, we have cruised many times previously with Oceania, Crystal and Regent. We enjoyed all 3, with Crystal and Regent being our favourites. 

 

So, here goes…

 

Embarkation etc

Our cruise was Southampton-Southampton, which I absolutely loved. What a joy to be able to drive to the port, leave the car and walk into the cruise terminal. Our embarkation time was 12 noon and we arrived right on time. We went through check-in and security in a matter of minutes and were asked to sit and wait to be called to the ship. After about 10 minutes, we were invited to embark and we were in our room by 12.45 pm. 

 

Suite

We were in a 2-storey Q2 aft. It was very spacious, comfortable and had all that we needed and then some. In my opinion, the suite does show its age in terms of design/layout and also a few maintenance issues. For example, there is a large butler’s kitchen (not sure how often and under what circumstances this would be used) but a relatively small balcony for such a large suite. Upstairs, there is a bedroom (very comfortable bed, pillows and linens), dressing room and 2 bathrooms, one with a shower and the other with a bath and shower over. Again, I think the space available could have been used to better purpose as the shower could not be described as large and the bath was just weird, with steps up to it which restricted access to the sink. These are minor comments in the scheme of things though, and we would book the suite again.

 

Restaurant/Food

Overall, unbelievably good and exceeded our expectations by a margin. We had 2 disappointing dinners in 14 days, and they were not dreadful, just not great. The remaining 12 dinners were, in our opinion, exceptional. Menus for the following day were delivered to our suite each evening, and we took advantage of the a la carte menu several times, where we ordered at breakfast for that evening. We also ordered off menu on several occasions – and were actively encouraged to do so.

 

We enjoyed having ‘our’ table with the same wait staff each evening. Any fears that this would become boring were laid to rest by the advantage of having everything just as we like it. Small preferences were noted and acted upon without having to ask.

 

Service

Service generally was beyond criticism. Every single member of the crew/staff whom we encountered was helpful, friendly and a pleasure to be around.

 

Ship layout/decor

I think we finally found our way around the ship the day before we left! We had many a giggle over trying to find somewhere and ending up at the wrong end of the ship. It was a running joke that we’d better ‘set off’ because who knew how long it would take us to reach our destination. QM2 is certainly quirky in terms of layout, but it didn’t cause us any particular problem and at least added to our step count each day.

I’d have to agree with some other reviews that some parts of the ship are looking a little tired/dated/in need of maintenance/repair, but I can’t say that this particularly affected our general level of enjoyment too much.

 

Itinerary

One thing I’ve noticed about Cunard itineraries is that they seem to be much less port intensive than the other cruise lines we’ve been on. I did wonder whether we would get bored with so many sea days (8 out of 14) but I needn’t have worried. 

 

Lectures/Activities/Entertainment

We enjoyed several of the lectures, finding them for the main part interesting, well presented and informative. 

We didn’t participate in many of the organised activities, but enjoyed sitting listening to music, playing board games in our suite, or just chatting in the various lounges. We also enjoyed the casino, the game tables on deck 2 and watching the ballroom dancers from time to time.

We don’t often bother with going to the shows on cruises, but we did go to most of them this time and we found them to be very enjoyable on the whole. Definitely better than those on the other cruise lines we have experienced. Perhaps because it’s a bigger ship, with a higher entertainment budget.

 

Excursions

The excursions were a bit hit and miss, no different to any other cruise we’ve been on. Actually, the worst excursion was one I arranged independently to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. I think the most enjoyable one was the visit to Villa d’Este and Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli. I was surprised that Cunard don’t offer more in the way of tours – Regent seem to offer a much greater selection in each port and I would have thought with the Cunard ships being so much bigger, they would have offered a similar, or better, selection. 

 

Spa

I thought the spa was expensive, but good. I was very pleased with the hairdresser, the nail technician and the facialist. I do wish they wouldn’t continually try and sell me add-ons and products though! 

 

Debarkation

As others noted in HH’s live report, debarkation was a bit slow. Once we managed to get off the ship, everything was well organised. Our luggage was waiting, and it just remained for us to reclaim our car and head home. 

 

Final thoughts

I think this is the most enjoyable cruise we have been on yet. I’m really quite picky(!) and yet the small negatives were outweighed by the positives and both I and my husband agreed that Cunard is top of our list at the moment. We have our first QV cruise to look forward to later this year, and it will be interesting to see how that goes on a more conventional cruise ship.

 

 

[Victoria2]

Wonderful review and DaisyUK. I look forward to reading your take on Victoria but bear in mind, QM2 and QV  are different animals.

 

Victoria is most definitely a cruise ship and you won't get the same vibes as from a liner. However, she is a fabulously friendly ship, with a great QG [I assume it's QG although deck's 11 and 12 are considered 'Grills' which encompass QG and PG] area.

 

Also, from what I can gather not having sailed QG on QM2, the cabins are not as spacious.There is a difference in 'modernity' between the new aft cabins and the rest of the QG cabins and we prefer aft now.

Anything we can help you with re QV, just ask. 🙂

[DaisyUK]

29 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Wonderful review and DaisyUK. I look forward to reading your take on Victoria but bear in mind, QM2 and QV  are different animals.

 

Victoria is most definitely a cruise ship and you won't get the same vibes as from a liner. However, she is a fabulously friendly ship, with a great QG [I assume it's QG although deck's 11 and 12 are considered 'Grills' which encompass QG and PG] area.

 

Also, from what I can gather not having sailed QG on QM2, the cabins are not as spacious.There is a difference in 'modernity' between the new aft cabins and the rest of the QG cabins and we prefer aft now.

Anything we can help you with re QV, just ask. 🙂

Thank you Victoria2. Actually, I do have a question I'm sure you can help with. We are in a Q2 on the QV sailing, but have been offered a Q1 aft for a very reasonable supplement. We like the mid-ship position of the Q2 (stayed in a similar suite on the QE2 last year) but are tempted to try the Q1. What, if any, are the advantage/s of the Q1 over the Q2?

[Victoria2]

We book/will book 1s and 2s now entirely depending on itinerary. The 2 is for a possible lively sea.

 

Both categories are great, but they are very different. The 1s are up to date [as of the 2017 refit]  spacious, [deck 7s being bigger than 6 but both are wonderfu], light and airy [floor to ceiling picture windows and sliding patio door] and have two bathrooms and a great balcony. Those are the immediate pluses.

 

The 2s are spacious but more of a  cosy feel, not as airy or light but are mid ships and more stable in lively seas [this isn't QM2 stability here] which is important to us. The double doors lead out onto  stairway B so it's a very short stagger up to decks 11 and 12.

 

I can give you chapter and verse on the differences but that would be a bore for others. 🙂

 

.

[exlondoner]

1 hour ago, Victoria2 said:

We book/will book 1s and 2s now entirely depending on itinerary. The 2 is for a possible lively sea.decks 11 and 12.

 

I can give you chapter and verse on the differences but that would be a bore for others. 🙂

 

.

 

It is a choice few of us will ever have the chance to make. Nonetheless I am sure I am only one of very many who find the matter interesting.

[DaisyUK]

3 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

We book/will book 1s and 2s now entirely depending on itinerary. The 2 is for a possible lively sea.

 

Both categories are great, but they are very different. The 1s are up to date [as of the 2017 refit]  spacious, [deck 7s being bigger than 6 but both are wonderfu], light and airy [floor to ceiling picture windows and sliding patio door] and have two bathrooms and a great balcony. Those are the immediate pluses.

 

The 2s are spacious but more of a  cosy feel, not as airy or light but are mid ships and more stable in lively seas [this isn't QM2 stability here] which is important to us. The double doors lead out onto  stairway B so it's a very short stagger up to decks 11 and 12.

 

I can give you chapter and verse on the differences but that would be a bore for others. 🙂

 

.

Thank you! I think I will switch after all as I like the sound of the updated suites. Any/all info very welcome, but understand it may well be TMI for those not interested.

[Host Hattie]

We're all interested  !

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, Host Hattie said:

We're all interested  !

 

3 hours ago, exlondoner said:

 

It is a choice few of us will ever have the chance to make. Nonetheless I am sure I am only one of very many who find the matter interesting.

I can't tell if this is genuine, or a flaming for bring so presumptuous

.

[exlondoner]

4 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

 

I can't tell if this is genuine, or a flaming for bring so presumptuous

.

Genuine.

[Victoria2]

3 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Genuine.

OK

Leave it with me

[D&N]

We are highly unlikely to book QG at any time in future. We've considered what an upgrade from A1 to P2 would mean and location of grills restaurants on QM2. Neither would suit our particular needs/likes better than A1, so we're better spending any extra cash on wine etc.

 

However I would still be interested to read genuine experiences and comments from a regular traveller, albeit someone who is probably slightly biased towards the product 😀.

[Victoria2]

19 minutes ago, D&N said:

We are highly unlikely to book QG at any time in future. We've considered what an upgrade from A1 to P2 would mean and location of grills restaurants on QM2. Neither would suit our particular needs/likes better than A1, so we're better spending any extra cash on wine etc.

 

However I would still be interested to read genuine experiences and comments from a regular traveller, albeit someone who is probably slightly biased towards the product 😀.

Assuming the traveller, is me, I am hopelessly biased towards QV but hopefully, objective when it matters.🙂

My next account will be a purely neutral commentary on two grades of cabins, with a couple of asides thrown in.

 

[LargeNegroni]

10 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

Assuming the traveller, is me, I am hopelessly biased towards QV but hopefully, objective when it matters.🙂

My next account will be a purely neutral commentary on two grades of cabins, with a couple of asides thrown in.

 

I am really looking forward to your upcoming posts. Your previous posts and comments helped us enormously in planning our recent QG trip on QV. 

[Victoria2]

,

Slightly embarrassed now, but here goes.

I wrote a whole spiel but that came over as too much so here's an abridged version and I'll just comment on the bits which can't be seen from the plans or photos. Our experience was on deck 7.

 

For reference, this is the first time we have booked and stayed in a Q1.  We are booked again but deck 6 or 7, no problem.

 

For those truly interested, this  brief overview can be read in conjunction with the photos of the pictorial view, and layout which can be found by looking at the room photos on any itinerary. Click on them to get 360degree videos and to see the room differences. The balconies aren't pictured so I'll try and upload photos of those for comparison.

 

Bear in mind, structurally, deck 6 1s are slightly smaller than the deck 7s

After the 2017 refit.

The 1s two sitting areas and the two bedroom photos are shown, deck 6 photos being  not as deep as the deck 7s.  The deck 6 bedroom layout is different from deck 7, which isn't a problem at all.

 

Both 1s and 2s have excellent walk in hanging spaces and storage, the deck 7s having so many wardrobes and drawers [many unused] I forgot where I put things.

 

First world problems there!😄

 

 The 1s have a compact shower room and a compact bathroom, each with a floor level entrance shower with a seat, the main one with double sink and a bath whereas the 2 has one huge [it is, enormous] bathroom with a step in/over the  door frame shower big enough to hold a soiree, again with a seat, and a corner bath by the window. The loo is separate and can be accessed from the bathroom, or the 'powder room' [corridor] for guests.

 

We had 2 usb ports either side of bed and two in the sitting room.

None in the 2s or none that I have found.

 

The Q1 is an elegant space, light and airy even with a dark glossy wood finish everywhere with wonderful floor to ceiling windows and patio doors. The Q2 has more a cosy feel, and is not what I would call elegant but very comfortable,

 

The main advantage of the 2s apart from being lovely and very comfortable albeit not with the view the aft cabins have, is their position in 'lively' seas. Mid ships, plus, walk out the entry double doors and you're in stairway B ready for the lift up to decks 11 and 12.

Aft, you have a bit of a yomp to midships but that's all good exercise.

 

Both 1s and 2s have their pluses and we will book according to itinerary but oh boy, those 1s make you want to cabin up and never leave!

Balconies

Q1 on the left, Q2 on the right

or edit

Q1 above the Q2!!!

Edited June 26, 2023 by Victoria2

[DaisyUK]

Thank you so much Victoria1 - this is fantastic information, and I am so grateful to you for taking the time and trouble😊

[Victoria2]

13 hours ago, DaisyUK said:

Thank you so much Victoria1 - this is fantastic information, and I am so grateful to you for taking the time and trouble😊

You are very welcome. I originally had an essay [still objective] on Q1s and 2s ready to post but decided not to submit it. If there was some sort of private messaging system, I would have sent it to you as I still think it useful.

 

Taking #5 into consideration, I know we're lucky to be able to make the comparison, but we are ordinary Cunard regulars who just happen to holiday in a large space.

Any more questions and I will answer if I can, with no bias.

 

and if there is any bias, I'll make that clear!😁

[DaisyUK]

Thank you again - and, sorry, I mistyped your CC name in my last post. I would ask you to email your essay (if you are willing to do so) as I'm sure I'd find it useful, but not sure whether I can do that on CC? In any event, we did make the switch so I guess we'll find out soon enough!

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, DaisyUK said:

Thank you again - and, sorry, I mistyped your CC name in my last post. I would ask you to email your essay (if you are willing to do so) as I'm sure I'd find it useful, but not sure whether I can do that on CC? In any event, we did make the switch so I guess we'll find out soon enough!

S'OK.

 

I got promoted!!!😁