QM2 Mixed Review: Some deferred maintenance, poor food, but a delight otherwise

[firegal2539]

bitob,

This will be my first cruise on Cunard. I decided I wanted to move to luxury cruising and right now am trying to plan and book either Seabourn or Regent. I am still working on that. I was taking about 8 cruises a year but was never really satisfied. I enjoy the ports and the days onboard but found that I wasn't really enjoying the whole thing. I decided to move up to Holland and have 3 cruises planned on their ships with my first one being next week. I really thought about did I want to cruise 8 times a year and not feel happy and satisfied or did I want to cruise 3 times a year, pay quite a bit more but enjoy the whole experience so much more. That is when I booked 2 Cunard, Christmas 2023 transatlantic and Christmas 2024, transatlantic and a stop in Rotterdam.

 

If you have any information about what I should do on the Queen please let me know. The library will be my first stop. I want to listen to all the lecturers and see the planterium at least twice. I also need to find Homer Simpson somewhere on the ship, NO CLUES Please. Please give me some suggestions.

Candie

[bitob]

1 hour ago, firegal2539 said:

bitob,

This will be my first cruise on Cunard. I decided I wanted to move to luxury cruising and right now am trying to plan and book either Seabourn or Regent. I am still working on that. I was taking about 8 cruises a year but was never really satisfied. I enjoy the ports and the days onboard but found that I wasn't really enjoying the whole thing. I decided to move up to Holland and have 3 cruises planned on their ships with my first one being next week. I really thought about did I want to cruise 8 times a year and not feel happy and satisfied or did I want to cruise 3 times a year, pay quite a bit more but enjoy the whole experience so much more. That is when I booked 2 Cunard, Christmas 2023 transatlantic and Christmas 2024, transatlantic and a stop in Rotterdam.

 

If you have any information about what I should do on the Queen please let me know. The library will be my first stop. I want to listen to all the lecturers and see the planterium at least twice. I also need to find Homer Simpson somewhere on the ship, NO CLUES Please. Please give me some suggestions.

Candie

I posted some tips on the crystal boards 

this not luxury cruising. 
regent is luxury

also silversea and seabourn

 

this is unique and wonderful in its own way

nothing like regular ocean cruising 

Explore every nook and cranny

marvel at the art deco design

go to lectures and shows

have lunch in the pub

if u are in queens grill order off the menu

the planetarium is so so. Once is enough

the library is extraordinary

find the wonderful music and enjoy it

 

lower expectations about food

[firegal2539]

I took 3 Crystal cruises and was heart broken when they filed for bankruptcy. I booked another after I received an email from them that they were cruising again but I didn't know that they had removed the casinos off of both ships. I cancelled my cruise. I go to the casino every day and enjoy that time that I have to gamble. Now I have heard they are adding the casinos back but will be much smaller. They hope to do this while the ships are still sailing, no drydock, and have it done before the middle of 2024. I will wait to make sure they add the casinos and when they do I will set up another booking.

 

Thanks for your information, have a wonderful day. Candie

[Victoria2]

Luxury.

No, Cunard is not in the luxury class as cruise lines go.

But

We don't want all inclusive; we don't want to pay for tours we'll never use; we don't want smaller ships [don't want the huge ones either].

When I look around our beautiful cabin, feel the care and attention given to us by all the staff, eaten lovely food [admittedly a lot of it off menu] I think, well  apparently this isn't luxury, but d'you know what? It's luxurious enough for us. 🙂

[bitob]

1 hour ago, Victoria2 said:

Luxury.

No, Cunard is not in the luxury class as cruise lines go.

But

We don't want all inclusive; we don't want to pay for tours we'll never use; we don't want smaller ships [don't want the huge ones either].

When I look around our beautiful cabin, feel the care and attention given to us by all the staff, eaten lovely food [admittedly a lot of it off menu] I think, well  apparently this isn't luxury, but d'you know what? It's luxurious enough for us. 🙂

I take no issue. It is what it is. Very different from regular ocean cruising. Not for everyone. But folks who expect a luxury experience in qg should be forewarned. That is not what it is. 
 

imo suites are small by comparison to luxury suites. Big enough but we prefer large suites and 600-900 passengers, a variety of specialty restaurants and the culture of yes. we also lay take private tours so included large group tours are non issue for us
 

 

This is not the culture of yes 

 

here is small and perhaps insignificant example. 

we were in a venue having coffee and blueberry muffin for late breakfast. I asked for butter. Was told they don’t have any. On a luxury ship the answer is always “let me get some for you”

 

same thing in pub regarding a drink we wanted

 

It’s not luxury cruising and folks need to have correct expectations. 
 

not a criticism

a description 

 

 

 

[Victoria2]

6 minutes ago, bitob said:

I take no issue. It is what it is. Very different from regular ocean cruising. Not for everyone. But folks who expect a luxury experience in qg should be forewarned. That is not what it is. 
 

imo suites are small by comparison to luxury suites. Big enough but we prefer large suites and 600-900 passengers, a variety of specialty restaurants and the culture of yes. we also lay take private tours so included large group tours are non issue for us
 

 

This is not the culture of yes 

 

here is small and perhaps insignificant example. 

we were in a venue having coffee and blueberry muffin for late breakfast. I asked for butter. Was told they don’t have any. On a luxury ship the answer is always “let me get some for you”

 

same thing in pub regarding a drink we wanted

 

It’s not luxury cruising and folks need to have correct expectations. 
 

not a criticism

a description 

 

 

 

Don't know how large a cabin you want to go but for us, a cabin of 2000+ sq ft gives me enough angst trying to remember where I put everything.

 

Any cabin larger and I think I'd forget where I put myself!! 😄

[bitob]

59 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Don't know how large a cabin you want to go but for us, a cabin of 2000+ sq ft gives me enough angst trying to remember where I put everything.

 

Any cabin larger and I think I'd forget where I put myself!! 😄

Qg suites are not close to 2000 sq feet

maybe 550 or 600

[D&N]

15 minutes ago, bitob said:

Qg suites are not close to 2000 sq feet

maybe 550 or 600

Googling "cunard queens grill Q1 size" gives me a result of 2,249 sq ft.

Are they telling lies?

[Host Hattie]

2 minutes ago, D&N said:

Googling "cunard queens grill Q1 size" gives me a result of 2,249 sq ft.

Are they telling lies?

No but there is a big difference between a Q1 and Q5. It's difficult to generalise.

[bitob]

59 minutes ago, D&N said:

Googling "cunard queens grill Q1 size" gives me a result of 2,249 sq ft.

Are they telling lies?

Queens Grill Suites: Approximately 484-2249 sq. ft.
 

im in a q 5

around 500

 

i imagine grand suite and ph are much larger

[Host Hattie]

They are. 

[exlondoner]

5 minutes ago, bitob said:

Queens Grill Suites: Approximately 484-2249 sq. ft.
 

im in a q 5

around 500

 

i imagine grand suite and ph are much larger

Most Crystal cabins appear to be less than 500 sq ft. from an admittedly very cursory look.

Edited September 22, 2023 by exlondoner

[bitob]

59 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Most Crystal cabins appear to be less than500 sq ft. from an admittedly very cursory look.

 

59 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Most Crystal cabins appear to be less than500 sq ft. from an admittedly very cursory look.

One of reasons we no longer sail crystal. Old ships with tiny cabins. Top suites tiny We book large suites on regent and ss 1000 plus. Or a residence on explora fits the bill 

Edited September 22, 2023 by bitob

[bitob]

No way q1 is 2000

 

Queens Grill suites are offered in five categories, beginning at 506 square feet and running up to uber-lavish 2,249-square-foot duplexes.

[exlondoner]

1 minute ago, bitob said:

No way q1 is 2000

 

Queens Grill suites are offered in five categories, beginning at 506 square feet and running up to uber-lavish 2,249-square-foot duplexes.

Aren’t you contradicting yourself? Isn’t 2,249 bigger than 2,000?

[exlondoner]

2 minutes ago, bitob said:

 

One of reasons we no longer sail crystal. Old ships with tiny cabins. We book large suites on regent and ss 1000 plus

RSS seem to have some very large cabins, but again not so many, rather like QG on Cunard.

[bitob]

59 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

RSS seem to have some very large cabins, but again not so many, rather like QG on Cunard.

The named suites on regent are fabulous

splendor suite, grandeur suite  etc. about 900 feet

Edited September 22, 2023 by bitob

[bitob]

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

Aren’t you contradicting yourself? Isn’t 2,249 bigger than 2,000?

Not for regular qg suite

if you splurge for duplex or grand suite you will get the 2000

very few of those and very pricey

Edited September 22, 2023 by bitob

[exlondoner]

1 minute ago, bitob said:

The named suites on regent are fabulous

splendor suite, grandeur suite  etc

Never set foot in one on Cunard, but from the pics they too seem rather nice.

[bitob]

57 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Never set foot in one on Cunard, but from the pics they too seem rather nice.

My favorite suite on any luxury ship

[exlondoner]

2 minutes ago, bitob said:

Not for regular qg suite

if you splurge for duplex or grand suite you will get the 2000

very fee of those and very pricey

I think that is the point V2 was making. But isn’t that the same on other lines? Most suites on RSS aren’t 1,000 sq ft.

[firegal2539]

I think the 2,286 square feet is the Grand Suite with the balcony footage added in.

[bitob]

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

I think that is the point V2 was making. But isn’t that the same on other lines? Most suites on RSS aren’t 1,000 sq ft.

Here is difference 

on Cunard you book your suite according to dining room 

  everyone who can eat in the queens grill is in a queens grill suite regardless of size. 500 to 2000

 

on regent everyone has access to all dining venues. Each configuration of cabin has a name   The name of the suite corresponds to a specific size

[exlondoner]

1 minute ago, bitob said:

Here is difference 

on Cunard you book your suite according to dining room 

  everyone who can eat in the queens grill is in a queens grill suite regardless of size. 500 to 2000

 

on regent everyone has access to all dining venues. Each configuration of cabin has a name   The name of the suite corresponds to a specific size

Undoubtedly true, but what does that tell us about QG?

[D&N]

1 minute ago, bitob said:

Here is difference 

on Cunard you book your suite according to dining room 

  everyone who can eat in the queens grill is in a queens grill suite regardless of size. 500 to 2000

 

on regent everyone has access to all dining venues. Each configuration of cabin has a name   The name of the suite corresponds to a specific size

But do they have dancing every night with a dance floor even half the size of the Queens Rooms?

Is it not more of a smart casual country club? Would anyone be put out if I dressed in tux and my wife in gowns/glitzy cocktail dress every night?