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

[Winifred 22]

Seems to me all this talk about how much better these so called luxury lines are just smacks of The Emperor’s New Clothes. To any potential new to Cunard. Don’t worry. It’s not stuffy or pompous . You will meet genuine warm friendly people having a great time and enjoying themselves whatever the category of stateroom they are in. My son in law treated me to a short trip in QG once and it was amazing. That said I still enjoy all my meals around the ship from the Golden Lion to the buffet , the lido grill and of course the Britannia Restaurant. 

[Whipsnade]

I would agree that I much prefer having the same waiter at every meal. The good ones anticipate your wishes after a couple days. I lament that this has disappeared on most if the luxury lines. On Crystal the maitre d knows I want the same wait station every night. Feels grand. 

[seasickphil]

1 hour ago, Whipsnade said:

I can only say it was not a frozen South African lobster which is what you are going to get on any ship but, rather a fresh Maine or French lobster poached gently.

 

So are you saying that when we ate in Prime7 on Regent Splendor recently, on the menu they say whole Maine lobster [not fresh maybe, very little meat/fish is fresh on any ship ] that they are lying and that in fact you are getting South African Lobster, i somehow don't think so, do you?

[seasickphil]

20 minutes ago, Whipsnade said:

I will repeat:  PG and QG are mediocre. Britannia is less than that. On a par with HAL. 

 

Can i respectfully ask what cruise lines are you comparing Queens Grills mediocre food with?

[alc13]

32 minutes ago, bitob said:

It is not at all stuffy 

but I don’t think the food is remotely as good as what is offered on the luxury lines. 

We were unimpressed with Crystal and Silversea.   High end hotel food, in all honesty.   The best food we've had on a cruise ship was on Hapag Lloyd.  Also, very good caviar.  

[fourmile.ranch]

48 minutes ago, firegal2539 said:

In December will be my first Cunard cruise. Listening to many of you bickering/spatting/fighting about the food makes me wonder if I made the right choice in sailing on Cunard. I want friendly tablemates, not stuffy and obnoxious, with good food and great service.

No of this nonsense has made me rethink sailing with Cunard, only logging into Cruise Critic which at times lives up to it's name.

[Whipsnade]

To answer one concern I feel all food on every ship I have sailed on is mediocre. It really can’t be more given the time and numbers of people served. 
QG no better or worse than any fining on any luxury ship. Guess what annoys me is folks think QG is better than the rest. It isn’t. All pretty much the same. 
If you really want a terrific meal while cruising bear ashore. We frequently do. 

[Whipsnade]

You are not getting fresh lobster on deny ship. Don’t be fooled. Can’t be done. If you don’t believe me go on to the kitchen and ask to see the live lobster tanks. 

[Host Hattie]

7 minutes ago, Whipsnade said:

To answer one concern I feel all food on every ship I have sailed on is mediocre. It really can’t be more given the time and numbers of people served. 
QG no better or worse than any fining on any luxury ship. Guess what annoys me is folks think QG is better than the rest. It isn’t. All pretty much the same. 
If you really want a terrific meal while cruising bear ashore. We frequently do. 

Thanks for clarifying, I'm not sure why other people's opinions should annoy you.

Eating ashore isn't really an option on a Transatlantic crossing.

[Host Hattie]

5 minutes ago, Whipsnade said:

You are not getting fresh lobster on deny ship. Don’t be fooled. Can’t be done. If you don’t believe me go on to the kitchen and ask to see the live lobster tanks. 

Nobody said it was fresh, they questioned your accusation that it was South African.

[david,Mississauga]

2 hours ago, Whipsnade said:

Yes, QG is a mediocre restaurant tarted up with a lot of tableside shenanigans that went out thirty years ago. 
Again, that doesn’t make it bad. I like to be fussed over by maitre d’s as much as anyone. Maybe more. 
Let’s just recognize it for what it is. 

 

One of the aspects of the Grills I enjoy is the "tableside shenanigans." I do not like trends in dining which are become far too frequent on land: e.g. obnoxious loud music, over-spiced food (I like pepper but prefer to have some control over how much), piling food up so I have no idea what is beneath the top layer, stainless steel cutlery instead of silver, silly plates on which the cutlery slides on to the floor.

 

I also miss "silver service" which also went out 30 years ago, although it occasionally appears in the Grills . Even on our first Cunard voyage on the QE2 50 years ago we had traditional silver service in Tourist Class.  I like being offered a selection of vegetables and  potatoes so I can decide which ones I want and how much of each. The trend today is for chef to make that decision for me. How dare a chef put Brussels sprouts on my plate without warning me!

 

Sadly we can't travel in the Grills all the time, but I savour every moment when we do. When we are in Britannia or Britannia Club we enjoy that too. I have never eaten in a Michelin-starred restaurant and probably never will, so obviously I know nothing about food. But I enjoy my Cunard cruises and crossings.

[techteach]

The term mediocre is relative to past experience and would be on a scale from let’s say horrible to fabulous. There are experts in cooking who help identify the fabulous for us, The Michelin Guide is just one. There is Yelp to help identify the horrible, as well as others. I’ve eaten in many Michelin starred restaurants because that’s something we do when we travel. I’ve also taken 5 cooking classes at Guy Savoy in Las Vegas so I’ve seen what happens behind the scenes at 9:00am to make the stock that will take 3 days before it is ready to be turned into a silky smooth clear broth or sauce. People scouring the world to find the perfect tomatoes, never frozen meat and seafood. No kitchen on a cruise ship has the resources in time, people, or product to produce that level of cooking. We have only had a couple of misses in QG, but for the most part I would call it very good. I think they do amazing fish, especially Dover Sole. I love cavier and I’m a snob about it. The cavier in QG is hit or miss. I’m sure they’re like all restaurants and get the really big tins. But, I doubt they open a tin, taste it, and refuse to serve it if it isn’t up to a high standard. Michelin starred restaurants have their cavier specially prepared for them. I immediately think of Joel Robuchon restaurants and Thomas Keller in the U.S. who sources his from Tsar Nicoulai in California. QG/PG kitchen has a huge menu to cover and over 100 people to feed 3 times per day.   

[Whipsnade]

I wholeheartedly agree with both David and Techteach. We really are on the same page. 
But I must add that the sole you live so much has been frozen. Not possible to have fresh Dover sole on any ship. 

[NE John]

3 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

Thanks for clarifying, I'm not sure why other people's opinions should annoy you.

Eating ashore isn't really an option on a Transatlantic crossing.

Too bad the Prom Deck on QM2 is on way up on Seven Deck, I’d throw a line in while on a TA and get some fresh fish for the chef to prepare!

[TouchstoneFeste]

2 hours ago, david,Mississauga said:

 

piling food up so I have no idea what is beneath the top layer

 

Yes! Why on earth do they do this? We had a restaurant in town, otherwise fine, but they'd do this and also deliver the salad with all the ingredients in neat little piles around the plate. So we'd end up tossing our own salads and then disassembling the main course so we could cut the meat without squirting the potatoes across the plate.

[techteach]

I think the idea for mounding is to get a taste of everything in one bite.

[LittleFish1976]

On 9/23/2023 at 12:13 AM, bitob said:

 

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 

 

Not only were Crystal's cabins small, they were shabby - very worn.

 

I'm not entirely clear if you're saying Crystal was a luxury line (they used to promote themselves as being 'six star' which in my opinion was nonsense). Their food was generally reasonable quality without being luxurious with some glaring exceptions which were very sub par (such as Crepes Suzette made with thick chewy pancakes and a hideous sauce). Their included wines in the dining room were unpalatable in my opinion.

 

They were popular among their loyal cruisers but were not a luxury line in my opinion, having sailed with them.

 

QG and PG on Cunard are of a higher quality from my experience.

 

I'm a bit mystified by you r story of no butter. I can't imagine why there was no butter in the buffet at the time you asked as they normally have it. Perhaps the waiter misunderstood your question.

[Winifred 22]

35 minutes ago, LittleFish1976 said:

 

Not only were Crystal's cabins small, they were shabby - very worn.

 

I'm not entirely clear if you're saying Crystal was a luxury line (they used to promote themselves as being 'six star' which in my opinion was nonsense). Their food was generally reasonable quality without being luxurious with some glaring exceptions which were very sub par (such as Crepes Suzette made with thick chewy pancakes and a hideous sauce). Their included wines in the dining room were unpalatable in my opinion.

 

They were popular among their loyal cruisers but were not a luxury line in my opinion, having sailed with them.

 

QG and PG on Cunard are of a higher quality from my experience.

 

I'm a bit mystified by you r story of no butter. I can't imagine why there was no butter in the buffet at the time you asked as they normally have it. Perhaps the waiter misunderstood your question.

I have thought about the butter situation too. I prefer my scones with butter not cream and jam. I have always been brought butter when asked for it when having afternoon tea in the Queen’s room, across the fleet , or in the Grills lounge. I may have had to wait a few mins but always cheerfully and promptly similarly I sometimes fancy coffee and a pot is brought. The other aspect to consider was the buffet closed ? And everything cleared away? 

Edited September 24, 2023 by Winifred 22

[Winifred 22]

What’s wrong with frozen fish? I don’t think I could taste the difference when it’s cooked ? I live near the sea too !! 

[DaisyUK]

9 hours ago, seasickphil said:

Maybe i should try and clarify what i mean when i say Queens Grill is, imo, the best dining experience at sea. For us, a dining experience is not just about the food although that is obviously for most of us the no1 priority. In Queens Grill you have the same table with the same personal looking after you every night. Meaning whatever time you arrive at the restaurant, your table is there waiting for you with staff ready to look after you, whatever that maybe.

When on Splendor [admittedly she was sailing full] when going to dinner in Compass Rose, several nights you were asked to go and have a drink in a nearby bar while a table become available [someone did come and inform you when that was] this was not a problem for us, but for others? it was. You then had different wait staff who unfortunately appeared to be somewhat rushed at peak times, leading to, for some, a rather somewhat inferior dining experience. 

 

 

 

 

I couldn’t agree more. As mentioned we are currently on Crystal and enjoying a wonderful cruise. Last night we ate at our favourite restaurant, Umi Uma and the food was absolutely fantastic. However… we had to make a reservation and turn up at their convenience, not ours. I’m not complaining, just agreeing with seasickphil that there is more to a great dining experience than the food alone. 

[Victoria2]

28 minutes ago, Winifred 22 said:

What’s wrong with frozen fish? I don’t think I could taste the difference when it’s cooked ? I live near the sea too !! 

Totally agree and golly there are some 'connoisseurs' out there aren't there ! I'm quite happy  meat and fish is frozen as long as it's defrosted in time for my dinner!🙂

 

Sashimi and any of my raw fish dishes of course should be deep frozen prior to prep. in any case.

 

To further NE John  thoughts, I can just see the crew line up on QV's deck three. Half with their shot guns to shoot passing ducks for  Duck Dishes and half with lines to catch the fish of the day!  😄

 

 

[Victoria2]

5 hours ago, NE John said:

Too bad the Prom Deck on QM2 is on way up on Seven Deck, I’d throw a line in while on a TA and get some fresh fish for the chef to prepare!

Ali, one of the Grills' Head Waiters on QV always goes fishing when in a suitable port and has often jested about that. 🙂

 

[LittleFish1976]

On 9/23/2023 at 1:41 AM, bitob said:

It’s a “you get what you pay for” system I tell them 

 

As opposed to?

... everything else in the world? or even the travel world?

 

C'mon!

[LittleFish1976]

15 hours ago, bitob said:

In qg you can order anything on one day notice. Have not seen caviar

You only have to ask for the caviar. I speak from experience.

[exlondoner]

10 hours ago, bitob said:

I didn’t think about it

Yet commented. Strange.