QM2 Crossing review

[Victoria2]

5 minutes ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

See, I miss the little bedside matt on retiring and the switchboard telephones at The Connaught!

 

I suppose one could have drawn one's own bath on QUEEN MARY c. 1952 in First Class but perish the thought or necessity to do it.

 

"Good enough" or "Well, I guess I won't miss it," is the first step on the slippery path to... paying the same or more and getting less.  In any class or category. 

Still have the bedside mats and don't have any Connaught style phones but we did have a couple of digital phones in the cabin. Times move on.

Haven't had a bath for years and no way would I want or expect anyone to run one for me.

Edit

One person's luxury is an anathema to others.

Edited May 28 by Victoria2

[WantedOnVoyage]

You are joking are you not?  You need not have the phone number nor have to dial a strange international one... just dial 0 and let the operator do it for you. The old ORIANA had a manual switchboard to the end... you just rang and they did the rest for... any request.

 

Self Service is.... the anthesis of the very word. 

[exlondoner]

3 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Still have the bedside mats and don't have any Connaught style phones but we did have a couple of digital phones in the cabin. Times move on.

Haven't had a bath for years and no way would I want or expect anyone to run one for me.

Edit

One person's luxury is an anathema to others.

Yes, how does having one’s bath run work, at a time when one is prancing around (half) naked? I really think that would be beyond the call of duty.

[Victoria2]

1 minute ago, exlondoner said:

Yes, how does having one’s bath run work, at a time when one is prancing around (half) naked? I really think that would be beyond the call of duty.

Ewwwwww! 😀

[exlondoner]

2 minutes ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

You are joking are you not?  You need not have the phone number nor have to dial a strange international one... just dial 0 and let the operator do it for you. The old ORIANA had a manual switchboard to the end... you just rang and they did the rest for... any request.

 

Self Service is.... the anthesis of the very word. 

I assume you are referring to me. I worked in an office like that once, strangely enough in a building owned by BT. The relief when we were finally able to dial our own calls was widespread and deeply felt.
 

[exlondoner]

2 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I assume you are referring to me. I worked in an office like that once, strangely enough in a building owned by BT. The relief when we were finally able to dial our own calls was widespread and deeply felt.
 

Thinking about it further, it is to do with the luxuries of autonomy and privacy.

[NE John]

Well, I’ll be glad to share my first time QG experience vs the other grades we have slowly moved up through over time. My concern is that, no matter what niggles we find, we can never go back whence we’re came from after sailing in QG. Cunard may have been smart upgrading and hooking me to this level of product. And thank you @Victoria2 I will ask, ask, ask while onboard. 

[Victoria2]

10 minutes ago, NE John said:

Well, I’ll be glad to share my first time QG experience vs the other grades we have slowly moved up through over time. My concern is that, no matter what niggles we find, we can never go back whence we’re came from after sailing in QG. Cunard may have been smart upgrading and hooking me to this level of product. And thank you @Victoria2 I will ask, ask, ask while onboard. 

Do. You're paying a lot of money and I think anyone who reads this board is now under no illusion that the staff are there for us and no question is too trivial.

 

Just don't bang on how easy to operate the coffee machine is in the cabin...perleeeeeze. 😄

 

and yes, I have been shown how to operate it and yes, I do realise it's operator error but boiling a kettle and shoving some granules into a mug is so much easier!👍

[NE John]

13 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Just don't bang on how easy to operate the coffee machine is in the cabin...perleeeeeze.

Never more the issue…

[INSIDERS CABIN]

Have not read all the posts, but the initial comments prompted this post.

 

Experienced cruisers on other lines, we also were on 5/16 WB QM2 Princess Grill, floor 10. We had a wonderful time! Cunard distinguished her cruise by the impressive lecturers;the spacious cabins ( bath and storage well laid out); the food in our dining room; the wine list; the international mix of passengers; the history of the line; the dress code; Sunday on the ship ( not just another day, but a service conducted by the captain and a RSC matinee after lunch!). Once we figured out the 4 staircase areas, we quickly navigated the ship. Agreed,Kings Court was a challenge, but we did like the salmon and tuna sashimi and sushi rolls, the prawn and chicken Laksa, and the Chinese dim sum bites. Entertainment by the ship’s production group was excellent as was Ben Mills, British musician and vocalist….also liked a Valencian flautist and an Irish comedian for the variety. I liked the towels, the cozy concierge lounge, the Cunard candy bars too! The arrival at the Statue of Liberty was memorable as the French delegation carried the flame of the French nation, from the tomb of the unknown at the arc de triomphe,  and held a commemorative ceremony on deck, in gratitude to Americans and British for their commitment on June 6, 1944.Very interesting voyage in so many ways! 

 

 

 

[Bell Boy]

On 5/28/2024 at 12:14 AM, Beagle5 said:

 

You've got the wrong pair. I just watched Ben and David's Queen Anne videos and neither is wearing a baseball cap. (You are referring to a couple called Cruise Monkeys - a much more amateur outfit than Ben and David)

Well, they paid full price for this crossing - $5,400, so I think they are entitled to make observations and their criticism seems pretty valid.

You can actually hear the neighbours from the adjacent cabin talking in the background when they do their cabin tour. 

The ship looks grand but tired in places, and I think for them it would be accentuated having just come of the brand new Queen Anne.

They make a lot of positive comments though, so I think it is a fair and balanced review

 

I think it is very unfortunate that they encountered such rudeness from some fellow passengers, and such lacklustre service in the Britannia dining room.

 

Having said that, their continual reference to 'fourth class' is ridiculous. I can't see the difference between the Cunard system and Celebrity for example where there is Suite class, Aqua class, Concierge/Veranda class all which have separate dining facilities. 

 

You are quite correct , wrong pair , however, they are just as amateurish as the Cruise Monkeys .

They certainly are free loaders as they are able to cover the cost of their cruises from the Advertising they permit on their Vlogs - as most of these influencers do.

 

Their presentation of the Iconic Queen Mary 2  was a complete joke - Just Clickbait !  Anyone who takes this couple seriously is out of their mind - the constant references to Fourth Class was ridiculous and showed their ignorance and a lack of social graces .  

 

[D&N]

32 minutes ago, Bell Boy said:

You are quite correct , wrong pair , however, they are just as amateurish as the Cruise Monkeys .

They certainly are free loaders as they are able to cover the cost of their cruises from the Advertising they permit on their Vlogs - as most of these influencers do.

 

Their presentation of the Iconic Queen Mary 2  was a complete joke - Just Clickbait !  Anyone who takes this couple seriously is out of their mind - the constant references to Fourth Class was ridiculous and showed their ignorance and a lack of social graces .  

 

I had another look at their Britannia Restaurant experience, where they seem to have been allocated a table out of sight of most people and beside a waiters station. They didn't seem too happy at that. But they are both wearing patterned button down collar shirts with creasing that suggests they have been badly packed. Although out of focus, all the other gents in their shots seem to be wearing jackets at their tables. I know that what they are wearing is within the stipulations of the dress code, but they stand out from everyone else and I would be suspicious that the Maître d' has decided they are best seated out of sight! 🙂

[S1971]

6 minutes ago, D&N said:

But they are both wearing patterned button down collar shirts with creasing that suggests they have been badly packed

 

You can't expect to much, they are only 4th Class after all 😄

[Pushpit]

34 minutes ago, D&N said:

I know that what they are wearing is within the stipulations of the dress code, but they stand out from everyone else and I would be suspicious that the Maître d' has decided they are best seated out of sight! 🙂

That was my suspicion too. I've certainly seen this happen, there are also some tables aftwards near the Club / Queens Room entrances, where people can be put out of sight. But where I think they were were was by a busy double serving station, and so if they were trying to not film crew / passengers it would have been very inconvenient for them.

[starquake]

On 5/27/2024 at 9:00 PM, Pushpit said:

Plus on QM2 Open has the better deck (deck 3), in my view.

 

Is it just us who have managed to get deck 3 fixed time dining allocated then ?   Last 2 times on QM2 we were fixed dining and were at lowest tier of deck3 by the glass overlooking the restururant, and everyone else around us was fixed too on that tier.    The Maitre'd told us on those sailings (Christmas) only the upper 2 tiers of deck 3 were for open as there was that level of demand for fixed on our sailings.

[Pushpit]

21 minutes ago, starquake said:

Is it just us who have managed to get deck 3 fixed time dining allocated then ?   Last 2 times on QM2 we were fixed dining and were at lowest tier of deck3 by the glass overlooking the restururant, and everyone else around us was fixed too on that tier.    The Maitre'd told us on those sailings (Christmas) only the upper 2 tiers of deck 3 were for open as there was that level of demand for fixed on our sailings.

Yes, Fixed can go up to 3 on QM2, and just to confuse things, on a given night Open can end up down in 2. It all depends on the make up of that voyage and the presence (or otherwise) of extended family groups, given that there aren't that many large tables. I think there are 9 or 10 zones in Britannia and on my last Crossing in December 2023 I ended up in 6 of those 9.  On QV and QE it's usually the other way around.

[D&N]

I just watched what I assume is the first of several follow up videos.

I no longer hope things improve for them.

I'm hopeful that Cunard have carefully planned a period of poor service to put them and their followers off sailing on QM2 ever again! 🙂 

[leyland1989]

2 hours ago, D&N said:

I'm hopeful that Cunard have carefully planned a period of poor service to put them and their followers off sailing on QM2 ever again! 

I believe they also ran into some issues/troubles with MSC Yacht Club not too long ago. I didn't follow it too closely, but I think it's best for that demographic to stay away from Cunard. Their negative reviews are doing all of us a favour. 

Edited June 2 by leyland1989

[BelleEpoque]

2 hours ago, D&N said:

I just watched what I assume is the first of several follow up videos.

I no longer hope things improve for them.

I'm hopeful that Cunard have carefully planned a period of poor service to put them and their followers off sailing on QM2 ever again! 🙂 

I used to enjoy their videos but over time I think they’ve gotten very clickbaity and they often seem hypercritical. I also don’t think that the vast majority of their viewers would ever end up on the QM2, which might be a good thing.
 

Personally, I would be quite annoyed to find that pair on my voyage with their intrusive cameras and constant blathering through meals. They often seem oblivious to how their filming might impact the experience of or intrude upon the privacy of other travelers. They seemed to havd gotten lots of dirty looks from other passengers on that crossing, and they probably deserved them. 

Edited June 2 by BelleEpoque

[leyland1989]

30 minutes ago, BelleEpoque said:

I used to enjoy their videos but over time I think they’ve gotten very clickbaity and they often seem hypercritical. I also don’t think that the vast majority of their viewers would ever end up on the QM2, which might be a good thing.
 

Personally, I would be quite annoyed to find that pair on my voyage with their intrusive cameras and constant blathering through meals. They often seem oblivious to how their filming might impact the experience of or intrude upon the privacy of other travelers. They seemed to havd gotten lots of dirty looks from other passengers on that crossing, and they probably deserved them. 

Unless they are using extremely good audio equipment, they seem to be talking very loudly throughout the ship...

I wonder what their neighbour had gone through when they were complaining about the noise coming through the connecting door   🙂

Edited June 2 by leyland1989

[Lee Jones Jnr]

Meh, the first follow up video was fine. 

Again one or two references to being fourth class but far less grating this time and the main thing that I thought would bother me had I been there was filming and chatting during afternoon tea.

The video titles are often click baity and they dramatise and play up to the camera a little but I don't think they are generally too scandalous.

I suppose I am surprised that they haven't said that they are finding a QM crossing boring.

[starquake]

17 hours ago, Pushpit said:

Yes, Fixed can go up to 3 on QM2, and just to confuse things, on a given night Open can end up down in 2. It all depends on the make up of that voyage and the presence (or otherwise) of extended family groups, given that there aren't that many large tables. I think there are 9 or 10 zones in Britannia and on my last Crossing in December 2023 I ended up in 6 of those 9.  On QV and QE it's usually the other way around.

Indeed, we were on a sailing with many large family groups (including our own, 6 of us).   I think it helped that 2 of the 6 of us have diet requirements meaning consistent waiters and fixed dining would benefit us with the allergies and intolerances too...  (imagine if they get a lot of people like us they will want consistency so you don't have to explain what you can and can't have multiple times rather than the staff offering things you can't have).

 

Ref finding boring, I think the youtubers also said they enjoyed the John Suchet lecture, and to be honest he was on the ship on our July fjords trip last year on QV, and I think he effectively sold my parents another cruise on the quality of his lecture (well that along with some of the enterainment on that cruise being stunning).   One of the best speakers we've experienced in 5 cruises so far, that much is certain.

[JT1101]

Most of the "cruise you tubers" are just obnoxious. Some are okay though. Gary on Tips for Travelers is genuinely informative, has a good lower key delivery and is careful not to be disruptive on ships when filming. Likewise Emma Cruises is lower key and concentrates on being informative. A good newcomer is Ritzy Travel Guide which is a family that pays their own way and does deep dives again with an eye to being informative. 

[D&N]

The lady from TravelTouristVideos specialises in shots of her eating food very elegantly. She never seems to get any sauce on her chin! She appears to put away an awful lot, perhaps three dishes per course in a meal. I assume the family order a different dish each and then film her sampling a fork full of each.

One of their videos has us dancing a solo quickstep at Red & Gold Gala Ball on QM2.

[Tattycoram]

I started watching video #2 of Ben and David last night while chopping vegetables for supper, and just finished.  Their tastes in activities probably don't much match mine, but that's fine.  I did find some of their experiences eyebrow-raising:  on a gala night, they had to wait 50 minutes for their drink and starter and the meal (without dessert) took 2 hours.  Yikes.  Are these wait times normal?!  If so, I'll never get my civilized but fast-revving teenager to eat a whole meal with me.

 

I might not mind waiting longer for my food if I have a drink in hand!