LIVE (almost) from QM2 Transatlantic June 23 to June 29

[King Amo]

Very pleased to hear that the initial advice from people here, of talking to someone and making the problems known, seems to have resulted in some positive reactions. 

 

Will be very interesting to see what you think if you were to sail in Britannia class. For me, it gives me everything I need, and I could never see me spending the money required for QG, as while I'd like the restaurant, I simply don't need a cabin that big, nor a butler, nor any overly personalised or attentive service. Like several others have posted above, I would prefer to put the extra money towards other holidays. It's important to realise, though, that Britannia is higher end banqueting food and service, and while the menus are great (particularly for a large cruise ship MDR), there will be the odd dud, where either the ingredient choice or method of cooking will be too focussed on repeatability, visuals and ability to 'hold', rather than flavour. Trick is to spot them on the menu before ordering, so either a restaurant background or a lot of experience helps here! 

[Joe33472]

Good morning!   No time change overnight, which is really great.  We still have two time changes, so there must be time change tonight and tomorrow.

 

Seas are a little rough this morning and the wind sounds very strong.  Cruisemapper says light breeze and rough seas.  We're still moving quickly along at 24 knots, which has been the average speed for this crossing.  With one less day than on a typical crossing, we probably have to keep this pace to make it to NYC on time. 

 

On the cruise planner for today it mentions that we'll be passing by Sabal island, a small archipelago off the coast of Nova Scotia that apparently has a feral horse colony of about 500 horses.  I hope we are close enough to see the island, that would be so cool.   I sent back our binoculars from Italy and wish we had them now.  It looks like we come really close to the island.

 

I think we're going to go to QG for breakfast this morning to give it a try.  We're not huge breakfast people, but we might as well try it at least once.   We're also going to make a concentrated effort to participate in more of the programming today.   We've found a few things already that we'd like to do.

 

[Joe33472]

3 minutes ago, King Amo said:

Very pleased to hear that the initial advice from people here, of talking to someone and making the problems known, seems to have resulted in some positive reactions. 

 

Will be very interesting to see what you think if you were to sail in Britannia class. For me, it gives me everything I need, and I could never see me spending the money required for QG, as while I'd like the restaurant, I simply don't need a cabin that big, nor a butler, nor any overly personalised or attentive service. Like several others have posted above, I would prefer to put the extra money towards other holidays. It's important to realise, though, that Britannia is higher end banqueting food and service, and while the menus are great (particularly for a large cruise ship MDR), there will be the odd dud, where either the ingredient choice or method of cooking will be too focussed on repeatability, visuals and ability to 'hold', rather than flavour. Trick is to spot them on the menu before ordering, so either a restaurant background or a lot of experience helps here! 

 

I was thinking yesterday that we probably have to travel on QM2 in other classes to properly evaluate the cost v. benefit of QG versus PG or Britannia for example.   Although there have been some bumps and some may think I'm being overly critical, we really have enjoyed ourselves and there are plenty of positives about QM2 and Cunard. 

 

Yes, food is something that varies by individual tastes and preferences.  And as you mention, you can always get a dud even in great restaurants.  I do think that the menus overall are catering to UK tastes and preferences (as the menus should).  I think that UK folks are probably primary customers or a significant base for the line, so they definitely should make things palatable for their main customers. 

[Victoria2]

I'm not sure what UK tastes are any more. Yes trad. fish and chips could be termed 'British' but so many dishes these days are  'of the world'.

 

As a Brit, my  Asian cuisine floats my boat and is my frequent choice onboard, either main menu or as a special.

[King Amo]

The biggest difference between UK-focused and US-focused cuisine that I've noticed on ships is the ratio of main protein to vegetables and sides. There is generally more of a balance on ships that cater to a majority of UK customers, whereas on US ships it is much more a case of a large piece of meat with vegetables pretty much as garnish only. UK-biased ships also have a tendency to include a lot of classic French preparations as standard, whereas on US it tends to be some very specific dishes as a special.  

[Pushpit]

58 minutes ago, Joe33472 said:

On the cruise planner for today it mentions that we'll be passing by Sabal island, a small archipelago off the coast of Nova Scotia that apparently has a feral horse colony of about 500 horses.  I hope we are close enough to see the island, that would be so cool.   I sent back our binoculars from Italy and wish we had them now.  It looks like we come really close to the island.

 

I don't want to distract you from your report so I'll only give the terse URL below, but my last crossing was in December 2023 and I had a Sable Island interest too (posts 57 then 66). Unfortunately we didn't pass close enough to see Sable, plus it was dark given the time of year. Hopefully you will have more luck. But I remember talking to the officer working the bridge that afternoon, and he said that because Sable has quite a footprint and is in shallow waters, they have to give it quite a wide berth anyway.

 

Incidentally this was in Britannia Sheltered and I put every menu and every meal I ate in this thread below.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2979346-qm2-voyage-m338-15-december-2023-7-nights-westbound-transatlantic-crossing-reports-onboard/#comment-66589387

 

[Joe33472]

17 minutes ago, Pushpit said:

I don't want to distract you from your report so I'll only give the terse URL below, but my last crossing was in December 2023 and I had a Sable Island interest too (posts 57 then 66). Unfortunately we didn't pass close enough to see Sable, plus it was dark given the time of year. Hopefully you will have more luck. But I remember talking to the officer working the bridge that afternoon, and he said that because Sable has quite a footprint and is in shallow waters, they have to give it quite a wide berth anyway.

 

Incidentally this was in Britannia Sheltered and I put every menu and every meal I ate in this thread below.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2979346-qm2-voyage-m338-15-december-2023-7-nights-westbound-transatlantic-crossing-reports-onboard/#comment-66589387

 

 

Thank you so much!  This is so awesome.  Last night when I was researching Sabel Island I saw your post from Dec 2023.  Thanks too for the menus in Britannia!  I'll definitely download those today to take a look.  

[Joe33472]

24 minutes ago, King Amo said:

The biggest difference between UK-focused and US-focused cuisine that I've noticed on ships is the ratio of main protein to vegetables and sides. There is generally more of a balance on ships that cater to a majority of UK customers, whereas on US ships it is much more a case of a large piece of meat with vegetables pretty much as garnish only. UK-biased ships also have a tendency to include a lot of classic French preparations as standard, whereas on US it tends to be some very specific dishes as a special.  

 

Too funny you say the things about the vegetables.   Last night we ordered filet mignon and let the waiter know that all we wanted for sides was mashed potatoes and french fries to split.  And a lot of Bernaise Sauce.   No appetizers or soup or salad.  Just meat and potatoes. 

 

We receive the meal and there is an asparagus spear, a couple of onion preparations, rosti potatoes, a carrot, some spinach, some coleslaw, and something on top of the rosti that we think was meat, but not sure what it was, but it was sure tasty.

 

The steak was a perfect size.   We laughed about the vegetables and okay.  We really should be eating our veggies.    And we did eat most of it, except the rosti since we already had potatoes two ways.  But, yes, we would have been fine with the meat on the plate alone. 🤣

 

 

 

 

 

[missson1967]

1 hour ago, Joe33472 said:

I was thinking yesterday that we probably have to travel on QM2 in other classes to properly evaluate the cost v. benefit of QG versus PG or Britannia for example.   Although there have been some bumps and some may think I'm being overly critical, we really have enjoyed ourselves and there are plenty of positives about QM2 and Cunard.

Yes, we'd certainly recommend you try other categories, so you can do a proper comparison of the cost v benefit, although having started in QG, you will likely end up back there (or in PG) at some point!  Having said that, in the UK at least, there are some extraordinarily good value fares for sheltered balconies, on winter crossings in particular, where you can't fail to have a good time for the price paid!

 

Pleased to hear you've had a great time, & for us at least, we regard your comments as fair & balanced, where you've certainly highlighted the positives, as well as some of the more disappointing aspects of your experience.  For those who are regulars on QM2, you almost come to view certain things not working as they should (for example, the planetarium) as just part of the unique experience of sailing on QM2!    

[Victoria2]

 

39 minutes ago, Joe33472 said:

 

Too funny you say the things about the vegetables.   Last night we ordered filet mignon and let the waiter know that all we wanted for sides was mashed potatoes and french fries to split.  And a lot of Bernaise Sauce.   No appetizers or soup or salad.  Just meat and potatoes. 

 

We receive the meal and there is an asparagus spear, a couple of onion preparations, rosti potatoes, a carrot, some spinach, some coleslaw, and something on top of the rosti that we think was meat, but not sure what it was, but it was sure tasty.

 

The steak was a perfect size.   We laughed about the vegetables and okay.  We really should be eating our veggies.    And we did eat most of it, except the rosti since we already had potatoes two ways.  But, yes, we would have been fine with the meat on the plate alone. 🤣

 

Whereas we say hold the pretty veg the entrée comes with and we will have steamed x y and z.

🙂
🙂

[e&mcruise]

On 6/25/2024 at 9:17 AM, Judyrem said:

I think their appetizers are very unappealing.

 

We recently had the suckling pig croquette and it was AMAZING mmmmm yum!

[david,Mississauga]

Regarding Sable Island, the only time we saw it was on a crossing that called in Halifax on the way to New York.

[BigMac1953]

One of the worst examples of people carting things around was a few years ago on QM2. England Vs Wales rugby match was on.

 

A couple had bagged the best seats at the corner of the bar just below the TV. They had brought two mugs of coffee with them, presumably from the Kings Court.

 

Twice during the match, the lady disappeared off and returned a while later with refills.

 

 

[Joe33472]

Britannia Gala Night Dinner Menus:

 

Britannia Gala Dinner Menu 6.27.24 .pdf

[S1971]

12 minutes ago, BigMac1953 said:

One of the worst examples of people carting things around was a few years ago on QM2. England Vs Wales rugby match was on.

 

A couple had bagged the best seats at the corner of the bar just below the TV. They had brought two mugs of coffee with them, presumably from the Kings Court.

 

Twice during the match, the lady disappeared off and returned a while later with refills.

 

 

 

Could I please ask what was it that made it one of "worst examples of people carting things around"?

 

 

 

 

[Kordy]

4 hours ago, King Amo said:

The biggest difference between UK-focused and US-focused cuisine that I've noticed on ships is the ratio of main protein to vegetables and sides. There is generally more of a balance on ships that cater to a majority of UK customers, whereas on US ships it is much more a case of a large piece of meat with vegetables pretty much as garnish only. UK-biased ships also have a tendency to include a lot of classic French preparations as standard, whereas on US it tends to be some very specific dishes as a special.  

 

This is very true and it also causes more obesity issue in the US than in the UK in the overall population.  But I also noticed one additional thing - the level of sugar in desserts.  In the UK focused desserts, there is less sugar, but in the US focused desserts, there seems to be much more sugar added and for my taste - they end up too sweet.  Did anyone else notice that?

[DaisyUK]

3 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

 

Whereas we say hold the pretty veg the entrée comes with and we will have steamed x y and z.

🙂
🙂

We do the same in an effort to leave the ship the same weight we arrived! 

[BigMac1953]

25 minutes ago, S1971 said:

 

Could I please ask what was it that made it one of "worst examples of people carting things around"?

 

 

 

 

 

To carry 6 mugs of coffee in the lifts from Kings Court to the GLP, taking the best seats, obviously not really interested in the match, or the lady would have stayed put instead of going off to get more free coffee twice.

 

Not something I would ever think of doing.

[King Amo]

17 minutes ago, Kordy said:

 

This is very true and it also causes more obesity issue in the US than in the UK in the overall population.  But I also noticed one additional thing - the level of sugar in desserts.  In the UK focused desserts, there is less sugar, but in the US focused desserts, there seems to be much more sugar added and for my taste - they end up too sweet.  Did anyone else notice that?

I think the UK goes to the extremes either way. Things like sticky toffee pudding, treacle tart etc. are positively loaded with sugar and fat, but then for other things we are desperate to make things not too sweet. The US, in my experience love things extremely sweet that we would prefer to be less so. A great example of this would be pies, where a US-made cherry or apple pie would taste very different from a UK-made one. Likewise the US loves things like banoffee, or banana cream pie, whereas our similar thing would be lemon meringue (so sharper). 

 

Interesting point though, and not one I'd previously considered too much. 

[S1971]

2 minutes ago, BigMac1953 said:

 

To carry 6 mugs of coffee in the lifts from Kings Court to the GLP, taking the best seats, obviously not really interested in the match, or the lady would have stayed put instead of going off to get more free coffee twice.

 

Not something I would ever think of doing.

 

6 coffees for two people twice? seems rather excessive!!!, but knowing the Kings Court buffet coffee, I expect it was cold time she got it back so had to go twice 🙂

 

 

As for seats, surely they are first come first serve, they obviously got in early and bagged the best seats, can't see what the issue is to be honest.

 

I concentrate on my own enjoyment, not worry about what others are doing.

 

[Tattycoram]

"the US loves things like banoffee"

 

For what it's worth, this New Englander had never even HEARD of banoffee anything  until fairly recent trips to the UK!

 

I notice when I'm visiting friends in the midwest (Michigan, Illinois, and Indiana), most restaurant meals tend to be heavier on the meat than the vegetables.  Even ethnic restaurants like Greek and Italian ones seem to be to have large meat courses; superfancy restaurants like Charlie Trotter's in Chicago were an exception.  There are a few places in the northeast corridor where I've spent most of my life with giant meat, but I think they're either old-fashioned or, to me, almost absurdly macho steak houses like Mortons.  I'm a meat and fish eater, but I certainly expect about half my plate to be tasty vegetables.

Edited Thursday at 02:00 PM by Tattycoram

[Joe33472]

2 minutes ago, Tattycoram said:

"the US loves things like banoffee"

 

For what it's worth, this New Englander had never even HEARD of banoffee anything  until fairly recent trips to the UK!

 

Had to Google "banoffee" as I never heard of such a thing in my life, but sounds delicious to me.   Haven't seen that on a menu yet.  Maybe tonight in Kings Court. 

 

[Tattycoram]

Glad you confirmed my sense that banofee as a flavor is not an American thing, Joe 33472!  I have seen it on some menus here, but only in the last few years.  The influence of The Great British Bakeoff, I reckon.  (Note:  The only people I've ever heard use "I reckon" in natural speech have been British!  Otherwise it's only in the old Davy Crockett-type tv reruns of my childhood.)

 

I absolutely agree that banana cream pie--probably all cream pies--are American, but again I'd say they have a regional twinge.  Southern and west through Missouri?  I'm from a multi-generational pie-making family, and cream pies are not in our repertoire.  (When I was growing up near Boston, MA, one definition of "Yankee" was "someone who eats leftover pie for breakfast."  Despite the fact that none of us remotely had ancestors who came over on the Mayflower:  Guilty!) 

Edited Thursday at 02:21 PM by Tattycoram

[exlondoner]

Apparently Banoffee Pie, though possibly originating in a restaurant in Sussex in the 1970s, was sort of derived from Blum’s Coffee Toffee Pie, from a restaurant in Hollywood. It usually has too much cream on it, at least the Cunard lunch version. I don’t know whether Sir Sam’s might do it.

[King Amo]

Interesting. You live and learn. I could have sworn banoffee pie was a southern states thing that we'd adopted over here (although I had no idea why as the very thought of it makes me feel ill). Had no idea it was actually the other way round, and it isn't that prominent across the US