Air Conditioning on Queen Elizabeth 2

[Crouton]

Is the air conditioning in 1) the cabins and 2) the public spaces good on QE2?

 

Can you find a number of places to stay comfortable, cool and dry inside even on a hot, humid tropical day?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Crouton

[mufi]

The coolest place is in and around the shops area. The cabins are usually ok but some of the public areas are not good, and the deck corridors can be stifling at times in hot climates. A.C is not her best feature really.

 

David.

[eroller]

The a/c really varies on QE2 but in general I would say there are problems. I'm not sure how well they were addressed during the recent dry-dock?

 

I took a December crossing a couple years back and many areas of the ship were uncomfortably warm. Our section of the dining room (Mauritania) but especially our cabin on Five Deck. Other areas like the Yacht Club were just fine. The cabin especially was unbearable and it seemed not a whole lot could be done. I never imagined I would be so hot on the N. Atlantic in December! Go figure?

 

I did come across this recent photo of a retrofitted cabin with an external a/c unit. I'm not sure if this is Cunard's solution, but I don't think I would appreciate having that thing over my head all night (probably rattling away). It looks like something you would find at a Motel 6, not the QE2. None the less, I would have loved the additional cooling power in my little sweat box so no doubt I would have welcomed it. Not sure if it would fit though.

 

Ernie

 

[Crouton]

Thank you for your help, David and Ernie.

 

This is disappointing news, as I get very uncomfortable in hot, humid weather and was being tempted by the summer deals.

 

Does anyone else know whether there have been more AC units installed in the cabins as in the photo or if any of the refit addressed AC?

 

Crouton

[idtdavid]

We were on the Christmas Cruise this past December. The Grand Lounge and Shops were the coolest places on the ship. Our cabin was comfortable, but never really cold. The hallways were warm. Other areas of the ship were unpredictable. Sometimes it was ok, sometimes it was not. I too hope they addressed this issue during the dry dock.

[2dream4]

I am going on the Mediterranean cruise on the QE2 July 31. Hopefully they will have the AC fixed. I thought I read on an ealier posting that upgrading the AC was on the "to do" list after her last transatlantic crossing. I too Crouton do not do well in extreme heat and humidity...

[geopa]

We were on the QE2 a few years ago on a 4th of July cruise, our cabin on 5 deck was very warm, many cabins had the same problem and the ship ran out of portable fans. When we docked in Bermuda, called the Pursers desk and asked if they were going out to buy some fans, told that sounded like a good idea DAH

We had the same problem with AC on Cunard Countess a few years before that--I guess Cunard does not place a priority on AC

[carlmm]

Just one thought: Air conditioning or better cooling might indeed have a lower priority for Cunard as a British line. Europeans and Americans tend to differ about which temperature is comfortable.

During my last cruise all my tablemates (British / German) agreed it was far too cold in the dining room. Yet we were told other passengers required just this. Thus the A/C was not turned down but covered in our section.

I guess it is hard to accommodate all the different requirements by international passengers in the public rooms.

But certainly there is a level of heat and humidity that is too much for everybody and they should be able to handle with. And of course the A/C in the cabins should be adjustable to each individual needs.

[2dream4]

what do you think an inside single will have in the way of ventilation?!

[mufi]

No reason to thing it will be any different for being inside, you can't open the portholes in an outside cabin - I have tried.

Seriously, it would seem that the lower down in the ship you are the hotter it is likely to be, and deck 5 always has a whiff of bunker oil as well.

David.

[jamesm]

The entire ship seems warm if you board in NYC as we did last June. Once we were underway things were better in the cabins and the public rooms were comfortable. The corridors were always pretty warm.

[assam]

We found the AC to be fine. When we first entered our cabin, it was a bit warm (of course, it was about 100 degrees F outside). We mentioned it to our steward who said he would make an adjustment and after that it was perfect. I found it very comfortable throughout the ship or at least I don't remember it as any sort of problem.

 

2003 QE2 Westward Crossing

[friedchickN]

Like assam, I was on a 2003 Westbound Crossing and was quite comfortable. In fact, I recall feeling chilly more often than I felt too warm. To put this in context, I am a person who often finds the air conditioning in many public buildings too strong.

[wotec]

We were in 1049, boarding in March in Hong Kong and could not get our stateroom cool enough. We complained to our steward who said the a/c didn't work too well. Finally after a few weeks and talking with our neighbors, we went to Purser's Desk and requested engineering come and look at it. They adjusted something inside the thermostat - couldn't quite understand the guys but I think they were telling us they merely had to move it from "heat" to "a/c" mode. After that we were comfortable and went through some very hot weather en route to NY April 25. The hallways were warm, lower decks smelly sometimes with diesel. Some passengers complained and got fans. QG Dining room was always comfortable.

[Gangway]

We just retuened from the May 29th sailing and the ac in our room on deck 4 was not working when we boarded. After telling our room steward and two phone calls to the Pursers desk it was fixed just before 11:00, after that it worked fine.

 

Greg