Review: Cunard Line - Queen Mary 2 - QM2 - [July 02 , 2005]

[Net Reviews]

Review By:

Reviewer Comments:

Review: Queen Mary 2 - Independence Weekend Sampler Cruise (July 2-5,
2005)

Members in our Party - 7
My wife and me(late 40s), two sons (12 and 17), my two sisters (early
60s) and a family friend (51)

Embarkation: A

We used a car service to travel from Jersey City to the pier. They
arrived early and we arrived at the pier in about 30 minutes at 10:45
A.M. Cunard¹ documents told us that no one would be boarded until 1:30
but you never believe your documents. We dropped off our luggage and
went up to the waiting room in Customs Hall where chairs were set up.
Your waiting area was based on the dining room you chose. At 12:30 they
started the embarkation process. Less than a half hour later we were on
board. As you entered the ship the Atrium was all decorated with flags
and bunting for the Fourth and a line up of crew in tuxes and white
gloves welcomed you aboard along with a harpist playing in the
background.

Cabins: A

We had two outside cabins towards the front of deck 6. Very roomy with
lots of storage space. Met Deirdre, our stewardess (her term), and asked
her to put our beds together for us, which she did while we were at
lunch. The Cunard policy is not to put the beds together if you have
people in the Pullmans above, but they will do so upon request. The
concern is that the kids will fall out on top of you, but I¹d rather
have them fall on me and a mattress than on the hard floor hitting their
heads on the end tables. The configuration on Carnival makes more sense.
They have a sofa that turns into a single with the Pullman above that.
Cunard also has a tasteful vinyl mat that they put on the bed for you to
place your luggage and nice throw pillows and shams. The beds were the
most comfortable I¹ve had at sea as were the pillows, and the
featherbed comforter was terrific. Robes were provided for everyone.
There are no animal folded towels on the QM2.

The bathroom is adequate with the largest shower I¹ve seen in an outside
view stateroom. All the necessary soaps, shampoos, etc were provided.
Pool towels were in the vanity. The safe was operated by combination or
using a credit card¹s magnetic strip.

When you enter your cabin the TV is already on and tuned to the video
showing you how to use your life vest. The TV has limited channels but
includes CNN and ESPN. Each morning, the cruise director hosted a show
³Good Morning QM2² with the lead dancer serving as weather girl. The TVs
also have a wireless keyboard for e-mail. Cost is $1.50 per message sent
or received.

Muster drill: A

The muster drill on the QM2 is done in various rooms throughout the
ship. Ours was in the gym.

Food: B- Service: C

The food in the dining room was very good, but the selection was
limited. They try to be too fancy with sauces, etc. Carnival is superior
and Royal Caribbean¹s is also better. One lobster tail had to be
returned because it was rubbery and tasted bad. The prime rib and garlic
shrimp were both excellent. The lemonade, iced tea and juices allowed us
to get by without buying soda. Service in the dining room was sporadic
and somewhat disorganized and slow. The layout is tight. Because of the
fireworks in New York Harbor, the last night was open seating. We went
at the usual time (early seating 5:45) and got seated right away. Those
who came later had extremely long waits to get a table.

The variety in the King¹s Court is good, but the food is nothing special
(although the fresh fruit selection was wonderful) Again Carnival was
much better while Royal Caribbean¹s Windjammer was the worst of the
three. The King¹s Court has 4 sections; the Carvery, the Lotus, La
Piazza and the Chef¹s Galley. The Carvery and Chef¹s Galley were the
better choices. There were a great variety of desserts as well as soft
ice cream dispensers.

Breakfast in the dining room was painfully slow. Better to use the
King¹s Court. My wife said that the Cream of Wheat was the best she¹s
had. Cereal selections are limited with no pre sweetened for the kids.

We did not try Todd English so I cannot comment on it.

Entertainment: D

The stage shows were amateurish, too slow and too long. On the first
night ³Apassionata ³ was a history of dance ending with swing. The
second night ³Rock @ the Opera² mixed opera with modern rock. We chose
not to attend. The last show was ³Zing Went the Strings² a tribute to
Judy Garland. It started with a video that was not visible because of
stage props. We left when the Judy Garland wannabe started dancing to
the music of Austin Powers. The theater was only half full at the start
of the show and many left during the show.

Movies were shown each night in Illuminations (the planetarium) We went
one evening to watch ³National Treasure² which we had not seen before.
The movie was good, but my surround sound at home offers better sound.

The planetarium show is worth attending if just for the novelty of it
all. You must get tickets ahead of time for the half hour show which is
interesting if you can stay awake listening to the monotone narrator.

Kid¹s Program: B

My 12 year old went one morning and enjoyed basketball, air hockey and
X-box. The schedule seemed full with a number of options. The staff is
small and you must choose morning or afternoon sessions ahead of time.
Kids can attend more than one session per day only if room permits --
and on our cruise it did.

As for my 17 year old, there were activities but none that interested
him. There were only 65 teens on board. Instead he joined pickup
basketball on the sports deck.

Sports deck: C

There was a small basketball court and paddle tennis court that had
limited hours. The ping pong tables and paddles were in bad shape.
Shuffle board was near impossible as the pucks refused to slide on the
wood decks. You will have some success if you turn them upside down.

Pools: A

The pools were really nice. The Promenade pool on deck 12 had a roof for
cool evenings. On deck 8 on the back of the ship was the Terrace pool
And on deck 13 towards the front of the ship was a splash pool. Also in
the back of the ship there was a family pool and a sprinkler areas for
the kids. Unfortunately that pool had to be close on our last day when
someone got sick and lost their lunch. A mandatory emptying, cleaning
and 24 hour closure meant families then had to use the other pools.

Itinerary: A

As we left New York Harbor, the cruise director, Brian Pierce, pointed
out the sights A fire boat led us out of the harbor with water
spraying.

This was a 3 day trip with fireworks scheduled for New York harbor. We
got a bonus because Newport Rhode Island scheduled their fireworks for
July 3rd. The captain decided that would be a good show so on Sunday
night we anchored just off the fireworks sight in the harbor with the
rear of the ship facing the fireworks. They were so close you felt as if
you could reach out and touch them. It was a cool night so stewards came
out and distributed blankets and towels to keep people warm. a nice
touch. Patriotic music blared over the sound system adding to the
festive evening. On Monday night we anchored just north of Staten Island
for the Macy¹s New York fireworks extravaganza. Desserts and drinks
were brought out along with a contemporary band for a party atmosphere.
Blankets were again provided. Because of our distance, the fireworks
were visible but seemed small. We were so glad that we had the show in
Newport the night before. After the fireworks show we again left New
York Harbor and went out to sea before returning to port on Tuesday
morning.

Misc.: B

The ship itself and its size are incredible. You can¹t see the end of
the hallway of the floor you are on. Because capacity is about 2,600
people the ship never seems crowded and at times feels downright empty.
For comparison, the Voyager of the Seas which is only slightly smaller
carries 3,800 people at full capacity) There is one staff member for
every two passengers. Most of the staff are British and all are very
friendly and helpful. Stewards remove towels from deck chairs that do
not seem to be in use.

The QM2 is the only ship with a permanent exhibit. ³Maritime Quest² is
basically a history of Cunard. It is fascinating and well worth it if
you have the time to explore the various items. A guide is on the back
of the fold out map you find in your cabin.

The QM2 is also a quiet ship: no announcements except for the captain¹s
update each noon. Yes there are auctions, bingo, etc, but you need
to read your Daily Programme to know what is going on.

Shops are limited and expensive. We¹ve always purchased a Christmas
ornament of each ship we¹ve been on but the QM2 did not have them. My
son suggested buying 2 QM2 magnets which we can put together and then
use a string to make our own ornament: a great idea if you check the
polarity of the magnets to make sure they will go together. Pictures
were the most expensive I¹ve ever seen. Prints of your various
activities and poses were available at $27.50 each! Another item i¹ve
always bought on cruses is a photo album with the ship¹s logo for 4X6
prints. usually these cost about $10 On the QM2 the only way to get
such an album was to buy 15 professional images and the album for
$49.49.95. you could not buy the album separately. On the second day of
the cruise they sold 250 T-shirts made specifically for this weekend.
The mob and lines for these limited edition shirts was worse than Macy¹s
bargain tables at Christmas.

The ship itself is incredible. The promenade deck has wooden chairs with
comfortable cushions and is wide enough for jogging and walking. Three
times around equals 1.1 miles. Towards the front of promenade there is
an elevator that goes up the outside of the ship to an observation deck.
Breathtaking views can be had from both.

The ship¹s library is extensive and the gym is well equipped. The spa
offers an all day pass for $29. There is a book store, an internet
center called Connexions, a casino, several laundries and a number of
lounges with a good variety of musical choices.
.
On Deck two there are game tables lining the side of the ship near
windows with games such as Scrabble, Checkers, Chutes and Ladders and
more.

Disembarkation: A

As with most cruise lines you get colored tags. The difference on the
QM2 is that you also get the schedule for the colors so you know when
your color will be called. We chose self disembarkation because our car
service was scheduled to pick us up prior to our color being called.
This also allowed us to keep our luggage and not have it collected the
night before docking. The ship docked at 6:30 AM with disembarking
scheduled to start at 8. we had a leisurely breakfast and walked on deck
one last time. Self disembarking began at 7:30 with colors for tags
starting at 8. There was no immigration processing because we had no
ports of call on this trip. We left the ship shortly after 8. Once the
car service van cleared security we were on our way home and arrived
there before 9:30.

Overall: B

I took this short cruise because I wanted to be able to say I sailed on
the QM2. I wanted to see the difference between an ocean liner and a
cruise ship, and there were some differences. I¹ve always been
fascinated by the old liners and was delighted to have the chance to try
the modern Queen. The weekend cruise was about what my budget could
handle. This weekend schedule also worked as well for my sisters who
hadn¹t cruised in 20 years. The last time they cruised they had tiny
cabins with bunk beds and sections of the ship that they could not
access. They had been on the Bremen, The France The Raffaello and the SS
United States. I think they were amazed at how ships have changed.

A cruise is what you make of it. People can always find things to
complain about. For me though, I feel blessed to be able to take a
cruise and will always enjoy what is offered. And I fully enjoyed my
weekend. Just wish it was longer.

The QM2 is indeed a tremendous ship and I am glad I sailed on her, but
unless I am doing a transatlantic voyage, I will probably not sail on
her again. There are better cruise offerings out there at better prices.