Cunard Line
Queen Mary 2
by Edward Kollar
Eastern Caribbean
March 17, 2005
We recently (March 17) sailed to the Caribbean on the QM2 out of New York. I was reluctant to take this cruise for two reasons: the class/caste division imposed by Cunard; and some negative reviews I read on this website. But the lure of the new, biggest and most elegant ship could not be overcome, so we did the cruise despite my misgivings.
Despite my uncertainty about this trip, we came home with a very positive overall feeling. So, here is our experience.
Embarkation
Boarding was painless if somewhat lengthy. We faced the unnecessary unpleasantness of a Cunard representative asking us if we were "Platinum or Grill;" when we hesitated, she responded: "If you were, you would know" and diverted us to the steerage lines. So much for the not-so-subtle and always present class discrimination! Money (hopefully, not always class) hath its privilege.
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As one guest at breakfast remarked to the table: ‘There certainly is a class distinction on this ship; and we put them all in the Grill quarters so as to deprive them of our company.' Too bad! This will always color my view of this majestic ship. My grandparents probably would have probably felt the same nearly a century ago.
Once on board, we settled into our cabin on Deck 5 -- an "in hull" balcony stateroom that was spacious by most cruise line standards – with a small bottle of champagne. The baggage arrived on time; we unpacked and found spacious closets with more than enough hangers, etc.
Universally, the service by the ship's personnel was efficient and pleasant.
Food
Contrary to the earlier reviews that I read, we found the food, ambience and service more than adequate. Not one meal was substandard and several were nearly up to the standard of the Todd English restaurant, which we also enjoyed. By chance we were lucky; we were seated in a small room at the back of the lower level of the Britannia dinning room. The noise level was so low that we could easily converse at dinner, and the waiting staff was not stressed. Try table 139 for four if you get a chance.
One review in this series complained about the ship's "plastic décor." OK, the paneling was not real wood, but I would not want to have a forest and species of plant life decimated for technical correctness. Also, the faux bronze bas-reliefs in some of the main corridors were fiberglass – but so what? This ship needed to be sleek and swift and energy efficient. You can't move something the size of four football fields by weighting it down with real bronze, real marble columns, and gigantic crystal chandeliers. The overall décor was typical British-understated elegance, not the glitzy faux opulence of many of other cruise liners. I liked the overall ambience. The fresh flowers were real and elegant.
Room for Improvement
Now, a few negatives. The overall view we heard from a number of guests was that the entertainment was substandard. We only lasted about 10 minutes at any of the shows, then retired to the small bars with some very good pianists/singers. We liked them very much, but I wish we could have found one bar that could warm a snifter so that the Remy Martin cognac could really be appreciated! How difficult is it to instruct barmen to execute that for a guest.
We are not gamblers; so, we enjoyed the usual dispensing of a few dollars while trying to be free rollers and then gave up to our better instincts. But one of our traveling companions who is a serious gambler found the Casino to his liking and profit.
I found it difficult to reconcile my billing summary on the last day because I was never given a guest copy of the tabs at any bar, etc. Unless you have a record of what you spent, you cannot check the bill presented on the last day. I had no problem with the final bill, but how could one dispute anything without documentation?
Also, the tabs included another line for an additional tip, even though a gratuity is already included. Fifteen percent is an adequate bar tip even in New York City. And the dining room service gratuity is automatically included in the final bill. Change your computer system.
Disembarkation is always more of a disaster for guests who are part of a travel agency group that gets preferential treatment with luggage retrieval. The mayhem that one experiences after a nicely controlled (if lengthy) disembarkation is followed by a harrowing experience of finding luggage and then going onward to ground transportation. It is always a distasteful end to what was generally a happy cruise experience.
Overall, it was a great and memorable experience. Our recommendations to others? Absolutely go, if you understand the realities of cruising.
