My Holiday Cruise Review - Queen Mary 2
For those who haven't been following my blog or entries on Cruise Freek
Forums, let me tell you that I had the most wonderful time on Queen
Mary 2. Overall I have only the highest praises for the ship, itinerary
and crew!
Holiday Decorations- from top to bottom, from stern to bow the ship was decorated and
there was no doubt the holidays were happening on QM2. I've been on
other cruise lines during the holidays and, this was absolutely one of
the most festive ships I have sailed upon during Christmas and New
Years. Often times during holiday cruises the crew is less than
cheerful but, I only have most positive things to report. Overall I
rate holiday decorations:
EXCELLENT
Itinerary - There is often an argument whether or not having ships sailing from NJ and
NYC during the winter months is the "best" idea since there are days at
sea that are spent just getting the vessel down to the Caribbean.
Personally, I only see the NYC and NJ sailings as a blessing,
especially during the holidays and for those of us within driving
distance that means no flying - which means no airport lines, a much
lower chance of lost luggage, not to mention the ease of driving or
being driven to the port. Once in the Caribbean we had several days in
port and the only down time was the "travel" days going up and coming
back. Personally, I'd much rather spend my travel days enjoying a
luxury cruise ship even if it means staying indoors because it's too
cold to venture outside rather than be squeezed into a sardine can of
an airline and be stuck next to a woman with a non-stop crying baby and
the guy who keeps sneezing on me with his cold or flu. Overall I rate
the Itinerary:
EXCELLENT
Port of Brooklyn/Red Hook -Well this an area that could stand improvement. I don't know why the
checking in process has to be so complicated. It's really not much
different that going to an airport and yet people seem to get that deer
in the headlights reaction. I don't know if it's lots of first timers
who are genuinely confused about what it is they need to do or if the
employees only have two gears: slow and stop but, it always seems like
checking in at Brooklyn takes forever. We were lucky enough to be in a
Queen's Grill suite and even at that - and checking in at the
recommended time, it took over 30 minutes to get on-board the ship.
Yes, I realize this is nothing to complain about but, it just seems to
me with everything being so automated anymore that from curb to ship
should take 5 or 10 minutes tops. Ok yes, this is my own personal beef
but, I still only rate the port of Brooklyn:
Good
Crew - Cunard prides themselves on service and, as I already stated, there wasn't any
sad or snarly faces among the crew. Always a "hello" and a smile
on-board. The bartender in the Golden Lion pub always had my drink
waiting for me at 6pm. Our cabin attendant and wait team in the Queen's
Grill were top notch and I have only the highest praises. Overall I
rate the Crew:
EXCELLENT
Entertainment -Ok, I'm a bit of a snob and, I find Cunard entertainment to be hit or
miss. Production shows aren't really my thing but, the one I did attend
was good - not great. The lectures/shows in planetarium were
interesting but a bit dry at times (kind of like being in a college
lecture) however, it was still interesting. I'm not looking for the
silliness of a Royal Caribbean or Carnival cruise with hairy chest
contests but, I'd still like more things to do that aren't so dry.
My opinion
and, I'll admit flat out that I'm VERY hard to please. Overall I rate the
Entertainment:
AVERAGE TO GOOD
Canyon Ranch Spa -Heaven, I'm in heaven... This is MY type of entertainment!! I have to
admit most of my free time was spent in the spa, so, perhaps I'm a bit
harsh with my Entertainment review but, nonetheless, I have to tell you
that I am a spa junky!! I booked three Canyon Ranch Stone Massages (at
$195 per 80 minute session); I also booked one 50 minute Happy Feet
Massage (oh I so HIGHLY RECOMMEND this service at $125); I also took
advantage of the Spa Club Passport - very worthwhile because you have
use of the therapy pool, the saunas, the waterfall shower and it's just
very peaceful and relaxing! I also had my hair and nails done at the
spa five times during the cruise. Overall I rate Canyon Ranch Spa:
PRICEY BUT EXCELLENT!
Casino -Yes, it's kind of hard to rate a casino so I'm not going to say it was
good simply because somehow I managed to break even. Really - I did!!
I'm going to rate the casino based on the crew working the stations and
I can only say:
EXCELLENT
Food - Since food is a big part of any cruise I'm going to break this down into parts:
King's Court Buffet - I had breakfast here daily, it got a bit repetitious but, this holds true
with any cruise line buffet, especially at breakfast. I will continue to argue to the day I die
that they really need to redesign the King's Court. It's confusing, especially to first timers on
QM2 but, the food itself was good and there was a very good selection. My rating is:
GOOD
King's Court Evening - We ate in
Lotus, which is the Asian food, restaurant once, it was
good but, not particularly outstanding. Then again it's more like a tasting menu and many
of the items simply weren't to my particular taste. I, personally, rate it as
FAIR but, again
it's mainly because I didn't care for the items being served. The serve was top notch. We
also at
The Carvery three times and this was much more agreeable to my palate!
Everything was delicious and I rate the Carvery:
EXCELLENT
Todd English - We had originally booked Todd English right at the start of the cruise but,
my Mom was catching cold when we boarded and by the time the night came around when
we had our dinner reservations, she was really down for the count and we rescheduled -
without hassle, I might add - and as always, Todd English didn't disappoint! From the
yummy crab cakes to the mouth-watering lamb - it was indeed a treat from start to finish!
I rate Todd English:
EXCELLENT
Queen's Grill - Ok, yes, I guess I'm a spoiled snob, we were in category Q5 and that
means we ate at the Queen's Grill. As always service was gracious and the food was
wonderful! I rate Queen's Grill:
EXCELLENT
Boardwalk Cafe - it is what it is - a hamburger grill but, the burgers were always fresh
and cooked perfectly. I rate the Boardwalk Cafe:
ABOVE AVERAGE TO GOOD
Golden Lion Pub - I'm not a huge fan of pub grub but, I stopped in here a few times for
lunch enjoyed banners and mash there. Somehow they come addicting! It's a great place
for a less formal lunch experience or for those seeking a touch of Britain on the high seas.
I rate Golden Lion Pub:
GOOD
Cabin - As I have already mentioned we were in Category Q5. Excellent in size and our cabin attendant was outstanding! Rating:
EXCELLENT
The review of the ports (along with photos) of call can be found on
Cruise Freek Forums, here is the link:
https://cruisefreekforums.forumotion.com/cunard-f26/live-from-qm2-t624.htm
Overall,
this was one of the best holiday cruises I've been on - and to date
I've been on 15 holiday cruises. The few minor negatives were strongly
off-set by all the positives. I am looking forward to returning to QM2 in 2009 for Christmas and New Years with my fellow board mates on Cruise Freek Forums - and maybe even YOU!
Thu Jan 03, 2008 3:11 pm
! 
Quick with a joke!
Just keep him in front of you at all times 
and so quiet we had to check a few times to make sure she wasn't sleeping 
LOL She and Marina headed to G52 every night!
a great multi-tasker and very sweet in person. Again - it was a TRUE PLEASURE meeting you!!
