Cunard
Queen Mary 2
Transatlantic, New York to Southampton, UK

Michael Niederman

Age: 59
Occupation: Retired
Number of Cruises: 4

This is a "heads-up" for up-scale cruisers. Since Carnival bought Cunard there seems to be an identity crisis aboard the QM2. They can't seem to decide if they are a "fun ship" or a high end product. The ship itself is beautiful. Our Catagory P1, Jr Suite was stylish, roomy with a nice size balcony, walk-in closets (more space than needed for a tranatlantic cruise), bar, tub and shower .... all that you would expect for an upscale cabin. The problem is that the on-board experience is less than you would expect. The entertainment was mediocre, many people left in the middle of performances, the cruise director was obnoxious in his phony bon amie, the food in our second-tier dining room (this is the only line with "class" distinctions), seating only 150 versus 1,300 in the main dining room, was hit and miss: nice presentation, but bland, bland, bland. No excitement here. If you are considering upgrading solely for the food, it is not worth it. The main dining room has the same menu (with one less choice for starters and main course). The service in our "Princess Grill" was adequate, enough attendants, but you had the feeling that they are not adequately trained. What really rankles is that the QM2 presents "High Tea" with a McDonald's approach. Little, round American biscuits pretended to be Scones, and whip cream supplanted clotted cream. I guess they thought we wouldn't notice. My wife and I paid over $4,000 for 6 days of travel and were required to pay for soft drinks. OK, mixed drinks, fine, but Cokes? Gives you a shipboard feeling of cheapness. The lecture series was very good, and the spa quite complete, albeit quite expensive as well. Overall, for this amount of money stick with Crystal and Radisson for quality treatment. This is a middle-brow experience masquerading as upscale. If you can get a balcony cabin for $7-800, which a friend of ours did (it is interesting to see Cunard continually lowering their prices, perhaps they have learned what they are delivering), it would be good value and a nice experience. Just don't expect top of the line. We will return to Crystal and Radisson who seem to know how to treat upscale passengers.

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