Cunard Cruises, Queen Mary 2 Review

Overall Rating

Cabin and Restaurant Service, Size of the ship, Commodore Club.

Decor, Bad ship design (wind on rear decks), Kings Court "Caf", Film presentations (out of focus), Entertainment, excessive cost of onboard internet.

Having travelled the Atlantic on QE2 3 years ago, i decide to go with Cunard on the Queen Mary 2 in August. Cunard's cabin and restaurant staff were impeccable, however, the new liner, despite all the hype was a considerable disappointment. The ship is large. She feels like an oil tanker fitted for passengers and on first site in port looks clumsy and unattractive with two exhaust pipes at the rear. On board, one felt that you were on an oversized ferry. The staircases felt like service stairways just covered with carpet and clunked noisily; the Kings Court buffet was appalling - was like the Dover to Calais ferry however the food here on QM2 was substandard, the cabins and their bathrooms were prefabricated, the public rooms were soul-less and somehow the whole thing smited of bad interior design and decor. There was a feeling that everything was laminate or immitation, and indeed this seems to concern the folk at Cunard who every step of the way go to great lengths to tell you that this is a liner on a Transatlantic crossing and not a cruise ship. The Cruise Director was a holiday-camp red-coat and had no understanding of what the Transatlantic experience should have been, and the restaurant food was only so-so, the staff were excellent until on the last night they asked me to mark excellent for service on a questionnaire. At every step, it felt like a virtual reality version of a classic Transatlantic crossing, and while it was a good attempt it wasn't the real thing. In comparison, the cuisine on the QE2 was flawless, her buffet a work of art, her public rooms cosy, and every inch of her graced in beautiful polished timbers with beautifully fitted bathrooms. In comparison, QM2 is a rather large ferry which boasts some QE2 design features but they are sadly cosmetic, even down to the windshields around the lower stern decks. The Commodore Club was the only room on board to capture the real Transatlantic experience. On top of this, I had safety concerns about the vessel when she mysteriously had a catastrophical power failure at 1am one night, leaving us drifting in the Atlantic in the dark for several hours.

Members' Comments onandydj's Review

• colinandscott on 14th Jan 2009

  My partner and I are cruising regulars and, indeed, Cunard Gold Card Members. Don't listen to a word of this; QM2 is the epitome of ocean going glamour and cutting edge technology.

• Feb2009 on 12th Apr 2009

  Febuary 2009
  The food has nor improved> I was in the Queens Grill !!!!

• gmackay on 26th Apr 2009

  Have been on several cruise ships and the standard of the dining on QM2 was superior by a mile. As for naff decor I'd just love to see the opulence of the reviewer's home. It must be absolutely spectacular if QM2s is found wanting

• outtomunch on 14th Oct 2009

  this man went on board we a love for the QE2 that he would not allow him to see the real picture. i hope this doesnt put anyone off a wonderful experience, i am about to go on board for the 3rd time and am really looking forward to it.