1. Home
  2. Reviews
  3. Queen Mary 2 reviews
  4. Transatlantic cruise review

Elegance on Cunard's Trans-Atlantic Crossing

Queen Mary 2 Cruise Review to Transatlantic

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 36

Overall rating:

4.6 out of 5
Queen Mary 2

8 Night Transatlantic Westbound (Southampton To New York)

Sail date: August 04, 2017

Ship: Queen Mary 2

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8110

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

The trans-Atlantic crossing and Cunard atmosphere are great if that is the kind of voyage you are looking for. But be advised that you are in for multiple "sea days" in a row, and for the restrained and elegant atmosphere that Cunard tries to maintain. If you like formal dancing then this is a great ship to sail on. But if you seek a razzle-dazzle atmosphere, and want to wear golf shirts to dinner, then you would be best advised to sail on some other line.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Relatively painless. We showed up at the appointed time and got processed within an hour.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
The quality of the food and service in the Britannia Restaurant is very good, but not great. The quality of the extra-fare Veranda Grill, based on one lunch there, was higher. The King's Court is a cafeteria style operation, and quite good for that style of food delivery. It has a good variety of good, which is decent to good, and the staff does a nice job of cleaning off dishes and getting tables ready for the next passengers.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
The pools were fine and the the fitness center was large and usually not crowded. As for sporting activities, go on the QM 2 if you want to play shuffleboard. Do not go if you expect activities such as rock-climbing or ice-skating.

Entertainment

4 out of 5
The ship presents a number of lecturers on a variety of topics. We did not tend to go to them. Big-scale entertainment was good, and music was very good. Cunard does a better job of providing formal dancing than any other line that I know of. Further, the pool band and the disco were quite good as well.

Children's Programs

We have no children.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
The crew aims to please.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
While a large ship, the QM 2 does not try to squeeze in 5,000 or so passengers. It's passenger to size ratio is excellent. It is well designed, except for the aft end of several decks, where the location of facilities such as restaurants make it difficult or impossible to get to the aft end of the ship. The ship was clean and in good working order, except for the curious exception of clocks, many of which did not tell the right time.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
The cabin had a lot of space, and generous closets and drawers to store things in. The cabin steward kept it nice and clean.

Ship tip

Sail aboard this ship if you want the experience of an ocean voyage, where you are days out on the sea. Sail aboard this ship if you want an experience that emphasizes a relatively high level of elegance. Do not sail on this ship if you want to wear shorts and a tank-top to the dining room, or expect a conga line around the pool.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Southampton (London), England Did not visit port

There are more interesting places in England to visit.
Thumbs Up

Halifax, Nova Scotia

4 out of 5
A pleasant and interesting city. We did not pay for a shore excursion, which we generally do not view as good values on this or any other line. In Halifax you can walk to the Maritime Museum, and Public Garden. And you can take a public bus (#9) to the cemetery of the Titanic victims.
Thumbs Up

New York, New York Did not visit port

We had to catch a train and get back home.
Thumbs Up

Disembarkation

3 out of 5
It was organized well enough but it was slow. It is also now done in Brooklyn, as opposed to the traditional and more convenient piers of mid-Manhattan. And the structure used in Brooklyn is basically a warehouse.
Was this review helpful? 36
Flag

5 Comments

Log In To Submit A Comment