There were eight of us enjoying the Cunard Queen Mary
2's 4D Presidents Weekend sailing to the Bahamas on
15-19 February . Here's the list of favorite things:
1. Britannia Restaurant is the main dining room where
the majority of passengers enjoy their meals. This
beautiful multi-level room offered great service,
selection, and presentation. Plus, Cunard does a great
job with the variety of offerings.
2. Cabin Stewards - Excellent, friendly service
including tidying up clothes along with keeping the
cabin and bathroom very clean.
3. Buffet - Convenient with wide selections available
when you are, and the wait staff buses your table while
you are still seated.
4. Tender Service to Princess Cays (Private Island) -
very efficient service back and forth.
5. Britannia guest room toiletries are of superior
quality. It really did enhance the experience.
6. Britannia bathrooms are well laid out and of a
reasonable size.
7. Space - This ship has so much public space. The
QM2 is designed for long voyages, and thus provides
tremendous public space to sit, mingle, play games, etc.
The corridors and public areas are very wide. You can
always find space to sit alone or in a group. The top
deck is huge with minimum obstructions, just wide open
spaces.
8. Speed; it took a while to realize that this voyage
from NYC to the Bahamas would be nearly impossible on
most other ships. The QM2's propulsion system is quite
unique with four propellers and NO rudder!
9. The Queen's Room; this room, in and of itself must
be mentioned. The extravagant Queen's Room focuses as a
ballroom in the evening's for Cunard's renowned ballroom
events. During the day, high tea is offered along with
bingo.
10. The QM2 has a very non-commercial environment.
Cunard makes future cruise sales, shopping, up-charge
dining, art auctions, etc., available but does NOT
advertise non-stop! There is a deliberate lack of both
constant announcements on the PA and in-room flyers
urging you to spend your money. Plenty of money spending
options are available if you wish to avail yourself for
those services. Further, production shows are not
interrupted with commercials. This whole environment
makes for a more elegant cruise experience.
10.5 Lectures; This particular voyage featured a PhD
speaking on the Bermuda triangle and global climate
change issues; Cunard caters to a clientèle that enjoys
enrichment activities and the intellectual stimulation
was most welcome.