Slow Travel 101 - My Monthly Comments on Cruising

Reconstructed for 03/15/26

Background:

The Queen Mary 2 (QM2) is a ship which oozes the tradition of the ocean. It sails for the Cunard line, and is the last transcontinental Ocean Liner in service today The QM2 is a purpose-built ship designed for regular Transatlantic Crossings between Europe and North America. Construction of the QM2 started in 2002 and was completed in 2004. It was built to replace Cunard's Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) for service on the transatlantic route, as well as make short trips and a yearly world cruise.

A recent Google search defines the differences between an Ocean Liner and a typical cruise ship as follows:

Purpose & Speed: Ocean liners (e.g., Queen Mary 2) are built for transportation, prioritizing speed (often 30+ knots) to keep tight schedules. Cruise ships prioritize comfort, leisurely cruising, and entertainment, usually traveling at 18–20 knots.
Structure & Durability: Liners have thicker steel, deeper V-hulls, higher bows, and higher freeboards (distance from water to deck) to withstand massive North Atlantic waves. Cruise ships often have flatter hulls and more glass, making them unsuitable for heavy, long-term deep ocean weather.
Design & Layout: Liners often have more traditional layouts with stronger, narrower structures, while modern cruise ships are taller, wider, and designed to maximize cabin balconies and top-deck, outdoor amenities.
Bridge Position: To protect against severe, high-seas weather, an ocean liner's navigation bridge is typically located higher up compared to a cruise ship, where passenger suites often sit above the bridge

The QM2 fits all of these definitions, and this makes it special among all the ships I've sailed on to date.

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Cruise Fare and Upgrades:

When we booked this cruise, Vacations To Go showed a different price to me and to my cruise partner. The cruise price shown to me was $1,399.00, while the price shown to my partner was $949.00. Guess who booked the cruise? (Not me.) With that being said, one would think that $949 was a great price for a 12-day cruise on the Queen Mary 2 in an inside cabin.

Things got better for us a few weeks before cruising, and I helped get us a better cabin for the price. I noticed a pricing anomaly where the inside cabin, ocean view cabin, and balcony cabin were selling at the same price - $999. So, we called our travel agent, and got a balcony cabin in the forward section of the ship.

This was a great deal for 12 days of cruising, even if "gratuities", streaming internet, and a soda package had to be paid for separately.

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Getting to the Ship:

It was a cold day when we left for the ship. As usual, when a ship sails out of Brooklyn, we usually summon an Uber or Lyft to bring us from the border of Queens and Brooklyn to the cruise terminal. Since we were leaving New York on the day before Thanksgiving, we allocated extra time to make it from my partner's house to the terminal, as we had a 2 pm boarding time. Traffic was heavier than usual on the Brooklyn Queens Expressway ("Expressway" is an oxymoron of a word here), and we used all the extra time needed to make it to the terminal by 1:30 pm.

One thing of note for New Yorkers: Most Uber/Lyft drivers follow the route maps provided by their services as if these maps are gospel. There are sections along the route where the use of side/parallel roads can provide a great advantage to both the driver and passenger, but they won't often be used due to the driver's relationship with the service provider.

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Embarkation:

Although we arrived 30 minutes before our scheduled arrival time, we didn't have any problems. Since we were both carrying our canes, we were directed to the short security line reserved for people with mobility issues. Both of us had minor problems there, as I always seem to need to be wanded to get past security, while RQS simply had minor difficulties with her bags.

Once past security, we both checked in for the cruise, had our security photos taken, and then were on the ship. Between the security station, our muster station and our cabin, it took us lass than 15 minutes to be able to settle down in the room. But we were hungry, so it was a quick trip to the buffet for food after that.

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Stateroom:

(Balcony Cabin - Courtesy of Cunard)

We originally chose a guaranteed inside cabin for the cruise, and were upgraded to a balcony cabin thanks to our travel agent. We found this cabin to be quite cozy, well laid out, and more than adequate for our needs. Like many older balcony cabins, the balcony area was sheltered. It was nice to be able to sit in the shade and enjoy the tropical warmth outside.

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Itinerary:

We were scheduled to sail first to St. Maarten, then to Domenica, Barbados, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts before returning to New York. However, ship propulsion problems got in the way, and the scheduled stop in St. Kitts would be replaced by an overnight stay in Barbados, and a delayed stop in St. Lucia. This was a minor disappointment to me, as part of my family came to the US from St. Kitts a little over a century ago, and I wanted to see the island again.

St. Maarten

(Map courtesy of Wikipedia)

We decided to take the Discover St. Maarten tour sponsored by Shore Excursions Group. To get to the staging area for this tour, we had to walk from the pier, through the port's shopping area, to the opposite side of the port where independent tours are staged. (It's a long walk in hot weather!) Once one exits the secured area of the port, one sees a station where tour buses wait for cruisers.

Our tour was hosted by a nice woman (sadly, my surviving notes do not have her name or company), who told us about the history of St. Maarten (both Netherlands and French sides) as she passed by sites of interest.

The above beach has a very unusual characteristic - the water level is low enough, that people can walk to the island across the shallows and back without problems.

After the beach, we stopped at an Iguana Feeding Station, where for a small contribution, one can feed these animals. The orange iguana above was named "Donald Trump" because he is Orange and Greedy. (The name fits well, doesn't it?)

After a disappointing stop for lunch, we went to Maho Beach. This beach is known for planes landing and taking off dangerously low for nearby beachgoers. One could easily feel the jet wash as planes neared the road separating the airport from the beach.

Once we had a short time for a bio-break at the beach, it was back to the ship, and on to our next port.

Domenica

(Map courtesy of Wikipedia)

We decided to stay on the ship at this port and enjoy its onboard activities. Next time we take a cruise that makes port here, we will look for an interesting shore excursion we can enjoy.

Barbados

(Map courtesy of Wikipedia)

We decided to take a second shore excursion sponsored by Shore Excursions Group, Highlights of Barbados. We didn't enjoy this tour as much as we did our St. Maarten tour, as this excursion had a lot of driving along twisting, hilly, and poorly maintained roads.

In Barbados, we had to use a shuttle bus to take us from the ship to the cruise terminal. From there, it was a short walk through the terminal (all the stores were closed when we left the ship) to reach the tour staging area. It was a little confusing waiting for our tour to be called. But when it was, we were greeted by a Bajan dressed in a Santa Claus motif. He did a good job of telling the story of Barbados, showing us the historic sites, as well as showing where the celebrities lived.

I feel that the highlights of this excursion was the visit to the highest point on the island, and the visit to the "Mushroom Rocks". Pease note: This tour might be better when the coastal road is repaired sometime in the future.

St. Lucia

(Map courtesy of Wikipedia)

Again, we decided to stay on the ship at this port, as we didn't want to spend hours on a bus to see a small number of interesting photographic opportunities. We also did not want to deal with the headaches of visiting a tender port in hot and humid weather, when we could stay in comfort on the ship.

St. Kitts (Skipped Port)

(Map courtesy of Wikipedia)

Sadly, we were not able to visit Basseterre, St. Kitts on this cruise. There are several excursions I would have liked to have done, one of which would be a ride on the St. Kitts Scenic Railway. This attraction was not available on my first visit to this island in 1998, and it would be nice to have enjoyed it.

Brooklyn, NY

What can I say about the return to the ship's home port and a trip home? For me, I always enjoy seeing the Statue of Liberty just before dawn, and knowing that by noon, I'll be unlocking my door at home and able to relax again.

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Disembarkation and the Return Home:

This process was relatively straight forward. Both "self-assist" and porter service was available. If one chooses porter service, one would use the luggage tags provided by the cabin attendant and place their suitcases in the hallway the night before disembarkation. On the night before disembarkation, one is expected to have their porter service bags in the hallway between 5 & 10 pm, as is the case on most ships.

Unlike most ships' disembarkation processes, many people will be transiting to the UK (and beyond) on this ship. For these people, special procedures were in place, so that they may either remain on the ship or do some sightseeing while the ship is in New York.

For travelers like us, we got on a relatively short line when our debarkation group was called, and easily found our bags in the terminal, save for 1 bag that was places in the wrong, but nearby section.

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Once out of the terminal, we were greeted by the coldest weather of the season. Unfortunately, unless one had arranged an Uber/Lyft or Cab in advance, it was hard to find a ride from the terminal. (No one mentioned that most yellow cabs at the terminal can not be hailed, unlike those in Manhattan.) There was no way we'd wait an hour for the next ferry. So what could we do? We were advised to summon an Uber/Lyft and wait, which we did. 10 minutes later, our ride arrived, and we were on our way home.

Even this NYC area traveler has things to learn about travel in this city....

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Entertainment:

Ship Theater:

Rhythm of the Night:

This show was the weakest of the bunch. Although my partner enjoyed the songs and dances, I was a little bored by it. I felt that the dancing distracted from the songs themselves. Once I closed my eyes, I started to enjoy the show more, as I was able to focus on the music.

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Quintessence is performed by a husband/wife duo of aerialists. The best way to describe their act would be Cirque du Soleil by 2 artists. Their performance captivated me, as I found their combination of strength and delicacy in their movements something I haven't seen anywhere but in a Cirque du Soleil performance.

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When my partner and I went to see this show, we expected to see the ship's musicians perform classical music. Instead, they performed 1950's-1990's popular songs sung by the ship's singers. That alone would have made this a good show. However, Cunard hired the Royal Albert Hall's orchestra to perform (via a recording) 2 segments: a John Williams movie theme segment, and a Beatles segment. Even though the orchestra was pre-recorded, it added much to the performers on the ship's stage.

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Katie Clarke is an interesting pianist. She is at her best when performing classical pieces, such as Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D Minor. However, to get work, she notes that she has to play popular tunes. This is where she's weakest, as her love for modern music isn't there.

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These 3 men had a Vegas act which died with the pandemic. However, they were able to carry on, and do an excellent job performing modern rock anthems. I expect that they will do well when they return to Vegas sometime this year. If you have the chance to hear them perform, do so. It's worth the effort.

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Food Venues and Availability:

Buffet:

The buffet on the Queen Mary 2 seems deceptively small. Yet, I never saw the crowding which I've found on other lines, such as MSC and NCL.

It serves a wide range of food, most of it tasting exceptionally good. Breakfast foods tend to skew towards British tastes (one will find beans and British sausages on the steam tables), but Americans will find many familiar things as well. Lunch offerings were tasty and hearty. One doesn't leave this buffet hungry at lunch time.

Note: If one wants to have a freshly grilled hot dog or burger, one should walk to the aft end of the ship, past most of the buffet seating, where one will find a grill area just beyond the elevator bank. There, you can get your burgers grilled to order and get bar service as desired.

I can't say much about the buffet's dinner offerings, as we didn't eat our evening meals there.

Main Dining Room (Britannia):

My original post for this entry described this dining area, as well as the dinners we had each night. Unfortunately, this information was lost due to an equipment failure on my end.

The lower floor of the Britannia restaurant serves diners who have chosen fixed dining times. The upper floor serves diners who can make reservations for selected dining times, or walk-ins who can be assigned tables as they are available. The food served here is some of the best, if not the best, I've had in any complimentary dining room.

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Queens Room (Afternoon Tea):

Every day, Afternoon Tea is served in the Queen's Room. This consists of finger sandwiches, tea service, and small desserts. Often the ship's musicians will play in this room, and one will often find people dancing to the music while others dine on these small bites.

Note: Every evening, this venue turns into a ballroom where people can dance to their heart's content (traditional, not modern dances).

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Carinthia Lounge:

The Carinthia lounge is not primarily a place where one can dine. However, at breakfast and lunch times, this lounge serves light bites to eat. Just the other side of the elevator bank from the forward area of the buffet, this venue provides a more relaxed venue where one can enjoy a bite to eat.

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Room Service (Breakfasts):

Most cruise lines I have sailed with only deliver continental breakfasts at no charge via room service. However, Cunard allows cruisers to order a full breakfast (hot and cold foods) at breakfast. As one can see in the above delivery, we had a feast delivered to us for the final mornings of our cruise (save for disembarkation day), and loved the decadence of an "almost breakfast in bed."

My partner and I heartily recommend this breakfast option, as it helped us avoid the buffet and enjoy a nice meal without having to deal with waiting for service in the main dining room.

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Internet Issues:

Cunard does not have up to date internet technology, nor do its staff fully understand how to service cruisers who have purchased internet packages. Even before we got on the ship, we had problems with Cunard's website. For example, when I tried to sign on to Cunard's website, I had trouble managing my booking. After a phone call to their tech support, they said that the "My Account" page (see below) doesn't automatically connect you with your latest cruise for management (e.g. seeing what add-ons were purchased).

Instead I would need to go to a different screen and enter my booking number to see what I purchased for this cruise.

This process is confusing at best, as a sister cruise line in Carnival Corp.'s portfolio (Princess) handles internet based technology much better.

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Another issue I have with Cunard is the lack of a downloadable App. On the ship, one connects to the on-ship internet via a special webpage (myvoyage.cunard.com) which performs most of the functions of an App. However with this being said, there is no messaging between cruisers as is available on competing cruise lines (MSC, Princess, and NCL come to mind), and this makes it impossible for 2 (or more) connected cruisers to contact each other when on different parts of the ship.

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One would think that once one has boarded the ship, that one's internet related problems would be over. This was not our case. We were told by the purser's office that we had bought only 1 wi-fi connection, and created a Cunard Icon on our phones so that we could share it. By the time half the cruise was over, my partner found the proof that she had bought 2 wi-fi connections (1 for each of us). So we went to the purser's office, got things fixed, and Cunard issued a refund for 6 days before we got off the ship.

Service (in general):

On most ships, service seems to be a second thought for those sailing in "Steerage". This is not the case with Cunard. With the exception of its wi-fi / internet, ALL service on the ship is top notch. (I can only imagine the service Cunard provides for its suite passengers.)

Unlike typical American ships, service on Cunard is professional but not overly friendly. This is refreshing, as Cunard tries to ensure that every crew member provides the same outstanding level of service, even if they do not face cruisers. If there's one thing that Cunard excels at, it is the service given to cruisers onboard the ship.

Miscellaneous:

Ship's Library:

Unlike most ships, the Queen Mary 2 has one of the largest libraries to be found at sea. Where the MSC Meraviglia has only an empty rack of shelves for a library area, this ship has a fully stocked library larger than the size of my apartment.
Ship Layout:

Sometimes, it's hard to get from one area of the ship to the other, as some venues are inconveniently located behind other venues. The ship's planetarium/movie theater is located behind another theater. The Queen's room is located behind the Britannia dining room. One has to learn the shortcuts to transit the ship, or one can get lost - as my partner did at one point during the cruise.
Self-Service Laundry:

Unlike most cruise lines, Cunard not only provides self-service laundry facilities to cruisers, but provides it at no charge, as well as the detergent sheets needed to wash one's clothes.
Formal Nights:

Cunard is one of the last mainstream lines that has dress codes for men and women on formal nights. Although not as rigid as in the old days, where "Dinner Suits" and Ball Gowns were expected, the line expects people to dress up for these nights.

There is something special about seeing people in formal wear on these nights which can not be replicated on most cruise lines, as people who sail with Cunard choose this line, in part because it is a link to the glory days of ocean liners and their transatlantic crossings
Ship Casino:

Compared to other ships of this size, the casino area on the QM2 is relatively small. At sea one night, we found more staff behind the gaming tables than there were cruisers in the casino itself. Even when people were patronizing the casino, we did not notice the odor of tobacco smoke wafting into the hallway.
Television / In-Room Entertainment:

Unlike many ships, the Queen Mary 2 does not have an interactive TV system. One can not select movies to be purchased. One cannot display their onboard account on the TV. All one can do is select TV channels to watch using the TV remote.

With the above being noted, we found a way to have our own custom entertainment on the TV on the last day of the cruise. The TV in our cabin was a standard Samsung TV which allowed for media casting. Although I had to install an App on my phone, I was able to cast YouTube videos to the TV for our enjoyment. (I'm glad we had streaming internet on this cruise.) Next time, we'll be sure to set this up on the first day of the cruise, so that we can enjoy media cast from our phones.
Cruise Line History:

The "Big 3" United States cruise corporations all have their roots in the second half of the 20th century. Cunard, however, can trace its roots back to the 1800's, and uses that history to give this ship a sense of gravitas.

Near every elevator bank are replicas of posters illustrating Cunard's long history. There is another area of the ship (not photographed by me) which covers the history of Cunard's transatlantic crossings, the ships that made and the people who made the crossing.
Holiday Season:

This cruise started the day before Thanksgiving. While onboard, the crew gradually decked this ship out for the Christmas season. It was a delight to gradually see signs of Christmas gradually appear. One day, it was red bows attached to light sconces, the next day it might be the positioning of giant wooden soldiers, and finally, the Christmas tree set up in the main atrium.
Attention to Detail / Dining Room Quirks:
(Typical dish placement with Cunard Logo on top of plate)
One thing that was almost universally consistent was the placement of dishes - all plates were placed in a way where the Cunard Logo would always be on top, easily viewed when the dish was delivered to the table. It was a nice touch that showed Cunard's attention to detail included the minor details as well.
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(Traditional, full flatware service before the first appetizer is presented)

The few quirks I noticed in dining room service were the placement of flatware and the tea service in the main dining room. I stress the word quirk here, as kitchen logistics may have caused both things.

Most of the time, restaurant staff placed the full set of flatware one would need for the entire meal on the table at the same time. Other times, they would deliver the flatware needed for the course at the same time the course is delivered.

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(Two different teapots used for after dinner tea service)

Just as interesting was the after dinner tea service. Sometimes, a cup was delivered, and they'd pour tea without leaving the teapot. Other times, they would leave the teapot, but it may not be the same size each time tea was delivered to the table. Again, just an interesting quirk.

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Conclusions:

The Queen Mary 2 is not a ship for everyone, nor does it try to be. Cruisers on this ship tend to be an older crowd, well educated, and enjoy the feeling of casual elegance that this ship exudes. Although we encountered some children on the cruise, they were well behaved and did not get in the way of other people.

Cunard is known for speakers who give enrichment talks throughout the cruise. One of the speakers on this cruise was a woman who described the business of book publishing, and the difficulty of making money from book sales. This was a refreshing difference from other lines, where many of the scheduled presentations revolve around how to spend money at the ship's venues or "friendly" venues at port stops.

This ship is a one-of-a-kind treat for those used to typical American based cruise lines. Although this cruise was a 12-day excursion to the Eastern Caribbean, it whetted my appetite to take a transatlantic crossing on this ship sometime in the intermediate future.

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Dinner Menus and Dishes Chosen:

Please note that all of the photos below were taken on my own camera, and not by a professional. They only serve to give the viewer an idea of what dinners were like on this ship.

I felt that all of the food presented to us on this trip was of good quality. Appetizer portions were small. But one could order more than one dish, as I often did, to get to taste more things at one meal. Yet, there were hits and misses in the dishes, especially in the appetizers and desserts.

Day 01 - Menu: