| I had the pleasure of visiting the Queen Mary 2
on September 30th, 2006. The Queen Mary
2 is unlike any ship that I have seen to date. Upon boarding this grand
vessel, you are immediately surrounded by an air of sophistication and
luxury. Bars and Lounges
Everything about the ship is on a grand scale – from the 1,105 guest
Royal Court Theatre (main showroom) with its multi tiered seating and
oversized stage to the ship’s 5 deck Grand Atrium.
The ship features 14 bars and lounges. One of the most impressive
showrooms onboard is the beautiful Queen’s Room, which spans the whole width
of the ship and is decorated in cool blue and gold. The room posses as sense
of grandeur, with it’s high ceiling, unobstructed views, large dance floor
and stage. The walls around the stage are arched and give the appearance of
the Sydney Opera house. Heavy dark blue and gold curtains fill the arched
opening behind the stage. Proudly displayed on the curtains is an elegantly
scripted, large gold “Q” which is the centerpiece of the room..
Behind the Queen’s Room is the G32 disco. Named G32, after the
shipbuilder’s hull name assigned to the Queen Mary 2 before she was
officially named. The disco walls are metal gray giving visitors the
impression of the raw steel used to construct the ship. G32 has 2 levels and
the upper level overlooks the dance floor below. On the opposite wall of the
upper level are large portholes which overlook the adjoining Queen’s Room.
The QM2 has a Champaign bar where passengers can enjoy a glass of bubbly.
There is the Commodore Club where you can listen to jazz music while sipping
your drink. This lounge is located high above the ship facing forward and
provides dramatic views of the bow of the ship and the seascape.
The historical Sir Samuel’s Bar (named after Cunard’s founder – Samuel
Cunard.). This venue is ideal for sipping a cup of cappuccino or glass of
wine.
The Winter Garden Lounge brings the greenery of onshore aboard the ship.
The room is reminiscent of the main lounge aboard the Queen Elizabeth 2. The
room is very bright taking advantage of large windows which allow tons of
natural light to enter the area. The area is primarily white and color is
introduced with the many live plants of various varieties and sizes. The
vegetation also helps to provide privacy to those enjoying the area.
The Queen Mary 2 is the first ship to have a shipboard planetarium –
Illuminations, which offers constellation and virtual reality shows in
addition to movies, lectures and religious services.
Spa & Gym Facilities
The Queen Mary 2 has an extensive set of spa treatments ranging from
message therapy to seaweed treatments and everything in between. There are
numerous treatment rooms including a therapy pool for those seeking an aqua
treatment. The Spa is managed by the famous Canyon Ranch Spa organization.
Like all cruises, Spa treatments are available at an additional cost.
Adjacent to the Spa area is the gym, which has all of the most up-to-date
exercise equipment including walking machines, weights and step machines. An
outdoor jogging track provides the ideal environment for an early morning
run. There also is a driving range and putting green for perfecting your
swing.
Casino
The Empire Casino spans some 6,000 square feet and has all of the games
of chance – including slot machines, blackjack, roulette, craps and poker.
Within the casino, can be found the Empire Casino bar where guests can enjoy
a cocktail and still stay close to the action.
In the public areas, the hallways throughout the ship are grander then
life - measuring 20+ feet in diameter. The ceilings are extremely high and
the walls are lined with various oversized art pieces including 3
dimensional scenes etched in copper and other metals. Secondary hallways are
lined with historical photography and memorabilia from Cunard’s long history
including photos of celebrities from the 30’s-70’s.
Shopping Onboard
The Mayfair shops offer a gallery of boutiques which include the normal
souvenir type items, perfumes, liquors and jewelry. In addition to these
shops there are upscale establishments like Hermes, Dunhill, Chopard, H.
Stern and Harrods. There is also a formal shop with Tuxedos for sale or
rent.
Library & Internet Access
The Queen Mary 2’s library is a very impressive room. Located forward on
Deck 8, the room has floor to ceiling windows that overlook the bow area of
the ship. The room is very pleasant with rich wood tones, comfortable
seating and 8,000+ volumes of interesting reading materials. The QM2 is said
to have one of the largest libraries at sea.
The QM2’s Cyber Centre is located in the Cunard ConneXions Room and
provides 9 terminals for passengers to surf the internet. Internet access is
also available in the Library and the ConneXions Classroom which is used to
teach computer related classes.
Accommodations
Since passengers were already boarding the ship for their 12-day cruise
to New England and Canada, I was unable to see any of the ship’s cabins. The
Queen Mary 2 features, standard cabins and categories, including inside,
outside, verandah, suites and the Grand Duplex apartments measuring a
whopping 2,249 square feet. All accommodations offer adequate storage, are
brightly decorated and provide ample space. The cabin bathroom facilities
are functional and adequate. All cabins are brightly decorated in subtle
colors that extend the sophistication of public rooms into your private
space. In total, the ship has 1,310 staterooms varying from the Duplex
apartments to the standard interior staterooms. The QM2’s normal passenger
capacity is 2,620 passengers, double occupancy, well below capacity a ship
this size can carry.
Dining Options
The Queen Mary 2 features three main dining rooms. Passengers are
assigned to a dining room based on the category of cabin chosen. Those
booking standard staterooms onboard the QM2 will dine in the elegant 3 tier
Britannia Restaurant. Decorated in friendly warm Mediterranean tones, the
room is elegant and inviting. The Britannia restaurant offers two seatings
for dinner.
Those guests staying in the Princess Suites and Queen Grill Suites will
have the opportunity to dine in the exclusive Princess Grill and Queen’s
Grill respectively. Both the Princess Grill and the Queen’s Grill offers an
upscale menu, more attentive service and single seating dining.
Breakfast and lunch is served in the ship’s extensive Kings Court dining
pavilion. In the morning, there are stations where guests can order eggs,
omelets, pancakes and waffles. At lunch there are carved meats, regional hot
dishes, deli sandwiches and salads.
In addition to the dining rooms there are also 7 specialty restaurants –
some requiring an added cover charge. Additional restaurants include Todd
English’s signature restaurant featuring the chef’s Mediterranean creations.
This 156 seat venue overlooks the aft pool area and provides impressive
views of the ship’s wake. Other dining options include the Lotus for Asian
Cuisine, the Chef’s Galley (additional fee), Italian food in the La Piazza
and the Golden Lion Pub featuring fish and chips. For the late night snack
there is always 24 hour room service.
Children's Program
The QM2 does have a children’s program. The Nursery is for children 1-2
years old.. The Play Zone is for children 3-6 years old. Activities to keep
these youngsters busy include Pirate parties, Pizza parties, movie nights
and arts and crafts to name a few. For those children 7 and older there is
The Zone. Activities for these children include scavenger hunts, ship tours,
quizzes, Bingo Xboxes, DJ booth and pizza nights – just to name a few of the
activities. It should be noted that depending on the sailing, time of the
year and the upscale nature of the QM2 - the number of children can vary
greatly with some sailings having only a few in each category and other
times a larger number of children onboard.
Deck Space
One feature that is immediately evident once you venture outside on the
Queen Mary 2 is the large amount of deck space. The Aft pool area on deck 8
and 9 is very impressive. It is on these decks that you truly get an
appreciation for the great width of the ship. There are ample deck chairs
and the pool are an adequate size for cooling down on a hot day.
Pampered Pets
The QM2 also provides kennel service, so that your pets can travel in
style too.
Conclusion
Overall the Queen Mary 2 is a very impressive ship with an air of luxury
and grandeur. It is for the sophisticated traveler. Traditionally the QM2
will attract the more affluent, older traveler. The QM2 is not the wild
party ship, but more for those seeking a vacation with old world charm and
sophistication. The ship itself is very impressive and has to been seen for
yourself to appreciate the décor and the total cruise experience.
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