QM2 Cruise Review
Transatlantic Educational, October 2008 - Ali McIntosh
 What a privilege to be a part of history and what a truly memorable trip. Experiencing a Transatlantic voyage has been my dream for many years and being a part of this trip went beyond all expectations.
I travelled down from Glasgow to Heathrow and stayed overnight due to my early flight to New York. We flew with BA, had great service and I was able to watch three movies!
Embarkation for the QM2 was very smooth, once checked in we headed directly to our cabin to check it out. We had a sheltered balcony on deck 5, which was spacious and elegantly decorated. After a quick change we headed up on deck for the sail away and our first glimpse of the Statue of Liberty.
What a sailaway! We came out of Brooklyn Cruise Terminal and sailed up the Hudson to meet QE2, she was sailing out of Battery Park, to meet us for her final voyage out of New York. The band played ‘New York, New York’, ‘Beyond the Sea’ and ‘It had to be You (QE2)’ when she came alongside. It was absolutely magical. There were helicopters buzzing overhead, the Manhattan Skyline was magnificent and the atmosphere onboard was electric.
The first evening’s dress code was ‘Elegant Casual’ and we were dining in the Britannia Restaurant. We had a fantastic meal and due to being a bit tired we retired to our cabin to find Roberto our steward had turned down the beds and placed a chocolate on the pillow!
Breakfast was in the Kings Court the next morning which is ‘buffet’ style. There was a fabulous selection of food from pancakes and waffles to full English breakfast. The evening was ‘Formal’ with the ‘Commodore’s Reception’ in the Queens Room before dinner where everyone is introduced to the Commodore before enjoying Champagne and Canapés. After dinner in the Britannia we tried out G32, the night club - what a great night!
We were given a spa day pass to the Canyon Ranch Spa, which was a lovely surprise. It was great to experience the thermal pool, hot tub, saunas and lovely peaceful relaxation area with a wonderful view of the QE2 sailing alongside (a mile away). Back at our cabin we caught a glimpse of a pod of dolphins from our balcony and what we are convinced was a whale ‘spout’ but we will never have proof! We had a real treat that evening with pre-dinner drinks in the Veuve Cliquot champagne bar where we were treated to a Jereboam, which the 16 of us managed to enjoy.
The next day we took a walk out on deck to blow the cobwebs away. Bracing but not too cold, the sea all the way across was described as ‘moderate’ but it did feel a bit choppy at times which was great.
We had a bridge visit that afternoon which was very interesting seeing all the radar etc. We were shown the spot Titanic went down as we had just recently passed over it. Commodore Warner then came to speak to us. He is a man with great ‘presence’ and is obviously treated like ‘God’ on the bridge which was a little imposing but a fantastic experience.
We had pre-dinner drinks in the Commodore Club later and I discovered a new wonderful cocktail, a Ginger and Basil Collins – mmm! We dined in Todd English which was wonderful. The next evening Fay and I ate in the Queens Grill which is even more exclusive than the Princess Grill and I had my new ‘best meal yet’. The maitre de was very friendly as was the sommelier and waitresses. You are made to feel really special and it is a real 5 star service. In contrast we went down to join our colleagues in the Britannia restaurant when we had finished our meal and they were just in the throws of the ‘Meet the Chefs and Staff’ parade. It really highlighted the difference between the Queens Grill and the Britannia, a real ‘Titanic’ moment like going below stairs for the Irish jigging! It was fantastic to be able to have both experiences and put into perspective the ‘class system’ onboard a Cunard ship (which is not for everyone but really does suit some). We then rounded off the evening with a bit of Karaoke in the Golden Lion pub. The next morning we had the Galley visit which is always amazing to see onboard a ship and is just mind boggling how it is all done behind the scenes.
 Shopping onboard is of the more exclusive variety but there is something for everyone with the $15 section too! A unique feature is the book shop next to the library where they specialise in memorabilia etc. After another visit to Illuminations we experienced the white gloved Afternoon Tea in the Queens Room, with sandwiches, scones with jam and cream and cake. The Commodore had announced that morning that it was Trafalgar Day and advised that at 4.30pm QE2 would be coming alongside within one third of a mile when we would exchange whistle signals and that we were to do ‘Three Cheers’. Everyone was out on deck taking pictures.
After breakfast in the Kings Court, for one last time, we all disembarked and made our way home to different parts of the UK, all with a truly unique experience as part of history.
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