Up next in 10
I cruised on Cunard Queen Mary 2 to see if the ship is as rundown and poorly maintained as many recent critics have claimed, and explore what the ship is like today. Here's what I found: the good and bad
ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 92 cruises I have done to date.
Links mentioned in the video:
BUY MY CRUISE-THEMED T-SHIRTs
————————————————-
* Check out my T-Shirt range: http://bit.ly/TFTStore
SUPPORT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS
—————————————————————
* Become a Channel Member and get perks: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com/Join
* Become a Patron on Patreon and get perks: https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers
* Make a donation: https://www.paypal.com/donate?hosted_button_id=V9STJGYSEMGLJ
* Buy my book “Cruise Traveler’s Handbook: USA Amazon https://amzn.to/2YVFmG4 and https://amzn.to/3tzIxBn
UK Amazon https://amzn.to/3oXbzYc and https://amzn.to/3qawqIQ
FOLLOW ME ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
my heart sank as i boarded queen mary 2
0:02
in southampton for my first trip in
0:05
around eight years a transatlantic
0:07
crossing i spotted areas on the hull
0:10
looking battered and rusty and i
0:12
wondered was this the evidence that
0:13
recent critics were right and queen mary
0:16
2 was becoming run down
0:18
and her glory days were done i'm gary
0:21
bembridge join me as i look at how this
0:23
famous ship stacks up today there is no
0:26
doubt this almost 20 year old ship has
0:28
signs on the hull of being battered by
0:30
the brutal north atlantic crossings it
0:32
does 20 to 25 times a year while most
0:36
regular cruise ships spend five or six
0:38
days a week in port allowing the crew to
0:41
constantly touch up and keep the hull
0:43
and heart to reach exteriors looking
0:45
sharp this is not so easy on queen mary
0:49
2. this liner spends almost all her time
0:52
at sea often in port just one day a week
0:55
for eight hours it's really challenging
0:57
to keep much of the hull and those hard
1:00
to reach external areas pristine
1:03
while that is understandable i wondered
1:05
about the interiors and the open decks
1:07
of the ship that many had also
1:10
criticized the interiors today were much
1:12
as i remember them a nod to the glory
1:15
days of transatlantic crossings with an
1:17
art deco look and feel
1:21
little of the look has changed though
1:23
the carpets are a bit jazzier and it
1:25
does look a bit dated but it has always
1:27
looked a bit dated it's a deliberate
1:30
design
1:31
harking back to past liner eras there
1:35
have been some updates like solar cabins
1:37
have been added the elevator has been
1:38
removed from the grand lobby and the
1:40
rather soulless winter garden lounge has
1:42
been turned into the much more
1:44
comfortable much more appealing
1:46
corinthia lounge however
1:48
despite hunting
1:50
i found very few examples of the ship
1:52
itself looking shabby i saw crew during
1:56
the crossing constantly out on deck
1:58
painting and touching up areas that they
2:00
could actually access
2:02
they're also
2:04
frequently in the hallways crew fixing
2:07
issues doing general maintenance
2:09
activities and so on however there were
2:12
a couple of areas that did seem to be
2:16
being ignored for example the dec 12
2:19
pavilion pool which is the indoor pool
2:22
looked rarely run down and unloved with
2:24
one
2:25
noticeably damaged area on the roof
2:27
seemingly being left to decay i visited
2:30
a friend in their deck 5 shelter balcony
2:33
and there were rusty water stains along
2:35
the pipes right along that deck which
2:37
was rather unsightly and also odd that
2:40
had been left like that however
2:43
in terms of the overall maintenance and
2:45
condition of the ship i certainly didn't
2:47
see what many people have criticized i
2:50
wonder if some focus on the decor
2:53
looking dated versus modern crisp cruise
2:56
ship day called trends
2:58
is what people are focusing on but it's
3:00
not actually in poor condition at all
3:02
one area that does feel data to me
3:03
though by the way is the bathrooms they
3:05
are old-fashioned with some completely
3:08
anachronistic features like an ashtray
3:10
next to the toilet
3:12
i personally don't think travelers
3:13
should worry much about the ship being
3:16
run down
3:17
but i do think there are other things
3:19
about the ship today that may be issues
3:22
for some over the years i've spent 11
3:25
weeks on the ship and on this trip i
3:27
still found it baffling to find my way
3:30
around
3:31
why
3:32
well queen mary 2 was designed as a
3:34
liner to cross the atlantic in the most
3:36
stable
3:37
and comfortable possible way it does not
3:40
follow the usual layout of regular
3:42
cruise ships
3:44
on regular cruise ships the main dining
3:45
rooms are usually at the very back of
3:47
the ship and the theater at the very
3:49
front and in between in the middle of
3:51
the ship are the bars lounges casino
3:55
guest services
3:56
shops those kind of things the main pool
3:59
and the buffet are at the top deck with
4:01
most cabins between there and the decks
4:03
with those restaurants theater and those
4:05
other venues this
4:07
is not the case on queen mary 2. the
4:10
designer pushed the big public venues as
4:13
low down in the ship as he could many
4:15
are within the hull and at the waterline
4:18
and much more midship so they're in more
4:20
stable areas and less prone to movement
4:24
the brittania restaurant for example
4:26
which is where most people dine is
4:28
closer to the middle and right down on
4:30
decks two and three the queen's room the
4:34
massive ballroom used for dance classes
4:37
afternoon tea and evening balls is low
4:40
down on the ship too on deck 3
4:43
the theater is also located much more
4:45
midship and low down than on regular
4:48
cruise ships behind the theater toward
4:50
the front of the ship is illuminations
4:53
this is where they hold lectures during
4:55
the day it doesn't have to be as stable
4:57
when it's sailing like the theater has
4:59
to be for the dancers and entertainers
5:01
to perform so the theaters brought more
5:03
midship unlike regular cruise ships
5:05
there are huge numbers of cabin low down
5:08
and within the hull on x4 5 and 6
5:11
including cabins with sheltered
5:13
balconies cut into the hull itself
5:16
even the open deck pools are on lower
5:19
decks than on regular cruise ships to
5:22
achieve this means a slightly confusing
5:25
layout especially to regular cruise ship
5:28
travelers because it doesn't follow the
5:30
usual rules and getting from one menu to
5:33
another is less obvious often requiring
5:36
a diversion along lengthy passageways
5:39
around large venues for example
5:42
to get to the queen's room you have to
5:44
go along a corridor around the britannia
5:47
restaurant
5:48
to get to illuminations to go to the
5:50
lectures you have to find it and go
5:52
along a corridor that goes around the
5:55
royal court theater despite all that
5:57
there are some unique and magical places
5:59
on this ship the queen's room where the
6:02
balls
6:03
live orchestra
6:05
afternoon tea and dancing classes is
6:08
magnificent enormous and breathtaking
6:12
the tiered britannia restaurant with
6:15
sweeping staircase and huge tapestry is
6:18
a grand spectacle
6:20
of a dining room
6:22
illuminations which hosts the only
6:24
planetarium at sea is a dramatic venue
6:27
for talks and those shows
6:30
there is a vast library which has over
6:33
10 000 books
6:36
up on the 12th deck there are kennels
6:38
which can hold up to 24 cats and dogs on
6:41
the crossings there's the teak full wrap
6:44
around promenade deck which hundreds
6:47
walk every day on the crossing go around
6:50
it three times and you've done 1.1 mile
6:54
because of its slightly strange layout
6:56
there are places and features that many
6:58
miss out on because they just don't know
7:00
they exist or how to find them there are
7:03
for example two scenic lifts between
7:05
dick 7 and deck 11 that tucked away at
7:08
the front of the ship they're hard to
7:10
find and impossible to see from out on
7:12
deck so most people don't know they're
7:14
there on deck 11 there's an open
7:16
observation deck overlooking the bow of
7:18
the ship it's a really great place to go
7:20
when sailing in or out of new york to
7:22
see the statue of liberty there's a
7:25
commodore club and churchill's cigar
7:28
lounge which many forget and miss
7:31
because it's tucked away right in the
7:32
front of deck 9. they're also hidden in
7:35
what i guess are called easter eggs and
7:38
maritime nods that again many people
7:41
miss out on for example
7:43
there's a small homer simpson buried in
7:46
one of the art deco style panels just
7:49
outside the golden lion pub g32 the
7:52
nightclub is the name of the hull of the
7:55
ship when it was being built in the
7:58
shipyard so samuels which has a
8:00
partnership with cadaver chocolates is
8:03
named after the founder of cunard the
8:05
corinthian lounge is named after the
8:07
very first cunard ship to ever do a
8:10
world voyage in 1933.
8:13
there is also then a magnificent
8:14
maritime history walk dotted around the
8:16
ship which tells the history of cunard
8:19
and celebrities that have cruised on
8:21
cunard over the years but all is not
8:24
perfect with queen mary 2 and there are
8:26
some areas that show it is out of touch
8:30
with contemporary cruising and has
8:32
definitely some growing weaknesses as
8:34
cruising evolves and passengers needs
8:37
keep changing certainly in the two
8:40
decades since it's launched first queen
8:42
mary 2 is a bit stuck in the past it
8:45
doesn't embrace that travelers are now
8:46
connected
8:48
and tech savvy
8:49
i met more passengers who follow and
8:52
watch my youtube channel on my crossing
8:55
than i have ever done on any other
8:57
cruise that i've ever been on but the
8:59
ship is just not tech savvy enough for
9:02
those people they updated the wi-fi
9:04
which is poor you can't stream with the
9:06
so-called streaming package and it's
9:08
almost impossible in many cabins to get
9:11
a wi-fi signal there's no proper app
9:14
there's a half-hearted attempt at an app
9:17
that is clumsy and it's really hard to
9:19
use so most people don't bother the
9:21
television's not very interactive either
9:24
and you still have to go down to the
9:25
first deck to solve many queries make
9:28
many bookings which means there are
9:30
always lines there
9:32
little things like there are no usb
9:34
plugs in the cabin or even plugs next to
9:37
the beds to charge your devices which is
9:39
frustrating another issue which i think
9:42
is a big one is i think they're slipping
9:44
behind
9:46
with their grills experience in their
9:48
grills they have queens grill the
9:50
biggest sweets of all who eat in the
9:52
queen school restaurant and they have
9:55
princess grill which are the smaller
9:57
sweets and they eat in the princess
9:59
grills restaurant cunard focuses the
10:02
grills experience very much on the
10:04
dining experience and undoubtedly the
10:07
queen's and princess grill dining
10:09
experiences are probably the best dining
10:12
experiences i've ever had
10:14
anywhere at sea however
10:17
other lions have upped their sweet
10:19
experience beyond what cunard are doing
10:21
some have created ships within ships
10:24
like msc cruisers yacht club and
10:26
norwegian haven with access controlled
10:29
areas with lounges bars pools hot tubs
10:33
decks concierge service and restaurants
10:35
for their sweet guests
10:37
celebrity for example have also created
10:40
what they call the retreat for suites
10:42
with an expansive really plush lounge a
10:45
large deck with a pool a bar snack bar
10:48
as well as having a dedicated restaurant
10:50
on queen mary 2
10:52
there's a small unimpressive grills
10:55
lounge not the sort of place you're
10:57
going to want to hang out in very much
10:59
there's a concierge lounge which is
11:02
inside on deck 9 with no windows a
11:04
little bit dark and gloomy there's also
11:06
a deck which is more of a thoroughfare
11:09
in reality and has one small hot tub on
11:11
deck 11. all of these are dotted around
11:14
the ship and in not
11:16
one key space
11:18
the overall grill's experience of perks
11:20
while good is not as good as the sweet
11:23
experiences on many more contemporary
11:25
lines that i've been on over the last
11:27
few years
11:28
another really weak area is fitness the
11:30
gym looks very unloved it doesn't seem
11:32
to have been updated and it's pretty
11:34
much ignored by the people who run the
11:36
spa there are also almost no fitness
11:39
classes and no studio to hold them in
11:42
there's a few yoga stretch meditation
11:45
classes offered but with really limited
11:47
numbers and they were held up on the
11:49
pavilion pool deck fitness is an
11:51
important trend for modern travelers
11:53
cunard are not keeping up they don't
11:55
offer much specialty dining on queen
11:58
mary 2 either there is the veranda
12:00
steakhouse which is ok it's not a
12:03
particularly great venue
12:05
and there also are some themed paid for
12:08
evenings in the kings court buffet but
12:10
again it's not a particularly great
12:11
venue or that inspiring they haven't
12:13
really focused on specially dining which
12:15
seems important to modern travellers too
12:18
however
12:20
saying all that queen mary 2 is unique
12:22
much of its eccentricity is part of its
12:25
magic the thing i love about primo 2 is
12:28
it is different to any other ship that
12:31
i've ever been on it's weird it's
12:33
strange it's confusing it's baffling but
12:36
it is a magnificent experience
12:38
and a wonderful ship if you want to know
12:41
more about crossing the atlantic like
12:43
i've just done on queen mary 2 look at
12:45
this video where i face the three
12:48
biggest fears that people have
12:51
when they go on a transatlantic
12:54
see you over there
#Specialty Travel
#Travel Guides & Travelogues