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Cunard Line

Queen Elizabeth 2

Your Rating:
Reviewed by: Reint van Dijk
# previous cruises: 6
Date of Trip: December 15, 2003
Itinerary: Transatlantic

The QE2 is not everybody. I can imagine that people will not like her, however I loved the full experience! The ship can't be compared to the modern flashy cruise liners but she has got true style. I loved this ship the moment I stepped on board. In 1982 I saw the QE2 for the first time in Southampton. At that time still considered to be one of the grandest of all I decided once in my life to sail on her. It took 20 years before the opportunity happened! And I felt just as excited as the 18 year old on the cold rainy Southampton dockside in October 1982. This was a stormy Transatlantic, which turned out to be one of my best sailing experiences ever.

The ship dates from 1969 and has been refurbished a lot. As far as I can see it is only the Chart room bar which is pretty similar to when the ship came out. The ship's interior is rather toned down compared to nowadays cruise ships. During the storm the age of the ship became apparent and pipes broke down, buckets were placed in the alley ways which didn't look terribly pretty. However for me it added to the excitement of a memorable Transatlantic crossing when the ship was battered by 30-40 feet waves.

Every vacation experience depends on the general mood of the traveller him, or her self. Some people do get carried away by picking on the negative parts and find themselves eventually in a complete negative mood. I enjoyed service very much. During the two stormy days the self-service buffet had to be closed and everybody had to be served in the Mauretania. I absolutely admired the restaurant staff for coping with this in such a graceful manner. Once during lunch time the storm was so forceful the ship tilted so heavily dishes etc slipped of the buffets in full force causing a big noise. Despite these incidents I had a great lunch and good service. Our waiter and waitress were very good and turned our diner into a very lovely experience. We always tried to get back into their section during breakfast and lunch. When we had to say our farewells in New York our waitress gave us a kiss. Some people fail to understand that service is also a question of taking and giving, they will treat you well if you treat them well and give them respect. One night the restaurant staff was able to arrange a larger table so could have dinner together with newly met friends.

Afternoon tea in the Queens room was also very nice

We booked the cheapest M5 inside catagory. A very small 2 bunk bed cabin on the lowest deck. The lay out was very good, big nice newly refurbished bathroom and enough storage. Small cabins like that are not being built anymore, we liked it and it gave us a bit of a nostalgic feeling. We were happy with it. One big advantage was the position on the lowest deck midships, which made the movement of the ship less.

The evening shows were not of a very high standard and only saw one. Spend a lot of time late evening in the Yacht Club which was very enjoyable. Usually on cruises I tend to go to bed early but this one was an exception.

This is never a big issue as I always tend to entertain myself with a book, relax, chat with fellow passengers or simply snooze. Which can be very nice during a gale force Atlantic storm. Being very prone to sea sickness I took enough medication supplies and took it pro actively at regular times. Which meant when the bad weather finally came I was prepared and wasn't really affected by it.

The lectures in the theatre were an unexpected surprise and we attended them every morning after breakfast. For the rest I didn't attend anything

A transatlantic, especially in December is not for everybody. The fellow passengers were one of the absolute highlights of this trip. And spend a lot of time socializing, most of the time til the early hours. This voyage had a theme of the old Transatlantic days and seem to be full of ship buffs like myself. In the sauna I even saw a guy with a Normandie tattoo! It was a relative young crowd who knows how to have good time. Didn't came across meet the usual complaining lot.