Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2004 16:26:52 EST
From: CHarvey649 @ aol.com
Subject: On board Queen Mary 2
( Copied from http://groups.yahoo.com/group/linerslist )

Guys, a warning, this is very long!

No, don't get too excited, I'm not actually on board now! However, I am just home from having spent the greater part of today aboard the new liner, and I thought you just might be interested in my impressions. I have purposely held back from all the recent discussions on the ship, and from going off and looking at all the various sites that have been mentioned that show photos of her, as I wanted to have a clear head and make up my own mind about how I felt about the ship. That said, I did look at those interior shots that briefly appeared, but as they showed so little they didn't colour my view one way or the other.

First view of the ship was from the mini-bus taking us from the station to the QEII terminal. She dwarfs the terminal, she is immense, one cannot fail but to be impressed by the sheer size of the ship. From that three-quarter bow view she looks uncompromisingly square. As we drew alongside the terminal there were little aspects of her design that excited, whilst others somewhat jarred. Nevertheless, being there was exciting. I can't believe that I'm typing that statement!

I'll try and give my impressions of the ship in the order of our tour: we were free to do a self-guided tour (it was about 10 am when we got aboard and we didn't disembark until after four). We entered the ship on Deck 3 into the Grand Lobby - the atrium. This is a handsome space, not awe inspiring, indeed one could almost describe it as being intimate! Its upper level is dominated by a bronze relief of the ship which is illuminated by changing coloured lights - this sounds tacky but isn't. To one side is the champagne bar, elegant and attractive but shielded from the embarking passengers by a row of plastic orange trees - I hope these are just a temporary abberation!

Moving aft we come to the Chart Room. This is without any doubt as far as I'm concerned, the most beautiful room on the ship, and one of the most beautiful shipboard rooms I've been in. Decorated in pale blues and with very simple decor it is very elegant. On the opposite side of the ship is Sir Samuels wine bar, which is an attractive space. Aft of this is the upper level of the Britannia Restaurant.

This really does have a grand ocean liner feel about it, and is very handsome. However, I wasn't impressed by the huge tapestry that dominates one end of the room. Its design seemed to me to be at odds with the gridded pattern on the ceiling dome over the centre part of the room.

Aft again, we come to the Queens Room Ballroom. It lacks that cool sophistication of the original Queens Room aboard the QE2, which became something of a design icon. This new room will never achieve that status. It is a comfortable room, and its outer edges are nicer than the centre. There are far too many design elements in the room screaming 'look at me!' That said, it has nice furniture, stunning lamps and elegant drapes but far too fussy bits and pieces on the ceiling, two very glittery cystal chandeliers over the dance floor - one would have been fine, and none would have been even better.

Aft of this is the G32 Nightclub, in my opinion, the less said about this room the better. It reminded me of Soviet cruise ship decor - and no Bruce it just isn't so chic, it was ghastly! A leap forward on this deck and we have the upper level of the Royal Court Theatre, all three of us thought it was just dreary.

Forward of that was Illuminations, planetarium/ lecture theatre/ cinema. Fabulous sculptures either side of the entrance, Mercury and Mars I think. However the room itself was nothing to get excited about.

On Deck 2 aft, is the lower level of the Britannia Restaurant. The moving forward we have the casino - not glitzy, but there is nothing much else one can say. On the opposite side of the ship is the Golden Lion pub. Well, I guess that in some rather run-down areas of Britain there may be pubs that look like this, but if you were/are a foreign tourist on your way to Southampton and you went into this bar I think that it would be enough to ensure that you never bothered to set foot in a pub once you arrived on these shores. Its horrid! Just don't go there, now I know that you will just to see if it is as nasty as I'm implying. The lower levels of the theatre and Illuminations are further forward.

Deck 7 aft. If you have spent a great deal of money on your accommodation aboard the ship you will be allocated to either the Queens Grill or the Princess Grill. They are all-but identical in decorative style but in different colours. They are elegant, tasteful and remarkably dull. Were I accommodated in a luxury cabin or suite I'd go and eat in the Britannia, it is opulent whereas the grills are just disappointing. There is really nothing special about them at all. Dull is the watchword for this end of the ship, as the adjacent Queens Grill Lounge is also dull, brown furniture and carpet, pale beige walls, some ineptly hung black and white photographs (too high and too far apart). The room does have an attractive bar and some lovely deco sofas with vivdly coloured pillows, and their colour should have been used a little more freely in the room. A large area in the centre of this deck is given over to the Kings Court casual dining area - read buffet. Mostly it is a sterile and cheerless place that I'davoid, though it does have some interesting bays that jut out onto the promenade deck that creat very nice intimate dining areas with an indoor/outdoor feel. This room has a lot of art work of a very questionable quality.

The Winter Garden, much discussed here on the list, after those pictures were briefly posted. It is worse, far worse than we could have ever imagined, tacky, tacky. Pinkish rattan furniture, some of which is covered in fabric of large pink flowers. The ceiling is painted to give the impression of being in the Palm House at Kew Gardens, and the aft wall has a lurid mural of flamingoes with a waterfall effect in front of it. Think of the Palm Court aboard Crystal ships, and then imagine those rooms on Speed!

Ahead is the Canyon Ranch Spa, gym and all that fitness stuff. Deck 8 aft, is the Todd English Restaurant. Quirky and eccentric are words that could be used to describe the decor. My companions were quite happy with it. I thought that it looked temporary, as though the next day you went to dine there and an entire new decorative look would have been installed. It reminded me of a shop window display: stylish, but only for a moment. Most of this deck is cabins but forward we have the Library and Book shop. The book shop was full of ocean liner books, I managed to squeeze myself in, although I was being told the shop was closed. However, as there were copies of my book, The Saxonia Sisters on the shelf I was happy! The staff were all smiles when I told them this and one person there was in fact from the company that prints Carmania Press books. The Library is both overwhelming and very impressive. It appears to be more a room to go to and chose a book, rather than a place to sit and read one, as there is limited seating.

Deck 9 forward, is the Commodore Club. Although forward facing it did not seem to be a daytime observation lounge, more a late night place. The walls are darkly panelled and much of the seating is in a deep burgundy shade, although some seating is in a pale colour. It is a very attractive room, and I am sure would be great at night. To one side, aft of this, there is a small lounge that looks like a suburban sitting room: it was very odd.

The open decks are vast, the pools look attractive, particularly the one under the magrodome or what ever they are calling it. Unfortunately there seems to be a lot of very nasty brown plastic patio furniture around, this kind of furniture is bad enough when it is white but when it is brown and therefore pretends to be wood it is particularly nasty.

We looked at the Balmoral and Windsor suites, aft, and were just stunned by them. I'd move in tomorrow (if they were not aboard the QM2). They are truly fabulous. Other cabins were Ok but really failed to impress us much.

Finally - congratulations on having got this far - the public rooms generally have a lovely air of spaciousness and grandeur without being oppressive. There are some very interesting and exciting pieces of art on board - and some crap as well. The ship has a very real feel, in most areas, of being a grand ocean liner. Yes, I really do think that they have carried it off. We had lunch on board and it was superb, probably the best piece of lamb I have ever eaten. I hope that Cunard can and will maintain this standard as I have a memory of only pretty poor food aboard QE2 - albeit years ago.

So, would I sail on Queen Mary 2? Yesterday I'd have said "No, she is far too big for my tastes." Now, having been aboard I'd say "Yes, if I wanted to cross the Atlantic, but not for a cruise". Like the QE2, she just does not strike me as being a cruise ship.

Well, there you have it. My impressions of a day aboard the Queen Mary 2. You may be surprised to know that I actually liked her far more than I had thought I would.

Clive