Jeffrey T. Sultanik

Age: 50
Occupation: Attorney
Number of Cruises: 20
Cruise Line: Cunard
Ship: Queen Mary 2
Itinerary: New York-Nowhere (Independence Weekend Cruise)

My wife, 21 year old son, 17 year old daughter, mother, mother-in-law, and brother-in law joined us on our first voyage on the QM2 on July 1, 2004, on a cruise to nowhere from New York Harbor. This cruise was designated the “Independence Day Weekend” cruise and was originally scheduled to return to the New York Harbor on the evening of July 4, 2004, to witness the fireworks around the Statue of Liberty. Because of concerns of the Homeland Security Office, the Port Authority of New York closed the Harbor to all ship traffic. This was known to Cunard a few days before the cruise, and they made alternate arrangements to take the ship to Newport, Rhode Island, and worked with the city to put on what ultimately was an impressive fireworks display.

Though I do not profess to be an expert on cruises, we have, as a family, gone on in excess of 20 cruises on a number of cruise lines, including Sitmar, Princess, Premiere, Holland America, Celebrity, Norwegian, and Royal Caribbean.

EMBARKATION

The embarkation process was generally easy, but there was a relatively long line that was supposed to be accelerated for Grill passengers. After that, the process moved swiftly.

CABINS

All three cabins were junior suites on Deck 10. One of the cabins accommodated three individuals, my mother, mother-in-law, and daughter. My daughter slept on the sofa bed and according to her, the sofa bed was the most comfortable sofa bed she had ever been on. All of the regular beds were among the most comfortable we all experienced, with luxurious linens, pillows, and bedding. The Egyptian cotton towels were wonderful in the large, well appointed bathroom. Closet space was extraordinary with a large size walk-in closet along with closets along the wall when you entered the cabin. There were a lot of drawers that could accommodate all of the family needs for a long voyage. The light oak furnishings were well appointed, elegant, and consistent with the high quality throughout the ship. The interactive television, which showed menus, daily schedules, along with other account information, was outstanding, and the television programming was a notch above that found on other ships. Further, due to the outstanding construction methods used on the ship, the ship had virtually no creaking or sounds, and the cabins were astoundingly quiet. A truly elegant and comfortable cabin that is outstanding.

ROYAL THEATER

Outstanding theater design with an excellent sound system. Only a few obstructed seats. The stage has enough electronics to handle even the most ambitious Broadway productions. Entertainment, however, was closer to standard ship fare, though we found the production show entertaining with some of the guests also entertaining (for our short cruise).

ILLUMINATIONS

One of the most beautiful rooms at sea. The room doubles as a theater for classical music and lectures with an impressive domed planetarium lowering for the two planetarium shows produced by NASA and the Smithsonian. Both programs were an enjoyable break to cruising and will hopefully offer great opportunities for future programming on other cruises. An astounding feat for a ship.

POOLS

All very nice, especially the interior solarium pool. However, the pools in and of themselves are not anything more outstanding than you would find on other new premium cruise ships.

KING’S COURT

A large array of food choices. Tends to be quite busy during lunch and breakfast periods. We only ate there once for lunch and twice for breakfast. There were huge choices, but the food was comparable to many other cruise ships.

PRINCESS GRILL

Small, intimate restaurant that was elegantly understated. Even though there were a number of families on the ship, the room stayed very quiet, even when full. The menu selections were numerous, and the food consistently exceeded expectations and quality levels found on any other ship we have experienced. All of the meals were extraordinarily well presented with outstanding service. We have read and heard that the QM2 was experiencing some service-related issues, particularly in the Britannia Restaurant. We did not have the opportunity to test the Britannia Restaurant (nor did we want to given our Princess Grill accommodations), but the service in the Princess Grill was second to none. We had two or three waiters attending to us at any point in time. Service was swift, attentive, and efficient. The waiters themselves were extremely experienced, articulate in the English language, and offered great suggestions. An impressive achievement.

ACTIVITIES

Activities on board were more numerous that what we have experienced more recently on cruise ships. There were a wide variety of lectures, wine tastings, and art auctions. We attended the daily trivia game, which was extremely well attended. The hosts were extremely entertaining and made the experience a fun event. They were notches above what you would see on other ships. The same was true (according to my wife) with the line dance program. We also attended a karaoke evening, and it was similarly entertaining and extremely well attended and handled by the social hosts. My son and brother-in-law attended the wine tasting on the ship and found that it was very well done and was a worthwhile experience.

CANYON RANCH SPA

Though I did not use the services, my brother-in-law received a massage; my mother-in law received a facial; and my mother had her hair done. All stated that the Canyon Ranch Spa facilities were top notch and among the best they have experienced anywhere.

SHIP DESIGN

In the main areas, the size of the hallways and the true proportions of the ship were impressive. Though the grand atrium of the ship is very beautiful, it is similar to what you would find on many Princess, Royal Caribbean, or Holland American ships. However, there is an edge on quality and understated beauty that will certainly stand the test of time. From the moment you walked on the ship, you knew you were in a place that was “special.”

You do not get a sense of the size of the ship until you go on one of the residential floors and look at the massive hallways.

The ship is, by in large, very well designed and places are easy to find with the exception of the Todd English Restaurant.

The library on the ship is second to none. Even if you are not interested in books, the setup of the library is extraordinarily and clearly designed for longer cruises.

Other rooms of note are the beautiful Queen’s room (where they held the captain’s party), the G-2 nightclub, the numerous pubs and bars throughout the ship, and the wonderful promenade that surrounded the ship.

PORTS OF CALL

There were no ports of call other than leaving the impressive New York Harbor. However, our relocation to Newport, Rhode Island, on a last minute basis, turned out to be a wonderful experience. We arrived at Newport earlier to allow a passenger in need of medical attention to be tendered into the port of Newport. We eventually entered Narragansett Harbor right near the suspension bridge and the fort. The ship was positioned in such a fashion that we could stay in our cabin and watch the impressive fireworks with the many yachts that surrounded our ship that dwarfed them. The sunset was extraordinary, and the weather was beautiful while we watched the fireworks.

CONCLUSION

Though our cruise was actually short in duration (four nights), it gave us a flavor of the difference between going on a cruise ship versus an “ocean liner.” The QM2 is truly an ocean liner of great distinction. We have had one of the best culinary experiences that we have had anywhere (on land or at sea), and our room service and room quality was second to none. The ship is as solid as a rock, and it is often difficult to detect motion even in the Atlantic Ocean. Though we had never thought about taking an ocean liner across the Atlantic Ocean to go to England, we are seriously thinking about planning that as our next trip. We were spoiled, and it will be very difficult for us to go on other lines in the future. Great job, Cunard, and to those who designed and executed the QM2, an extraordinary job!
 

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