Cunard's Queen Mary 2

Todd English is QM2's gourmet restaurant that carried a surcharge of $20 at lunch and $30 at dinner - and reservations are required. Its aft location on Deck 8 overlooks one of the pool areas - but I don't think QM2's pool areas are attractive because the pools are raised and resemble hot tubs or above ground pools. That area is "off limits" at night so that you don't have the distraction of bathing beauties of all sizes while having a gourmet dinner.

Decor first - the entrance is lovely - sort of Asian/Indian decor - fabric draped from the ceiling - a red circular settee with cushions - dim lighting - framed, sculpted artwork on the walls (see photo) - It could serve as a waiting area but the restaurant also has a bar area - and we never did see anyone waiting to be seated. Burgundy suede walls and banquettes give the restaurant a more formal look, but this was softened by the silver gray chair slipcovers. Service is fabulous - attentive, professional, friendly - the waiters will spend a few minutes talking if you welcome interaction.

The menu - such decisions - there are two six course tasting menus to choose from or you can order four courses a la carte. We did recognize some signature dishes from having dined in Todd's Boston and Las Vegas restaurants - herbed pan fried chicken and potato envelopes...The lobster/corn chowder is served in a deep bowl - morsels of lobster and slices of Chinese style seared baby corn...The waiter then pours as much as you want of a delicious creamy fish stock over this. A very large portion of seared Ahi Tuna is served perfectly done - black and blue - over Asian noodles. The potato envelopes are presented in a long rectangular dish - enough to share - the pasta envelopes so light - the potato filling so fluffy - the sauce so rich and the mushroom slice over each so barely sauteed...just loved it! The rack of lamb with juniper berry sauce consisted of two baby loin chops and a pan seared boneless loin - more than enough - and delicious. The warm chocolate molten cake won hands down over the quite delicious tiramisu.

The wine list has more selections than the Brittania Dining Room's and the sommelier is well educated. We brought a special occasion wine on board that was decanted and poured for a $15 corkage fee.

Which table to request??? Todd English restaurant has a bar area with a few tables and two banquettes as you enter - probably the most informal area if you like casual dining. We chose to sit in the main dining room toward the back - away from the pool view that I didn't care for. This area has tables for two and four and also banquettes. Tables by the pool are requested for the sunset but otherwise the atmosphere is more romantic further back...Enjoy!

We were fortunate enough to be invited to lunch aboard the Queen Mary II to welcome her back to NY for the summer of 2007. We are booked on a transatlantic crossing on this beautiful ship in early May.

As exciting as it is to book a vacation, I always have concerns. About this particular trip, is six days too long at sea?? I love days at sea, they are very relaxing and there's always so much to do, but six days looking at only water? We tend to prefer a smaller ship; is this one too large (2500 guests)? Does this type of itinerary only appeal to the older, more traveled, serious type? Will I feel second class since I didn't book the more expensive suites with private club and access to their own restaurants and entertainment? This preview may allay some of my fears.

First of all, The Queen Mary's port is in Red Hook, Brooklyn. There is no public transportation to this port. You can drive yourself to their parking lot adjacent to the new port building for $24/day, or get limo service, or purchase Cunard transfers from JFK to the port for $99/per person. Remember that if you park at the terminal you will be flying home and need to take a cab from the airport for approximately $35.

Red Hook port is in a very industrial area with small narrow roads with potholes, but once you reach the port facility, all is neat and organized. A waiting area for taxis and buses, a well staffed unloading area, a large parking lot and inside, a large waiting area with TVs and vending machines, but no coffee.

Once you board it's very impressive. White-gloved staff greet you, music plays in the atrium; elegance, understated, and lots of wood and brass. Our tour was quite brief; the public rooms are nicely furnished and not as large as I had envisioned for this size ship. The sowroom is large, three stories, and the pool area has a glass enclosure for less than great weather, I guess, and there are smaller pools and jacuzzis spread out on various decks. The library was impressive with lots of books and quiet reading nooks and a great view with lots of windows. I guess there'll be lots of time to read in 6 days!

A quick peek into a few cabins left me unimpressed. Rooms are, as on most cruise ships, very compact. The lower balconies, called obstructed, do not have a "see through" facade. It is a solid wall of steel that is part of the ship's hull. When you sit in your lounge chair, you cannot see the water, you look at the sky. The veranda rooms above the lifeboats have the clear, see-through, acryllic, waist-high wall. The suites on the upper decks do not compare to the ones I've recently seen on NCL.

Time for lunch. All praise here. The three-tiered dining room is large but feels smaller and much more intimate than imagined. Service is stellar, English is spoken by the entire staff, the food gourmet, selection grand, and presentation certainly careful and beautiful. I can't wait to dine here for a entire week.

All too soon, it was time to disembark, QM2 was about to start it's Caribbean voyage. We leave with smiles on our faces and we're on our way home to pack and dream of the trip we'll be taking in a few days. Come back later to read more!!

Today starts our cruise; check-in was relatively fast and orderly but delays with immigration clearing the ship arriving from Great Britain caused boarding delays. There were crowded conditions in the waiting areas, even in the "Elite" section for Platinum and Grill Club members: no seats available, only juice, water, and candy from vending machines, but this will soon change. We are allowed to board at 1:15pm instead of noon.

The ship is elegant, a three-story atrium and a harpist playing. We are verbally greeted by the staff, "Welcome!" It's the Queen Mary II and there is no champagne nor assistance to your cabin, surprising for a self-proclaimed "luxury" ship. Staff is located near elevators to point you in the proper direction and all rooms are ready. We're pleasantly surprised with our inside cabin on deck 12. It's larger and more nicely appointed than expected. Oh my, a chilled bottle of "bubbly"! I guess I was too quick to criticize.

Lunch is buffet-style in King's Court, a pleasant area with lots of nooks and crannies with water views. Stations are quite separate with slow lines, so look around and decide to take from only one at a time or all will be cold by the time you sit down. A good variety: stir fry, sushi, carving station, pizza, pasta, and the usual salads and cold meats. The flavor is good although somewhat bland, and the temperature is warm, not hot.

QM2 is huge but does not feel crowded. Thank goodness for the posted maps. Elevators and stairways are labeled A-B-C-D making it somewhat easier to find a location. Staff all speak English and always greet you with a smile. All is spotless and cabins are serviced twice daily.

There is so much to do, where do we start? Today is a day to explore and find our way around. It's "Sail Away" time, a champagne cocktail party by the enclosed pool, better still, a choice spot in the Commodore Club. This affords the best viewing spot for the Statue of Liberty (starboard)and passing under the Verrazano Bridge with only a 12-foot clearance!! The observation deck is also a good spot if the wind isn't gusting.

There are lots of choices for dinner: the traditional dining room, Brittania, with two seatings; buffet at "Lotus", the Asian restaurant; meats at the "Carvery"; Italian at "Piazza"; a demo meal with a chef cooking at the "Chef's Galley"; and the Todd English restaurant with a $30 surcharge. Guests in the more expensive suites have their private dining room, the Princess and Queen's Grills with no set dining time.

Music is everywhere from 5PM until the wee hours of the morning. The disco is the last to close along with the Casino. Tomorrow brings more choices including the gym, spa, lectures, internet classes, dancing classes, drama productions, movies, bingo, etc., etc., etc. This is exhausting and fun, certainly not boring. Six days at sea may not be enough.

What a luxury - QM2's two story spa overlooks the sea to create a quiet, luxurious, relaxing experience. The Canyon Spa Day Pass ($35 or included if you schedule a service) allows you to enjoy a day in their "Aqua Spa". The men and ladies dressing rooms lead to a co-ed area with a large heated bubbling pool - a waterfall, whirling area, two strong fawcets to massage your back, and a shallow lounge bed area with underwater jets. From there you can enter the hot Jacuzzi or relax on a padded lounge.

The adjacent room treats you to a hot or cold massaging "foot bath" - reflexology under water! Then you can enter a quiet steam room with an aroma therapy fountain - followed by the Finnish Sauna with slatted wood benches in three tiers - when you feel hot and dry enough, select your music and volume before entering the herbal steam room. This is interesting - five cozy separate tiled nooks to relax in. In the center is a well with hot stones - above this hangs an old wooden bucket that tips every so often to drop a small amount of water through a pan of dried herbs to the sizzling coals below...a hiss...and then a spew of steam with a wonderful scent.

Drippy wet now - So it's time for the six-headed shower - Again this water has aroma added. You can choose side showers, the typical overhead shower, "Tropics" - a large overhead mechanism with heavy, uneven rain drops reminding you of being caught in a tropical rain shower or another choice - "Rain" - a soft misty spray from above. After all of this it's recommended that you rub shaved ice over your body and move on to the relaxation lounge.

This lounge is a quiet area with padded dark rattan - Indonesian style lounges, sofas and chairs overlooking the sea. Cold juices and a choice of reading materials. If the weather is co-operative there is also an outdoor deck with teak lounges, dim lights, sun rays, quiet music...I dare you not to fall into a peaceful snooze...

The spa services menu is very extensive - From a fully clothed massage (why???) to various couples massages and many choices of aroma or rubs. The menu of services can be viewed by clicking here. The second floor is for beauty treatments, hair nails, waxing, etc. - again a peaceful environment with live plants everywhere and windows facing the sea. As you leave you can purchase products and clothing from QM2 Canyon Ranch.

You'll certainly enjoy this special treat.

You've decided to cruise on the QM2 - you've chosen a date, decided on dining early or late at a smaller or larger table - now you must choose a cabin. Too many choices...lots of things to consider and #1 may be your budget - #2 your itinerary, and #3 the time of year.

PENTHOUSES: In this luxury category are a few two story penthouse suites with butler service overlooking the aft pool. These have a super sized deck, his and her bath and dressing rooms, King master suite, office and now amble on down the spiral staircase and on the lower level you'll find a living room, dining room another bath and a butler pantry. Even an elevator to take you directly into the Queen's Grill dining Room.

SUITES: Suites with butler service are mainly located on Deck 9 and 10 - Many have a separate living area and all have balconies and butler service. Depending on which category suite you choose, you are assigned to either the Queen's Grill or Princess Grill Dining Rooms - the best advantage with these private dining rooms is that you are assigned a table for the evening - you may dine at any time between 6:30 and 9pm and these two dining rooms feature specialty items - lobster, truffles and foie gras on a regular basis. You also have access to a private cocktail lounge, pool, and club room with free Internet and small food offerings throughout the day.

VERANDAH ROOMS: The best of the category (deluxe) are on Deck 11 and 12 - These rooms are good sized and have a pull out sofa and sliding glass doors opening on to a plexiglass balcony with cushioned, teak lounge furniture. Booked into these rooms, you have the advantage of seating in a separate section of the main dining room with a flexible schedule to dine - anytime from 6:30 - 9pm. Verandah rooms other than on Deck 11 and 12 are assigned to either an early or late seating in the main dining room (Brittania).

PREMIUM BALCONY ROOMS: Don't be fooled by this name..."premium does not mean better...it means better value "aka" cheaper... These are also known as "hull balconies". If you look at the QM2's deck plan, you'll see that the decks below the life rafts have rectangular opening - this is the "window" that is cut out of the hull for the balcony...so...if you are sitting out, you feel enclosed by the metal. You cannot see the water unless you stand up, but you do have a view of the sky. This hull also makes your room quite dark. Balconies above the life boats have plexiglass rails allowing unobstructed views. I do not recommend these verandah rooms. Some guests were "upgraded" from an oceanview to this type of balcony and they were not happy... Beware!

OCEANVIEW: These rooms are spacious and have large windows and most have a pull out sofa. The price varies according to the deck they are situated on. These are blow the lifeboats but have a good view and brightness in the room - recommended...

OBSTRUCTED OCEANVIEW: The least expensive of the oceanview rooms, but on this ship the view is truly almost totally obstructed...I walked in and thought we are in a dockyard! The lifeboats are very large and are truly an eyesore. A hint...If you look carefully at the deck plan (Deck 8 )...there is one smaller life boat - so that cabin may be more acceptable.

ATRIUM: Only a few in this category...the newest kind of room in the past few years. They overlook the atrium. A nice idea instead of an inside cabin...but...basically, you have no privacy. Nice to look out and see what is going on on the floors below...but...people can see in because the glass elevators run alongside the 12 or so rooms on each of three
decks. Of course there are shades that you can draw - but it's not the same feeling as looking out at the water and knowing that no one will see inside without the draperies drawn.

INSIDE: We chose an interior room on our trans-Atlantic cruise because of the "special pricing". We rationalized that it would be fine because it was April and the ocean waters were cool, the ship travels at a high speed and that there were no views of land for 6 days...but I was still skeptical, because we usually opt for a balcony. We were pleasantly surprised. One of the better interior cabins that we've had, both in way of size and decor. The interior rooms on the QM2 have their own corridor, making them very quiet, since there is no traffic, except for the guests in the five or six cabins around you.

HINTS: On a trans-Atlantic crossing, there is nothing to see but water - (yes it is nice but you'll see it all day long), you won't be coming into ports daily and you won't see islands, other ships or any lights from shore. The QM2 sails at 25 knots, making for a very breezy sailing - your balcony or any outside deck will be quite cool. Traveling in winter months in the Atlantic or Mediterranean, it will be very cool because of the water temperature. If you ever need to sail on a budget - this is the time...

In the Caribbean - a different story - at least an oceanview cabin would make your vacation more interesting and a balcony would be worth the splurge...Cappuccino when you come into port and wine on your deck as you depart make for wonderful memories.