SusieQQ

Well, I've paid my money so it is a "go". I will be traveling solo out of New York to the Caribbean January 3rd on the QM2. I did a solo cruise last January on Royal Caribbean Explorer of the Sea and wanted something with more activities that interested me. Of course, everything I read tells me to be prepared for lots of formal nights, so I'm getting ready for that! Hope to do a positive report when I return.

DebbieMG

You will love it! My husband and I have been on 7 cruises on the QM2, 3 Caribbean and 4 transatlantic. On November 1 we are going to Cherbourg and back. The food in the main dining room and buffets seems to have improved since our first cruise, but be sure to try the alternative restaurants,too. Todd English is worth the $30 extra for dinner. It is so elegant with wonderful service. We like the Commodore Bar before dinner,and it is a good place to meet people if you sit at the bar. It's fun to get dressed up on the formal nights since we don't do it much at home. I have clothes that I only wear on these cruises! Two young men (40's-we are in our 60's and 70's)who we have met on two previous trips will be on this cruise. They will probably be in the Commodore every night before dinner. Iwill ask them if it's okay to give their first names. Be sure to go to the lectures and the planetarium shows. The library is great so you don't have to bring heavy books. I will watch this post to see if you have specific questions.

SusieQQ

Thanks, DebbieMG, no questions so far, but will probably have some as I get closer to the sailing. I've heard the library is great, but I have a Kindle, so I'm set on that front.

newyorker

There are a few Queen Mary 2 fans out there. I am not one of them. There were around 25 family and friends on the cruise with us. The food is average, no matter where you eat (we had an upgraded food plan). The service is often slow. Lots of people in wheelchairs on board. If you like wearing a tux for a few dinners and a suit for the others then you may like the ambiance. For me, the last thing I want to do is wear formal wear on vacation. The captain didn't gain any fans by waking us up almost every day with public announcement between 6:30-7 am. His early morning announcements just went on and on - each one was around 5 minutes long thereby eliminating any chance of falling back to sleep. I know that some people go back for these types of cruises. I am not one of them.

maryann

We enjoyed our cruise on the Queen this past May. We had 3 formal nights, the food is each person's taste - we liked some and some were just fine. The ship is beautiful, elegant and spotless. The planetarium and other daily things to do were great.

The weather was cold & rainy alot of the time - so no days around the pool - but that's OK with us - we have plenty of pool-time elsewhere.

We'll be going again next June, west-bound from another cruise(Crown Princess) to New York and have 4 more friends going along. The airlines were charging one couple $1100 per person. Taking the ship is a much better idea !

Enjoy, M.A.

historytraveler

We are giving the Queen Mary some thought as an alternative to flying west bound from Great Britain. I don't mind dressing up a couple of nights, but no way am I going to buy formal attire just for a transatlantic crossing. A simple black dress with nice shoes or pants with a sequined top are about all I'm prepared to do. And as for Mr. History, I know he's not going to bring his tux or even a dark suit. A blazer, shirt and possibly a tie will be his limit. Are we too casual for this type of cruise?

Are there less formal alternatives for dinner?

SusieQQ

historytraveler,

I haven't taken the cruise yet, but it is my understanding that Mr. History would need to have a tux or dark suit. I am going to take dressy pants and a few fancy tops.

The dress code is for the evening, not just for dinner.

historytraveler

Thanks SusieQQ, that may be a hard sell for the Mr. He'll have to decide which is worse, flying west bound for 8+ hours or packing his tux.