Cunard Queen Mary 2 Day at Sea & Formal night

This Video shows our experiences on our day at sea on our recent Christmas markets Cruise on Queen Mary 2. including the lunchtime buffet choices.Unfortunately not everything was plain sailing. Find out what the issues were.
Ken goes Cruising is a channel dedicated to sharing our experience of cruising. We have enjoyed 44 cruises since 1995. As well as sharing some factual and helpful information the idea behind this channel is to share our joy of cruising. My long suffering wife Lindsey is a very important part of our team. Since our retirement we had planned several bucket list cruises and so far we have only completed one of them. We have now started international cruising again and hope you will join us on our travels.
You can also find us on Instagram, Twitter & our Facebook page both entitled surprisingly
Ken goes Cruising.
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[@stevebennett6727]

We Sailed on her November 2022 with 2 other couples and had an awesome time. Couldn’t fault the food and the service. Thought the entertainment every night was amazing. We did hear a few people complaining but sure their names were Karen and Keith aged 85. We are all in our late 40’s early 50,s and would recommend Cunard as a cruise company. 👍🏼👍🏼

[@KenGoesCruising]

So glad you had a great time

[@BoninBrighton]

Why order coffee in a very busy lounge when there’s free coffee a few steps away from where you were sitting in the buffet area. Just pour and carry through to the lounge.

[@virtualgardener]

It's much nicer, freshly made and worth a bit of a wait!

[@virtualgardener]

What a day!!!

[@KenGoesCruising]

It was a huge surprise

[@clairehassid9895]

Before social media, what would Lindsey and Ken be doing instead of posting their review? I wonder.

[@aaronmacy9134]

They’d be bitching up a storm in their nearest Wetherspoons/last remaining Little Chef. “You see that car out there mate? That’s our Maarcedes A-Class!” ..whining Hyacinth Bucket wannabe cunts. Fookin drink your drinks and smile at the waves.

[@KenGoesCruising]

Thanks for watching I hope you enjoy the rest of the series.

[@iloveanimals1662]

Come fly with me.....pilot and wife 😂

[@hobsonp67]

It seems to be a feature of Celebrity post pandemic that they don't staff their ships adequately to serve their passengers to an acceptable level whilst increasing there prices. I was on Fred last year and was so impressed

[@KenGoesCruising]

I think we all have to just accept that things ain't what they used to be. Thanks for watching

[@gordonmiller1684]

Was on the QM2 in May (Norwegian Fjords), and experienced a few of the issues you raise. Die hard Cunarders, will broke no criticism, as you will find. However if Cunard is to survive and keep it's upmarket image then improvements will have to be made, and if what you are saying is true they are not adressing these issues.

[@KenGoesCruising]

Thanks Gordon things did improve and I think people on fixed dining didn't have the same issues.

[@ajs11201]

@@KenGoesCruising And, as you said, you were indeed late for your appointment. I wonder if you had arrived on time or early if things would have been different. Mind you, I'm not an apologist for Cunard--but in this particular case, it sounds like there were at least a couple of factors at play.

[@sheilaUK]

really appreciate the honesty of your reviews, many You Tubers like to minimise the ‘could do better’ areas in favour of not upsetting the cruise line. another great vid 😊

[@JudithWright5]

Oh my word!

[@KenGoesCruising]

It really was a surprise to us but it was only one night just a shame it happened on formal night unless that was the reason it happened. Never really found out what had gone wrong. Thanks for watching

[@cruisingfinn]

So sorry to hear your bad experience in formal night and breakfast 😢 I ordered twice breakfast in bed and both time there were excellent. I loved eating breakfast in MDR but I notice it was frozing place to be when we were in port 🥶

[@KenGoesCruising]

We ordered breakfast in the stateroom one morning the service was excellent and so was the food. I got the impression from speaking to other passengers that if you were on set time dining for dinner there were no problems it was only anytime dining where the problem was.

[@cruisingfinn]

@@KenGoesCruising I had anytime dining and no problem at all (except they pushed me every evening nearer the kitchen 😆). I never queued as I used the third deck rear entrance.

[@ajs11201]

@@KenGoesCruising I think the anytime dining is a relatively new offering from Cunard. I sailed on the QM2 about six years ago, and they only allowed two fixed times. Perhaps they're still working the kinks out of this flexible timing? As I said above, I'm not here to make excuses for Cunard, but I do wonder about the underlying problem and if they can solve it.

[@cruising_gaze]

I mean we were on QM2 5 years ago and our experience in the Queens Grill restaurant was appalling at times, so completely understand what you’re saying. We even found the last guests slippers under the bed! Cunard is a brand that exudes luxury and if they can’t deliver expectations then they need to realign their marketing.

[@KenGoesCruising]

Thanks for your comments sorry to hear about your problems. I am unable to comment about the Grills as we haven't enjoyed that privilege yet. Things did improve but it wasn't as good as our previous cruise on Princess. There were a lot of people on board who had no issues at all so it was just hit and miss.

[@cruising_gaze]

@@KenGoesCruising Often the way, it can be really hit and miss! We did 3 princess cruises last year, one awful, one amazing and one with a few issues. The most important thing was that we flagged all of our issues promptly and persistently, and were given appropriate compensation for the issues we had. Actually think we were on the same Princess cruise aa you!

[@KenGoesCruising]

@@cruising_gaze which Princess cruise was that. Sky in April Sky in September or Enchanted in August?

[@cruising_gaze]

Sky in April, the fjords 😍

[@KenGoesCruising]

@@cruising_gaze it was a good cruise

[@BoninBrighton]

On the whole it’s good to form positive relationships with the waiting staff.

[@KenGoesCruising]

The waiting staff were first class just rushed off their feet. They had my complete sympathy

[@janemayhew1442]

Hi Lindsey & Ken, Thank you for taking the time out of your holiday to show others how cruises are not always perfect! Hope the cruise improved, 🙂

[@KenGoesCruising]

It did improve not sure what the problem was but they changed the system and fixed the problem.

[@PapercraftingwithRos]

We had the same experience on our first breakfast in the restaurant and didn’t bother going back in there again.

[@KenGoesCruising]

Thanks for that I was beginning to think it was only us.

[@PapercraftingwithRos]

We had breakfast delivered to our room every day after that and that was excellent.

[@KenGoesCruising]

@@PapercraftingwithRos we had dinner in our room in Le Havre it was very good.

[@ajs11201]

@@PapercraftingwithRos Admittedly, it's been a few years since I've sailed on QM2 (six years, to be exact), I do remember that breakfast and lunch in the main dining room was always a bit off. Very few people chose that option, and I would have preferred a little more briskness in the service. We had absolutely no problems with dinner in the dining room, but ended up preferring the buffet for the two earlier meals as we could set our own pace.

[@Edwards-Videos]

Quick Question: why choose the buffet over the main restaurant?

[@KenGoesCruising]

We usually don't eat a great deal for lunch so as we were there having a look what was on offer we just fancied a quick bite to eat. In over 50 cruises I think we have probably been to the MDR at lunch time no more than a dozen times. Thanks for watching and Merry Christmas to you.

[@Edwards-Videos]

@@KenGoesCruising Merry Christmas to you too! And thanks for the video!

[@aaronmacy9134]

I finally figured out who this couple reminds me of. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fqG4n2yqr9ydaKc Edit; lol, Sorry I promise I’m done now. It was just driving me insane that I couldn’t remember that clip.

[@KenGoesCruising]

I think that's really acurate

[@emb74]

Agree about the Cunard shows. So third rate. The guest entertainers are usually quite good but I don’t know why they can’t do some better material for their ship performers. We usually skip those shows or sit way in the back so that we can leave if it’s mediocre. I hate to sound cruel but that’s just the way we feel about it and we’ve been on 8 crossing and two cruises.

[@KenGoesCruising]

I am so glad we are not the only ones who feel that way. After some of the remarks people have made to us that weren't particularly nice I was wondering if we were right. Thanks so much for watching.

[@emb74]

@@KenGoesCruising Right. And believe me we are not picky. We are a musical family and so appreciate the work they all do and are very loathe to criticize performers, but we actually have running jokes about some of what they put on. That’s not to say on other trips it might be better so some commenters have better experiences. QM2 is and always will be our favorite ship but we recently saw an abridged Beauty and the Beast on a Disney ship and wow. So it can be done Cunard.

[@KenGoesCruising]

@@emb74 We both perform and have been on the stage for over 40 years. Some of the current production shows on P & O are excellent. It was only a few years ago that the P & O shows were dire.

[@tonewheel1773]

Personally, when I fork out a large amount of money for a luxury trip and it isn`t up to expectation, I ask politely to have a 1on1 with the hotel manager. Being the kind of person I am, (polite but forceful), it tends to be resolved within minutes. Having viewed various passengers videos, I for one am not impressed with Cunard`s current efforts and won`t be traveling with them any time soon. Cruise vlogger, Don, recently experienced food and service that wasn`t to his liking on Princess Cruise Lines, but having posted his video and his displeasure, (courteously), management very quickly contacted him, as they were both astounded and embarrassed things weren`t as they ought to be. Listen up Cunard, (Carnival Corp.)... If you intend carrying on in the luxury cruise market, you better take notes or you will find yourselves left behind in the race to attract customers. LIFT YOUR GAME! I`ve taken the liberty of attaching Don`s video on what eventuated: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4TcaamMdralgtU

[@KenGoesCruising]

Thanks very much for your reply I hope this was a one off as we are booked on Queen Anne. I am also interested to see how the service compares on our upcoming cruises on Celebrity and Oceania. Thanks for watching Ken

[@KenGoesCruising]

In light of the media postings about the state of repair of QM2 we did an in depth review of our cabin which will be appearing on our channel in the next few weeks you may find that of interest.

[@tonewheel1773]

@@KenGoesCruising Hi Ken. Many thanks for your replies. Wishing you both happy cruising. Regards; Tony - Sydney, Australia.

[@josephforest7605]

I have been on Cunard , Costa and Norwegian .The winner Norwegian Escape , a much nicer ship , a variety of restaurants and clubs , also a much nicer drew on The Escape .I wish Norwegian would do more Atlantic crossings .

[@tonewheel1773]

@@josephforest7605Hi there. I hear you, but we have to remember that the QM2 is an ocean cruise liner specifically built with a double hull and stabilizers for rough weather conditions, (especially the Atlantic), as opposed to a regular cruise liner, which copes with more favorable situations. I hope you enjoy more cruises in the future. Take care.

[@aiden4609]

"promosm" ☝️

[@KenGoesCruising]

.

[@susancrosswell-bh9fo]

We were on this cruise and did not have any problems at all, this is not representative of this cruise. I feel that these two are moaning minnies, you wont ever please them.

[@KenGoesCruising]

I am glad you had no issues could I ask if you were on fixed dining or anytime dining as the two experiences appeared to be very different.

[@sheilaUK]

definitely not moaning minnies by any stretch of the imagination ( on our recent 25 nighter on Princess I could find dozens of things to moan about but if you watch Ken’s vids, they weren’t complaining)

[@cadrat1962]

@@sheilaUK ..yes they were.

[@yourtravelswithbruce]

some passengers love to whinge!!

[@shirleysmith3904]

I disagree. I don't think they were complaining, just telling it like it is and trying their best to be complimentary where they could.

[@Coley8]

Typical whinging poms