Back in July I took a short two-night cruise from Southampton to Hamburg on the Queen Mary 2. I actually booked it when the cruise was first released a few years ago, as I had always wanted to travel aboard the QM2, however I was nervous of Cunard’s formality.

Southampton is a very unappealing cruise departure point for me in the North of England; driving is five hours, the train is similar, however every now and then you can get a domestic flight from Manchester to Southampton and this cruise was in the short window of Loganair running this flight making this journey much easier.

The Queen Mary 2 is iconic; built in France and entering service in 2005 she was, at the time, the largest passenger ship in the world, and is still the world’s only ocean liner. Sailing regularly scheduled journeys from Southampton to New York. This very voyage was part of that service and had many people on who were sailing from New York to Hamburg, or those sailing from Southampton to New York, including Hamburg.

The QM2 has high deck heights, which really make you question if this is a ship or a floating stately home. She was built to replace the iconic Queen Elizabeth 2, QE2, which I visited a few years ago in Dubai, where she is a floating hotel. You can read about this here – Visiting the QE2 in Dubai.

I went on this cruise with a friend and it was her first cruise, she really did start at the top. Now I had been on the QM2 when she was first delivered in 2005. You can read about this here: Queen Mary 2 Ship Visit. It took a long time for me to get back on board, and I hope it is not so long again.

Boarding the ship in Southampton was easy, having completed everything we need online, and we could walk on with no issues. The ship was having technical issues as we were boarding and the cabin doors would not open; for this reason I got a $15 drinks voucher, which came in very useful. This delayed us getting our room, but we quickly found a place at the ship’s Laurent-Perrier Champagne bar – a place we frequented a bit too much in the coming days.

I had booked the Britannia Single Oceanview Cabin, which has two huge picture windows and was built in the space of the ship’s old photo gallery. This meant it was perfectly located for the Britannia Restaurant, lifts, Queen’s Room and G32 – the QM2’s nightclub.

I loved the design of the room; the huge windows overlooking the sea were mesmerising. These rooms also benefit from glass shower doors. It was a spacious cabin and one I would book again.

We chose to eat in the main dining room for both nights, and had an excellent table in the centre of the amazing Britannia Restaurant. The food on board was excellent; we did however, decide against getting a drinks package, as we thought that Cunard may be a bit too formal to drink that much; we were wrong, however and would have saved some onboard spend – a reconsideration if I were to do this cruise again.

The QM2 has some excellent public rooms; the Britannia Restaurant is a key part of that, but also the Queen’s Room, which has a great selection of live music, the library is outstanding and something I vividly remember from my previous visit all those years ago. On one of the nights we chose to see the ships show, it was nothing to write home about but was enjoyable.

The Queen Mary 2 definitely has an older clientele onboard than other ships I have been on, and it is a much more traditional form of cruising. It is about as far from Norwegian Cruise Line as you can get. However, I enjoyed the slower pace, the art of the service, and the time to stop and talk to other guests, who were all really interesting and happy to share their stories. You can appreciate both if you know what to expect.

On our sea day, we really took the opportunity to make the most of what makes the QM2 unique; we took a walk around the promenade deck, we went for a splash in the pool and we also visited the planetarium; however, the space show we watched about the Space Shuttle was not using the planetarium system. Also a must-do, we had afternoon tea in the Queen’s Room; Cunard is famous for its white-gloved afternoon tea service.

I really enjoyed dressing up for the formal night, heading to the champagne bar, and the excellent Commodore lounge at the front of the ship, before heading to the restaurant. After the restaurant, we headed to the Queen’s Room to have a few more drinks and watch the dancing, before heading through to G32, the Queen Mary 2’s nightclub. We met a few more people, including from our table on the ship, and stayed in here until the nightclub closed – which may have been 2:30am, not a good idea when getting off a few hours later. Who said Cunard is boring!

Leaving the ship, I felt like I’d had a great time at a wedding or long party, dressed up and enjoying myself. I think most people would feel the same too.

I’m hoping that Cunard announces more sailings from Liverpool over the coming years as Liverpool’s cruise terminal is expanded, and the recent voyages demonstrate demand.

Have you been on the QM2 or another Cunard ship? Tell us about your experience!

Thanks

Liam