Queen Mary 2: "Old world" service: fine dining, activities, pampering passenger service

Queen Mary 2 cruise ship docked in New York harbor with city skyline behind, passengers on deck and the famous red and black Cunard smokestack.

CROSSING FIT FOR A QUEEN OFFERS ENDLESS OPPORTUNITIES FOR ACTIVITY OR A TIME TO SIMPLY SAVOR, RELAX, REFLECT, ENJOY 

STORY By CHRISTENE MEYERS

PHOTOS By BRUCE KELLER

"The Carpe Diem Kids"

Editor's Note: We cross the Atlantic annually on QM2, updating this story each year.

Bruce Keller and Christene "Cookie" Meyers worked out every morning to allow them a few calories at QM2's elegant afternoon tea, a highlight for many passengers with beautifully served scones, sandwiches and tea.

Queen Mary 2 is truly the last of the "old school" liners, offering passengers pampering service, plush amenities, top ranked lectures, abundant activities ranging from art classes to musical revues, a fine spa, unique dog kennels and more.

I AM A "Crossing Junkie." I cried when my favorite Queen Elizabeth 2 made her final voyage in 2008. This venerable ship languished for a decade before being converted to a floating hotel in Dubai's Port Rashid in 2018. 

I'd crossed the Atlantic five times on QE2, sailed the Norwegian fjords in her penthouses, and  played piano in her elegant bars.

Bronze bust of Queen Mary is one of many bronzes on display in various rooms of Queen Mary 2

I cried again -- tears of joy -- aboard Queen Mary 2, which revives the stylish tradition of the world's grand ocean liners. Grandeur lives on in Cunard Cruise Line's fleet where passengers experience the old world elegance of a not yet bygone era. We're so smitten, we've stayed several times in the original Queen Mary, now a hotel in Long Beach, California. And we are about to embark on our second QM2 crossing. 

CUNARD GROOMS its team to continue the line's elegant traditions aboard four luxurious ships: Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria and Queen Anne.  The quartet's  diverse itineraries include Europe, Asia and North America. QM2 was completed in 2003 and reigns as the world's only trans-Atlantic ocean liner to offer regular, often sold-out service between New York and Southampton.  So what accounts for her demand? We asked David Shepard, QM2's dapper hotel manager, to explain the ship's popularity.

LEADING THE "appeals list," he said at a cocktail party, is the variety of offerings during the week-long crossing. If one can't be amused or entertained on QM2, he's probably on life support. We observed a happy mix of passengers, in both black tie and blue jeans, a metaphor for QM2's allure. While most  American travelers don't prefer formal nights, many Brits and Europeans do. So Cunard offers those, with alternatives if one doesn't care to don tux or gown. One can dress to the nines, with white glove waiters and ballroom dancing, or laze in a robe for the best room service afloat. Restaurants and buffets offer everything from appetizers to decadent desserts. Friendly waiters share recipes and send print-outs to your stateroom. Dining venues depend on what class room you've booked.

QM2's lavish atrium features sweeping red-carpet staircases, piano, floral centerpiece, and a welcoming cream decor. It is a contemporary ship with the elegant, old-world touches of early-day ocean liners.

OTHER SHIPS allow only service dogs on board. QM2 boasts a loyal following of devoted pet lovers who know she's the only ship that allows them to cross the pond with their pups and cats. We met three couples who have crossed multiple times, lured by daily visitations and the pampering their pets get from the ship's kennel master.

Pet lovers may cross with their beloved animals -- in QM2 style. Here a passenger visits his dog.

VARIETY IS QM2's hallmark. There's a table tennis tournament, a spectacular planetarium, and a jazzy DJ nightclub if one doesn't want to swirl in Queens Room, the largest ballroom at sea.  There are classic movies in your stateroom, fencing classes, wine tastings, a huge gym and lavishly appointed spa. We enjoyed fine lectures and strolled the Deck 7 promenade. We admired the art deco motif as we  walked the grand staircase, part of a 2017 remastering with a budget of $177 million.  

David Shepard continues Cunard's old-world elegance and tradition as QM2 hotel manager.

How to cross with your pet   

White gloved waiters reflect tradition and formality. QM2's afternoon tea is one of many elegant and old-world perks.

QUEEN MARY 2 is the crown jewel of one of the world's smallest fleets. Yet Cunard is perhaps the best-known cruise line, with her 184 years of history dating to 1840.

Founder Samuel Cunard, a savvy businessman from Halifax, Nova Scotia, had a vision of elegance that remains the focus of the line.  Portraits of him, looking dapper and distinguished, are flanked by elaborate floral arrangements throughout the ship.

 The line's iconic status gives Shepard a high standard of tradition to maintain. 

Sir Samuel Cunard, founder of the line, is remembered in portraits on QM2.

FORMALITY combines with the feeling "that one is enjoying something unique," he says. Because our crossing capped a two-month trip, we didn't have full black tie for the formal nights. When other ships were dropping those, Cunard listened to clients who enjoy dressing up. So we admired fellow passengers in jazzy flapper outfits, complete with fringe and bow ties and joined them to enjoy a string quartet, elegant meal and ballroom dancing in the Queens Room. There are other old-world touches: two ornate theaters, white glove embarkation service, luncheon piano concerts and matinees, dozens of formally arranged artworks, and afternoon tea with luscious scones. (See recipe below.) 

SMOOTH SAILING is another advantage of crossing on QM2.

Actors show aspiring fencers how it's done. We watched fellow passengers learn the art.

She was designed to be "steady on" as she transits occasionally turbulent seas, keeping passengers comfy and safe. My sailor husband explained that her hull has a deeper draft than cruise ships. Her bow moves sleekly through waves while less sturdy ships may bounce.

We've crossed on smaller ships where the captain asked us to remain in our cabins during rough seas. Once, an 8-day crossing turned to 11 days as we struggled through 25-foot waves at seven knots. QM2 can cut through rough waters at 24 knots. 

Top lecturers are a draw aboard QM2, here an engaging talk on the colorful life of Gala Dali, wife of the famed artist Salvador Dali.

She weighs in at 151,400 tons, the largest passenger ship when she was christened by Queen Elizabeth 2 in 2004. But while most similarly sized vessels carry 4,000 or 4,500 passengers, she carries only 2,600 passengers. Plenty of space including our sheltered veranda, which allowed fresh air in privacy, even on a cool day.

A BIG HOORAY for QM2's actual library, overlooking her bow. We were happily distracted for  hours with hundreds of books -- a rarity in today's cruising world when most ships have done away with old-fashioned libraries. Queen Mary's is well stocked with a knowledgeable librarian.

Cookie enjoys a real, old fashioned library with many choices. It's on QM2, a rarity these days.

Because there are no ports of call on QM2's crossings, shipboard activities are crucial to us. Others awaken to a mimosa, nap after a mid-day meal, play a game of bridge. We like movies, concerts and lectures with topics ranging from the future and technology, to "life on the road" with a British journalist, to stories of the Concorde airplane by a seasoned pilots. Cunard's excellent "Insights" lecturers 

Bruce Keller and Christene Cookie" Meyers dressed  up to dance aboard QM2.

 are authors, actors, professors, CEOs, ambassadors and other professionals.  On QE2,  I'd interviewed actor Kevin Kline, composer Andre Previn and director Josh Logan. So I was delighted that quality continues in QM2's lectures on the cold war, space travel, espionage, politics and theater. A favorite lecture featured eccentric surrealist artist Salvador Dali and his promoter/wife Gala.

QM2's CONCERTS and theater cuttings are fabulous, too, from classical music to the Royal Shakespeare Company. We dipped in both the indoor and outdoor swimming pools, considered the offerings of QM2's Canyon Ranch spa, invested in the casino, picked up gifts at the shops, and explored a dozen bars and lounges. We kept active dawn to dusk, rousing ourselves for exercise class in the Queens Room, snacking, reading, taking in lectures, movies,  afternoon tea, dinner, a show, then ending the day full circle with a dance in that versatile Queens Room.  Sleep at last, to dream of QM2, with our veranda door open to the sound of the sea.

To book or inquire: cunard.com

Before or after you sail: Southampton has four fine aquariums: www.southamptonlivingwaters.co.uk/

www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk/things-to-do/south-east-and-london/hampshire/southampton/animals/aquariums

RECIPE FOR CUNARD'S FAMOUS SCONES:

2 cups flour

4 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ cup sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

⅔ cup milk

1 large egg

1 cup raisins

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. Mix lightly flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Blend, not too much stirring.

3. Add the butter, egg, milk, raisins.

4. Drop on buttered pan. Bake until golden brown, checking at 12-15 minutes. Serve with jam and clotted or whipped cream. Add finger sandwiches to really make your tea authentic.

Venice folks have mixed feelings about tourism. Many businesses need the patronage of thousands of visitors but many others don't appreciate the ill effects of tourism. Fall is a good time to visit, when the crowds are subsiding.

UP NEXT: The allure of Venice.  It's not the same cruising into Venice today, since cruise ships have been banned from the city front and Grand Canal.  But even while the fabled city is being overrun by tourists, and a visitor's tax has been implemented, it is still one of the world's most glorious places. We encourage a visit in fall, while one can find a table to savor the sights and sounds after the crush of tourists subsides.

Meanwhile, remember to explore, learn and live and catch us weekly for a fresh spin on travel, nature, family, performance and more: www.whereiscookie.com