By Marian Burke

Photo from the website

In 2019 Marian took a trip on this luxurious cruise liner and here is what she had to say.

My two biggest concerns about our trip were what to wear and the tipping. I need not have worried! (More on that later)

We booked at short notice, so we had no choice only an inside cabin. We had no idea what to expect. I thought we would at least have a port hole, but we didn’t. I was surprised at how small our cabin was, at least our suitcases fitted under the bed. I consoled myself that we would only be there for sleeping. The sleeping was very comfortable, a faint hum of the engines and only a tiny movement of the ship was noticeable. I had been on the QE Two, many years earlier, when it was docked in Sydney Harbour, so the long narrow corridors were no surprise.

I found the ship, or ocean liner to give it its proper title, incredibly large. With fourteen passenger decks, each identical, the truth is I had only got familiar with it by the time we were getting off a week later. The best thing is to have a look at the video online and you well get a far better idea than I can give.

Photo from the website

We had or private cabin attendant who looked after all our needs. Every morning, we had a detailed itinerary placed in our letter box of what activities were on each day. The number of activities was overwhelming. I used to meet people racing from one activity to the other. I made one sensible choice at the beginning that I would not do this. My favourite thing to do was a find a seat by the window, do my journalling and just watch the waves. We travelled across in May so the waves were huge. In fact, we had two storms, but we hardly noticed them, such was the steadiness of the liner.

There was ballroom dancing, line dancing, jiving, darts, bridge, art. There even was a knitting group. Huge jigsaws were laid out on tables and there were scrabble, chess and backgammon boards. There was also a choir, which I joined and loved it. We rehearsed every day and performed for the passengers towards the end of our trip. There was daily Mass in the lower deck.

There was a huge gym, but we’re not gym people, so our form of exercise was walking around deck seven. Three laps were equal to 1.6 km or one mile. This was designated for the walkers and joggers. A bit boring, but it had to be done to work off the amazing food. There were several restaurants, some which you had to make a reservation for and pay extra. We didn’t use those. We actually preferred the casual dining, buffet style, where you could pick what you liked and dine at leisure. We always managed to get a seat by the window. There were huge queues for the “posh restaurant!” The service was slow there the and portions were nouvelle cuisine. You were assigned the same table and sat with the same people. It was a lovely table by the window, but we only went there twice.

There were spa treatments and hairdressing (all very expensive) and a fabulous library and of course kennels.

The clothes style was very casual although there was elegant style in the “posh” restaurant. At the last minute I packed a pair of jeans and runners. I wore them every day on deck. I also needed a hat and gloves as it was quite cool, one of the reasons I did not bother with the pool. There was an indoor pool too, but it was always packed and noisy, so I didn’t use it either.

There are several lounges and a champagne bar, and a casino. At night there were quizzes, karaoke and of course wonderful shows. There were great lectures too and I thoroughly enjoyed the talk by a captain from Concorde, who had been on the flight to Dublin. The drinks were quite expensive, plus a service charge and space for a gratuity. Other guests advised us we did not have to tip each time as it would be added at the end. Sure, enough the first item on our bill was a large tip.

There is no doubt it is a wonderful experience. But miles and miles of ocean with not a bird or another ship in sight can be daunting.  Arriving in by the Statue of Liberty in early morning was very emotional, remembering our ancestors, who did not have the luxury we had.  

Photo by Louise Coughlan

Fact file:  For more information on bookings click into this website https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/cruise-ships/queen-mary-2/9