The QM2 is a magnificent ship and looked so as we boarded in Cape Town. Embarkation was very slow and we noticed immediately there were few smiles. Once on board we spent some time trying to find our stateroom without much help. The stateroom itself was adequate with a great bed and pillows. We also had a protected balcony which proved very useful and attractive.

Exploring the ship was difficult as there were so many 'dead ends' most of which occurred because of the 'classes' - areas where the ordinary passenger could not go. Throughout the cruise we experienced the continued emphasis on classes. Having 3 classes and 'never the twain shall meet' is very old fashioned. Friends in Queens Grill were not allowed to invite us to dinner because we were not in that class! The Brittania Restaurant staff were very much like the rest - few smiles and poor service. The qualty/variety of menus and food in Brittania Restaurant was average. Every night there were extra vegetables - the same (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots) every night for 14 nights. We also very seldom sighted an officer and there was certainly no mixing with passengers or conversation.

We found the quality of performers in shows was average and a very annoying aspect of the shows was that for 2nd dinner sitting guests (8.30pm) the show started at 10.45pm which was very late for our age group. Read more