A Cloud Of Bubbles & White-Gloved Service

Celebrating a decade of Cunard's Queen Mary 2with Nina Slawek

A Cloud Of Bubbles & White-Gloved Service

Masquerading as an expression of British imperialism, Cunard’s flagship Queen Mary 2 is in fact a princessy playground for a grownup girl.

Where else can you bathe in the luxury of not having to be anywhere at all, except on board a transatlantic ocean liner? No appointments to keep save for an updo with Sven or cocktails with the Captain. And no phone calls to return. Hey! I’m in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean! Everything will just have to wait. (Although, to my great chagrin, the ship’s WiFi worked perfectly.)

Queen Mary 2’s 10th birthday celebration was the occasion for this girl to experience her 1st transatlantic crossing as an adult. I had sailed with my mother on the long gone SS Stefan Batory from Montreal to Gdansk when I was 8.

As far as luxurious experiences go, this was not in the same wheelhouse as Cunard. However, the thrill of complete freedom was exactly the same as I remembered it from decades earlier. Only this time I got to dress up in gowns, drink champagne and glide across the dance floor with my handsome prince.

The week flew by on a cloud of bubbles and white-gloved service.

“The View Changes Every Day”

Knowing the ocean is master of your fate for an entire week is exhilarating. And it’s obvious from the interactions that everyone on board feels it. The shared adventure creates an intimacy among the well-heeled crowd and conversation flows easily. Despite the elegant surroundings -- or perhaps because of -- people seemed positively giddy with excitement.

Captain Oprey marvelled at the experience when we visited the bridge. “The view changes every day,” he said. I peered out in the direction he was looking and thought, “Ahoy there, Capitano. I’ve only seen a big ol’ ocean for days now. What are you seeing out there?”

Although the view seemed rather consistently windy and cloudy, I tried to understand his point in my own non-nautical way. Speed-walking round the open deck on the last day, taking big gulps of salty air, I scrutinized the horizon carefully and everything looked pretty much as it had for the last 6 days. Thankfully, I’m not the one steering the ship.

Dining

Despite its 10 years of age, the ship itself is beautiful. Solid with great art deco curves. Even when the Atlantic did its best to toss us about, the Queen glided along with nary a wobble. But there is one area where she feels a little tired and that’s the menus. The choices are predictable and a little too British for my palate. Beef, lamb or fish and vegetarian options every night were a bit old fashioned and the salads a tad … wet. On the other hand, I found many of the buffet offerings at the Kings Court very nice – artichoke and mushroom ragout, gruyere tartlet and a chicken curry to rival the best English pub.

By far the most exciting dining to be had was at the Queen’s Grill restaurant. For those of you unfamiliar with Cunard’s ‘grills’ – they are not flapjack cooktops. The Princess and Queen’s Grills are the designations given to the 2 more upscale accommodation levels. Each includes its own private dining area. The name was apparently adopted from a time when the better restaurant on board was called the Terrace Grill.

Dining in the Grills provides an upscale option to clients looking for a more luxurious crossing experience. We thoroughly enjoyed our dinner of a delicious selection of smoked and tartar salmon as appetizer followed by a wonderful duck à l’orange for 2.

Service

The service aboard the Queen Mary 2 lives up to the White Star branding. Every touch point, whether with the Maitre D’, cocktail waiter or room service operator, was impeccable. Not a plastic smile in sight.

Growing Canadian Sales

Over cocktails one evening, I asked my hosts what the plans are for the Canadian market. Right now, Canada represents 15% of Cunard’s North American business. According to Steve Smotrys, Sales Planning Manager, North America, “Canada is a great market for Cunard because of the British sensibility. It’s a natural growth opportunity.”

Marketing Manager Jamie Paiken added, “We are putting much more focus on the travel agent community, both in Canada and the U.S. -- making sure they have the tools to sell all of Cunard. But for Canadians, the transatlantic crossing is the perfect fit. No one else does what we do.”

Short History Lesson

In 1839, Nova Scotian shipping magnate Samuel Cunard, established the Cunard Line to carry Royal Mail from the UK to Canada and the USA.

He made his fortune with early investments in steam including co-founding the steam ferry company in Halifax harbour and an investment in the pioneering steamship Royal William. He moved to the United Kingdom and joined with several other businessmen to bid for the rights to run the transatlantic mail service. The rest is history…

 

Looking Ahead

2015 is Cunard’s 175th anniversary and presents many selling opportunities. Among them, a re-creation of the very 1st sailing by Queen Mary 2 on July 4th, exactly 175 years to the day after Cunard’s 1st ship, Britannia, set sail. Celebrations will begin from Cunard’s homeport of Southampton on May 3rd. And on May 25th, Liverpool hosts all 3 Queens for a day of birthday celebrations.

The QM2 will offer crossings from Halifax with a stop in Boston. There is also the possibility of sailings to Quebec City.

Best Moments

• Visiting Scully in the kennel
• Dressing up for a ball
• Listening to the ocean all night
• Walking the deck to a sweat
• High Tea in the Queen’s Room
• Lying back in Illuminations for the planetarium show
  
   

Note: If you have older clients, Cunard does a great job of providing easy access for mobility impaired passengers. Many were riding around in their scooters or negotiating walkers like they were on dry land.

 

Cunard has just announced a Med sale:

Click here for offer details or visit OneSourceCruises.com.