Italy, France & Spain from Rome with Stay
Date: 10 Sep 2024
Duration: 9 nights
Ship: Costa Smeralda
Line: Costa Cruises
Date Sailed | December 2014 |
Cruise Line | Cunard Cruise Line |
Ship Name | Queen Mary 2 |
Destination | Transatlantic |
The only true transatlantic liner, the QM2 has glamour and prestige to match her size and luxury. For me, it was love at first sight.
The Queen's Grill and Princess Grill restaurants are reserved for those in the corresponding upper deck suites. Yours truly, ensconced in an upper deck balcony cabin, was assigned an open seating table for dinner in the Britannia Club.
Here, the multi course food was never less than superb, and the view of the sea through the big windows did nothing to diminish my appetite, either. With seven full days at sea en route to New York, eat, drink and be merry became the theme of the week.
I spent ample time in the Canyon Ranch spa, lolling about on heated recliners and making occasional forays into the hydrotherapy pool. The library became a daily diversion for an hour or so, as did afternoon tea, a daily, much cherished ritual in the Queens' Room.
The QM2 is, in essence, a small city at sea. Beautifully decorated for the holidays, the great lady rode out the often choppy ocean in a series of slow, stately rolls that never amounted to anything much. The ship is, indeed, incredibly stable.
I was able to do some of my Christmas shopping right here, on board, before retiring to my room for some much needed rest. I never used the balcony- the winter Atlantic weather precluded that. But it was nice to have the light coming through the windows, all the same.
At night, we put on our glad rags- the QM2 is still a dressy lady- and savoured our multi course dinners. We listened to cool jazz with new friends in the Chart Room, and then partied until the small hours in the enormous, two level G32 night club.
This was more or less my entire routine for seven days and nights, as we sailed between two continents. At the end of those seven days, the sudden sight of the Manhattan skyline proved to be something of a shock after seven days afloat on the North Atlantic.
Dining and Food | 8 / 10 |
Spa and Gym | 8 / 10 |
Entertainment | 8.5 / 10 |
Childrens Facilities | 8 / 10 |
Accomodation | 8.5 / 10 |
Shore Excursions | N/A / 10 |
Service | 8 / 10 |
Luxury | 8.5 / 10 |
Value For Money | 8.5 / 10 |
Drinks Packages | N/A / 10 |
Date: 10 Sep 2024
Duration: 9 nights
Ship: Costa Smeralda
Line: Costa Cruises
£1,449 OUTSIDE
£1,549 BALCONY
Date: 17 Jul 2024
Duration: 17 nights
Ship: Riviera
Line: Oceania Cruises
£5,748 OUTSIDE
£6,503 BALCONY
Date: 6 Jul 2025
Duration: 10 nights
Ship: Carnival Spirit
Line: Carnival Cruise Line
£2,899 OUTSIDE
£3,299 BALCONY
Date: 7 Sep 2024
Duration: 13 nights
Ship: Silhouette
Line: Celebrity Cruises
Date: 5 Feb 2024
Duration: 33 nights
Ship: Regent Seven Seas Explorer
Line: Regent Seven Seas
Date: 24 May 2025
Duration: 2 nights
Ship: MSC Virtuosa
Line: MSC Cruises
£281 BALCONY
£444 OUTSIDE
Date: 6 Sep 2024
Duration: 11 nights
Ship: Azamara Pursuit
Line: Azamara Club Cruises
£2,879 INSIDE
£3,879 BALCONY
Date: 26 Jul 2025
Duration: 7 nights
Ship: Explora I
Line: Explora Journeys
Date: 14 Jul 2024
Duration: 7 nights
Ship: Majestic Princess
Line: Princess Cruises
£1,420 BALCONY
£1,714 SUITE
Date: 10 Apr 2025
Duration: 9 nights
Ship: MSC Lirica
Line: MSC Cruises
£1,649 OUTSIDE
£1,979 BALCONY
Date: 3 Aug 2024
Duration: 7 nights
Ship: Discovery Princess
Line: Princess Cruises
£1,567 BALCONY
£1,861 SUITE
Date: 2 May 2024
Duration: 9 nights
Ship: Symphony of the Seas
Line: Royal Caribbean
£2,399 OUTSIDE
£2,499 BALCONY
Date: 1 Mar 2024
Duration: 9 nights
Ship: Nieuw Amsterdam
Line: Holland America Line
£1,529 OUTSIDE
£1,799 BALCONY
Date: 18 Oct 2024
Duration: 7 nights
Ship: Marella Explorer
Line: Marella Cruises
£1,432 OUTSIDE
£1,656 BALCONY
Date: 25 Apr 2025
Duration: 10 nights
Ship: Seabourn Ovation
Line: Seabourn
Date: 4 Aug 2024
Duration: 7 nights
Ship: Norwegian Escape
Line: Norwegian Cruise Line
£1,277 OUTSIDE
£1,440 BALCONY
Date: 4 Aug 2024
Duration: 14 nights
Ship: Carnival Mardi Gras
Line: Carnival Cruise Line
£3,949 OUTSIDE
£4,149 BALCONY
Date: 17 Feb 2024
Duration: 16 nights
Ship: Celebrity Ascent
Line: Celebrity Cruises
£8,899 SUITE
Date: 22 Jun 2024
Duration: 25 nights
Ship: Queen Victoria
Line: Cunard Cruise Line
£3,199 OUTSIDE
£3,799 BALCONY
Date: 22 Jun 2024
Duration: 16 nights
Ship: Wonder of the Seas
Line: Royal Caribbean
£4,379 OUTSIDE
£5,149 BALCONY