Queen Mary 2, Lady Of The Ocean.

Queen Mary leaving New York 

My very first voyage on the Queen Mary 2 was on June 2005, Bill and I sailed to South Hampton in London and the whole experience was so wonderful and unique, I had never taken a cruise before and must admit had my reserves due to all the negative stories always on the news about ships being quarantine or people missing on the middle of the trip and never found,. No that I'm a negative person.!
But the idea of being in the middle of the ocean thousand of miles away from land is pretty impressive and intimidating.

QM2 at night sailing away from NY.

The pre-arragements were quite unusual for me, I have travel a lot and to many countries, but never by sea.

Luxurious hallways decor with art everywhere.

we completed all kind of paper work and provided to Cunard, the company that owns the Ocean liner. And few days later got all the information needed for us to be ready during the days at sea,. it was amazing all the precise items to be packed to be able to attend the different daily activities, in order to comply with the QM2 etiquette.

Flowers in every room of the ship.

The Queen Mary 2 is not the typical cruise liner full of children and teenagers looking for a thrill and foolish adventure,. none of that happens on board of the QM2, she host very upscale dinners and entertainment for a more sophisticated crowd, I think most passengers are retired people or at least people in their 30's who appreciate luxury and the best customer service in a very glamorous Ocean Liner.

Empire Casino.

The day starts early every time, since we have to fly to New York from DC and from there be transported for the port either in Manhattan ( when sailing to London and Canada ) or Brooklyn ( when sailing to The Bahamas.) the personnel on port are well organized and try to make the process move fast and smooth, except for the first time when there was an irritating woman shouting to the passengers to get them organize, she's not there any more,. Thank God.!

QM2 Crew salutes passengers coming on board.

When going on board there is a line up of the crew greeting the guest, they all wear impeccable uniforms and have a warm smile as they welcome you on board and point you in the right direction to your deck and suite/cabin.

Hallways to suites/cabins.

there are 8 elevators and they have glass doors and beautiful interiors, the feel of the Royal British inheritance is present from the second you set a foot on the ship. The hallways on the cabin decks are lighted and floored with luxurious carpeting.

Suite/Cabins 

When entering our suite, there is a bottle of champagne and long stem glasses ready for us, minutes after being on board the luggage arrives without any type of hassle. There is time to unpack and cheer with champagne before to go upstairs to deck 7 for an emergency drill, for which we have to grab our lifesaver vest and participate in a safety orientation which last just a few minutes.

Overall look of The Grand Lobby.

Once on board of the magnificent Ocean Liner, you just allowed yourself t be pampered and spoiled for the rest of the voyage.

The Commodore Club.

The different bars on the QM2 are open to all types of taste on drinks. There are several bars:  The Chart Room, The Commodore Club (my favorite), The Champagne Bar, The Golden Lion Pub, The Queens Room ( where afternoon tea is served.), Terrace Pool and Bar, Pavilion Poll and Bar and The Boardwalk Caffe.

Outdoor pool on deck 11

We enjoyed a cocktail hour before dinner at The Commodore Club, where we have a strawberry daiquiri, a London Residence or a simply gin & tonic, at 5:30 we were waiting to get our canapes which are very popular in that bar and absolutely delicious.!

Edson on formal night at The Grand Lobby.

Evening are star of the day, everyone gets dressed up with their best galas for dinner, men wear tuxedos or dark suits and ladies make an entrance in evening gowns, everyone wears their best jewels and smiles. Dinner is served in 5 different restaurants, the first one and my favorite is The Britannia Restaurant, which is the biggest and more dramatic on it's architecture, with beautiful murals and colorful carpeting and flowers.

The magnificent Britannia Restaurant.

Other two restaurants are located on deck 9 where the guest of the Princess Grille and Queens Grille stay. This is the section for celebrities and a more wealthy crowd who love to sneak into The Britannia for dinner at least once and experience the greatness of this impressive dinning room.

Queens Grille Restaurant.

The two remaining options for dinner are The Todd English Restaurant on deck 9 and The Kings Court on deck 7. That's to put variety on the every day dinning extravaganza on the ship.

The Royal Court Theatre at show time.

After dinner my very favorite thing to do is to retire to The Royal Court Theatre. Where I have the indulgence of one after dinner drink, so while having a great glass of port or cognac I get entertained with a magnificent show of fantastic singers and dancers worth of the best stages in the world.

After watching a movie at the Illuminations Theatre.

As the show ends, I make my way thru the hallway of deck 2 to The Illuminations Theatre where I can watch a movie late at night or recline my seat to be amazed by the Planetarium show of lights and images.

Slot machines at Empire Casino.

But if in the mood for something more exciting you can always find your way to the Empire Casino where lady luck just maybe kind to you.!

Souvenir photo taken at dinner time.

Every evening before or after dinner, professional photographers would take your picture and have them display the next day at the Photo Shop where we decided which ones we like best to buy.

The Grand Lobby.

If just on the need to seat and relax, the Grand Lobby is a great place to do it, while surrounded by an impressive and luxurious salon, we can enjoy the live music of a piano or harp player.

Sailing away from Halifax, Canada

The very last evening of the voyage, the whole kitchen crew lines up at the staircase of The Britannia Restaurant. to take a bow for a magnificent job done, wearing their immaculate white uniform and flanked by their head chef.

The Queen Mary 2 arrives at New York City after completing another voyage.

 The Commodore of the Queen Mary 2 makes a salutation to the guest and we go to our suite to get ready for an early disembarkation, happy for the wonderful experience and determine to come back some time,. We have ben privileged to have sailed with Cunard on the Queen Mary 2 for the third time and hope to do it again,. My memories of a splendid adventure has been For Your Eyes Only.