Post Covid cruising on Queen Mary 2 - Subtitle: Queue and Check! By Capt John Noble HonFIIMS
I sailed on my first Cunard trip as a passenger on the grand old lady, Queen Mary, in 1966 having paid off in New York. Later, with my wife Louise, I sailed as a passenger on some 5 or 6 voyages on the QE2, first with Peter Jackson as Master and finally with Ian Macnaught. A fine ship and I have visited her several times in Dubai.
More recently, we have completed a couple of voyages on the Queen Mary 2; Southampton - New York - Southampton with 13 days at sea and 12 hours in New York!
The purpose of this short digest is to offer some critical comments on the post-covid experience on the QM2.
Queue and check The one common factor was the queue and check routine.
1) On joining in Southampton there was a queue to have the Covid documents checked; the next queue was to actually check in and confirm the reams of paperwork filled in by computer before even leaving home; this included a “Health Declaration”. Then, there was a 45-minute wait before the boarding process began. Another queue for security checks as strict as I have experienced at any airport. Once able to board, there was a further queue on the boarding gangways while voyage cards were issued.
2) On board queueing was fairly limited during the voyage until arrival in New York. Disembarking involved a long queue! Perhaps surprisingly the immigration queue was short and the officer most polite! Then the fun started. There was a long queue for a taxi, and it took over an hour. Returning to the ship involved a 30 minute queue for security checks.
On board
If the old Queen Mary can be described as a Grand Old Lady, Queen Mary 2 is best now described as a post- menopausal Duchess. There are signs of poor upkeep.
The “elegance” usually associated with the Queen’s grill dining was not as fine as 4 years previously. For example, I like my Darjeeling tea and in 2018 it was served loose leaf with teapot and strainer. Now all tea comes in a teabag!
In the post-Covid period all the crew still had to wear face masks. This made communication difficult when speaking to crew members whose mother tongue was not English. The ship still showed the “Hands, Face, Space” signs all over and in the King’s Court dining area many tables were indicated as not in use. It was like going back to the immediate post lockdown era.
Finally Had I been undertaking a condition survey, I would probably have made a few observations or deficiencies:
1) Carpets: Where there are defects in the worn carpets causing a “trip hazard” I would have noted location and made a strong recommendation that suitable remediation action was taken immediately.
2) Lifeboat Falls: Where grease had been applied unevenly, especially round the blocks, I would issue a deficiency. There are a number of serious instances where ungreased wires have failed resulting in mishaps, sometimes serious.
3) Emergency exit: In the Queen’s Grill dining area, at the very aft end inboard, the doorway is marked “Emergency Exit”. There is a small area coved off where a table is placed right next to the door. This effectively blocks the exit; not good in an emergency if diners have to flee aft. I think this would merit a serious deficiency if I am right.
Photo by Ray Harrington on Unsplash
The Report • September 2022 • Issue 101 | 47
Member News
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