Queen Mary 2
Cruise Diva's
Cruise Diary
Crossing the Atlantic in Royal Style
Part Two
Sailaway
Excited passengers--about
half Brits and half Yanks--gathered on Queen Mary 2's stern to
celebrate our sailing. Beneath a dreary Southampton sky the band
played a colorful rendition of "Hot, Hot, Hot" and the
ship's whistle announced our departure. Our voyage had begun in
oddly cruise ship fashion. It was something of a let-down, though,
as a drizzle of rain forced us indoors.
I'm not quite sure what I expected,
maybe streamers and a brass band. No matter, I was soon to discover
a different element, one that connects QM2 to her historic
forbears.
A Matter of
Class
The Class System is alive
and well on British ocean liners. Okay, it's not very democratic,
but it's tradition and no one seemed to mind that passengers who'd
paid a premium for suites were assigned to Queen's Grill for their
meals. A small step down (no complimentary caviar), those of us in
mini-suites dined in Princess Grill and all Grill passengers had
access not only to a concierge lounge, but also the exclusive
Queen's Grill Lounge for afternoon tea and pre- and post-dinner
cocktails. Once underway, I was famished and it was time for dinner.
 |
|
The
Dramatic Britannia Restaurant |
Dining
Everyone but Grill
passengers is assigned a table at either early or late seating in
the Britannia Restaurant. While the Grill dining rooms are more
intimate, the Britannia is nothing to sneeze at. In three words,
it's Drop Dead Gorgeous. As I would discover, diners in Britannia
aren't second-class passengers when it comes to selection either.
While those of us in the Grills had the option of ordering dishes
from an à la carte menu in addition to (or in place of) the main menu items, the daily
selections in Britannia Restaurant mirrored ours.
I admit to feeling Princess-ish,
though, when I ordered escargot as an à la carte appetizer with each
dinner I ordered in Princess Grill. Even more royal was the service and
thoughtfulness of the staff. After missing 'lobster night,' our
headwaiter graciously offered to have it prepared for our table another
night. I was so glad I didn't miss it... without question it
was the best lobster dish I've ever enjoyed at sea.
Throughout the ship, QM2 chefs
performed at top notch levels. The food everywhere was uniformly very
good to excellent. I made it a point to try dining in as many of the
restaurants and other eating spots as I could and my only
disappointment came the last morning aboard, when my French toast in
Princess Grill was served somewhat cold.
As an alternative to the formal
restaurants, the Kings Court serves as buffet by day and casual
eateries by night offering several options: La Piazza for Italian
specialties and pizza;
Asian fare in Lotus; traditional meats and sides in the Carvery; and, my
favorite, Chef's Galley, where diners are treated to a cooking
demonstration while their meals are prepared.
Two of my favorite treats were the fish 'n chips offered during pub lunch in the
Golden Lion Pub and quiche in Sir Samuel's where pastries are
available in the morning and "light bites" are available
from lunchtime into late afternoon.
QM2 is a British ship and of course
there's afternoon tea. For children, it's served in the Chef's
Galley, while adults indulge in tea and dainty finger sandwiches and
sweets in the Queens Room or Lotus.
 |
|
Todd
English Restaurant Foyer |
I've saved the best for last. Todd
English, the restaurant named for award winning chef and
restaurateur Todd English (who else?) is a
masterpiece. Moroccan in decor, the food is simply other worldly.
Everything, and I mean everything on the menu sounded divine.
I started with Lobster and Baby Corn Chowder and Truffled Potato
Love Letters (ravioli with potato and truffle stuffing) and barely
had room for my Ricotta Gnudi with Brown Butter Lobster entree and
Chocolate Fallen Cake dessert. For $30 per person ($20 at lunch),
it's a dinner fit for royalty.
Okay, that wasn't the last. Room
Service deserves more than a passing mention. The Breakfast in Bed
menu served as my wake-up call most mornings and includes whatever
you could imagine you'd want to start the day, from nine cold
cereals to such delicacies as Wiltshire sausages and baked beans.
And what serious breakfast menu doesn't include cottage cheese,
Kadoga figs, and prunes? It's truly a complete menu to get you
moving.
To end one day, I decided to give
my high heels a rest and ordered a soup, salad, and sandwich dinner
from room service and it arrived in under twenty minutes. Not only
was the food great, the prompt and courteous service was amazing.
But, is there anything to do but
EAT? Plenty...
Queen Mary 2
Crossing Diary --> Part Three,
Part
Four
Back to
Crossing Diary --> Part
One
Related:
Crossing
or Cruising? What's the difference? Cruise Diva looks at
conventional cruises, repositioning cruises, and a traditional Transatlantic
Crossing on the largest ocean liner ever to sail the
Atlantic, Cunard Line's Queen Mary 2
Learn more about the
building of the Queen Mary 2 --> The
12-Part Series
Queen
Mary 2, Relive the maiden crossing by Dr. John M. Clearwater
Photographs ©
Linda Coffman, CruiseDiva.com
