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Summer Get Away |
| Reviewed By: Ricketts, London on 28th Aug 2008 |
| Cruise Line: Cunard Cruises |
Times cruised before: 1-2 |
| Cruise Ship: Queen Elizabeth 2 |
Sailed:
August,
2008 |
| Destination: Mini Cruises |
Age: 46-55 |
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We have just returned from a five night cruise on the QE2. It was wonderful to get the opportunity to sail on this ship before she goes to Dubai. The check-in at Southampton was extremely efficient. There were lots of staff on hand and no queueing. We were boarded with time to take afternoon tea in The Lido. On entering our inside cabin on Deck 2 we found a welcome bottle of sparkling wine. Our twin bedded cabin was clean, tidy with comfortable beds and spacious enough for us. Our room steward, Rommel, was polite, helpful and always seemed to appear like magic when his services were required. We dined in The Mauretania Restaurant on the first sitting at 6.15pm. Our waiting staff, Alex and Randy, were excellent. We did hear some other people located elsewhere complain their waiters were inattentive but we found ours to be exceptional. The food on board was always hot and cooked to a high standard. The menus were varied and we could find something we liked each evening. At lunchtime we dined at The Lido buffet and found plenty of choice. The afternoon tea was good too. We went to the show in The Grand Lounge each evening. The QE2 singers and dancers were good and the two shows they put on were entertaining. One of the female dancers was quite exceptional when she did a solo routine in the Apassionata Show. We were also entertained by a violinist one evening. We were not sure we would enjoy this but he was very good and also the comments he made about the music he played informative and interesting. The highlight for us was the juggler on the final evening. He was quite manic and very good fun, with a quick fire wit to complement his juggling skills. A fantastic evening. We found the shops on board provided a decent range of products and the prices were good, particularly perfumes, alcohol, cigarettes and watches. The prices in the bars were good and we spent our evenings in The Golden Lion pub where the service was efficient. The ships musicians were all great. The ship had three ports of call, our first being Bilbao. There was a complimentary shuttle bus provided. Our stop happened to coincide with a fiesta there so most of the shops were shut. The shuttle bus stopped very close to The Guggenheim Museum, what a fantastic place that is. The modernist structure of the building is a work of art in itself. Fabulous for anyone who enjoys art. Our second port of call should have been La Rochelle but due to previous difficulties experienced due to industrial action there we stopped instead at Le Verdon. This appeared to be a commercial port. Complimentary shuttle buses took us into a little seaside placed called Soulac Du Mer. It reminded me an old fashioned seaside resort. Quite charming, I really liked the place. It has a main central street with shops and also a market that sold fish, produce and other assorted goods. I bought souvenirs, the prices were very reasonable indeed and the people welcoming and friendly. At the end of the main street was the beach, a wide expanse of sandy beach with two small playgrounds for children. Our final port of call was St Peter Port in Guernsey. You reach this destination by ship's tender, and it took approximately 15 minutes. St Peter Port has all the usual shops you would see in most high streets at home as well as some independent shops. We chose not to partake in any of the organised tours and as everything we were interested in was easily accessible we do not feel we missed out. All too soon our trip was over and it was time to disembark. Disembarkation was very swift, so much so that we managed to get on the 9.30am train from Southampton Central station back to London. We were home by midday. Overall, a fantastic voyage on the grand old lady of the Cunard fleet.
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| Quality of Food |  |
| We ate in The Mauretania Restaurant at the first sitting. For mass catering they do well. I would not say the food in this restaurant would meet top restaurant standards. | | Entertainment |  |
| The most enjoyable show was the juggler, Pete Matthews. He was fantastic. | | Shore Excursions | n/a |
| | Staff | |
| All the staff we met were professional and a credit to Cunard. It is hard to select just one or two. | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities | |
| There was always something to do, and you could be as active or not as you liked. | | Cabins |  |
| We had an inside cabin and it was exactly as I expected. If there is one complaint it is that the shower temperature could be a little erratic. | | Overall Rating | |
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