Our 2 day birthday cruise on the Queen Mary 2
It was Carole’s birthday so we treated ourselves to a 2 day cruise on the Queen Mary 2 cruise ship from Southampton, a ship belonging to the Cunard Line. We drove directly to the port, however, if you would like a pre cruise stay do read our post here about hotel options in Southampton. This cruise was taken in December 2012.
The impressive Queen Mary
We went with our friends Andy and Helen who had not cruised before. We chose the Queen Mary 2 because we had not sailed with Cunard before and wanted to see if we enjoyed this classic, elegant style that is portrayed by this famous cruise line. First impressions blew us away as it is such an impressive ship, our first glimpse of her in Southampton really did take our breath away. It really is a magnificent ship taking grandeur to the next level.
We had an Britannia inside cabin which was spacious and Andy and Helen were lucky enough to get upgraded to a Britannia balcony. Both cabins were decorated to a very high standard and very comfortable. Since this cruise we have sailed multiple times and now always try and book a balcony cabin when the budget allows, here are our reasons why.
Champagne time!
The service we received in the Britannia dining room was exceptional and the food quality was superb. There are numerous bars on the ship including a British pub called The Golden Lion. We particularly enjoyed the Commodore Club which had an extensive selection of Martini’s. We did sample one or two and the Chocolate Martini’s that did go down particularly well.
Chocolate Martini’s
The highlight of this trip was the wonderful sending off we had at the quayside in Le Harve. Crowds of locals had come to the Quayside to witness the sail away. We were on a balcony sipping champagne, listening to the band playing, lots of flag waving by the locals, and a flotilla guiding us out to sea. It was an emotional moment which we will never forget.
Leaving Le Harve
2 day taster cruises are a great way to sample a cruise if you haven’t cruised before, or like us to try a different company or ship. We really enjoyed our cruise on the Queen Mary 2 and thoroughly recommend this ship for an elegant experience which oozes the old style cruising era.
We wrote this concise post when we first started blogging and have now completed many more cruises and provide reviews that little more in depth and useful, though we all had to start somewhere!
We have since cruised again on the Queen Mary 2 and you can find our vlog series post here.
A transatlantic cruise on the Queen Mary 2 is one of our Bucket List Cruise and Trips Post, so do have a read to find out all about our future cruises!
Further Reading –
Visit our Cunard Page here for lots more information about cruising with Cunard.
Famous Cunard Cruise Line