If you are reading this then you well and truly deserve a medal for persevering and getting this far. I’m seriously not expecting anyone to read this but I couldn’t leave my epic review almost, but not quite finished. I’m not sure that I could ever be a travel journalist. I just don’t know how to keep things short and to the point without waffling. Miss V my fifth year English teacher used to give me bottom marks for my essays and crossed through whole chunks of it in red biro because, apparently, it was waffle. Miss V did not like me and I definitely didn’t like her partly because she always had coffee stains and fag ash on her tops and mostly because she told me that I was rubbish at writing and would never get my O level. Well Miss V, I passed so stick that in your pipe and smoke it!

I promise that I will not waffle and be concise for this last instalment. So without any further ado, lets give you an idea of what you can do to pass your time on the Queen Mary 2.

Let’s start with outside. As well as the big, wide open decks at the top of the ship for taking a stroll, you’ll find deck games and areas where you can gaze out to sea. On deck seven there’s the fabulous wrap around promenade deck where you can get your steps in or enjoy lounging on the wooden steamer chairs. We had great weather for the majority of the cruise so this was a busy area with walkers and joggers. At the aft are the three sun decks with two pools, hot tubs and a bar. One of the sundecks is reserved for the suite guests. We didn’t dip our toes in the pools or hot tubs on this occasion. Maybe next time if I’m feeling brave.

Now to go inside. If walking the decks or taking in a few lengths isn’t being active enough for you then there is a gym. On day one, I got up early and popped along. I had intended to go every day but somehow, I never found time. The gym had a good selection of equipment but when I went it was busy. I wonder if it was as busy on day seven, or like me, the good intentions for many just didn’t last. I know that there were yoga, pilates and spin classes but I believe (but may be wrong) they were an additional cost. I you aren’t a gym bunny then you can also keep fit by joining fencing and dancing classes.

I have never been to a spa, and I honestly did intend to go to the Mareel Spa but chickened out. It’s the stripping off bit that scares me. Nobody should see me in a cossie or less. So I missed out on the thermal suite with hydrotherapy pool, saunas and steam rooms and didn’t get a treatment or have my hair done in the salon. I really must stop being a wuss.

If being active or getting a massage isn’t your thing, there is a shed load of other things you can do. Every evening a programme for the following day is delivered to your cabin. It’s jam packed with activities from 8am until late. There’s art classes, trivia quizzes, darts and table tennis tournaments, get togethers for solo , veterans and LGBTQ+ groups. In the Illuminations theatre you can attend the really interesting Insights talks, watch a movie or enjoy a trip to the stars in the planetarium. Imagine that, a planetarium at sea. Who would have thought!

Of course you can just do your own thing. Mr R discovered a corridor with tables for playing board games or doing puzzles. He spent many an hour completing a puzzle whilst looking out to sea. I meanwhile would find a cosy armchair in the library and lose myself in a book. The ship has the best stocked library at sea. There are thousands of books to choose from. It was one of my favourite places in the ship. I often found though that instead of reading, I ended up snoozing instead.

At some point you’ll find your way back to your cabin. Maybe to take a little nap, sit on your balcony if you have one or get ready for the evening ahead. We loved meeting up with friends for pre-dinner cocktails and canapes in the elegant Chart Room. After dinner you can go to a show in the Royal Court Theatre. During our week long cruise we only went once to watch a comedian which we really enjoyed. There are two showings each evening at 8pm and 10.15pm but we often missed the second showing because we were too busy chatting at dinner. When we did finally finish, we either went to the Queens Room to listen to the live band and watch the dancers, who had obviously attended the dance lessons because they were so good or more likely found ourselves in the Commodore Club lounge at the front of the ship for a late night cocktail or two. We loved the piano player there. He was very talented but was also quite a character. Mr R asked him to play a particularly tricky piece (my darling husband can be so embarrassing sometimes ) and got a ” are you taking the mickey” or words to that effect, in return.

If we had fancied dancing to live music or with a DJ at the decks which meant we didn’t feel like we were taking part in a Strictly Come Dancing routine and meant that we could jiggle from foot to foot we could have gone to the G32 nightclub which is tucked away behind the Queens Room, but we never got round to going there.

There is a casino onboard but we have no idea how to use the machines let alone play the likes of Blackjack. There are shops, but apart from the shop we bought fridge magnets in, we didn’t bother with the others as they just seemed to sell expensive jewellery, watches or duty free type stuff. You could hire a n evening suit or buy some not exactly stylish ladies wear but to be honest, the shops really weren’t high up on our list of places to visit. Neither was the art gallery where you could spend a fortune on something to add to your art collection.

I think that covers everything pretty much.

Did Mr R enjoy the cruise? The answer is a big fat YES. He absolutely loved every minute of it. He was worried that it would be busy and crowded, but was really surprised that it never felt that way. There was always a quiet spot to be found despite the ship being full. He was blown away by the service. The staff bent over backwards for you and always with a smile. You felt really looked after and we really appreciated that. He loved how elegant and beautiful the ship was and enjoyed all of the meals. He is now a converted cocktail drinker. To him, nothing could compare with Queen Mary 2. I think I’ll have a bit of a job getting him to try other cruise ships.

I loved telling him at the end of the cruise “told you so”

He’s now hooked and we have booked our next QM2 cruise for next summer. A three week return transatlantic trip taking in New York, Boston and Halifax in Canada. This time I won’t have to hard sell him the cruise. He was the one who decided to book it.

So if your other half quibbles about going on a cruise. Keep pushing until he or she gives in because they will more than likely end up loving it!

And that dear readers is the end of my lengthy review. I know that I haven’t once mentioned anything about our cruise destination, Norway, but that would have meant at least two more instalments and I couldn’t do that to you. Let me just say though that Norway and the fjords are amazing and the perfect destination for a first cruise. Only two sea days and lots of ports to explore. I want to return to Norway but want to venture further north to Tromso and in particular to the Lofoten Islands which are at the top of my bucket list.

Thank you so much for reading. It means a great deal to me if anyone takes a peek at my posts. Please feel free to comment and hope that you will read my next blog.

Brigitte xx