Queen Mary 2 Caribbean Calypso Review

[highlander0108]

Here is my review of the ship and the cruise.
http://qe2-prideoftheclyde.blogspot.com/2011/01/queen-mary-2-caribbean-calypso.html

[Lynda Bradford]

Good review and having sailed on QM2 I would agree with a lot of what you have said, especially about the King Court.  I also know what you mean about feeling guilty about being on another ship other than QE2 and it takes time to accept that she is no longer a cruise option.  However if she was a hotel somewhere that would be different, as we could visit her.   

[Clydebuilt1971]

Hi Ken,

Excellent write up on QM2. We took that cruise in 2008 and loved it. Was the final shot taken at Barbados? I have an almost identical looking shot which also has a Celebrity vessel in it!

Agree with your comments on the Kings Court - to me that is probably the weakest point on the ship - could do with a bit of remodelling. Funnily enough I think the Lido on QV works better.

We've been on QM2 three times and we still get mixed up with that mad layout which eventually brings you to the Queens Room but as you say that is the only slightly wonky part of an otherwise well designed ship.

The connection with the Clyde is there as I've posted elsewhere on this forum the St Nazaire shipyard was originally set up with much assistance from Scotts of Greenock.

She might not be QE2 but she will forever be the closest you'll get!!

I've posted a shot from our holiday of QM2 lying at anchor - taken from the Governor's House, Tortola

Cheers  

Gav

[highlander0108]

Yes, the last photo was taken in Barbados and includes a bit of trickery on my part.  I essentially got on the ground to overexaggerate the bow shot.  Plus, there is some barrel distortion in the lense.  In Barbados, the manuovering ability of the ship was simply awe inspiring.  We essentially backed out unaided right through the two bouys marking the entrance and then did a 180 degree spin, all in a short period of time that QE2 would have still been probably only a short distance off the pier.  Seeing somethng this big moving so adroitly, without tugs is impressive.

The thought that she wasn't Clydebuilt went through my head more than once on our trip, mainly in sadness.  Once, the bathroom vent in the shower dislodged and my astute son commented that was because she wasn't Clydebuilt!  I've completely brainwashed him!  I completely forgot about your postings on the link to the yard in France.  FYI, they went bankrupt and were absorbed by the Aker Group I read somewhere.

[Rob Lightbody]

Great review, thanks Ken!   I can't wait to travel on QM2, hopefully it won't remain a dream forever!, even though she'll never inspire me the way QE2 does and always has done.