Liam,
Thank you for your latest photos.
We need to wait and see how they use spaces when all areas are available I suppose.
If it had been my hotel design, I'd be using Mauretania for what they're doing there in the Queens Room, leaving the Queens Room available to hotel visitors in its formal role for afternoon tea and gentle dancing and light music. The 3 grill restaurants plus Caronia would be available for dining. The Queens Room (in all incarnations with Cunard) was cleverly designed with the planters all around, creating the impression of stepping down into the "inner room" - that's been completely lost and I feel all they're left with is "those pillars and that ceiling" - the Queens Room was defined by them, but was more than them.
Every single thing they've done that I've seen so far, every area refurbished, has lost a lot and not really gained anything. The areas look clean, fresh and more modern, but less interesting and special. They need to add quite a lot of the sparkle back now that they've completed the major surgery and got her open - she needs dressed for success.
I've never complained about the outdoor pool disappearing the way that I've done about the lifeboats, I do understand (especially if they have left the basin and metalwork beneath that supported the pool etc) - and it actually creates the largest flat space on board to hold an event I suppose?
