When the Titanic was built, it was still cheap to create elaborate carvings, design one-off carpets, install wood paneling for walls, etc.... The Queen Mary 2 was designed to try and return to the elegance of these old-world ocean liners, but these days when you see faux-painted marble columns, elaborate carpet patterns, large wall art, and bright chandeliers, you get.... Las Vegas. Add to that a Casino on Deck 2, cafeteria-style eating if you want it on Deck 7, and a large percentage of cotton toppers, and you can think that you are in Las Vegas (albeit with a slightly rolling floor). However, here are my tips for enjoying the Queen Mary 2 for all its old-world elegance:
1) Always eat in the dining room. There is a full waitstaff wearing tails ready to serve you at all three meals. Why would anyone want to stand in line in a cafeteria? We got upgraded (thanks Vovo) to the Brittania Club, which meant we could eat at any point during meal times but at a reserved table. Otherwise you choose early or late seating (6:30 or 8:30).
2) Enjoy dressing up for dinner every night, even if your husband rented his tuxedo on board and was given a jacket where the sleeves fit, but the shoulders are way too wide (a la David Byrne), has to use safety pins for cufflinks and wears dark blue tennies with a yellow stripe because those are his darkest-colored shoes. He'll still look handsome and you'll still get to wear all your fancy dresses.
3) Attend the lectures, which are typically very good, and reminded me that this was a major form of entertainment before radio. I felt like Helena Bonham Carter at the beginning of Howard's End.
4) Spring for a room with a balcony (which is most of the rooms). The full-height glass doors onto the balcony make the cabin feel larger, and on nice days it's lovely to read out there.
We had lots of fog, and the ship whistle went all night (it sounds like a fog horn), and it felt like you had stepped back into time. We've toyed with the idea of taking the ship back..
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