Things I Didn't Love about Cunard

"I have a great distaste for people who always find something to complain about, because life is too short."  Sandy Kaplan

I've been putting off writing this post, because I really don't like to be a whiner. It bothers me to listen to others find fault. And I truly hate it when I do it myself. But I did promise to share the less-than-wonderful things we discovered while aboard the Queen Mary 2, so here goes.

Please realize that these things are pretty specific to me. Your mileage will surely vary. 

• The unexpected consequence of a more formal ship--The DH and I didn't feel the extra formality would be a problem for us. I have the requisite wardrobe and the DH is the picture of sartorial elegance in his tux. Even on non-gala nights, we were expected to dress well (fancy date-night or going-to-church nice). What I didn't expect with the extra formality is that when people dress well, they tend to slather on more perfume, hair products, and after-shave than normal. Along with my lung condition, I have an extreme sensitivity to the chemical smells in personal care products. I can actually taste them in the back of my throat. Riding the elevator or being in crowded evening venues was very difficult for me. 
• Buffet line practices--On Princess (our most recent cruise line before Cunard), the food is kept completely behind glass and gloved crew members dish up whatever passengers request. On Cunard, the glass is merely a sneeze-guard, and guests dish up for themselves. Everyone is supposed to wash their hands before entering the buffet on the Lido deck, but it's on the honor system. I ended up handling utensils which may or may not have been recently touched by someone who hasn't washed their hands, or is battling a cold. I'm not naturally a germophobe, but because of a couple of medications I take for my lung condition, I have a suppressed immune system. I don't get sick often but a cold will linger for weeks. So I'm religious about hand-washing and avoiding touching public surfaces, like door knobs and elevator buttons and buffet line tongs.
• Thinner than expected cabin walls--Our cabin was beautifully appointed with plenty of storage and very comfortable. But for the first time on a cruise ship, we could hear our neighbor's TV. I reasoned that perhaps they had a hearing difficulty and needed additional volume. Then I heard our neighbor give a little cough. It occurred to me then that they could hear us as well (and were probably acutely aware that our "afternoon naps" involved very little actual napping!) 
• Worst Internet ever--We could never connect to the internet in our stateroom. Even searching out the nodes in public settings wasn't much of an improvement. The only time I had decent connectivity and speed was in the harbor of Southampton when the ship was turning over from one set of passengers to another and there were very few people on board. 

Even with these little nitpicks, we had a fantastic time aboard the QM2. My friend Marcy told me when we got home that the blog read like we were on a second honeymoon. (She's so good at subtext!) We had every reason to be delighted by our trip to Norway and England. The experience will stay with us for a very long time.

More travel stories soon...