BUT, the refit changes are not good. The Chart Room is terrible. They have replaced all of the furniture with large, overstuffed chairs and sofas, and added a row in the middle. It has lost all of its elegance, in my opinion.

The interactive tv system is gone (but same chunky tvs). So, no in-room e-mail. They do rent laptops if you buy a package (supposedly and hopefully free for Platinum), but the system isn't really working. They installed wifi in the cabins, but it's spotty at best. They are working on it though. The QM2 e-mail address you had is now $3.95 per incoming or outgoing.

Smoking is all but banned. A few spots on the outer deck (where it's the most windy), 4 tables in Golden Lion, 3 in Queens Room Grill, and one tiny portion in G32. Smoking still allowed in cabins.

I had heard there wouldn't be any accommodation changes, which was good.

quote:

---

Queen Mary 2's dry dock has allowed Cunard to ensure the ship is looking pristine for her fifth anniversary year with a new refurbishment of the nautically themed Chart Room, featuring a new colour scheme and layout, carpet, drapes and furniture; the installation of a canopy providing a wonderful al fresco dining option for our Todd English Restaurant guests; and the replacement of some stateroom corridor carpets as well as French polishing and upholstery work in the Britannia restaurant, Royal Court Theatre and Canyon Ranch SpaClub.

---

My fear was that one of the most elegant rooms at sea would be desecrated. I mean, what genius at Cunard decided the Chart Room needed a makeover? It's the last room that needs a makeover. How about the Winter Garden and Boardwalk Cafe? This need to dumb down everything is sad.

The Chart Room with it's soft colors, high ceilings, elegant furniture, and spaciousness was truly a throwback to a more sophisticated era. The room is very "ocean liner like" and literally embodied the term "sophistication". No doubt Cunard felt the need to turn it into a Cunard version of a Princess Wheelhouse Bar. Make it "cozy" so to speak and dumb it down for the masses.

I'm also disappointed about the interactive TV. It was cool. One of those details that set QM2 apart from the rest. You could look at the evenings menu, and my favorite thing was creating a music playlist. It was great to listen to while getting ready for dinner. So they took this away and left the old fashioned TV's instead of installing flat screens. There is not even a trade off.

I don't see how any of these "improvements" benefited QM2 or her passengers in any way. In fact to me they have made her a lessor ship.

As you can tell, I am a bit pissed off when they go f---ing around with my favorite ship!

Some pics of the Chart Room, as it was ......

Ernie

The high priestess of teal & brown Crowne Plaza at sea will make Mary more like the Queen Victoria's mish mash.

The canopy/awning off the Todd English is a good addition. I'm not a fan of the restaurant's food but it will greatly improve the outdoor dining section.

[ 11-23-2008: Message edited by: lasuvidaboy ]

quote:

---

Originally posted by PamM:
The Chart Room on QM2 was the only lounge I did not really care for. Cold and empty with no feeling was my impression.

---

Yes I agree. It always seemed too small and lacking in furniture, but maybe they have gone the other way? I always though that the charts were difficult to actually see as they look more like green-glass windows than charts (see image)

The extended no-smoking ban is of course just matching public opinion.

I think part of the appeal and glamour of the Chart Room was the fact it wasn't not overcrowded with furniture. It gave the room a very grand and spacious feeling, like something from the NORMANDIE. The high ceilings and length of the room helped as well. I really felt QM2's Chart Room was one of the great ocean going public rooms of our day.

Now it probably looks like a slice of QUEEN VICTORIA or RUBY PRINCESS. What a shame.

It will be interesting to see the changes but I suspect I won't like them much.

Given the that the Princess ships look like cheap airport hotels, their design team should steer clear of any attempts at sophistication.

Hopefully someone will post a photo of this revised space soon, I agree with Ernie, of all the spaces on the QM2 the Chart room needed fixing the least.

(Actually, the Chart Room carpet from QUEEN VICTORIA would be far more suitable than this.)

I would not be at all surprised if over time we see QM2's carpets replaced with "corporate" patterns that can also be seen on other ships.

quote:

---

Originally posted by PamM:
Read my comments back at the time re the Winter Garden & Chart Room. I still stand by them and think the Chart Room was cold, completely lacking of any atmosphere. Quite different to QE2, where I preferred the Chart Room over the Golden Lion & Yacht Club.

Pam

---

We all have our own taste, and that is what makes the World go round.

Personally I did not find the Chart Room on QM2 cold at all. I loved having after dinner drinks there and I found plenty of atmosphere. It was such an elegant space to enjoy good conversation, a cocktail, and even a little light music. When I sat in the Chart Room it was easy to transpose myself (in my mind anyway) to a ship such as the NORMANDIE. Elegance, grand spaces, and sophistication.

My personal tastes tends to be a bit minimalistic. I am not uncomfortable in austere spaces if they are done right. What I don't like is a lot of clutter, anything too cozy, and nothing too fussy. I think this is one reason the R-Class ships have never appealed to me. I find them too busy, fussy, and cluttered, but others love them. To each his own. Celebrity Cruises probably comes about as close to my taste as a cruise line can get. The SOLSTICE looks amazing and I love the decor. I think the decor will be lost on a lot of the cruising public. For many it will not be cozy or inviting enough.

It's sad Carnival/Cunard felt they must dumb down the Chart Room. I imagine it feels more like the QV or even Princess now. Oh well, I guess they did what they felt the masses would relate to. The fact they left the Winter Garden and felt the need to change the Chart Room speaks volumes IMO.

quote:

---

Originally posted by viking109:

I have no idea if there is any truth in this or not, but I have read on another forum that the hull hole balconies are now enclosed with glass.

---

Not true. The holes were covered with plastic during the refit, and in pictures it looked liked glass. That is how the rumors got started. They are open just as they have always been.

quote:

---

Originally posted by nathan:
The Chart Room now seats about 3 times as many people.

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:

Three times the drink sales! Got an image?

---

quote:

---

Originally posted by Cunard Fan:
Does anyone have a picture. What a shame.

---

You can't tell much from this pic, but so far I believe it's the only one. Link attached.

Ernie

What Cunard (Carnival Corp) seems to be doing is trying to make Cunard cohesive like Princess, like Carnival, like Seabourn. But what they fail to understand is that the QM2 is a liner and should be different. The same thing with naming the QV that ship should be Mauritania and the next ship Aquitania for example. They should have reserved the Queen name for the liner.

I know it boils down to marketing and making it cohesive to Mr. & Mrs. traveling public but for people like us it is not right.

quote:

---

Originally posted by mec1:
I also have always thought that the Chart Room, Sir Samuels, The Golden Lion and the Casino should have had doors onto the central allees to make them feel like rooms and not like an open plan space. I like public ROOMS.

---