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From November 20th – December 3rd, 2024, Mike and Mary were once again fortunate to be onboard the Queen Mary 2 (QM2), this
time visiting the lesser antilles islands in the eastern Caribbean. This was not a vintage cruise (although we did book the cruise through Tom Pecena at Ahoy Vintage Cruises).
We embarked in New York, at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal. Then three nights/three days at sea on our way to the eastern Caribbean; six days/six 
different ports of call; and then three nights/three days back to New York.
We really enjoyed this cruise! We took this cruise for rest, relaxation, and the chance to visit several Caribbean islands. Overall, we had a wonderful time.
The QM2 is the Cunard Line’s flagship and holds about 2,600 passengers. QM2 is a true traditional ocean liner. A cruise on the QM2 harkens back to the golden days of cruising from the 1920’s-1950’s; Mary and I enjoy that aspect of being onboard the QM2.
I’ve heard that some “cruise critics” complain the Cunard Cruise Line is “too formal”. That’s actually one of the things Mary and I really like about the QM2. During the day casual clothes are fine. But after 6 pm, “smart attire” is required for many (if not most) of the evening’s activities, to include the many restaurants, except for the buffet (and of course room service). Even though this was not a vintage cruise, Mary and I wore our vintage clothes a lot when onboard the QM2, and we received lots of compliments. When people get dressed up, it definitely adds a wonderful feel, vibe and ambience to being on the QM2.
Our six ports of call were St. Thomas; St. Kitts; Dominica; Barbados; St. Lucia; and St. Maarten. We enjoyed them all! Perhaps one day we’ll got back to the eastern Caribbean.
See below for a few pictures from this cruise (pics not in any type of order). Hover over the picture for a bit of info.
Postscript 1. A word about Tom Pecena, of Ahoy Vintage Cruises. Even though this wasn’t a vintage cruise, Tom took care of many of the details for this cruise. Tom is a great Travel Advisor – very professional, he knows his stuff! Feel free to contact Tom for your travel needs, he is especially knowledgeable about cruises. And of course, contact Tom if you are interested in a future transoceanic Ahoy Vintage Cruise: [email protected], 214-761-1968.
Postscript 2. What about the music for dancing?
Our first cruise on the QM2 was with the Ahoy Vintage group, and that group had its own band to play for the group’s evening dances. So Mary and I didn’t really attend any of the QM2 evening dance events for that cruise.
Since this was our first cruise on the QM2 as a “regular passenger”, we attended a lot more of the ship’s evening events, to include three formal nights, and several nights/events for dancing. What was the music like for those evenings/events?
Overall, we were extremely disappointed in the selection and quality of music played by the orchestra in the Queen’s Ballroom. The music for each of those dances was pretty much the same: same tempo, same style, same old, same old, same old……
For example, for the 1920’s theme night, a lot of people were dressed up in 1920’s/Charleston attire. But the music played by the orchestra that night was the same old strict tempo, bland music they played every other night. We overhead several people expressing their disappointment in the music, and the lack of any type of music that matched the evening’s theme.
After about the first hour of those events in the Queen’s Ballroom, the crowd would considerably thin out; frankly, the events in the Queen’s Ballroom with the Queen’s musicians were boring and bland. A good number of people, dancers and non dancers alike, went to G32 on many nights where the DJ actually played some energetic music. Of course, the dance floor in G32 is much smaller than that in the ballroom.
At the 1920’s night, I actually asked a young gentleman, the lead singer, that since it was 1920’s night, could the band play something in that style, up beat and energetic. The gentleman looked at me like I was from the planet Mars, and stated “I don’t think we can do that”. The QM2 had a small but quite good Dixieland type ensemble that sometimes played in the Carinthia Lounge; too bad that ensemble didn’t provide the music for the 1920’s night.
Cunard needs to recognize that a lot of their passengers, dancers and non-dancers alike, would like to hear some authentic, upbeat music, especially some authentic 1930’s/40’s big band music – and not the watered down, strict tempo, mind numbing versions and arrangements played by the Queen’s musicians.
Mary and I very much enjoyed this cruise, but we did not book passage on this cruise for the music and dancing – which was a good thing….. Mary and I really like the Cunard Cruise Line, but the bottom line is if you’re a Lindy Hopper and/or Balboa dancer, don’t book a cruise on Cunard and expect good music for dancing.