As we entered the QM2, we were greeted by dapper uniformed attendants all decked out in their welcome aboard best. The hostess directed us toward our stateroom, but we were not escorted there, something we thought would be a part of the Cunard experience. We waited with other guests in the line for the elevator and eventually made it to our cabin.
Stateroom 12053 on the QM2
We had chosen an inside guarantee stateroom and were assigned the D2 category, inside. As we walked in, we noticed that the cabin seemed to be smaller in size than we had expected. According to the deck plans it should be about 194 square feet.
This measurement seemed to indicate a larger cabin than we were used to. With our trusty tape measure in hand, we decided to compare. Maybe the cabin has 194 square feet when sopping wet and when including the space in the closets and the bathrooms, but the area that we measured was far smaller. Our mission on our next ship will be to measure the room to see how close it is to what we expect.
Measuring Up
Who measures their cabins? How easy is it for a cruise line to assign a size to a cabin without really measuring it? Would anybody really know the measurements? Does anybody really care? Just some of us.
Despite the smaller size of the cabin, it did have a certain subtle decor that still made it an appealing spot for the next few days. What we really liked was the fact that the third berth was stored in the ceiling. Being a clod and not a small person, I sometimes find myself bumping into the extra bed that is folded up along one side of the wall. On a few occasions, I have asked to have our beds pushed to that side of the room to make negotiating easier. Except for one time, our room stewards were happy to do that. Another time, they said that it would be too difficult to clean the room if we moved the beds like that.
The Layout
The arrangement of the room was fairly typical of any cabin. We had enough storage space and enough room to feel comfortable. Our cabin is really the place for sleeping as we try to be out and about the ship most of the day. We had plenty of storage space, but the double hangers were rather odd. On one hand, they seemed efficient because it was possible to hang two items on one connection. Then again, to get both garments together was sometimes tricky. In general, it is probably a good system.
Room Overview
We can’t say that we had any complaints about the room per se. But, we did have some noise issues. Early in the morning, we heard lots of clanging around. There was a big empty space behind our cabin and next to it. We asked our steward what the noise was and he said that it was a work area. He said that he left them a note to be more quiet. Not being morning people, we didn’t enjoy that morning wake up call. But, this is one disadvantage of booking a guarantee. You could be right next to the anchor. It all comes down to what it is worth to save a few bucks or get involved with the thrill of not knowing where your room will be.
Sail Away