The tour continues with the Britannia Restaurant. The main dining room on board, this is used by all passengers travelling in standard cabins, whilst the smaller Princess Grill and Queens Grill restaurants are reserved for those travelling in suites.
The Britannia Restaurant really is an impressive room, with a large double-height central section surrounded by tall columns, and tiered upper levels joined by a sweeping staircase at the forward end of the room.
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| The Britannia Restaurant |
The restaurant is open for a la carte breakfast and lunch with an open seating. For dinner, tables and dining times are assigned to guests in each stateroom, and remain unchanged throughout the crossing (though we were able to switch to a larger, more attractive table after speaking with the Maitre d' on the first afternoon). Sitting at a larger table provides a great opportunity to get to know your fellow diners during the trip. Dinner soon becomes the main event of the days on board.
Once all the food has started to settle, it was hard to resist a visit to the Commodore Club, situated all the way forward on deck 9. This inviting bar owes a lot to its location away from the other public rooms, as it remains one of the quieter bars on the ship.
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| The Commodore Club |
The drinks menu here (particularly the long list of Martinis) is more extensive than in the other bars on board. It became almost a habit to come up here for a couple of cocktails after dinner, before heading down to explore the night around the rest of the ship.
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| Views of the Commodore Club |
The Commodore Club has a particularly nice bar, with an fantastic model of QM2 on display. The bar is located in the centre of the room, and curves with the shape of the superstructure. From here you can also enjoy the live pianist, who played in this room most evenings.
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| A large model of QM2 sits behind the bar |
A small cigar smoking room is located directly off the Commodore Club, and makes for a nice spot to sit and talk away the evening.
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| Churchill's Cigar Lounge |
Heading back down through QM2's attractively panelled stairwells and lifts brings you to the heart of the evening action on decks 2 and 3.
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| All of QM2's public stairwells are attractively panelled, with a different wood used for each |
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| One of the many passenger lifts on board |
On more than one occasion we found ourselves in the Casino on deck 2, where all the usual games are played on a selection of tables.
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| The Empire Casino |
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| The Empire Casino |
A traditional red British post box can be found at the entrance to the Golden Lion Pub. This enormously popular venue is open throughout the day, including a lunch service (which we never tried). It is often used for trivia contests, and then for Karaoke later in the evenings.
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| A red post box stands by the entrance to the Golden Lion Pub |
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| A late evening photo of a very empty Golden Lion Pub |
As the evening in the Pub winds down, the night owls are inevitably drawn to the QM2's nightclub G32, located all the way aft on Decks 2 and 3. Strangely, this venue can only be accessed by passing through the Queens Room. This brings you past another great model of the Ship, located just through the photo gallery on deck 3L.
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| This model of QM2 is displayed at the aft end of the photo gallery |
G32 is a double height space, with one side of the balcony level providing one of the only indoor smoking areas on board. The smell from this did not disturb us in the lower area. A live band alternates with a DJ, and the party can continue until surprisingly late (with noone having anywhere to be the next day).
The bar keeps serving until only the last few passengers are left. After that, it's down to the passengers to entertain themselves, or head to the continental breakfast buffet in the Kings Court (which opens at 4am) before bed.
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| The G32 Nightclub |
For any passengers feeling a little fragile the next morning, or for those wanting a bit of pampering, the Canyon Ranch Spa is a great option. Use of this area is not included in the standard fare, so passengers need to purchase a pass to use the facilities.
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| The therapy pool in the Canyon Ranch Spa |
At the heart of the spa is a heated pool, with lounge chairs around the area, and a large jacuzzi tub in the corner.
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| Comfortable loungers surround the pool area |
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| A whirlpool bath in the Canyon Ranch Spa |
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| The soft lighting creates a relaxing atmosphere around the pool |
The spa also has a large range of massages and treatments on offer, all at an extra cost. It's worth watching out for the daily specials, which can offer reasonable discounts. The price of each treatment includes a day pass to use all the spa facilities.
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| The treatment rooms are clean and comfortable |
The relaxation area of the spa has a selction of fruits and iced juices, as well as an inviting room with comfortable loungers which looks out directly onto the promenade deck, and to the ocean beyond.
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| The relaxation area in the Canyon Ranch Spa |
Up one deck from the main spa area is the hair and beauty salon on deck 8.
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| The spa complex continues to deck 8, where the hair and beauty salon is located |
A well-equipped gym is located at the forward end of deck 7, and is open to all passengers free of charge. This area was well used, with many people choosing to work off some of the extra calories they were taking on each day.
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| The Fitness Centre |
Excellent pictures again!
ReplyDeleteThanks again!
ReplyDeleteI wish I was travelling with you, instead of pictures, Which are great
ReplyDelete