Mind your B's and Q's

Cruise Travel, July-August, 2004 by Walter Foery

Theodore W. Scull's New Ship Review of Cunard's Queen Mary 2 (Cruise Travel, June 2004) was a delight to read, especially since I got up at 4 a.m. on Thursday, April 22, to watch her sail into New York for the first time, and was on a boat in the harbor on Sunday when she and QE2 sailed together. What a show! [See Cruise News pic, pg. 14.--ed.]

I believe there is a bit of confusion about the QM2's balcony cabins. You wrote "the balcony cabins above the lifeboats (B1-B7) are more typical...." In fact, categories B1-B7 comprise all the [non-suite] balcony cabins; I believe that only B1-B3 are above the lifeboats, and the "hull balconies" are grades B4-B7. To add to the confusion, B3 cabins are partially obstructed by the boats. We have therefore booked a B2 on Deck 11 to be sure we have the kind of balcony we have come to expect on newer ships.

Walter Foery, New Haven CT

Indeed, that description of the QM2 cabins could have been clearer. Let's try it again: The standard outside cabin is considerably larger than the indoor portion of the cabins (categories B4-B7) with balconies enclosed in the hull. Some found these latter cabins to be dark, and the outer solid bulkhead prevents views of the sea when seated. Above the lifeboats, the balcony cabins (categories B1-B3) are more typical with plexiglass instead of steel on the outer side, and larger interior sitting areas.