Cunard Cruises, Queen Elizabeth 2, Mediterranean

We were on the QE2 Mediterranean Odyssey (8-24 July), our eighth cruise in as many years but first on this ship. Overall the holiday was excellent but we have mixed feelings about the ship itself. The QE2 clearly has a loyal and appreciative following from experienced cruisers and this is perfectly understandable. We, too, thought the food was excellent (as good if not better than anything we had previously experienced.) Likewise the staff were incredibly person-orientated and in that respect nothing could be improved upon. Our two relative disappointments were the dated standard of the cabin (C class) and the remarkable amount of public space allocated to smokers. The latter is exacerbated by the largely open plan configuration of the bars and lounges, inevitable (perhaps) in a 40-year-old vessel that has obviously been redesigned over the years. As for the cabin, we made several reports of plumbing and electrical faults right up to the final morning. The overall impression of the cabin was that it was 'tired'. We remain huge Cunard fans, have twice cruised on the Queen Mary 2, with another pending to the Caribbean in January. The QE2 has obvioulsy been a fine liner in its day but the cruise industry has moved on and its de-commissioning may well be at the right time. We look forward to many more fine experiences on the Queen Mary and Queen Victoria.