Life on board QM2

Have you wondered what life’s been like on board our ships during our operational pause? Well, we’ve caught up with Hotel General Manager, Naomi, and Senior Doctor, Gerald, who’ve given us some insight…

Where is the ship now?

Having spent most of the summer in Weymouth Bay in the company of many other cruise ships, we’ve now moved to Babbacombe Bay, Torquay, Devon. It’s beautiful to look at the coastline on a sunny day and most importantly there is reasonable local internet for everyone to keep in touch with their friends and families.

The Queen Mary 2 has not lost any of her star power, you can see that people are fascinated and the buzz around us. We’ve had all sorts of vessels come and visit us, the most unusual being the ‘Tiki Boat’. Sometimes if feels a bit like being a zoo animal, them looking at us, us looking at them :).

How big is the Hotel team?

In total there are 26 members of the Hotel Team in key positions (119 ship’s company all together). The Galley team, supported by our hard working Back of House Team are our constant heroes. Every day they work incredibly hard. Our meal times are a real highlight.

What do you or your team do that is different from when the ship is in service?

The crew have all learned to multi-task, and have been trained to take on roles normally held by other colleagues.

The biggest change is nobody can go ashore. Some people have not been off the ship for eight months. But we do have beautiful views and have had lots of sunshine recently.

What does the ship look and feel like?

The ship is as beautiful as ever, although can be a little eerie at times. The Housekeeping team have been offering ghost tours…
Pictured on the right is jackets we would offer Guests in Queens Grill when not properly attired, patiently waiting!

Most of the life is now on deck 7 – we all eat together (socially distanced) in King’s Court (the food is fantastic), and our communal recreation area is Carinthia Lounge.

However, in other parts of the ship it’s quite common to walk around without seeing another crew member at all.

We also have to get used to parts of the ship being used for the 14 days of quarantine for new joiners, so there are a few ‘do not enter’ signs.

How do you look after the wellbeing of the team on board?

We continue to have monthly Seafarers’ Welfare Committee meetings which are well attended. Morale on board is generally good. The recent announcement of return to service of Queen Mary 2 on 18 April next year was met with a slight disappointment but also with a sense that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

There’s a strong feeling of family on board, with people all looking out for each other and we’ve managed to fabricate a makeshift basket ball court amongst other things e.g. darts, table football. pub quizzes and bingo. But we can’t wait to see our friends/colleagues and Guests on board again!