Early in November, Bethany from the Hays Travel Team set off on a once-in-a-lifetime educational cruise trip on board Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 - and stopped off in no other than New York City.
Read all about Bethany’s amazing trip to see what she got up to on this bucket-list trip, and discover why a Cunard cruise is one to wish for.
“We began our trip with training in the Cunard Connections on deck two with everyone on the educational trip. They did presentations on Cunard and taught us a lot about the brand and the ships. They set us different tasks to improve our knowledge of the ship and to get us looking around - this really helped to navigate the ship during my stay!
"We went to the evening shows and had free time to explore other areas of the ship i.e. spa, pools, games area, table tennis. I also went to some talks, which is something I wouldn't usually do. It was great to have some in depth background on the ship before settling in for my transatlantic voyage.
“I visited the Verandah, a steakhouse restaurant, which is one of the many speciality restaurants on board. It was really elegant and the service was great! The food was delicious, and the pudding especially stuck out for me. I also ate in the Bamboo restaurant which is another speciality dining option, located in Kings Court - this was a lovely experience. The starters were served in Bento boxes, so it felt very authentically Pan Asian.
"For drinks, I really enjoyed the Chart Room, as they had lovely music every evening - including a harpist. They had a great menu of drinks and cocktails. During the daytime I really enjoyed Sir Samuels, who served Godvia hot chocolate.
“The Britannia restaurant which is the main dining room really wowed me. I remember walking in on our first evening and as we walked in the room was lined with people dressed in white ready to serve. They really made your experience magical - the service was outstanding and you hardly noticed what was going on around you as it ran like clockwork.
“I was pleasantly surprised by how relaxed the vibe was in the daytime - which I liked as then in the evening the majority of people dressed up, so it was great to have the best of both. The food exceeded my expectations, it was amazing in every restaurant including the buffet. I couldn't believe how many options there were! The amount of daytime activities also really surprised me, so there really was something for everyone.
“Being able to experience the Queen Mary 2 has massively increased my confidence with selling Cunard. It is such a great experience from start to finish and I can use my own experience to enhance my clients potential holidays. I learnt a lot about the ship and decks i.e. location of restaurants and different areas which is really handy when booking Cunard as we usually have the deck plan in front of us and I already feel much more confident talking about it and explaining it as I have experienced it for myself.
“The ship was very grand and elegant - it was more modern than I was expecting, however it still had traditional areas i.e the Britannia Restaurant and Queens Room. A perfect mix for those of you looking for a blend of the old and new crusing experince. There was such a mixed range of ages on board which was also great.
"Sailing into New York was incredible and a magical experience - seeing the Statue of Liberty and the NY skyline as I readied myself to disembark in the city that never sleeps was something I’ll never forget.”