Ideas in order of priority:

KINGS COURT:
The idea looks great is plan but in execution the scale of the space is too big. All Quadrants look the same and is easy to get disoriented. Alcoves get crowded and areas with no sea view are empty. Remove alcoves that block windows and make the port and starboard bulkheads window walls except where structure is needed.

Each quadrant have a different color floor so one can get a sense of place.

PASSAGEWAYS:
There is no cue along the 800'passageways to where the stairtowers are. A luminous ceiling and change in carpet color at the doorways
would help here.

TODD ENGLISH:
It blocks entrance to inside of ship from Lido deck. It is awkward to walk through there in beachwear. Move to location of port side aft Kings Court Chef's galley. A glass bulkhead inboard of the exterior bulkhead will create the passageway.

Boardwalk Cafe and Chef's Galley is to be moved to current Todd English Location. A casual dining area near the pool will relieve the Kings Court
congestion.

SIR SAMUELS:
Double as a Coffee/Tea bar

VULGARIAN CLASS:
Some in the Grills do not like it along the Deck 7 promenades where people can look in? Don't they want the whole world to know they are rich? The aft suites overlooking the Deck 8 pool and bar, do they want pivacy or want to sneer down at the hoi polloi.

It would make sense to put casaul dining where the Grills are. Move the duplex suites to midship deck 9 and 10. Move the Princess and Britannia Grill to Deck 9 aft. Deck 10 aft would be one floor Grill class suites.

If Grills are moved to Deck 9, Todd English can be in that place since Deck 7 aft terrace is not a prime space.

Other ideas?

[ 09-18-2006: Message edited by: desirod7 ]

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Originally posted by desirod7:

VULGARIAN CLASS:
Some in the Grills do not like it along the Deck 7 promenades where people can look in? Don't they want the whole world to know they are rich? The aft suites overlooking the Deck 8 pool and bar, do they want pivacy or want to sneer down at the hoi polloi.

[ 09-18-2006: Message edited by: desirod7 ]

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This is funny, and interesting, because I believe the privileged classes are of two different mentalities. Some people who have always had money and the best things, and they want to be pampered in privacy and really do not care to mingle with the others.

Then there are the 'Hyacinth Buckets' who simply want bragging rights and the ability to flaunt their status!

The certainly is ‘something’ wrong with the ‘Kings Court’, it is confusing and gets rather crowded. Many other new ships feature better design of buffet areas. However, maybe the Kings Court design was necessitated by the feature that the Court divides into four separate specialty areas of an evening. This is very clever and unique. They are also free!

I would have liked to see 'Lido deck dining', so you could walk out of the back of the 'Court/Winter Garden and sit at tables on the deck. However the Grills is in the way.

Yes Todd English is in the way, but it's very popular and generates income!

The entrance to G32 is through the Queens Room, so noise from the Disco spills out every time the door is open, Once again there is probably a logistical reason for this.

Todd English was originally to be a Lido style restaurant that opened up onto the aft deck. It was also intended to be linked strongly to the Lido on deck 7 through the staircase on the port side. That staircase was considered as an escalator or a wider sweeping stair to ensure the connection was made. There was then a campaign to get recognisable chef's or restaurants onboard that would match the product that was being sold. Originally, Todd English was to be "Rules" restaurant. Rules is the oldest restaurant in London, is very popular amongst politicians and city business men. Their menu is very traditional old style English - surprisingly good. Actually exceptionally good. They have their own land and parks in Scotland where you can bag your own fowl and the restaurant will serve it to you a little while later in London. It was all very old style upper class England, very authentic and would have been lapped up in the States. It was then decided that that was too specific and narrow spectrum and Todd English came on scene. By now of course, the idea of going back to a simple Lido restaurant was forgotton and we have what we have now. The link to the Lido on deck 7 was not required to be as strong so the staircase was reduced to the one on the port side that we have now.

The Grills need a specific galley with different equipment and layout. The supply for these needs to be on elevator and crew stairways in line with the stores, below. The one galley serves both restaurants and this means the Grill chef's can operate together. One of the only viable locations for this was where they are now. They needed to be somewhere next to open deck as this gives them a cache that would not exist if they were internal or lower down.

G32 was originally "The Yacht Club" by the way and was a much more gentile, cocktail bar like the one on QE2 - It was then decided we needed a conventional night club and we changed the decor and the name - (G32 was my idea). The transition between the entrance and the Queen's room was always going to be awkward. The challenge was the change in deck level between the aft end of the Britannia restaurant, through the Queens room and into G32. There is a half deck height change in order to accomodate the 'tween deck passages through the restaurant between the upper and lower levels (it was very difficult to envisage this in the design stages and caused many headaches...)
In addition, there is no passenger staircase at the entrance to G32 as there is crew area above and stores below. Only a small crew staircase. We were taking advantage of the availibility of space that could be used for a public room but that could only be accessed through the same deck. Because it is so isolated, it means it is a good space for a nightclub as no passenger cabins are disturbed. That brings us back to the challenge of the transition from the Queen's room. There was just enough space to put an 'airlock' with a double door arrangement. This is negated when both sets of doors are opened at the same time. This arrangement was obviuosly a compromise but the alternative was to use the space as storage. There was not sufficient capacity on the stairs to build extra cabins.

The Lido was going to be a sprawling affair and an attempt was made to give each section a character of its own to break it down, this led to the idea of using the space in the evening in separate restaurants. I think this works well, actually better than during the day when the theming may not be strong enough to delineate the areas. The design of the ship did not help here. She has a very strong 'backbone' in the centre of the ship that acts like a structural spine. It means that the space outboard of this strucure is slightly less than on a conventional cruise ship without this very strong box spine. It was always going to be a challenge.

The QM2 has a lot of accommodation dedicated to ‘enrichment’ i.e. for the University at Sea, RADA and lectures. For example the ‘Planetarium’ doubles as a n excellent lecture theatre and cinema, which is in addition to the main Theatre.

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Originally posted by desirod7:

VULGARIAN CLASS:
Some in the Grills do not like it along the Deck 7 promenades where people can look in? Don't they want the whole world to know they are rich?

[ 09-18-2006: Message edited by: desirod7 ]

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The window shades usually seem to be drawn to table level so unless people on the promenade got on their knees it is difficult to look in . Both Grills are not about the sea view but rather about the food and service. We dined in the PG for 10 days and in the QG on our one crossing on QM2 and rarely saw passengers even notice either restaurant.

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Originally posted by Linerrich:
And you did it without being defensive or offensive to anyone!

Rich

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I agree with you 110% Linerrich.

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Originally posted by Ernst:
It is very easy to underestimate the efforts behind building a modern cruise ship...

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Originally posted by Linerdan:

Gerry you a true gentlmen , i take my hat off to you.Not just for this post but for the many you have answered on here over the past years.
Regards Linerdan.

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Gerry,

Thank you very much for a quick response.

IMO the QM2 layout is far better than the QE2, and easier to get around than the very rational SSNorway.

IMO again, after living with a ship for a while some of the public rooms may want change function. The LoveBoats which are beautifully planned have been changed over the years. The bulkheads are in the same place, but functions of rooms did change.

No other ship I have sailed is a floating town like QM2. It is the unorthodox layout that gives Mary 2 her character and sets her apart from the big boxboats.

[ 09-18-2006: Message edited by: desirod7 ]

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Originally posted by jeremya:
Last night, here in Montreal, they showed a Discovery program called "Mega Structures" which had a piece on the Queen Mary 2 in Hamburg for her propeller repairs.

She is just an amazing ship. Quite a marvel to see her in dry dock status.

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She'll be in dry dock again in November to have the repaired pod reinstalled.

If she had been built w/a large lido style indoor/outdoor restaurant in place of the Grills or Todd English I believe the open air section would go unused during all but the warmest crossings. Passengers tend to stay indoors on a transatlantic crossing except for a walk/jog around the promenade.

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Originally posted by lasuvidaboy:
If she had been built w/a large lido style indoor/outdoor restaurant in place of the Grills or Todd English I believe the open air section would go unused during all but the warmest crossings. Passengers tend to stay indoors on a transatlantic crossing except for a walk/jog around the promenade..

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I sailed her in bad weather and good weather and she does both very well. She has more deck space than most boxboats her size and is even better in warm weather.

Magradome and galleries along side of Illuminations are great places to hang out in bad weather.

Hull hole balcony protects one well from the elements.

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Originally posted by lasuvidaboy:
It may have been mentioned, but I don't understand the location of the duplex apartments. We were given a tour of an unoccupied one on our crossing and we both thought it was an incredible space but it lacked privacy on the verandah. They could have easily been built on the sides of the ship w/two seperate verandahs facing the sea.

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Vulgarians who are rich and self important want the Mortal class to see them, plus to sneer down at those who are financially challenged.

[ 09-19-2006: Message edited by: desirod7 ]

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Originally posted by desirod7:

Vulgarians who are rich and self important want the Mortal class to see them, plus to sneer down at those who are financially challenged.

[ 09-19-2006: Message edited by: desirod7 ]

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Originally posted by Gerry:
By the way, I receommend a visit to "Rules" whilst in London.

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Here is the web site: www.rules.co.uk

Unfortunately it costs a bit more than my normally 'Happy Meal'. There is a sample of the menu and the prices.

[ 09-22-2006: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

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Originally posted by PamM:
Malcolm? those prices seem more than very reasonable to me for a London restaurant?

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Soup £7, Fish & Chips et al £17, Pudding £7 = £31 per head ($59)

You are right Pam, I stand corrected - by London standards, for a nice meal out, that is not too bad!