On Decks two & three is a long hall that stretches from the Royal Court Theatre forward to the Britannia Restaurant aft.  This great hall, along with the Grand Lobby, connects passengers to many of the popular lounges and bars on decks two & three.  Beautiful etched, or molded artwork dominates the walls to this great hall.  These large pieces of art depict a number of scenes from around the World, like the Americas, Africa, Europe, ancient Egypt, and the Mayans.  Unlike the wall art from the Normandie, that were etched or made from metal, and sometimes covered with goldleaf, the molded wall art designs on QM2 are made from some sort of plaster, or lightweight composite.  I’m sure this composite material was selected over metal because of the lightweight qualities.  On a ship, it’s important to use lightweight materials that ultimately factor into the buoyancy formulas for the vessel.  Any unnecessary weight is trimmed down, during the design and construction phase to make the vessel more efficient. This type of composite material was also used to make the sculptures and statues at the entrance to the Illuminations Theatre.  In the panel representing America, you can see the Space Shuttle, the Statue of Liberty, and other scenes depicting American culture, but if you look really close…it’s hard to find, there is a tiny Homer Simpson character, sitting with his remote, watching television, embedded into the art.   I just found it surprising that Homer Simpson would find his way into the grand artwork throughout one of the greatest ocean liners ever built.

 

The QM2 itself is a work of art.  Her hull form & superstructure is not only functional, but artistically made to make a grand impression where ever she goes.  Her funnel alone could be considered a piece of modern art.  The forward part of her superstructure that faces the oncoming sea, has horizontal black stripes painted around some of the forward-facing windows to give the ship a more aesthetically pleasing look of strength and grace.  I think those black lines make QM2 look like the Aquitannia, or even the original Queen Mary, which had open decks in the same corresponding area.  Inside and out, QM2 is a spectacular work of art.  The French builders were incredibly meticulous in their attention to detail, from the intricate engineering components in the depths of the hull, to the teak decking, QM2 is a magnificent piece of art.                  

 

Canyon Ranch Spa

High up on my list, of things to do aboard the QM2, was to experience the Canyon Ranch Spa.  Immediately upon boarding the ship I went to the Spa to purchase a day pass, which include the use of the hydro-spa facilities.  The thalassotherapy pool has a deluge waterfall, jet benches, and a neck fountain.   I absolutely love to soak in a quality hot tub, so I was thrilled to bask in the luxury of the Canyon Ranch Spa’s hydro facilities. The main therapy pool has these wonderful chairs under the water in the shallow end, with tiny jets that cause your body to seemingly float in a weightless environment.  In these jet benches, you can totally relax and let the bubbles soothe your muscles.  In the center of the pool is a circular area that you can swim into, with a fountain of water & bubbles, that also gives bathers a feeling of weightlessness while standing.  The aft part of the pool has a waterfall, which feels great on the head and shoulders.  For those who like a strong-pressure shower, this forceful and dense waterspout pouring water into the pool, will be an absolute delight on the head and shoulders…if you can bare the weight of the water gushing down.  Be aware, however, that standing under this neck fountain will splash water everywhere, so one must be conscious of other bathers nearby.  Aside from this wonderful pool itself, the room has a tranquility throughout from the soothing lighting to the relaxing wooden benches.  Soft new-age-type music is playing in the background, and of course the sound of the bubbling water in the thalassotherapy pool and the hot tub, seem to envelope occupants in a comfortable setting.  Just off from the pool is a number of rooms for additional relaxation, with hydro and aromatherapy facilities.  There is a special reflexology, bubbling hot or cold foot-pool to soothe the feet after a long day of walking around the huge ship.  An aromatic steam room and a Finnish dry sauna relax the muscles.  After a hot sauna, you may want to try the ice fountain, where you can grab a handful of ice and rub it around your body…for an interesting & contrasting sensation for your skin.  Of course there are men & women locker rooms, with showers, electronic lockers, a toilet, plenty of extra towels, and an area to do some grooming with complimentary combs, powder, lotion, etc.  There is also room just off of the pool area, where couples can experience a Rasul Ceremony, which is an ancient Middle Eastern cleansing ritual.  Medicinal and purifying mud is used by the couple, and rubbed all over each other, then the couple enters a special chamber decorated in colorful tiles, with a fiber-optic ceiling representing the night sky.  Herbal steam envelopes the small room for two, and then the couple can rinse off the special mud in a delicate rain-shower within the chamber.

 

In addition to the fabulous pool, Canyon Ranch, within it’s two-level facility, offers so many other great ways to indulge oneself.  After a relaxing spa treatment, massage, body wrap, facial, sauna…guests can visit a quaint glass-enclosed deck area, and sit in a comfortable lounge chair to watch the sea go by.  There's a juice bar near this lounge for complimentary orange juice, grapefruit juice, or coffee. Instructors analyze your body-type, and body / fat content to prescribe the perfect workout program that fits your physique and stamina.  There are exercise rooms available with state-of-the-art equipment, a salon for hair and nails, and plenty of massage rooms to get those sore muscles taken care of.   There is an interesting feature just forward of the gym on Deck 7, a row of windows that lead to a walking / running track…and then just forward of this track is another row of windows looking out to the bow.  Three times around this Deck 7 promenade equals one mile.   There is also access to the bow area from Deck 7 forward.   This area of the ship just forward of the Canyon Ranch Spa, is reminiscent of the original Queen Mary's Observation Lounge where there was a walkway between the outside windows looking out over the bow and the Observation Lounge itself.  

 

Canyon Ranch offers special selections in the menus from all the main restaurants aboard QM2.  Each Canyon Ranch menu selection has the initials “CR” next to the entrée, and there is also a helpful nutrition key after the description of the food that include: Calories / Fat Grams / Fiber Grams.  A sample from one of the menus in the Queens Grill are as follows: Under the Appetizers and Soups, Arugula Salad with Roasted Tomatoes & Parmesan Cheese ( 95 / 5 / 3 ),  from the Entrees, Raspberry Mustard-Crusted Chicken Breast with Fig Balsamic Vinegar ( 440 / 11 / 6 ),  and finally from the Dessert Menu, Apple Strudel ( 160 / 4 / 2 ).   This is one aspect of cruising, or crossing, that I truly enjoy, which is the fact there are so many choices when dinning.  You would think that a person gains weight on a cruise or crossing, but I would usually loose weight because of the choices I made in the dinning room and from all the walking aboard the ship. Up and down stairwells, and miles of walking around the ports.  Expect to do a lot of walking aboard the QM2 as you walk from one end of the ship to the other many times throughout the day.  Also, when walking around a ship at sea, the movement of the ship forces you to use muscles that you may not normally use, as you compensate for the movement of the ship.

 

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