HAL vs. Cunard

[luv2travel06]

Just watched the Queen Elizabeth head out to sea on the webcam, and enjoyed a magnificent display of the capabilities of the ship's horn. Also noted that the Queen Victoria was in port earlier this week. That made me curious.

If you have sailed on HAL and Cunard ships, what are the differences in ship amenities and service? I assume Cunard cruises are more expensive. Is a cruise on a Cunard ship significantly superior to a HAL cruise?

[cpjpkp]

My husband and I cruised on the QE2 a few years back and had a wonderful time however, there certainly is a difference between HAL and Cunard. The atmosphere seemed to be more formal and the stateroom you choose determines the dining room you eat in. The higher cost of the room, the higher level dining room. We were in the middle class stateroom and ate in the popular dining room which was excellent. The formal night was no exception meaning most of the men were in tuxedos and the women in long gowns.

We have been on a few HAL cruises and find them to be very upscale and comfortable. When you leave your stateroom everyone is equal, there is no different level of class.

[pris993]

We have cruised on the Westerdam and Eurodam recently, and the Statendam some years ago. This past year we went on our first Cunard cruise on the Queen Victoria.

We enjoyed the Queen Victoria so much we booked a second cruise the same year. What we enjoyed most was the entertainment and opportunity for ballroom dancing all night, every night.

We special order in the MDR on any cruise line. We were quiet satisified with the food and service on the QV. We actually were pleasantly surprised at how well the responded to special requests in the MDR. HAL and Princess respond as well, Celebrity less so. We cruise on all 4 lines.

We had a balcony cabin, mid ship, paid about the same we would pay on Princess, HAL or Celebrity.

The one thing that was quiet different was the onboard credit we received from Cunard. We received on our 16 day TA a $600 OBC, on the 12 day Mediterranean we received a $800 OBC. We thought this was very generous and far more than we have ever received from any other line.

Cunard does charge more for booking on board a future cruise -- $600 for two bs the $200 typical on other lines.

We would definitely cruise on Cunard, as well as HAL, Princess and Celebrity depending on the itinerary. Itinerary is what we make our choice on and then price.

[pam vessels]

Just watched the Queen Elizabeth head out to sea on the webcam, and enjoyed a magnificent display of the capabilities of the ship's horn. Also noted that the Queen Victoria was in port earlier this week. That made me curious.

If you have sailed on HAL and Cunard ships, what are the differences in ship amenities and service? I assume Cunard cruises are more expensive. Is a cruise on a Cunard ship significantly superior to a HAL cruise?
We have done both and like Hal much better. We did not find Cunard to be stuffy or more formal. The buffet area on Cunard seemed very confusing to us and the casino was so tight that after the 2nd night it was empty. Hal has larger cabins. So for us Hal and Celebrity are both much better options. Also Cunard messed up our billing and even after admitting that they made a mistake just said "sorry, too bad" which irked me to no end as we never did get our obc........

[Pete Jackson]

Cunard tends to have more formal nights than HAL, and better entertainment. Hal has friendlier staff. Cunard Brittania dining and HAL MDR are similar experiences, I feel. HAL has a better buffet.

Cunard has only three ships and so cannot offer as varied a selection of itineraries as HAL, except for the World Cruise.

[foodsvcmgr]

Pete Jackson is spot on.

Cunard fares will start out much higher, but frequently drop dramatically and may wind up the same or less than HAL.

We enjoy both lines and alternate between the two. You will find certain things to be better or more to your liking on one or the other. To me,
there are far more similarities than differences. Unless the formal dress code, or lack of, is your deal breaker, if you are happy with HAL you will like Cunard and vice versa.

And, no - I don't think a much higher fare for a comparable itinerary on
Cunard is tangibly worth booking over HAL.

[3rdGenCunarder]

Cunard has long been my favorite line, but the variety of itineraries is limited, especially for North American departures. HAL offers cruises Cunard doesn't--Alaska, Bermuda--so I have sailed with HAL recently.

I think Cunard's food is a little better. The desserts are definitely better. QM2's buffet is confusing. I always want to take a sledge hammer to that part of an otherwise wonderful ship. I haven't been on QV or QE, so I don't know what their buffets are like.

I like formal nights on Cunard because they really are formal. Tuxes and gowns are the norm, not the exception.

I think Cunard is more expensive. I've compared prices on Cunard's Vistas and HAL's Vistas and Cunard seems to cost more. Or maybe I've just hit HAL on sale prices.

Cunard is not weighed down with a class system. That is a misconception. Yes, your cabin determines your dining room. You pay more, you get a larger menu and more opportunities to go off the menu. But except for your dining room and one bar, once you step out of your cabin on QM2, you're all equal. What you pay determines what you get on HAL, too. Only Neptune-class suites get to use the neptune lounge and have breakfast in the Pinnacle. NCL has the Haven, other lines have special top-cabin perks, the pay-for-perks system is spreading through the industry.