Any Thoughts On Cunard?

As much as my husband and I LOVE Celebrity and Azamara, I saw that Cunard is offering some nice itineraries for 2016. We are looking at a couple, in particular, on the Queen Elizabeth - especially one that has an overnight in Geiranger, Norway, which would be beautiful. Any one on here have some experience on these ships? They look amazing.

Michael

As much as my husband and I LOVE Celebrity and Azamara, I saw that Cunard is offering some nice itineraries for 2016. We are looking at a couple, in particular, on the Queen Elizabeth - especially one that has an overnight in Geiranger, Norway, which would be beautiful. Any one on here have some experience on these ships? They look amazing.

 

 

 

Michael

The Queen Elizabeth is amazing. I spent 2 weeks on one of her Med cruises last year. I've got 25 nights booked on her at the end of this year.

It's big, but not too big and it never felt crowded. If you can, book Grills as the views from the restaurants are amazing. But the Britannia grade is just fine. Definitely book a balcony at the least - if it's affordable for you.

Cunard is my favourite line.

Thanks so much for the reply. We will definitely book a Princess Grill, at least, as it is looking to be the same price as the Azamara cruise we currently have booked (that we would cancel for Cunard). The QE looks beautiful, so we are leaning towards doing this. How are the dress codes? We are used to anything from the formal on Crystal to country club casual on Azamara, but the less packing we have to do, the better =)

Michael

How are the dress codes? We are used to anything from the formal on Crystal to country club casual on Azamara, but the less packing we have to do, the better =)

Cunard is a fantastic line and the crew along with the fellow passengers tend to be very gay friendly. We've sailed with them quite a few times on crossings and have always had positive experiences.

That said, they definitely embrace the atmosphere you'd associate with the golden age of oceanliner travel, which means a quite formal environment. On the crossings, which I assume are the same as their other cruises, there are three formal nights per week (minimum black tie with many opting for tuxedos) and the remainder are all nights designated as "informal," where men typically wear a full suit.

I definitely agree with the preference to keep the packing light, especially since we are often jumping on their ships to travel back to the US having already spent a week in Europe. Unfortunately, Cunard won't be the line to accommodate that request ;-)

That all said, I highly recommend them. They are one of my favorite lines, and QE is a truly beautiful ship. We were on her sister, QV, a few years back.

How are the dress codes? We are used to anything from the formal on Crystal to country club casual on Azamara, but the less packing we have to do, the better =)

Cunard is rather formal but if you pack a tux you can wear it over and over again and not look out of place. A jacket is required on informal nights - tie optional. One jacket with different trousers and shirts - and optional ties - will cover that; no need to pack an outfit for every night. Day time is very casual

Here is the dress code from the Cunard website:

We love the Cunard ships. Large enough to have plenty to do, however small enough to get around easily. For years we were in Brittania, which was fine, until last year and we had the Princess Grill, which was magnificent. Enjoy your cruise!

Cunard are very good and the princess and queens grill suites are exceptional in size and service. They seem to be very gay friendly as I did not see myself or my partner being treated any differently from the rest of the passengers. The only downside of Cunard is that the on board entertainments cater for more mature travellers.

Have not cruised with Cunard since the "QE2", however we've come TA 3X on the the Queen Mary. LOVED IT!!!!! Crew and staff very accommodating, fellow passengers delightful. And all 3 times we were not the only gay couple on board. A bit more formal, but one tux takes up a lot less room then a suitcase full of trousers and shirts. A cruise may be a bit less formal than a TA, though. We will continue to sail with Cunard, a cruise has just never worked for our schedule!

Thanks for all the replies! This has been very helpful.

Michael

We were aboard QE in Nov 2012. We booked Britannia, and were surprised the week before the cruise with an upgrade to Princess Grill. What a great experience! The private grill dining room (one for Princess, a better one for Queen's) was relaxing and quiet with excellent service. What we liked were the choice of time to eat at a regular table, the choice of eating in the grill or having the same menu in your cabin from room service (menus were provided each day to your cabin), the private grills lounge (where we enjoyed afternoon tea) and many cocktails, the fact that we could order off the menu for desert in the dining room such as cherries jubilee, or have table side meal preparation from the Maitre d' like duck a l'orange.

In short we loved the ship, the voyage however was a different story altogether. We referred to it as the voyage to nowhere. 12 day Eastern Med cruise with multiple port cancellations and substitutions on joining the ship and en route. But, that is a longer story.

One big thing to remember: While the prices of the grills may be comparible to Azamara and Crystal, you will not have ANY included beverages or cocktails, and you will always pay for specialty dining. You will also not have the same level of personalized service those other lines offer, except for perhaps your room attendant (or butler, if so inclined).

Once on a 26 day double crossing/Norway cruise on Cunard, I had the same conversation with the same bar server and bartender that I wanted my gin martini without vermouth. Every day, for 26 days, a conversation took place and a martini was returned, as it would have vermouth. And these were the same service people!

One big thing to remember: While the prices of the grills may be comparible to Azamara and Crystal, you will not have ANY included beverages or cocktails, and you will always pay for specialty dining. You will also not have the same level of personalized service those other lines offer, except for perhaps your room attendant (or butler, if so inclined).

 

Once on a 26 day double crossing/Norway cruise on Cunard, I had the same conversation with the same bar server and bartender that I wanted my gin martini without vermouth. Every day, for 26 days, a conversation took place and a martini was returned, as it would have vermouth. And these were the same service people!

Thanks for this response! That's definitely something to take into consideration as we decide on what our 2016 plans will be.

Michael

A martini without vermouth is not a martini. It is gin straight up or on the rocks. That might end the confusion.

A martini without vermouth is not a martini. It is gin straight up or on the rocks. That might end the confusion.

Trust me, at 53 years of age, I know how to order a drink. My mantra,"beefeaters, stright up, no vermouth, olives." But the point is, I ordered the same drink every day from the same group of servers for 26 days, and they never got it right. THAT is not what I call service. So THAT is the arguement, not that I can't order a Martini my way.