Do you regard the Brittania Restaurant as 2nd class?

We whole heartily DISAGREE with a thread on the RCL board were someone regarded the QM2 Britannia as 2nd class. What do you think?

I agree with you. It is most certainly not second class! It is up to the standard of a very good large restaurant in a 4 or 5 start hotel. I found it very nice and the food was excellent. The staff did a marvellous job considering the amount of people that need to be fed in a finite amount of time.

 

Eddie

I would disagree, too, but it depends on comparison and definition:

If you call the Grills first class, you need to call the Britannia second just because the former dinning rooms are better.

But you might easily choose to call the Britannia first class and the Grills - well maybe just Grill class as something in its own class.

The standard is not low but certainly leaves some room for higher value ingrediences, higher quality and better service.

Compared to RCCL - frankly, in my experience I would call Britannia first class and RCCL second or even third ...

I agree as well - it's not second, it's third! I can believe that it is "up to the standard of a very good large restaurant in a 4 or 5 start hotel", but that doesn't stop it being the dining room for the third class passengers on the ship. QM2 doesn't really have a second class dining room like the Caronia on QE2 (although they're attempting to make one with the single seating section of the Britannia), that leaves the Grills as first class.

 

The only reason that it is not called a dining room of a certain class is because the lines want to make sure that we know we will enjoy the ship whatever cabin we have and are scared that we might think that third class on the QM2 was a lot worse than any cabin of an inferior line without classes.

If you call the Grills first class

 

Didn't the idea of the Grill first appear on the QM, where the Veranda Grill was built on Sun Deck that would serve First Class passengers who paid a supplement? Whilst the Grills can now be taken as first class the original grills were more like Todd's English.

 

See http://www.sterling.rmplc.co.uk/visions/retain1.html for details of the VG.

 

Another Grill question: Why, when they kept changing the names of the Princess Grills on QE2 did they pick Britannia, the name of the QM2's dining room? They could have decided on Veranda after the QM or whatever the grill on the QE was called.

Didn't the idea of the Grill first appear on the QM, where the Veranda Grill was built on Sun Deck that would serve First Class passengers who paid a supplement?

 

Its older than that - afaik, the first Cunard 'supplement' restaurant was on the AQUITANIA (1914) in response to White Star's OLYMPIC class separate restaurant - which probably grew in popularity after First Class passengers on Olympic found the profusion of electric lights and lack of adequate ventillation made the room uncomfortably hot and stuffy, especially in bad weather when the ports were closed. There quickly developed a 'First' and 'Super-First' mindest among some passengers......plus ca change...

 

.....and the Britannia Restaurant, for all its flaws has food comfortably ahead of RCCL.....

 

Peter

Its older than that

 

I didn't realise that the idea was quite that old.

 

.....and the Britannia Restaurant, for all its flaws has food comfortably ahead of RCCL.....

 

What does that make RCCL boats? True steerage?:D

What does that make RCCL boats? True steerage?:D

 

No, not really.....better than Princess, in my experience.....the trouble with both (and to an extent with Cunard) is HUGE slabs of protein, with vegetables as garnish, rather than a significant portion of the meal.......

 

Peter

Oh lordie, here we go again. Nothing wrong with people eating in the Britannia, or Princess Grill, or Queens Grill. Its not like the quality of food is as different as McDonalds versus the Waldorf-Astoria. The seating times, choices off menu and accomodations are the reasons why someone decides to spend the money they want to in their choice but the Britannia basically serves the same quality of food as the two grills. As this recent attack came from RCCL I even question the credibility of such an attack? I noticed much of the attacks on the perceived class system of Cunard comes from outsiders who don't understand the system itself. Bottom line, the Britannia is a massive dining room while the grills are a more intimate dining experience but that's about all.

 

Will happily eat in the Britannia and enjoy every piece of my meal with a thousand or so of my best friends.

 

David

No, not really.....better than Princess, in my experience.....the trouble with both (and to an extent with Cunard) is HUGE slabs of protein, with vegetables as garnish, rather than a significant portion of the meal.......

 

Peter

 

I knew there was a reason I will like Cunard. Vegetables are eaten by me out of guilt for not eating a balanced meal otherwise it would be an all meat plate.:)

 

David

I and a lot of people I have talked with consider the grills 1st and 2nd class the the Britannia 3rd class.

 

I am a cruise fannatic and talk with a lot of other people who enjoy cruising. We have all avoided Cunard because of the class system that they use. Hopefully Cunard realises that they are loosing a lot of business by being the only surviving cruise line to keep this outdated class sytsem.

 

We wanted to try their new ship coming out and were very discourged to learn that thier new ship will continue using the class system. So for now us and a lot for friends wont be trying Cunard.

Some people just don't get it! Might as well stop flying some airlines because they have a first class cabin and might as well stop using some hotels because of their business floors! There is no old-style class system and no matter which accomodation/restaurant you choose you get full use of the ship. Britania restaurant patrons eat almost exactly what the Grill passengers eat. Its not rocket science. you are not cordoned off and you don't eat gruel!

Oh POO...more of that silly class distinction stuff again!! I have to wonder at the insecurity of some people who feel that there's a class distinction so obvious on Cunard that one absolutely can't travel under those dreadful circumstances! Some people choose to pay a lot more money to have a larger cabin, eat in a smaller restuarant with allegedly better service and foods than the majority of passengers who still pay a lot of money to eat in an elegant restaurant with more people and basically have the run of the entire ship. Britannia pax do not have to stay only in a certain section of the ship and not venture onto the upper decks etc...they are not restricted in their movements throughout the vast majority of the ship. I remember well the old class system where barriers to the various classes were obvious and enforced and it is not what one finds on QM2 today. Nor do I venture to guess that it will be anything noticible on QV.

 

So I'll be joining my Roll Call buddy David in Britannia and enjoy dining with 1000 new friends too...and then I'll roam the ship at will because there is nothing to prevent my enjoyment of it all. If this is a "class system" I'm happy to enjoy it and feel a bit sorry for those who have talked themselves out of it for all the wrong reasons. Cheers, Penny

I found Brittania restaurant excellent when I did the west crossing last month. Spoke to a number of Grill passengers who felt we were in the first class restaurant as theirs was nothing like as special a setting. One couple actually moved from Grill to Brittania as they preferred the setting, the service and the company there!

Cunard ...the only surviving cruise line to keep this outdated class sytsem.

 

Horsefeathers! Other lines do not have lounges for Suites? Or lounges set aside for top tier frequent cruisers? And as Bramcruiser has pointed out, I presume Brad boycots all airlines which use an 'outdated class system'. Heck, try crossing the Atlantic by air, and on some carriers you get FOUR classes! (First, Business, Premium Economy & Economy), where passengers ARE kept rigorously apart, and trying to move to the class above can get you shot!

 

Peter

Some people just don't get it!

 

That's it. There is a class system on Cunard; there is a class system on all other boats that don't charge exactly the same for every cabin with every cabin being identical. What isn't understood is that if you're travelling as a third class passenger that doesn't mean that you are third class in any other aspect other than your travel on that particular voyage.

 

We have all avoided Cunard because of the class system that they use

 

This is precisely the reason Cunard are trying to convince us that every cabin is first Class.

We have just returned from an Eastbound crossing where the Brittania restaurant was first class.

 

We deliberately chose to eat in the Brittannia because as a venue it appears to be far better than the two grill options and the A2 stateroom we had offered every facility that we needed. Why pay for what you don't need and won't use.

 

In the same way we are currently looking to book the same crossing next year and having very much enjoyed the 'Caronia' on the QE2 have considered AA. But why dine in an annexe may be 30 minutes earlier and pay $500 for the privelage?

 

Also breakfast and lunch in the Brittania enables you to meet far more people than your dinner companions.

 

The choices are really nothing to do with class it is all about value to each individual. Do you really need a dvd player or computer games for a 6 day journey

 

Chris and Pam :)

if you're travelling as a third class passenger that doesn't mean that you are third class in any other aspect other than your travel on that particular voyage.

 

I think referring to Cunard liners and 'Third' (or any other) 'class' is grossly misleading from either a historical or contemporary perspective.

 

On ships in the past, and on airliners today, the geography of the craft is broken into distinct segments and passage between them is not allowed. You stay in the place assigned to you by the fare you paid. On the old Queens, Third Class was at the front, second class, aft, and First Class in the middle (and you can still see remnants of this Three Class planned, but never implimented design, on the QE2 in stair towers A, D & G).

 

The QM2, by contrast is a 'one class' liner - with (virtually) ALL space open to ALL passengers, irrespective of the stateroom they have book, or Restaurant they are dining in. Interestingly, the Queen Victoria will be providing more 'exclusive' space for Grill Class passengers - but it can't be more than 5% of the ship - so, like virtually ALL Cruise ships today - the layout is ONE class, with a few lounges reserved for suite or frequent travellers - though in Cunard's case, these spaces are reserved for people who have paid more (up to 15 times more), and who get to dine in a more 'intimate' (or 'smaller') 'sophisticated' (or 'duller') restaurant. I do not understand how people, who presumably do not riot at the sight of people turning left on boarding an aircraft get so het up about different restaurants on a one class ship.....

 

Peter

.

 

I am a cruise fannatic and talk with a lot of other people who enjoy cruising. We have all avoided Cunard because of the class system that they use. Hopefully Cunard realises that they are loosing a lot of business by being the only surviving cruise line to keep this outdated class sytsem.

 

We wanted to try their new ship coming out and were very discourged to learn that thier new ship will continue using the class system. So for now us and a lot for friends wont be trying Cunard.

 

Cunard know that there are many people who will happily pay a lot more cash for just a little perceived benifit. These people know, though many would not admit it, that they really do not get "value". The value for them is that they feel exclusive because they have paid more. Why this would bother any other passenger is beyond me.

 

David.

Peter I think you described it so well. I am not sure why Malcolm is so insistent that someone like me is a third class passenger because I happen to be in the Britannia Restaurant. Maybe I'm thin skinned and just not taking his comments the way he meant it to be but I felt a little insulted by those comments more so than those from outsiders. Its not Cunard trying to blur the class distinction at all but rather Cunard trying to make the Grill passengers feel a little more superior by focusing all their advertising on about 10% of the passengers. I mean all those brochures are definitely aimed at the high life and focus on pictures of people in suites and eating in the Grill restaurants which is not the norm. People who eat in the Britannia Restuarant may not get the intimate dining experience but are on ship for much of the same reasons seeking a high quality cruise. I have no problem at all with people who choose to spend their money on the Grill life because if I could I probably also would be in the Grill accomodations. Its just not worth the extra money to me and I'd be doing a lot less cruises if I did.

 

People in an inside cabin on the lowest level of the ship uses the same bars, pools, shops and planetarium as someone in a Royal Suite. That would never have happened in the old days of the class system.

 

Yes, the QE2 was built during the days of the so-called class system but even now the lines are blurred because everyone gets use of the whole ship there as well. Cunard changed with the times. The biggest difference between Mauretania and Caronia is decor and two fixed seatings versus single seating. The menus are practically similar as they are once again with the Grills.

 

I will say that people pay more for suites on the free-range NCL or the adventuring RCCL so I don't think there is that much of a difference between Cunard and other lines except for the type of travellers that each line is geared towards.

 

We've had this discussion on this subject before and its always a sore spot and many of us were grateful for it ending a while back. We had a great summer having had this controversy die off. I thank the OP for defending Cunard against those who are on the outside who don't understand but its a tiring argument. So I'm taking my insecurity and disappearing from this discussion now. The last thing I want to do is start any war with any Cunarder less than three months from my cruise as I am feeling so fine about many of you and eagerly anticipating the experience. Now is not the time to ruin it!

 

David

Who probably is a bit thin-skinned but rather remain on good terms with everyone

The QM2, by contrast is a 'one class' liner - with (virtually) ALL space open to ALL passengers, irrespective of the stateroom they have book

 

Peter - I have no problem in accepting that most of the ship is one class - there is almost nowhere that any passenger can't go. The discussion started by someone suggesting that the Britannia was second class. The original poster disagreed with that statement and wondered about the opinions on the board. My reply was meant to say that the restaurant couldn't be described as second class - it would have to be third (a rather weak joke) to allow for QE2's Caronia and the Grills.

 

I am not sure why Malcolm is so insistent that someone like me is a third class passenger because I happen to be in the Britannia Restaurant. Maybe I'm thin skinned and just not taking his comments the way he meant it to be but I felt a little insulted by those comments

 

David - Please accept my apologies - no insult was meant. My last two cruises were in Princess, the one before that in Caronia and before that most were Mauretania, with only the rare excursion to Princess or Queens. My next is in Caronia again.

No need to apologize Malcolm. I admit to having got my back up. I guess I just never liked this topic since day one and got a little sensitive. I tried hard not to blame you personally as I didn't believe you were trying to attack anyone. To me it really doesn't matter what style of accomodation one chooses because we all want different experiences from the same thing. However, for my sanity I think I'll stick to other threads for a little while.

 

Good travels to you!

 

David

I would disagree, too, but it depends on comparison and definition:

If you call the Grills first class, you need to call the Britannia second just because the former dinning rooms are better.

But you might easily choose to call the Britannia first class and the Grills - well maybe just Grill class as something in its own class.

The standard is not low but certainly leaves some room for higher value ingrediences, higher quality and better service.

Compared to RCCL - frankly, in my experience I would call Britannia first class and RCCL second or even third ...

 

 

THE GRILLS MAY HAVE BETTER SERVICE BUT THE BRITANNIA IS BY FAR MOST BEAUTIFULL!! ON MY LAST CRUISE ON THE QM-2 IN THE P-GRILL WE ATE OUR MEALS WHILE PEOPLE JOGGED OUTSIDE OUR WINDOW AND PRESSED THIER FACE AGAINST THE GLASS TO CHECK US OUT!! YEAH REAL CLASSY RIGHT?????

Cunard know that there are many people who will happily pay a lot more cash for just a little perceived benifit. These people know, though many would not admit it, that they really do not get "value". The value for them is that they feel exclusive because they have paid more. Why this would bother any other passenger is beyond me.

 

David.

not so some people would like to dine with 200 people as opposed to 1,000 people have a quiet lounge to go to and enjoy a larger cabin and willing to pay the extra $$$ for the right to do so in your own words" PERCEIVED" is the key to " VALUE" by you or I or anyone else right??

THE GRILLS MAY HAVE BETTER SERVICE BUT THE BRITANNIA IS BY FAR MOST BEAUTIFULL!!

I agree about the Britannia Dining Room. I never got tired of the sense of occasion the room offered when I walked into it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. To call it a second class dining room is way off the mark. The significance of its size and design is comparable to the first class dining room of the original Queen Mary. And the food and service was by no means second class.

 

ON MY LAST CRUISE ON THE QM-2 IN THE P-GRILL WE ATE OUR MEALS WHILE PEOPLE ... PRESSED THIER FACE AGAINST THE GLASS TO CHECK US OUT!!

(I hope we did not scare you!;))