Queens Grill on Cunard? Does it compare?

I am wondering if any of you out there have done crossings on luxury lines (Crystal, Regent Seven Seas, Seabourn, Silversea) as well as on Cunard in Queens Grill accommodation. How do they compare? A friend of mine raves about Queens Grill and the crossing, but it seems pricey considering the luxury lines are currently less expensive and, to my mind, offer more.:confused:

I have sailed Seabourn and Silversea extensively and also done Queen's Grill on the QE2 and QM2. IMO the food and service in QG compares to the luxury lines, it is really excellent. BUT, and this is a big BUT, the minute you leave the QG and its lounge you are in the midst of a mass market ship with 2600 other passengers and the atmosphere and service there do not even come close to the Seabourn or Silversea.

This is what I feared someone would say.

If you are considering a crossing on QM2 I think you would be all right. However, not on a cruise where you have to disembark and embark at ports every day and you are competing with thousands of other people for space. Just be prepared not ti have the same sort of intimate experience. That said, I repeat that the food and service in QG were excellent.

Only looking at this for a crossing. Just nervous about crossing on a smallish vessel.

If you are comparing crossing on QM2 with a luxury liner there are several things to remember.. The QM2 crosses the North Atlantic which is much rougher then the South Atlantic which the cruise ships use. I have crossed several times on Silversea and Seabourn and it was always very smooth. These are repositioning cruises to get their ships from Europe to the Caribbean or vice versa. However, if you want a true crossing experience then the QM2 is the way to go. It's six or seven days nonstop the way it was in the old days. As long as you're aware of the caveats I mentioned in my earlier post you'll be ok. Remember that despite peoples' claims that Cunard's ships have a class system that is only true about where you dine. The rest of the ship is one class and that is why you won't have the same experience as on a luxury line. Still, I'd say go for it at least once.

I've been in the QG on QM2 and QE2 and to be honest, I found the food in the QG on the QM2 to be less than expected. When you pay that kind of money you expect food that is beyond the best, but I did not find that on Cunard. What totally disappointed me was discovering that the menu in the QG was exactly the same as in the regular dining room. I expected to have a completely different menu and not the same as the rest of the ship. Yes, you do have the ala carte menu in the QG, but that doesn't change at all and the same things are offered each and every night. Yes, you can order off menu, but I got the feeling that a special request was a hassle. I've also been on Seabourn, Silversea and Crystal and their food was absolutely sublime.

It has been a number of years since we crossed on the QE2 and dined in the Queen's grill but to my memory it does not even come close to dining on Seabourn.

My wife and I did our 50th Anniversary on the QM and selected the Princess Grill. Food was very good, room was also very nice. Now that said, we travel Silversea once or twice a year. Spend your money on this Line. Food is always excellent and with optional Rest's you can diversify your menue each night. They are great at handling speciaol requests for special dining requests. Another thing, it is all inclusive, you don't pay for Liquor (which is provided in your room as you request) (all Five Star Brands). Wine is provided morning noon and night, no tipping, rooms are large and well appointed. I remember when I left the QM, my bill for these ammenities was not for the weak of heart. Yes we did enjoy the QM, would I do it again. Not as long as Cruise Lines like Silversea, Seabourn & Regent ply the Seas.

"Mitch"

I concur with KITI9. We were in QG for our 50th Anniv, and even ordering a special meal 2 days ahead, the food was a great disappointment. Crystal, Regent, Oceania, are superior. I would equate the food quality/selection to that of Holland America (our recent cruise on Massdam). The Lido (Kings Court) known as King Chaos, is terrible. We came into a port alongside a Celebrity ship, and a group of Europeans aboard our QM2,came out on deck, applauded, and raised thumbs up to the Celebrity ship and a very vocal thumbs down for the QM2.

This was our 2nd trip on QM2 and we have sailed on QE2 six times (we really do hope for Cunard, but we have been very disappointed with QM2).

I have to say that QG on Cunard is very poor value for money when compared to the likes of Silversea, Crystal et al. Cunard seem to value lower yielding frequent cruisers, than occasional high yielding full fare QG & PG passengers.....you just have to compare the Cunard World Club benefits to see..... a £700 crossing on a late deal & a £4000 QG on the same voyage accrues the same benefits.

The Grills on Cunard are also devalued by the frequent, & sometimes indiscriminate, upgrades to free up space in lower categories for last minute bargain fares.......

Other gripes.....

- No priority tender for PG or QG until you are in a Q4

- Yes, you get 2 bottles of spirits for you minibar in QG, but you have to plan ahead, when you're getting low you need to call your Butler, fill in a form & then you get it the next day. Also the choice is more limited than Silversea where bottles are replenished without question & automatically, even towards the end of a cruise.

- Disembarkation at Southampton is poorly managed & ended up being a free for all - Grill pax can embark at their leisure....why should they have to fight to disembark?

- The QG restaurant is fantastic (better than Silversea- main restaurant, Sea Dream, on a par with Oceania in the main restauarant & is only bettered by Silversea in Saletta/Le Champagne, but the fantastic service & food is let down by a really poor selection of cheese.....

We are committed to one more QM2 voyage & cannot cancel for family reasons, but if we do return to big ship cruising from Southampton it will be in a suite on Celebrity Eclipse.

I'd stick with Silversea.....they are far more consistent & far better value.

Just to add to my last post above....the odd upgrade is understandable given the size of the QM2 e.g. a P1/P2 to a Q5/Q6 - but upgrades from an A2 to a Q4, or a D inside to an AA, happen, and often.....it's almost like they are mocking those paying for a PG or QG :mad:

Maybe Cunard are having trouble filling their ships :confused:

Silversea's crossings are generally 1-16 days, usually via the southern route, but occasionally via the North Atlantic in early September, and have 3-4 ports of call on either side of the pond giving you the best of both worlds, without the frenetic activity that comes from being in a new port every day.

Thanks, Edina!

Just to add to my last post above....the odd upgrade is understandable given the size of the QM2 e.g. a P1/P2 to a Q5/Q6 - but upgrades from an A2 to a Q4, or a D inside to an AA, happen, and often.....it's almost like they are mocking those paying for a PG or QG :mad:

 

Maybe Cunard are having trouble filling their ships :confused:

 

I like an elegant atmosphere also, but don't you think it is rather questionable to be quite so blatantly snobbish? Many who are now sailing in luxury accommodations/vessels were at one time at the bottom of the heap in life also; although they do say snobbery is very new money (anxiety and such). Besides which I find the Grills on QM2 to be very mixed demographically anyway. I have yet to try Silversea , etc. I'm nervous of smaller ships traveling long distances.

I like an elegant atmosphere also, but don't you think it is rather questionable to be quite so blatantly snobbish? Many who are now sailing in luxury accommodations/vessels were at one time at the bottom of the heap in life also; although they do say snobbery is very new money (anxiety and such). Besides which I find the Grills on QM2 to be very mixed demographically anyway. I have yet to try Silversea , etc. I'm nervous of smaller ships traveling long distances.

We've done the QM2 4(soon to be 5)times. The first 3 were Britannia level.The 4'th was a Princess P-1. Our next will be in a Queens Q-6(hopefully with an upgrade)All I can say was that the food in The Princess Grill was excellent. We dine at gourmet restaurants all the time & I was pleased at the quality in the Princess Grill. We found we could order "off- menu". There may be a charge for some of the off-menu items, but found the food to be fine. We look forward to our experience in the Queens Grill & will report back. We will order items such as Foie Gras & Crispy Sweetbreads. These items are no longer listed on the A la Carte menu,but can be "special" ordered. For the price(which is higher than comparable Silversea)we should get what we desire. If not then we may try the smaller Silversea line.

I ended up booking a Crossing on Regent because it did several stops in Europe before crossing. A few of the stops are places I have never been. In the end, I felt it was a better value to go with Regent. My parents even decided to come along as well.

I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time.

If you are considering a crossing on QM2 I think you would be all right. However, not on a cruise where you have to disembark and embark at ports every day and you are competing with thousands of other people for space. Just be prepared not ti have the same sort of intimate experience. That said, I repeat that the food and service in QG were excellent.

We've always found Grill passengers get priority boarding & disembarking. Returning after an excursion,however, you do return with everyone else(tender ports)

Which happens more often during a cruise than the initial embarkation.

We have just returned from a 12. Night cruise in a Q5. It's our third time in the Grills and the experience is in a slow decline.

The restaurant has lesser trained staff talking amongst themselves and making plenty of noise at their stations. I think they were on a changeover of staff, but the grills should be able to handle this.

To me the food tasted rather bland compared with previous trips. I don't know if this is down to healthy requirements such as low sugar and salt, but the taste wasn't there. Also as mentioned above the cheese board was very basic, with the accompanying biscuits being ritz and digestives. Nothing wrong with those but nothing more than that. Coffee was good but gone are the delicious chocolates that were there before.

We have booked again as we like to cruise from Southampton and early booking offered parking and $400 to spend each. 12 nights for 2600 each isn't bad and I'd probably have to pay more with the other lines mentioned.

I have four friends who all crossed in QG this year on the QM2 and all agreed it win;t what it used to be. Food and service both sub par.