Selbourne

20 minutes ago, richard_london said:

The Britannia Club restaurant I was told could seat 370 guests, more than the grills.  I assume he meant grills combined?   Anyway so the Club is a large restaurant now and has lost its cosier, more exclusive feel on the other ships.  

Do I take it from this comment that you are dining in Britannia Club? If so, aside from the restaurant size, how are you finding the food and service (we are booked in BC on QA for two cruises). Thanks. 

On 5/3/2024 at 2:39 PM, NE John said:

In the very limited videos I have seen, the ship looks more like a boutique hotel vs a Cunard ship.

We shall reserve judgement until we board QA in a few weeks time, but I can’t say that I’ve been overly impressed from the few videos I’ve seen so far.
 

P&O U.K. have done the same thing. We really didn’t like the public areas on Iona and felt that they were like a conference hotel, and the atrium like a shopping mall or airport. I wonder if the same interior designers were used for Queen Anne?

I was also shocked at how poor the promenade deck looked. It may be how the camera has captured it, but it seems very narrow and very large portions of it have no view out as they are obscured by lifeboats. On many other cruise ships the lifeboats are suspended above the promenade deck and you walk underneath them, so that the view isn’t compromised. I guess that the approach on QA allows for more unobstructed balcony cabins or public rooms?

@Solent Richard (or any others onboard) How are you finding the included dining experience and which dining room are you using? There were reports of excessive delays earlier in the cruise in (I think) the Britannia Dining room. We have booked Britannia Club and I haven’t seen any comments regarding that yet. Also, nobody has mentioned the food yet (other than the pay extra venues), which I am guessing is a good sign! Thanks. 

43 minutes ago, purplesea said:

On Arvia at Easter we were told that there were 1250 children on board!

Yikes 😂 No wonder those who go on Iona and Arvia outside of school holidays say the ship didn’t feel that busy!

To be fair, the schoolchildren in themselves weren’t a problem at all when we were on Iona in August. It was irritating that almost every restaurant that we went to had a screaming baby or unruly toddler near to us, but I guess that can happen outside school holidays as well on any family ship. 

11 hours ago, purplesea said:

On Arvia last month my mother asked for three different drinks - none of which were available. A very poor choice was!

We have been surprised to see how restrictive the drinks menus have become, in particular the choice of cocktails with some bars only offering a tiny number. When we were on Britannia, during our second week a drinks waiter said that he could get us other drinks, but that seemed to be a one-off. When we were on Iona shortly afterwards they were adamant that they could only supply drinks from the specific menus for each bar. My daughter wanted a particular cocktail in the Crows Nest and whilst it wasn’t on the menu, all of the component ingredients were present in other drinks offered in that bar, so they could have made one - but refused to. 

4 minutes ago, GSPG said:

While more than 2 adults do share a room, with the higher capacity’s does this tend to suggest there are more children and families on board?

 

Not sure that I understand your question, but the mega ships are very much catering for families and can accommodate up to around 1,000 children (I believe) - I’ve certainly heard figures of around 750 children quoted. Whilst there are indeed cases where more than 2 adults share a cabin, I’d suggest that’s a very small number in comparison to cabins occupied by families, especially in school holidays (when the capacity issues arise). 

42 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

You earlier gave the impression it was standard issue.

Apologies if I gave that impression. You get Champagne in all Superior Deluxe and above cabins (quite a few grades) and everyone who is in the top 3 loyalty tiers, regardless of cabin type. My point being that this is still better than Cunard’s offering, which seems odd given the very different market positioning and pricing. 

5 minutes ago, D&N said:

What is the champagne that P&O provide?

It seems to change quite often. Most recently it was G.H. Martel & Co Prestige Vintage Champagne, which I’d never heard of. Not the best I’ve had, but still tastes much better than Pol Aker IMHO. Like you, we don’t drink in the cabin so we take it home. 

56 minutes ago, Winifred 22 said:

Oh I see everyone on Cunard regardless of cabin or loyalty status gets the same except for Queens Grills guests who do get Champagne. Prefer the Cunard way. 

Each to their own. We get champagne every cruise with P&O, regardless of cabin type, and enjoy that, whereas we weren’t at all impressed with the Pol Aker we had on QM2. I just find it odd that the more upmarket cruise line offers what most would consider to be a far inferior product to champagne. If I was paying Queens Grill prices I’d expect complimentary Champagne on tap for the duration of the cruise. I know that QG suites have a complimentary bar. Does that include champagne?

28 minutes ago, Winifred 22 said:

I have never had champagne on P &O offered free in my cabin on embarkation day. I really like Pol Aker. Have noticed recently it’s only a half bottle though. 

We get it due to loyalty status and also if we use Superior Deluxe Balcony Cabins. 

1 hour ago, AndyMichelle said:

Now the dust has settled on a great cruise, just a couple of things have come to mind I think are worth mentioning. 

In the MDR, it is absolutely OK to have 5 courses if you want them, just ask, we did most nights. 

It's fine to have multiple desserts plus the cheese plate, we know, as Hyacinth felt she needed to try them all!!! (No food was wasted.)

It is also OK to mix and match from the menu, again, Hyacinth did... 

So, if you want the beef, but would prefer the rice that comes with the curry and the veg that comes with the fish, that's fine. 

Our waiters really earned their tips😂

Andy

 

On the 3 or so occasions (over 65 nights) that I asked for cheese as well as a dessert on Aurora, our main waiter gave me a look as if to say “Really? You greedy bar steward”. Unfortunately we never took to him even as the cruise progressed. Thankfully our assistant waiter was lovely, but there’s no way we could have had 5 courses every night, even if we’d wanted to. We just felt too uncomfortable asking. Never had that issue before, so hopefully it was a one off. 

32 minutes ago, cshim said:

Paint stripper comes to mind 🤣

That was the conclusion that we came to as well. Surprised that Cunard don’t provide Champagne. P&O U.K., a more budget brand within the Carnival group does. 

53 minutes ago, AndyMichelle said:

The bad grammar and spelling mistakes would not surprise me from P&O in, as you say, an internal document. 

It might all be some sort of hoax, but I can't help thinking there will be an element of truth from it. 

Our friend TigerB has been expecting a drinks price increase around now, so this could be connected. 

We just have to wait and see I suppose. 

Andy 

 

I can’t imagine for one minute that it’s a hoax Andy. Why bother going to all that trouble. Makes no sense. As you say, P&O aren’t exactly faultless with the way that they phrase things. Two examples that spring to mind are the misleading communications that we had about the Yellow Fever requirements for our Aurora cruise and the Non-Disclosure Agreements that I’ve had from them in the past that were worded incorrectly. In fact, those NDAs put the onus on P&O and not me, which made me laugh!

41 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

Hi Selbourne.

Although I've somewhat moved away from cruising, I have booked a week on Queen Anne, but not until 2026.  The cruise just seemed 'right'. Just a week, but 4 ports new to us, a solar eclipse, and we celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary. 

 

When you come back, is it ok if I ask a few questions about your general experiences, especially with dining. I noticed elsewhere that you have booked Britannia Club, which is what we are going to have.  As you know from my Saga experience, the dining arrangements can make or break a cruise, so I'd curious to know what you think. 

 

(I think you deserve a break after the epic Aurora blog!!)  

Your review on your Saga experience was extremely informative and, having hovered in the ‘do we, don’t we’ bracket for some years re Saga, we decided against booking with them partly due to your feedback - so I think I owe you one! Happy to answer any questions that you have. The advertised Britannia Club dining was the deciding factor for us so, rest assured, I shall be all over it!
 

We have another 2 weeks in Britannia Club on Queen Anne at the end of the year, so we can compare the two cruises, just in case our cruise in a few weeks time is blighted by a few teething problems as the crew bed themselves in (as seems to be the case on board at present, judging by the feedback so far). 

3 hours ago, Ardennais said:

We did the Chef’s Table on Iona last Sunday. Don’t be put off by the disparaging ‘works canteen’ comments. Our meal was lovely - the food is exactly the same. Great atmosphere there - fun, relaxed, unstuffy.  Light and airy - we were right by the window and it was lovely. I don’t drink alcohol either so not a problem. 

Do you still have to adhere to the formal dress code or do they relax it as it’s in the buffet? I could see the attraction if the dress code doesn’t apply. 

10 minutes ago, Camberley said:

Such an anticlimax but it might be better on the smaller ships.

Thankfully they don’t need to do it on the smaller ships as the MDRs have enough capacity to accommodate all those who wish to dine there on formal nights. 

1 minute ago, AndyMichelle said:

That's another strange thing, the silent disco was held in the atrium, which doesn't have a dance floor on Britannia. 

Probably because the Crystal room, where it was held last year, was being used for quizzes. 

Andy 

The ‘silent’ disco on Iona was in the atrium, so silent that we could hear it in our cabin 2 decks up. As I said at the time, never before have so many tone deaf people been gathered together in one place, ‘singing’ their hearts out 😂

Thankfully this wouldn’t affect us as the drinks packages wouldn’t be cost effective for us even before the price increase, and we never take alcohol on board with us. However, I note that spirits cannot be taken on board during embarkation, so presumably those who like a tipple in their cabin could buy a bottle at the first port? Alternatively pack a bottle carefully in their main luggage as this isn’t checked. I appreciate that’s a risk, but we always bring our freebie bottle of champagne home in our luggage (carefully wrapped) and, touch wood, it’s never smashed. 

I’m sorry to hear that service, for both food and drinks, has been unacceptably slow so far. Let’s hope that this was first night troubles (presumably being the first time that everything has been tested at capacity?) and that by the end of the week everything will be as it should. At least I hope that’s the case, as we are on QA in 3 weeks time and with the price we are paying (for Britannia Club) I would not be accepting of some of the wait times being reported 🤔

On 5/2/2024 at 3:44 PM, RJChatsworth said:

Should have said we need a ‘Selbourne’ scrutiny!

Do you mean me? I’d never be invited on a freebie as my live blogs are too honest and ‘warts and all’, whereas the video bloggers are over the top positive, so as to ensure that the freebies and upgrades keep on coming 😂.
 

We are on Queen Anne in 3 weeks time for the Round Britain (and naming ceremony) cruise, but as I’m not known on the Cunard pages I’m going to give myself a break. I’ve only just recovered from my daily blog on all 65 days of our Grand Tour on Aurora and the pressure I felt to keep it going when views went well over 200,000 😂 

4 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

BBC reporting that all be revealed a week before. 

If it’s going to be a Royal, I’d hope for The Queen (Camilla). Sadly The Princess of Wales is out of the equation and it would be odd for it to be The Princess Royal as she’s called Anne but isn’t a Queen! If not The Queen, I’ve always liked The Duchess of Edinburgh.

1 hour ago, Waju said:

I've booked the Chefs Table for our up and coming cruise on Arvia thinking I was getting something special 😇 Do you think we'd be better sticking with the MDR Selbourne?

 

 

It didn’t appeal to us, so we didn’t book it when we were on Iona I’m afraid. I believe that there may be some small additions to the menu over the MDR, but we avoid the buffet like the plague and a tablecloth wasn’t enough to make us change that stance 😂. We prefer the ambiance, table configuration and seating in the MDRs, especially if we are going to the trouble of dressing up in our finery for a formal night.
 

It does come with one advantage though, the fact that you have a guaranteed dining time which, if you dine later (as we do), can apparently be a challenge on Arvia. There are no options to book tables in the MDR other than very early (far too early for us) and quite a few people have reported long waits for tables on Arvia as it has less MDR capacity than Iona. If we were on a 2 week Arvia cruise I’d give it a go, just to see what it’s like. 

Welcome home Andy. Delighted to hear that you enjoyed the cruise and in particular that your MDR experience was far better than last year. I wish you could persuade Hyacinth to write a review as well 😂 

Which ship? Chefs Table means different things on different ships. On Aurora, it’s an officer hosted fine dining event, for a dozen or so people, at a cost of around £75 per person. This includes the cost of paired wines with each course. On Arvia and Iona it’s a sectioned off area of the buffet where the main dining room formal menu is provided. It was created to alleviate pressure in the main dining rooms (Arvia, in particular, doesn’t have enough capacity in the main dining rooms for all those who wish to dine there on formal nights). As a result it’s no cost and the wines are just recommended, but not included, so in reality it’s no different to the main dining rooms in that you can have some, all or none of the wines and pay for those that you have. 

30 minutes ago, BouncingWheel said:

My bank cover is HSBC who are currently using an Aviva annual travel policy with my credit card and it includes cruise cover but excludes missed ports. I was told there was no way to add that onto the policy. They are ending this package now anyway but I was very interested to hear about Aviva packages included with bank deals and missed ports as I had no luck getting it.

Prior to changing my insurance provider to Nationwide, I had a stand alone annual travel insurance policy direct with Aviva. They didn’t offer separate cruise cover on my policy, as they considered a cruise to be a normal holiday so, as a result, there was no missed port cover. I guess they are only offering it now as they are taking over an established scheme that already included it.