Has Cunard really gone downhill?

[Whitemarsh]

I've been keenly reading these threads since booking my upcoming transatlantic crossing. I find the tips and suggestions from frequent, and infrequent, passengers invaluable and the reviews are so well written and enjoyable to read.

 

One things disturbs me however, and that's the (seemingly increasing) number of negative posts about the food or service that passengers have experienced/received on the QM2.

 

What I would like advice on (before I put more money down on another cruise - a longer and more expensive one) is whether this is just normal run-of-the-mill grumbling or is there really something to the complaints?

 

Has Cunard lost it's way and are the claims of exceptional "White Star Service" even further from reality than one might generally suppose?

[Jim Avery]

I've been keenly reading these threads since booking my upcoming transatlantic crossing. I find the tips and suggestions from frequent, and infrequent, passengers invaluable and the reviews are so well written and enjoyable to read.

 

One things disturbs me however, and that's the (seemingly increasing) number of negative posts about the food or service that passengers have experienced/received on the QM2.

 

What I would like advice on (before I put more money down on another cruise - a longer and more expensive one) is whether this is just normal run-of-the-mill grumbling or is there really something to the complaints?

 

Has Cunard lost it's way and are the claims of exceptional "White Star Service" even further from reality than one might generally suppose?

 

There are those who groaned that Cunard service is declining when QE2 hit the scene. There are those who bemoan the decline of Cunard when bought by Trafalgar House. Certainly there are those (myself included) that have bemoaned the cheapening of Cunard under Carnival. I think, IMHO, it is symptomatic of the world in general. Standards are declining at just about every level. Still, a day on a cruise ship, even a Carnival one, beats working.:D

[Pennypocket]

There are those who groaned that Cunard service is declining when QE2 hit the scene. There are those who bemoan the decline of Cunard when bought by Trafalgar House. Certainly there are those (myself included) that have bemoaned the cheapening of Cunard under Carnival. I think, IMHO, it is symptomatic of the world in general. Standards are declining at just about every level. Still, a day on a cruise ship, even a Carnival one, beats working.:D

 

 

I fully agree with Jim on this. With way too many ships in the total cruise market, everyone including Cunard is having to down market their product to reach enough bodies to fill the ships. As a result such things as a very formal dress code which is death to those who believe a clean "t" is more than good for dinner in a fancy setting is slowly being relaxed. Thankfully the surviving passengers on Cunard are pushing back against many of these changes but eventually corporate will win out. Look at this thing NCL calls EPIC. A floating Wal-Mart/Tessier of Asbury Park, Myrtle Beach, or Hampton Beach - Brighton Beach attractions geared to the blue collar cruiser. Nothing wrong with that as there are way more blue collar cruisers these days than white collar and ships need to be filled.

 

If one is seeking the Cunard style as advertisied presently and remembered by past passengers over the last five years or so, I see no more than two to three years left. After that it will still be a cut above the rest but the rest will have gone so far down market that a current Carnival or NCL offering will appear top draw.

[karl_nj]

One things disturbs me however, and that's the (seemingly increasing) number of negative posts about the food or service that passengers have experienced/received on the QM2.

 

What I would like advice on (before I put more money down on another cruise - a longer and more expensive one) is whether this is just normal run-of-the-mill grumbling or is there really something to the complaints?

 

I was happier with the service I got from my cabin steward on my most recent trip this past month, compared to the service I got in 2008. I think sometimes it just depends on luck, so I would not be excessively concerned.

[nfcu]

People on this board continue to bad mouth Carnival for things they do not like on the QM2. Just remember, without Carnival there would probably not be a Cunard anymore, and there would certainly never have been a QM2.

[missfrankiecat]

I've been loyal to Cunard for the past decade, initially QE2 and now QM2. Some things are worse than they used to be; some better. I still think the general standard of service is excellent value for money. I did a leg of the world cruise for the first time this year and the moaning from frequent cruisers was unbelievable - usually from those who had paid the least and expect miracles of service for knock down prices.

[Norfolk Brit]

When you look at how prices for cruises have come down in recent years, it is unsurprising that one or two things have been subject to cut-backs.

Having said that, we found the food in Britannia in 2007 to be pretty good, in 2009 extremely good, and we are pretty critical food-wise. We have always found the service exemplary.

 

We returned recently from a land-based holiday in Italy and the resulting credit card bill has just arrived:eek:: the cost of the apartment, travel to and from our destination and eating out was about double that of a fortnight in a decent balcony cabin on Cunard...

 

Mary

[MCC retired]

Food is such a personal preference that it's not a good metric .

 

Yes, without Carnival stepping up to build the QM2 and others, Cunard would be history. Sure there have been changes , as all lines continue to evolve to satisfy the ever changing cruise guest. Relying on just repeaters

won't fill the ships.

 

I've sailed many cruise lines and find Cunard White Star Service , overhyped. Service is equivelant to most other Premium cruise lines.

 

Still the QM2 is my favorite ship after 50+ cruises on other lines/ships.;)

[Aubreysshipmate]

One thing to take into account is that Cunard is training staff, wether new or from a sister line, to fill QE. They will take a mix of good people from QV and QM2, sister lines and newer people they are training to do this. This is not a simple process nor a quick one. Along the way there will be service issues as people learn thier new positions, work environment and the working dynamic. Not all will be cut out for the work nor will they make it. Other staff will have to take up the slack, shoulder extra work loads and work longer hours for the same pay.

 

As passengers we can assist by being patient with this process. These are good hard working, people give them a chance to learn to serve you better by giving more leeway with gaffs and errors. The feedback to supervisors should be accuarte and helpful too.

 

By Christmas we should know if it is really a systemic problem or just a learning curve issue.

[Cruise Liner Fan]

People on this board continue to bad mouth Carnival for things they do not like on the QM2. Just remember, without Carnival there would probably not be a Cunard anymore, and there would certainly never have been a QM2.

I very much agree with what nfcu and MCC retired wrote in their posts.If there was no Carnival Corporation buying the Cunard Line in 1998, The QE2 would not have stayed in service til 2008 and the QM2,Queen Victoria and the new Queen Elizabeth certainly would not have been built.So it is a very good thing that Carnival Corporation did buy the Cunard Line :) Regards,Jerry

[ColumbiaSC]

There is much to continue to commend about Cunard. Lots of incessant grumbling, yes, on these boards, but that is the nature of the beast. I think the Queen Mary 2 is an exemplary ship and never have I found that eating in the Britannia Restaurant was a chore --- it was a delight! The staff have been wonderful and helpful and attentive, and the cabins are splendid --- you get what you buy. They sell lots of junk in the stalls these days, but it seems to attract lots of paying passengers. And, yes, Cunard is a Carnival Corporation entity --- Cunard would have gone under without Carnival's salvation. Carnival has other lines, and they are different from Cunard. Can't people get over this illusion that Carnival is out to "get" everything that we like with Cunard ships and what is going to save Western Civilization as We Know It? I say this because I do hate change myself, but then I have to live with it (or die). And, assuredly, Myrtle Beach, like an elephant, depends on what part a blind man touches.

 

Lord Kay of Shandon.

[mainewoods]

One thing to take into account is that Cunard is training staff, wether new or from a sister line, to fill QE. They will take a mix of good people from QV and QM2, sister lines and newer people they are training to do this. This is not a simple process nor a quick one. Along the way there will be service issues as people learn thier new positions, work environment and the working dynamic. Not all will be cut out for the work nor will they make it. Other staff will have to take up the slack, shoulder extra work loads and work longer hours for the same pay.

 

As passengers we can assist by being patient with this process. These are good hard working, people give them a chance to learn to serve you better by giving more leeway with gaffs and errors. The feedback to supervisors should be accuarte and helpful too.

 

By Christmas we should know if it is really a systemic problem or just a learning curve issue.

 

This is good news, as I too wondered why the service and food seemed to have suffered a bit since my previous QM2 (Sept 2009) cruise and my most recent (July 2010) QM2 cruise. I was worried that she may be in decline. Now I am more hopeful that it indeed is due to a large training staff, and that we'll see her bounce back to her old glorious self.

[Granny DI]

I do not know if Cunard's service has gone down as this is the only Cunard cruise we've taken. Food is a personal choice but service is not. My husband and I were very disappointed with the QM2 so I thought I'd give a brief review of the cruises we've taken in the last 18 months. Perhaps then you can see why we're not pleased.

1. South Seas ..HNL - Auckland Celebrity Millenium, Royal Suite, $399 pp per day. We had fresh flowers and fruit everyday plus canapes and sweets twice a day. Also had a butler and a hot tub on our balcony.

2. Baltic Sea....Emerald Princess, minisuite, $242.00 pp, per day. Fresh fruit, flowers and canapes. Chef's table was outstanding...many times better than Todd English's and only $40 pp more....plus it included all the wine and champagne etc you could drink.

3. Western Caribbean...Voyager of the Seas...Grand Suite, $182.14 pp, per day. Free cocktails and wine between 4:30 and 12:00. Canapes, sweets and flowers everyday.

4. Land Of Midnight Sun...QM2...B3, $372.00 pp per day.

Only thing left in our cabin each day was the bill for the mini fridge.

 

On all but the QM2 we had 5 people assisting at dinner...waiter, jr waiter, 2 bus boys and a wine steward. On the Qm2 we had an overworked waiter and a wonderful wine steward. On all but the QM2 we had a BASKET of warm bread and bread sticks etc....On the Qm2 we had one cold roll placed on our plate each evening. The Baked Alaska, Bananas Foster and Cherries Jubilee were wonderful on all but the QM2.

 

The QM2 sails great on the Atlantic, has a wonderful library and theater but doesn't give the value that other ships provide.

[MadScientist_01]

Sorry, but I don't buy this 'staff in training' argument - if you are paying your fare the same as anyone else at any other time you don't expect to get a substandard service just because the company is training someone up. What's the excuse? 'You have to suffer poorer service so that someone in the future can have better service than you are getting in the future for the same price'? I'd go ballistic if that was the case and would feel hard done by.

 

A caveat to this is that I have only ever had exemplary service from Cunard on board, so any complaints I know about are purely from others.

[ovccruiser]

I love reading the statement, cause it makes me smile, "without Carnival there would be no Cunard" Without Carnival there would be no Seabourne, P & O, Princess, Costa, HAL and Carnival, they would all be owned by someone else. Had Carnival not bailed out Cunard, someone else may have.

 

Now to the OP, I have just returned from a voyage on QV and I beleive one of the best for destinations and certainly, service, food, and general cleanliness of the ship, almost perfect. I will never say perfect, there must always be room for improvement:D:D. Normally, as in all cases, the moaners are heard, the satisfied are silent, there are many many more slient than moaning.

[Granny DI]

I don't buy the "in training" bit eiher. Our cabin steward told us the staff for the Queen Elizabeth has been chosen from the QV and QM2. They will not leave until August or so. Then there will be new people coming aboard that will have to be trained on the QM2 and QV. I didn't see any trainees...there weren't enough people to serve the dining room. That is the one compalint I heard from everyone...dining staff is under staffed and over worked. My husband wrote on the first comment card we received after the first leg...LADIES ARE ALWAYS SERVED FIRST and hot dishes are served last. By the third leg the waiter sometimes served the ladies first but he just couldn't remember to do it everytime. He never did get the hot dish bit down.

[flag fan]

I don't buy the "in training" bit eiher. Our cabin steward told us the staff for the Queen Elizabeth has been chosen from the QV and QM2. They will not leave until August or so. Then there will be new people coming aboard that will have to be trained on the QM2 and QV. I didn't see any trainees...there weren't enough people to serve the dining room. That is the one compalint I heard from everyone...dining staff is under staffed and over worked. My husband wrote on the first comment card we received after the first leg...LADIES ARE ALWAYS SERVED FIRST and hot dishes are served last. By the third leg the waiter sometimes served the ladies first but he just couldn't remember to do it everytime. He never did get the hot dish bit down.

 

The order in which people are served is, to me, the least important thing one should worry about with regard to service--in fact, it seems to me sexist and old-fashioned (although a harmless custom) for women to be served first. If this is the biggest problem encountered, I think the service must have been pretty good.

[Granny DI]

This wasn't the only problem. My husband used this as anology to the improper training of the staff so that the waiter wouldn't be found at fault but that his superiors maybe the problem. We only had a waiter and a wine steward....the poor waiter had to do everything. I also thought the QM2 was supposed to be prim and proper like the old days and not like the new "kids on the block".

[pris993]

Sorry, but I don't buy this 'staff in training' argument - if you are paying your fare the same as anyone else at any other time you don't expect to get a substandard service just because the company is training someone up. What's the excuse? 'You have to suffer poorer service so that someone in the future can have better service than you are getting in the future for the same price'? I'd go ballistic if that was the case and would feel hard done by.

 

A caveat to this is that I have only ever had exemplary service from Cunard on board, so any complaints I know about are purely from others.

 

I don't buy the staff in training either, on any line. Can't speak to Cunard because we are going on our first cruise on the QV in 2011. But I can for other lines and this seems to be a continuing problem. Not only are staff in training but the training they are getting is poor. We need to speak up and let management know there is room for improvement.

[foodsvcmgr]

I think there is a misunderstanding of the Carnival corporate strategy -

it is not to appeal to everyone by making all their ships & lines the same,

but to maintain a diversity of products under their ownership so that

everyone can find at least one that appeals to them.

 

I do not recall any other buyers out there when Cunard, Costa, and Holland America needed rescue. The prices Carnival paid for these

companies were largely based on the reputation and good will of their

names and heritage, certainly not the ships that each were operating at the time.

 

Sadly, all cruise products are becoming more homogenized and the

differences are blurred, but I believe Carnival still values maintaining

a varied group of companies. Much as General Motors gives you the

opportunity to step up from a Chevy to a Cadillac, Carnival offers

those who desire the chance to grow up from Carnival to Cunard or

Seabourn.

 

I too was concerned about QM2 complaints posted here, but was

overall pleasantly surprised with my voyage last December and even

rebooked for this year onboard.

 

I did miss some things like silver service from QE2, but I think QM2 is

giving you an upscale experience with a fair amount of tradition at

a very good price (if you're flexible).

 

I don't understand the comments here that the dress codes will need to be relaxed. Last year even in the Caribbean formal nights were 98%

black tie, I saw no resistance to compliance at all.

[heywood]

If the staff are 'in training' - who is training them? Surely if you are learning the job, then you should be under the supervision of an experienced person. That should mean more staff, not less :confused:

[KarenR_UK]

on our first QV cruises we had (in Britannia) a "buffet steward" (as on the name tags) as our assistant waiter - the main waiter said that if he got enough good 'reviews' in the end of voyage questionaire, he would get promoted to be a 'proper' waiter & they would be a permanent team - we thought it was a one off - but it happened again on the second.

[patwell]

on our first QV cruises we had (in Britannia) a "buffet steward" (as on the name tags) as our assistant waiter - the main waiter said that if he got enough good 'reviews' in the end of voyage questionaire, he would get promoted to be a 'proper' waiter & they would be a permanent team - we thought it was a one off - but it happened again on the second.

 

The same thing happened to us on QM2 when they'd appropriated many dining staff for QV when she came on. Our waiter asked us to give a glowing recommendation on the questionnaire for his "assistant" so that he could become a waiter. He even showed us a copy and exactly where we should do this. Unfortunately, and this was the only instance of erratic dining room service for us, neither one of them deserved any recognition at all. Both were equally inconsistent.

 

Cheers, Penny

Penny’s Affair to Remember QM2 Review

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=471053

November 10,2007...the “Affair” continued...did it ever!

 

October 16,2008...the “Affair” goes transatlantic as we sail in tandem with the grand QE2 on her final transatlantic voyage...what a thrill!

 

December 9, 2008....the “Affair” resumes again....Life is good!

 

July 30, 2009....transatlantic again...some “Affairs” just get better

 

August 7, 2009....the “Affair” goes on...this time “home” to Norway

 

Feb. 7, 2010....the “Affair” takes a sunny detour when Penny meets a Princess

 

Aug 14, 2010....the “Affair” returns to Norway, all the way to the top!

[Granny DI]

Our waiter made copies of all the menus for us. We thought it was a very nice gesture until we read the inscription: Section E, 1,2 EXCELLENT!!!!!

[Gugi]

Oh Boy!

 

My husband and I have recently booked a partial world cruise on board the QM. This is to be a holiday of a lifetime for us and I can't begin to describe how we feel after reading this "blog". Are you people really serious?:(