People that have been on both Holland America & Cunard Please post!

[Natasha708]

Hi!

I am seriously considering sailing on the Queen Victoria this January Round Trip Fort Lauderdale. 11 nights

 

However she is double the price of the Nieuw Amsterdam Holland America's newest ship. 7 nights

 

Is it worth it?

 

Yes, it's 4 nights, longer so not an exact apples to oranges comparison.

 

How about the food? How do they compare?

The public rooms (we love the library)

The shows, and the service?

 

Any and all comments are welcomed!

Thanks so much!

[Classiccruiser777]

IMO the major differences are that Cunard is more formal, no "dining at anytime," the passengers are a bit older & more reserved and the mix (if leaving from the US) has many more folks from the UK. I also love the enrichment programs on Cunard which I didn't experience on the Rotterdam. I think the food was about the same quality though I preferred HAL's room service menu.

 

Is the price difference worth it? For me, yes. Cunard is a better fit and we love the Transatlantic itineraries.

[foodsvcmgr]

We regularly cruise both lines, in the past four years have spent 28

days with HAL and 21 with Cunard.

 

I think other than the formal dress code on Cunard, you will find far

more similarities than differences. I prefer certain food venues and menu

items on each. Specifically I think HAL's buffets are better, but Cunard

has the edge in quality & service in the MDR. I like HAL's Culinary Art

Center programs, but prefer Cunard's shows and larger live orchestras.

The list goes on and on, back and forth.

 

We look for itinerary, schedule, and fare deals to make our choice.

Outstanding deals are frequently offered on both lines if you are patient

and somewhat flexible.

 

Assuming one were to pay close to full fare, not sure if I could justify

paying double for Cunard to answer your question. A few hundred

dollars, yes.

[Essiesmom]

If you like the libraries on HAL, you will be blown away by the libraries on Cunard. EM

[Natasha708]

If you like the libraries on HAL, you will be blown away by the libraries on Cunard. EM

 

Wow! That is great news! Thank you everyone, so much!

[Lurker1]

You'll enjoy either one!

 

It's been several years since we've been on the QM2, but the observation I made at the time was that at their best, the service on both lines were comparable, but HAL was always consistent, Cunard not always.

 

Based on more recent HAL cruises, there is more to do on Cunard in the way of activities, entertainment, etc.

 

Personally, given a choice between 11 days at sea or 7, I'd take the 11 day cruise. ;)

 

Hope this helps you in your decision.

[RobertQM2]

I am seriously considering sailing on the Queen Victoria ...... .... Nieuw Amsterdam Holland America's newest ship.

 

We know the new HAL vessel since Christmas and know QM2 well. As all the other friends said there is not that much of a difference, both are in the upper age corner, food is great and life is more formal on Cunard. If you like to dance then Cunard is the choice anyway. On the other hand the matraces are best on HAL. Enjoy your time!

[3rdGenCunarder]

My first choice would be Cunard. We have sailed HAL recently for itineraries we couldn't get on Cunard. Given similar itineraries and not too dissimilar prices, we would definitely go with Cunard. I wouldn't say HAL is a bad choice. It would probably be our second choice after Cunard even if other lines were potential choices.

 

The two lines are similar in many ways. I have been equally happy with the food on both lines. I like the formal nights on Cunard because it really is formal. DH would never sail on Cunard without his tux. On HAL it hardly seems worth packing the tux for him to be one of a handful of men in formal wear.

 

I like the subdued decor of Cunard better. And yes, the libraries on Cunard are wonderful.

 

I think the service on Cunard was better. Part of it is that it's easier to communicate with the staff. I found that some of the stewards and waitstaff on HAL don't speak English well enough to understand what I want. This isn't a complaint, it's a statement of my experience. I know they try very hard, but it doesn't always work. For example, at the dessert buffet on HAL, I asked a waiter "What kind of cake is that?" and he said "That's cake."

 

There's something about the tone of the service on Cunard that I like. It's just the right level of attentiveness without hovering. I'm not asking for bowing and scraping, or a lot of a$$ kissing. Waitstaff and stewards address passengers as Mr and Mrs, even when they're greeting past passengers they know well. It's dignified without being stuffy.

[turquoise 6]

HAL is a great Line. The customer service is the best. They have a cancellation policy that makes one receive money back , regardless for reason of canceling.

The cruises go to amazing ports. The ships are beautiful,eg, spa,pools, deck space..lido.. restaurants.. I would go for the Holland American trip

I notice they have 2 Transatlantic sailings in July,2011 on the Rotterdam.. I may look into it

[pris993]

We cruise Princess, HAL, Celebrity and recently Cunard. We just returned from the Queen Victoria, loved it. So much so we booked another cruise for October. We were already booked for a similar itinerary on the Rotterdam, have decided to cancel because we got a better deal on Cunard, new ship, balcony cabin, plus a very good on board credit.

 

We loved the dancing before and after dinner every night on the QV and the entertainment was the best we have seen on any line.

 

We were on the TA, 16 days -- we did dress every night for dinner. Did feel on our next trip we may skip the MDR some nights because we will be in the Mediterranean and the weather will be warm. We would prefer to dress less formal some evenings and enjoy the Lido and out door pool area in the evening in the warmer weather. On the TA this was not practical.

 

Service and food was excellent for us. We always special order with a head waiter - do this on all lines. Sometimes meals are hit and miss - found what we had on OV very high quality and more consistently good. The breakfast room service menu on HAL is better. We usually do breakfast in the cabin on the OV we went to the Lido because we like egg white omlettes, only an English style breakfast on the menu a bit heavy for us.

 

We did room service for lunch, had lunch on our balcony -- actually ordered what we wanted and found once again staff was very responsive.

 

On HAL most cabins have a bathtub, not so on OV but can't have everything.

 

We will cruise HAL again but our next trip will be on the OV.

[We2Cruzers]

We've had the pleasure of sailing on both lines and feel both are wonderful choices - though somewhat different. In our opinion HAL had better service and we actually liked the MDR food a bit better on HAL than on QM2. But QM2 is our #1 choice for transatlantic travel - she was built for it...and we love the spa far more on QM2 than on any other line we've travelled on.

Guess it just depends on itinerary for us mostly - but our next voyage is with Cunard as we are doing TA.

Hope this helps

LK

[kelmac]

Kind of feels like Cunard is what HAL would like to be! Cunard is more formal, has better dining room food, and has a world class ocean liner feel.

 

HAL has better:

--cabins and beds

--buffet food and selection

--over all service

--itineraries

 

Cunard has better:

--dining room service and food

--better MDR hours

--wrap around promenade deck (HAL's are pretty good too)

--entertainment and onboard activities

--onboard spaces

 

Cunard's class system is a bit of a turn off, but it does a better job of delivering that world class feel, compared to Holland America.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

[JADAMS57]

Having sailed both line, I agree with your comments.

 

What surprised me was the food, Eurodam much better that QM2.

[Natasha708]

Kind of feels like Cunard is what HAL would like to be! Cunard is more formal, has better dining room food, and has a world class ocean liner feel.

 

HAL has better:

--cabins and beds

--buffet food and selection

--over all service

--itineraries

 

Cunard has better:

--dining room service and food

--better MDR hours

--wrap around promenade deck (HAL's are pretty good too)

--entertainment and onboard activities

--onboard spaces

 

Cunard's class system is a bit of a turn off, but it does a better job of delivering that world class feel, compared to Holland America.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

 

Great comments. Thank you everyone! Can you explain the class system? Are there places on the ship we can not view, or be able to dine? Thank you again!

[cruiserking]

Great comments. Thank you everyone! Can you explain the class system? Are there places on the ship we can not view, or be able to dine? Thank you again!

 

There are three different grades essentially Queens Grill, Princess Grill and Britannia. Within those grades there are different sub grades as to cabin location.

 

If you are booked in Queens Grill you will have a very large cabin, a large balcony, a butler, a dedicated dining room and lounge.

 

Princess Grill also has a larger cabin with bath and shower, larger balcony and a dedicated dining room and lounge.

 

Also the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria have an outdoor lounge that is only accessible for Grills passengers.

 

Britannia is the main dining room. The cabins in the grade are comfortable but, not as spacious as the grills. We have always traveled in Britannia and received first class service and found the meals to be excellent.

 

All of the other lounges aboard the ships are open to everyone so you may well be reading your paper next to a grill passenger in the Queens Room, you won't know the difference.

 

We are great fans of both Holland America Line and Cunard. The crew aboard HAL are the most friendly we have ever sailed with. You can't go wrong with either. I would pick the Queen Victoria for the 11 night voyage, she is a beautiful ship and the cruise is four nights longer.

 

Jonathan

[keithm]

Great comments. Thank you everyone! Can you explain the class system? Are there places on the ship we can not view, or be able to dine? Thank you again!

It's not really a class system. If you book the Grills, you get a larger stateroom.You're paired with either the Queens Grill or Princess Grill Restaurant. Queens Grill suites are larger..going from 506-2232 sq. ft. Princess suites about 380 sq.ft.(figures are for the QM2)There is a lounge called the Queens Grill lounge or "Grills lounge"(QV/QE)There's a private small deck for grills pax. called the "Grills Terrace".You do need a special "key" to access on board QV/QE. So on those ships it's a bit more exclusive. Overall there's equal access to all parts of the ships aside from these areas. The cost is quite a bit higher & service is generally better..you have more food options, can go "off menu",etc. In other words you get more if you pay more. Norwegian Epic has this with their Courtyard suites. Most lines have a more exclusive area for the suite pax. HAL has the neptune lounge.

[Natasha708]

It's not really a class system. If you book the Grills, you get a larger stateroom.You're paired with either the Queens Grill or Princess Grill Restaurant. Queens Grill suites are larger..going from 506-2232 sq. ft. Princess suites about 380 sq.ft.(figures are for the QM2)There is a lounge called the Queens Grill lounge or "Grills lounge"(QV/QE)There's a private small deck for grills pax. called the "Grills Terrace".You do need a special "key" to access on board QV/QE. So on those ships it's a bit more exclusive. Overall there's equal access to all parts of the ships aside from these areas. The cost is quite a bit higher & service is generally better..you have more food options, can go "off menu",etc. In other words you get more if you pay more. Norwegian Epic has this with their Courtyard suites. Most lines have a more exclusive area for the suite pax. HAL has the neptune lounge.

 

Thank you to you, and Jonathan for explaining this. Royal Caribbean is now doing this too. There is an outdoor pool area roped off for the suite passengers and a special lounge.

We do have a balcony cabin on hold now on the QV. It's cabin #4054..deposit is due tomorrow :)

[Lurker1]

I think the service on Cunard was better. Part of it is that it's easier to communicate with the staff. I found that some of the stewards and waitstaff on HAL don't speak English well enough to understand what I want. This isn't a complaint, it's a statement of my experience. I know they try very hard, but it doesn't always work. For example, at the dessert buffet on HAL, I asked a waiter "What kind of cake is that?" and he said "That's cake."

 

 

 

HAL staff is Indonesian for room stewards and most DR's, bar staff is usually from the Phillipines. HAL has training schools in each nation, including English classes. But 3rdGen's observation is correct, not everyone is proficient in English. But we always found the service to be outstanding.

[Norfolk Brit]

It's cabin #4054..deposit is due tomorrow :)

 

Excellent choice of cabin -we were in its equivalent on QE - wonderful balcony.

 

Mary:)

[turquoise 6]

HAL staff is Indonesian for room stewards and most DR's, bar staff is usually from the Phillipines. HAL has training schools in each nation, including English classes. But 3rdGen's observation is correct, not everyone is proficient in English. But we always found the service to be outstanding.

The staff on the Cunard ships are also from Phillipines,Russian,eastern Europe

[Essiesmom]

HAL staff is Indonesian for room stewards and most DR's, bar staff is usually from the Phillipines. HAL has training schools in each nation, including English classes. But 3rdGen's observation is correct, not everyone is proficient in English. But we always found the service to be outstanding.

 

On Oosterdam, in a Q&A session with Captain van der Loo, he specifically stated HAL hires only Indonesians for the dining room, and Filipino staff for cabin staff. EM

[Glenndale]

Thank you to you, and Jonathan for explaining this. Royal Caribbean is now doing this too. There is an outdoor pool area roped off for the suite passengers and a special lounge.

We do have a balcony cabin on hold now on the QV. It's cabin #4054..deposit is due tomorrow :)

On HAL suite guests have exclusive access to the Neptune lounge.

[JADAMS57]

I found the food on the Eurodam better than QM2.

However, I am not a pickey eater.

[Boytjie]

On Oosterdam, in a Q&A session with Captain van der Loo, he specifically stated HAL hires only Indonesians for the dining room, and Filipino staff for cabin staff. EM

 

All our HAL cabin stewards have been Indonesian men. The Fillipinos were usually in the beverage department.

[Natasha708]

Excellent choice of cabin -we were in its equivalent on QE - wonderful balcony.

 

Mary:)

 

Mary! Thank you! Great to hear this. I called in the deposit yesterday! Doing the air this week.