QE Cabins with Obstructed View

[shinyshoes]

Obstructed view cabins on QE and QV.

This may be of some interest to anyone considering booking one of these cabins or indeed accepting an upgrade to one of them. My cruise was on the QE but the same comments apply to the QV.

A short time ago I posted that I had been upgraded from a D8 inside cabin to a C4 Ocean view.

 

This was cabin 4126 on the QE which is an ‘Obstructed View’ cabin. If you look at the deck plan you will see that cabins 4110 to 4136 are obstructed by the tenders rather than the lifeboats.

The tenders being considerably taller than the l/boats present a different type of obstruction. Also unlike the QM2 the boats are not alongside balconies and are thus considerably closer to the cabin windows.

 

Cabin 4126 looked out between two tenders as does cabin 4128, cabins 4116 and 4118, 4136 and 4138 likewise look out between tenders. The same configuration applies on the starboard side naturally. The lowering mechanism or davits (though you can see they don’t look much like davits) are much more complicated than those for the normal life boats. There is enough of the ‘Oceanview’ to comply with the trades description act but that’s about all. If you are in the cabins directly behind the tenders then your view will be severely comprised by the height of the tender. In effect you will see the ocean through the cabin window, the s/board window of the tender, and the port window of the tender. The photographs are through the window of my cabin, 4126 from as many angles I could manage. I was unable to obtain any photos through the windows of cabins directly beind the tenders or those behind the ordinairy lifeboats. In the latter case I imagine some view of the sea could be obtained over the top of the lifeboat and an even less restricted view if you had a cabin between the boats. Also for those to whom noise is a sensitive issue, all these cabins are above machinery spaces, I think it is ventilation equipment, and a constant noise rather louder than a hum is discernable at all times. As this is a constant noise it soon became unnoticeable, just part of the background rather like living next to the railway. I must just add that it did not bother us at all and neither did the restriction on the view. In fact the QE is rather a noisy ship all round but in a nice way, lots of creaks and groans in even the slightest sea. On the lower level of the library it was rather like being in a sailboat. I quite enjoyed it, more like a ship than a floating resort hotel. I’m not sure I would pay the going rate for one of these cabins but would accept one as an upgrade without hesitation. The benefit of natural light and the extra room in the cabin, for us outweigh the sight of some machinery outside the window.

 

Will post again about the cruise but that will be more in the way of personal opinion rather than fact. In one port the lifeboats were launched and a liferaft was deployed I'll load a picture of that later.

 

Shiny

 

Pictures are here.

http://s378.photobucket.com/albums/oo225/garigoun/Q%20E%20Obstructed%20view%20cabin%204126/

[Ray66]

The view from cabin 4126 is shown on Cunard's website FAQ

 

https://ask.cunard.com/resources/carnivaluk/fleet/4126_qe

 

In fact the QE is rather a noisy ship all round but in a nice way, lots of creaks and groans in even the slightest sea.

 

We love the QE and have never noticed any creaks and groans. The air conditioning unit in our balcony cabin was the quietest we've had on all 3 ships.

[Chunky2219]

I agree with Shinyshoes. We did the QV and QE a couple of months apart and found the latter noticiably more creaky, both in some public areas and in our cabin. Nowhere near worth complaining about.

 

A chap we encountered in one of the bars was very unhappy about the noise above the ceiling in his cabin and the completely ineffective attempts that had been made to sort it. He was one of those "I'm an engineer so I know this stuff" types. His view, which I can't argue with, was that because the QE was knocked up in record time in Italy it missed out on the attention to detail that QV got. They'd never sort it properly, he opined.

 

I'm sure that in time, it will be regarded as "character".

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[shinyshoes]

The view from cabin 4126 is shown on Cunard's website FAQ

 

https://ask.cunard.com/resources/carnivaluk/fleet/4126_qe

 

 

 

We love the QE and have never noticed any creaks and groans. The air conditioning unit in our balcony cabin was the quietest we've had on all 3 ships.

 

That link doesn't work for me. I never even noticed the AC at all except to remark that the control was very responsive. It was an extremely quiet cabin but there were odd noises elsewhere. One lift in particular was always a source of comment, albeit good natured, because of the loud creaking. And as Chunky says it all adds to the character. Think about the cacophony in some of the accommodation on the QE2 and the mythical status that old girl enjoys.

SS

[bopgirl]

Thank you Shiny Shoes for that info,most helful as i too, have been upgraded to 4131 with obstructed view..

It doesnt bother me as i dont plan to sit in the cabin looking out the window..

I sail in March from Brisbane Australia to Hong Kong and i am looking forward to the dressing up as we only wear casual here as it is hot and humid..

Im a first timer on the Cunard line,Im sure i will just love it ..

[shinyshoes]

Thank you Shiny Shoes for that info,most helful as i too, have been upgraded to 4131 with obstructed view..

It doesnt bother me as i dont plan to sit in the cabin looking out the window..

I sail in March from Brisbane Australia to Hong Kong and i am looking forward to the dressing up as we only wear casual here as it is hot and humid..

Im a first timer on the Cunard line,Im sure i will just love it ..

 

Welcome to the Cunard Board Bopgirl. I'm sure you'll love the boat and have a great trip. I have many fond memories of Australia. I'd love to sail into Sydney harbour on a Cunarder.

Shiny.

[Cruachan]

I agree with Shinyshoes. We did the QV and QE a couple of months apart and found the latter noticiably more creaky, both in some public areas and in our cabin. Nowhere near worth complaining about.

 

A chap we encountered in one of the bars was very unhappy about the noise above the ceiling in his cabin and the completely ineffective attempts that had been made to sort it. He was one of those "I'm an engineer so I know this stuff" types. His view, which I can't argue with, was that because the QE was knocked up in record time in Italy it missed out on the attention to detail that QV got. They'd never sort it properly, he opined.

 

I'm sure that in time, it will be regarded as "character".

.

.

 

That's interesting, we had cabin 5.122 on QE last year for an 11 nighter to the Canaries and never noticed it to be any noisier than QV so I don't think the guy's argument really holds up.

 

Incidentally, following on from Shiny's original post, 5.122 is technically an obstructed view balcony but I would book it (or the same cabin on QV) again any time. The obstruction is simply one of the lifeboats, the top of which is roughly level with the deck of the balcony. No real problem at all unless you are addicted to staring vertically down at the sea.

 

J