"Live from" Queen Elizabeth to the Mediterannean! My First Cunard Experience

[ereves]

You are most welcome!

 

So sorry to be so long in getting back to you' date=' but the flu bug [img']http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/i/mesg/tsmileys2/47.gif[/img] had me down & out for a while.

 

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I sincerely hope this additional information will be helpful too and glad to be of service,

 

Kat

Thanks for the information. This is my first voyage with Cunard and I remember an article on cruise critic written by voyagers about smart things to bring on board that made life aboard a ship a lot easier. (Not your usual fare) it was posted some time ago, I'm afraid, and sent out to the members' email as a feature. Does any of this sound familiar? I would love to see it again. I've been combing the posts but so far nothing. Ideas?

[lovely_serenity]

We met up in the hall and headed downstairs to the dining room for breakfast! Here was the breakfast menu (it was the same every day)!

 

 

 

Here’s the breakfast layout:

 

 

And the tea that Mum drank since she wasn’t feeling very well:

 

 

 

This was the smoothie of the day: Peach & Pear (which was very tasty):

 

[lovely_serenity]

After chatting for a little while, our food started to arrive! (the options that came from the griddle always appeared first) I had a serving of French Toast with Whipped Butter and Maple Syrup:

 

 

Please note the lack of whipped butter. Still, nonetheless tasted pretty good. It came with a Fruit Skewer!

 

Dad had Fresh Blueberry Pancakes with Pure Maple Syrup that came with a Fruit Skewer too! (He had initially thought the blueberries would be infused into the pancake, but it turned out that it was served as compote on top).

 

 

I found the pancakes alright. They tasted like they were full of air..? Kind of overly spongy. Weird.

 

By the way, don't get tricked and eat the fruits in order of appearance on stick LOL. You know how you’re supposed to eat them from the least sweet fruit to the sweetest fruit? Well, Dad simply ate in the order they were skewered on and fell into their trap ^^. As you eat, it’s fine, and then BAM! SOUR PINEAPPLE ATTACK AT THE END. :P LOL

 

Anyways, here’s what Mom had: Eggs Benedict on English Muffin and (English) Bacon with Hollandaise Sauce + a side of (Sautéed) Mushrooms:

 

 

which she enjoyed very much! The eggs benedict were quite well done and the mushrooms were delicious!

 

Dad & Sis had the same thing, Eggs Benedict on English Muffin and (English) Bacon with Hollandaise Sauce + a side of Streaky (American) Bacon.

 

Dad’s plate:

 

 

Sis’s plate:

 

 

My verdict regarding the bacon: the American bacon is too hard and crunchy, and the English bacon is.. well.. ham. LOL.

 

Dad, Sis & I also ordered a serving of the Toasted Bagel with Smoked Salmon, Cream Cheese, Red Onion and Capers:

 

 

I was particularly pleased that they offered the bagel separately so that we could politely refuse it! (Sis is the only one who really eats bread other than my brother). Good salmon.

[Itasca]

The breakfast portions seem somewhat skimpy. he menu said blueberry pancakeS,

Your family got one plain pancake with blueberry topping. The amount of Hollandaise on the eggs Benedict seem less than I would have expected. And the bacon appears to be burnt. I would have expected better of Cunard.

[Mack704]

The breakfast portions seem somewhat skimpy. he menu said blueberry pancakeS,

Your family got one plain pancake with blueberry topping. The amount of Hollandaise on the eggs Benedict seem less than I would have expected. And the bacon appears to be burnt. I would have expected better of Cunard.

 

Now that you know that the portions are small, you know to order two. And also, you know to ask for extra pancakes, with extra topping, and extra hollandaise for your eggs benedict. I'm sure they would be happy to comply.

 

And that bacon does, in fact, look over done, which is probably why it was hard and crunchy.

 

Harvey

[theldaken]

Believe me,once you eat your way through a couple of courses,you will find it unnecessary to "double up"unless of course you are intent of expanding your horizons.

We have always found the portions served to be more than adequate.

[Yoshikitty]

... the American Bacon looks simply perfect to me :)

[Mack704]

My obvious point was that if necessary, portion size, done-ness of the American bacon, amount of topping or sauce provided can be easily remedied. And can be nipped in the bud with a simple request to the server when ordering - or more requested if unhappy when delivered.

 

It's been my experience on several cruise line MDRs that they "aims to please".

 

As a foodie and a proponent of cruise line MDRs, (with approx. 135 days at sea), there is no way to walk out hungry or unsatisfied. That's the way the servers and dining room management are trained. They want you full and happy.

 

It's difficult to believe some of the reviews I've read with a blanket, the food's no good. Just entree's. With 5 to 8 choices every night, all of them are no good? Really? C'mon!

 

Harvey

[candhu18]

I was on the same cruise as Sarah. Unfortunately my camera developed a serious fault that affected most photographs. The manufacturer has confirmed the fault but apparently it was a week out of warranty when I contacted them. As a result I have really appreciated Sarah's blog and photographs as it has brought back many great memories. I have been busy over the past 6 weeks trying to recover the photos. I now feel that I have done as much as I can and have started loading some of them up to flickr. They can be found here:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/candhu18/sets/

 

Looking forward to your next post, keep up the great work Sarah.

Edited January 14, 2014 by candhu18

[Krazy Kruizers]

Enjoyed reading day #2 daily and the breakfast menu.

Everything looks wonderful for breakfast.

[lovely_serenity]

I had also ordered myself some Streaky Bacon:

 

 

This was basically the last and only time my bacon would arrive not overly salty and rock hard. So, all in all, a good breakfast.

 

Once we were all finished eating, we got up, thanked our servers and were on our way to enjoy our relaxing sea day! (: Our first stop was the atrium! We took a few pictures before heading downstairs.

 

 

We went down the stairs to deck 2 and saw that the Purser’s Desk (Front desk) was extremely busy!

 

 

I believe Mum & Dad wanted to ask them a question, so we waited for a little while for it to clear up. As we waited, I took some more random pictures! ^^

 

 

 

(Heehee see how they still walk arm in arm after almost 30 years of marriage? :D Man, I thought that was impressive before seeing pairs of 70 to 90 year old couples walking hand in hand to dinner :,) It was so nice to watch!)

 

LOL, anyways, the Purser’s Desk cleared up and Mum & Dad got to ask their question.

 

[lovely_serenity]

After that was done, we all sat down at a table to discuss our plans for the day. (This is a picture from below the atrium chandelier by the way :D)

 

 

In about half an hour, there was going to be a Remembrance Day Sunday service. We were thinking about whether or not we should go (since Remembrance Day is widely celebrated in Canada ie. for Battle of Vimy Ridge in WWI, and therefore the streets are always sprinkled with people wearing poppies.). After some discussion we decided, why not? Right? We usually don’t attend the Sunday services on cruise ships but, since It’s Remembrance Day, we decided to give it a go. (We’re Christian by the way). Something I didn’t remember until we got there, though, was the fact that Britain & Canada both celebrate Remembrance Day, since we were in fact on the same side during the war! (LOL) So it was quite popular amongst the British cruisers! ^^”

 

Anyways, before we were on our way, I quickly took a picture of the nearby “Connexions 1” room where one would be able to pay for some Internet on board and check email and whatnot!

 

 

We went up one floor and as we made our way across the ship to the Royal Court Theatre, we passed by the Queen’s Room and happened upon a line dancing class! It was really cute and fun to watch! :D Everyone really seemed to be enjoying themselves Mum & Dad said that they might start doing that when they got older ^^.

 

 

After a little walking, we finally arrived at the theatre! Here was a shot I took from the right side of the theatre (from the super high up booth):

 

 

But we later changed when a set of seats on the other side opened up. Here a shot from through the glass barrier (see not too full yet):

 

 

Before the theatre became completely filled from top to bottom!

 

 

It got even fuller as it came closer and closer to the starting point. The ceremony was held by Captain Christopher Wells, as well as many other commanding officers and staff. There was an excellent piano player whose music accompanied the room of wonderful singers. It was actually extremely pleasant to listen and to watch, as the singing sounded very nice!! Almost like a choir (: I could also hear the distinct English accent in everyone’s singing. Since we weren’t actually familiar with any of the songs, we mostly just listened and tried to follow along (they’re all British songs we’ve never heard of before. Other people were singing without looking at the lyrics though!).

[QM2 fan]

Well done for attending Sarah- it's the only time I make a point of going to church too....our little rural village church is always overflowing on Remembrance sunday x

[lovely_serenity]

Upon entry into the theatre, I believe they were giving out these lyric booklets:

 

 

*opens it up*

 

 

 

 

 

 

Near the end, they played the bugle call that I had heard in school every year since kindergarten, and had a minute of silence. I saw some elderly men tearing up, which made us realize that it’s very likely that many of these people had lost loved ones in the war (as they had lived through WWII).

 

From the lyrics of some of the songs, you could tell that it was somewhat Catholic (and we’re protestant), but we didn’t mind. All of the singing and the ceremonial activities were all very nice, we did not regret attending at all.

[lovely_serenity]

After the Sunday Remembrance Day service, Mum and Dad went to go attend the Haifa lecture that was happening in the theatre afterward. Sis & I left and went on our way to the upper decks to explore. After exiting the elevator on deck 10, I took a picture outside:

 

 

before Sis pointed out the teen areas:

 

 

Oh my goodness, they lump kids from age 8 to 17 together. o_o Oh my. That is a very large age gap. Although the teen club was technically for teens aged 13 to 17. (and OMG, I saw their signup sheet in our cabin, recommending us to sign up for the teen club. THE SCHDULE OF ACTIVITIES WAS SO LAME. It’s literally meant for little kids. There was no chance that I was going to sign up for it. We're the only teens on the whole ship anyhow, so there was no point. I will show them to you now):

 

Here was the signup sheet that was in our cabin upon embarkation:

 

 

*opens it up*

 

 

And this was the itinerary for the teen club activities during the entire trip:

 

 

[lovely_serenity]

 

 

(Okay, to be honest, the itinerary seems a little less lame now that I’ve read it a second time. Still. You must admit that the activities are obviously catering the younger children.)

 

As well as the kid’s club:

 

 

 

Once we were done examining the clubs, we headed outside to take some pictures. We first came across a little game area (with hoops):

 

 

(and golf)

 

Edited January 19, 2014 by lovely_serenity

[lovely_serenity]

 

 

 

 

 

(Hehe the bench looks just like the one that was on the Volendam)

 

[lovely_serenity]

 

 

After looking at the Daily Programme that morning, Sis & I had decided that we were going to be attending the hair seminar/demonstration for fun! It was taking place in the Yacht Club.

 

 

We were just killing some time until it was supposed to begin. We had actually wound up being a tad bit late, but quietly sat at the back. They had apparently had a draw and a lady was randomly picked to get a free haircut by one of the cruise ship’s hairdressers.

 

 

It was interesting. They gave us tips on what kinds of hairstyles suited which kinds of faces etc. They gave out these pamphlets, and went around asking whether or not you wanted to book an appointment with the spa. Here are the 2 flyers we got at the seminar:

 

 

[lovely_serenity]

The breakfast portions seem somewhat skimpy. he menu said blueberry pancakeS,

Your family got one plain pancake with blueberry topping. The amount of Hollandaise on the eggs Benedict seem less than I would have expected. And the bacon appears to be burnt. I would have expected better of Cunard.

 

Well, I didn't actually really notice before LOL. I did see however, that Cunard seemed to have a problem with following through with what the menu presents, but more on that later ^^. I actually found the portions to be alright. I sometimes had trouble finishing all of my food! I quite liked the small portions, this meant I could try more things!

 

Now that you know that the portions are small, you know to order two. And also, you know to ask for extra pancakes, with extra topping, and extra hollandaise for your eggs benedict. I'm sure they would be happy to comply.

 

And that bacon does, in fact, look over done, which is probably why it was hard and crunchy.

 

Harvey

 

I agree! And oddly enough, this was actually the best looking bacon during the whole trip -_-. They were usually much harder. LOL

 

Believe me,once you eat your way through a couple of courses,you will find it unnecessary to "double up"unless of course you are intent of expanding your horizons.

We have always found the portions served to be more than adequate.

 

Exactly! I never double up, I always order something else :D, I'd much rather eat two different things as opposed to two of the same.

 

... the American Bacon looks simply perfect to me :)

 

:P Today at least LOL, the next days were so very hard and crunchy!

 

My obvious point was that if necessary, portion size, done-ness of the American bacon, amount of topping or sauce provided can be easily remedied. And can be nipped in the bud with a simple request to the server when ordering - or more requested if unhappy when delivered.

 

It's been my experience on several cruise line MDRs that they "aims to please".

 

As a foodie and a proponent of cruise line MDRs, (with approx. 135 days at sea), there is no way to walk out hungry or unsatisfied. That's the way the servers and dining room management are trained. They want you full and happy.

 

It's difficult to believe some of the reviews I've read with a blanket, the food's no good. Just entree's. With 5 to 8 choices every night, all of them are no good? Really? C'mon!

 

Harvey

 

To be honest Harvey, our family actually found that the food was not up to par with our standards :/ We actually were a little bit disappointed. There were really only a small handful of dishes that we tried, and loved! We have a relatively large family, so we would usually order different things and try each others food, so it wasn't really a personal opinion issue, it was the collective whole. Not saying that they were bad, just, not impressed.

 

I was on the same cruise as Sarah. Unfortunately my camera developed a serious fault that affected most photographs. The manufacturer has confirmed the fault but apparently it was a week out of warranty when I contacted them. As a result I have really appreciated Sarah's blog and photographs as it has brought back many great memories. I have been busy over the past 6 weeks trying to recover the photos. I now feel that I have done as much as I can and have started loading some of them up to flickr. They can be found here:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/candhu18/sets/

 

Looking forward to your next post, keep up the great work Sarah.

 

Oh, really? Did you see me? :D You couldn't have possibly missed me, my sister & I were literally the ONLY kids on board. ^^~

 

Oh no! D: That's terrible! I would be absolutely devastated if anything happened to my pictures after returning home from my trip! I'm so glad that we went on the same trip so that you would still be able to see pictures from it! && Nice photos! ^^

 

Thank you!

 

Enjoyed reading day #2 daily and the breakfast menu.

Everything looks wonderful for breakfast.

 

Yay :D! I quite liked the variety! Glad you're enjoying!

 

Well done for attending Sarah- it's the only time I make a point of going to church too....our little rural village church is always overflowing on Remembrance sunday x

 

Thank you! :P We actually do go to church every Sunday (unless everyone in the house is working and my sister and I are left at home)! Haha that's wonderful. (:

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sarah

Your review is wonderful and your pictures are fantastic.

[turquoise 6]

Well, I didn't actually really notice before LOL. I did see however, that Cunard seemed to have a problem with following through with what the menu presents, but more on that later ^^. I actually found the portions to be alright. I sometimes had trouble finishing all of my food! I quite liked the small portions, this meant I could try more things!

 

 

 

I agree! And oddly enough, this was actually the best looking bacon during the whole trip -_-. They were usually much harder. LOL

 

 

 

Exactly! I never double up, I always order something else :D, I'd much rather eat two different things as opposed to two of the same.

 

 

 

:P Today at least LOL, the next days were so very hard and crunchy!

 

 

 

To be honest Harvey, our family actually found that the food was not up to par with our standards :/ We actually were a little bit disappointed. There were really only a small handful of dishes that we tried, and loved! We have a relatively large family, so we would usually order different things and try each others food, so it wasn't really a personal opinion issue, it was the collective whole. Not saying that they were bad, just, not impressed.

 

 

 

Oh, really? Did you see me? :D You couldn't have possibly missed me, my sister & I were literally the ONLY kids on board. ^^~

 

Oh no! D: That's terrible! I would be absolutely devastated if anything happened to my pictures after returning home from my trip! I'm so glad that we went on the same trip so that you would still be able to see pictures from it! && Nice photos! ^^

 

Thank you!

 

 

 

Yay :D! I quite liked the variety! Glad you're enjoying!

 

 

 

Thank you! :P We actually do go to church every Sunday (unless everyone in the house is working and my sister and I are left at home)! Haha that's wonderful. (:

Hi. You should submit your post to Cunard.

They may be able to use it in their advertising of

The S/S Queen Elizabeth

It has all the right elements:D

[lovely_serenity]

Sarah

Your review is wonderful and your pictures are fantastic.

 

Thank you vey much! :)

[candhu18]

I am reasonably sure that I spotted you and your sister on a few occasions. You will be relieved to know that, as far as I am aware, neither of you appear in any of my photographs.

 

Keep up the superb review when schoolwork permits.

[lovely_serenity]

Hi. You should submit your post to Cunard.

They may be able to use it in their advertising of

The S/S Queen Elizabeth

It has all the right elements:D

 

Haha, I actually never thought of that! After reading your comment, I actually went to the Cunard website, but couldn't find an email. I then proceeded to message a link to the Cunard facebook page! After about a day, I received a message back saying thanks and that they enjoyed reading it! ^^ Thanks for the suggestion! :)

[lovely_serenity]

I am reasonably sure that I spotted you and your sister on a few occasions. You will be relieved to know that, as far as I am aware, neither of you appear in any of my photographs.

 

Keep up the superb review when schoolwork permits.

 

Haha, I do hope you had a good impression of us ;) (We're actually pretty well-behaved in comparison to most kids we know!) && That's a relief ^^.

 

Thank you! (Sorry for the delay, I've had a really hectic week!)