Live from the Queen Victoria--Princess Elites sail Cunard QV to the Baltic

[PunkiC]

Live from the Queen Victoria--Princess Elites sail Cunard QV to the Baltic

 

We have been on about 30 Princess Cruises but have had only one prior cruise on a Cunard ship, so much of this Live Review will reflect on our observations of the differences between the two cruise lines. We rarely travel in the summer because we have a huge garden, but we found this deal on the Queen Victoria to the Baltic, which was just too good to resist. Once we found out we would receive full military and stockholder On Board Credits on Cunard, just like on Princess, and found direct, first-class award tickets for our air travel, we booked in a heartbeat.

 

Getting to London

 

We were very excited about our direct First-Class Delta flight from Seattle, Washington, USA, to London, UK, which had been planned for months, but, sadly, it was not to be. We left home in plenty of time to make it to the airport for our flight, but, alas, we hadn’t allowed for a Lady Gaga concert downtown which brought all traffic to a standstill. It was taking 10-15 minutes to go a single block. Once we were in the middle of the mess, there was no way out so we had to just try to plow on through. To make a long story short, we arrived at the airport just a few minutes too late to check our bags and missed our flight. I was, therefore, forced to put a hex on Lady Gaga and, as a result of the hex, she became too ill to perform that night. It serves her right. ;) This is a warning not to mess with my First-Class flights.

Delta’s initial solution to our dilemma was to have us fly out the next day on the same flight, which would have put us in jeopardy of missing our cruise. Thank you very little. So, alternatively, we waited until 9:30 and caught a Fist-Class Delta red-eye to JFK in New York, but were scheduled in Economy across the pond. Not good. I have heretofore never flown internationally in coach and am sure I am too old to learn how. When we arrived in NYC we were able to negotiate an upgrade to Premium Economy (Upper Class was totally full) and it really turned out to be quite pleasant. We had bulkhead, three abreast, center-aisle seats. We each got an aisle seat and the center seat was blocked and left empty which was very handy. The food was good—we had both breakfast and dinner on a 6-hour flight—the service was good and the seats were as comfortable as any old-style Business Class seat I have ever flown. They provided cushioned bolsters to prop up our legs and feet, which was very nice. We even got some decent sleep and were feeling much better when we arrived than I had anticipated we would feel.

When we arrived at Heathrow, we purchased some wine at Duty Free for our cruise, and then proceeded to the information desk to inquire where to catch the FREE city bus to the Skyline Sheraton Hotel on the perimeter road. The information agent handed us over to someone who walked us out to stop 17. After we waited about 10 minutes a bus to the Skyline Sheraton arrived, but it was a Hoppa Bus which cost 5 pounds each. At that point we were so tired we just took the Hoppa to the hotel. We were just too weary to walk to the Central Bus Station and wait for another bus.

After we checked in, we went into the hotel elite lounge and had a glass of wine which induced immediate fatigue so we went to bed. The Sheraton has amazingly comfortable beds and pillows. Getting my body into a horizontal position had never felt so good.

[eatsallinsects]

I LOVE how you were able to "roll with the punches"!

So much more entertaining than moans and groans we get from so many who post.

Eagerly awaiting next post from you.

[Jimsgirl]

Whilst I am very happy for the OP, I think a little more information would be useful in allowing us to judge the situation.

 

I wonder how old the OP and companion is , some of writers here are really senior, and that can make a BIG difference, so can travelling solo

 

The OP appears to be able to travel First Class (even though they missed the original flight.) For instance they did not have to travel coach, in the middle of a three seater., with a three hundred pound passenger either side and a child kicking the back of their seat. They received supports for their feet, They received two MEALS not just a soft drink and a bag of pretzels.

 

They were not so tired they could not go to Duty Free to buy wine, and after only a 10 mins. ,wait they decided to pay 10BP for transport rather than wait any longer. At Hotel (was it arranged by them or Cunard?) they again had the energy to go to the ELITE Lounge ( most of us cannot go in to the Elite Lounge) for a drink of wine.

 

It does seem that even though they missed their flight , they were still able to travel in more comfort than most passengers. That is good for them, but I do not think most of us "ordinary" people would have fared so well.

[Salacia]

I LOVE how you were able to "roll with the punches"!

So much more entertaining than moans and groans we get from so many who post.

Eagerly awaiting next post from you.

 

Did you LOVE this part?...

 

 

"...To make a long story short, we arrived at the airport just a few minutes too late to check our bags and missed our flight. I was, therefore, forced to put a hex on Lady Gaga and, as a result of the hex, she became too ill to perform that night. It serves her right. ;) This is a warning not to mess with my First-Class flights..."

[brigittetom]

Sounds like the setbacks were solved beautifully. Ours tend to go the other way and steadily downhill.

Edited August 11, 2014 by brigittetom

[eatsallinsects]

Did you LOVE this part?...

 

 

"...To make a long story short, we arrived at the airport just a few minutes too late to check our bags and missed our flight. I was, therefore, forced to put a hex on Lady Gaga and, as a result of the hex, she became too ill to perform that night. It serves her right. ;) This is a warning not to mess with my First-Class flights..."

 

*****************************************

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.

[PunkiC]

Live from the Queen Victoria--Princess Elites sail Cunard QV to the Baltic

 

Day One—Embarkation:

 

We awakened quite rested, got ready for our departure from the hotel and had breakfast in the Elite Lounge, where we were entertained by four young, and very noisy, German men who were having an altercation with the lounge staff because the staff had locked up the beer fridge. They were really decent enough young men and I was actually enjoying talking with them, but (I think partially because two of them were dark skinned and they were all quite noisy) some of the other guests complained about their loud voices and the fact that they were drinking beer for breakfast. This was interpreted as their being drunk, but I honestly think they were quite sober and just annoyed that the beer had been locked up and, therefore, complaining loudly. In any event it was good breakfast entertainment.

After breakfast, we went down to the regular restaurant to meet up with our new Cruise Friends whom we had met on the Cruise Critic Meet & Greet thread for this cruise. They were just as lovely in real life as they were on the internet.

There was a torrential downpour as we prepared to leave the hotel, so we decided that it was worth it to take the Hoppa to Heathrow, rather than walk to the city bus which was really only a short distance from our hotel. Far enough away, however, that we would have been thoroughly drenched just walking across the street. Not worth FREE.

At the airport we caught the Cunard bus to Southampton. This is the first time we have used ship transportation, but it was reasonably priced and very convenient so that is what we chose. The bus was not at all crowded and only took about 1.5 hours from LHR to the ship at The Mayflower dock. We will also take the Cunard bus on the way back. I use a cane when I have to walk or stand for any length of time, so as we entered the registration hall, they directed me to the Special Services line. That was slick as there was only one person in line in front of us. Our timing was perfect for as soon as we got in line, the line almost immediately filled up with many other people using canes or I wheelchairs.

The boarding process was really very similar to Princess except the photographers were nowhere near as pushy as those on Princess. That was very nice. Another wonderful thing about Cunard is that they let you bring reasonable amounts of wine and liquor on board without charge or hassle. No “Naughty Room” on the Queen Victoria. That was even nicer.

When we arrived at our cabin, we discovered that we had two twin beds, rather than the Queen we had requested, so we called our steward, requested that the bed be reconfigured, ordered 4 more pillows, two bathrobes, and requested that the fridge be cleaned out so we could use it. We had been given a bottle of champagne and wanted to keep it cool until we were ready to use it. We also requested a new phone cord as the latch was broken on ours, causing it to disengage in the middle of every conversation. He immediately brought the bathrobes and eventually (after three requests) brought the pillows, reconfigured the beds, and cleaned out the fridge. We still don’t have new phone cord. This is probably the least responsive and least friendly steward we have had to date. At this point, Princess wins for service, as their stewards are always totally charming an accommodating.

This ship, of course, is beautifully appointed and our balcony cabin is nicer than those on Princess. In addition, our actual balcony is somewhat larger than we usually get on Princess. There is not, however, anywhere near as much storage, either in the cabin or in the bathroom, and the storage we do have is not convenient. We have our routine on Princess down to a fine science, so it was difficult for us to find places to store our gear. They do have those big drawers at the bottom of the bed, but they are more or less useless as they are just too inconvenient for old people with old knees. This was a surprise as my impression was that Cunard was geared for longer cruises for older people. Moreover, the closet is not tall enough for my long dresses, and I am pretty short. What’s up with that?

We had lunch in the Lido buffet with a lovely couple we met from Wales. I had a salad which was very good, especially the dressing. Here again, though, the service was not up to the standard we have grown accustomed to on Princess. For instance, when we asked for iced tea, they told us that it was available at the beverage station on the other side of the Lido. On Princess, the waiters always bring drinks to passengers at their tables and refill them as they get low, which is very ice nice for people like us who enjoy lingering and chatting.

The muster drill was held inside and we were assigned to the theater which as very nice as I had an opportunity to catch a nap when I was overcome with fatigue. The only difference between this drill and a Princess drill is that they skipped the part about how to jump into the water. I thought maybe I missed it when I was napping but DH confirmed that he did not hear it either. .Of course, abandoning ship is not a very pleasant thought so it is possible that they don’t want to remind passengers that it could be a possibility.

After muster I was hit with another round of jet lag and had to lie down for a bit before dinner. We are seated for early dinner at a table for 10 but we were a party of only 8 last night. The whole idea of eating with the same people for two whole weeks is a little daunting. When we have the option we always select anytime dining so we can meet a lot more people over the course of the cruise. The folks who were at our table last night were certainly pleasant enough but I would still much rather change tables every night. The food was truly quite good. I had minestrone, salad, cod and an amazing chocolate dessert. I usually only take one bite of my dessert, but this time took three and had to literally push the plate away to prevent myself from eating the whole thing.

By the time we finished dinner the seas were quite rough. As we were walking out, a service cart cut lose and went flying across the dining room, narrowly missing my DH, throwing empty wine glasses to the floor where they broke. After about 40 cruises, this is the roughest I have ever seen the water. I guess we are getting the tail end of hurricane Bertha. It was amusing to watch all of the passengers walking along leaning on one another like a bunch of drunken sailors.

We stopped at The Queen’s Room and chatted for a bit with the dance hosts while we finished our wine from dinner. We thought about going up to get our dance shoes and going back down to dance to the orchestra, but were tempted by the bed and decided to crash for the night. We are still adjusting to the time changes I am sure. Hopefully it will pass in the next day or so.

 

Thank you for your responses. Jimsgirl, I am 70 and DH is 72. Sort of old, but by the Grace of God, still healthy enough to travel. We are very blessed in that we traveled a great deal for business before we retired and accumulated a lot of airline miles that allow us to fly first-class which really does make it a lot easier. We are very appreciative of all of the privileges we enjoy.

Edited August 11, 2014 by PunkiC

[Jimsgirl]

Glad you enjoy all that you have earned. I was not "getting at you" as people, just that often even when it is not your fault, the airlines treat you badly.

 

Making you buy new tickets, failing to put your luggage on the new plane. and of course Cunard failing to provide a rep or transport. I have had several very bad experiences due to planes having breakdowns causing missed connections, and being completely stranded due to no fault of mine, yet getting no help from Delta. In fact I will not fly Delta unless there is no alternative.

 

I asked re the Hotel because I have booked my arrangements (Hotel/transport) myself for my trip in Sept, because of really bad "foul ups" by Cunard in July. No Rep, no transport, and no means of getting in touch with the agency.

 

I am 88 travel solo and have to use a wheelchair at airports/boarding etc. One of the worst things travelling solo at the airport is getting to the bathroom, you have a seat, then you have to leave it, trundle your carry- ons to the ladies, struggle with the cases there, then back I shuffle , and no seat!. Same if you have a very long wait and need a coffee/tea.

 

Sorry to read about the steward, I hope to read that his attitude improved over the course of the trip. Mine was fine until the last night, he removed all unused toiletries, and soap, did not put protective cloth on bed, did not get my cases out from under bed, and removed the "do not disturb" sign. He knocked on the door at 6.30a.m next morning saying he needed me to leave in order to clean for newcomers!.

 

Never had that happen on my other cruises with Cunard.

 

Lynn

[pepperrn]

Mine was fine until the last night, he removed all unused toiletries, and soap, did not put protective cloth on bed ... and removed the "do not disturb" sign. He knocked on the door at 6.30a.m next morning saying he needed me to leave in order to clean for newcomers!. Lynn

Hi Lynn,

 

That is outrageous! I've never had all that happen to me (although I've had them try to hassle me out of the cabin and make the bed, but never at 6.30!). I hope you told him where he could put his soap :eek: I certainly would. Taking the "do not disturb" sign is the worst, the nerve.

 

Because of the experience of once or twice being "hurried" (but only a couple of times to be fair) I now speak to the steward on my way to breakfast and tell him/her quite directly (but friendly) that I will out of my cabin at the appointed time (either 8 or 8.30 usually), but NOT a moment sooner. Sometimes I suggest they make the bed while I'm at breakfast, and I promise not to touch it afterwards. I tell them not to clean the bathroom (see below).

 

If I am going to tip, in cash, my cabin steward for outstanding service during the cruise/crossing, I ALWAYS wait until the last morning; his/her actions and attitude about the cabin (which is still "mine") decide whether I leave/give an envelope, or keep it in my pocket. For example, one emptied all my personal belongings out of the bathroom and put them on the bed. He had cleaned the bathroom, so I made sure I used it again, and kept the envelope.

 

Again, I am surprised and disappointed that you had to encounter such extreme un-customer-friendly behaviour. Not good enough :( .

 

Best wishes,

 

(Sorry to go off topic, back to the QV Cruise to the Baltic reports... )

Edited August 11, 2014 by pepperrn

[Jimsgirl]

I plan to write a note and leave it in the room before I go to dinner on he last night, telling him that when he makes up my room that evening he is NOT to remove the sign nor remove anything from the room.

 

That I will be out of the room next day by 8a.m , and do not wish to be disturbed before that time.

 

No steward has ever removed the sign, toiletries etc the night before during any of my numerous Cunard cruises. I know they have a great deal to do on disembarkation morning, but there is a limit to my tolerance.

[Jimsgirl]

*****************************************

When life gives you lemons, you make lemonade.

 

A fine sentiment but what do you do if life gives you Turnips ?

[eatsallinsects]

A fine sentiment but what do you do if life gives you Turnips ?

 

******************************

I would cook them and eat them as I really like turnips!

Have you read my story about our tandem TA on the QE2 with the QM2 and our White Star luggage was on the latter and we were on the former?

My daughter and I made lemonade.

[PunkiC]

Live from the Queen Victoria--Princess Elites sail Cunard QV to the Baltic

 

First Sea Day:

 

We woke up to bright sunshine above seas that were still very rough. I truly love it when we have sun on our deck in the morning as that affords me an opportunity to do some hand laundry. I love to wash out our clothes by hand and dry them in the sun on the deck and we both have quick-dry clothing and underclothing that we specifically chose for travel. The combination of the sun and the sea air makes them smell heavenly and I love knowing that everything is clean. Even on Princess where we get free laundry and dry cleaning, I enjoy washing out some things every day.

 

Another difference that we noticed between Princess and Cunard is that the room service doesn’t start on Cunard until 7:00 a.m., after the stretch classes start in the gym. Breakfast room service does, however, have a lot more choices on Cunard.

 

DH got up and went to the gym but I was still feeling very queasy--queasier than I have ever felt in my life, even when I was pregnant. After I showered and dressed and did my hand laundry, I went in search of soda crackers. I finally found some salted water biscuits that helped a fair amount. The head waiter also brought me some ginger which helped even more. I even took a plate of sugared ginger to hand out at our Cruise Critic Meet & Greet which was next on our agenda.

 

Our Cruise Critic Meet and Greet started at 11:00 a.m., so I was truly happy that I was more or less recovered, because I was in charge of the meeting. This was the first I had ever organized on Cunard so I had no idea what to expect. The meeting was held in the Starboard Side of the Queens Room. We had sent out invitations to the senior officers and had asked for a microphone. We were told we couldn’t have one because they didn’t want us to conflict with a much larger meeting being held simultaneously on the Port Side of the Queens Room. As it turned out, our meeting was more than twice as large as the “much larger” meeting on the other side of the room. The Cruise Director/Entertainment Director Sally Sagoe and one of her staff members names Florence showed up to assist with the set-up which was very nice. They provided bouquets of flowers and Cruise Critic signs at the entrances, as well as coffee, tea, cookies and pastries. I am a strong enough public speaker that I could get by without a microphone, but it did make it difficult to hear all of the questions people asked in that long, narrow space.

 

The Hotel Manager, David Stephenson, the Executive Chef, Trevor Connolly, and the very debonair Senior Maitre d’hôtel, Sandro Ranieri, also attended and were all gracious enough to participate in a question and answer session which was very much enjoyed by the attendees, all of whom remarked that they loved the meeting and learned a great deal. Unfortunately, due to gale conditions, the Deck and Technical Officers were too busy sailing the ship to join our party. ;) After the Senior Officers had exhausted all of the questions that the attendees presented to them, they got back to work and we continued the meeting discussing all of the tricks of maximizing On Board Credit and getting the best deals at the time of booking. This was a lively conversation, during which it appeared that everyone learned something. I know I sure did. After the official meeting, folks hung out drinking coffee and tea and socializing for quite some time. All in all, it was a highly successful Meet & Greet.

 

We then watched the ballroom dance lessons for a bit and they were hysterical. The teachers chose to teach these beginners flashy hand and arm cha cha moves which are really only appropriate in competition, not in a social dance situation. The result was a lot of people who had no idea what they were doing poking one another in the eye every time they turned. This makes no sense to me. The instructors are professionals and international competitors, surely they should be able to teach a basic beginner dance lesson—even I can do that and I am a simple social dancer.

 

By this time I had recovered sufficiently from my queasiness that I could contemplate lunch so we headed to the dining room where we sat at a very convivial table for ten and had an opportunity to meet lots of new people. I think we will continue to eat lunch in the main dining room as this will give me my daily fix of interacting with new people.

 

We had thought to attend the movie “The Grand Budapest Hotel” but, when we went to our cabin to store my sugared ginger the bed once again beckoned and we ended up taking a heavenly two-hour nap. Naps are so very good.

 

It was a formal night—the Black and White Ball—and DH had forgotten his hand-tied black bow tie, but, was able to buy on at an on-board shop. It was shaped slightly differently than most of his bow ties, but he did a spectacular job of tying it the first time around. We were a little too late for the Captain’s reception but were at least able to see him introduce the Senior Officers, after which time we headed to dinner.

 

Tonight we had a full table of four couples and two single ladies. The fourth couple had originally been assigned late seating and just switched to early dining this afternoon. They were very nice and we decided to switch our seating every evening so we would have an opportunity to get to talk with everyone over the course of the cruise. I am not really a big foodie and lean toward being a vegetarian so my dinner consisted of three appetizers, all of which were delicious. I had a chocolate brownie and peppermint tea for dessert and again, had only one bite of the brownie. A tiny bit of chocolate suits me just fine. We were the last table to leave the dining room—always a good sign. :D

 

After dinner, we went to our room, collected our dance shoes and went down to the ballroom to get a prime seat for the Black and White Ball and have a glass of wine. The ball was perfect—very well attended, but not overcrowded and everyone seemed to understand line of dance which we very much appreciate. We danced until about 11:00 p.m. and had a wonderful time. There were a few dances we were not willing to attempt with the ship still rocking in gale force winds, but all in all it was a lovely evening.

[Keith1010]

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Keith

[Dcoy]

Even though the preorder breakfast menu states that service starts at 7, you can request an earlier time. I would write 6:30 or what ever time I wanted it delivered and they always met that time.

 

Have fun.

 

Don

[cunardaddict]

Tks for the report. Indeed the winds are strong and ships here have difficulties to maneuver in our port.

 

I do not understand why you fly 1st and book BC on the ship.

 

Btw.: the average German does not drink beer for breakfast, but some very basic people find this appropriate.

 

Have a safe trip and enjoy wonderful Norway.

Edited August 12, 2014 by cunardaddict

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[Ray66]

Have a safe trip and enjoy wonderful Norway.

 

They are on the Queen Victoria to the Baltic and St Petersburg. Just the one stop in Norway at the end of the cruise.

[ToadOfToadHall]

I do not understand why you fly 1st and book BC on the ship.

 

I was about to comment on that as well. Transatlantic 1st class flights cost a fortune so if I had that sort of money then I'd be in the Grills as well.

 

 

Btw.: the average German does not drink beer for breakfast, but some very basic people find this appropriate.

 

They could have been there for their work and just finished a night shift, in which case, it would be perfectly normal to drink beer at breakfast because it was their "dinner" they were eating.

[fantasy51]

I do not understand why you fly 1st and book BC on the ship.

 

They mentioned having a lot of air miles from business flights while they were still working. It makes sense to me to use these on upgrades for flights! If only we could get the equivalent of air miles on ships and upgrade ourselves similarly. ;)

[lucky white heather]

I presume you know that the lido is open for refreshments you make yourself TEA/COFFEE/ HOT CHOC etc so you can sit and socialise if you feel like doing that after you leave the dancing in the Queen's Room every night.

 

That's our routine............early dinner , the show (if it attracts), then dance the night away till about 11pm then upstairs to deck 9 for a cup of tea / sandwich (or whatever you want from the choices up there) in the lido , usually till late.

Most nights it can be very sociable with other people doing the same thing....you can get another "fix" of conversations with other people besides your dining tablemates if you have a mind to.

[imacruizer]

Even though the preorder breakfast menu states that service starts at 7, you can request an earlier time. I would write 6:30 or what ever time I wanted it delivered and they always met that time.

 

Have fun.

 

Don

 

This has been our experience also. If we want room service breakfast earlier than 7, we write in the time we want. You can also call room service the night before and place your order and select the time. They have always been very helpful.

 

Punki, continue to have a fabulous time!!

Edited August 12, 2014 by imacruizer

[Underwatr]

We've only been on one Princess cruise (Caribbean Princess to Scandinavia in 2012) and I concur with your observation re: service on Princess relative to Cunard. The Lido attendants on Princess were very helpful in locating a free table as we exited the serving area with full trays - haven't ever seen than on Cunard. But good luck finding a draft beer that isn't Stella...

[cunardaddict]

They mentioned having a lot of air miles from business flights while they were still working. It makes sense to me to use these on upgrades for flights! If only we could get the equivalent of air miles on ships and upgrade ourselves similarly. ;)

 

Can't agree more.

[fantasy51]

As regards comparison of the two lines, on Princess I stopped phoning room service because they often didn't come. Luckily on all three of my Princess cruises I had a room that was one floor up or one floor down from a bar or the Lido, and I could go there to get my hot water. I was surprised on my first Cunard cruise when room service came within 5 minutes. I commented and got the response: We are Cunard!