Queen Elizabeth Photo Review - Deck Tours - Menus - Drinks Lists - Programs

[megacruiser]

Lido Buffet Lunch Menu...

 

 

Britannia Lunch Menu...

 

 

[megacruiser]

Smoked Salmon is nicely enhanced by Wasabi Mayonnaise...

 

 

As you can tell, I like salmon... :)

 

 

 

 

Trio of ices - refreshing finish to yet another top-notch lunch today...

[megacruiser]

Coffee Menu...

 

 

 

Tea Menu...

 

 

Other drink options...

 

 

Complimentary food menu - varies by time of day...

 

 

Alsace Apple Tart – recommended; Cappuccino and Biscotti...

[Wacktle]

Wonderful photos. Thanks.

[voyager90265]

Just catching up on the photo review. Thanks again Megacruiser! You have me on pins and needles until boarding on Saturday afternoon for the transatlantic. I have only sailed the QE2 and QM2 with Cunard so I am looking forward to seeing how the Spirit Class does on the Atlantic! :)

[megacruiser]

 

 

 

[megacruiser]

 

 

Degustation Fixed Menu...

 

 

A la carte menu, cold and hot starters...

 

 

A la carte menu, main courses...

 

 

A la carte menu, desserts...

[megacruiser]

Looking towards the bar at rear, near the galley...

 

 

 

Nicely laid table...

 

 

 

[megacruiser]

The Veranda restaurant has an intimate atmosphere; its elegance enhanced by appropriate subdued mood-lighting. The style and service is pretty formal but not overly stiff or pretentious. Now when I describe the food, I must explain that it is in a completely different league to what is served in the Britannia Restaurant, which I had found to be largely acceptable but quite unexceptional and unmemorable. So my assessment is by comparison to fine-dining and Michelin-starred restaurants and some of the better extra-fee speciality restaurants on ships.

 

Having established that my expectations at The Veranda were much higher, I would describe the food as fairly traditional French fine-dining; not lightened to conform to modern trends but, for the most part, rather old-school... Maybe rather rich and perhaps lacking a little in subtlety of flavour... Nonetheless, to my taste, I found everything well-cooked and delicious, with one notable exception, more of which to follow...

 

 

Down to the dishes served... I opted for the Degustation Menu and my friend ordered from the A la Carte Menu.

 

 

Two different amuse bouche were served...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My friend ordered the Lobster and Shellfish Salad as his starter and to my surprise it was exactly the same size as the one served to me as part of the six-course fixed-price menu. The quality of the lobster was good and it was well cooked. An enjoyable if unexciting dish...

 

 

Lobster and Shellfish Salad...

 

 

 

I was then served the Foie Gras with Pears and Nougat Brulee... Not as rich as some of the Goose-Liver Foie Gras dishes that I have previously experienced. I enjoyed the combination but again it failed to make any great impression...

 

Foie Gras with Pears and Nougat Brulee...

[megacruiser]

Now, to the big disappointment; Pigeon with Quince and Chocolate. The chocolate with the sauce that accompanied the Pigeon dish just did not work for me and not because I am unadventurous. I know dark chocolate can work well in savoury dishes and I have used it in the past in my chilli con carne... In this dish however, the end result was much too sweet and quite unpalatable. The inclusion of quince combined with the sweetness of the chocolate sauce reminded me of “Pear Belle Helene” that hackneyed dessert popular in the seventies. Undoubtedly, the very-gamey tasting Pigeon needed something to mellow it, but I think “Grande Veneur” sauce without any chocolate would have worked much better. If I ordered the set menu again, I would ask for exactly that. Whether such a request would accommodated might reveal quite a lot...

 

 

Pigeon, the base is encased in chocolate that melts as the hot sauce is poured on top...

 

 

 

The quince is partially hidden inside the pigeon breast “lid”; most of the chocolate now melted...

 

 

 

Sorbet - very much needed...

 

 

 

The Scallops and Langoustines - no complaints but no amazement..

[megacruiser]

If you have read my other reviews you will know I am quite fussy when it comes to beef. This was not a disappointment. Bearing no relationship to the beef served in the Britannia Restaurant, this was first class in flavour, succulence and tenderness; and was the highlight of the meal.

 

 

Organic Fillet of Beef...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Veal Chop - my friend was very happy with this...

[megacruiser]

One advantage of ordering a la carte was that my friend was able to choose Rum Baba for dessert, probably the most visibly-available tableside-preparation on offer. I have never before seen such an elaborate preparation for something so simple... All the faffing about made for theatre, I suppose... I mooched a taste of the finished dish; delicious for sure but when all is said and done, it’s a sponge with rum and custard...

 

 

The preparation-trolley arrives...

 

 

 

Rum to be poured into the warm sponge...

 

 

 

Incision into the sponge...

 

 

Rum poured in...

 

 

 

Lid closed to allow heat to infuse...

 

 

 

Finally the custard gets poured in...

[megacruiser]

My included dessert was a plate of four mini desserts, a poor second best...

 

 

 

 

 

 

In summary, a very enjoyable dining experience; well worth the additional fee. The best meal of the trip by far but I have had better on Celebrity (in Ocean Liners/Murano) and the best ever which was at 150 Central Park on Oasis of the Seas; now that was memorable...

 

This link should take you to my review of 150 Central Park (on page 10)...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1992376

 

[shipshape sam]

Entrance to Golden Lion pub...

 

 

Lounge bar area...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Traditional Pub Gantry...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Think I would consider sailing just for the draft Old Speckled Hen!

[megacruiser]

Entertainment tonight was “Mind Reader” Marc Paul. If you haven’t seen this sort of show before you may find it intriguing... I would describe him as a poor man’s Derren Brown because he lacks the sort of charisma needed to make such a show entertaining.

 

Amanda introduces Marc Paul...

 

 

 

 

[megacruiser]

Disembarkation seems to be a Cunard weak point, based on my two recent experiences. On both occasions I attended the designated assembly area to find no staff in attendance at the time of arrival and for a long time after. On QM2 it was the Queens Room and on QE it was the Royal Court Theatre. We arrived 7 or 8 minutes before the advertised time of 9.30am. Not one official could be seen until 9.50am when a member of staff arrived to call the group that was due to leave after ours; and to advise us that all earlier groups had already gone. We missed our scheduled transfer bus. Fortunately there was a fleet of them and we still arrived at Athens airport in good time. I wonder why on the last-day Cunard, and many other cruise lines, treat their passengers with such disinterest, bordering on contempt. After all, one's last impression can become an abiding memory...

 

Irrespective of this last-day letdown, the seven nights spent aboard Queen Elizabeth were undoubtedly very relaxing and enjoyable. The one area that I felt could be improved was the quality of food served in the Britannia Restaurant, especially at dinner. It ought to be noticeably superior to "ordinary" cruise lines to bear the hallmark of quality synonymous with the Cunard brand.

 

On the positives, I liked the spaciousness throughout and the general lack of crowding anywhere; it was wonderful to be able to locate a sunbed without getting up at the crack-of-dawn. I appreciated that I was able to have lunch in the dining room every day if I chose; whilst the Golden Lion pub dispensed full imperial-pints of ale and offered a lunchtime casual-alternative to the buffet.

 

I relished the pre-dinner atmosphere of the Commodore Club and the fact that delicious, fresh hot-canapés were always being served; even to those who arrived some time after service had commenced. The strict implementation of the dress-code promoted a more cultivated atmosphere that permeated the entire ship in the evening. The double-height Queens Room is splendid and the perfect backdrop for proper Afternoon Tea, with a string-quartet adding a note of sophistication; and providing the required elegance for the Themed Balls. On most evenings an excellent big-band with vocalist provides the dynamic tempo for those who enjoy ballroom-dancing and the impressive dance floor is surely one of the biggest at sea. The singers in the production-shows were truly first class; and in particular the show that featured the combined 19-piece orchestra was a musical tour-de-force; something I believe is uniquely possible on Cunard "liners".

 

Comparing the onboard product to mainstream cruise lines, I recommend Cunard to those who appreciate a more upmarket, easy-paced experience and who enjoy the emphasis that is placed on tradition and properness.

[wally_bushy]

Thanks for a great vicarious cruise

Enjoyed the daily updates as I sit at home on hot summer nights in Queensland

[PrincessC15]

Just brilliant and entertaining.

 

My sister is going on QE2 from Sydney to Brisbane in March 2014.

 

Will have to get her to read and research more about the QE2 and it's activities for short cruises. For now I have forwarded your link for her to read.

 

This will be her 1st cruise on QE2, been on only Princess cruises.

 

 

Thanks

[PrincessC15]

Just brilliant and entertaining.

 

My sister is going on QE2 from Sydney to Brisbane in March 2014.

 

Will have to get her to read and research more about the QE2 and it's activities for short cruises. For now I have forwarded your link for her to read.

 

This will be her 1st cruise on QE2, been on only Princess cruises.

 

 

Thanks

[PrincessC15]

Meant to write March 2015, oops.

[megacruiser]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[megacruiser]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[megacruiser]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[megacruiser]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[megacruiser]