From X to Cunard

[Germancruiser]

Just back from a great Queen Victoria cruise ( Voyage for Cuanrders- LOL) It was my forth time with Cunard! X was my favorite cruise line for almost 15 years- until they started to cut down here and cut down there- implemented this Modern Luxury nonsense ans so such things!

So I strayed- to Cunard an HAL- Cunard is now my new favorite cruise Line- if you want all that what X was, represented, stood for- try Cunard- they still have the " nice and fine touches" ! All in all a refined cruise - or voyage experience! Yes they are more formal- yes the don´t have the drink packages X offers. I am really hard pressed to switch completlly , because the offerings I get with X as Elite Plus are not forget either! But still... !

In December am on my, I suppose, last X cruise- on board Silhouette! A wonderful ship! Don´t get me wrong X i still a great cruise line, but Cuanrd is nowadays not only a triffle better!

[Oz_Steve]

Great that you have found a cruise line where you are happy. By coincidence they have a thread on this very board dedicated to them. :cool:

[Golfingmoron]

Just back from a great Queen Victoria cruise ( Voyage for Cuanrders- LOL) It was my forth time with Cunard! X was my favorite cruise line for almost 15 years- until they started to cut down here and cut down there- implemented this Modern Luxury nonsense ans so such things!

So I strayed- to Cunard an HAL- Cunard is now my new favorite cruise Line- if you want all that what X was, represented, stood for- try Cunard- they still have the " nice and fine touches" ! All in all a refined cruise - or voyage experience! Yes they are more formal- yes the don´t have the drink packages X offers. I am really hard pressed to switch completlly , because the offerings I get with X as Elite Plus are not forget either! But still... !

In December am on my, I suppose, last X cruise- on board Silhouette! A wonderful ship! Don´t get me wrong X i still a great cruise line, but Cuanrd is nowadays not only a triffle better!

 

 

Can you talk about the difference in:

1. Stateroom size, decor, ambiance, fit/finish.

2. Food.

3. Service.

 

I do not cruise as often as most here but would like to know for future planning purposes.

[Iamcruzin]

I'm happy you found a cruise line that meets your needs. However after reviewing itineraries there is quite a bit of difference in price between the two lines. I can sale in a suite on Celebrity for less than the price of an inside on Cunard. Since I can't even afford a suite on Celebrity Cunard isn't even a thought let alone a consideration. I don't think you are comparing apples to apples.

[emmas gran]

We did 32 nights in early 2012 part of the World Cruise on QM2- it was one of those can't miss deals balcony for under $5000 each Hong Kong to Cape Town.

Cunard is very formal-no shirt sleeves in the dining room men wear a jacket every night. Food no better than X , a little better than Princess. Cabins as it is a ocean liner unless you are in a very good cabin (grill class) you have an opening cut in the metal hull of the ship for your balcony.

Would I do it again only if the deal was very good.

[billet]

We did 32 nights in early 2012 part of the World Cruise on QM2- it was one of those can't miss deals balcony for under $5000 each Hong Kong to Cape Town.

Cunard is very formal-no shirt sleeves in the dining room men wear a jacket every night. Food no better than X , a little better than Princess. Cabins as it is a ocean liner unless you are in a very good cabin (grill class) you have an opening cut in the metal hull of the ship for your balcony.

Would I do it again only if the deal was very good.

 

On the Queen Mary there are hull balconies but there are many more ordinary balconies too, you do not need to upgrade to a Grill to take advantage of a normal balcony. On the QV and QE I believe there are no hull balconies. Cunard fairly recently relaxed their dress code so that it is not so formal. Passengers do dress for dinner and since Cunard does their themed Balls so well many will still be in Tuxedos on quite a few nights. It is a different atmosphere, not stuffy but remaining in that elegant era of cruising.

[yorkyred]

Just back from a great Queen Victoria cruise ( Voyage for Cuanrders- LOL) It was my forth time with Cunard! X was my favorite cruise line for almost 15 years- until they started to cut down here and cut down there- implemented this Modern Luxury nonsense ans so such things!

So I strayed- to Cunard an HAL- Cunard is now my new favorite cruise Line- if you want all that what X was, represented, stood for- try Cunard- they still have the " nice and fine touches" ! All in all a refined cruise - or voyage experience! Yes they are more formal- yes the don´t have the drink packages X offers. I am really hard pressed to switch completlly , because the offerings I get with X as Elite Plus are not forget either! But still... !

In December am on my, I suppose, last X cruise- on board Silhouette! A wonderful ship! Don´t get me wrong X i still a great cruise line, but Cuanrd is nowadays not only a triffle better!

 

Biggest disappointment for us on the QM2 was the food, we actually gave up on the MDR in the end and just ate at Todd English, other than that it's a great cruise line although still suffering the same cutbacks as the other mass market cruise lines. In my view Carnival will manage to ruin it eventually.

[Chunky2219]

DW and I pretty much alternate between X and Cunard and it's hard for us to decide a winner for our affections. They are both terrific lines a good step above the gigantic cattle boats now roaming the seas with a RCCC or P&O flag, but each different in a multitude of ways that make a final choice so impossible.

 

The biggest downside to Cunard is the limited number of ships (only two for us because QM2 is a bit too big for our taste) and the limited range of itineraries made worse by round the world tours every year and transatlantic duty. If they had a more diverse roster then we would sail with them much more. There's nothing intrinsically wrong with half a year doing the global thing maybe once in a lifetime but if I visit Australia, for example, I don't want to just bounce off two or three cities and head off to Asia. I want to circumnavigate the country like X does.

 

Enjoy your Cunard cruises but when you hanker for something different or familiar, X is still the place to look at for some variety.

 

.

[4774Papa]

Great, a cruise line without the cursed drink packages. I will have to check it out.

[ABoatNerd]

Good post.

 

Our household is also a fan of Cunard.

 

Cunard is very different from Celebrity.

 

Celebrity is contemporary like a Vegas hotel experience, previous posters noted the similarity to R hotels. The ships are inward focused, offering a multitude of consumer choices with the main objective to have passengers in many classes spend as much money as possible.

 

Cunard is about being on a SHIP with gracious surroundings and traditional service (high tea) and amenities. Cunard is tops on lectures and a great promotor of passenger shipping history. Cunard ships expect passengers to be out on deck and feel the wind on one's face. Staff are dressed and act with more formality than on Celebrity. Celebrity officers are not on display like Celebrity.

 

Cunard's food offerings do not come close to Celebrity with the exception of the main dining room on Cunard which is superior to Celebrity. Buffet and alternative food venues are much better on Celebrity.

 

One does not observe or feel the class structure on Cunard nearly as much as Celebrity - this may be a shock to those who continue to harbor legacy thinking about Cunard. The Celebrity and NCL's have far surpassed Cunard in 2015 in overtly establishing and promoting class structure and exclusive areas of the ship for a specific class, ie the NCL Haven. On Cunard, the grill class is modest and has a dedicated restaurant and lounge. Public rooms are not roped off like on Celebrity.

 

Both lines suffer from obvious cost cutting and loss of value to the customer; like every cruise line, air line, hotel and restaurants. It is the way it is in 2015 and going forward.

 

For Celebrity customers, if you enjoy formality, an adult experience, a high level of educational lectures about locations on the cruise then consider Cunard.

 

Cunard is really packaged as something different from Celebrity - destination cruising and specialty cruising like the world cruises. Comparing the 2 lines is not really appropriate.

 

We love Cunard because we are on a ship not a cruise ship.

 

ABoatNerd

[keithm]

I'm happy you found a cruise line that meets your needs. However after reviewing itineraries there is quite a bit of difference in price between the two lines. I can sale in a suite on Celebrity for less than the price of an inside on Cunard. Since I can't even afford a suite on Celebrity Cunard isn't even a thought let alone a consideration. I don't think you are comparing apples to apples.

I'll do the apples & oranges. I've sailed on Cunard 6 times & Celebrity 2 times. I find that room rates are comparable for similar trip lengths.( I'll use the Eclipse & their 14 day winter Caribbean trips as an example)For an inside on the Eclipse it's about $1660pp(currently)On the Queen Victoria the inside is about $2000pp. Food I've found is better in the Eclipse MDR v/s Victoria's Britannia. The Grills experience(which we've done 2)is fart better than anything Celebrity offers. The Luminae is nice, but it's still in it's infancy.As to inside rooms..Cunard's are a little larger(a bit more square shaped)Balcony rooms are larger to a pretty good degree on Cunard. The "standard" bathrooms on Celbrity "S" class ships are FAR better than than similar on Cunard. More room & an actual enclosed shower(no curtains,hurray!)Suites & their accomodations are pretty similar on both lines. We've been doing Celebrity as of late, as Cunard does far fewer Caribbean trips anymore.

[keithm]

Can you talk about the difference in:

1. Stateroom size, decor, ambiance, fit/finish.

2. Food.

3. Service.

 

I do not cruise as often as most here but would like to know for future planning purposes.

I'll try

1)rooms a little larger on Cunard. Better storage on Cunard(standard rooms)Better beds(my opinion) on Cunard. Much better bathrooms on Celebrity standard rooms. Equal when it comes to suites.Decor similar

2)Food better on Celebrity(MDR)than in Britannia. Grills on Cunard far outclasses most lines except total luxury(Seaborn/Crystal/Silversea). Love being able to order "off" menu when desired.

3)service is pretty close. Did notice cutbacks on our last Celebrity trip(Jan.2015)Still better than in Britannia. Meet & greet staff better on Celebrity. Grills service second to none(should be at those prices) Luminae offers great service, but still has some "teething" pains to work out. If they do, then Cunard will have real competition!

[Germancruiser]

Great posts and much more in detail then my over view- I agree- the bathrooms on X- ships ARE BETTER! I kept telling my friends exactly that! I was afraid of those hull balcony´s - but they really do have their perks- more private- more sheltered - esp. in bad weather- one can still use them if it is not to cold!

The Service is much more refined- even in Britannia Class- waiters not so much in hurry then I experienced on my last X- cruies.

They serve and pour tea, coffee and walking around with a tray offering little extra sweets to go with. Not that I really NEED them- but it is a nice touch!

I am a big fan of string music- X used to have at least a " Trio" then it came down to a Duo- now there is only one left who plays the fidle or whatever! CUTINGS! ( at least it was that was the case on my last Infinity cruise in march this year)

On board the Vici there was a string quartett- great ! Loved it!

I do hope Carnival will not ruin Cunard - they did their job already- so I have heard- but I cross fingers that keep up their high service level!

I agree also with the outdoor experience- much better on Cuanrd- due to their great prommenade ( wrap around that is) decks. Due to the lack of a propper prommenade deck the decks on X ships can get really really crowded- and that really can spoil ones cruise experience!

Yes Cunard is still very very british! Isn´t it great to have so many options nowadays! Some just love those floading city´s were you cruise with 3000 to 6000 ( or was it up to 8000) passengers!

Queen Victoria is about the same size as Millenium Class ship or some Costa/ Carnival ships - to my knowlege you have about 2000 people on board the smaller Cunard Queens- up to 2400 on Millenium Class and up to 2900 on Costa / Carnival! So the those numbers alone tell something of ships beeing crowded.

I really look forward to my next Sillhouette cruise- a 7 day caribbean cruise.

Edited July 3, 2015 by Germancruiser