Princess cruiser goes on Cunard…

[getting older slowly]

Hi All

We have only been on Princess and decided to jump ship

So a Trip on Cunard Queenn Elizabeth 3 nighter in Princess Grill Suite

 

The good, Boarding was calm not crowded and relaxing

overall time from arriving at Terminal to sitting at Lunch about the same bit over 30 minutes

 

Food at Grills restaurant very good (you have a set table for the voyage, which is waiting for you)

Food I would say next level above Princess, staff in general all very friendly and helpful  the big difference is noise level… if club class was  walled off from the main dining room they would be the same .

Also the Grill area only for Suite guest is a ship within a ship and rather quiet.

 

Went through the Buffet (the Lido )  OMG Crowded people everywhere almost Chaos compered to Princess  food looked similar…

 

General differences in ship layout Cabin Corridors all have dog legs and are narrow as well as cabin door flush with the walls.. also a lot of passage way in the main public area have no windows, and often no straight passage more dog legs, so there are few long corridors, the grand foyer is not that big, but having said that the ship has a warm comfortable feel and lot of timber

 

Overall Cunard was very good,   fares a quite a bit dearer.... but drinks are dear firstly in US dollars and have 15% gratuities on top. So the $10 glass of wine on the menu is costing you $16.50.. which is making wine about 60+% more on cunard  

( one was aware of this.. just as well it was only 3 nights  lol )  and adding the daily gratuities of $20pp would add up on a longer cruise  ..

 

 So with everything included it bring up the daily total cost per person in a suite including drinks by 50%, and as a side point in a suite half the of princess

Money aside one rather enjoyed Cunard and would go again tomorrow but only for a short trip.

 

Would I jump ship no. Princess is good value for money, and better for longer cruises

 For a special occasion one would go on Cunard 7 night max

 

Cheers  Don with Coffee

 

 

[lissie]

Which class do you sail on Princess?  I've run out of itineraries on Cunard so are looking at options and Princess does come up sometimes. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Thanks, Don. We're doing a 5 night cruise on Cunard next year in a Princess Grills cabin, which I guess are essentially the equivalent of Club Class mini-suites on Princess. I'm happy to hear you thought Cunard was good overall. 

[icat2000]

I've thought about Cunard. But I think Pete and I are a little bit too young. However, I do have fond memories as a child in the late  70s when my Grandma cruise on Cunard from Southhampton to New Zealand to visit us. Back in those days you were allowed to go on and have a look.

 

If the price was right. But I find that Cunard itineraries not very interesting and at this stage of life I'm more about the destination. But thanks for your review. 

 

 

[getting older slowly]

11 minutes ago, lissie said:

Which class do you sail on Princess?  I've run out of itineraries on Cunard so are looking at options and Princess does come up sometimes. 

Hi Lissie

 

On Princess we travel in either a vista or penthouse suite..

Some pluses are free laundry,  breakfast in your own resturant, and club class dining for kunch and dinner,,,,,

 

Cheers Don 

[getting older slowly]

14 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Thanks, Don. We're doing a 5 night cruise on Cunard next year in a Princess Grills cabin, which I guess are essentially the equivalent of Club Class mini-suites on Princess. I'm happy to hear you thought Cunard was good overall. 

You are spot on Julie  the cabin are club class minies  ,, but with tea and coffee machines..

In the Princess Grill you have the same table.. so it is sitting there waiting for you... nice

 

Boarding was a breeze.. so calm and relaxing... ( princess could take note )

 

Cheers Don

[cheznandy]

Thanks Don, a nice review of something new. We tried QM2 a few years ago, loved that it was something different, loved the ship mostly, just beautiful but not for us to cruise on regularly.

We are pretty casual dressers these day so the jacket every night would annoy hubby!!

We are in that not old not young group ATM!!

[getting older slowly]

54 minutes ago, cheznandy said:

Thanks Don, a nice review of something new. We tried QM2 a few years ago, loved that it was something different, loved the ship mostly, just beautiful but not for us to cruise on regularly.

We are pretty casual dressers these day so the jacket every night would annoy hubby!!

We are in that not old not young group ATM!!

Spot on with Dressing up... Suit and tie for dinner every night  ok for shorter cruise... we are in the group of not younger and will be old one day.... the ship did have an old world feel  which was lovely.... the staff we delt with were all wonderful..... got a feeling becasue we are very easying going,  that they deal with a lot of intitled people, and just went with the flow.

 

Cheers Don.... waiting for lunch

[Galesa]

3 hours ago, getting older slowly said:

 

 

Went through the Buffet (the Lido )  OMG Crowded people everywhere almost Chaos compered to Princess  

 

 

OMG. Must be  bad. On Princess ATM and the Lido is a zoo most of the time. Only cruised HAL previously though.

[getting older slowly]

7 minutes ago, Galesa said:

OMG. Must be  bad. On Princess ATM and the Lido is a zoo most of the time. Only cruised HAL previously though.

 

I will try to explain better...the aisle ways in the buffet are narrow and flow means there are a lot of people funneled into aisle between the tables.. also it was a short cruise.. I am thinking a lot of people not dressing up. so everybody went to the buffet.. so it seamed crowded.... as guests the looked like any cruises and real variety of different people...

 

It was just a surprise as the rests of the ship  was calm and relax,,  where the buffet was full of people with everybody talking    a real night and day thing

 

cheers Don

[lissie]

4 hours ago, getting older slowly said:

You are spot on Julie  the cabin are club class minies  ,, but with tea and coffee machines..

In the Princess Grill you have the same table.. so it is sitting there waiting for you... nice

 

Boarding was a breeze.. so calm and relaxing... ( princess could take note )

 

Cheers Don

That was because you were in grills. In Sydney we stood for 2 hours to even get inside the terminal -everyone was given the same time (pre COvid). Last year in SF we turned up an hour after our time and even though only a few were boarding  we still waited hours - US customs that time - so sometimes not in the cruise line's control to be fair 

[Tripmode33]

Thanks for this feedback. As someone who has yet to try Cunard, I really appreciate your post.

[getting older slowly]

21 minutes ago, Tripmode33 said:

Thanks for this feedback. As someone who has yet to try Cunard, I really appreciate your post.

We Were at our TA  and talking about short cruises and she suggested a 3 nighter on Cunard.. I am glad she suggested the Princess Grill Suite as we generally travel in a suite.. so the experience was very good, we probable not would have enjoyed it as much in a standard balcony....

 

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

 

Cheers Don.... soon time for a G&T

[LittleFish1976]

I'm on board Queen Elizabeth at the moment if anyone wants to ask anything about Cunard or this ship in particular. I like Cunard mainly because the ships look like ships (i.e. not LA hotels) and they're pretty traditional.

[LittleFish1976]

4 hours ago, lissie said:

That was because you were in grills. In Sydney we stood for 2 hours to even get inside the terminal -everyone was given the same time (pre COvid). Last year in SF we turned up an hour after our time and even though only a few were boarding  we still waited hours - US customs that time - so sometimes not in the cruise line's control to be fair 

 

I wonder if that time of 11am which you mentioned the other day was an error on Cunard's part. It seems awfully early for anyone, let alone everyone. I've never had a time earlier than 12.30pm and I've been sailing in the Grills. I didn't think they even had the ship ready for embarkation until after 12.

 

My boarding in Melbourne this week was very smooth (12.45pm). Dropped cases at the kerb and walked up to the queue which I was in for about 30 seconds before being called over to be checked in. At lunch within minutes.

 

 

[NSWP]

Been on QM2, great ship, nothing like it.  but overpriced, overrated. Too snobby and too heavy on the dress codes. As for Grills class only for the wealthy.  Give me Princess any time.

 

Standby for incoming from ye olde Cunarders, lol.

[lyndarra]

I wont be cruising on any ship that requires the wearing of jackets at dinner. To me, wearing a jacket is worse than wearing a mask.😱

[lissie]

1 hour ago, NSWP said:

Been on QM2, great ship, nothing like it.  but overpriced, overrated. Too snobby and too heavy on the dress codes. As for Grills class only for the wealthy.  Give me Princess any time.

 

Standby for incoming from ye olde Cunarders, lol.

I don't get the comment about Grills - all cruise lines have different classes of cabins - hows it any different from the suite class on Princess? 

 

The first cruise we did Sydney-PNG return - Princess had a vrey similar cruise - we chose Cunard because of the better dancing -  and it was several $100 cheaper PP . Also although I think their drinks are more expensive - the fact that laundry is free and you can carry on as much booze as you want compensates for that a bit 

[LittleFish1976]

3 hours ago, lyndarra said:

I wont be cruising on any ship that requires the wearing of jackets at dinner. To me, wearing a jacket is worse than wearing a mask.😱

Nightly wearing of jackets to dinner for men went out on Cunard several years ago. They do have Gala evenings/formal nights - just like on other lines i.e. Princess - where men are expected to wear a jacket and a shirt with a collar but you can always eat in a different venue thereby avoiding wearing collar and jacket. Bloke I sat with this evening to do a quiz with was wearing an ordinary polo shirt and some sort of trousers (didn't notice actually), no jacket.

 

[LittleFish1976]

4 hours ago, NSWP said:

Been on QM2, great ship, nothing like it.  but overpriced, overrated. Too snobby and too heavy on the dress codes. As for Grills class only for the wealthy.  Give me Princess any time.

 

Standby for incoming from ye olde Cunarders, lol.

 

QM2 is more expensive than the Vista class Cunard ships, no doubt about it.

 

Cunard is not more expensive than Princess; I set myself a budget and have looked (and booked) with Princess but was surprised how expensive they are. With Cunard I book early to get a better price or book when they are having special promotions so that I get more for my travel dollar. First one I went on though was a New Year sale price for a 4 day cruise that left shortly after booking.

 

I don't know how you'd know who was sailing in Grills unless you asked them? The people I've met in the Grills are from all walks of life - ordinary people like myself who set their travel budget and spend it in the way that makes them happy. They're usually just ordinary people giving themselves a special holiday. I don't have multiple cruises per year; I have one if I'm lucky.

 

I'm glad you've found a cruise line you like - I have too (with free laundries!)

[Aussieflyer]

22 hours ago, getting older slowly said:

You are spot on Julie  the cabin are club class minies  ,, but with tea and coffee machines..

In the Princess Grill you have the same table.. so it is sitting there waiting for you... nice

 

Boarding was a breeze.. so calm and relaxing... ( princess could take note )

 

Cheers Don

Though a disadvantage of the same table is that if the people on adjoining tables are “strange” you are stuck being next to them - a bit like being on a set table. At least dining Princess club the table is often a different one. We were on QE Queens Grill the other week and I felt the food was good but not really much better than I have had on Princess. I actually didn’t like QE much - not a patch on QM2 - and probably wouldn’t book again. 

 

 

 

 

[Mareblu]

Personal experiences will always differ, and contradictory opinions would abound for any cruise line.  We have cruised several times on Seabourn, Silversea, Oceania, Viking, NCL, and once on  Uniworld for a river cruise.  We enjoyed them all, but could certainly list several drawbacks as well as the pluses.  Oceania is still our go-to for cuisine, and Seabourn is probably our favourite overall.  Having said all that, we cruised on Cunard's Queen Elizabeth for the first time recently (3 weeks in January).   

 

We chose Queens Grill, for several reason, the main being that we usually enjoy one cruise per year, and we would rather make that one occasion a special one.  I'm aware that many CCers do several cruises per year, and if we did that, we probably wouldn't be in QG.  You don't have to be wealthy, just a little patient in waiting for cruise time.  We had wonderful company among fellow dinner guests on separate tables nearby, and they were all great fun, with terrific senses of humour.  I noticed some guests at other tables further afield had changed to another, perhaps because they didn't enjoy their surrounding company, but that's only surmising.  I do know that a request for change of table will be accommodated if possible, and you're advised of that choice beforehand by other seasoned Cunarders on CC, although we certainly didn't need to test that advice.   

 

The cuisine was exceptionally good (with the exception of perhaps 2 mains), the restaurant had a great atmosphere, and the various staff were efficient, friendly and attentive without hovering. We actually really enjoyed the Grills Lounge, situated between QG and PG restaurants, where barista coffee and selective teas are provided free, one of the only freebies, I think, for Grills guests.  Great for reading, crosswords time, and just chatting to fellow guests.  Also great for a friendly cocktail or quiet nightcap.  I was horrified at the prices charged in other cafes/lounges for beverages.  I also didn't even consider wifi, because it's ridiculously expensive, and from reports, woefully inadequate.  Cunard (Celebrity) needs to shake itself here...all the other lines I've mentioned provide these items in your fare. 

 

Would we travel with Cunard again?  Yes, we've booked another cruise, because we were granted 50% of the cost of the January cruise towards the next, because of the NZ fiasco. We agreed we would probably choose Cunard again regardless of that incentive.  Princess has never really tempted us, but if we look to cruise more in local waters, we would certainly investigate its offerings. 

 

The only way to compare, for better or worse, is to try each and then compare. 

[OzKiwiJJ]

Thanks for the tip about the Grills Lounge coffee. Hopefully I'll remember it when we try Cunard on a short cruise next year.

 

If you do ever decide to try Princess I recommend going on Coral Princess. Unlike the bigger, newer Royal Class ships she still feels like a cruise ship rather than a floating hotel. The suites and minisuites (except the very last ones) aft on Dolphin deck (9) are the best as they have big fully covered balconies.

[Mareblu]

58 minutes ago, OzKiwiJJ said:

Thanks for the tip about the Grills Lounge coffee. Hopefully I'll remember it when we try Cunard on a short cruise next year.

 

If you do ever decide to try Princess I recommend going on Coral Princess. Unlike the bigger, newer Royal Class ships she still feels like a cruise ship rather than a floating hotel. The suites and minisuites (except the very last ones) aft on Dolphin deck (9) are the best as they have big fully covered balconies.

Thanks, Julie it makes me want to investigate 🙏🏻 

 

I neglected to mention “the dress thing”.  On our first evening, Mario wore a collar, tie and sports jacket.  Very few others were similarly dressed.  On all other evenings (except the 5 Gala Evenings when he wore a dinner jacket and bow tie), he felt comfortable in an open-necked collared shirt, sometimes with a sports jacket, and sometimes with a cashmere jumper.  Many simply wore open collared shirts, no jackets.

[OzKiwiJJ]

1 hour ago, Mareblu said:

Thanks, Julie it makes me want to investigate 🙏🏻 

 

I neglected to mention “the dress thing”.  On our first evening, Mario wore a collar, tie and sports jacket.  Very few others were similarly dressed.  On all other evenings (except the 5 Gala Evenings when he wore a dinner jacket and bow tie), he felt comfortable in an open-necked collared shirt, sometimes with a sports jacket, and sometimes with a cashmere jumper.  Many simply wore open collared shirts, no jackets.

Rolf almost always wears light linen sports jackets onboard in the evenings. He gets random sneezing fits if he gets in a draught or gets a bit cold. The sneezing can go on for five minutes so he prefers to.play it safe and wear a jacket.