Don't get upset but I heard that Cunard has a class system?

[wdrl]

Is it true or something from the past? We have a friend that has been cruising since the 60's and told us never to cruise on Cunard as they still have a class system. Although she cruises nine months a year, she always gets an inside cabin as she feels that she's never in her cabin except to sleep and it's a waste for her to buy anything else. However she was surprised that when traveling on the QE2 she was assigned a different dining room (not just a table) than others in balconys and suites. She met some friends and wanted to join them at their table (she was invited by the friends to fill an empty slot). She was not permited to change dining rooms due to her class. This happened in 1980's (I think).

 

Am I being naive, is there a class system?

 

--Denise

[mufi]

If there is it is just the same as that on an aircraft - if you turn left you pay more and get better seating, meals etc. Folk never seem to comment on this, but frequently seem to in regard to Cunard.

 

It really is nothing to do with "class" but with money, as with most things in life. If I can afford to drive a Bentley (wish wish) and my neighbour only a Ford it doesn't make me higher class than him, just richer.

 

David.

[guernseyguy]

If there is it is just the same as that on an aircraft

 

Oh no - its much more dangerous on Aircraft nowadays - if you try to get into a class above the one you've paid for you may very well be shot! All part of the 'War on Civil Liberties' - or something like that.....The worst that will happen on the QE2 is that someone will politely say that you're welcome in the Caronia Restaurant, or Crystal Bar, but this restaurant/bar is for Grill passengers.....

 

In any case many lines have 'Concierge Clubs' or whatever with exclusive bars for Suite pax or Frequent cruisers....but no one ever seems to get upset about that either....

 

Peter

[guernseyguy]

double post

[Therapst's Lady]

I agree wholeheartedly with mufi. The only things different with Cunard ships are the dining room that you dine in, and perhaps a lounge for the 'Grill' guests' exclusive use.

So, for instance, by booking a suite, you get to dine pretty much when the spirit moves you, and not at the set times that are in place in the main dining room. The same is true for the 'Grill' Lounge. It is available for Grill passengers to have a pre- or after-dinner drink and they can relax in their own lounge. Other than these two venues, the rest of the ship is available for everyone's use.

On some cruise lines, suite passengers receive the perk of being invited to dine with the Captain, or to visit the bridge (while bridge visits are no longer available to the regular cabins' passengers). Other lines have very nice perks for well-traveled passengers such as free laundry/dry cleaning services, free wine-tasting seminars, free internet, etc. So you see, there are always things that separate different groups of passengers--BUT, everyone gets to use the facilities on the ships. Each line just does things a little differently.;)

Hope that helps clarify,

[Bramcruiser]

This thread is about as common as the dreaded "j" word. Short answer is NO!

 

Think of a business or concierge level at a hotel with a few extra perks and that's about it. Sure the Queen's and Princess Grill Restaurants are exclusive to people in those particular accomodations (as are the majority in the others being assigned to the main dining room) but otherwise the entire ship is open to all passengers. The days of cordoned-off first, second and third class levels with no interaction between the different classes are long gone. Those who fret about a "class" system on Cunard are really not in tune with the reality and its sad that they decide its a good enough reason to avoid cruising with Cunard. Not being able to eat in one dining room is not a class system. I haven't yet set foot on a Cunard ship but will be in December and looking most enjoyably to the experience.

 

Will this stupid subject matter ever go away? Probably not.

 

David

[wdrl]

Thank you for your answers. :( Sorry if I offended some of you by asking the stupid question. I haven't been posting that long and it's a question I've always wondered about.

 

Truthfully I'm not sure how I feel about restricted lounges for suite and above passengers but if these perks are for long time past passengers too then that gives the rest of a chance to see the lofty areas of the ship(s).

 

So I guess the answer to my question is yes there is a class system just like on airplanes and better hotels. But feudal lording is not going on.:p

 

--Denise

[patwell]

I have traveled in the days of the very obvious class systems. There is nothing I've read or seen of the QM2 that reminds me of a class system at all. The minor differences that Grill PAX have available does not sound like a class system at all. With a couple of very small exceptions we all use all the same public space on the ship. In the true class system of days gone by, this was not the case at all. One was expected to stay in one's allotted area...period! And those areas were usually quite distinctly different depending on what you had paid. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

 

Cheers, Penny

[stowaway2k]

There are no stupid questions.

The very reason for the existence of this forum is to gain and share information.

Those new to Cunard or to cruisecritic shouldn't have to feel pressured to search through all threads just to see if maybe their question has been asked before.

We are all free to not participate in any particular thread if the topic is not of interest.

 

As for the myth of "classes", one small lounge tucked away for the use of Grill passengers or restaurants divided by category should be a non-issue to those cruising in other categories. On a ship such as QM2, there are more than enough lounges and bars and other venues for equal use by everyone.

 

If passengers booked in Britannia and the Grills should want to dine with one another, there is nothing to prevent them from enjoying a meal together in Todd English or at one of the King's Court venues.

Afterall, is it not each enjoying others' company that is the real concern, and not the location?

 

Or, is it that this is simply another excuse for a whiner to have something to whine about?

 

Letting something like this prevent someone from sailing with Cunard...now that's stupid.

[pepperrn]

wdrl wrote

 

"I'm not sure how I feel about restricted lounges for suite and above passengers. I guess the answer to my question is yes there is a class system just like on airplanes and better hotels."

 

This seems to be a subject that comes up again and again. No one ever has a go at airlines for offering (sometimes four) classes on 'planes, they just get on board and accept that they got what they paid for. If she travelled TA in the early 80's then it's true that THEN, QE2 was operated as a 2 class liner. NOT any more. Times have changed.

 

I recently returned from a crossing on QM2, this is what I said on this subject

 

"Before sailing I had been concerned that the Cunard “Class” system (Queens Grill, Princess Grill, Britannia Restaurant) on QM2 would make itself obvious. How wrong I was. As a “Britannia” passenger there are only two small restaurants and a bar, a travel/tour booking office and a tiny deck area that you can’t use. Other than that you have the complete run of this huge ship. At no time, as you walked about, could you tell in which type of cabin grade your fellow passengers were travelling. OK, on deck 7, “D” staircase foyer, there were discrete signs “Queens/Princess Grill guests only” outside their restaurants and bar. And as I descended outside from deck 12 to deck 8 (towards the stern) I passed through the tiny area of the “Queens Grill Guests Only” deck 11 and noticed the rolled towels on the deck chairs emblazoned “CUNARD”, whereas the ones on the other decks were plain. But it would be very easy for passengers to miss these remnants of a bygone era. The days when huge parts of a liner were “off limits” are gone. Everywhere I went I was treated by all the staff as if I was the most important person aboard. All the crew were supremely professional, courteous and polite."

 

Many passengers report back that there were large parts of QM2 that they didn't get the time to see. Many would be completely unaware that these 4 small rooms and a bit of deck even exist.

 

Grill pasengers go to the same theatre and see the same shows as me. They use the same library. The same gym, the same spa. With 1 exception, they use the same bars. They use the same casino, the same pools. They go to the same lectures and watch the same sunset.

 

Like many who've not been on her, I was worried before my voyage, having actually travelled on QM2, I can say that I was wrong to be concerned. A "class system?" A load of ........ .

[bobby1119]

But feudal lording is not going on.:p

 

--Denise

But feudal wars and skirmishes do go on in the QE2's self-service laundry...at least so I hear from the walking-wounded who live to tell about it...

[stowaway2k]

But feudal wars and skirmishes do go on in the QE2's self-service laundry...at least so I hear from the walking-wounded who live to tell about it...

 

Amazing, but true! :eek:

[durangoscots]

I remember the old "class system" on the original Queen Mary .... and I also remember the 1st class passengers sneaking down to tourist class for the parties because they said they were alot more fun than what was going on "upstairs".

 

Susan

[patwell]

I remember the old "class system" on the original Queen Mary .... and I also remember the 1st class passengers sneaking down to tourist class for the parties because they said they were alot more fun than what was going on "upstairs". Susan

 

As do I Susan. On my childhood crossings on the Norwegian ships it wasn't uncommon to see 1st class passengers "down below". When I was 9 I had a playmate from 1st class...her steward introduced her to me since he felt so sorry for her being the only child in 1st class that voyage. She spent all her time in Cabin Class with me and then we'd sneak down to Tourist to play with the kids there. We even arranged for her to have dinner with me sometimes because she didn't enjoy the stuffy atmosphere in 1st Class. Interestingly I never got invited "up there" to eat!! ;)

 

Cheers, Penny

[Kindlychap]

Of course there are two classes in Cunard.

 

Queen Elizabeth 2 and second class.

 

Third class joins in about 13 months!

[bobby1119]

Of course there are two classes in Cunard.

 

Queen Elizabeth 2 and second class.

 

Third class joins in about 13 months!

"Hear! Hear!"

 

But the Victorians (I'm coining the term officially) will have the better view when we cross in tandem... first shot across the bow!

[pepperrn]

duplicate post, sorry.

[JDRMYS]

Peppern,

 

Having crossed the Atlantic on the QE2 in the 70's a number of times, I can attest to the fact that she has always been run as she is now. There were 2 nominal classes (1st and tourist) but the only differences were dining room assignments and the private deck set aside for first class. Tourist class passengers ate in the Brittania dining room. Originally all first class passengers were assigned to what was then called the Columbia dining room but could pay extra to eat in the Grill Room. Later, the Queen's Grill was built and those first class passengers in the highest cabin and suite categories were assigned tables there and had access to the Queen's Grill lounge. The Grill Room was later resurected as the Princess Grill to accomodate first class passengers in middle level first class cabins.

 

Unlike all previous transatlantic liners, there were never any locked doors between first and tourist class spaces. The ship had been designed for locked doors and class barriers but they were never put to use.

[OceanLiner]

Of course there are two classes in Cunard.

 

Queen Elizabeth 2 and second class.

 

Third class joins in about 13 months!

 

This might just be the best post on the subject. Thanks for a well placed shot across the bow!:D

[wdrl]

No one ever has a go at airlines for offering (sometimes four) classes on 'planes, they just get on board and accept that they got what they paid for. Really? I thought people complain about everything;) .

 

Everywhere I went I was treated by all the staff as if I was the most important person aboard. All the crew were supremely professional, courteous and polite." The above statement is the most encouraging and in my opinion most important reply to my query.

 

Thanks to everyone for your detailed and sometimes funny replies. We'll check out Cunard. We've been getting Cunard's brochures in the mail since our first cruise on the Royal Viking Sky and now we'll have to check out prices too.

 

--Denise

[Bramcruiser]

By the way, Denise, don't feel bad for asking. Sure I sometimes get my back up against the wall when I hear the same old comments but your question is certainly understandable and it just goes to show just how little people really understand the whole Cunard concept. Bottom line, is that maybe Cunard tries to sell itself too hard as a luxury product and is just as guilty in keeping that public persona going? I had to admit I had to do my own research of the brochures and internet to give myself an idea of what it was all about before I made my first booking but I made it with lots of anticipation instead of a dread. I'll be the first to admit Cunard is NOT the line for those who frequent and love the lifestyles of NCL, Carnival or Royal Carribbean. They are good products in their own rights but in the end are very different products.

 

David

[Kindlychap]

But the Victorians (I'm coining the term officially) will have the better view when we cross in tandem... first shot across the bow!

 

Quite. But we'll have the first laugh in any rough weather!

[KenC]

Of course there are two classes in Cunard.

 

Queen Elizabeth 2 and second class.

 

Third class joins in about 13 months!

 

Kindlychap

 

That might have had some conviction if you had ever ventured from Signal Deck and sailed M class!!!

[cruiseluvva]

Bottom line, is that maybe Cunard tries to sell itself too hard as a luxury product and is just as guilty in keeping that public persona going? They are good products in their own rights but in the end are very different products.

 

David

Having just returned from QE2 weekender, I can confirm that she is far from a luxuy ship! Our C2 cabin was downright dreadful, in extremely poor repair, and the bathroom verging on grubby. Thankfully the bed was good. The public areas were a little better, but still terribly tired and in desperate need of refurbishment.

 

We are glad we tried the QE2 but wouldn't return. Is the QM2 any better?

[Coolgran]

Having just returned from QE2 weekender, I can confirm that she is far from a luxuy ship! Our C2 cabin was downright dreadful, in extremely poor repair, and the bathroom verging on grubby. Thankfully the bed was good. The public areas were a little better, but still terribly tired and in desperate need of refurbishment.

 

We are glad we tried the QE2 but wouldn't return. Is the QM2 any better?

 

We were on QE2 in October and will agree she is a little 'DATED' which is why we love her so much, we were in M grade and would NOT agree that she is dirty and in poor repair. Of course the QM2 will look 'Better' it is like comparing the skin of a sixteen year old with an eighty year old. If your cabin was dirty you should have reported to your deck superintendant.