Wondering about sailing on QE and hope to get help with several queries

Hello: We have only done one Cunard cruise a few years ago on QM2 and are considering a cruise on the QE. This has given rise to several questions that we hope fellow CC posters can help us with.

1. QE to QM2 comparisons: We are wondering how the ships compare and would appreciate any insights from others who have sailed on both.

2. QE to HAL comparisons: While we have sailed on a number of lines, most of our cruises have been on Holland America (HAL). For those who have sailed on both Cunard and HAL, how do they compare? I realize that everyone's experiences are very different and we each value different things, but your sense of how they compare on food, entertainment, comfort onboard, amenities, etc. are most welcome. (BTW: we sail in unobstructed balcony staterooms whenever we sail so won't be in the Grills).

3. Dancing on the QE: We love to ballroom dance and, in truth, we were disappointed on the QM2. The dance floor was wonderful but the band wasn't (often off-key and often playing odd tempi for dancing). We realize we may have lucked out (in a bad way) with a group that hadn't "jelled" yet so this may not be the norm. For dancers who have been on the QE recently, what are your observations on the music and dance floor (size? how crowded?). Another disappointment on the QM2 were the number of times that the dance area was used for private functions - we just didn't get in as much dancing as we expected. Is that still the case and is it something you've experienced on the QE? Or, is it reasonable to expect that we'll get a few hours of open dance time per day.

4. Drinks packages: I'm not having much success on the Cunard site finding info on drinks packages (but that may be operator error more than anything else). Is there a drinks pkg on the QE and, if so, can you please share the highlights (cost, what it covers, etc.) or direct me to where I can get info on it?

We are looking at a 2017 QE sailing that goes from the UK to the Canary Islands return. It looks like a very interesting itinerary and the one thing we know for sure is that Cunard has a level of elegance that isn't on other lines. We love formal nights and dressing for informal nights as well so Cunard is tempting. Your help with these questions will be greatly appreciated (there is a HAL sailing which has also caught our interest so we are trying to decide between them).

Many thanks in advance for sharing your insights!

We prefer QE, although QM2 is a magnificent vessel. We haven't sailed on her since her recent refit though.

Our friends are keen ballroom dancers who love QE and QV. I am sure you would like it on either.

The Canary Islands from Southampton involves a passage through the Bay of Biscay, not known for its calm waters.......

Don't think Cunard do drinks packages.

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My personal opinion is that QE is easier to get about. More typical cruise ship layout. QE has a wonderful theatre but no cinema. QM2 has a theatre and cinema but they are not as good. QM2 has much higher ceiling height in many of the public rooms which really adds to the grandeur and feeling of spaciousness. Cabins are very much the same but Princess Grill cabins are better on QM2. Service and food is good and very much the same on both ships. Alcoholic drinks package is something Cunard do not really do. There are packages on soft drinks and wines and occasionally a drinks promotions for the Grills. Sorry I know nothing about dancing or the other matters.

Best wishes, Stephen.

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pepperrn, a forum member on here has some marvellous pictures posted to Flickr of all the Cunard Ships. Presently I believe they have not been updated with the remastered QM2 decor.

QM2 was built as an Ocean Going Liner whereas QE and QV are standard Vista Class Cruise Ships as used by HAL and P&O, Costa etc. built by Fincantieri Marghera shipyard, in Italy They Act Quite differently in Heavy seas to that of an Ocean going Liner !

see

https://www.flickr.com/photos/pepperrn/sets/

and after being remastered here

https://cruisecritique.net/2016/07/19/queen-mary-2-remastered-and-revisited/

Cunard only offer a Coffee package, Wine package or a Soft Drink package, although they are presently offering free drinks to 'Grills' bookings.

see

https://ask.cunard.com/help/life-on-board/drinks_package

and Prices

see

https://ask.cunard.com/help/life-on-board/drink_cost

Dress Code see

https://ask.cunard.com/help/life-on-board/dress_code

Just off QE after the Canaries Cruise.

I have no QE comparison with QM2, which we've always viewed as just too big for us. I can't get too excited about all that "ocean going liner" stuff, but my personal experience when the vessels have been on similar routes is that the QE/QV captains will route around the worst of the weather whereas QM2 pax can get the best of the fairground adventure as they plough straight through it. Being in a mere Vista class ship isn't without it's advantages.

Our impression of QE was that little had changed post-refit, other than the TVs in the staterooms and a significant improvement to the shops, if that sort of thing appeals.

I can thoroughly recommend the Canaries/Madiera/Lisbon itinerary which is a good mix of intensive port days and sea days where you can just kick back.

Things did briefly get a little lively across the Bay of Biscay on the way down and very, very lively on the way back at force 7/8 but the captain increased speed and diverted course to get us in front of the worst of it. We were in sight of UK land a day before we were due back in Southampton and the news was that the extra fuel cost £85k. You're going to have the same risk with any itinerary which involves a visit to the Med so the only way to avoid it from the UK is to do Norway or Iceland...... where things can be lively too. If challenging seas is a problem, just book a cabin mid-ships, QE rides fairly well and it's just the pointy and the flat ends that pitch and yaw a little.

No drinks packages, other than in suites where inexpensive booze looks like it's going to be included. You do have the option to buy a wine package at a modest discount but there's nothing for beer, spirits, etc.

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If I had to pick one ship as my favourite, it would be QE, although Queen Victoria and Costa Deliziosa and Luminosa are close (all Vista class derivatives). I don't like QM2, a major reason being the Queens Room conflicts. If QM2 is making money, why aren't others building one, whereas Fincantieri is pushing out a stream of Vistas. Stability is a factor on the Bay of Biscay, not in calm water.

I only travel on HAL with dance groups and only if I trust the organiser. Even then, on one TA, I was so bored I nearly jumped ship in Funchal. Cunard people are wild and crazy party animals compared to HAL. My travel agent was on Eurodam after drydock, he won't be booking any more dance groups.

My own experience with the QR Orchestras was mediocre tending towards abysmal, (with the resulting decease in competent dance partners), which is why I switched to Costa several years ago. I've been hearing good things lately, I'm giving Cunard another chance on the Jan 07 QE sailing. The pricing games Cunard has been playing have been posted on other threads.

There are some long threads about ballroom dancing and music in this forum; just do a search on keywords like: "ballroom dancing", and on posters like "slow foxtrot", "dancer bob", "fantasy 51", and my "tangoll". Those threads should pop up and you can take a look.

As to comments to your specific query, I had been on all 3 Queens this past year -- QM2, QE, and QV. The Queens Room orchestras on all 3 ships are quite similar and play similar types of music -- a lot of quicksteps, and a smattering of slow waltzes, foxtrots, cha chas, rumbas, tangos, and a few sambas, swing, jives, and Viennese Waltzes. A lot of titles that I've never heard before. Daily you might get about 2 hours of orchestra music, and about 2 hours of DJ selected CD music. The DJ music are similar on all 3 ships, though I think the QM2 DJ is a bit better in his selection.

The big difference is in the male vocalist. Damian on QM2 is quite good in singing tunes suitable for ballroom dance, Michel on QE is OK, but if you note the vocalist Paul Christopher, who had been on QV, avoid if possible. Paul Christopher's singing is suitable for lounges, but the guy's singing is not suitable for ballroom dancing. He himself admits he cannot dance, he has no sense of the beat or rhythm of the music for dancing, his feet are glued to the floor, and his body is stiff as a board, as he is unable to move his feet or parts of his body to the music. How he continues to hold on to a singing contract being the main vocalist for the Queens Room is beyond me.

Each ship also has a Caribbean type band and sometimes they take over an evening in the Queens Room. If you ask them to play a waltz, they might say "What's that? Is that like a salsa or a merengue?" If the band has been on awhile, then someone may have clued them into what is a waltz.

The remastered QM2 is a beautiful and grand ship, with real teakwood decking on the outside decks, whereas the other two Queens have plastic decking painted to look like teakwood. Go for the QM2.

I have cruised on HAL and Cunard and find them more alike than different. A few of the major differences I found are...

... Dress code. HAL has gone to "Gala Nights" rather than formal and you can wear almost anything.

... Dance floor. You could probably fit 5-6 HAL dance floors into QE's Queens Room.

... Afternoon tea. Cunard's is miles ahead of HAL's.

... Lido buffet. The hours are much longer on Cunard.

... Food. Although I found the food good on both, Cunard caters more to British tastes while HAL caters more to North American (not sure if this is true for European HAL sailings).

The entertainment is pretty much the same. In fact, I have seen some of the same entertainers on both lines.

The layout of QE and the Vista and Signature class HAL ships are quite similar (Queens Room on QE being a major exception). A balcony stateroom on QE and Nieuw Amsterdam were almost the same.

I would think that if you like HAL and don't mind getting dressed up for dinner, you will like Cunard.

I wrote a detailed comparison of the two last year after my first HAL cruise, if you are interested.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=46877975&postcount=1

The differences between the QM2 and the QE have been well-covered. There are several aspects of the QE and QV which are, to many of us, better than the QM2 - but certainly not all. Should you get an upgrade to the Grills I think you will find the arrangements of the restaurant, lounge and generous deck space on the QE to be better than on the QM2. As has been mentioned, the Princess Grill staterooms on the QM2 are better than those on the smaller Queens which are just longer versions of a typical cabin with a tiny balcony.

The QM2 is by all accounts the most stable passenger ship should you encounter some rough seas. We have experienced some "bumpy" seas on well-known liners (QE2, Canberra, France, Rotterdam, etc.) and none has handled it as well as the QM2.

Regarding comparisons with HAL and Cunard, I would travel on the former only if Cunard did not provide a trip that I was interested in. Last year we had our first HAL cruise in many years - to Alaska on the Noordam. The formal nights had not yet been changed to gala nights, but the adherence to the dress code was a let-down. On one formal night two young men wearing T-shirts and baseball caps were admitted to the dining room. Many other gents were wearing neither jacket nor tie, although the majority were wearing a jacket and tie. Men wearing tuxedos were much in the minority but I was not the only one wearing one.

Getting a decent cup of tea was near impossible and the afternoon teas were laughable (imagine a scone the diameter of a Canadian two-dollar coin). Although service provided by our stateroom stewards and restaurant staff at our assigned second-sitting dinner was excellent, there were many examples of friendly but inefficient service. The food was a disappointment. Breakfasts were very good and dinner was sometimes good, but lunches were of poor equality. (We rarely eat in a buffet at sea and did not try the lido at all on this voyage.) The dining room was closed whilst in port, although it was open for lunch on embarkation day which was a nice touch despite the food quality. HAL seems to not know what a rack of lamb is: two scrawny grey lamb chops did not live up to what was promised on a formal-night menu.

Whereas Cunard provides a full range of entertainment to suit all tastes, unless one is a fan of over-amplified "pop-type" music or blues there isn't much on a short HAL cruise. We did enjoy the piano-violin duet every day, but that was it. After the first few days of this cruise I was wishing that Cunard did Alaska cruises:).

Many thanks for sharing these rich insights - very helpful information! We have much to think about...

When I've been on QE, the buffet has closed around 4 AM for cleaning, it's still been busy at 1 and 2 AM. I recall on HAL that the pasta bar was kept open til 11.30 PM for staff meals, but I was the only passenger I ever saw after 11 PM. My observation of the dress code agrees with david. The last music sets, the old geezers had all gone to bed, so the musicians just packed up their equipment and sat around. I'm only 67, I hope I've got at least 30 years to go before I fit in on HAL, whereas I feel right at home on Cunard.

The differences between the QM2 and the QE have been well-covered. There are several aspects of the QE and QV which are, to many of us, better than the QM2 - but certainly not all. Should you get an upgrade to the Grills I think you will find the arrangements of the restaurant, lounge and generous deck space on the QE to be better than on the QM2. As has been mentioned, the Princess Grill staterooms on the QM2 are better than those on the smaller Queens which are just longer versions of a typical cabin with a tiny balcony.

 

The QM2 is by all accounts the most stable passenger ship should you encounter some rough seas. We have experienced some "bumpy" seas on well-known liners (QE2, Canberra, France, Rotterdam, etc.) and none has handled it as well as the QM2.

 

Regarding comparisons with HAL and Cunard, I would travel on the former only if Cunard did not provide a trip that I was interested in. Last year we had our first HAL cruise in many years - to Alaska on the Noordam. The formal nights had not yet been changed to gala nights, but the adherence to the dress code was a let-down. On one formal night two young men wearing T-shirts and baseball caps were admitted to the dining room. Many other gents were wearing neither jacket nor tie, although the majority were wearing a jacket and tie. Men wearing tuxedos were much in the minority but I was not the only one wearing one.

 

Getting a decent cup of tea was near impossible and the afternoon teas were laughable (imagine a scone the diameter of a Canadian two-dollar coin). Although service provided by our stateroom stewards and restaurant staff at our assigned second-sitting dinner was excellent, there were many examples of friendly but inefficient service. The food was a disappointment. Breakfasts were very good and dinner was sometimes good, but lunches were of poor equality. (We rarely eat in a buffet at sea and did not try the lido at all on this voyage.) The dining room was closed whilst in port, although it was open for lunch on embarkation day which was a nice touch despite the food quality. HAL seems to not know what a rack of lamb is: two scrawny grey lamb chops did not live up to what was promised on a formal-night menu.

 

Whereas Cunard provides a full range of entertainment to suit all tastes, unless one is a fan of over-amplified "pop-type" music or blues there isn't much on a short HAL cruise. We did enjoy the piano-violin duet every day, but that was it. After the first few days of this cruise I was wishing that Cunard did Alaska cruises:).

Cunard recently sent me a questionnaire about putting one of their ships in Alaska for a couple of months.

They also asked about going from Japan to Vancouver. So I would think it would be QV at the end of her world cruise before going to the Med for the summer.

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Cunard recently sent me a questionnaire about putting one of their ships in Alaska for a couple of months.

 

They also asked about going from Japan to Vancouver. So I would think it would be QV at the end of her world cruise before going to the Med for the summer.

An Alaska cruise on a Cunard ship would be great. I haven't time right now to research the details, but the Cunard Countess and/or Cunard Princess operated Alaska cruises many years ago, but those ships never appealed to me.

Approximately a year and a half ago Cunard sent me a questionnaire in which one of the questions asked if I would be interested in an Atlantic crossing to or from Québec City. Unfortunately nothing came of that - perhaps after 2018 that may happen.

We have booked a Québec to Southampton voyage next year, but it is two back-to-back voyages: a one-way cruise to New York followed by a crossing. It can, of course, be done in the opposite direction.

I did a couple on the Sagafjord when she was under the Cunard flag.

The cruises went from Anchorage to Vancouver and I loved every minute of them.

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We did a cruise on HAL in 2015 and were very disappointed at the lack of dance space and music. Lots of blues/jazz music - not good for us. Great piano bar but couldn't dance there. Quite a casual dress code. PAX only really dress up for formal nights and other times it was anything goes. We are in our early 60's and were surprised at how quiet the ship was a night.

We booked QE earlier this year as we wanted to experience the dancing. We are only just social ballroom dancers - but we love it. Well, we loved the ship.

There were times that the dance floor was quite crowded but we still managed to get in a good couple of hours each night.

I had quite a few dances with the male hosts also and that was fun. Everyone dresses up so nicely - it felt really special getting dressed to go to dinner and having a dance both before and afterwards. We often ended up in the disco for a while before a hot chocolate and bed. We loved it so much that we have booked on the QM2 in March 17.

We may not be able to do Cunard every time but I can tell you we wont be going HAL again.

I'm sure you will enjoy it - let us know.