Queen Victoria

Hi,

I was wondering if somebody can provide me with some information about the Queen Grills penthouse cabins (Q4 - deck 7) on Queen Victoria. This will be my second cruise with Cunard, my first was on Queen Elizabeth in December 2015, in a Britannia Club balcony cabin, which I fully enjoyed.

I have heard the Queens Grill passengers have their own check-in desk. We have booked to travel by coach (Intercruises). When we arrive at Southampton, do I need to notify anybody that I'm in a Queens Grill cabin or do I need to join the normal queue?

Does anybody know what kind of drinks are offered free in the cabin and also is it true that they replace what you've had? Is water included?

Also it states in the brochure the Butler brings canapés every day, do they?

Ant advice about Queens Grill would be greatly appreciated. I have done many cruises in the past but never in a suite like this and it's very exciting. I'm just trying to get my head around things.

Many thanks

Jen

When you arrive, there will be staff there to direct you, just let them know you are in the Grills.

I know you get private decks on QV and QE that can only be accessed from B stairway using your room key card in the lift.

QG on Victoria is a spectacular experience, particularly in warm weather when the Grills terrace and al fresco dining area can be fully enjoyed. The only slight downside for us was the Grills Lounge which, compared to QM2, is a bit tight and can get busy at times - like pm tea! No piano either, but still a lovely room

The privacy & intimate nature of the dining and deck spaces are brilliant on both QV & QE. The QG menu, options, service and freedom to dine when you like elevate the whole experience.

The suites are comfortable and spacious, bathrooms are very well equipped. The balconies are also large and ideal for breakfast, pre or post dinner drinks and generally lounging about. Service levels are very good, we appreciated the canapés but used the butler sparingly tbh. You get a choice of 2 bottles of wine/spirits, which get replenished, in your mini bar. The butler will bring anything you want - tea/coffee/fruit etc - as & when you ask. Breakfast or dinner in the suite is well worth doing, proper silver service & course by course evening dining - b'fast on the balcony is a must IMO.

Can't say much about the Q4 details, we have only used Q5 on deck 8 (twice!). Victoria is our favourite Cunard ship. You will have a fantastic time.

Depending on the terminal, there will be a sign pointing you at the Grills check in. It there's someone there manning the queue be sure to look them in the eye and say you want the Grills, otherwise they have a tendency to point you into the main part of the concourse.

The butler will bring canapes, but they aren't anything terribly exciting and don't be surprised if they sneak in like a ninja and leave them while you are on the balcony. But if you want anything different just ask. Some people have a penchant for caviar. Give them a little latitude on the first day because it's a busy time and they have lots of people to introduce themselves to but after that, ask for anything and it's yours.

The Q4 cabins are fine, plenty of room and (unless you are late booking) you'll have one reasonably close to mid-ships and the elevators. Don't be surprised if your key card seems not to work in the slot to get you to the upper two decks, it takes a certain, un-hurried technique and you'll have just about mastered it by the end of the voyage.

The food is good and if there's something off menu you hanker for then again, just ask.

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I think I might have a tip regarding the key card for Grills access. We were at the aft and so didn't use the mid-ships lifts that much, we'd just walk up the stairs from 6 to 9 wander through the buffet then up the stairs at the other end - good exercise, but we did find the key card very frustrating until I realised that it is operated just like the room access (this did take me till literally the last couple of days - duh!) slide in, hear click, see green light, slide out. Simples. We tried all sorts of things before finally working it out - bit embarrassing really.

Anyway, hopefully this will save you some minor frustrations as if you're deck 7 near the lifts then you will probably use them more than we did simply out of convenience.

One other tip, as Chunky2219 says, the canapés are not spectacular, but we very much enjoyed the hot canapés served in the grills lounge and asked our butler (Romil - lovely man) if we may have those served occasionally. He duly brought us hot beef and chicken skewers, prawn tempura and spring rolls as and when requested.

The service in Grills on Cunard is pretty faultless, you will have a great time.

Oh, and if you like Italian food ask Sandro (Maitre'd in QG restaurant) to make you his special spaghetti and veal........mmmmmmmmm, absolutely delicious!! Tell him Mrs Bucciero recommended it and send him our best wishes. [emoji4]

To answer one of your questions, water is provided in litre bottles. Glass. Cunard own brand, whatever that is. We usually have two on the counter and they're replenished as frequently as required.

The food is good and if there's something off menu you hanker for then again, just ask.

 

 

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Oh, and if you like Italian food ask Sandro (Maitre'd in QG restaurant) to make you his special spaghetti and veal........mmmmmmmmm, absolutely delicious!! Tell him Mrs Bucciero recommended it and send him our best wishes. [emoji4]

Our first time on Cunard.:):)

Chunky2219, can you get the Asian food in the QG?

Ehg, when I order the spaghetti and veal from Sandro, I will drop your name.:D

I hope Sandro is still there in October.

Cheers!

Our first time on Cunard.:):)

 

Chunky2219, can you get the Asian food in the QG?

 

Ehg, when I order the spaghetti and veal from Sandro, I will drop your name.:D

 

I hope Sandro is still there in October.

 

Cheers!

You can get anything, providing you give them notice.

We were on board in November. One of our favourites is Peking Duck, but they need three days notice.

Your head waiter will have his own specialities, so ask what they are.

Watch out for Sandro's Italian meal. He put a dinner on for us a couple of years ago. It was massive, and a struggle to get through! (four courses)

Sometimes it can be a bit frustrating if you've ordered a couple of days in advance when you then find out that your favourites are on the menu on the same night!

You will really enjoy it, and probably come back for more quite soon after.

Stewart

We just got off of QV in Port Canaveral. A few thoughts to try to answer some of your questions.

When you present you ticket at check in, the staff should direct you to a special check in line. No fuss. They take your information, make your key card and send you on your way. It really couldn't be easier. Do plan to arrive a little early. Lunch in the QG on departure day is such a special experience. So much excitement. In our case, they had placed us at a table that was very close to the service station. It was going to be noisy and was going to be a problem. After lunch, before we left the dining room, we stopped at the desk and nicely requested the maître d try to find us another table. They had rectified the problem when we came to dinner that night. No problems.

Your butler will introduce themselves to you. Your cabin steward will also be introduced. The butler will show you around, give you a document to fill out that will state your alcohol preferences. We didn't want any of the bottles, but we did note on the form that we wanted a lot of bottled water and fruit in the fruit bowl. Just because I wanted to know the status of the caviar service, I wrote in the margins of the form that we wouldn't need canapés each night, but we would like a bowl of nuts and some crisps (potato chips). On another line I requested that the butler surprise us one night with a caviar plate sometime during the cruise. I tend to make such a pig of myself at tea, I don't need any canapés.

Each night your butler will leave menus for the next day and a door hanger that can be filled out for breakfast in your cabin the next morning, if desired. He replenished our water, towels, fruit and sodas. They do bed turn down and straighten up the towels while you are at dinner.

The only odd errand that we requested of our butler was to take a bottle of wine we had brought on board to the QG wine steward. It was waiting for us at our table ready to be served that evening.

If you have any tour needs or billing reconciliation go to the concierge in the Grills Lounge for their help. Right after our first lunch on boarding day I went straight up to the concierge and requested we be placed on the ships tour. She hadn't even started the list. Thanks to the folks at CC, I knew to do this. Sure enough, she made sure we had a place. That is strictly a first come first served event. It does cost money, but we thought it was worth the money. She also has the DVD locker. If you want a movie, there is a list in your cabin. Just ask the concierge for the title of your choice. The concierge will also handle your final billing and disembarkation details.

You can access the QG and PG dining rooms from the "B" staircase if you don't want to use the elevator. We always use the stairs for the extra exercise and to avoid anyone with a cold.

We were not on a segment where there was much use of the grills deck or outdoor dining. I think it would be very nice when used. Too bad they took out the Grills hot tub. We missed using that.

You are going to have a great time. The staff is excellent. We had a very rough crossing. Everyone was very concerned that I was okay. I'm not a good sailor, but I did manage to lose some weight. No many can say that about their trip.

It's a happy ship. Such nice people. I hope this helps.

Do plan to arrive a little early. Lunch in the QG on departure day is such a special experience. So much excitement. In our case, they had placed us at a table that was very close to the service station. It was going to be noisy and was going to be a problem. After lunch, before we left the dining room, we stopped at the desk and nicely requested the maître d try to find us another table. They had rectified the problem when we came to dinner that night. No problems.

 

If you have any tour needs or billing reconciliation go to the concierge in the Grills Lounge for their help. Right after our first lunch on boarding day I went straight up to the concierge and requested we be placed on the ships tour. She hadn't even started the list. Thanks to the folks at CC, I knew to do this. Sure enough, she made sure we had a place. That is strictly a first come first served event. It does cost money, but we thought it was worth the money.

 

The concierge will also handle your final billing and disembarkation details.

 

You are going to have a great time. The staff is excellent.

 

It's a happy ship. Such nice people. I hope this helps.

orvil ... Thank you so much for all of your good information!:)

We will arrive early and head to the QG. Do you know when they stop lunch service? What a nice hint, to assure your table location?

We hope we can get onto the ship's tour as well.

It sounds as if we are very lucky that our first Cunard cruise will be on board the Queen Victoria. So nice she fit our plans so perfectly!:):)

Cheers!

I think luncheon stops at 2:00 or 2:30. But, don't hold me to that. We boarded at 12:30 and were at lunch by 1:00.

While I'm thinking about it, Cunard is great about allowing you to bring aboard wine and your desired sodas. I drink Coca-colas and not Pepsi. So, I import my cokes to my cabin. And, we brought aboard four excellent bottles of wine of our choice.

The wine steward, Dejan, was most gracious about preparing and serving our wines. There is a $20.00 corkage fee for each bottle. We would drink a half bottle each evening and save the rest for the next night. Because we didn't dine in QG every night due to my multiple bouts of sea sickness, we ended up taking two bottles home. I liked the arrangement, because I could select the wines that I preferred.

Funny story. One day at lunch I got it into my head to ask Dejan to get me a Coke from the bar. They serve them in bottles. There is an additional charge for them. He is responsible for all of the bar drinks that are served in the dining room.

I told him not to bother with a glass or ice. I would take the Coke in the cold bottle, straight up. He sort of wryly raised his eyebrow and set off to fulfill my request. A few minutes later he appears with my request on a silver tray. He ceremoniously opened the bottle and presented it to me. He asked a second time if I wanted a glass of ice. I replied that he had served it just as I had requested.

A few moments, less than maybe 10 seconds, Fernando, one of the head waiters appeared. He was a most proper gentleman. He had a slightly horrified look. He asked me if this is what I wanted. I hastened to assure him that it was fully compliant with my instructions. I told him that I was from Atlanta, Georgia the birthplace of Coca-Cola. He is from Columbia. I asked him didn't they drink it this way in Columbia. He laughed and admitted yes that's how Columbians drank it, too. And, it was how he preferred to drink it. We laughed about it. Poor Dejan was from Eastern Europe and completely perplexed by our coming to a mutual agreement that this was a proper way to serve a Coke. Not much passes the always professional Fernando's watchful gaze.