richard_london

It is open into the atrium so you can see and hear everything going on there. The library is more traditional and quieter if that is what you are after. There is a great model of the QA in the drawing room and make sure you have a look at the chess sets by the games room opposite. The pieces are all Cunard/QA themed.

I had a very nice lunch in Sir Samuel's but I was a little bit surprised about the number of menu items with an additional charge when there was already a cover charge. The crab cakes appetiser was one I remember. Can't recall the others. I can understand for the wagyu beef but crab cakes? This is a change compared to the menu previously shared on the forum which showed no supplement. it was a good meal but the menu seemed smaller than when we dined in the QV's Verandah last year. I would still recommended it and it is in a better location (i.e. for the views of the sea)

I asked five I think on the first day and all but one were QM2. The other who looked after my room wàs new to Cunard but had worked for NYK on the Asuka. I think my strike rate of finding QM2 was just chance. On the first night for dinner some in the restaurant couldn't even find the tables easily so I did feel for them. They should have been better prepared, it wasn't their fault but Cunard's.

Pleased the situation has been resolved. I know a couple on a Cunard cruise I was on and they were doing back to back cruises, and for the second cruise they were bumped down from their balcony to an ocean view down on 1 deck (this was on the QE) because Cunard had a big (as in number of people) travel agency booking joining the ship. They were as livid, as I'm sure you were. So I don't think you are an isolated incident.

Was looking at future cruises and surprised by the availability for the QA as my next is not until nextt year in Grills. Did a quick check, found of the 70 sold out cruises listed on the Cunard website only 4 QA voyages are sold out. I thought a new ship would be sold out or is it the itineraries are the "usual" European cruises and just less popular?

Yes it is a bit complicated but seems you have to go to the C stairway and up to where Sir Samuels and Aji Wa are. Out through the doors to the outside terrace and immediately turn to your side and there is a companionway along the side of the ship. Sorry, not explaining it very well. But, yes to your question.

Brilliant! Thanks for your help. Much appreciated.

Ah! Thank you. I thought it odd that there seemed so little deck space. Thanks for clarifying. I thought it was odd because I couldn't find anywhere to sit out in the sun and thought I must be missing something. Your help is much appreciated!

So you have to go down to deck 10 and then back up to get to that deck?

Is the rear of deck 11 not also grills I just got to where the wellness studio ia and there is a gate. I thought it was all Grills only from there?

Food has been good so far. Service has improved since day one as per other comments, but then this is the first trip with passengers so I was expecting more hiccups than there have been. Of the staff i've spoken with quite a few have come over from the QM2 so there may be some familiar faces for some. But given that they are getting used to a new ship I think the service is fine. By the time of your cruise everything will be fine.

I meant standing under it and looking up at it, where the name Queen Anne is in big letters. Like you can do on deck 12 on the QM2 or Grills terrace on QV.

It isn't dreadful. It is just not for me. I've heard good and bad onboard and will expect to see the same on here. The postives are the bathrooms and nice and modern and finally have glass screens instead of shower curtains. They feel more up to date. The tech in the room is also good. You have USB A and C sockets on both side of the bed and each has a US plug and one has a UK. The desk has both USBs too. The television links to your account so you can see that on the screen and there is a lot more content, quite an extensive library of films and television. Balcony is a decent depth so you can sit and face outwards to sea and not have to sit sideways. The buffet, pretty much everything is behind glass screens and you get served so seems much better and tidier.

Where to begin? Well I had read the posts prior to the QA entering service about the promenade but I thought, it can't be that bad, surely? Well those criticisms were just. It is narrow, makes doing circuits difficult if there are others at a different pace for you. Also I expected to find the builder's plaque forwards on the promenade, I'm sure the QV has hers there but there is nothing. I think if you are familiar and used to the other Cunarders this will come as quite a jolt. Someone in the design team said, "let's go all in on dark navy blue". It is everywhere and does make the ship seem very dark and lacking warmth (not helped by the air con blasting icy cold air at times). The restaurants are all brighter (I guess so you can see your food) but perhaps apart from the atrium and the drawing room/card room I just find the ship dark and gloomy. I haven't walked into a room/space and not felt underwhelmed by the look and feel and that leaves me so disappointed. The Queens Room is poor, like an after thought and much smaller than I thought it would be. Just a thoroughfare now rather than a "room". And what is it with those strange bird cage style seats? Very wierd. There are lots of bars, everywhere. I guess they want you buying those expensive drinks and drinks packages. The upper deck has been cleaved in two to provide a much larger Grills terrace at the rear so there seems to be less deck space for non Grills passengers and you can't get anywhere near the funnel for a photograph, which I would want to take a photo of. The Britannia Club restaurant I was told could seat 370 guests, more than the grills. I assume he meant grills combined? Anyway so the Club is a large restaurant now and has lost its cosier, more exclusive feel on the other ships. Also the Cunard shop is a tiny little circular spaced area off from the main shops which seem to have been given over to selling perfumes and scents. The cabinet of curiosites thing is just curious, seems a gimmick. And whilst there was a book shop on the early deck plans by the library (which is small and doesn't have many bookcases) is now the kid's zone. I feel I am being over critical here but I just don't like the design with the dark colours and gold or bronze for the metalwork. I guess I am used to the other Cunarders and feel more at home there. If I had been blindfolded and placed on this ship I wouldn't know it was a Cunarder. Perhaps that is the intention, to be a fresh start but it isn't for me. I have two QA cruises booked, one is with friends who want to try her so will have to do that but the other I will switch.

The circus in Mayflower Park is being nice and loud for anyone in the Holiday Inn. Hope it won't go on all night. There is a car carrier at the Horizon Cruise Terminal so wasn't able to see the QA clearly. Just her upper superstructure (all those extra cabins above the bridge). The barges with all the fireworks are out in the harbour. I wondered what they were but the previous post explained it.

I wonder that too. When we did a Isle of Mull scenic cruise on the QV a couple of years back they did open up the deck at the front so we had better views of the scenery but on every other cruise on the QV and QE that has never been possible for me and it has been closed off So I am not expecting it to be the norm. It would be nice if you couls though as I like doing that on the QM2.

The three Fincantieri ships all have the bridge on 8 deck, but where the QV and QE have the spa on 9 dk and Commodore Club on 10 dk above the bridge, the QA has three decks of cabins and then the Commodore Club on dk 12, so an extra two decks of suites. I noticed when the deck plans were first released that the spa had been consigned to the bottom of the ship so that Cunard would have more space for balcony cabins.

Well, when he said "Britannia Grill", I realised the same as you, that any of us would have been better.

That's poor. If you wanted to eat something ashore or visit a particular aite it wouldn't leave much time for anything else but getting to and from the ship. I like Bergen a lot so it's a shame you won't have much time there.

She is currently sailing at 21.9 knots according to Marine Traffic. Nice to see making good speed, shame when in service she will be in go slow mode for fuel saving.

She sailed around in circles for a bit, for a moment I thought she wasn't going to go but maybe just testing compass and steering. But she's heading north now at a very sedate 7 knots and coming up on Aberdeen.

She's on her way to Belfast. First time she'll have been at sea since the pandemic. Such a shame FOCL disposed of her.

The latest render from this week (with the slot machines in the background) looks like the casino bar, seems very low. And looking back through all the previous renders they do give that impression. Because this HAL class of ships that the QA is based upon have a lot more superstructure compared to the QV and QE, I wonder if they have reduced the height of each deck for stability purposes? I am due on the maiden voyage, if I remember I will take a tape measure and the same on my next QV voyage to see if there is a difference.

I phoned today and spoke to the lady on the phone about the error messages: "Sorry, we are unable to process your booking at the moment." "Payment has failed due to package unavailability." She wasn't sure why it was displaying these as there was availability on the cruises in question but said she would feed back the problems I had. So I am none the wiser.

Hi, yes I tried with different browsers on the computer and also on my phone to no avail. Never had this ever before and I'm platinum in CWC. Very strange. Thanks for the advice.