WantedOnVoyage

FYI... and this was "way back" in Jan 2022 (a lifetime ago in the cutback timeline), there most certainly was full deck service on QM2's Grill Deck my last trip. It was... exemplary... with a bar set up, water and juices laid out, coffee and tea, sandwiches, fruit skewers, two tea trolleys and if they didn't have what you wanted to drink, they walked down that long "tunnel" staircase two decks below to the aft lido bar to get it. Absolutely ace and what I expect (and pay for) when travelling Grill "class". The service and cuisine on that voyage rates it as one of my top five trips. Superb! Cutting back on superb is what Cunard management will have to justify at some point when they are increasing per diems by oh about 20 per cent now.

It's a perverse but prevailing corporate ethos now to disdain, denigrate and dismiss your core customer and product. Almost every company, in every field, does it with gusto now. Those who cherish Cunard for wood steamer chairs, proper promenade decks, dressing for dinner not for mowing the lawn, traditional "no fly" cruises from New York or Southampton, ballroom dancing to real orchestras, etc. etc. are dismissed as "old fogies" and "dinosaurs" who just aren't hip enough to appreciate "silent disco", "fly cruises" of missed flights, sailings and lost luggage, tee shirts and flip flops at dinner and promenade decks that resemble a viewless gantry around a factory floor. They take our money but... hey, they are laughing behind our backs in the corporate boardroom. They can't wait to replace us with... well, with what? Survey indicate "Gen X" is happier to stay on their phones than go... anywhere. So good luck with that.... "virtual cruising" is the future it appears.

I have been sailing with Cunard since 1977 and although I rate CARONIA as our best experience with the line (twice), today's product is frankly superior to 1970s QE2. Cunard in the grills remains an exemplary product. And rewarded by my patronage. We have three cruises "in the pipe line" including a repeat of QM2's wonderful Southampton-West Indies "direct" long cruise in Jan 2025. And two on our favourite QV including the Aegean cruise we booked aboard QM2 back in Jan 2022. It's been sold out in the grills ever since I think. It was released when we were aboard and I swear four couples, including us, decided to book it over drinks in the grill lounge that evening. Talk about a captive audience. Now that is loyalty. But I am not a "Stockholm Syndrome" Cunarder, either. To book them is not to be held hostage by my loyalty or to excuse faults or failings. Or be somehow "grateful" they take $22,000 a pop from my wallet per cruise. Post virus there is some of this, "oh, please just let us go on a cruise" attitude like we're a dog who missed his morning walk. Nor do I care about their market, their profits or whims of corporate decisions except as it effects me. The customer. If it's degraded into just another crappy "anyone" and "everyone" line to survive, it will do so without my custom.

I am not sure if lowering standards and services is "a glitch". It is a calculated, planned decision by upper management, something that most if not all aboard the ship, or the plane or the hotel have no power to correct or indeed explain. My "go to" as a past and frequent customer, is to receive what I got the last time to make me return. Cunard doesn't even do end of voyage questionnaires anymore... I have not seen one since QV in Sept 2019. But I do think the bar manager "got the message" and might even have passed it on. And I can carry own drinks, thanks very much. An ability that one hopes will be not be needed in October on QV.

Actually the bar manager in the Winter Garden asked why I was doing a "takeaway" for the Grills Deck and I told him. He said he would "bring it up" with his supervisor. They even offered to bring the order up to me and I thought that was silly and did it myself. I was not the only one doing this btw, too. Several passengers the first or second sea day asked 2-3 times if tea was being served on deck and it finally was. Had they not asked... I suspect not. But it's been 30 years now since I wore a pursers uniform so I am not going to spend much of my holiday solving Cunard's service and amenity issues. They know and just hope we don't notice.

Well I hope they don't trot out the "virus" as an excuse... we sailed in QM2 in Jan 22 and QE in Sep 22 in Grill and the service and the amenities on the Grills decks were "as always" and exemplary. QM2 had 2-3 staff working the grill deck all day and QE it was equally attentive. Perhaps if Cunard has "staffing issues" they might possibly not add another ship to the fleet and concentrate on their core fleet and... customers first. Cunard Grill is still an exemplary product but at $1300 a day (Princess) vs $200 (Britannia) (on the Baltic cruise, they were selling it at $1800 pp for 16 days even) it should be. And better be.

On QV in May to the Baltic, there was afternoon tea served on the grills deck but it reminded me of QE2 c. 1977 in Tourist Class except I had a First Class deck chair and well, that was lot more impressive than what passes today for grill deck service. Dennis Dawson would be shocked and ashamed indeed. We had ice cream offered once. If you wanted a drink and the Grills Lounge bar was closed well, you did what I did... walk all the way to the Winter Garden (once) or the Lido (twice), find a steward and do a "takeaway." I think a steward circulated once in 16 days on the Grill open decks. Yet around the pool and lido, you could get served without batting an eyelash. There is no water/juice set-up anymore btw in the Deck 12 foyer either. To sum up... the grills deck "experience" is.... diminished. Possibly they were coasting on a voyage where it was often too cold for most to be on deck. But when I am on deck... I expect what I am paying for. And... not getting.

Positively.

We were on QE last September Barcelona-Barcelona. Re. getting to the airport for an 11:55 a.m. flight, no worries (although we had early disembarkation for Grills). You could easily do early self disembarkation... the terminal is easy to navigate and the taxis rank right outside. And Barcelona airport is a short under 30 min. drive from the terminal. Note that Barcelona can positively heave with cruise ships (too many) and taxis can get scarce so I'd try early self disembarkation. There was no organised Cunard transfer to the airport for our cruise, if there is they usually say only for flight departing "after 12 pm" but five minutes isn't going to disqualify you now is it?

What a different world this all is... I remember happily sharing a cabin, as single traveller, on QE2, LEONARDO DA VINCI, STEFAN BATORY, UGANDA and other ships... you just paid the per person price and shared with a complete stranger. No one thought anything of it and most times it worked out fine. It was part of liner and cruise travel. P&O did stretch the appeal a bit much by calling it "Friendly Fours" though! I do remember not being the most popular arrival when I joined CANBERRA in New York in June 1979 midway through a cruise to America and was just taking her back to the Southampton... I had one of those four berth cabins way down on G Deck which had been happily occupied by three gents only until I showed up. Set sittings and public loos made sharing actually easier. I am not even sure when Cunard ended the facility of sharing cabins. We are all more delicate, sensitive souls now I guess and... pay for the privilege, too. But I'd much rather pay a supplement and get a bigger cabin plus far more avail. than fight for the designated single cabins.

Possibly but QV (May 2023), QE (Sept 2022) and QM2 (Jan 22) still managed to look more spruce and with far more underway maintenance than QE2 did in 1977 and 1979 when she was less than a decade old. On QV, I enjoyed talking with the deck crew and comparing notes on shipboard painting and maintenance. They were revarnishing all of the deck cabinets on the Grill Deck, replacing entire lengths of rail caps and everything painted metal was properly chipped to bare steel, primed and then enameled. These lads (lassies... first time I've seen a female deck rating) know their trade and are proud of their ship. Whilst in Helsinki for two days, they completely repainted and re-placed all the watertight seal rubbers of the tender platform right below our balcony. So those of you tendering this week will hopefully appreciate their efforts. QM2 was a mess in Jan 22 (26 days to the WI from Southampton) but I talked to the Quartermaster most days and they were making considerable progress making good two years of idleness. This kind of work is not done in shipyards during "refits" btw... it's the routine underway maintenance that does that and needs to be made good. There is nothing better than the smell of fresh paint and varnish but I can imagine few of you would relish that if they had repainted your cabin balcony the morning of your departure. It's the only time they have to do that, too. If you've had the pleasure of serving in a ship, you know when it's being done right. From what I saw firsthand last week, QV at least could not be in better or more attentive hands. As for "wifi" and techno geek stuff (wrist bands... give me a break!) .... I think I'll slap a coat of red lead over that nonsense. The day you have to use your "phone" to open your cabin door, turn on the lights or see a menu... I go ashore happily forever.

My wife adored the dover sole... indeed had it so often on QM2 in Jan 22, she asked that they NOT do all the ceremony. They insisted "That's what we're here for" and meant it. Ditto on QE in Sep 22. She asked once on QV May 23 and the answer was a polite but firm no. They didn't have the sole let alone the insistence to wheel out the trolley. Ditto cherries jubilee which was served pre plated. Never seen that on Cunard ever save Tourist Class on QE2. We are not ones to demand or insist... one should never have to in anything called a "grill" in the first place. But the general tone was "don't ask". I think we counted maybe eight flambees in our section of the grill (in the middle) in 16 days. That is NOT Princess Grill of yore (or indeed of nine months ago). I think I missed the smell more than anything... QM2's PG used to smell like a science lab with all the burners going.

Yes of course. One should speak only as one finds. And ones experience is coloured by so many things, "reviews" are not decisive or enduring. They often say more about the reviewer than what is being appraised. Personally, I thought the actual cuisine and service superb... my wife had one appallingly tough hunk of "roast beef" one night... otherwise, it was nothing to complain about. The hotness of the dishes more so. And yes, the ceremony and occasion flambee and tableside service imparts. It's important. And missed. But from my eye, there is no doubt that the penny counters are running this show now more than ever... worrying possibly to those holding all of Carnival's epic debt. If the product is diminished, the value is, too. The fact that someone vaguely associated with "Cunard" thinks "Silent Disco" is something of value to Cunard passengers is perhaps the most worrying of all. I suspect he or she "works from home" as they say.

Yes... it was quite a surprise from QE in September 2022 for sure. There is still an impressive (in offering) cheese board brought around but nothing like the epic trolley. Stilton is just a few hunks not the big tub etc. My wife was the one who noticed by the second night the complete (and it is, too) absence of tableside preperation and flambée dishes. Those are truly gone although watching the maitre d' attempting to carve the a la carte duck (the only one on that menu for which this is done), one night, perhaps for good reason! The days of Jamie in CANBERRA's Pacific Restaurant are long gone... We've never done BG... sure would not on QM2 and I still want my quiet and private outdoor deck space. We did the opposite aboard... booking QG for QM2 for her wonderful ANDES like West Indies cruise from Southampton in Jan 2025. Worth every cent for 35 days or unless they dumb that down, too. You know they are working on it, too. BTW: I was thrilled that there was NO awful canned "music" around the pool decks... bliss! I just hope this wasn't owing to a technical issue. It was very welcome.

No, sorry did not manage to get copies of the a la carte menus... just the daily ones. Most of the main entree selections are only for couples and only one, duck, was noted "carved tableside" so a big reduction from previous. The other change is no more changing every week... it is now 14 days so for most, there is no change. I think the only change... in the fish option... was more to do with stock than variety. Of course, the choice is still impressive by any standards and no one goes hungry but the general impression is that they want to reduce PG in relation to QG in terms of dining. And they have. I fear cutbacks in QG might be in the offing too. They cut until the customer notices and takes his business elsewhere. I may have been wearing the same pair of socks for eight days sans luggage but compliance with the dress code (such as it is nowadays) was pretty good with the usual jawdropping exceptions. My favourite was the leather motorcycle jacket and the baseball cap... both of which fall within "the code" and what can you say about that? As I said, this was a pretty staid "Cunarder" passenger profile and with so many regulars, the dress code was often exceeded. Eighty per cent or more wore jackets on "Smart Attire" days although fewer ties in evidence than I remember from a few years ago. Formal nights was near total dinner jackets/gowns but less "showy" perhaps than previous cruises.

Still a superb product, but for what it's worth and compared to QE September 2022, QV to the Baltic 9-25 May 2023 presented some noticable cutbacks and missing options and features in Princess Grill: Dining Virtually no tableside preperations or flambé of any dishes. That "smell" is completely gone from the room now. Sad. No Dover Sole We had escargot precisely once in 16 days and caviar(ish) once as well The impressive domed cheese trolleys are gone No special orders that we witnessed or heard and sure no encouragement to try, either. The third commis waiter is gone, each table has two stewards only. Ours were ace. Some long... long intervals between courses Occasionally the food was tepid A la carte menu substantially reduced and in 14 days was updated just once (turbot replaced by cod) Overall, the cuisine and choice remains exemplary and attention to special diet (my wife is celiac/gluten free) best afloat. Grill Deck Substantial and noticeable reduction of deck service... it was almost impossible to find a steward and I had to go to the lido (heaven offend!) twice to get a drink Tea deck service has been severely diminished in terms of offerings and it resembled deck teas in Tourist Class on QE2 back in the day. If you're looking for all those tempting platters of sandwiches, cakes etc, you will be searching in vain. No water or juices in the Deck 12 landing If they brought sandwiches, fruit or ice creams around, I noticed ice cream offered once in 16 days Cabins Everything extra is gone: atlas (which we missed on this trip), umbrella ( surely missed in Stockholm!), sewing kits, bar soaps, shoe cleaner etc. This is not new but anyone thinking these are coming back... nope. No fresh fruit unless requested Pol Acker is GONE (hurray!) and replaced by something vaguely drinkable on embarkation and something rather not on Day 14. Not served in the ice bucket either. Grills Lounge Busy and often overwhelmed but service was still good. The nibbles are terrible.... 23 stale peanuts and 21 stale crushed crisps per table. It all tastes like it was leftover from CUNARD PRINCESS. Weird when elsewhere everything is fresh and generous. In the old days, you'd accuse the bar tender of being on the fiddle here. Grills Drink Package (for US passengers) Worked like a charm on this trip... every single steward and our superb wine steward eager to "game the system" in our favour. And it's still a $12 limit and the current wine/drink lists throughout the ship pose no real issues keeping to this limit, either. No accounting issues either like QM2 in Jan 2022. Yacht Club Our favourite room has been sadly diminished by no live entertainment, down the road pub execrable "Karaoke" evenings and worse, some imbecilty called "Silent Disco" that is so lame, so silly one is too embarassed to even explain it. It did manage to empty the room by 10.30 p.m. Still the best bar on the ship though... the negronis are to be recommended and takeaway service is offered when "Silent Disco" begins, too. Commodore Club Has a very earnest Bar Manager now and he circulated regularity asking about the service. It can be very busy but the service is pretty exemplary. If you like them (we don't) there are hot nibbles offered con gusto. This remains a great room at any hour. The staff is excellent. Hosted Cocktail Parties Are Back!! Exclamation point only for those who even missed them (we did not) and we were invited to two, attended the second which was hosted by "Senior Officers" during which only the otherwise charming Captain put in the most perfunctory appearance imaginable. I did not spot a single other officer of any rank above Jr. Asst. Purser. Oceans of "free" flat, warm sparkling something or rather but if you ask, you can get a real drink. And need one. Ballroom Another great Cunard venue, unique to the line, which seems to have been more or less killed in atmosphere. Either by the bands or the music or possibly both... it just seemed dead most nights. Surely they can find something like an old fashioned British dance band instead of what sounds like a Bulgarian wedding reception. Veranda Restaurant After an especially dismal dinner in QM2's in Jan 2022, we enjoyed a delightful luncheon this trip... superb, personable service and delicious. And they still have sole although not served off the bone. We definitely will make more use of this come October. Overall QUEEN VICTORIA remains the pick of the Cunard litter: beautifully maintained (lots of deck maintenance and revarnishing in evidence... she looked spiffy), Capt Hoyt, her American (!) captain is utterly charming and doesn't hide in his cabin. Lots of crew turnovers and you know the whole operation is about to collapse any moment over staffing but everyone we encountered was professional, knew their job and most seemed to be enjoying it. Fellow passengers were just about the quietest, Old School Cunarders imaginable with a good number of Canadians and Americans.

Great to see an Expos fan around here.... Les Expos Sont Là!

We hear a lot about "The Dress Code" and mine is c. 1965. I still fly in a jacket and tie. And glad of it when dismal and singularly inept United Airlines manages to fly me from Washington to London, five hours late and put my luggage on a flight that arrives the day after QUEEN VICTORIA sailed from Southampton 9 May for the Baltic. I didn't get my bags until... the 17th. Cunard were amazing during this ordeal from the get-go. I missed, of course, my paid for coach transfer from LHR to Southampton but Cunard (Intercruise) arranged a private car transfer at no extra charge that met me on arrival. And their rep liased with United's baggage people to try and get my bags sent to our first call at Gothenburg. Aboard, more astonishingly good work by Cunard I must say and in particular by the Grills concierge, Sandra Madonesia. What a star she is. I was provided with a dinner jacket, trousers and shirt from their rental selection, free of charge. And they availed me of a rather good, if electic collection of "emergency attire" including a Next suit that was good enough to want to keep. I guess I am glad someone else aboard at some time wore a 42 jacket and 34/33 trousers. And glad I wore black shoes on the flight over. Cunard had, at their expense and arrangement, to send my bags from Gothenburg to Stockholm when United could not even manage to forward them to Gothenburg in time. Oh they got there on the 10th, a day before we arrived... and they waited two days to deliver them to the agent, a day after we sailed. So Cunard DHL'd them to Stockholm. So a dismal episode that showed Cunard at their best and United at their worst. There are some really outstandiing folks working for this line, ashore and afloat. No luggage for half a 16-day cruise is not ideal but thanks to Cunard, it did not manage to ruin an otherwise delightful cruise. Encouragement enough to book QM2 for 35 days in January 2025 and I think I will give United a miss for oh, the next 30 years.

Not sure if this satisfies the "hoopla" criteria, but a reasonably detailed account of RMS LACONIA's first Round the World Cruise a century ago https://wantedonthevoyage.blogspot.com/2022/09/cunard-circumnavigation-centenary-rms.html