Log Flumer

I dread the thought of picking up something and needing to quarantine!

Cunard cough?!

This is some excellent detective work! The whole 'pre-baked' thing does feel somewhat disingenuous, particularly as it leaves you wondering how much kitchen activity is 'cooking', and how much is reheating...

Now we just need to buy the clothes to go in there...!

If things keep moving in this direction we'll soon be at 1:1 😉

Thank you for your reply, NE John. We'll be sailing in a P1 Princess Grill suite. Started off looking at Britannia Balcony and then, well, things sort of escalated...

That's an interesting insight, and quite encouraging.

Thank you for the tip!

Thank you, RK-NC. I hope that, on the whole, the experience has nevertheless been positive? Would you journey with Cunard again? The Gala menu appears decent enough, even not being a meat eater...

Danke, Carl. Do these aspects affect the likelihood of you booking again with Cunard? And do with think that Cunard may revert to previous standards now that we've (hopefully) seen the back of COVID and competition in the industry is generally fierce?

Thank you! I feel for the staff in these circumstances. As for my 'first world' concerns, it's the most expensive trip of my life so far, hence the nervousness! Nevertheless, I'm certainly looking forward to crossing the Atlantic and sailing into NYC 🙂

Thank you, Port Royal! That's good to know.

I have recently booked my first ever 'cruise' (crossing), on QM2 next summer. I'm looking forward to it and have carried out plenty of research both prior to and subsequent to my booking. I've noticed quite a few comments (including in this forum) about some staffing issues, including - but not limited to - decreased standards/competence among waiting staff in the main dining room (being served the wrong meal, food being tepid, lower quality ingredients, unhelpful attitude etc.), and staff appearing overworked/unmotivated (standing around talking at the bar and not being responsive to guest needs etc.). I wondered what could explain this apparent deterioration and noticed that in 2019 the Cunard website showed the following information in relation to QM2: 2,691 Guests, 1,292 Crew, but the website now shows 2,691 Guests, 1,173 Crew: a reduction of 119 crew members. Obviously there was some serious cost-cutting post-pandemic (and my guess would be that such a reduction in staff would result in savings of perhaps $2m a year on just the QM2 alone), but is it ultimately to the detriment of both passengers (who understandably expect high standards, especially if they have travelled with Cunard pre-pandemic) and even more so to crew members (who may face longer-shifts and more demanding working conditions with responsibility for an increased number of passengers)? Has anyone noticed a clear deterioration in service standards, whether in terms of the dining experience, quality of food, stateroom maintenance etc? Has this affected Britannia more than the Grills? Thank you in advance for your thoughts and observations!