King Amo

I wouldn't mind betting that a fair few people will have jumped across to Cunard from P&O, given the latest ships and all the reports of falling standards more generally.

Naturally, but you would be giving up a lot of global reach and variety to do so - it's a question of balance. My point is that if you have a significant level of clientele who are British and getting on in years (to the point of not undertaking fly cruises), it would make sense to position your largest cruise ship here, rather than a smaller one. There may be elements of the ship that some don't like, but I'd wager that won't negatively impact on bookings as the alternatives are likely to be even less to their taste. As you saw from your experience on board, it doesn't appear to have put older people off even if the traditionalists like to have a bit of a whinge.

I doubt they'd choose not to maximise capacity out of Southampton. The design choices for Queen Anne will have been made with half an eye on the future, but how it is used will be very much for the present. Naturally the gamble they take is with loyalty of their clientele, but I think it is a pretty safe bet that most will continue to feel like Queen Anne is a more appropriate choice for them than the other UK-based options.

Have to say I disagree with this. There are many reasons why people's circumstances may change and lead to pauses, not least having children (I recognise this isn't an issue for much of Cunard's main demographic🙂), looking after loved ones or health-related inability to travel (the latter two much more likely). To have your loyalty benefits eroded would seem very unfair.

Looking on cruisedeckplans dot com it appears there is a Youtube video of that very cabin.

That review sounded like they noticed a lot of the same issues identified in the Ben and David Youtube video, but without the individual and specific problems that conspired against the latter. Hopefully there is a steep learning curve for the new staff onboard, as they don't appear to be giving a great impression of the ship or the line. You can, to a certain extent, get away with teething troubles, mistakes and slowness if you demonstrate that you care and are trying to make up for it in other ways. What would be worrying me if I was in a position of responsibility on board, is that the reports are of surliness and inattentiveness on top of the service failures.

Ah, I'm joining QV on 5th August, so will be nice to see QA as well. Will try and get a decent photo, but with the port as it is, there may not be great access to vantage points, and may be bedlam trying to get back off the ship having just boarded. May have to be something from the QV deck.

I would have thought those on board would be on a very healthy commission too, so they would be incentivised to get as many guests seen and 'banked' for themselves over any other agent.

Sounds a lovely stop. Thanks for all your updates, Megabear, it really is greatly appreciated. I also had a little chuckle up above to see that the Naming Ceremony Gala Dinner saw an appearance of the cauliflower pithivier. It wouldn't be the same without it😀

It's been the same every time a new ship gets launched. The Arcadia was a travesty as it didn't have much of an atrium. The Britannia was big and ugly with an annoying layout (it is, but people don't really care anymore). QV was a cruise ship not an ocean liner. Don't get me wrong, I love a good discussion about what could have been done better, and even better, what could easily and immediately solve issues that become evident. Some of the flailing of arms when a new ship launches is laughable though. Folks hate change. It's always been thus.

TUI are fine as an airline if only going to Europe. I'm expecting there to be nothing included on the flight this summer, but if there is a cup of coffee it will be a nice bonus.

Yes, I now have the option on My Cunard, and I booked through a UK TA. Not going to bid to upgrade though, as my parents will be joining us midway through the cruise, so don't want to be in a different restaurant. Would also prefer to simply use the money for another holiday, as we're quite happy to be in Britannia.

I would think it is much more to do with the level of PR challenges in recent years. This is a pretty much future-proofed patronage, and one that I think fits the history of Cunard very well.

I'm not wanting to bang on about this, but am genuinely interested where this change has occurred, as clause 23 of the booking conditions hosted on the Cunard web page, and the relevant question in the FAQs both say they can ask you to isolate. I know Cunard are pretty lax at updating their information on the website, but in the absence of anything else, what are we to go on?

Their booking terms and conditions give Cunard the right to disembark them if they refused to be confined to the stateroom or medical centre. I imagine they were not, on this occasion, given the likely stink they'd have kicked up to the waiting press shoreside, so the staff were caught between a rock and a hard place. They probably went for the upgrade option to try and strike the best balance and hope the guests calm down and think of others around them.

Selbourne, you're absolutely spot on about how lucky they are to have such a loyal customer base. There are certain things that don't surprise me in what he said about the accessibility changes. Automating the patio doors won't be simple and won't be quick to do, so I doubt there will be any change before the first session in dry dock. However, there is much more within their control. Additional grab rails may not be there by the end of your particular cruise, as I imagine they would need to look very carefully into the bathroom pod construction before drilling in willy nilly, particularly given it needs to take some very serious weight. I can't believe it will be insurmountable, however, so with a bit of work either at the manufacturer, or by investigating within a crew bathroom, it should be a matter of weeks rather than months to solve. The signage or management of the theatre seating area is solvable immediately though, so I would expect to see a visible difference tonight, be it through some manner of temporary signage, or a member of staff being asked to oversee the area. It would be such a quick win to make a legitimately unhappy guest feel like they have been heard (or if you were cynical, to paint this manager as wonderful and prevent a more serious complaint).

Interesting review. I really appreciate how matter of fact it is, thanks Towanda. Disappointed to see the comment on the outdated and unacceptable schtick from one of the entertainers. 20 years ago on the QE2 I was compelled to write and complain about something very similar from Duggie Brown. Absolutely ghastly stuff, particularly given the demographic of the staff who were doing such a wonderful job looking after our every whim, and made much worse by how it was lapped up by the aged audience. That it is still happening is just not acceptable.

I always use the buffet for breakfast and lunch. Breakfast is just easy and quick to be able to grab what you want, when you want and then get on with your day. I also never want a full meal at lunchtime, so being able to grab a salad or something light is much easier there than being tempted into a three course affair in the main dining room, plus it enables my son to have what he really fancies and feels comfortable with, when in the evening he'll be having to challenge himself a bit. Looking at the menus that people have very kindly published on here, it looks as though Cunard has remained a cut above the likes of P&O and RCI, which I've most recently sailed on. That being said, I tend to know what to look for in order to reduce the risk of something being disappointing. Sometimes it may be a preparation that doesn't suit itself to the banqueting style of service, others it may be a particular ingredient that 'holds' well, but lacks taste. Plus you tend to get in synch to spot which desserts are what my wife and I refer to as 'miscellaneous cruise ship deserts' (i.e. those which may look attractive and different, but all taste the same. Generally some form of cake/torte with way too much gelatine added). Always, always try and avoid those.

While menus will certainly follow a pattern, availability of ingredients, status of equipment, staffing levels etc. will make it likely that they aren't finalised until the day itself, so anything published already would be somewhat worthless. Generally speaking the gala evenings involve a greater level of 'pushing the boat out' with the menus, so these would be where you would find the likes of beef wellington, rack of lamb etc. This would make it a good night to be in Britannia, but on the flipside, many people like to use the alternatives when all dressed up and it feels more of an occasion. Horses for courses really.

With regard to your second question, the answer is yes. I'm on a similar itinerary this summer, albeit a round trip from Civitavecchia, and a few months ago a particular new deal made it worth my while cancelling my previous booking (and losing the deposit) and rebooking under the new terms. Madness really.

I would imagine it is for the staff to get acquainted and drilled with the new location, plus possibly the installation of certain specialist equipment etc. Everything will need to be absolutely spot on come June 2nd, given how both Cunard has trumpeted it, and the restaurant and Roux's reputations for perfection, and with no let up in the schedule, it's too much of a risk to try and just flip a switch. A 3 night cruise beforehand sounds like the ideal opportunity to rehearse and iron out any issues.

Part of that is likely as there are now some excellent non-alcoholic spirits, which simply weren't available, even a few years ago. Non-alcoholic cocktails used to essentially be fruit-based drinks with an umbrella stuck in, but now with the likes of Seedlip, Lyres, and latterly the big spirit companies providing genuine alternatives, there is so much more potential. The downside is that the processes involved in producing these 'spirits' is similar to conventional drinks, and without the economies of scale, they come at a premium. The upsides, though, are massive.

Cutbacks are to be expected, given that cruises have been priced at around about the same level for at least 20 years. Main thing is for them to be in the places which make the least impact to the majority of guests.

Wow, that really surprises me. I guess that's what makes cruising so great, having a bit of a pick and mix to suit everyone. If I was ever to get stuck somewhere, I'd love it to be Barcelona or Lisbon🙂

This is an older one, as QV, but yes they are risks. The positive side is that there aren't many better ports to be holed up in than Barcelona, even if you've already had a few days there. Would also give the opportunity to head out of the city and explore a bit, without any hard deadlines for return. Presumably passengers are able to stay on board as an extended port of call, rather than Cunard seeking hotels?