A Taste of Disappointment

[fishywood]

I have to ask myself, could he not smell it during the transat voyage? Why did he not tell the occupants no smoking in cabins??

 

Regretably the smoking ban has not fully taken effect. From ask.cunard.com:

 

The safety, comfort and enjoyment of all our guests on board has always been a key concern at Cunard. With this in mind, as a direct result of the feedback we have received from our guests, we have amended our policy with regards to smoking on Cunard ships. Smoking is no longer permitted in any public area with the exception of Churchill's Lounge (cigars only) and designated areas on the open decks and the upper level of G32 on Queen Mary 2. Smoking is permitted on private balconies.

 

With effect from 24 March 2012 for Queen Victoria and 27 April for Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2, smoking will no longer be permitted in staterooms, however smoking is permitted on private balconies

 

The second paragraph is absent from the smoking policies on the main website, which gives the implication that smoking is only permitted on the balcony when this is not so. But agreed that any reasonable steward would have made an effort to air out the cabin at disembarkation that morning.

 

..and did anyone elses telephone ring around 6.30am,with no one there?? Both of our cabins had this mystery wake up call....for staff convenience maybe to get us moving out of the rooms??

 

That would have been the final frosting on the cake for me. I would have confonted the steward to get his admission or denial on the record, then wrote the most scathing complaint letter know to man to Cunard corporate. In my opinion this is borderline criminal activity--using the ship's electronic device as a means to deny passengers their rightful use of their stateroom.

 

And as for tipping: I have never before strayed from the tipping policies on a cruiseship or at a resort, and only one in my life at a restaurant. But reading the above posts, I would have no hesitation to stand in the certainly very long line at the purser's desk and reduce the gratuities by half--while at the same time demanding to know why feedback forms were not available.

[brigittetom]

I was on this trip and well and enjoyed every second. Yes there were a few minor issues but nothing to get worked up over.

 

Actually many times...on board the same ship...there are many different experiences. Sometimes there are issues to get worked up over. Reading all the posts, I'm truly surprised that the trip was so bad for so many. We have only taken longer trips on the QM2 and enjoyed them all with a few complaints. After reading these posts on the 2 day trip.....not a chance that we would ever take one. They may be a bargain in price, but with airfare and hotels involoved...not a chance if that's what the QM2 offers on short trips. I have to wonder why Cunard thinks these trips are a good idea. Also, I have to wonder where all of this bad service comes from since this is obviously the same staff that accommodates the longer trips.

 

It's really a shame since most past passengers on the QM2 really enjoyed their trip.

[Cruachan]

Actually many times...on board the same ship...there are many different experiences. Sometimes there are issues to get worked up over. Reading all the posts, I'm truly surprised that the trip was so bad for so many. We have only taken longer trips on the QM2 and enjoyed them all with a few complaints. After reading these posts on the 2 day trip.....not a chance that we would ever take one. They may be a bargain in price, but with airfare and hotels involoved...not a chance if that's what the QM2 offers on short trips. I have to wonder why Cunard thinks these trips are a good idea. Also, I have to wonder where all of this bad service comes from since this is obviously the same staff that accommodates the longer trips.

 

It's really a shame since most past passengers on the QM2 really enjoyed their trip.

 

Quite frankly, wild horses couldn't drag me onboard for a two nighter. I think that more than half the problem is that nobody - neither the passengers nor the crew - has a chance to settle into the routine of a longer cruise. Personally, I made up my mind quite a while back that the minimum cruise duration I would go for would be 14 days. I've compromised a couple of times since then and did an 11 nighter this year which was fine. I've always found the first two days have a certain air of chaos about them - long lines at breakfast, wait staff still getting themselves sorted out, cabin steward getting to know your likes and dislikes etc etc. But once things have settled down everything's fine. So, at best these two night affairs simply equate to the rather chaotic situation that prevails on the first two days of a longer cruise. And, at worst... well, I think we've seen the results on this thread. Interesting though that opinion here seems to be quite distinctly polarised between those who had a good time and thought the service and food were fine, and those who obviously did not fare nearly so well. I suppose it's just the luck of the draw.

 

J

[Salacia]

Quite frankly, wild horses couldn't drag me onboard for a two nighter. I think that more than half the problem is that nobody - neither the passengers nor the crew - has a chance to settle into the routine of a longer cruise. Personally, I made up my mind quite a while back that the minimum cruise duration I would go for would be 14 days. I've compromised a couple of times since then and did an 11 nighter this year which was fine. I've always found the first two days have a certain air of chaos about them - long lines at breakfast, wait staff still getting themselves sorted out, cabin steward getting to know your likes and dislikes etc etc. But once things have settled down everything's fine. So, at best these two night affairs simply equate to the rather chaotic situation that prevails on the first two days of a longer cruise. And, at worst... well, I think we've seen the results on this thread. Interesting though that opinion here seems to be quite distinctly polarised between those who had a good time and thought the service and food were fine, and those who obviously did not fare nearly so well. I suppose it's just the luck of the draw.

 

J

 

J, I understand what you are saying.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the short 5 day July QM2 NY/Canda cruise this year. I wasn't expecting anything more than a good rest in a limited amount of time, but I was very much pleased with the both the MDR (food and service), and the general atmosphere on board (passengers and crew).

 

Getting 3 or more consecutive weeks vacation time is not easy to arrange in this country which makes longer voyages - especially from European ports -very difficult to manage. I suppose that is why a short 5 day QM2 voyage is taken seriously here - and is priced accordinlgy:eek:.

 

Salacia

[brigittetom]

I absolutely think that it is the luck of the draw. It's been our experience on many longer trips. I certainly agree that the longer trips give you a chance to really settle in. I still have to wonder why service was considered to be so bad on the shorter trip??? Good service is afterall, good service.....especially in the bar areas. The Cunard experince is supposed to be one of the best and I have convince my husband twice a year that it is worth the extra money. And it is...Every time. :)

[Cruachan]

J, I understand what you are saying.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the short 5 day July QM2 NY/Canda cruise this year. I wasn't expecting anything more than a good rest in a limited amount of time, but I was very much pleased with the both the MDR (food and service), and the general atmosphere on board (passengers and crew).

 

Getting 3 or more consecutive weeks vacation time is not easy to arrange in this country which makes longer voyages - especially from European ports -very difficult to manage. I suppose that is why a short 5 day QM2 voyage is taken seriously here - and is priced accordinlgy:eek:.

 

Salacia

 

I take your point about vacation time on the left hand side of the Atlantic, but the system over here (at least in the public sector) is a good deal more generous.

 

Having said that, I think that you are right and that the 5 day cruises are probably just long enough to make a significant difference. Even so, though, there are plenty of horror stories on here about the five day cruise experience.

 

There does seem to be a pretty clear cut statistical relationship between the length of the cruise and the degree of passenger satisfaction/enjoyment. But, there's more than enough anecdotal evidence to show that this relationship probably breaks down when you start to look at something as long as a full World Cruise.

 

J

[Whitemarsh]

I have to say what I saw and experienced last weekend amounted to very poor service more or less across the board. I hope it was a one-off due to the nature of the trip, although there is no excuse to treat any paying customers shabbily, and look forward to reports from family who are still on board on a TA currently.

 

Very true. It may have been sold by some travel agents as a boozy fun-filled weekend but the people who booked seeking this still handed over their hard earned cash.

 

Let's face it; Cunard is expensive, there is no excuse for poor service.

 

The dress code onboard for Saturday was semi-formal, with an optional formal code. Many people came prepared to dress formally anyway and this choice should have been announced in advance.

 

I'm really pleased to hear this. I do think this is one of the reasons people book Cunard.

 

After reading these posts on the 2 day trip.....not a chance that we would ever take one. I have to wonder why Cunard thinks these trips are a good idea. Also, I have to wonder where all of this bad service comes from since this is obviously the same staff that accommodates the longer trips.

 

I agree, they would have to pay me to to take a two day trip. Even then, I would probably decline as a negative experience (as bad as what's been described here) on QM2 is not something I wish to experience. It would impact too much on the really positive way in which I view Cunard/QM2 at the moment.

 

Surely Cunard must realise that for every dollar they make with a two day 'Nightmare from Hell" voyage (such as some experienced on this recent trip) they lose four times the income from lost repeat business. Not to mention the word-of-mouth.

 

Personally, I made up my mind quite a while back that the minimum cruise duration I would go for would be 14 days. I've compromised a couple of times since then and did an 11 nighter this year which was fine. I've always found the first two days have a certain air of chaos about them - long lines at breakfast, wait staff still getting themselves sorted out, cabin steward getting to know your likes and dislikes etc etc. But once things have settled down everything's fine. So, at best these two night affairs simply equate to the rather chaotic situation that prevails on the first two days of a longer cruise.

 

Interesting theory. I didn't experience this on the first days of my transatlantic, maybe this was because it was a transatlantic finishing off a 22 night NYC to Southampton TA followed by a cruise through the Mediterranean. Each Transatlantic would follow on from some other voyage so perhaps transatlantics are the most reliable voyages (food & service wise) to take?

[Cruachan]

Interesting theory. I didn't experience this on the first days of my transatlantic, maybe this was because it was a transatlantic finishing off a 22 night NYC to Southampton TA followed by a cruise through the Mediterranean. Each Transatlantic would follow on from some other voyage so perhaps transatlantics are the most reliable voyages (food & service wise) to take?

 

Yes, I think you are right. I noticed last year that things were slightly less chaotic on the first day of a westbound out of Soton. But, now that you mention it, that voyage had actually started in Hamburg. Similarly, the return Eastbound was simply a continuation of a five-nighter up to Quebec and back.

 

J

[shinyshoes]

IIRC Cunard used to do three of these 5 day cruises ex NYC per year. Memorial day weekend, July 4th week and Labour day week. Not sure if they still do or if it is just restricted to the Independance day weekend now. But I have been on the EB after three of these short cruises and each time there have been plenty of horror stories from the pax who did the round trip TA including the passage to Boston, Nova Scotia or Quebec. Buckets of beer seemed to feature along with holiday camp type behaviour, rowdy bars etc. I have never experienced this though and the service on the EB legs was no different from the standard one expects from Cunard. I don’t think that a short cruise would be my cup of tea though.

Shiny

[Cruachan]

IIRC Cunard used to do three of these 5 day cruises ex NYC per year. Memorial day weekend, July 4th week and Labour day week. Not sure if they still do or if it is just restricted to the Independance day weekend now. But I have been on the EB after three of these short cruises and each time there have been plenty of horror stories from the pax who did the round trip TA including the passage to Boston, Nova Scotia or Quebec. Buckets of beer seemed to feature along with holiday camp type behaviour, rowdy bars etc. I have never experienced this though and the service on the EB legs was no different from the standard one expects from Cunard. I don’t think that a short cruise would be my cup of tea though.

Shiny

 

As a "friend" has just very kindly (if a little insensitively) pointed out to me, I am hardly in a position to comment on bad behaviour and drunkenness as I don't stay up late enough to notice any :eek:

 

It's an age thing.

 

J

[missfrankiecat]

IIRC Cunard used to do three of these 5 day cruises ex NYC per year. Memorial day weekend, July 4th week and Labour day week. Not sure if they still do or if it is just restricted to the Independance day weekend now. But I have been on the EB after three of these short cruises and each time there have been plenty of horror stories from the pax who did the round trip TA including the passage to Boston, Nova Scotia or Quebec. Buckets of beer seemed to feature along with holiday camp type behaviour, rowdy bars etc. I have never experienced this though and the service on the EB legs was no different from the standard one expects from Cunard. I don’t think that a short cruise would be my cup of tea though.

Shiny

 

I was on board for this year's 4th July trip, sandwiched between a WB and EB TA, and, although the atmosphere was very different from a TA and there was a lot of partying going on, I experienced none of the poor food/service/penny pinching from Cunard issues that I felt were manifest last weekend and enjoyed the trip greatly. Shorter trips attract a younger profile (work issues) and, whether short or longer, the slashing of fares attracts a different social demographic - this is common sense. My issues were not with the pax but with what was provided and what that imports for the future direction of the line.

[ovccruiser]

My very first cruise on QM2 was a 4 nighter which was a wonderful cruise and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We subsequently did several longer cruises and then did a two nighter. Not the best experience, although like others have said, we knew many of the staff, who also were not enjoying the trip, or didn't seem to be. I think if you go with the attitude of party time, you will enjoy the cruise although all the bars will be packed. Do not judge Cunard based on a 2 nighter, or for that matter any other cruiseline. Our minimum now is 4 nights though we prefer longer.

[shinyshoes]

I was on board for this year's 4th July trip, sandwiched between a WB and EB TA, and, although the atmosphere was very different from a TA and there was a lot of partying going on, I experienced none of the poor food/service/penny pinching from Cunard issues that I felt were manifest last weekend and enjoyed the trip greatly. Shorter trips attract a younger profile (work issues) and, whether short or longer, the slashing of fares attracts a different social demographic - this is common sense. My issues were not with the pax but with what was provided and what that imports for the future direction of the line.

 

I understand your comments were about the service on the 2 night trip and I completely agree that Cunard ought to be addressing this aspect of their 'taster' cruises. After all if one doesn't like the taste of something then one doesn't eat it again. And I must admit that my comments about behaviour were based on hearsay, apart from the conversation overheard in the NYC bar.

Shiny

[Norfolk Brit]

I still have to wonder why service was considered to be so bad on the shorter trip??? Good service is afterall, good service.....especially in the bar areas. :)

 

Perhaps because on a longer cruise, people know they have another fourteen or so days to eat/drink/gamble/whatever their vice, but on a shorter one they know it has to be crammed into a couple of days; presumably the usual number of staff are trying to deal with greatly increased demand.

 

Mary

[north east girl]

After reading these posts I think I would not book a 2 nighter. I do like the 5 night trips although they are a little short also.

 

My next booked trip is the 5 nighter on QM2 for the celebration of the 3 Queens in port.

 

I keep looking at deals to try to fit another short 5 day one in before then.

 

Catherine

[QM2 fan]

Good decision NEG, I don't think we'll be doing a 2 nighter again,nor travelling in Britannia....

[Salacia]

After reading these posts I think I would not book a 2 nighter. I do like the 5 night trips although they are a little short also.

 

My next booked trip is the 5 nighter on QM2 for the celebration of the 3 Queens in port.

 

I keep looking at deals to try to fit another short 5 day one in before then.

 

Catherine

 

Hi North East Girl. That 5 night voyage you booked sounds great! (I would do it in a heartbeat, but it's too far for me to swim to join the ship, and airfare is some kind of crazy!) Best wishes -S.

[Griller]

In general I would agree with you. In 20 years of very regular trips on Cunard ships I have, overall, always been impressed with service and think it mean to deprive poorly paid employees of tips for minor shortcomings, but I have to say what I saw and experienced last weekend amounted to very poor service more or less across the board. I hope it was a one-off due to the nature of the trip, although there is no excuse to treat any paying customers shabbily, and look forward to reports from family who are still on board on a TA currently.

Dinner in Britannia was inexcusably poor. Usually on QM2, waiters introduce themselves to their table on the first night and most Maitre D's also visit each table at some stage to enquire how the meal is. Neither happened, perhaps for a reason. Our 8 person table did not seem to have any dedicated wait staff with different people bringing various courses over the two nights. On Friday night, I was the last of our 8 to sit at 8.35. The first main course arrived at 9.45. Bread was served but butter had to be requested several times before arriving. It proved impossible to attract a sommelier's attention to purchase wine. No petit fours arrived with coffee. According to diners at other tables this was standard, although some got them later on. Service was quicker the following night, although the sommelier was so off-hand and rude - "What do you want?" in response to a request to order wine and had to be asked to bring a wine list, that I was almost tempted not to bother. The food verged from average to very poor. My tenderloin was so highly seasoned on night two as to be inedible; a man ordering cheese received a plate with three tiny curled up morsels and - I kid not - one grape, which provoked howls of laughter. I did attempt to speak to the Maitre D' at the conclusion of the second meal but he was 'unavailable'. Petit fours came - precisely 12 for a table of 8 - on a dinner plate. This is not 'White Star Service'!

I have sympathy for the bar staff who were very stretched on such a busy crossing and, in my personal experience, their usual charming selves but, again the cocktail hour was far from a stylish event. The Molecular Martinis - specialities of the Commodore Club - were 'off' on Saturday, I was told because the foam dispenser was broken. My mother's water for her Negroni in the Chart room was served in a drinking glass as they had 'run out of jugs', making it very difficult to pour. Canapes did not appear unless requested, and then only cold. A request for olives produced 4 on a saucer in the CC. There was plainly a policy of not supplying bathrobes in cabins unless requested - having packed lightly in the expectation of one, I had to let in room service with breakfast in bed dressed in my overcoat! My cabin was also missing glasses, pool towels but plus a dirty mop and papers from it's previous occupant in two drawers. I never met my steward. I won't go on about the queues for food in King's Court and the Queen's Room for afternoon tea - 30 minutes - but, while sympathetic to the difficulties of catering for a full compliment of guests wanting to try everything, numbers are known in advance and it's not rocket science to work out that with only one opportunity for most, the majority are going to want afternoon tea. The staff allocated were neither sufficient nor well trained enough to cope.

I hope this was a one off and not a sign of things to come because I have been a 'cheer-leader' for many years but this was a woeful advertisment for Cunard and a beautiful ship.

 

No, its not a one-off.

 

Let's face it, Cunard have expanded from one ship to 3, they don't do their staff training properly, they are cutting corners and costs and they have lost the plot.

 

Cunard think they always know best, and don't - won't - listen to their customers.

 

Yes I still cruise Cunard if its very cheap and a decent itinerary, but I find Princess now have better menus, food and service.

 

In particular the small ships of Princess with only 680 passengers max are a delight. Cruising how Cunard used to be.

 

Of course if you are a diehard dancer then Cunard is a must. Otherwise forget it.

[Whitemarsh]

I guess it's to be expected, but reviews from posters who clearly don't have an agenda and are genuinely disappointed with one or more aspects of their recent voyage, have way more impact than the relentlessly negative, completely one-sided and totally unbelievable comments/reviews that some people enjoy posting here.

[QM2 fan]

I have written to Cunard about this voyage,but don't expect much back other than the corporate equivalent of sticking your fingers in your ears and singing "La,la,la..I'm not listening!" .

I will of course, let you know the outcome..

 

Forogt to say- I did pop up to CC for the CC meet, but it was heaving...think I saw you all by the piano,but wasn't brave enough to just bowl on up and squeeze in with you! (Plus other half was in a foul mood after a really poor dinner!) Think I saw Lanky Lad entering the MDR on sat evening :)

[SailorManBilly]

J, I understand what you are saying.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed the short 5 day July QM2 NY/Canda cruise this year. I wasn't expecting anything more than a good rest in a limited amount of time, but I was very much pleased with the both the MDR (food and service), and the general atmosphere on board (passengers and crew).

 

Getting 3 or more consecutive weeks vacation time is not easy to arrange in this country which makes longer voyages - especially from European ports -very difficult to manage. I suppose that is why a short 5 day QM2 voyage is taken seriously here - and is priced accordinlgy:eek:.

 

Salacia

 

I know a number of people that were on that 5 day voyage and I heard it was nothing short of brilliant. I also know it was an expensive trip, so my guess it didn't bring in the drunken party crowd.

 

The big catch-22 with the 2 nighter's is that they ARE affordable and will appeal to not only those Cunard fans that want a quick respite, but also the "sail-and-drink" crowd who looks at it as a floating party barge. I'm hearing a LOT of complaints on here that lay the blame on Cunard for the passengers behavior, and that's just a bit unfair. They are, after all, a for profit company that needs to fill rooms. When I was looking to go into Hotel Management and applying for my first hotel assistant manager job, I was asked the question: what is the most important aspect of our business? I gave a lengthy answer about booking out the ballrooms, and keeping the Hotel restuarants current and trendy and busy. And about special events that could bring revenue into the hotel. After what I thought was brilliance, the interviewer smiled and said: "no. It's solely based on how many rooms we sell each night. That is the sole most important factor in our business"

 

It's going to be the same for Cunard. Often these short voyages are time fillers so that the important dates can be met (Christmas, New Years, 4th of July, Diamond Jubilee Celebration, etc). And no company in this economy is in a position to either leave a ship empty and not working, or to try to discourage "the wrong element" to take these two day hops. And if they did, then just IMAGINE what our crossings and longer voyages and single supplements etc would cost then? Imagine what they'd had to additionally cut from service to make up from running the QM2 half empty for two days.

 

I agree: I hate having the booze cruiser's on Cunard ships!! But I also try to look realistically and realize that if enough of the "right people" were booking up all of Cunard's rooms on a regular basis, then we wouldn't have that element. And I see a LOT of people on this board who are VERY vocal about how bad things are with Cunard that have one or two Cunard voyages every few years listed on their trips list. Im sorry, but you just aren't enough of a revenue impact for Cunard to worry THAT much about your once every two year booking. Sad as that may be!! I'm not saying it's right, but look at the world. The economy is in the toilet everywhere. The Icelandic dollar collapsed last year. Massive amounts of people are out of work. Now we have a city of fools protesting Wall Street. God knows why. I'm sure most of them don't know why - I find most protestors just like the sounds of their own voices while they scream. But the fact remains that the WORLD is not in a place where clotted cream vs butter is really of any importance anymore. Some people have the luxury of worrying about some things. But big companies do not. I'm not saying it's right! I hate it! Bring back the Reagan era when the world lived luxuriously, I say. But we are ALL on this planet at a time that frankly sucks in the financial realm. And Cunard has to fill as MANY of those rooms as they can as MANY days a year as it can. And so we all have to consider that the "wrong types" still do help to contribute to this grand beautiful ship staying on the oceans and not sitting in the scrap metal pile somewhere in the third world.

 

And I'm not saying to NOT take the two day trips, but to just cut Cunard a break if you DO take them and the behavior of the passengers is not what you would prefer. They're just trying to pay their bills to keep this giant ship afloat, just like all companies are.

 

As for the bad service on these two day'ers... That's another thing ENTIRELY! Cunard needs to be told VERY clearly where things went wrong. And it needs to be done in writing in hard copy directly to Peter Shanks with names and specifics detailed. Filling these message boards with complaints is aout as effective as telling your woes to your Teddy Bear. Less, actually - since at least your Teddy Bear will cuddle with you afterwards! Not saying to NOT report back here, but if it's important to you that Cunard fix the problems, they need to hear it directly from the passengers WITH specifics!!

 

Because whether you like it or not, "message board people" have a certain reputation as complaining about everything. Doesn't matter what the industry. It's just not taken as seriously as a typed letter snail mailed to a corporate office.

 

And if you all REALLY hate the wrong element on Cunard ships, then KEEP BOOKING and don't take huge discounts and get your friends and the right element to book more, and perhaps Cunard won't need the booze cruiser types to fill their room.

 

I myself will be taking 6 Cunard voyages this year. So I can account for "the right element" being in a Cunard room 6 times this year. How many can you account for?

[QM2 fan]

I just wanted to reiterate that I did not see any bad behaviour from pax on this 2 day trip....

However,I was back in my cabin by 2330 both nights, due to the crush in the bars...and I don't expect Cunard to be heartbroken over a bad experience-it's their business if they don't want to listen to paying customers..

[Jimsgirl]

The more cruises you take on Cunard, the more you will encounter a "bad cruise"

 

Personally (and it is only my personal reaction so no flaming please), it is not the "bad thing" happening that is the problem, it is the lack of attention to put it right that causes the "negative" reports.

 

Something "unacceptable " happens, the passenger reports this to the correct person only to have the complaint ignored. How does this make the passenger feel?

 

Many of the negative comments would have been avoided if staff on board corrected the situation at the time.

 

If a passenger writes to Peter Shanks, complainant may not really expect him to reply personally, but if they are then kept waiting three months for an answer and then receive a "form letter" which gets the name of the ship wrong, the date of the cruise incorrect, and the letter is unsigned, how should the passenger feel?

 

Yes, Cunard do need to make a profit, but not at the expense of Customer satisfaction.

[bobby1119]

While I have experienced every kind of Cunard sailing, from short 3-5 night cruises and transatlantic crossings to a full 108 day world cruise, the kinds of service issues, and some of the passenger behavior, reported during the Taste of France 2 day cruise can be experienced and/or observed in some shape or form on longer cruises as well.

 

The behavior of passengers on longer cruises, most generally, conforms to what one expects on a Cunard ship; however, I have observed a few disregarding the dress code on both shorter and longer cruises while the staff seem to wear blinders.

 

The service and quality of food issues reported during the 2 day cruise, particularly in the Britannia Restaurant, are also present in longer cruises and crossings, although less widely and glaringly evident.

 

It's the luck of the draw and how you play the hand which you are dealt.

[Griller]

I found the solution to the problems mentioned here by many passengers - it is simply this - don't believe the glossy expensive Cunard brochures promising wonderful perfect cruising.

Also - book the cheapest cabin and when its on a bargain basement clearance price - so your Cunard cruise costs you less than it would on the poorest other cruise line you can imagine.

 

Then everything that is good comes as a nice surprise, and everything else is much as you would have expected.

 

Hence no disappointment.