class difference?

[gillyg]

Hi we have never sailed with Cunard but have sailed with other cruise lines. As always I am straight on CC when a cruise is booked as everyone is always so helpful. What I am finding disconcerting is the occasional reference in posts to 'tourist class'. Am I to believe from this that those in said 'class' are looked down upon on the ship as not quite 'up to par'? I truly hope this is not the case!

[BigMac1953]

People may occasionally use out dated terminology in an attempt to be funny, but there is no steerage and no tourist class.

 

It's simply the same as airlines, trains, hotels, theatres and cinemas, i.e. the more you pay, the better the seat/service.

 

Around the ship, nobody knows what type of room anyone else has unless they ask them.

[indiana123]

Absolutely not gillyg!!

 

We have been on QE an QM and noticed absolutely nothing.

 

We liked QM a lot but absolutely loved the happy go lucky atmosphere on QE.

[Britboys]

I sailed on Queen Elizabeth in 2016 having previously only sailed on QE2 way back in 1995! I was in a standard outside cabin (Tourist Class :-)) and had a fabulous cruise. It reminded me of P&O in 'the old days' when I started cruising P&) in 1997. Although Grill Class pax may have their own small area, you won't notice it unless you go looking for it and I certainly didn't feel anyone looked down on me. After all, there are a lot more of us 'plebs' in 'Tourist Class' than there are 'toffs' in Grill Class :-).

Don't worry about, just go and enjoy yourself - I would be very surprised if you didn't.

[babs135]

It's not 'tourist class' (who uses this phrase any more?). You either sail in Britannia class or pay more and sail in the Grills, either Princess or Queens. Unless you run into some pretentious snobs you will never know who is sailing in which cabin.

[kohl57]

I think Cunard's dining room assignments have been described before in current airline parlance as "Coach" (Britannia), "Premium Economy" (Britannia Club), "Business" (Princess Grill) and "First" (Queens Grill". And that's only relative to what one pays and what one gets. Odd, we accept "classes" on planes but resist the notion of them on ships.

 

But no, there are no "classes" on Cunard and other than where your assigned table is, the ship is entirely yours. EXCEPT for the decks/lounge reserved for Grill passengers. These are isolated enough you wouldn't even know they were there and I think there are probably 2-3 signs at most that say "This Area is Reserved for Grill Guests Only Thank You for Your Understanding". Two lifts on QE/QV go to 11 and 12 Decks only if you put in your Grill cabin key card.

 

Finally, there is some element of "class" in the dress code which Cunard has exacerbated by designating such major venues as the Lido/Kings Court, Casino, Golden Lion and Yacht Club as having a more "relaxed" dress code than the rest of the ship. Just as the different classes in the old days had different dress codes.

 

Cunarders have class. But they have no classes. And no one cares or notices where you eat, sleep or how much you paid to do either.

 

Have fun!

[ToadOfToadHall]

. Odd, we accept "classes" on planes but resist the notion of them on ships.

 

Spot on.

 

If you look at other cruise forums, classes on trains or planes are fine with people, but people are often outraged if, as you say, it's a ship. and actually, they are only outraged with Cunard. Other cruise lines have exactly the same arrangement, but that, for some odd reason, if perfectly okay with those same people.

[soraya]

I find people's reaction to Cunard really interesting. I shared with some Celebrity friends that we were going on a Cunard 4 night cruise to see what it was like and I got a pretty negative response about the Cunard Class system. But Celebrity have what they call the 'Suite Life' with a different restaurant and the new Edge ships, it'll be their own deck. MSC have the Yacht Club and I think NCL have the Haven.

I personally don't see the issue, you pay what you want for the things that have value to you.

We went on a 4 day cruise on the QV and really enjoyed it, with no impact on us from the Grills. It's not a big party ship but we wanted to relax and we really enjoyed little things that some of the other lines we've cruised with have cut back on such as the flowers displays and the live music.

[Shuffleboard Dude]

In fact if you think about the passengers tourist class was invented for all ships are now all tourist class. I think the first ship to be all tourist class must have been Shaw Savill & Albion's SOUTHERN CROSS.

 

Also, not on every ship ''tourist class'' has been the same grade of accommodation. With Cunard, it equals Britannia (or Steerage if you will), but on ships of the NDL (Norddeutscher Lloyd) like the BREMEN or the EUROPA there was a separate tourist class grade between 2nd and 3rd class. Ships of the HAPAG had 1st to 3rd class and steerage on the Imperator class vessels, but steerage vanished after WWI. On Union-Castle and Orient Line ships there was just 1st and tourist class.

 

IMHO calling Britannia grade tourist class is appropriate. Just because some nitwit from marketing has invented a fancy name, it doesn't mean that basic idea isn't the same as 50 years ago.

[tv24]

Frankly I think that Cunard has itself created this class issue as a branding thing. Cunard's promotional info tries to differentiate between the various levels of service as class levels. But in reality, you pay more and just get more perks. The vast majority of areas on Cunard ships are accessible to all passengers. And other lines give extra perks to passengers who pay more, such as Neptune Suite passengers on HAL and Penthouse passengers on Oceania. However HAL and Oceania do not differentiate the different levels as "class" levels. So Cunard's labeling has created this image.

 

If you are worried about snobbism, there is not a lot of that on Cunard, just a little bit.

[helpthejuggler]

I have numerous people say they will not try Cunard because of the class system, which we all know is not very noticeable.

 

Other lines (Celebrity, RCI, NCL, MSC) have separate areas and dining for suite / haven passengers.

 

Oddly, there seems to be less resistance to this but in reality it is very similar.

 

Looking to the Celebrity Edge class they seem to be dedicating more facilities to suite passengers, certainly the promos focus upon it. If this is reflected in the ships, many people will baulk at 50% of the ship reserved for 10% of the guests.

 

Sent from my SM-G935F using Forums mobile app

[gillyg]

Thanks everyone. I think my main issue is that the very idea of 'class' is so antiquated nowadays I can barely believe anyone uses the term! Simply refer to it as 'Britannia level passengers' for example, everyone understands more money = more perks, but using such an outdated term is suggesting to new users that Cunard is snobby and could put some people off. Luckily all you lovely people have reassured me that I'll feel very comfortable in my 'tourist class' cabin! Can't wait!

[Pennbank]

People may occasionally use out dated terminology in an attempt to be funny, but there is no steerage and no tourist class.

 

It's simply the same as airlines, trains, hotels, theatres and cinemas, i.e. the more you pay, the better the seat/service.

 

Around the ship, nobody knows what type of room anyone else has unless they ask them.

 

Agree with what you say Bigmac,

but do not forget that you can tell from the cruise card if you have sailed with Cunard before and also the little discreet diamond on the Card that shows if you are travelling in the Grills.

Edited September 27, 2018 by Pennbank

[ToadOfToadHall]

but do not forget that you can tell from the cruise card if you have sailed with Cunard before and also the little discreet diamond on the Card that shows if you are travelling in the Grills.

 

But you can't see someone else's card. Unless they happen to hang it round their neck on a shoe lace that is.

[BigMac1953]

But you can't see someone else's card. Unless they happen to hang it round their neck on a shoe lace that is.

 

Your right, and but QG pax also get the faux leather card holders.

[eroller]

More modern lines like MSC and NCL have a much more distinctive class system than Cunard, even separating their suite lounge areas and exclusive restaurants with walls and key card only access doors. This is much more akin to liners of yesterday that had actual gates to restrict passengers to their perspective classes. You can literally sail in these exclusive areas and never leave them, because they are self contained. On Cunard no such gates exists, and the suites are actually scattered throughout the ship so everyone mingles. The only class differences so to speak are the restaurant you dine at, and a small lounge and deck area reserved for the Grills. It's all very discreet and you wouldn't even know it existed unless you went looking for it.

 

I honestly didn't think I would enjoy the "ship within a ship" concept like NCL offers with The Haven and MSC with The Yacht Club. I have since sailed in both and very much enjoyed it. It was a real luxury having all the amenities of the mega-ship available, such as the great entertainment, slides, attractions, and spa ... but then being able to escape at a whim to the quiet, spacious, uncrowded, and peaceful surroundings of The Haven or Yacht Club. Cunard though really doesn't need such segregation because although the ships are large, they are not crowded and boisterous like the mass-market ships of NCL and MSC. The way it works on Cunard now with the Grills basically just having a separate dining room seems well suited for the line and works perfectly.

 

And of course "classes" today are quite different than yesteryear. They don't determine your social standing, status, or even your wealth. Anyone that has the extra money to spend on the Grills, The Haven, or The Yacht Club can certainly do so. It may be a one time thing or more often. It all depends on how much you want to spend. I've sailed in the Grills on Cunard and also in inside cabins. Just depends on how much I want to splurge on any said cruise and I've actually enjoyed both equally in different ways.

[Victoria2]

Your right, and but QG pax also get the faux leather card holders.

 

True but I don't know anyone who uses them. We certainly don't and I rarely see anyone taking their card out of one of those card holders when in the lifts to get to deck 11 or 12 on Victoria or Elizabeth. More bother than they're worth.

 

Pockets or bags work just as well and are more convenient.

[kohl57]

Personally, I enjoyed QE in Britannia AND Princess Grill the last two years. The one big negative for us in Britannia was the poor state of the open decks and dismal "service" outside. That, more than anything, prompted us to splurge on Princess this August. The private open decks etc. are simply delightful on QE/QV (far nicer than on QM2).

 

More illuminating was the overall superb quality of the Grill product. In essence it cost us about what Oceania would have but with overall superior qualities of service, cuisine and facilities even if the P1/P2 "suites" are not impressive on any level, especially the bathrooms.

 

And, I enjoyed having the facilities like the big pool, the wonderful boat deck etc of a "big liner" than a smaller all deluxe class ship. For us, it was the best of both worlds.

 

But anyone who thinks they are "better" because they opt for the Grills isn't. They simply elected to spend lots more for the their cruise. Oh, and you'll wait forever to get one of the two lifts with the little slot for your precious grill card to activate. We almost always wound up having to walk up to Deck 11. Perish the thought.

[Shuffleboard Dude]

The open decks are the reason why I as tourist class - pardon Britannia - passenger prefer the QM2 over QV & QE.

All in all QM2 is a very ''equal'' ship whilst QV&QE are a bit less so. If I were a Grills passenger I would expect some additional privileges like reserved seats in the theatre and a private pool.

 

I think that we will see a somewhat of a revival of class separations in the future, though not necessarily on Cunard ships.

[eroller]

 

I think that we will see a somewhat of a revival of class separations in the future, though not necessarily on Cunard ships.

 

 

 

It’s already happening and alive and well. I’ve already mentioned MSC and NCL, and now we have lines like Celebrity and Royal Caribbean joining in. Even Carnival has the Havana cabins which offer a private lounge and pool during the day. Basically lines are providing more and more amenities fir those that are willing to pay extra. I don’t see anything wrong with it.

 

If anything I think Cunard falls a bit short with the Grills product. It should really be more inclusive like booking a suite on other lines, where drinks, gratuities, and sometimes internet and an OBC are automatically included (not part of some promo). People booking and paying for the highest level of accommodations on any line don’t want to be nickel and dimed.

Edited September 27, 2018 by eroller

[chatdad]

Having just enjoyed our first Cunard cruise (QM2) in a Britannia stateroom, we didn't experience any difference in the level of service in the public areas. Sure, you pay more, you get a bit more access (special dining rooms, lounge, what I think I saw was a bit of escorted line jumping at one of the events), but hey, no looked down on us little steerage folks.

[kohl57]

Cunard is already (almost) providing "free" drinks for Grills passengers on many cruises IF you're booking from the US. Well "free" if they are $12 or under. And yes, they delight in fiddling the drink prices to ensure you're often not getting your favourite brand etc. So no Bombay Sapphire but yes to Gordon's or Plymouth. But it's pretty generous overall and the stewards are ace at helping you game the system. And yes, when I do comparative shopping on the UK site, the fares are a bit cheaper than in the U.S. but not cheap enough to forgo the drinks package.

 

I am not quite sure how they could do more in the service and cuisine dept frankly and I am as picky and fussy as they come. The level of service is simply top notch throughout (although to be fair we found it so throughout QE this time) and the menu choice and quality of preparation is exemplary. I think the Cunard tradition of having an assigned, set table with the same stewards for all three meals just enormously enhances the service as your preferences are anticipated and known within a day or so. You don't have to "break in" a new pair of stewards every single meal.

 

Only in terms of cabin does Princess Grill fall below expectations and frankly standards for de luxe accommodation... it just doesn't look or "feel" de luxe, merely a larger version of a standard veranda cabin but with full tub bath. It's just as boring beige as any other cabin. Even the shower curtain (!) is beige.

[Pennbank]

True but I don't know anyone who uses them. We certainly don't and I rarely see anyone taking their card out of one of those card holders when in the lifts to get to deck 11 or 12 on Victoria or Elizabeth. More bother than they're worth.

 

Pockets or bags work just as well and are more convenient.

 

The faux leather wallets are actually quite useful, as it prevents your cruise card from wiping its self if it gets near your phone/ipad,

[VintageCCG]

Thanks everyone. I think my main issue is that the very idea of 'class' is so antiquated nowadays I can barely believe anyone uses the term! Simply refer to it as 'Britannia level passengers' for example, everyone understands more money = more perks, but using such an outdated term is suggesting to new users that Cunard is snobby and could put some people off. Luckily all you lovely people have reassured me that I'll feel very comfortable in my 'tourist class' cabin! Can't wait!

 

Well, the concept of classes of people can be antiquated and offensive, but - as someone mentioned in an earlier comment - other modes of transportation (air, rail, coach) routinely differentiate fares and perks by class. There is nothing at all wrong with that term or that concept.

Where 'class' distinctions might be perceived less favourably in the context of passenger ships, is the notion of (literally and figuratively) fencing off one social class from another, which most people only recognize from films such as Titanic ... those poor, plucky steerage passengers being segregated from the hoity-toity upper classes and left to drown behind locked gates.

As others have mentioned, Cunard (at least aboard the QM2) imposes very few physical barriers between their classes, other than the dining areas.

Some individuals have even implied that two of the most attractive perqs are the flexible dining hours in the Grills and the inflexible glass shower doors in Britannia Club ... although to me those seem insufficient reasons to splash out for an upgrade!

(offered with tongue embedded only slightly in cheek)

 

PJ

[Victoria2]

The faux leather wallets are actually quite useful, as it prevents your cruise card from wiping its self if it gets near your phone/ipad,

I didn't realise the faux leather wallet would protect a cruise card from demagnetizing or whatever electronics do to the card. From past experience I now make sure keep my card away from anything which would lead to a front desk visit in order to get a new card.