QM2 - Britannia verses Princess Grill

[mariocas]

We're first time cruisers and are currently booked in the Britannia level with sheltered balcony (no idea what this means).  Any thoughts on this point?  

 

My spouse is advocating for lodging on the Princess Grill decks.  Is it worth the extra expense re view and food/service quality?  M

[Sauer-kraut]

A sheltered balcony is a cove or hull balcony is one that you have to stand to look out of. 

 

You can see on the pic below how they are located in the structure of the ship and towards the top are the regular balconies.

Many prefer this type of balcony for an Atlantic crossing during the non-summer months because you can sit outside and be protected from the wind.

 

As for Britannia class or the Grills, the Grills are sort of a ship within  a ship concept.  The Britannia dining room is absolutely lovely and meals are very tasty.  I couldn't even consider the Grills as I'm a frugal cruiser, to me they are not worth it.  There are other dining options should you want to skip the main dining room, the Kings Court is a buffet during the day but for dinnner service it is shut down and severeal specialty restaurants are created for an additional fee.

 

Please visit the Cunard boards here, there are so many helpful chatters over there who are  well versed with the Cunard product.  Have fun and enjoy your cruise - you've picked a true ocean liner for your first cruise.

 

 

[Underwatr]

Sheltered balcony is a good choice for a first-time cruise, and for a first cruise on Cunard. 

 

Queen Mary 2 (an Ocean Liner) is different from most cruise ships in that the open promenade deck is located very high above the water on Deck7. This leaves room for two high-ceilinged decks of public spaces plus three stateroom decks below the promenade deck (Decks 4, 5 and 6) . Most staterooms on these three decks have sheltered balconies, which are formed by cutting openings into the actual hull of the ship. 

 

These staterooms differ from most cruise ship balcony staterooms in that most staterooms have a glass-fronted balcony that you can see through while standing in the stateroom or while sitting on a chair on the balcony. In a sheltered balcony stateroom you can see the ocean while standing but generally when you're sitting in the room or on the balcony your view is only of the sky. But in a sheltered balcony stateroom you're closer to the water than on other QM2 balcony staterooms, which are mostly on Deck 8 or Deck 11 for Britannia class. From the lower deck you can look down and see the ship's hull cutting through the water but above the promenade when you look down you mostly see lifeboats with water further below. 

 

For our upcoming transatlantic crossings were booked in sheltered balcony staterooms. For Caribbean cruises we've begun booking more often on Deck 11 for the improved view while seated on the balcony. I haven't considered booking a Grills suite to be a good use of our cruise dollars. Although others prefer that experience, for us just being on QM2 and experiencing Britannia is good enough. 

Edited March 17, 2019 by Underwatr

[mariocas]

Very nice response - thank you very much.  You just saved me some $.  M

[mariocas]

Both responses are very helpful as I've been a bit leery about this first-time crossing.  Again, thank you.  

[rkacruiser]

Having had an in-hull balcony stateroom on QM2 during a Caribbean cruise, it would not be one of that category that I would book for a similar warm weather itinerary.  For a Trans-Atlantic crossing, depending upon the time of the year of the sailing, I might during the Summer months.  But, even then, expect the temperature to be cool, maybe cool enough that the weather will "chase" you inside.  During the colder months:  save more money and book an outside view stateroom.

 

Grills vs. Britannia Restaurant?  I thought Britannia's dinner menu offerings to be more limited than what I have experienced on other ships.  The cuisine was good; the service, particularly the wine service, was very good to excellent.  But, if I sail on a Cunard vessel again, I will seriously consider booking a Grills stateroom simply for a different experience as well as the opportunity to request favorite dishes that I rarely am able to enjoy.

[mariocas]

Ah, thank you.  

 

[Underwatr]

My opinion - book Britannia for your first cruise and consider Grills later on if you find the experience somewhat lacking. Grills carries a large step up in the fare.

[mariocas]

Thank you.  I'm thinking of getting the tip package but the Cunard wording is confusing. 

 

For example, at dinner I order an expensive bottle of wine.  Is the tip covered under the tipping package?  

 

Does one just order drinks, food and not ever tip?   Would you opt for the tipping package?  Sorry for so many questions but you appear to be someone that I can trust as a first-timer.  Thanks.  

 

[Host Hattie]

The "tip package" covers the daily charge of $11.50 per person, you will be charged 15% on drinks purchased.

[mariocas]

AH HA!  You should be hired to write the tip info section.  Thank you very much.  

[bluemarble]

1 hour ago, mariocas said:

Thank you.  I'm thinking of getting the tip package but the Cunard wording is confusing. 

 

For example, at dinner I order an expensive bottle of wine.  Is the tip covered under the tipping package?  

 

Does one just order drinks, food and not ever tip?   Would you opt for the tipping package?  Sorry for so many questions but you appear to be someone that I can trust as a first-timer.  Thanks.  

 

 

Just to clarify, there isn't anything actually called a "tip package" on Cunard that you purchase like a "drinks package" or an "internet package". At least I've never seen that terminology used. If you've seen something called a "tip package" mentioned on the Cunard web site, I'd love to hear more about that.

 

There is an auto-gratuity system in place where your on board account is automatically charged $11.50 per person per day in Britannia or $13.50 in the Grills for what's known as the "Hotel and Dining Charge". You don't specifically purchase that. It's done for you automatically and stays in place unless you choose to adjust or remove that gratuity charge by visiting the pursers desk once on board.

 

As Host Hattie has indicated, there is a 15% gratuity charge automatically added to any individual drinks/bottles of wine you purchase on board. If you purchase a "drinks package" or a "wine collection", then no additional gratuity charges are added to those package prices and no additional tips are expected from you. Of course you are always welcome to tip further if you wish to.

 

Hope that helps some.

Edited March 18, 2019 by bluemarble

[Jack E Dawson]

Maracas,

First of all, congratulations on your booking. 

To your question of Sheltered Balcony vs. PG, this is actually more of a subjective question than an objective question based on your personality and what things you enjoy. We enjoyed the the sheltered balcony because it was more usable on a transatlantic crossing. We also enjoy that it is below the Promenade Deck which puts you closer to the water and gives you a view of the ships hull passing through the sea. And of course, it is on a lower deck which will experience less movement then higher decks. 

We have also done a crossing in Britannia Club. While the cabin is the same size as a sheltered balcony, you have the advantage of anytime dining and an additional page of "off menu" items to choose from at evening dining as in PG. Again a subjective thing but we especially like not having to be at our dinner table at a set time every night. So while the dining is not fully on the level of PG and the cabins not any bigger, Britannia Club is a good intermediate step, in both cost and experience, between a sheltered balcony and PG. 

With all this said, I can assure you that you will be delighted with a sheltered balcony. Whichever you decide, I would recommend selecting a cabin on the southern side of the ship for the added sunlight and warmth on your balcony.

 

Jack

[HaveDogWillTravel]

I am just now booking my next voyage and crossing on the QM2 and have been wrestling with this very question.  

We are not nearly as experienced as many on these boards but we do have some experience.  We have 70 days on Princess Cruise line, 10 on Celebrity and 14 on the QM2 (summer 2018- Norwegian Fjords and TA crossing in June).

 

On Princess and Celebrity we can afford the large suites (475 to 930 sq ft), however the price of the  Princess Grills (381 sq ft) on QM2 for our last trip were simply exorbitant.  So we booked the first 7 days through Norway on an 11th deck glass fronted balcony and the second 7  days in a deck 5 sheltered balcony.

 

I think we made great cabin selections as the views in the fjords were simply stellar and having the open balcony was outstanding.  For the crossing however, it was mostly "non deck weather".  There were a couple of days it was so windy and cold you could not even go on the promenade let alone the upper decks.  And this was summer!  That said, the QM2 is simply built for this.  Her inside spaces never felt crowded even though everyone was inside!  There is so much to do you will never be bored.  My husband and I took water painting classes (neither of us have ever done this before) and really enjoyed it.  I wanted to take the flower arranging classes too but couldn't fit it into my schedule (of afternoon teas, naps, enrichment lectures, movies, spending time in the simply gorgeous library-they even have a librarian!)   Maybe this time I will learn to Fence!  You will just love this ocean liner.  

 

I would highly recommend a sheltered balcony on deck 5 (it will have staterooms above and below) like we had.  This balcony is deeper and bigger than non sheltered balconies and the inner wall has a sizable ledge that we used as a foot rest and extra table space.  We were able to be on our balcony every day and night no matter how bad the weather was on open decks.  Do bring sweaters to bundle with though.  My husband can suffer from mal de mer so the low middle of the ship location was simply perfect for him.  If you are a new cruiser and do not know if will also suffer, this may make your crossing much more pleasant.

When we were in Norway on the 11th deck there were a couple of days we had to go sit in the center atrium area as he got too seasick being on that high of a deck. 

 

For our upcoming 21 day RT NY transatlantic crossing, Iceland and North America voyage and crossing we priced a deck 10 Princess Grill with 381 sq ft including balcony ($23,616 including taxes, gratuities, drink package and insurance) and a deck 5 sheltered balcony with 269 sq ft including balcony ($15, 414 including taxes, gratuities, insurance. This also includes $4200 added on to buy our own drinks as this did  not come with a drink package).

 

Both rooms are within our budget so our decision is not based on the money.  

We decided on the sheltered balcony for these reasons:

 

1. The Britannia dining room is just gorgeous, with excellent service.  Get to know your server and let him/her get to know you and your likes/dislikes in food.  Then always follow the recommendations!  So for us the food was very, very good.  Not Michelin Star but every night we felt we really enjoyed the meal.  We really enjoyed our table mates and if you don't, discretely ask the Maitre D'hotel for a table change.  When we looked in at the PG dining room it seemed so plain.  On formal nights you will have a sea of hundreds of beautifully dressed folks in gowns and tuxes.  So amazing!  We wanted to experience this again.

 

2. We loved our wine steward in Britannia.  Get to know them as you do your server. We gave our wine steward a nightly monetary average to achieve for the crossing and she did an incredible job of introducing us to wines I would never have tried otherwise that were in our budget. I am sure this would be identically taken care in the PG grilles, but I may be a smidge embarrassed by my paltry budget in the grills whereas I wasn't in Britannia- this is just me and it in no way reflects the attitudes of the crew.  

 

3. The more usable balcony space in the sheltered balcony verses the open balcony that may or may not be useable was a big plus and weighed heavily on us choosing the sheltered option.

 

4. My DH is less likely to get sea sick mid ship deck 5 than on deck 10.

 

The size of the bathroom and the room itself is a bit small for me but I ultimately decided the pros outweighed the cons.

 

Oh and be sure to go the Queens room after dinner to watch the wonderful ballroom dancers and hear the live orchestra, especially on the night of the Masquerade Ball.  

 

Welcome to life on the seas!

 

[mariocas]

Thank you for a very insightful look at a new experience for us in September.  I really do appreciate the time that you took to share your experiences with us.  M

[tv24]

For first time cruisers, I recommend Britannia Class and a sheltered balcony to see if this is your cup of tea.  If you love it, next time, go for the step up and travel in Princess Grill class!  The sheltered balcony staterooms are just fine and comparable to balcony rooms on most cruise lines.  The Britannia dining room is the grandest and most beautiful dining room on the ship and you will be well taken care of there.  We like to travel Princess class because we like the larger stateroom and like to hang out there.  And we like the anytime-dining option in Princess class.  But for the first time, and especially if you are doing a crossing of the Atlantic, sheltered and Britannia  is a great way to get a taste of Cunard.

Edited March 19, 2019 by tv24
correction

[mariocas]

Thank you - we're all set.  

[Bigmike911]

My first crossing on Queen Mary 2 was in a Grills suite, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The only problem booking a Grill suite for your first voyage is that you are not likely to go back to Britannia after the experience. But here I am with voyages 17 and 18 this year, and all of them have been in a grills suite. For me the experience is worth the expense. 

[mariocas]

Ah ha!  We are looking forward to this first-time experience.  Thank you.  

[exlondoner]

7 minutes ago, Bigmike911 said:

My first crossing on Queen Mary 2 was in a Grills suite, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The only problem booking a Grill suite for your first voyage is that you are not likely to go back to Britannia after the experience. But here I am with voyages 17 and 18 this year, and all of them have been in a grills suite. For me the experience is worth the expense. 

Exactly my problem. We booked Queens Grill on QE2 for the holiday of a lifetime in 1997, and now, after about 20 trips, Cunard are a lot richer for it...But worth every penny for us.

[majortom10]

We cruised in QG on QE 2017 for a special wedding anniversary and have no great desire to return as do not think it is value for money. Would perhaps book Princess Grill suite but even then only if it was a good price. The price increases for QG have been astronomical since we booked our 2017 cruise in 2015. Have cruised since on QM2 and QV in Britannia staterooms and enjoyed them just as much and saved myself a lot of money.

Edited March 26, 2019 by majortom10

[BigMac1953]

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

Exactly my problem. We booked Queens Grill on QE2 for the holiday of a lifetime in 1997, and now, after about 20 trips, Cunard are a lot richer for it...But worth every penny for us.

We only started in 2007 when our travel agent suggested a PG room on QE2, but once on board, others said that as we'd spent a lot on PG why not go a little bit further and book QG.

 

We've now done 20 in QG with two more booked.

 

We could nearly have bought the ship if you add the bar bill!

 

Stewart

[Bigmike911]

 

3 hours ago, BigMac1953 said:

We only started in 2007 when our travel agent suggested a PG room on QE2, but once on board, others said that as we'd spent a lot on PG why not go a little bit further and book QG.

 

We've now done 20 in QG with two more booked.

 

We could nearly have bought the ship if you add the bar bill!

 

Stewart

 

Isn't that the truth Stewart. Well so are my next two, which will bring me up to 18, and if I live long enough maybe I will catch up with you. 

Edited March 26, 2019 by Bigmike911