Booked my first Cunard cruise. What should I expect?

[beaveh]

I’ve taken the plunge and booked a fiord cruise on QV next year. If done a couple of cruises on celebrity but never on Cunard. I have some basic questions that would be great if someone could help with. First and most importantly I’ve got some questions about the fitness and spa areas. If you want to use the royal spa ( sauna, steam, heated loungers) is there a daily charge or a charge for a week pass. ( like the Persian gardens on celebrity ). Is there anywhere else you can get a sauna / steam for free ( like the gym changing rooms etc)?

What sort of gym classes do they do?  I assume treatments are the usual massage / facials etc

 

ill be reading this board to find out as much as I can about dining options and drinks. :) 

[MarkBearSF]

I'll let others answere your questions about the gym and spa. (A couple of weeks ago, we went to the gym for the first time in six trips on the QM2 - it was our muster station!)

Dinner options (besides Britannia and King's Court) are:
- Alternative dining in the Veranda Steakhouse. ($40) Pretty much what you'd expect. Good steaks, some seafood. Lots of side dish options. Their gimmick is they ask you to select your steak knife from an assortment brought to your table.
- Alternative dining in the Lido. ($20) A really excellent option. It's white tablecloth service. They have five themes which typically run 3 days or so, so you'll likely have two of them. They don't announce the themes in advance; you must wait until you board to call a reservation number and find out. The themes are Coriander/Indian, Bamboo/Asian, Smokehouse/American classics, Piazza/Italian, Aztec/Mexican. We've enjoyed Coriander and Bamboo before - both were excellent, but I give a slight edge to the Indian.

 

Lunch options (besides Britannia and King's Court)

- Pub Lunch in the Golden Lion Pub - an excellent pub lunch (Fish & Chips, Cottage Pie, Chicken Tikka, Ploughman's Lunch) No extra charge. It's very popular and there's a rush for seats when service starts. Come back about 45 minutes later and plenty of seats will open up with lots of time left for service.

- Small bites in the Carinthia Lounge (although only QM2, I think) - adjacent to King's Court, they offer small plates of things like mushroom crepes, buffalo chicken roll, salade niçoise, and small panninis. We often grab something here if we'll be going to Afternoon Tea.

 

Also

- Afternoon Tea. Most memorably served on silver trays with classical music in Queen's Room, but also served in King's Court (and the Grill's Lounge for grill passengers) Three rounds, finger sandwiches, pastries, scones and clotted cream.
- Room Service

Edited July 14, 2019 by MarkBearSF

[MarkBearSF]

As for drinks, there are a couple of quirks with Cunard.

- Drinks are available in two sizes. Small (uses UK measure) and Large (US shot, roughly twice as much)
- They charge for your mixer (like tonic in a G&T)

 

Their drinks package is more restrictive than Celebrity. (If your drink is more than the limit in your plan, you pay the regular price less 20%, rather than the net difference. You also must sign the tabs for each bar bill and then it's credited back overnight)

Also, not all drinks are available in all bars. (The pub has a larger beer selection, but there are more types of gin in the Commodore Club and Chart Room)

[BigMac1953]

Mark -  Afternoon tea is served in the Princess Grill, not the Grill Lounge anymore.

[MarkBearSF]

6 minutes ago, BigMac1953 said:

Mark -  Afternoon tea is served in the Princess Grill, not the Grill Lounge anymore.

 

Thanks for the update! (We'll have a chance to find out ourselves next May when we're doing Princess Grill crossings)

[PORT ROYAL]

1 hour ago, beaveh said:

I’ve taken the plunge and booked a fiord cruise on QV next year. If done a couple of cruises on celebrity but never on Cunard. I have some basic questions that would be great if someone could help with. First and most importantly I’ve got some questions about the fitness and spa areas. If you want to use the royal spa ( sauna, steam, heated loungers) is there a daily charge or a charge for a week pass. ( like the Persian gardens on celebrity ). Is there anywhere else you can get a sauna / steam for free ( like the gym changing rooms etc)?

What sort of gym classes do they do?  I assume treatments are the usual massage / facials etc

 

ill be reading this board to find out as much as I can about dining options and drinks. 🙂 

 

Others will give a splendid array of advice.

But I will give one small thing, Cunard has an adult view on bringing whatever wine and liquor on board you may require.  No restrictions. Your luggage is not searched like on Celebrity.

 

Also do not forget to purchase while onboard some Future Cruise Deposits

 

https://ask.completecruisesolution.com/help/ext/cunard/before-you-sail/FCD

 

 

 

[beaveh]

The most important thing to us is how the tea / coffee works. I assume hot drinks are always available in your cabin and from the buffet free of charge, what about other places on the ship? Where would you get lattes and capochinos from? I assume they are charged? I might have about 3 alcoholic drinks a day, hubby none. 

Edited July 16, 2019 by beaveh

[Glenndale]

If you want to use the spa, thalassotherapy pool, warm beds, steam room etc. you can buy a pass.

There is a free sauna in the changing rooms with a window overlooking the sea.

[Underwatr]

6 hours ago, beaveh said:

The most important thing to us is how the tea / coffee works. I assume hot drinks are always available in your cabin and from the buffet free of charge, what about other places on the ship? Where would you get lattes and capochinos from? I assume they are charged? I might have about 3 alcoholic drinks a day, hubby none. 

Sir Samuel's is the nominal spot for premium coffee but it doesn't open until 9:00. They have the same coffee machines in the Carinthia Lounge and it opens at 7:00 (plus it's a full bar so you can opt for a little something in your coffee, or a Bloody Mary if you'd prefer).

 

There's a free coffee/tea station on Deck 2 near Connexions (down the stairs from the entrance to the Illuminations Theatre/Planetarium/Lecture Hall).

 

You can order a cappuccino, etc. in Britannia during meals for free.

[tijc52]

On 7/14/2019 at 2:31 PM, BigMac1953 said:

Mark -  Afternoon tea is served in the Princess Grill, not the Grill Lounge anymore.

 

Is it essentially the same as Queen's Room Afternoon Tea, but in a smaller setting?  We're trying Grills for the first time next year.

[BigMac1953]

2 minutes ago, tijc52 said:

 

Is it essentially the same as Queen's Room Afternoon Tea, but in a smaller setting?  We're trying Grills for the first time next year.

 

No. It's much better.

 

The sandwiches, scones and cakes are served on a 3 tier stand, but obviously, you can dictate what goes on it (usually too much).

 

You will enjoy it!

 

Stewart

[tijc52]

1 minute ago, BigMac1953 said:

 

No. It's much better.

 

The sandwiches, scones and cakes are served on a 3 tier stand, but obviously, you can dictate what goes on it (usually too much).

 

You will enjoy it!

 

Stewart

 

Thanks Stewart...this made my day!

[siforest65]

2 hours ago, Underwatr said:

Sir Samuel's is the nominal spot for premium coffee but it doesn't open until 9:00. They have the same coffee machines in the Carinthia Lounge and it opens at 7:00 (plus it's a full bar so you can opt for a little something in your coffee, or a Bloody Mary if you'd prefer).

 

There's a free coffee/tea station on Deck 2 near Connexions (down the stairs from the entrance to the Illuminations Theatre/Planetarium/Lecture Hall).

 

You can order a cappuccino, etc. in Britannia during meals for free.

 

Is the free coffee station on the QM2 (came across it a few weeks ago). I’m sure the OP said they were on QV? I’m on the QV later this year so interested if there are any hidden coffee places.

[Underwatr]

On QM2 (I missed QV in the OP). I haven't been in QV since 2012 so I'd need to figure it all out again there.

Edited July 16, 2019 by Underwatr

[fadedpages]

11 hours ago, beaveh said:

The most important thing to us is how the tea / coffee works. I assume hot drinks are always available in your cabin and from the buffet free of charge, what about other places on the ship? Where would you get lattes and capochinos from? I assume they are charged? I might have about 3 alcoholic drinks a day, hubby none. 

 

The "proper" coffee lounge is midships either deck 2 or 3, can't remember which off the top of my head.  They do serve tea/coffee in places like the Golden Lion pub, but I think they might be from a machine.  I have to have non-dairy milk in mine and that lounge is the only place I can get them, which makes me think the others might be machine based, but it might just be that they don't have the milk.  And yes, they are chargeable unless you have the drinks package that includes hot drinks - somewhere around $4 each if memory serves.

[BellaAnna]

We literally just got off the QV Fjords,Iceland and Scotland cruise so are still on a high!  We bought the Spa package and used the large whirlpool with strong jets ( my husband uses them on his back instead of a massage, he likes the control of where the pressure is). I particularly like the hot beds that look out to the sea!

I had Cappuccino each morning in the Chart room.  Delicious!

be sure and get up extra early upon arrival into Norway, the views are breathtaking!  Also don’t turn in too early as we did a lot of whale watching from our cabin windows.

Enjoy!!

[AussieVoyager]

To pick up on what Glenndale said regarding the spa and sauna, I confirm that apart from the facilities in the spa (for which you need a pass which is around $35 for a day), there are great free saunas in the changing rooms.

 

I really enjoyed the free sauna as it is very bright with a glass wall overlooking the sea - you can whale watch from your sauna bench!

[beaveh]

Thanks for all the great info

 

9 hours ago, AussieVoyager said:

To pick up on what Glenndale said regarding the spa and sauna, I confirm that apart from the facilities in the spa (for which you need a pass which is around $35 for a day), there are great free saunas in the changing rooms.

 

I really enjoyed the free sauna as it is very bright with a glass wall overlooking the sea - you can whale watch from your sauna bench!

 

I take it you mean the changing rooms for the gym? That's nice to know. I quite like sharing a sauna with my hubby but I realise the boat ones will be single sex.

 

[beaveh]

16 hours ago, BellaAnna said:

We literally just got off the QV Fjords,Iceland and Scotland cruise so are still on a high!  We bought the Spa package and used the large whirlpool with strong jets ( my husband uses them on his back instead of a massage, he likes the control of where the pressure is). I particularly like the hot beds that look out to the sea!

I had Cappuccino each morning in the Chart room.  Delicious!

be sure and get up extra early upon arrival into Norway, the views are breathtaking!  Also don’t turn in too early as we did a lot of whale watching from our cabin windows.

Enjoy!!

 

Whale watching!!!! amazing I said to hubby this morning that I wondered if we would see any whales. Is there an announcement or something, or do you just have to keep an eye out? We are doing the shorter cruise to the fiords, so I'm not sure where the whales are and if they will be that far south.

 

[AussieVoyager]

56 minutes ago, beaveh said:

Thanks for all the great info

 

 

I take it you mean the changing rooms for the gym? That's nice to know. I quite like sharing a sauna with my hubby but I realise the boat ones will be single sex.

 

Yes, the changing rooms for the gym. It is very pleasant. Probably the nicest sauna I’ve been in - and yes, definitely single sex. 

[newjoisey]

use the gym as much as you please........you may still expect to put on a few pounds.......lol 

[BellaAnna]

Bear has they do not announce. We just happen to look out our door at about 10:30pm. It was still light so had quite the show.  The next morning everyone was a buzz as they saw the same thing!

[Host Hattie]

It probably depends on time of day, we had an announcement about whales on QV last year and dolphins on QM2 this week.