Victoria and Elizabeth Q3 or Q4?

[Whirled Peas]

I can't really discern a difference between a Q3 and a Q4 on Victoria, other than location.  Is that all there is to it?  What about the difference between a Q5 and Q6?

[BigMac1953]

The Q3 is slightly bigger than the Q4 and has an extra half wardrobe. It is also midships, near the lift. Other than that, no difference, and certainly not worth the extra cost. We've had Q3's a few times, but always an upgrade from Q4.

 

Q5's and Q6's are at the stern. They used to have massive balconies before they added the extra cabins. We quite like the stern as it is very sheltered, but there can be more movement as you're at the end of the see-saw.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Stewart

[Victoria2]

We always book a 2 or a 3 as we want to be right behind stairway B lifts, but if that isn't a priority for you, then as Big Mac says, a Q3 isn't worth the extra over a Q4.

[exlondoner]

Because the Q3s are on the wings of the ships, the balconies give you a somewhat better view. But definitely not worth the extra. 

[bluemarble]

This has probably been mentioned before during discussions of Queen Victoria's 2017 refit, but could someone refresh my memory as to why the aft-facing suites on deck 8 of Queen Victoria were upgraded from category Q5/Q6 (Queens Suites) to Q4 (Penthouse Suites)?

 

Those similarly-positioned suites on deck 8 remain category Q5/Q6 on Queen Elizabeth.

 

Is there a substantive difference in those deck 8 aft-facing suites between QV and QE?

[BigMac1953]

Originally, the aft suites were all Q4's. The majority of the cabins on deck 7 were Q6's. Then because of the popularity of the mid ships rooms, they swapped them round.

 

About a year ago they made certain popular rooms at the stern more expensive. Our favourite room therefore has gone from Q4 to Q6 to Q4.  

 

It's all about revenue.

[Victoria2]

16 hours ago, bluemarble said:

This has probably been mentioned before during discussions of Queen Victoria's 2017 refit, but could someone refresh my memory as to why the aft-facing suites on deck 8 of Queen Victoria were upgraded from category Q5/Q6 (Queens Suites) to Q4 (Penthouse Suites)?

 

Those similarly-positioned suites on deck 8 remain category Q5/Q6 on Queen Elizabeth.

 

Is there a substantive difference in those deck 8 aft-facing suites between QV and QE?

 

Adding to Big Mac's comment, I would say Cunard took the opportunity of Victoria's refit to re jig the stern categories. The new QV stern 4's  are significantly  different from their original 6 layout which, unless there has been a recent change, QE's stern category 6s still have. 

Hope that makes sense.

[Stu UK]

On QV the aft suites on deck 8 are very different to all others. My cabin tour shows the inside. 
 

 

 

Edited July 3, 2020 by Stu UK

[Austcruiser84]

15 hours ago, Stu UK said:

On QV the aft suites on deck 8 are very different to all others. My cabin tour shows the inside. 
 

 

 

I had 8178 in January and for a solo passenger it was perfect. Really love the marble and glass bathroom and the dark wood paneling was appealing. However, the lounge area is rather cluttered. The coffee table needs to be a little smaller for the space. 
 

The QV stern suites on deck 8 are currently Q6s. Will happily book again when able to travel/cruise again!

[bluemarble]

2 hours ago, Austcruiser84 said:

... The QV stern suites on deck 8 are currently Q6s. ...

 

Ah, that's very interesting. The aft-facing suites on deck 8 are most definitely color-coded as "Penthouse" category Q4 on the QV deck plans. See https://www.cunard.com/content/dam/cunard/inventory-assets/ships/QV/9/qv-deck-plans-2019.pdf (and every other web site I know of showing QV deck plans).

 

However, when I attempt to book one of those deck 8 aft-facing suites on QV using the Cunard website, they are showing up under the "Queens Suite" category (which is Q5/Q6) rather than the "Penthouse" category (which is Q3/Q4).

 

So, I suppose we have an error on the QV deck plans for deck 8 then? Or perhaps a change in the categories for those suites on deck 8 that hasn't been updated on the QV deck plans yet?

Edited July 4, 2020 by bluemarble

[Stu UK]

7 hours ago, Austcruiser84 said:

I had 8178 in January and for a solo passenger it was perfect. Really love the marble and glass bathroom and the dark wood paneling was appealing. However, the lounge area is rather cluttered. The coffee table needs to be a little smaller for the space. 
 

The QV stern suites on deck 8 are currently Q6s. Will happily book again when able to travel/cruise again!

Agree about the table. The suites either side of 8178 have larger seating areas and work slightly better. Also benefit from a walk in wardrobe. 

[Stu UK]

5 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

Ah, that's very interesting. The aft-facing suites on deck 8 are most definitely color-coded as "Penthouse" category Q4 on the QV deck plans. See https://www.cunard.com/content/dam/cunard/inventory-assets/ships/QV/9/qv-deck-plans-2019.pdf (and every other web site I know of showing QV deck plans).

 

However, when I attempt to book one of those deck 8 aft-facing suites on QV using the Cunard website, they are showing up under the "Queens Suite" category (which is Q5/Q6) rather than the "Penthouse" category (which is Q3/Q4).

 

So, I suppose we have an error on the QV deck plans for deck 8 then? Or perhaps a change in the categories for those suites on deck 8 that hasn't been updated on the QV deck plans yet?

Think they were downgraded due to noise from above. 

[Victoria2]

8 hours ago, Austcruiser84 said:

I had 8178 in January and for a solo passenger it was perfect. Really love the marble and glass bathroom and the dark wood paneling was appealing. However, the lounge area is rather cluttered. The coffee table needs to be a little smaller for the space. 
 

The QV stern suites on deck 8 are currently Q6s. Will happily book again when able to travel/cruise again!

A couple we regularly meet onboard always book  stern 6s [now 4s?] on Victoria. Their verdict is ''cluttered and not as spacious''.

A butler, now retired, when asked about the new interiors told us the high gloss  meant more work to keep fingerprints at bay due to the fact they showed up so easily, marking the surfaces. I took it as a negative comment.

[bluemarble]

I've done some more detective work to determine the current cabin categories for each of the deck 8 aft-facing suites on QV.

 

First, as a reminder, here is a mock-up of what the QV deck plans show for the aft-facing suites on decks 4, 5 and 8.

 

Current QV Deck Plan (Incorrect/Outdated)

 

 

The suites on deck 8 are all color-coded as category Q4. On decks 4 and 5, the two outer-most suites (with wrap-around balconies) are category Q5 while the inner three suites are category Q6.

 

Now, after learning that those deck 8 suites are not category Q4, I was expecting them to be categorized the same as on decks 4 and 5. However, this is a mock-up of what I was actually able to determine by starting bookings for each of those deck 8 suites on several different booking web sites including Cunard's own site.

 

Actual QV Deck Plan (Corrected by Me)

 

 

I was surprised to find the outer-most suites 8174 and 8179 (with the wrap-around balconies) on deck 8 are the less expensive category Q6 (as is the middle suite 8178 as expected). The other two suites 8176 and 8181 are the more expensive category Q5.

 

Go Figure.

[Austcruiser84]

15 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

A couple we regularly meet onboard always book  stern 6s [now 4s?] on Victoria. Their verdict is ''cluttered and not as spacious''.

A butler, now retired, when asked about the new interiors told us the high gloss  meant more work to keep fingerprints at bay due to the fact they showed up so easily, marking the surfaces. I took it as a negative comment.

In today’s environment, seeing your suite has been properly cleaned is reassuring. But yes, must be a pain to keep clean. I guess the key is don’t put your hands all over the walls (hard if travelling with small children I guess). 

[Austcruiser84]

5 hours ago, bluemarble said:

I've done some more detective work to determine the current cabin categories for each of the deck 8 aft-facing suites on QV.

 

First, as a reminder, here is a mock-up of what the QV deck plans show for the aft-facing suites on decks 4, 5 and 8.

 

Current QV Deck Plan (Incorrect/Outdated)

 

 

The suites on deck 8 are all color-coded as category Q4. On decks 4 and 5, the two outer-most suites (with wrap-around balconies) are category Q5 while the inner three suites are category Q6.

 

Now, after learning that those deck 8 suites are not category Q4, I was expecting them to be categorized the same as on decks 4 and 5. However, this is a mock-up of what I was actually able to determine by starting bookings for each of those deck 8 suites on several different booking web sites including Cunard's own site.

 

Actual QV Deck Plan (Corrected by Me)

 

 

I was surprised to find the outer-most suites 8174 and 8179 (with the wrap-around balconies) on deck 8 are the less expensive category Q6 (as is the middle suite 8178 as expected). The other two suites 8176 and 8181 are the more expensive category Q5.

 

Go Figure.

Great graphics. I find the deck plans change every season. One year a suite is one category only to change the next and change again the one after that. 
 

 

[Austcruiser84]

16 hours ago, Stu UK said:

Think they were downgraded due to noise from above. 

I didn’t find it noisy at all. The slight scrape of a deck chair above in the morning but nothing that would wake me up if asleep. The decor of the suite and the beautiful bathroom more than make up for it anyway. I like the older suites too but the new ones are far nicer and I hope Cunard adopts this style in the new Mauretania’s QG suites.