RECENT QV REVIEW

[tony s]

My wife and I were looking forward to this cruise as we had heard how excellent Cunard was and it was a great opportunity to see the Norwegian Fjords. The itinerary was great and the excursion in Olden(Fjords and Glaciers) were excellent. To be fair embarkation and disembarkation were well managed. However,many other things were not.

We had a Britannia class balcony room. The room in the times of COVID, was not properly cleaned when we arrived. The kettle and the stand with tea, sugar,ect was caked with food. The TV remote(which never worked due to alleged"satellite" issues) was also caked with some unknown matter. Our steward swore everything was clean. When we called the supervisor, he was embarrassed but did not offer to address the issue, other than to ensure us he would follow up on checking rooms. He did send a bottle of wine as an apology.My wife ended up cleaning it herself. The room also had issues with the air. Cunard reported there was no issues but temperature could not be controlled. We also reported feeling like we had a cold in room but felt great out of room. Still awaiting follow up from Cunard.

The dining room left a lot to be desired. meat when asked for rare or medium came out browner and tougher than shoe leather. On one of the formal nights, the appetizer featured was chicken fingers. Also the cutlery was old and stained. When served fish a steak knief was provided. When asked for a fish knife,we were told none was available. Every dish featured on the entrees were only seasoned with salt. When asked if garlic ,pepper ,or other seasonings were used, we were told it was chiefs prerogative and as we were not in the grills no special requests could be considered. The buffet was better in food quality and service. Afternoon tea was a cattle call. The menu was not followed. We were also seated next to parents with screaming children. When asked to be moved, we were looked at askance. When we were given cups they had a very strong raw order. When asked for them to be replaced, the waiter argued that they were clean and others did not have a problem. When the supervisor came around, eventually she smelled them and promptly replaced them without a further word or apology.

Lectures were good and trivia was fun. However, someone needs to inform Cunard that the capital of the Netherlands is The Hague and not Amsterdam.

Cunard may be for some not for us who want to spend our travel dollars wisely. 

[Bell Boy]

Fish Knife ? never seen Fish Knives on Cunard since the days of the old QE2 , not even in the Grills.

 

 

[BklynBoy8]

Just now, Bell Boy said:

Fish Knife ? never seen Fish Knives on Cunard since the days of the old QE2 , not even in the Grills.

 

 

 

I remember the fish knives on the Grand Old Lady especially for Dover Sole.

[exlondoner]

8 minutes ago, Bell Boy said:

Fish Knife ? never seen Fish Knives on Cunard since the days of the old QE2 , not even in the Grills.

 

 

 

Well, they certainly appeared on QM2 last month, whenever we had fish, usually accompanied by an ordinary knife for the non-fish elements.

[bluemarble]

Although a trivial matter, Amsterdam is the capital of the Netherlands. While The Hague is the seat of government, Amsterdam is designated as the official capital. I made that mistake while speaking with a couple from the Netherlands on board QM2. I referred to The Hague (Den Haag) as their capital and was quickly corrected on that matter.

Edited August 8, 2022 by bluemarble

[Bell Boy]

1 minute ago, exlondoner said:

 

Well, they certainly appeared on QM2 last month, whenever we had fish, usually accompanied by an ordinary knife for the non-fish elements.

Never been given one in several years , not even recently as June 5th Britannia Club . I have two other Cunard cruises booked and will report back if I'm offered one .

Having said that thy are an out of date utensil, useless when trying to cut through vegetables/potatatoes on the plate .  

[exlondoner]

1 minute ago, Bell Boy said:

Never been given one in several years , not even recently as June 5th Britannia Club . I have two other Cunard cruises booked and will report back if I'm offered one .

Having said that thy are an out of date utensil, useless when trying to cut through vegetables/potatatoes on the plate .  

 

Perhaps that is why they provided the other knife, though in fact the fish knives usually proved adequate for everything.

[Host Hattie]

I'm sorry to hear you were so disappointed, I'm intrigued by the "chicken fingers", what were they ?

[exlondoner]

4 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

I'm sorry to hear you were so disappointed, I'm intrigued by the "chicken fingers", what were they ?

 

The other phrase I didn't understand was what a cattle call is.

[WestonOne]

35 minutes ago, Bell Boy said:

Fish Knife ? never seen Fish Knives on Cunard since the days of the old QE2 , not even in the Grills.

 

 

Weren't fish knives one of the non-U signs according to Nancy Mitford?

 

This poem by Betjehman is social blunder from beginning to end.

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/john_betjeman/poems/785

 

[Host Hattie]

I love that poem! 

[exlondoner]

22 minutes ago, WestonOne said:

Weren't fish knives one of the non-U signs according to Nancy Mitford?

 

This poem by Betjehman is social blunder from beginning to end.

http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/john_betjeman/poems/785

 

Yes, they were. On the other hand, the standard of judgement of members of the Mitford family is not always to be relied on.

Edited August 8, 2022 by exlondoner

[frankp01]

14 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

The other phrase I didn't understand was what a cattle call is

I've only ever encountered "Cattle Call" in the theater-world definition. It refers to an open audition, where there are so many actors auditioning the chances of being cast are slim.

[exlondoner]

One thing I think you were extraordinarily unlucky with is encountering badly behaved children at tea. There are rarely many children on Cunard cruises, and all the ones I have encountered have been well behaved. I assume, after all that, you understandably only had tea the one day.

[exlondoner]

8 minutes ago, frankp01 said:

I've only ever encountered "Cattle Call" in the theater-world definition. It refers to an open audition, where there are so many actors auditioning the chances of being cast are slim.

 

Thanks. Not sure how tea compares.

[Host Hattie]

Just now, exlondoner said:

 

Thanks. Not sure how tea compares.

Busy I guess, it often is on port intensive cruises. 

[frankp01]

24 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Not sure how tea compares.

I think he's referring to the crowd for tea that builds before the doors open. It's a zoo, and there's no guarantee that one will get a table.

[exlondoner]

38 minutes ago, frankp01 said:

I think he's referring to the crowd for tea that builds before the doors open. It's a zoo, and there's no guarantee that one will get a table.

 

Goodness me. Perhaps if one ambles along about 40 minutes later, particularly if one is on the late dinner seating.

Edited August 8, 2022 by exlondoner

[NavyPanda]

2 hours ago, tony s said:

Every dish featured on the entrees were only seasoned with salt.

 

Cunard caters primarily to British tastes. This tends to mean that little to no seasoning is used for many dishes, which is very different to the approach on the other side of the pond. For example, most British people will be happy, and indeed often prefer, simply steamed or boiled vegetables and potatoes to accompany their meal with no seasoning added in the cooking process.

 

[rakkor]

33 minutes ago, NavyPanda said:

 

Cunard caters primarily to British tastes. This tends to mean that little to no seasoning is used for many dishes, which is very different to the approach on the other side of the pond. For example, most British people will be happy, and indeed often prefer, simply steamed or boiled vegetables and potatoes to accompany their meal with no seasoning added in the cooking process.

 

 

What nonsense is this ????

[exlondoner]

9 minutes ago, rakkor said:

 

What nonsense is this ????

 

Certainly a wild generalisation.

[sogne]

2 hours ago, exlondoner said:

 

The other phrase I didn't understand was what a cattle call is.

Do you member Slim Whitman?

[exlondoner]

22 minutes ago, sogne said:

Do you member Slim Whitman?

Never heard of him/her, I'm afraid.

[Windsurfboy]

1 hour ago, NavyPanda said:

 

Cunard caters primarily to British tastes. This tends to mean that little to no seasoning is used for many dishes, which is very different to the approach on the other side of the pond. For example, most British people will be happy, and indeed often prefer, simply steamed or boiled vegetables and potatoes to accompany their meal with no seasoning added in the cooking process.

 

 

About 40 years behind the times,

 

Some may say a bit like Cunard. Even in QG the Cunard menu is very classical or you may say old fashioned , but not 40 years out of date.  But it's seasoned properly and appropriately,  but not heavily. Quite rightly light on the garlic except for dishes that specifically require it. We like vegetables to be as fresh as possible, lightly cooked , lightly seasoned and taste of themselves. 

 

On shore modern British food, is leading edge.

 

Back to the OP, the waiters response to their question about seasoning was downright rude snd condescending .

[bluemarble]

52 minutes ago, sogne said:

Do you member Slim Whitman?

 

I do indeed. Wikipedia tells me "The Cattle Call" was first recorded by Tex Owens in 1934. Slim Whitman did have a popular cover of that song in 1954.

 

 

I'm extremely rusty on music theory, but to my ear it appears that song has three beats per measure. Might make an interesting selection for a waltz during a tea dance. 🤣