Live from…. Victoria, Cunard Vs Celebrity, Grills Vs the Retreat

[Victoria2]

Late show used to be at 10.30pm so 10pm is a definite improvement for us.

[Windsurfboy]

Like late show as you can get seats. It's too much of a rush to get early show , and if you arrive at last minute often full.

 

Don't find it to late , 10 pm show over by 10.45 , in cabin well before 11 pm , just don't succumb to  nightcap temptation. 

[groryjm]

Before I try and catch up on the last couple of days and answer some of your posts let me explain my absence for the last few days. We have been without internet for the last 24 hours or so and I was only able to get a connection on Thursday through Telenor when in sight of land or docked. Norwegian Wi-Fi is excellent and sailing through the fjords and when in sight of the islands 40 to 50 Mbps up and down have not been unusual. I can hotspot from my phone to my lap top to use two devices and for that service I only pay £10 a month through giffgaff and am very happy. For Cunard’s WiFi I have paid £480 for two devices for 12 days and have barely had more than 2Mbps for half the days for which I have paid and even then have had to constantly re login to the internet to have a connection. If one moves from one part of the room, bar or lounge to another there is invariably a slight break in connection and while most Internet services I have had at sea before have just meant a slight pause while the system automatically reconnects, the Cunard system requires one to go through the complete log in scenario each time.

 

In fact while I write this I have a good connection…. But not in our Q2 cabin at the desk unit by the phone or dining room table with its comfortable chairs but only sitting on an arm chair by the door…..

 

 

Rant over. I have spoken to the concierge about this and she has said there will be a refund for the last two days as the problem was with their US provider.   

[groryjm]

Most shows in the west end start between 7 and 8 and after a show I like to sit with a drink and talk about the performance. Most other lines I know of seem to have thier production shows at around 7 and 9 . Is 8 and 10 a specific Cunard thing?

 

We've allways either gone to the early show at 7 and eaten at around 8.30 or  eaten around 7 and gone tom the 9 . 

[Host Hattie]

7 minutes ago, groryjm said:

Most shows in the west end start between 7 and 8 and after a show I like to sit with a drink and talk about the performance. Most other lines I know of seem to have thier production shows at around 7 and 9 . Is 8 and 10 a specific Cunard thing?

 

We've allways either gone to the early show at 7 and eaten at around 8.30 or  eaten around 7 and gone tom the 9 . 

It used to be 8.30 or 10.30 so the show is after dinner for both main dinner sittings. Occasionally, either on the last night or for certain shows there might be an early show before second sitting dinner but fortunately it's not a regular occurrence.

I agree with @carlmm, I don't want to go to a show pre-dinner. You can't compare cruise ship entertainment to a regular theatre where there is a single performance lasting at least a couple of hours.

Enjoy your last afternoon and evening on board.

[groryjm]

My last drinkie with nibbles before diner and it has to be a last word......

 

 

I will post more tomorrow and Monday when we are back but for now we are heading for our last diner on board. Despite any impressions to the contrary I may have given we have loved this cruise and will probabbly be back in QG in 2024 ( we have already got 3 cruises in upper suites booked for 2023 with Celebrity and I think even for us 4 cruises in a year is too much) 😎

 

[Host Hattie]

Thanks again for all your posts and photographs, it looks like you're having a fabulous time to me.

[groryjm]

5 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

Thanks again for all your posts and photographs, it looks like you're having a fabulous time to me.

Thanks @Host Hattie we have had a stelar cruise, or to be more acurate a solar cruise.  My aim was to see the northern lights before I turned 60 and I am glad to report i have achieved that in Style. 

 

Am I a Cunard convert? that is anothe question . I have particularly enjoyed the food on this cruise, mainly i am sure , due to the QG effect. The cabin, a Q2,  is absolutely to our need and I have loved dressing in black tie most nights without fear of being over dressed. There have been a number of pluses over our usual expectations and a couple of fails. I will go minto a more detailed comparison on Sunday or Monday but in the meantime, if the internet lasts, I will say the QG experience is absolutetly Fabulose and one we will repeat , may be not next year but most certainly the year after or the one after that. 

 

oh and the vodka on the last night is pretty good...

 

 

The caviar is pretty good too.......

 

[sullaRaffaello]

On 10/21/2022 at 7:14 PM, carlmm said:

Even worse, IMHO, 😉

Pre dinner I will have some cocktails not go to a show.

With the 7PM show on Crystal, you could have both.  I'm not much of a show guy, but a lady I was traveling with loved the shows. We would go to the 7 o'clock show, which was usually 45 minutes, then head to the Cove or the Avenue and have cocktails for another 45 minutes to an hour and then go into a nice leisurely dinner without having to constantly check the time for a show.

[ClefsDor]

1 hour ago, sullaRaffaello said:

With the 7PM show on Crystal, you could have both.  I'm not much of a show guy, but a lady I was traveling with loved the shows. We would go to the 7 o'clock show, which was usually 45 minutes, then head to the Cove or the Avenue and have cocktails for another 45 minutes to an hour and then go into a nice leisurely dinner without having to constantly check the time for a show.

Completely agree. We would have cocktails from 6.00 -7.00 and then go to the show (might have a drink there too but I don't think that's done in the Theatre on Cunard) and then go to dinner. There was then time after dinner to go to one of the lounges and still not be up terribly late. 

[groryjm]

To conclude……..

 

My aim for this “live from…” was to offer my observations in a comparison between Celebrity and Cunard. In the past we have sailed with Celebrity and mostly in their royal suites (Q2 equivalent) with the occasional Penthouse suite (Q1 equivalent). I feel this puts me in a good position to compare that to the Carpathia suite (Q2) on Queen Victoria, which we vacated this morning.

 

First let me emphasize that this not a Cunard or indeed Celebrity rant as we loved our cruise and would book again for the right itinerary, only in a Q1 or Q2 mind you. There are in, my mind, pros and cons to each line and I hope this will help those wanting to test the waters in another line.

 

The suite

 

A Royal suite on Celebrity (RS) is in fact slightly smaller over all but the space in the Q2 actually feels slightly less. In the Q2 there is actually the same amount of wardrobe space overall but it is all in the bedroom. In an RS the second wardrobe is in the main living room with subsidiary cloths space too. While there are separate wardrobes in the Q2, if an third guest is sharing the suite its location in the main bedroom is not ideal. I feel Celebrity’s layout in that respect is a little better.

 

I loved the extra dressing area in the Q2 but I did notice the lack of hook upon which to hang a coat. In the RS there is a hook in the guest bathroom ideal for hanging coats etc. The makeup mirror in the bedroom of the Q2 was also better sized.

 

 

This brings me to one of the real niggles. On Celebrity S class ships there are 22 suites with a door into the living area from the bedroom and a door to the walk in wardrobe and they are all held open by magnets if left open. In the Q1s and Q2s on Cunard’s Vista class ships there are only 6 suites with such doors and there is no means of holding them open. These doors are in addition to the bathroom doors, which I can understand one doesn’t usually leave open, but the walk-in wardrobe door and bedroom door were constantly swinging if not shut. Cunard could at least provide wedges. We can’t be the only couple where one is doing their makeup pre dinner while the other is at the bar pouring drinks - only to have the door shut on them as they bring the glasses through!!

 

 

We did find the lack of a second toilet a bit odd; all the upper suites on Celebrity include them. The shower was also a bit of an oddity in the Q2. There are 8 shower heads and 2 wand type shower heads up to 8 of which could be on at the same time. In the RS on X there is one overhead rainfall head and one wand type.  It would seem on paper Cunard would win this one but for me at a 6 foot I could not get my head under a jet without having to bend significantly even my Gastrognome at 5ft 6ins had to duck to rinse her hair.

 

The bath however was lovely, even if it did creak a bit, and the views from the tub are unbeatable although you do need to sit tall to see them. In the RS on X there is an additionally jetted tub on the balcony with excellent unobscured views. Because of the cold outside I didn’t mourn its lack.

 

Cunards view...

 

Celebritys view... (please ignore my toe!)

 

The light wood panelling is lovely to look at and I feel a far more suitable decore for a top suite that that envisaged by Kelly Hoppen on Xs revolutionised ships.

 

The sofa bed was no were near as comfortable as the RS equivalent and my Gastrognome also felt the main bed to be less than Celebrity’s

 

The dining room table was also the perfect size for our passion for board games

 

 

More to follow…….. ( give me a day or two as we have 5 cases to unpack and launder )

Edited October 24, 2022 by groryjm

[Victoria2]

I can't say we've had any problems with interior doors or storage space doors but then we keep interior doors closed in the cabin as we like different levels of air-con in the living, bathroom and bedroom areas.

[groryjm]

Just now, Victoria2 said:

I can't say we've had any problems with interior doors or storage space doors but then we keep interior doors closed in the cabin as we like different levels of air-con in the living, bathroom and bedroom areas.

We tend to leave the bedroom door open but I agree it is personal thing. I suspect in calmer seas we would not have noticed it but with the seas we had last week the doors were definately swinging. 

[Victoria2]

9 minutes ago, groryjm said:

We tend to leave the bedroom door open but I agree it is personal thing. I suspect in calmer seas we would not have noticed it but with the seas we had last week the doors were definately swinging. 

A warm bathroom; a chilly bedroom and an in between sitting room depending on how cold we feel but the bedroom and bathroom are definitely many degrees apart!

 

Re your experience, Cunard is pretty special for us and I am so glad to read you'll book again as it shows you thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

The only slight fly in the ointment is the 2's go quite quickly  so early booking is recommended which means planning way ahead!

[exlondoner]

One thing I would like to ask, though it is not really relevant to the top suites, where you can make you won peace. But one of the things I most enjoy about Cunard ships is the feeling of quiet, calm, and serenity. How does this compare with Celebrity?

[groryjm]

6 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

One thing I would like to ask, though it is not really relevant to the top suites, where you can make you won peace. But one of the things I most enjoy about Cunard ships is the feeling of quiet, calm, and serenity. How does this compare with Celebrity?

@exlondoner The next bit I intend to cover is the food but the post after that is the ship, entertainment and art, so bear with me a day or two and I hope I'll cover what you want.

[exlondoner]

1 minute ago, groryjm said:

@exlondoner The next bit I intend to cover is the food but the post after that is the ship, entertainment and art, so bear with me a day or two and I hope I'll cover what you want.

Thanks. I thought it might not fit with comparisons of the top suites. So I shall wait with bated breath. 😀

Edited October 24, 2022 by exlondoner

[swjumbo]

Thank you for your informed posts and photos. We’ve really enjoyed them.

Looking forward to your views on the food and entertainment too.

[chemmo]

Thanks for your review. Thoroughly enjoyed reading. As usual with your reviews you make my drinking pattern look very modest and tame! Totally understand your love of the lights…lifetime experiences to treasure!

 

Trying Cunard is something we have been considering for a while…We are regular Celebrity PH/RS cruisers…

 

The QG food does look lovely. Totally understand you wanting to dine there all the time on your first experience.
 

However, I assume there are other restaurant alternatives? Different styles of venue as well as different styles of food? More themed, more relaxed? If so is the cost included with a top suite or is it extra? Perhaps some regular Cunard travellers could respond as well as OP? Quite simply much as the QG food and service looks and sounds excellent I wouldn’t want to dine in the same restaurant every night.

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, chemmo said:

Thanks for your review. Thoroughly enjoyed reading. As usual with your reviews you make my drinking pattern look very modest and tame! Totally understand your love of the lights…lifetime experiences to treasure!

 

Trying Cunard is something we have been considering for a while…We are regular Celebrity PH/RS cruisers…

 

The QG food does look lovely. Totally understand you wanting to dine there all the time on your first experience.
 

However, I assume there are other restaurant alternatives? Different styles of venue as well as different styles of food? More themed, more relaxed? If so is the cost included with a top suite or is it extra? Perhaps some regular Cunard travellers could respond as well as OP? Quite simply much as the QG food and service looks and sounds excellent I wouldn’t want to dine in the same restaurant every night.

I am speaking now about QE/QV. I have no knowledge of QM2's alternative dining.

 

The Lido has what I call 'pop ups' most, but not all, evenings These are sectioned off parts of the Lido where the tables are 'dressed' and the ambiance is most definitely not buffet style. 

The dining is themed and the theme generally follows a three night period. It could be Asian, Chinese, Mexican, Italian and others. This is chargeable and I think, around $20/25 but Diamond category Cunard passengers can dine here 'free' one night as a perk .

 

The other regular alternative is The Verandah. Again, a Diamond perk [perk is in the form of a voucher which can be utilised for an evening pop up or Verandah lunch] is a lunchtime dining experience , the evening is chargeable but I have no idea of the cost as we never bother, as we love the QG restaurant ambiance and service and we can order most of the alternative dining offerings, to be served up in QG.

 

Then of course, there is The Lido buffet but  apart from a very rare top up around midnight, we have never dined there of an evening.

 

*Apart from the Lido, the evening codes are in all the dining venues. As we find QG dining  relaxed,  it's up to individuals to decide if one venue is more relaxed than others.

 

Hope that helps for starters.

Edited October 25, 2022 by Victoria2
*

[chemmo]

10 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

I am speaking now about QE/QV. I have no knowledge of QM2's alternative dining.

 

The Lido has what I call 'pop ups' most, but not all, evenings These are sectioned off parts of the Lido where the tables are 'dressed' and the ambiance is most definitely not buffet style. 

The dining is themed and the theme generally follows a three night period. It could be Asian, Chinese, Mexican, Italian and others. This is chargeable and I think, around $20/25 but Diamond category Cunard passengers can dine here 'free' one night as a perk .

 

The other regular alternative is The Verandah. Again, a Diamond perk [perk is in the form of a voucher which can be utilised for an evening pop up or Verandah lunch] is a lunchtime dining experience , the evening is chargeable but I have no idea of the cost as we never bother, as we love the QG restaurant ambiance and service and we can order most of the alternative dining offerings, to be served up in QG.

 

Then of course, there is The Lido buffet but  apart from a very rare top up around midnight, we have never dined there of an evening.

 

*Apart from the Lido, the evening codes are in all the dining venues. As we find QG dining  relaxed,  it's up to individuals to decide if one venue is more relaxed than others.

 

Hope that helps for starters.

Sincere thanks for your comments. I would (relying on the pictures) agree that the QG is a cut above Luminae on Celebrity. I am sure we would enjoy dining there some nights.
 

What makes me a little reluctant to try Cunard is we have got used to varying the ‘ambiance’ of our dining experiences on Celebrity. I don’t necessarily want fine dining every night. For example, on the Silhouette in addition to the suite restaurant we could enjoy the ‘formal’ experience of Murano the ‘Italian steakhouse’ feel of Tuscan, the ‘family BBQ’ feel of the Lawn Grill, ‘casual Asian’ in Sushi on Five….Whilst I am sure in terms of food quality QG would win I am unsure about one dining style, especially on longer cruises. 
 

Perhaps we should try a short Cunard cruise and see how we get on! I guess we are not real ‘foodies’ just people who enjoy a variety of food and food types.

[Victoria2]

We're not foodies either.

I would hazard a guess most guests are like us, non experts who enjoy a variety of well cooked, well presented meals.

We know what we like and we know we'll get it in QG. 🙂

 

I would add a rider that a shortie does not always 'show off' the true QG experience.

 

 

[swjumbo]

56 minutes ago, chemmo said:

Sincere thanks for your comments. I would (relying on the pictures) agree that the QG is a cut above Luminae on Celebrity. I am sure we would enjoy dining there some nights.
 

What makes me a little reluctant to try Cunard is we have got used to varying the ‘ambiance’ of our dining experiences on Celebrity. I don’t necessarily want fine dining every night. For example, on the Silhouette in addition to the suite restaurant we could enjoy the ‘formal’ experience of Murano the ‘Italian steakhouse’ feel of Tuscan, the ‘family BBQ’ feel of the Lawn Grill, ‘casual Asian’ in Sushi on Five….Whilst I am sure in terms of food quality QG would win I am unsure about one dining style, especially on longer cruises. 
 

Perhaps we should try a short Cunard cruise and see how we get on! I guess we are not real ‘foodies’ just people who enjoy a variety of food and food types.

Chemmo 

We appear to visit the same haunts here on CC and reading your posts we may actually have cruised together at one point. Did you go round the U.K. on Silhouette last year? We did in The Retreat and loved it.

Got to agree with your comments. We have mulled over Cunard for quite a while now but do wonder about getting dressed up every night and lack of venues.

No doubt I will suffer the wrath of Cunard diehards, especially one in particular, but we’re sticking our neck out and have a nice little trip booked in Queens Grill in three weeks.

We did exactly the same itinerary on Silhouette in September so it’ll be interesting to compare and am indebted to grorygm for his regular updates.

Only one problem is that we enjoy a drinks package and Cunard don’t do one on shorter cruises. Methinks our drinks bill might be more than our tickets!

 

[chemmo]

21 minutes ago, swjumbo said:

Chemmo 

We appear to visit the same haunts here on CC and reading your posts we may actually have cruised together at one point. Did you go round the U.K. on Silhouette last year? We did in The Retreat and loved it.

Got to agree with your comments. We have mulled over Cunard for quite a while now but do wonder about getting dressed up every night and lack of venues.

No doubt I will suffer the wrath of Cunard diehards, especially one in particular, but we’re sticking our neck out and have a nice little trip booked in Queens Grill in three weeks.

We did exactly the same itinerary on Silhouette in September so it’ll be interesting to compare and am indebted to grorygm for his regular updates.

Only one problem is that we enjoy a drinks package and Cunard don’t do one on shorter cruises. Methinks our drinks bill might be more than our tickets!

 

Yes, we did do the UK cruise last year. We did a live review from the PH which I think you contributed to. A pity everyone was focusing on keeping apart on that cruise rather than meeting up! So pleased you are trying Cunard, I will look out on both boards for your comments.  I am sure a comparative review would be enjoyed by many Celebrity regulars. 
 

We have happily cruised Celebrity now for many years finding it a good fit. We like the decor and design of the bigger suites and enjoy the suite perks. We have no complaints with Celebrity, we are not ‘jumping ships’ but if we want to cruise more without flying then Cunard becomes an obvious contender… 
 

Choosing  holidays (of any type) is all about knowing what aspects are important to you but you can risk missing out on new experiences and adventures if you aren’t willing to try something new. Important to us are…

 

A good sized room and balcony 

Bar music (classic and contemporary both enjoyed)

A range of bars to suit all moods

A range of restaurants (classic and casual)

 

Not interested in casinos, big shows, shops…

 

It would appear our concerns are similar. From what I have read on the Cunard board food quality is very good. I have no issues that we would not be well fed. Valuing the OPs food and drink knowledge I would probably concur that if you want fine dining every night then Cunard has the advantage over Celebrity.
 

However, for example, whilst many on the Celebrity board find the food in Tuscan Grill a bit basic (steak/pasta) we love the venue with the fabulous views and it’s pleasant but very relaxed atmosphere. My husband is happy in a comfortable smart polo or open necked shirt I will be in a simple top and skirt…The food is what it is, a decent steak and unpretentious pasta selection. Similar  to what one would get in an Italian Restaurant in most towns and none the worse for it. This will be our choice a couple of nights per cruise. Also some nights we may go in Sushi and simply share a selection of small plates. It is the lack of variety in venues that concerns us on Cunard.

 

Re drinks. We do like the fact the drinks are included on Celebrity. We are not massive drinkers but by the time you add in the cost of decent wine with dinner, speciality coffee, sparkling water and a cocktail or three it is nice not to worry about a final bill! One of the advantages to us of a drinks package is that I then become more experimental. I will try new wines and cocktails. When paying by the bottle or glass I tend to be more conservative. This would not be a deal breaker on booking Cunard for us.

 

Sincere best wishes for a fantastic cruise, really looking forward to reading your opinions.

[chemmo]

1 hour ago, Victoria2 said:

We're not foodies either.

I would hazard a guess most guests are like us, non experts who enjoy a variety of well cooked, well presented meals.

We know what we like and we know we'll get it in QG. 🙂

 

I would add a rider that a shortie does not always 'show off' the true QG experience.

 

 

What is ‘a shortie’?