Grills Lounge on QA - Capacity and Speculation

[Se1lad]

Looking on the plans for QA, the Grills lounge doesn’t look that much bigger than the one on QV and QE.  Seeing that there is a lot more PG on QA and how busy the lounges on QV and QE get before dinner do you think they may restrict access to QG only at peak times?  The design of the lounge looks like you enter the QG restaurant through the lounge which could make it easier to restrict access at certain times.

[Victoria2]

A PG cruise is sold and therefore booked with

Exclusive access to the Grills Lounge and outside Grills Terrace

Can you honestly see this being rescinded Se1lad  because I can't.

 

 

 

 

 

[exlondoner]

Who would want to go to it anyway? It lacks windows and a view. So disappointing.

[techteach]

I’m surprised by how few tables are in QG. I agree @exlondoner the lounge doesn’t look inviting.

[NE John]

QA looks like it was built for pax being more outdoors and on the decks vs a more indoor-focused QM2. The QA Pavilion Pool deck and outdoor Grills area look great (via drawings). 
 

[exlondoner]

Just now, NE John said:

QA looks like it was built for pax being more outdoors and on the decks vs a more indoor-focused QM2. The QA Pavilion Pool deck and outdoor Grills area look great (via drawings). 
 

They do indeed.  And in the QG restaurant, almost everyone has a good view. It will be very interesting to see how it turns out.

[Se1lad]

26 minutes ago, techteach said:

I’m surprised by how few tables are in QG. I agree @exlondoner the lounge doesn’t look inviting.

I believe there are 55 QG suites on QA vs 66 on QV.  127(!) PG suites on QA vs 61 on QV - so that’s why there is such a difference in restaurant sizes.  It does make me wonder who everyone will fit in the lounge at peak times though.  Maybe that’s why there are no windows to make the lounge less popular!

[exlondoner]

3 minutes ago, Se1lad said:

I believe there are 55 QG suites on QA vs 66 on QV.  127(!) PG suites on QA vs 61 on QV - so that’s why there is such a difference in restaurant sizes.  It does make me wonder who everyone will fit in the lounge at peak times though.  Maybe that’s why there are no windows to make the lounge less popular!

 

🙂🙂 That’s certainly working, as far as I’m concerned. Nonetheless, despite the carping, I am looking forward to my voyage on her.

[Se1lad]

4 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

A PG cruise is sold and therefore booked with

Exclusive access to the Grills Lounge and outside Grills Terrace

Can you honestly see this being rescinded Se1lad  because I can't.

 

 

 

 

 

They may have to come up with a priority system at peak times - of course they could just keep it as first come first served.  

[Victoria2]

15 minutes ago, Se1lad said:

They may have to come up with a priority system at peak times - of course they could just keep it as first come first served.  

QV/QE's lounge can get very full in wet and miserable weather and it's always first come first served so I'm sure it will be the same for QA.

[exlondoner]

We tend to have our pre-dinner drinks on the cabin balcony, but if we wanted to go to a bar, I don’t think we would choose that one, unless the plan is very misleading.

[s.s.France]

The number of tables / chairs on the deck plan is not representative to the real ship. I counted them on the plan of QM2 and its just a generic number of tables to show on the plan a room with tables. It has not much to do with the actual layout of the room. Dont read to much out of this deckplan.

[WantedOnVoyage]

I am running out of fingers already, but one is surely taken with the proposed Grill accommodation on QUEEN ANNEDAM.

 

No full baths in Princess Grill suites.  Yuck. And they are no bigger than QV/QE's.

 

A windowless lounge which compliments I suppose the no view promenade deck.  Who on earth wants to sit in a windowless room?  

 

The Queens Grill restaurant lay out makes it look like a dining in a BAC-111... and it's narrowier in places: the width of a single table along a narrow walkway!   Why would anyone think this is a pleasant or congenial arrangement for a grill restaurant?  How does one saddle past the cheese or flambe trolleys even?  You'd get your d/j singed every time.  At least Princess Grill is slightly more spacious and wants to look like a restuarant not a corridor. . 

 

At least there is no giant video screen on the Grills open deck.  Or am I missing something?  

 

But nope, sorry...  no sale.  The more I see, the less I like. The density of passenger vs. tonnage alone is reason enough:  

QUEEN ANNE 113,000 grt  3,000 passengers

QUEEN MARY 2 149,215 grt 2700 passengers

 

QUEEN ANNE seems a 21st century version of ALBANIA of 1921... "a new Cunarder" summed up all her virtues in three words. 

Edited July 10, 2023 by WantedOnVoyage

[Victoria2]

Damnation [😃] and speculation is all very well but as we have two trips booked on her, I will reserve my judgement until we have actually sailed with her.

 

I'll be as objective as usual when describing our experience of the new ship.

 

 

[Guest SilverHengroen]

6 hours ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

I am running out of fingers already, but one is surely taken with the proposed Grill accommodation on QUEEN ANNEDAM.

 

No full baths in Princess Grill suites.  Yuck. And they are no bigger than QV/QE's.

 

A windowless lounge which compliments I suppose the no view promenade deck.  Who on earth wants to sit in a windowless room?  

 

The Queens Grill restaurant lay out makes it look like a dining in a BAC-111... and it's narrowier in places: the width of a single table along a narrow walkway!   Why would anyone think this is a pleasant or congenial arrangement for a grill restaurant?  How does one saddle past the cheese or flambe trolleys even?  You'd get your d/j singed every time.  At least Princess Grill is slightly more spacious and wants to look like a restuarant not a corridor. . 

 

At least there is no giant video screen on the Grills open deck.  Or am I missing something?  

 

But nope, sorry...  no sale.  The more I see, the less I like. The density of passenger vs. tonnage alone is reason enough:  

QUEEN ANNE 113,000 grt  3,000 passengers

QUEEN MARY 2 149,215 grt 2700 passengers

 

QUEEN ANNE seems a 21st century version of ALBANIA of 1921... "a new Cunarder" summed up all her virtues in three words. 

That's not like for like, Queen Anne will have 2794 passengers on board at 100% double occupancy. Queen Mary 2's maximum capacity including third and 4th berths in some rooms is also north of 3000,  but the ships don't tend to sail that full. Queen Elizabeth's double occupancy tonnage/passenger is ~43 while Queen Anne's will be ~40, so actually slightly better than her smaller fleetmates. Queen Mary 2 is exceptionally spacious, given her usual itinerary means all passengers will often need to be entertained with no port calls for 7 days, and indoors on rough or miserable crossings.

 

However that's not an ideal indication to use, better is to look at the number and variety of venues on board to soak up all the passengers, and looking at that Queen Anne excels. She includes most of the venues from QM2 which QV/QE lack, indeed, as far as I can see she matches QM2 venue for venue excluding the illuminations auditorium/ planetarium, and even has a couple of new areas exclusive to herself (bright lights, an extra bar opposite the casino, even more extra tariff dining options, bigger, multi-level Pavilion) so I find it unlikely the ship will seem as crowded as you imply here. 

 

Regarding the Grills lounge specifically, it does appear a bit disappointing/ small for the increased number of guests that will be using it thanks to the much larger Princess cohort on this ship, but the equivalent on Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria never seemed designed to hold all grill guests exclusively, either, and hardly anyone seems excited to spend time in Queen Mary 2's over the other venues she offers, so I don't think even this will be exceptional for the fleet. 

[Se1lad]

9 hours ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

The Queens Grill restaurant lay out makes it look like a dining in a BAC-111... and it's narrowier in places: the width of a single table along a narrow walkway!   Why would anyone think this is a pleasant or congenial arrangement for a grill restaurant?  How does one saddle past the cheese or flambe trolleys even?  You'd get your d/j singed every time.  At least Princess Grill is slightly more spacious and wants to look like a restuarant not a corridor.

I think they have gone with the restaurant design like this to maximise number of tables at the windows.  It looks like it would be difficult to talk to people at adjacent tables at the window, but not a problem at the row of tables behind without a direct window view.

 

You would hope they have allowed sufficient space between to allow people to pass round a flambé trolley safely.  It’s not just passengers, but also waiters etc carrying trays of food who will need to get past.

[Victoria2]

8 minutes ago, Se1lad said:

I think they have gone with the restaurant design like this to maximise number of tables at the windows.  It looks like it would be difficult to talk to people at adjacent tables at the window, but not a problem at the row of tables behind without a direct window view.

 

You would hope they have allowed sufficient space between to allow people to pass round a flambé trolley safely.  It’s not just passengers, but also waiters etc carrying trays of food who will need to get past.

Maybe naively, I am assuming health and safety issues will have been given thought  in the planning of the restaurant. 

Squashed wait staff and singed passengers is so not a good look! 😄

Edited July 10, 2023 by Victoria2
thought

[Se1lad]

1 minute ago, Victoria2 said:

Maybe naively, I am assuming health and safety issues will have been given thought  in the planning of the restaurant. 

Squashed wait staff and singed passengers is so not a good look! 😄

Unless it forms part of a Fawlty Towers episode!

[Victoria2]

Just now, Se1lad said:

Unless it forms part of a Fawlty Towers episode!

I am seriously hoping any Fawlty Tower issues will have been sorted on the Maiden and that includes setting off the sprinklers because of  an over enthusiastic gueridon session! 😄

[exlondoner]

I think we must resist the temptation to think that Cunard and Carnival have never had a new ship before, and therefore haven’t a clue what they are doing. You might not like their products but they are a major shipping company: I dare say someone there has realised that waiters need to move around restaurants, particularly as the ship is an adaptation of others currently in service.

[david,Mississauga]

10 hours ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

I am running out of fingers already, but one is surely taken with the proposed Grill accommodation on QUEEN ANNEDAM.

 

No full baths in Princess Grill suites.  Yuck. And they are no bigger than QV/QE's.

 

...

 

Perhaps Cunard is reacting to the needs of a large number of its passengers. A while ago I said there wasn't a single aspect of the QA that appealed to me. I now have found one. My lady wife is finding it increasingly difficult getting in and out of a tub, even with my assistance. 

 

Last year in PG on the QE we were given a wooden stool so my wife could shower in the tub. Not surprisingly I had to sign a form saying I would never sue the Carnival Corp. if there were any injuries sustained from the use of said stool.  

 

Regrettably the vast majority of QG suites on the QM2 do not have a separate shower.  We were pleased that the QE (and of course the QV) have showers in all QG suites.

 

Unfortunately the QA's Princess suites, like those on the QE and QV,  are the long thin style with a tiny balcony rather than the square type on the QM2.

 

[Glenndale]

I cannot see anything like the Courtyard on Queen Anne, but am happy to be proved wrong.

 

[david,Mississauga]

21 hours ago, Se1lad said:

Looking on the plans for QA, the Grills lounge doesn’t look that much bigger than the one on QV and QE.  Seeing that there is a lot more PG on QA and how busy the lounges on QV and QE get before dinner do you think they may restrict access to QG only at peak times?  The design of the lounge looks like you enter the QG restaurant through the lounge which could make it easier to restrict access at certain times.

 

I have the original brochure issued for the QM2.  It was clearly indicated that only Queens Grill guests would have access to the Queens Grill Lounge and the sun terrace. That would mean the Concierge Lounge was the only exclusive Grills area available to those in Princess.

 

I don't know if that was the case when the QM2 entered service.  On our first voyage on the QM2 in 2009 the lounge was still called the Queen's Grill Lounge although it was available to all Grills passengers.  For a few voyages after our first the door leading to the Grills terrace still had a sign saying it was for Queens Grill guests only although it was available to all Grills passengers. 

 

The Grills Lounge on the QE does indeed get crowded at times. A few years ago afternoon tea was no longer served there but relocated to the PG restaurant.  Perhaps that will be the case on the QA.

[WantedOnVoyage]

When we went QG on QM2 back in 2007, the Grill Deck was most certainly only for QG. Which perhaps accounts for its size and certainly for the service we received up there. That was special. Indeed so was QG although they ran out of caviar by the third day of the six-day crossing... that wasn't so special!

[Victoria2]

3 minutes ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

When we went QG on QM2 back in 2007, the Grill Deck was most certainly only for QG. Which perhaps accounts for its size and certainly for the service we received up there. That was special. Indeed so was QG although they ran out of caviar by the third day of the six-day crossing... that wasn't so special!

Definitely first world problem 🙂 and one reason why I get my initial fix dinner, the first night. 👍