First time on Cunard ... What should I expect ?

[Host Hattie]

From the Cunard website  -

 

"Specialist cleaning services

 

Wet cleaning is a professional, aqueous cleaning process for sensitive and non-washable garments. The wet cleaning process was invented in 1991 by Kreussler & Co GmbH in cooperation with Miele. Wet cleaning avoids the use of chemical solvents. Environmental groups and the United States Environmental Protection Agency have indicated that such alternative ""wet cleaning"" methods are better for the environment than chemical solvents and proponents of wet cleaning state that these methods can be used without shrinking or otherwise damaging garments that typically require dry cleaning.

 

We also offer slight alterations / repairs on board, for an added cost."

[MrsPeel55]

@Victoria2 thanks again 🙂

 

I didn't read it through (have some neurological impairments, side effects of 20 years of medication, most of times need help to read properly if the paragraph has more than a few lines, plus my sight) 

 

We bought some Dr Bekmann little tubs that have some "on the spot" wipes, apparently if you use them as soon as the stain drops in your clothes, it is extremely effective.... guess I will only know in the next couple of weeks 🙂

 

Great to know the prices are accessible, we thought about buying a wrinkle decreaser, we have a Lenor one at home but isn't effective in good quality items, I may go for the ones most of our friends recommended, they sell on Amazon, but seeing the prices of pressing, it makes more sense to send them to press in the ship. 

My daughter insists we only need to hang them in the bathroom when having hot showers..but....by the number of reviews I have read about the bathrooms, even though I know these may not be the norm, I'm not inclined to do that with our best evening wear 🙂

 

We are really excited now, leaving next week 🙂

[MrsPeel55]

@Host Hattie thanks!

most definitely useful for using it for our crossing !

 

 

[SusieAV8R]

18 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

Hattie is correct and it's extremely efficient.

For us, we give the laundry to the butler when breakfast is delivered and it's  back, usually around five'ish and definitely before dinner.

 

 

 

18 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

Hattie is correct and it's extremely efficient.

For us, we give the laundry to the butler when breakfast is delivered and it's  back, usually around five'ish and definitely before dinner.

 

 

Thanks Hattie & Victoria2.  Useful information I gained from you all 😄

[techteach]

I would not use spot wipes on any of my silk. Did it once on coffee and an off white silk blouse. Never again.

[Classiccruiser777]

I'm top tier on Cunard's loyalty program (diamond) and three stars on HAL's. I also haven't cruised on either line since before the pandemic but in my book Cunard has always been a cut (or two) above HAL in every respect. However, if you are against "dressing up" a bit, Cunard probably wouldn't be a good fit.

[MrsPeel55]

2 hours ago, techteach said:

I would not use spot wipes on any of my silk. Did it once on coffee and an off white silk blouse. Never again.

 

agree 100%,  that's why I said I'm glad to hear laundry prices are accessible, but we wont be dressed in silk all day 🙂 my daughter said it worked in a couple of trousers and one of her skirts for day use, lets hope we wont need any 🙂

 

[njpln]

We have been on six Cunard cruises and seven HAL cruises. We typically only choose HAL because we think that it’s got a great itinerary. Other than that, HAL is a decent cruise line and it’s quiet so you get a good night’s sleep. Entertainment is OK. Food is OK. Because we mostly travel in a suite, it’s disappointing that HAL doesn’t have a separate dining room for the suites. But we have been in the main dining room on both cruise lines, and they were fairly similar in our opinion.

We choose Cunard for the itinerary and the cruising experience. The experience is totally different and our opinion. It harkens back to a different age of cruising pre-2000….. just go to afternoon tea one day in the Queen’s room.  And then there is the dress code for evenings. On HAL, 10% of the people “dress” for dinner, On Cunard, 90% of the people follow that suggested dress code. (These numbers are based on my observations. Yes, there are people who complain that no one dresses up, but really most people who cruise on Cunard choose to follow the dress code)

 

When you’re on HAL, dressing up is not the same as on Cunard. People really do dress for the evening on Cunard. We actually take a separate suitcase with the dinner clothes and we are not alone. For HAL and other American cruise lines, I would say we dress “resort dressy”, which is more like Tommy Bahama and Lilly Pulitzer. On Cunard, we dress like people did 25-30 years go. It’s definitely a different feel.  Cocktail or formal…. 
 

Another difference is that on Cunard you never feel like any place you go is crowded. You can always find someplace to sit in any lounge you go to. I can’t say the same for HAL, or Celebrity, or NCL  or any other cruise lines we have traveled on.

 

I would say, the quality of the food is similar for the MDR and buffet, although, for instance, in the Buffet, you will find lots of British favorite dishes that you would not find an American cruise line. Which makes sense… we are American but we enjoy having something different!

 

The entertainment on both lines is decent, and we have had good speakers on both lines. I think the dancing is better on Cunard. Cunard in general has more options to listen to music on the ship.  And I hope that HAL has not gotten rid of Lincoln Center on board because that was one of the things we enjoyed most.  

One of my favorite features of Cunard is that they actually have laundry rooms on the ships. So on a long cruise, you don’t have to pack so much because you can actually do laundry yourself. You can also send out items for cleaning or pressing as needed.

 

I hope you enjoy your cruise on Cunard, it will be slightly different than Holland America. But we have never had a bad cruise after traveling on seven different cruise lines. It’s what you make of it.  Just be open to something different!