QE Alaska Review From A First Time Cunard Cruiser

[ceilidh1]

I recently sailed on the QE, roundtrip Vancouver-Alaska, and figured I would share some thoughts. Ordinarily, I do live reviews from the ship, but the wifi was SO bad that it had to wait until I got home! As a first time Cunard cruiser, I was quite anxious and not sure what to expect - hoping this will be helpful for other first timers!

 

Background

While I have never sailed Cunard before, I am a seasoned cruiser with well over 40 cruises under my belt - almost half of which were to Alaska. The reason being - I live within walking distance of the port in Vancouver, so anything that I can do without flying is a win! I primarily sail Princess, but also enjoy NCL and my new favorite Virgin Voyages. Usually, I sail with my kids but this time it was just myself and BFF.

 

Pre Cruise

I did a lot of research and video watching to prepare for this sailing, since I really had no idea what to expect. I'm not one for dressing up and I was very worried about having to dress for dinner each night. Luckily, my thoughts on what it mean to "dress for dinner" were way over the top - no, you don't need a full on ballgown each night! We had two gala nights - Ice White and Masquerade - so I treated myself to a nice white dress and a cute black dress and accessories. The other nights, we just dressed in either a cocktail type dress or nice pants and blouse.

 

I typically like to buy a drink package, simply because I don't want to worry about having a bill when I disembark. Sadly, Cunard priced me out of this - $70USD per day and both guests had to buy. That's $1400USD for drinks. Nope. We ended up deciding to just pay-as-you-go and it was definitely the right choice.

 

We did purchase the thermal suite for both sea days. The way it is set up online is that you choose a day and a 2-hour time slot. This is not the way it works once you board - the booking is actually for the entire day, rather than two hours, and it was much more to purchase on the ship than to purchase ahead of time. This worked out in our favour!

 

We also did the two Lido specialty dining, which we pre-purchased online for $25USD per person. I believe it was more to purchase once on the ship. 

 

We did not book excursions since we had both been to Alaska many times and planned on either just walking around town or enjoying the empty ship. Given that we had pretty crummy weather all trip, this turned out to be the right choice!

 

Embarkation

Anyone that has ever sailed from Vancouver will know what a gong show this port can be. I used to work shoreside at the port, so know the process like the back of my hand. I still hate it. We were fortunate that there were only two ships in for our embarkation - Disney and QE. We were assigned a 2pm check in time, but decided to arrive around noon (having worked there for so long I know that it's better to arrive right around boarding time). As is the usual process at Canada Place, we dropped our bags at the terminal level, took the escalator up to street level for check in, took the escalator back down to terminal level for security and US CBP, and then boarded the ship. It really is an awkward process! There was a line for check in, but it seemed to move quickly and we were headed back down to a much longer line for security. Once again, if you have sailed from Vancouver, you will know that to go through security and US CBP it's every man (or woman) for themselves. All passengers, regardless of ship or status, go through the exact same lines. It was pretty easy to tell who were on Cunard and who were on Disney - lots of frazzled parents, kids melting down, and the vacation hasn't even started. I'm always amazed at the security points when, after standing in line for half an hour, the person in front of me suddenly realises (or not) that they need to empty their pockets. Then the line gets held up even more as we wait for that person to either proceed through the metal detector with their cell phone, money, and keys in their pocket or hold up everyone behind as one by one they empty every pocket they have. Despite the line, we were still in good spirits and got through in around half an hour. Next up is US CBP - they have the same machines they use at the airport but if you aren't travelling on US or Canadian passports, you have to line up to see an officer. That line was pretty significant, but we got through to the machines quickly, punched in all the details and were on our way. This is where the ships branch off - Disney went to the left and Cunard to the right. The ship had just started boarding at this point and the rep asked if we were priority - nope. We were told to take a seat. There were a bunch of empty rows (I assume folks who had been sitting there had been called to board) and then 5 or 6 rows with people sitting in them. We asked the rep where we should sit and my BFF jokingly said "Can we sit in the first row" - to which the rep said, "Of course!". Huh? Well, we sat there and then were told to come on aboard...but all the other rows were still sitting and waiting. Confused? Us, too! From arrival to stepping foot on the ship was one hour and fifteen minutes. Not the best but definitely not the worst at this port!

[ceilidh1]

[ceilidh1]

First Impressions

From the first step onto that red carpet, seeing the staff decked out in their cute red outfits and hats I knew this ship would be classy. I was right! The ship was stunning. So tasteful and elegant. I loved the fresh flowers, the art, the decor, and the feeling that you were on a traditional ocean liner as opposed to an amusement park at sea (I'm looking at you RCCL)!

[ceilidh1]

[ceilidh1]

Cabin

We were delighted to find our cabin was available to us to drop our bags, so that was our first stop. We had an oceanview on deck one. I was initially concerned that this would be a problem as it seemed so low and it was midship next to guest services. The opposite was true! The cabin was so convenient for everything and so quiet. We felt no movement and it was a great set up. I loved the fact there was a sofa in the room!

[3rdGenCunarder]

Thanks for your thoughts on embarkation. Gong show? I had a different name for it a year ago when, on top of the other stages, we had ArriveCAN and proof of covid test to show! Even without those extras, I always feel like a rat in a maze embarking in Vancouver. 

 

But once you're on the ship, QE is worth it! She is elegant, although I wish Cunard would get over the feather arrangements. 

[ceilidh1]

After dropping our bags and checking into the muster station, we headed off in search of lunch. I was hoping to find the pub open, or at least a dining room, but it seemed the only option was the buffet. And, like all buffets on embarkation day, it was madness! The food looked great but was lukewarm at best. There were no tables and, if one was vacated, there were no staff to clear them. We ended up standing next to a newly vacated table, with plates in hand, for a good 5-10 minutes hoping that someone would come clear away the remains from the last guests. No one did. In the end, I ended up holding our plates of food while BFF cleared the table and walked the dirty dishes up to the counter. Only then did someone approach and wipe down the table. Not a great first impression, especially after we had been so wowed up to this point! Not surprisingly, no one came to ask if we wanted drinks, so BFF headed off the the drink dispenser and came back with...pineapple juice!? Huh? No lemonade, out of cranberry juice, so pineapple it was. Not that I have anything against pineapple - just seemed kind of random. 

[ceilidh1]

Sailaway

By the time we were done eating and exploring, it was around 4:30pm and time for sailaway...or so we thought. We found a place at the aft of the ship (this quickly became our favorite hangout) and settled in to watch the sailaway. My kiddos texted while we were there to say they were coming down to wave us off (we literally live a 7 minute walk from the port). It was so nice to see them and say a final goodbye...except we didn't actually go anywhere. We sat. And sat. And waved. And waved, Then it became awkward, and the kids wanted dinner so they left. We didn't. I'm not sure what the hold up was but we didn't end up leaving until close to 6pm, by which time we had headed in to find dinner!

[ceilidh1]

[ceilidh1]

[ceilidh1]

Apologies for the upside down pictures....

[ceilidh1]

Food

Food is obviously subjective and, after the first not-very-impressive, impression at the buffet you might think I'm here to say the food was awful. Not at all. Hands down, this was the best cruise line food I have ever had - and I've been on my fair share of cruises. The buffet is never my favorite place, but the buffet on QE had some great options - afternoon tea was outstanding, as was the pizza station. I didn't love breakfast, simply because it never changed. The sushi station was wonderful. The food in the dining rooms was consistently great, and don't even get me started on the pub lunch - awesome! We did the Lido specialty - Frontier and Coriander - and loved both. So good and so worth the upcharge. We also enjoyed some good food on deck at the Lido Grill and had some nice pastries at Cafe Corinthia. The room service menu was outstanding - and complimentary. Honestly, I would have been happy to just to have every meal off there! The only problem we had was deciding where to eat as we didn't want to miss anything! I really can't say a bad thing about the food on this ship.

 

Service in the dining rooms was hit and miss - it often took forever to get drinks (if you were even lucky enough to have a drink server come over). Which leads me to another observation - as two females, we found that we were largely ignored in terms of drink service. It started out amusing but by day three I was mad! We would sit in a lounge and get completely ignored, while a male/female couple would sit on the next table and get approached immediately. In the dining room, I asked our waiter and the food server to send over someone to take a drink order - never came. Is this normal? It became kind of embarrassing having to constantly flag down someone to get us drinks - I felt like they thought I had a drinking problem. The only place this wasn't an issue was in the pub, so we spent much of our time in there!

[ceilidh1]

Pictures of some of the amazing food we had

[ceilidh1]

Entertainment

Like food, I feel that entertainment is somewhat subjective. While I appreciated the pure talent of every entertainer on this ship, the offerings were just not my style. That's not to say they weren't excellent. I just don't want to listen to classical music, pianists, violinists, or harpists every night and I don't have any interest in ballroom dancing, so I felt like I was always wondering what to do. Luckily for me, the pub and the Garden Cafe had the Irish Duo Cula each night and they were fantastic! Have I mentioned how much I loved the pub? I should also say that the production shows we watched were excellent and I really enjoyed them. However, overall, the lack of things that I, personally, am interested in would likely make me think twice about cruising on Cunard again - this trip was great in that it served its purpose of me just relaxing and doing nothing. Most trips I like to go-go-go and experience everything. I didn't feel as if there was enough for me to experience.

[ceilidh1]

Cula

[ceilidh1]

[ceilidh1]

[ceilidh1]

Ports

Ports on this ship were the usual Alaska ones - Ketchikan, Skagway, Juneau, Sitka and Glacier Bay and Hubbard Glacier. We had been to all multiple times so just roamed around. In Alaska we went to our fave places - The Asylum and Jellyfish Donuts, in Skagway we got caught in a torrential downpour, in Juneau we just walked through town, and in Sitka we went to our fave thriftstore. We got closer to the glaciers in Glacier Bay than I have been in many years, so that was pretty cool! I feel guilty being so ambivalent about ports that many experience as a "once in a lifetime" thing - I really am spoiled. Also of note is that we saw whales from the ship several times, many eagles, otters, and a bear off in the distance. Once again, I am spoiled - these sightings are a daily occurrence where I live...

[ceilidh1]

[ceilidh1]

Oops I forgot Victoria! We stayed on the ship!

[ceilidh1]

Service

As mentioned previously, drink service was a bone of contention throughout the cruise. I have never had such an issue getting a drink before - and it's not even as if I had the drink package, so Cunard actually lost money with me!

 

For the most part, service on this ship was good - I was actually expecting a little more, given what I had read beforehand. Staff definitely did not fall over themselves or go above and beyond (there were a few exceptions to this) and I did find myself faced with the word "no" several times. I was shocked to witness a waiter tell guests in the Commodore Club that they couldn't eat their food from the buffet in there (glacier day and everyone had staked out tables there), I was shocked to hear a bartender in Cafe Corinthia tell a guest that she could not take her pastries up to her room, and I was shocked to be told by guest services that the crappy wifi we had purchased was "out of their control" (by far the worst wifi we have had on any ship). Now, there were exceptions - two staff from the Bookstore giftshop were wonderful, a waitstaff in the pub became a firm friend, the host at Britannia was fantastic, and waitstaff we had in Lido alternative dining were excellent. Our cabin steward was also great!

[NE John]

28 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

Menu looks fantastic, but no fish and chips?

[ceilidh1]

Disembarkation

The worst day ever is when you get the info telling you that you have to leave! We received the usual Canada customs forms prior to arriving in Victoria. I was also surprised at a blurb from Cunard informing guests that they could not leave the ship in Victoria as embarking in one Canadian port and disembarking in another violated the PVSA. I'm pretty sure that isn't true - this is an American law, no? We were given the option to walk off with our bags, or do the usual route of putting them out the night before. We chose the latter as we had nowhere to be and planned on taking our time. We ended up with a disembarkation time of 10:00am - perfect. We had a leisurely breakfast in the dining room and were pleasantly surprised with the lack of people around the ship - disembarkation morning is usually survival of the fittest and involves hurdling over luggage and pushing through people waiting in the hallways. None of that on this ship. We heard disembarkation groups getting called as we were eating and then it seemed to stop. Around 9:30, we gathered our stuff and headed down to the gangway - we asked what colour they were calling and were told everyone could get off. So off we got. Bags were right where they should be, and I was home by 10:15! Easy peasy.

[ceilidh1]

5 minutes ago, NE John said:

Menu looks fantastic, but no fish and chips?

That's dinner -fish and chips was only lunch!

[ceilidh1]

Spa

As mentioned previously, we had pre-purchased thermal suite passes. This worked out well as, not only did we save a fair amount of money, but we had access for the entire day rather than just 2 hours as we thought. The spa was nice but very small - only 6 heated stone loungers (and they weren't that hot), two steam rooms, a sauna that was out of order (but there was a working one in the change room), and the hydrotherapy pool. I was most looking forward to the pool, but it turned out to be like a warm bath. There were no jets other than the huge firehose type ones that knocked you off your feet, and it was really dark in there. The stone loungers had a great view but needed to be hotter. The steam rooms were nice, as was the sauna in the change room. It should be noted that anyone can use this sauna, as well as the showers in the change room - you didn't need to pay for the spa to do so.

 

Final Thoughts

We had a great time on this ship and really enjoyed the elegant, traditional feel of it. I'm not sure I'm quite the typical demographic that Cunard is designed for - I somewhat missed the cheesy, tacky gameshows and I prefer disco to ballroom. As someone that typically sails with kids, I can't say I would rush to take them on this line - they would LOVE the food, but not sure there would be enough to keep them entertained. For a girls/adults trip it was perfect!