Comparing Cunard with P&O

[Selbourne]

Over the last year there have been interesting threads comparing P&O with Princess and Saga. A few people had asked me to do a similar thread after our cruise on Cunard’s Queen Anne, which ended last week - so here it is!

 

By way of background, Queen Anne is a new ship (we were on her third cruise) and the general consensus is that she is aimed at both Cunard traditionalists and those looking to ‘trade up’ from cruise lines such as P&O. Size wise, she feels similar in size to Britannia but passenger numbers are more akin to Ventura & Azura. We had cruised with Cunard once before (Queen Mary 2 last year) but our other cruises had all been with P&O although, having started our cruising in 1996, the P&O of today is quite different from the one that we first cruised with. From our perspective, it’s a more budget / mass market offering these days but, in fairness to P&O, prices in real terms are now cheaper and reflect this. Having had four cruises on four very different P&O ships over the last year, we still feel that P&O has a place for us, albeit we have revised down the maximum price per night that we are now prepared to pay. 

 

Before I start to detail the differences between the two brands, it’s important to state that on Queen Anne we had booked what Cunard call ‘Britannia Club’. Cabins are the same size as the standard cabins, but you get privileges such as priority embarkation & disembarkation and, most significantly, a separate dining room with your own dedicated table that you can use for breakfast, lunch and dinner throughout the entire cruise, at whatever time you like, with no queueing (virtual, pagers or physical). The menu is the normal MDR menu but with a la’ carte additions. This dining aspect very much appealed to us, as we historically liked Freedom dining on P&O but have been unhappy with the way that it has changed, and we had challenges with it last year, so much so that we reverted to Club (fixed) dining on subsequent P&O cruises.

 

Taking each aspect of the cruise in turn, these were the differences as we saw them;

 

Embarkation - No difference. We used Parking4Cruises this time so had no issues, but I noticed that those using CPS were being held in holding lanes, as was the case when we embarked Aurora in January. Our embarkation experience on Aurora was the worst we’ve ever had (90 minutes even with priority boarding) but when we went on Iona in August it was very quick, so my conclusion is that this is influenced more by CPS and the terminal staff than the cruise lines. 

 

Luggage Distribution - P&O better. We have never had any issues with this on P&O but it was chaotic on Queen Anne. Rather than use the service lifts, they use the passenger lifts. This causes problems for passengers moving around the ship and results in congestion in the lift waiting areas where passengers have to navigate around cages full of suitcases. It took 5 hours for our suitcases to arrive at our cabin. We have never had a delay like that on P&O. 

 

Interior Design - Cunard better. Queen Anne blends the traditional Cunard Art Deco look with modernity and it works really well. Queen Anne has a significantly more upmarket look and feel than the clinical conference hotel design on Iona and, as a result, feels far more luxurious and ship like. 

 

Promenade Deck - I really disliked the open promenade deck with high glass screens that Iona had, but it is ten times better than the one on Queen Anne. The promenade deck on the latter is a waste of time, as you can only see the view from around 25% of it. The other 75% is completely enclosed by tenders, lifeboats and machinery. It’s also narrow and there are no steamer chairs etc. Our favourite promenade deck is on Aurora but Britannia doesn’t have one at all, so it’s a ship by ship, rather than brand issue. 

 

Cabin Accommodation - No difference. In terms of size and what is included in a standard cabin, we couldn’t really see any difference. The TVs, whilst large, are just as bad as the ones that P&O use. The choice of channels is poor, picture (on-demand movies aside) and sound quality aren’t great. Quality of furnishings are slightly better with Cunard and little touches such as bed runners put on the bed daily, rather than left as a plain white duvet as happens on P&O. 

 

Cabin Servicing - Cunard better. Pretty much all the nice little touches that have gradually been removed on P&O remain on Cunard. We had complimentary water which was replenished throughout the cruise (this might be a ‘Club’ benefit), biscuits - replenished twice daily, turndown servicing - with towels replaced, chocolates etc. Whilst we hadn’t particularly missed this on P&O, on balance it was nice to have it back. I asked at reception where I could get the Britain Today paper from and they said that if I wanted one it would be delivered to our cabin each day - which it was. 

 

Lifts - No difference. Unfortunately, Queen Anne has been fitted with the very small lifts that Iona has. This causes some issues for wheelchair and scooter users, as you take up almost half the lift. As Queen Anne only has a little over half the number of passengers that you can get on Iona, we didn’t have anywhere near the same level of challenges, but there was an added challenge on Queen Anne as the lift doors close extremely quickly and you almost have to run for the lifts or you miss them. It is a shame that Carnival have gone backwards in terms of lift provision. The lifts on older ships like Aurora are so much bigger. 

 

Lift Etiquette - No difference. Again, this was an area where we had challenges on Iona, with people pushing ahead of us and very little consideration given to wheelchair users. By contrast, on Aurora the passengers were entirely different and we had none of these issues. Queen Anne was somewhere between the two. Certainly better behaviours than we witnessed on Iona, but there was still some pushing in that we hadn’t experienced on Aurora. 

 

Bars - Cunard better. When ordering drinks in the nicer bars on Cunard you still get complimentary snacks, such as olives, savoury snacks, nuts etc. 

 

Drinks Prices - P&O better. P&O drinks prices are lower than Cunard, priced in £ (Cunard in $) and there’s no 15% service charge that Cunard add. Those who drink far more than us will need a big budget on Cunard and whilst they offer drinks packages they are very expensive and have a price cap that renders a considerable proportion of the drinks ineligible. 

 

Entertainment - Cunard better. Cunard has better quality guest speakers, shows and entertainment than the average P&O cruise. The (American) Entertainment Director was highly professional and treated passengers as intelligent adults, not residents of a care home or holiday camp. Consequently there’s none of the naff “are you all having a good time?” nonsense that you get on P&O

 

MDR Food - Cunard better. We were in Britannia Club. P&O does not have an equivalent of this, which is a shame. In our view, it is a significantly better benefit than just having breakfast in a speciality restaurant, which is all you get with a Suite on P&O. Breakfast, food wise, was comparable to P&O, although in Club we had nice additions like someone coming around with a tray of fresh pastries, and we also had nice bone china tea pots of our chosen beverage delivered to the table rather than a tea bag in a cup or poured from flasks. It was great not having to get someone’s attention for top ups. We also had nice new pots of Tiptree conserves, rather than the unappetising open ramekins that P&O now use. Lunch was fairly comparable to P&O, but at least Cunard have proper menus with starters, mains and desserts, not the daft and confusing lunch menus that P&O now deploy. Dinner, in terms of choice, quality, presentation and service was far superior to what P&O now offers. It’s at least as good as P&O used to be many years ago. There is also still a cheese trolley and proper (and very nice) petit fours every day (they change daily). Club dining also offers a la carte dishes in addition to the MDR menu, but my comments about the food refer to the standard MDR offerings. 

 

MDR Service - Cunard better. Again, we were in Britannia Club so maybe had an enhanced level of MDR experience, but service was exemplary. Our waiter and assistant waiter were both fantastic, but a few other things struck me. When we arrived at our table, if our dedicated waiters were serving at another table, another waiter from a different section (or a manager) would appear and pull my chair out for me, remove the chargers from the table and present us with menus. On P&O the managers tend to stand around and direct things, whereas on Cunard they will muck in and help as well. As a result, we just could not fault the service and it was better than anything we have ever experienced with P&O. For balance, it is worth noting that @Megabear2 was also on our cruise but in the standard Britannia dining room. She reported some service issues there. 

 

Speciality Restaurants - we didn’t try any of them on Queen Anne, so can’t offer any comparisons regarding food, but the ambiance of Sindhu and Epicurean on P&O ships are better than any of the speciality restaurants on Queen Anne and P&O prices for speciality restaurants are much lower. If the MDR food is anything to go by, I strongly suspect that the food is excellent, but you pay a hefty price for it. 

 

Gratuities - P&O better. No auto gratuities with P&O. This is a significant extra cost with Cunard, although you can ask for them to be removed.  

 

Accessible cabins - P&O better. Our Britannia Club balcony cabin had major accessibility shortcomings and wasn’t a patch on the accessible Deluxe Balcony cabin that we had on Iona. The toilet and shower seat both had fixed grab rails on the wall side only, with no drop down grab rails on the ‘open’ side, which was a major challenge for my wife. What made it worse was that there was room for them! The balcony door was manual and very stiff to open and close due to the rise and fall bridging plate that operates by opening and closing the door. Consequently my wife could not operate the door, so if I was ashore in a tender port she would be stuck in the cabin and unable to use the balcony. Our accessible deluxe balcony cabin on Iona was significantly better in so many respects - automated cabin and balcony doors, better grab rail provision, height adjustable basin etc. We were really disappointed about this, as you would expect Queen Anne, being a newer ship than Iona and Arvia, to have at least the same level of accessibility features. It is worth noting that all the accessible toilets in the public areas around Queen Anne were also poorly designed, with no drop down grab rails whatsoever. 

 

Accessible seating in theatres - P&O better. The signage on the designated wheelchair companion seats was next to useless, meaning that anyone sat in them. This caused us a lot of issues and meant that we had to turn up 20 to 30 minutes ahead of a show or talk to secure one. Again, we were very disappointed with this, as it’s so easily solved and costs peanuts. P&O isn’t brilliant in this respect, but is far better than Cunard. 
 

 

In summary, promenade deck aside, we really liked Queen Anne. The accessibility shortcomings were unforgivable and impacted adversely on our cruise experience. However, this will not impact on those who are able bodied, or indeed those with a lesser degree of disability than my wife (who is a full time wheelchair user), so 99% of passengers will not experience the challenges that we did. 

 

Things that really matter to us, such as the dining experience and entertainment, were noticeably better on Cunard. It felt like a more upmarket cruise and, in many respects, was reminiscent of the P&O that we first cruised with in the 1990s. On that basis, it’s really a case of ‘you get what you pay for’ but some Cunard cruises can compete with P&O on price if you look hard enough. None the less, we felt that there are some areas where P&O do a better job and given the fact that you can get some very keenly priced cruises with them, we still feel that P&O has a place for us in our future holiday plans. 

 

I’m happy to answer any questions. 

[Dermotsgirl]

Thank you for doing this @Selbourne

 

I followed you and @Megabear2comments on the Cunard board, and it was all very interesting.

 

My next cruise is on Queen Anne, not until 2026, and it's only for a week. We booked it as it coincides with our 45th wedding anniversary and we will hopefully be able to view an eclipse. 

 

We are in a Britannia Club cabin as our (almost) sole aim is to get a decent table for 2, with flexible timing, with no faffing around.  From what you have said, Britannia Club seems to achieve this.

 

I've got one entertainment question. Is 'The Bright Lights Society' pre-bookable either before or during the cruise, or do you just turn up on the night?

[Cruising Nomads]

Just a quick question I realise that you had Britannia Club dining but what were the cut off times for the Breakfast service on port and seadays?

[Selbourne]

3 minutes ago, Dermotsgirl said:

Thank you for doing this @Selbourne

 

I followed you and @Megabear2comments on the Cunard board, and it was all very interesting.

 

My next cruise is on Queen Anne, not until 2026, and it's only for a week. We booked it as it coincides with our 45th wedding anniversary and we will hopefully be able to view an eclipse. 

 

We are in a Britannia Club cabin as our (almost) sole aim is to get a decent table for 2, with flexible timing, with no faffing around.  From what you have said, Britannia Club seems to achieve this.

 

I've got one entertainment question. Is 'The Bright Lights Society' pre-bookable either before or during the cruise, or do you just turn up on the night?

Thanks. I should have mentioned the ‘Bright Lights Society’ specifically in the entertainment section. We saw both shows ‘Noir’ and ‘Fizz’ and they were both excellent and innovative. The cast are professional actors, rather than Cunard entertainment employees, and it showed. You can only book when on board (via the app that isn’t an app) but it was far easier to secure a booking than it was the 710 Club on Iona. As long as you book 24 hours in advance there were spaces available. Highly recommended. 

[Selbourne]

4 minutes ago, Cruising Nomads said:

Just a quick question I realise that you had Britannia Club dining but what were the cut off times for the Breakfast service on port and seadays?

That was another thing that we liked with Cunard. Times were the same for all meals regardless of whether it was a sea day or port day. Breakfast cut off was 9.30am every day. This was the same in Britannia as Britannia Club (and Grills for that matter). We find the 9am cut off on port days on P&O to be too early although, from memory, it was later on Iona?

Edited June 12 by Selbourne

[Cruising Nomads]

Thanks for info.

[Dermotsgirl]

1 hour ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks. I should have mentioned the ‘Bright Lights Society’ specifically in the entertainment section. We saw both shows ‘Noir’ and ‘Fizz’ and they were both excellent and innovative. The cast are professional actors, rather than Cunard entertainment employees, and it showed. You can only book when on board (via the app that isn’t an app) but it was far easier to secure a booking than it was the 710 Club on Iona. As long as you book 24 hours in advance there were spaces available. Highly recommended. 

Thank you, it’s something we intend to do, although we’ll be non participants! 

[elmsliebev]

Thanks Selbourne, useful as ever.

We are on Queen Anne later this month, and were on Azura last October so we're looking forward to seeing the differences between the two lines. We're in an inside Britannia restaurant on freedom dining. I was very disappointed with the food in the MDR on Azura but loved the speciality dining. We have 2 speciality restaurants booked on QA so again will be checking out the differences. 

[Thejuggler]

Re luggage distribution and using passenger lifts.  Its a new ship, these issues could be connected.

 

Faulty service lift means passenger lift is the only option.

[Selbourne]

14 minutes ago, Thejuggler said:

Re luggage distribution and using passenger lifts.  Its a new ship, these issues could be connected.

 

Faulty service lift means passenger lift is the only option.

It wasn’t to do with faulty service lifts. It just appears to be the way that they are going to do it. Madness IMHO. 

[Megabear2]

As I am honoured by a mention from Selbourne I'll add my two pennath! 

 

I am a Cunard Diamond cruiser so my take on anything Cunard is very much slanted by my previous experiences on the preceding four Queens and any comments on service levels will reflect this. 

 

The dining room "issues" experienced by me to which Selbourne refers were with regard to two matters.  Firstly I was travelling solo, something I regularly do on Cunard but less frequently on P&O and I was also sailing on a very late cheap fare which meant I did not have a dining choice.  Normally this would not be the case and I would automatically book and request fixed dining second sitting on a table of 8.  Initially on Queen Anne I was allocated Anytime Dining, the equivalent of P&O's freedom dining. This operates via the app that's not an app in the same way as P&O does.  My problems with this were that the system insisted that I could only dine alone on a table for myself and sharing was not an option.  I was unhappy with this as I like to be on a shared table when I travel solo even if it's different people at each meal.  As a consequence after the first night the Purser's office arranged for me to transfer to a table for 8 on the late sitting at 8.30pm.  It should be noted that early sitting on Cunard is 5.30pm so considerably earlier than on P&O.  This is mainly offered to accommodate the US and other nationalities who eat far earlier than people from the UK.

 

My comments on the service to our table were mainly to do with speed of service and organisation.  The table was serviced by a team of three and a sommelier, two of whom were brand new.  Initially it was a bit hit and miss which is probably understandable.  On day 4 myself and one of my table companions had a long chat with them and they were telling us the first two cruises had been absolute hell for them as the guests had been extremely demanding and on occasions downright rude.  They commented they were thankful that the guests on the current cruise were more understanding.  We noticed a very rapid improvement from that day onwards and the staff started to relax and smile more.  To be truthful the service at all times was superior to that offered on P&O, it just was not at the beginning of the normal Cunard high level.

 

On the last evening we learned that one of our waiters and the sommelier were leaving the ship in Southampton and were due to fly back to Queen Elizabeth in a few days.  It appears that Cunard had brought in short term quite a high number of experienced staff from the other Queens for the first three cruises to help with training and familiarisation.  This was very much noticed around the ship.  Most regular Cunard passengers are very used to familiar faces in their "home" and a large number could be found around the ship covering all departments. These staff members were as usual of the highest calibre offering impeccable service.  The newer members of the staff were clearly learning the "Cunard way" and by the end of the cruise seemed to be getting there.

 

So Queen Anne is different, she's a lovely ship modern and bright and in a lot of ways intuitive with things like the Bright Lights Society and the drawing room.  She is trying hard to be a Cunarder but it may we an uphill battle with the die hard traditionalist Cunard passengers.  She has her own distinct character already.  

 

My favourite P&O ship by a very long way is Britannia and I'd happily put Queen Anne alongside her as a "posher" choice than her.  However I'd struggle to rate Queen Anne with the Celebrity Edge which is much more quirky and cutting edge in all respects. As is well known I absolutely hated Arvia for the noise issues in particular but as I experienced an inside cabin on her and on Queen Anne would draw the comparisons based on this.  There is absolutely nothing to choose between the two cabins save Arvia offers better design for wardrobes and also the placement of the television - unlike Selbourne I had no complaints about the offerings on Queen Anne or with sound/picture quality.  In my opinion the offering was of equivalent quality and variety to that on Britannia.

 

My next cruise is on Aurora and I do not believe that comparisons will be able to be drawn between this cruise and the three preceding ones I have just had which were on Celebrity Edge, Britannia and now Queen Anne as the ships are so totally different.  

 

What I do believe is possible is to compare the product offered, and overall the Cunard offering remains much more in line with their pre pandemic offering.  Yes there have been cuts, those who regularly travel with them will notice them for sure, but they are nowhere near as drastic as P&O's. 

 

So to sum up, if you've never sailed Cunard you will find it a step up from P&O at a higher price level, if you are a traditionalist you'll probably be pleased as well.

 

As a Cunard devotee I'll sail on Queen Anne again as planned in October but can say for sure my next sailings on the other three Queens will definitely give me a more true Cunard experience.  That's not a complaint just an observation that Queen Anne will be different in the same way I'm sure Arvia will be different to Aurora.

 

 

[Megabear2]

Regarding drinks pricing, it is what it is. Cunard offer a vastly superior and much larger menu and their drinks, particularly cocktails are far superior and contain bigger alcohol measures.  I did have the drinks pack for this cruise - first time on Cunard - and it equated to £800 for the two weeks. It removed the 15% service charge.  My Britannia cruise coming in December I have the Deluxe Drinks package bought before the last price increase at £650 or thereabouts.  I do not consider the offerings to be of anywhere near the range of the Cunard one.  

 

The "restrictions" Selbourne mentions due to costs mainly affected wine offerings along with some cocktails in two bars.  My choice apart from there was extensive.  Historically the Commodore Club and Chart Room have always offered drinks of higher value, with or without drinks package.

Edited June 13 by Megabear2

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

As I am honoured by a mention from Selbourne I'll add my two pennath! 

 

I am a Cunard Diamond cruiser so my take on anything Cunard is very much slanted by my previous experiences on the preceding four Queens and any comments on service levels will reflect this. 

 

The dining room "issues" experienced by me to which Selbourne refers were with regard to two matters.  Firstly I was travelling solo, something I regularly do on Cunard but less frequently on P&O and I was also sailing on a very late cheap fare which meant I did not have a dining choice.  Normally this would not be the case and I would automatically book and request fixed dining second sitting on a table of 8.  Initially on Queen Anne I was allocated Anytime Dining, the equivalent of P&O's freedom dining. This operates via the app that's not an app in the same way as P&O does.  My problems with this were that the system insisted that I could only dine alone on a table for myself and sharing was not an option.  I was unhappy with this as I like to be on a shared table when I travel solo even if it's different people at each meal.  As a consequence after the first night the Purser's office arranged for me to transfer to a table for 8 on the late sitting at 8.30pm.  It should be noted that early sitting on Cunard is 5.30pm so considerably earlier than on P&O.  This is mainly offered to accommodate the US and other nationalities who eat far earlier than people from the UK.

 

My comments on the service to our table were mainly to do with speed of service and organisation.  The table was serviced by a team of three and a sommelier, two of whom were brand new.  Initially it was a bit hit and miss which is probably understandable.  On day 4 myself and one of my table companions had a long chat with them and they were telling us the first two cruises had been absolute hell for them as the guests had been extremely demanding and on occasions downright rude.  They commented they were thankful that the guests on the current cruise were more understanding.  We noticed a very rapid improvement from that day onwards and the staff started to relax and smile more.  To be truthful the service at all times was superior to that offered on P&O, it just was not at the beginning of the normal Cunard high level.

 

On the last evening we learned that one of our waiters and the sommelier were leaving the ship in Southampton and were due to fly back to Queen Elizabeth in a few days.  It appears that Cunard had brought in short term quite a high number of experienced staff from the other Queens for the first three cruises to help with training and familiarisation.  This was very much noticed around the ship.  Most regular Cunard passengers are very used to familiar faces in their "home" and a large number could be found around the ship covering all departments. These staff members were as usual of the highest calibre offering impeccable service.  The newer members of the staff were clearly learning the "Cunard way" and by the end of the cruise seemed to be getting there.

 

So Queen Anne is different, she's a lovely ship modern and bright and in a lot of ways intuitive with things like the Bright Lights Society and the drawing room.  She is trying hard to be a Cunarder but it may we an uphill battle with the die hard traditionalist Cunard passengers.  She has her own distinct character already.  

 

My favourite P&O ship by a very long way is Britannia and I'd happily put Queen Anne alongside her as a "posher" choice than her.  However I'd struggle to rate Queen Anne with the Celebrity Edge which is much more quirky and cutting edge in all respects. As is well known I absolutely hated Arvia for the noise issues in particular but as I experienced an inside cabin on her and on Queen Anne would draw the comparisons based on this.  There is absolutely nothing to choose between the two cabins save Arvia offers better design for wardrobes and also the placement of the television - unlike Selbourne I had no complaints about the offerings on Queen Anne or with sound/picture quality.  In my opinion the offering was of equivalent quality and variety to that on Britannia.

 

My next cruise is on Aurora and I do not believe that comparisons will be able to be drawn between this cruise and the three preceding ones I have just had which were on Celebrity Edge, Britannia and now Queen Anne as the ships are so totally different.  

 

What I do believe is possible is to compare the product offered, and overall the Cunard offering remains much more in line with their pre pandemic offering.  Yes there have been cuts, those who regularly travel with them will notice them for sure, but they are nowhere near as drastic as P&O's. 

 

So to sum up, if you've never sailed Cunard you will find it a step up from P&O at a higher price level, if you are a traditionalist you'll probably be pleased as well.

 

As a Cunard devotee I'll sail on Queen Anne again as planned in October but can say for sure my next sailings on the other three Queens will definitely give me a more true Cunard experience.  That's not a complaint just an observation that Queen Anne will be different in the same way I'm sure Arvia will be different to Aurora.

 

 

Thanks. That’s very useful and interesting context. I’m pleased to hear that MDR service improved for you as the cruise went on. 
 

To clarify my point about the TV, it was indeed comparable to the ones used on Britannia, with the sole exception that on Queen Anne there is no route map. I must confess that I hadn’t noticed this omission until I overheard another guest complaining about it!
 

Whilst the on demand movies are high definition, the TV channels aren’t. I only watch HD channels at home, as on large screen TVs the picture quality of non-HD channels looks so poor in comparison. This was the case on Queen Anne as it is on Britannia. Consequently, things like the scrolling headlines at the bottom of Sky News are extremely difficult to read as they aren’t in sharp focus and appear slightly blurred. 
 

Regarding sound quality, we are spoiled with a Bose soundbar at home, but we found the sound quality on the cabin TV to be quite poor. I started to watch Oppenheimer, as I haven’t seen it yet, but gave up because of this issue. We had a large cabin which may have made the sound quality issue more noticeable. 

[Selbourne]

1 hour ago, Megabear2 said:

Regarding drinks pricing, it is what it is. Cunard offer a vastly superior and much larger menu and their drinks, particularly cocktails are far superior and contain bigger alcohol measures.  I did have the drinks pack for this cruise - first time on Cunard - and it equated to £800 for the two weeks. It removed the 15% service charge.  My Britannia cruise coming in December I have the Deluxe Drinks package bought before the last price increase at £650 or thereabouts.  I do not consider the offerings to be of anywhere near the range of the Cunard one.  

 

The "restrictions" Selbourne mentions due to costs mainly affected wine offerings along with some cocktails in two bars.  My choice apart from there was extensive.  Historically the Commodore Club and Chart Room have always offered drinks of higher value, with or without drinks package.

Yes, I would agree that the drinks choices on Cunard are far superior and also that measures are more generous. Our favourite bar was the Commodore Club and, yes, many of the drinks in there were above the drinks package price cap. We enjoyed the Cunard perfect serve gin and tonics, which were over the price cap. As a point of interest, our total expenditure, for the two of us over 14 days, was under £600. That includes the 15% gratuities on drinks, but excludes other gratuities. All but £35 of that was covered by our OBC!
 

One disappointment that I had was the wine list. Whilst the choice was considerably more than is offered on P&O I didn’t particularly enjoy those that we ordered. On P&O my go to favourites are Jam Shed Shiraz, Silk & Spice and Money Spider. None of those was available on Cunard 😞

[Megabear2]

7 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Thanks. That’s very useful and interesting context. I’m pleased to hear that MDR service improved for you as the cruise went on. 
 

To clarify my point about the TV, it was indeed comparable to the ones used on Britannia, with the sole exception that on Queen Anne there is no route map. I must confess that I hadn’t noticed this omission until I overheard another guest complaining about it!
 

Whilst the on demand movies are high definition, the TV channels aren’t. I only watch HD channels at home, as on large screen TVs the picture quality of non-HD channels looks so poor in comparison. This was the case on Queen Anne as it is on Britannia. Consequently, things like the scrolling headlines at the bottom of Sky News are extremely difficult to read as they aren’t in sharp focus and appear slightly blurred. 
 

Regarding sound quality, we are spoiled with a Bose soundbar at home, but we found the sound quality on the cabin TV to be quite poor. I started to watch Oppenheimer, as I haven’t seen it yet, but gave up because of this issue. We had a large cabin which may have made the sound quality issue more noticeable. 

I too use high quality audio and broadcasting equipment at home but would be very surprised apart from in extremely high end land based hotels to receive full HD broadcasts.  I'm currently sitting in a 5* London hotel and the TV is broadcasting in "normal" mode.  My own experience worldwide is that unless the premises offers a full satellite or cable service watching in full HD is a rarity.  

 

Unfortunately modern TV sets offer very poor sound quality by their design and I doubt we will see hotels and cruise lines offering sound bars etc on their standard cabins, although I understand that in the Grills very much superior electronic equipment is being offered on Queen Anne.  Then again as my travelling companion on one excursion had paid £23,000 for her room it was probably well and truly paid for in her fare!

[yorkshirephil]

9 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

 

One disappointment that I had was the wine list. Whilst the choice was considerably more than is offered on P&O I didn’t particularly enjoy those that we ordered. On P&O my go to favourites are Jam Shed Shiraz, Silk & Spice and Money Spider. None of those was available on Cunard 😞

I think this is the reason why it is so difficult to compare, my opinion is that Cunard is an overall better experience than P&O, at a price which may be value for some but not others. One mans meat is another mans poison or so some philosopher or other said. My go to wine is Jam shed although I would force the odd Malbec down if stuck.

I think you and MG have made a fair job of your comparisons and are pretty much in line with my views. One gripe I did have with the QE entertainment last year was that on a 38 night cruise which was sold as one cruise but was also made up of several segments they did three shows and one play. They were very good and we did watch them twice each but I felt that there should have been more variation. 

[Megabear2]

21 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Yes, I would agree that the drinks choices on Cunard are far superior and also that measures are more generous. Our favourite bar was the Commodore Club and, yes, many of the drinks in there were above the drinks package price cap. We enjoyed the Cunard perfect serve gin and tonics, which were over the price cap. As a point of interest, our total expenditure, for the two of us over 14 days, was under £600. That includes the 15% gratuities on drinks, but excludes other gratuities. All but £35 of that was covered by our OBC!
 

One disappointment that I had was the wine list. Whilst the choice was considerably more than is offered on P&O I didn’t particularly enjoy those that we ordered. On P&O my go to favourites are Jam Shed Shiraz, Silk & Spice and Money Spider. None of those was available on Cunard 😞

Did you have the full 40 page wine list?  I'm not a big wine drinker, particularly reds, but my table companions were and the list was huge for reds, although some of them were running into the hundreds of dollars per bottle which again is something Cunard specialise in for their US guests.  Believe it or not some customers ship large quantities from their own cellars to drink onboard as they consider the offerings inferior.

 

I exceeded my $72 a day on virtually every day, bar one.  A lot of my daily spend was on tea, bottled sparkling water, cans of water to take ashore, breakfast juices and smoothies in the Wellness Cafe.  My alcohol intake was limited to my normal small glass of white wine with lunch, the same with dinner, a mojito before dinner, a g&t or at a bar after dinner and the occasional liquor on gala nights or an Irish coffee.  It adds up quite rapidly, particularly on seadays where I like a non alcoholic beer (strangely these are only on the alcoholic drinks package despite being totally alcofree).  I'm a creature of habit and know more or less what I'll be doing drinks wise before I board.  When traveling alone I spend a lot of time socialising so know I'll be in a bar!

 

Of course I also did not have any OBC (traveling solo it's always quite small) but when I travel with my husband habits and consumption are totally different.

 

My onboard account was $250 at the end and was the balance for my Internet - I worked part of the trip - and the purchase of a sweatshirt for $50 plus my daily ice cream consumption.  

Edited June 13 by Megabear2

[Selbourne]

17 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

I'm currently sitting in a 5* London hotel and the TV is broadcasting in "normal" mode.  My own experience worldwide is that unless the premises offers a full satellite or cable service watching in full HD is a rarity. 

You should use Premier Inn MB. They do 😂 

[Megabear2]

2 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

You should use Premier Inn MB. They do 😂 

I'm not known by family and friends as Queen of the 5* for nothing ...

 

To be truthful I do occasionally stay at the Premier Inn Newmarket but I so rarely switch on  TV anywhere when I'm travelling I'd probably not know any different.  It's only on here became husband wanted to see the election coverage!

[Selbourne]

3 minutes ago, Megabear2 said:

Did you have the full 40 page wine list?

Yep, and some were even in to four figures 🫣 Like you, I’m no connoisseur, but I know the country’s and types of wine that we like and must have struck unlucky with the ones that we chose. We would have drunk more had we found one that we really liked.

[Megabear2]

10 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Yep, and some were even in to four figures 🫣 Like you, I’m no connoisseur, but I know the country’s and types of wine that we like and must have struck unlucky with the ones that we chose. We would have drunk more had we found one that we really liked.

Sadly they've removed my favourite Cloudy Bay Sauvignon on both P&O and Cunard but I did find a very nice Greek and Indian wine in the Chart Room. For dinner I just stuck to Cunard's own Sauvignon Blanc and pinot grigio which is perfectly acceptable to me.

 

Whisper it quietly but I could get the perfect serve gin and tonics in the Chart Room - I love Three (now four) Queen's gin - as most of the Cunard staff from the other ships and the waiters and barmen are very adept at organising drinks outside the normal confines.  My much loved mojitos aren't on every bar menu but like most things ask and they will provide.

Edited June 13 by Megabear2

[cruising.mark.uk]

Thank you @Selbourne for your balanced and insightful comparison.  We have not cruised with Cunard since the pandemic because, for us, the value proposition has not been there – maybe we just don’t ‘get’ Cunard, but it seems to us to be pretty much on a par in most respects with other mainstream lines (P&O, Princess, Celebrity, HAL) such that we are unwilling to pay the higher price for what is fundamentally for us an equivalent product. Celebrity now falls in the same category for us.

 

Probably the most important aspect of our value calculation is about dining and we are huge fans of the change away from fixed dining to a situation where we can eat pretty much when we like on a table for two which is more than 6 inches away from neighbouring tables.  From what you write, Britannia Club does a fine job of delivering that and it sounds very much like the Princess equivalent (Reserve, previously Club) which we have just experienced for 4 weeks and which we will have again in August. My question, though, is what is the premium on Cunard for BC over a standard balcony cabin?  When I have looked previously, it seems pretty steep, with BC only a touch cheaper than PG and £500+ pp more than a balcony for a 14 night cruise.  Maybe we’ve just been lucky with pricing, but on our recent Princess cruise the premium we paid for Reserve over a regular mini suite was pretty much zero and on our next one it is about £15pp per night.  That, for us is well worth it.  £40 or £50pp per night on Cunard would not be.

 

I’m not sure P&O could achieve a Club / Reserve equivalent, even if they wanted to.  And, on their newest ships, I don’t think they want to as the whole concept seems to be to divert people from MDRs.  But, on Iona / Arvia we can achieve all the benefits of Club and more by eating in our own time away from the MDR.  We’re not fussed about breakfast, but on our last (and on future cruises on these ships), we ate in alternative dining locations for about half the lunchtimes and for every dinner.  And, given that many of the alternative locations are either included or not far either way of £10 a meal, I’d estimate that the cost of doing that over a fortnight would total between £10 and £20 pp per night.  I can’t remember in recent years not having more than that cost in OBC, so the premium for dining in this way over the fare for a standard cabin effectively becomes close to zero for us.  Are there sufficient alternative dining options on QA to make this strategy a viable alternative to BC and, if so, would having a standard balcony cabin and adopting this strategy likely work out cheaper or more expensive than splurging for BC?
 

[Selbourne]

16 minutes ago, cruising.mark.uk said:

Thank you @Selbourne for your balanced and insightful comparison.  We have not cruised with Cunard since the pandemic because, for us, the value proposition has not been there – maybe we just don’t ‘get’ Cunard, but it seems to us to be pretty much on a par in most respects with other mainstream lines (P&O, Princess, Celebrity, HAL) such that we are unwilling to pay the higher price for what is fundamentally for us an equivalent product. Celebrity now falls in the same category for us.

 

Probably the most important aspect of our value calculation is about dining and we are huge fans of the change away from fixed dining to a situation where we can eat pretty much when we like on a table for two which is more than 6 inches away from neighbouring tables.  From what you write, Britannia Club does a fine job of delivering that and it sounds very much like the Princess equivalent (Reserve, previously Club) which we have just experienced for 4 weeks and which we will have again in August. My question, though, is what is the premium on Cunard for BC over a standard balcony cabin?  When I have looked previously, it seems pretty steep, with BC only a touch cheaper than PG and £500+ pp more than a balcony for a 14 night cruise.  Maybe we’ve just been lucky with pricing, but on our recent Princess cruise the premium we paid for Reserve over a regular mini suite was pretty much zero and on our next one it is about £15pp per night.  That, for us is well worth it.  £40 or £50pp per night on Cunard would not be.

 

I’m not sure P&O could achieve a Club / Reserve equivalent, even if they wanted to.  And, on their newest ships, I don’t think they want to as the whole concept seems to be to divert people from MDRs.  But, on Iona / Arvia we can achieve all the benefits of Club and more by eating in our own time away from the MDR.  We’re not fussed about breakfast, but on our last (and on future cruises on these ships), we ate in alternative dining locations for about half the lunchtimes and for every dinner.  And, given that many of the alternative locations are either included or not far either way of £10 a meal, I’d estimate that the cost of doing that over a fortnight would total between £10 and £20 pp per night.  I can’t remember in recent years not having more than that cost in OBC, so the premium for dining in this way over the fare for a standard cabin effectively becomes close to zero for us.  Are there sufficient alternative dining options on QA to make this strategy a viable alternative to BC and, if so, would having a standard balcony cabin and adopting this strategy likely work out cheaper or more expensive than splurging for BC?
 

If you personally don’t find Cunard to be any better than P&O then I’d stick with the latter, rather than try to make Cunard fit your requirements. If you like Iona / Arvia you won’t be able to make Cunard prices come even close. Iona wasn’t for us and we found Cunard to be a more premium product, so we feel that we can justify the price differential. We also find the P&O speciality restaurants to be OK for the odd night, but we wouldn’t want to use them every night of a cruise. We prefer the MDR for the majority of our meals, an area where we felt that Cunard was better. 
 

As for the price premium of Britannia Club it varies enormously. I can’t remember the price differential when we booked, but from memory it was something like £2k more than Britannia, but many more thousands below Princess Grill. We booked on launch day, so probably paid over the odds (we didn’t know any different at the time, but we really wanted to try Club so we swallowed it). However, using Britannia Club was probably the highlight of the cruise for us, so it was money well spent. Not having the faff of virtual queues, pagers or physical queues, being able to just walk in whenever we fancied to our designated table, having a fairly good choice of a la’ carte items every day in addition to the full MDR menu (we used these often) and nice touches such as daily flambéed desserts, a nice cheese board etc All of these things made it a considerably enhanced experience over anything that we’ve had on P&O - including when we used to book suites with P&O. 

 

Our November Queen Anne cruise was booked well after launch and we only payed around £1k more than Britannia for Britannia Club. I think that’s around £35 pppn premium which, based on our recent experience, is a bargain. 
 

As for speciality restaurants, there were quite a few on Queen Anne but we didn’t use any of them. Frankly, we didn’t feel the need to, whereas we do when on P&O. Without doubt they are more expensive on Cunard, but I’d probably put money on them being better food wise. We have found the P&O speciality restaurants to be a bit patchy in recent years - including Epicurean which was always our favourite. As to whether booking Britannia and dining speciality every night would work out cheaper than booking Club I’d say it would depend on the cruise, but is possible. That approach wouldn’t work for us though as, just with P&O, we’d find the menus too restrictive and repetitive whereas we prefer the variety of the MDRs. 

[Mollag]

5 hours ago, Selbourne said:

Yes, I would agree that the drinks choices on Cunard are far superior and also that measures are more generous. Our favourite bar was the Commodore Club and, yes, many of the drinks in there were above the drinks package price cap. We enjoyed the Cunard perfect serve gin and tonics, which were over the price cap. As a point of interest, our total expenditure, for the two of us over 14 days, was under £600. That includes the 15% gratuities on drinks, but excludes other gratuities. All but £35 of that was covered by our OBC!
 

One disappointment that I had was the wine list. Whilst the choice was considerably more than is offered on P&O I didn’t particularly enjoy those that we ordered. On P&O my go to favourites are Jam Shed Shiraz, Silk & Spice and Money Spider. None of those was available on Cunard 😞

No more Jam shed on P&O 

[david63]

1 hour ago, Mollag said:

No more Jam shed on P&O 

That's because it is all in Tesco, less what I have bought!😄