New to Cunard. Could use some opinions.

[fluffybunny22]

I just booked a cruise on the Queen Anne for next June to Norway. My husband is looking to do Norway with the very specific need of going to North Cape. We booked the same type of itinerary on MSC last year for this year that we ended up cancelling because of the horrible reviews of MSC. I got the email for the sale today and decided to poke around since we just got back vacation and I get itchy if I don't have anything booked. You all seem to be worked up about some changes and from as far as I can tell those changes might have been what attracted me. From the Cunard website and google it appears that Cunard is less stuffy than we assumed. My husband is a finance executive and we know how to dress properly and have the resources to and will when we need to. We are big into food and experiences. I'm attracted to the daily afternoon tea because we do it a couple of times a year at a fancy resort near us for birthdays and holidays. Normally we are happy with a cruise on Celebrity but they don't offer this itinerary. We are well traveled and enjoy luxurious things occasionally. We very much enjoy traditional cruising and are not fans of the mega ships and anytime dining concept. Is Cunard for us or will you be here complaining about us?

[Pushpit]

It sounds like QA would fit in quite well with your background, particularly if the itinerary is close to what you want. Cunard would be considered one of the more traditional cruise lines around, and the entertainment and education programmes work strongly in that direction. You won't find many bad reviews about Queen Anne for one obvious reason: it's not been around long enough, and you will always find good and bad reviews anyway. But have a look at the reviews of the 4 sailings (so far) in this Board, at least you will get the honest view of people who arrive on deck with a positive frame of mind about Cunard.

 

Was there something in particular about the MSC reviews that set off an alarm bell for you? 

 

[fluffybunny22]

5 minutes ago, Pushpit said:

It sounds like QA would fit in quite well with your background, particularly if the itinerary is close to what you want. Cunard would be considered one of the more traditional cruise lines around, and the entertainment and education programmes work strongly in that direction. You won't find many bad reviews about Queen Anne for one obvious reason: it's not been around long enough, and you will always find good and bad reviews anyway. But have a look at the reviews of the 4 sailings (so far) in this Board, at least you will get the honest view of people who arrive on deck with a positive frame of mind about Cunard.

 

Was there something in particular about the MSC reviews that set off an alarm bell for you? 

 

All of the feedback I got about MSC is Americans only really like it in the Yacht Club category and only really in the Caribbean. Feedback about the food on Northern Europe cruises was not good. We really care about food quality because what's the point of eating if it isn't good food. We aren't snobby about it though. Last week we ate sausages from a street vendor in Austria and we ate plenty of sandwiches from grocery stores but they were all very good. I don't want to be possibly trapped at sea with bad food.

[TowandaUK]

We have just had our first Cunard cruise on QA having previously sailed with Celebrity.
We found that the food was much better on QA than Celebrity Silhouette, although I would qualify that by saying that our last X experience was exactly a year ago when X was experiencing severe cutbacks in choice and quality of food - I understand that many of those cutbacks have now been reversed.

Standards of dress is definitely better on QA. While some Cunard regulars may see a downturn in dress standards we thought it much improved on X.

The afternoon tea is exactly as you will see on the vlogs and is a treat not to be missed - just turn up in good time.

If you plan on ships’ excursions you will find plenty of choice - 89 on our QA voyage. Although ships excursions are never inexpensive we thought they were better value than X.

Whilst the entertainment on Cunard was not razzle dazzle (except for bright lights) it was ok. Insight lectures are very good, and the celebrity talks excellent - we had Val McDermid and Will Carling. 
It sounds from your post that Cunard will be a very good fit, and hope you have a fantastic time. 

[fluffybunny22]

26 minutes ago, TowandaUK said:

We have just had our first Cunard cruise on QA having previously sailed with Celebrity.
We found that the food was much better on QA than Celebrity Silhouette, although I would qualify that by saying that our last X experience was exactly a year ago when X was experiencing severe cutbacks in choice and quality of food - I understand that many of those cutbacks have now been reversed.

Standards of dress is definitely better on QA. While some Cunard regulars may see a downturn in dress standards we thought it much improved on X.

The afternoon tea is exactly as you will see on the vlogs and is a treat not to be missed - just turn up in good time.

If you plan on ships’ excursions you will find plenty of choice - 89 on our QA voyage. Although ships excursions are never inexpensive we thought they were better value than X.

Whilst the entertainment on Cunard was not razzle dazzle (except for bright lights) it was ok. Insight lectures are very good, and the celebrity talks excellent - we had Val McDermid and Will Carling. 
It sounds from your post that Cunard will be a very good fit, and hope you have a fantastic time. 

We haven't cruised post pandemic because everything we've booked there were issues like pandemic, Russia invading Ukraine so we cancelled a Baltic cruise due to the dropping of St Petersburg and then me getting cold feet about MSC. I think we were due to book a cruise though because I've gotten 3 mailers from X this week and I haven't checked today's mail yet. My husband keeps watching Mighty Ships and keeps coming up with new places he wants to visit. I'm glad we didn't experience a downturn in the food on X.

[3rdGenCunarder]

I must get 2 or 3 cruise brochures every week. Lines I've never sailed and one line I sailed 10 years ago and swore never again.

 

Don't worry about stuffiness. Cunard has been tarred with that reputation undeservedly for many years. It's possible to be classy, elegant, and traditional without being stuffy. Cunard passengers are well traveled interesting people. You will not be in a ship filled with Hyacinth Buckets (pronounced Bouquet). 

[Ditchcrawler]

I cruised with Cunard on Victoria in Britannia with my wife for the first time in May, we're late 30's. I wouldn't describe the atmosphere as stuffy. I live a quiet life now but was no stranger questionably fuelled late nights in my 20's. I would actually say the clientele were a mostly lovely, and generally interesting and personable group of individuals. 

 

I would however not rate the food incredibly highly. This is entirely subjective, and none of the friends I made on board had any of my complaints. In general, I found the starters in the MDR to be good and the main courses to be okay to good. The pop up alternative dining in the Lido I found to be good to very good across the board. For the most part I was not a fan of the Lido, the pizzas to order being the exception, they were good. I did not order any room service, but my wife did and reported it to be good, better than the Lido. We didn't visit the Veranda steakhouse.

 

I really must point out that the worst food I experienced was average, and the best was very good. I feel the balance weighed towards average however. I neither had nor witnessed anything that was objectively bad.

 

Would we go back? We probably will. The staff were exceptional, genuinely exceptional. The bed was excellent, and we found the standard balcony cabin to be surprisingly spacious. The atmosphere was to put it in a word "relaxed", I have actually stopped biting my nails since the cruise.

 

Regarding the dress code, it's much more relaxed than anything you're expecting 90%, of the time. On Gala nights however, I feel I would felt  out of place had I just packed a dark suit rather than a dinner jacket (I would not have been made to feel this way however). On the Gala nights the atmosphere was very much everyone enjoying a chance to dress up, it's a bit of naïve anachronism to be wholeheartedly embraced in my opinion. 

 

 

[NE John]

If food is a priority, you may want to try booking (splurging some) on Princess or Queen’s Grill. The main difference with the Grills is the higher level of food and higher staff ratio caring for you. As an American, I’ve never found Cunard stuffy or pompous; the atmosphere onboard is relaxed. I enjoy the British vibe and sense of humor. 
As a newcomer, QA may not be selling at discounts yet, but who knows for next June sailing. 

[Pushpit]

10 hours ago, fluffybunny22 said:

Feedback about the food on Northern Europe [MSC] cruises was not good. We really care about food quality because what's the point of eating if it isn't good food. [snip]. I don't want to be possibly trapped at sea with bad food.

I've been reflecting on this, and the trouble that I have is that this is so personal. One (wo)man's meat is another (wo)man's poison. I've come to the view that 2 sentence reviews can never get this across adequately, it needs a fair degree of precision, and an understanding about how we are all different. So the throwaway line "the steak was inedible", for example: yes if you are given rump and you only eat sirloin you can perhaps see how someone would say that. I've also seen people reject food in the Britannia restaurant, in strong terms, and yet I happily ate every bite of a seemingly identical item. and had no complaint.

 

I doubt breakfast, lunch, Afternoon Tea, middle of the day snacks are going to be a problem, no matter what your perspective. Between Britannia and the Artisans' Foodhall there is a lot of variety and many Americans readily adapt to Cunard's Get Up and Go breakfast (which half deals with lunch in one hit!).

 

So I think you may want to search around the evening meal menus and photos here to see if that is going to work for you, that may be the more sensitive issue. There aren't so many photos / menus of QA yet, but the Cunard catering is pretty uniform across the Line. Where QA is different is that the supplementary cost alternative dining venues are much more developed there, unlike the other 3 ships.

 

But typically there are 5 main course evening meal options, 3 will be meat or fish based, option 4 will be vegetarian, and option 5 vegan. Sometimes 5 is fish, or a bit cross-over (e.g. spaghetti carbonara). There will be 3 courses before that, dessert and cheese after.  But have a look at the options and photos, then hopefully it will be clearer. There are some "always available" items, and Artisans' Foodhall will have many other options.  I think if one really didn't do buffets AND was really picky about food (never eat fish AND never eat lamb AND never spicy etc) then I can see one may get disappointed, since other cruise companies may have a much longer menu.

[exlondoner]

Just to emphasise, whatever it may be or have been, Cunard is not stuffy, though on the whole, the passengers are pretty courteous.

[Yoshikitty]

If you are pleased with the food on Celebrity, I think you won't be disappointed on Cunard.

We only have the experience with the Aqua Class on Celebrity. But their Buffet is more or less on the same level as Cunard. In my opinion, Cunard does much better cakes/desserts than Celebrity. 

 

In general, MSC is not on the same price level as Cunard or Celebrity. I booked MSC once and think it's very good valued. I found myself eating at the buffet most of the time because the food in the MDR was not good. Pizza was excellent. The pasta, ice cream and coffee were good. 

 

 

Edited Friday at 10:56 AM by Yoshikitty

[RK-NC]

15 hours ago, fluffybunny22 said:

Is Cunard for us or will you be here complaining about us?

 

We sail Cunard for the first time in August so I can't really offer any insight but I just had to say that I completely understand this sentiment. 

[Victoria2]

16 hours ago, fluffybunny22 said:

I just booked a cruise on the Queen Anne for next June to Norway... Is Cunard for us or will you be here complaining about us?

We are due on our second QA cruise later this year.

 

Difficult to put into words but basically, it's Cunard  and it's different, but it's also, Cunard and from your description, it sounds as if you might enjoy it.

 

One thing is for certain  fluffybunny22, no one will be complaining about you. I know it's not until '25 [we have '25 booked too, and '26!] but look forward to it and when you board, enjoy.

Edited Friday at 01:31 PM by Victoria2

[exlondoner]

30 minutes ago, RK-NC said:

 

We sail Cunard for the first time in August so I can't really offer any insight but I just had to say that I completely understand this sentiment. 

People here don’t often make personal complaints about individuals, though I’ve seen a few about people who were publicly rude to the staff. However even if a dozen people here complain about you, that is a tiny, tiny proportion of Cunard passengers, so who cares?

[ExArkie]

Remember that attitudes one may encounter on an anonymous discussion board are not necessarily what one will encounter on the ship. I have had some rather condescending and dismissive answers to questions I raised on Cruise Critic about (non-Cunard) lines I was trying for the first time. Once on board the ship, I never encountered anyone with that attitude. 
 

In other words, regardless of how one interprets postings on Cruise Critic, the people we have met on Cunard have all been very nice, interesting people to talk to. Well, one exception, but one person in ten voyages is a pretty small percentage. 

[Ditchcrawler]

18 hours ago, NE John said:

If food is a priority, you may want to try booking (splurging some) on Princess or Queen’s Grill. The main difference with the Grills is the higher level of food and higher staff ratio caring for you. As an American, I’ve never found Cunard stuffy or pompous; the atmosphere onboard is relaxed. I enjoy the British vibe and sense of humor. 
As a newcomer, QA may not be selling at discounts yet, but who knows for next June sailing. 

I think you have summed it up very concisely.

 

Should we go on a second trip we will either travel in Britannia and choose a cruise with ports where we can enjoy a lunch as the main meal of the day, or have a look see at what the grills have to offer.

 

Relaxed is exactly how I would describe the atmosphere. I spent one very pleasant afternoon in Churchills by myself with my pipe, a good book, and my headphones blaring electronic music. Until Bert arrived in for his post swim cigar, and we picked up on our previous night's conversation about which currency has the ugliest or prettiest banknotes. Riveting stuff, I know... But Bert had been to a lot of places and had the rare predilection to tell a riveting story about changing a lightbulb, while being able to make smuggling TV's into East Berlin in the 1970's sound boring and procedural.

 

It was a lot of fun..

 

 

 

 

Edited Saturday at 02:22 AM by Ditchcrawler

[mking8288]

Hello & greetings, we are new to Cunard, sailed most NCL/Norwegian (Diamond tier), a few Royal Caribbean cruises over the last 30 years ... sailing QE in about 60 days out of Vancouver, 10 days Alaska - going to be 6 of us in Britannia, 2 balconies and 1 deluxe Inside.   Been busy reading & catching up on posts & tips here on this forum.  Early retirement plan disrupted by C-19 and since then, done 3 TA and was checking out QE2 for future TA to avoid flying across the Atlantic, came across a relatively bargain last minute sailing as above, booked it in early June as twin adult nieces wanted to do Alaska.  

 

Question and advice from seasoned Cunard "experts" here ... 6 of us are waited list for Early Dining - with the Alaska schedule and several sea days/scenic glacier cruising and planning to take part in the afternoon high tea - should we change to Late Dining or perhaps AnyTime Dining option, either now and wait until we are onboard.  Realized that late seating will possibly meant that we could be missing the evening entertainment if the schedule conflicts (of course, we can do the Lido buffet before or after) or would Anytime Dining for 6 be a good & safe bet for us, without too much of a wait for an available table.  For those that sailed and familiar with NCL, we are used to their "Freestyle Dining" and going early, usually doesn't mean a wait of no more than 5 to 10 minutes for a table of 2, 4, 6 or more traveling as a group together, Diamond status meant that we "usually" get priority seating when discretely asked upon showing up with a reservation.   We aren't into sharing a bigger table with 6 of us, and read that with Anytime Dining, the odds of getting seated next to a window might actually be possible vs. assigned Fixed Dining (Early or Late) since we are newbies w Cunard w/o status.  

 

Last time I worn a tux was 20 years ago and for themed/gala nights, probably will just pack a dark navy blazer & dress pants, shirt & tie (unless I found the old bowtie ... bring it along) as we are flying "domestic" & mindful of luggage restrictions for the 2 men, ladies will bring their evening/dressy clothes & heels, etc. and should blend in.  

 

Any other advice & tips, cheerfully & appreciated, thanks in advance. 

Henry a/k/a "mking8288" 

[3rdGenCunarder]

I don't know that status matters for table assignment in Britannia. And I don't understand the fuss about a window table. It's nice, but you've got your family with you to pay attention to.

 

For a group of six, I'd go with fixed dining. It's good to have the same waitstaff. They do get to know you and your preferences.  I'm pretty sure you can change it to open if you don't like it, but you can't go back. (Others may correct me on this)

 

Early and late each have their good and bad points. Early does come too soon after tea unless you control yourself at tea (not easy to do). Late means staying up later. It depends on what you're used to. The main shows are timed to follow the dining times in Britannia, so that shouldn't be a problem.