So, who ACTUALLY is a Cunard cruise for?

[3rdGenCunarder]

7 hours ago, rakkor said:

 

I prefer elegant to posh, as we have too few opportunities for elegance in our day to day life any more

 

That's one of the joys of cruising. I cook my own meals, and unlike June Cleaver (1950s sitcom mom), I don't cook in a dress and pearls. If I want to change for dinner, I have to accept a cold meal. So having someone cook my dinner while I relax and put on a nice frock is a treat. 

 

I recognize that it's a fantasy lifestyle, not reality. But that's part of travel, getting away from my everyday life. 

 

In a way, OP's first post was a change from the usual complaints about Cunard passengers. More often, we see people who haven't traveled Cunard complaining that passengers are a bunch of snobs. (think Hyacinth Bouquet) Apparently (if OP is correct in his/her observations), QA has broken that mold and "snob" has been changed to "slob." (think Onslow)

Edited Wednesday at 12:53 PM by 3rdGenCunarder

[Victoria2]

6 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

That's one of the joys of cruising. I cook my own meals, and unlike June Cleaver (1950s sitcom mom), I don't cook in a dress and pearls. If I want to change for dinner, I have to accept a cold meal. So having someone cook my dinner while I relax and put on a nice frock is a treat. 

 

I recognize that it's a fantasy lifestyle, not reality. But that's part of travel, getting away from my everyday life. 

 

In a way, OP's first post was a change from the usual complaints about Cunard passengers. More often, we see people who haven't traveled Cunard complaining that passengers are a bunch of snobs. (think Hyacinth Bouquet) Apparently, QA has broken that mold and "snob" has been changed to "slob." (think Onslow)

Just to clarify, 'slob' is a term hopefully [hence the word apparently] used in jest here and was not the reality of our QA experience.

 

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 minute ago, Victoria2 said:

Just to clarify, 'slob' is a term hopefully [hence the word apparently] used in jest here and was not the reality of our QA experience.

 

 

 

NOT my take on QA, but an interpretation of OP's denigration of her clientele.

[exlondoner]

59 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Cunard and feeling posh when sailing with their ships?

 

I kept out of this initially as I'm sure my post would have been removed! 😄

 

Cunard is isn't posh unless you call changing for dinner, posh and unless all cruising is deemed a middle class way of having a holiday, it's not middle class either.

 

It's a cruise line without the bells and whistles of some of the more 'exuberant' lines, with good food, pleasant company and great daily programmes; caring staff and three ships with elegant surroundings.

edit

the fourth ship being slightly different from her sisters and I can't call her elegant, more akin to 'of today'!

Still lovely staff and fellow passengers tho' and loads to do without the need of water slides etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Actually, I think much of QA is very elegant and much prefer (most of) her decor to the much heavier look of QV. I think the MDR is peerless.

[Victoria2]

3 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Actually, I think much of QA is very elegant and much prefer (most of) her decor to the much heavier look of QV. I think the MDR is peerless.

Ah, didn’t look at the MDR but there again, I love QV's decor.

[ShipboardSteve]

Having dipped into the great many posts on this forum over time I have a few observations about the opinions expressed. One thing strikes me in a big way in that when I think of the posts here, and especially on a long running thread like this, is that there are a lot of posts by a 'relatively' small number of people, and quite often the same set of people will post many times every day. But even if the number of people expressing opinions here is several dozen, I also think about the number of people overall going  on a cruise - and if you take say 2000 people on a voyage of typically two weeks, and then say that one ship will do about 25 voyages in a year, then that would be 50,000 people on that one  Cunard ship in a year. Given that many will do one or two voyages per year, but there are now four ships, then that might be around 100,000 different people taking a Cunard cruise in one year. So out of that 100,000 people, it might be 50 people who regularly post on this forum and express often strongly held views about the ship, the service, the food, the entertainment and the itineraries. 

 

It would be easy to feel that the general opinion, or split of opinions is representative of what we see in the posts in this forum, but in reality it is the 99% of passengers who form a personal, and not publicly expressed, view of what they want from their holiday, and what they are prepared to accept in terms of the environment, service and interaction with others on a cruise, and the overwhelming majority experience their voyage, come to a view of whether they enjoyed it, or continue to enjoy it if they have done many before, and whether they are prepared to book future voyages with the same ship or the same line. That same majority is mostly a silent majority, who want to enjoy themselves on their holiday, and don't post repeatedly their opinions or pictures of their personal experiences.   It is also that same silent majority who Cunard will take most consideration of, since they wish to please that sillent majority enough to continue to book their cruises with Cunard, and not choose to change to other cruise lines or abandon cruises as their preferred type of holiday and move to alternatives.

 

There will of course also be people who have not experienced a cruise before and who will look at what is posted here to come to a view as to whether a cruise may be for them - after all it is not a low cost holiday even if some other alternatives may cost even more. Seeing the argumentative squabbling in these threads may quite possibly put some off from even starting the process of booking a cruise, or may look at forums for the other lines, as well as the many private discussion groups on other well known social media, to form their initial opinion. Either way for some seeing the divided opinions expressed here might be pretty off-putting and might also find the kind of discussion is not one they wish to be part of. Just an option of course!

Edited Wednesday at 01:35 PM by ShipboardSteve
typo

[Host Hattie]

Have you looked at some of other boards here ?!

We're amateur squabblers compared to some !

[ShipboardSteve]

Really?  I didn't think squabbling could be any more intense than here!

[missson1967]

34 minutes ago, babs135 said:

@missson1967. You said that you had spoken to Cunard staff as part of your research. Are you willing to share what you asked and how they answered?

As we hope you'll understand @babs135, we don't think it would be fair to the (former) crew concerned to share any details ... but, rest assured, there was nothing negative said about the "discerning" Cunard clientele🙂 

[Victoria2]

I think it's an accepted fact the number of  folk who contribute to the posts on this forum are a [very] minute percentage of Cunard passengers and therefore do not represent any main Cunard thinking but if the comments help just  a couple of newbies, then fine by me.

 

As for squabbling...makes for great viewing figures so some folk must like 'the action'!  😅

 

 

[exlondoner]

2 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

I think it's an accepted fact the number of  folk who contribute to the posts on this forum are a [very] minute percentage of Cunard passengers and therefore do not represent any main Cunard thinking but if the comments help just  a couple of newbies, then fine by me.

 

As for squabbling...makes for great viewing figures so some folk must like 'the action'!  😅

 

 

As one who has clearly become a serial offender, I apologise. I would say however, looking at the threads on the front page, most of them are either seeking and providing information, or describing current voyages with questions and responses arising. I can only really see two that are antagonistic and squabbling, of which one, I suspect, may have been started deliberately to provoke reaction and amusement.

[Victoria2]

3 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

As one who has clearly become a serial offender, I apologise. I would say however, looking at the threads on the front page, most of them are either seeking and providing information, or describing current voyages with questions and responses arising. I can only really see two that are antagonistic and squabbling, of which one, I suspect, may have been started deliberately to provoke reaction and amusement.

Don't even begin to apologise as there is absolutely NOTHING to apologise for.

 

NO ONE who comments on this forum has anything to apologise for. Opinions are opinions and if we disagree, we say we do. Vehement disagreeing whilst expressing opposing viewpoints, is often fun [and passes the time when laid up with a bad back!!] and if that's seen as squabbling fine.

 

Usual mantra, don't like it then don't read it.🙂

[Host Hattie]

14 minutes ago, ShipboardSteve said:

Really?  I didn't think squabbling could be any more intense than here!

It's positively genteel here compared to some boards.

[Victoria2]

Just now, Host Hattie said:

It's positively genteel here compared to some boards.

Well of course it is.

 

This IS Cunard after all! 😄

[missson1967]

2 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

of which one, I suspect, may have been started deliberately to provoke reaction and amusement.

We agree @exlondoner, and to be fair to the OP, they've done a good job of provoking a lively & entertaining debate for those who have participated!  There's nothing wrong with a bit of light-hearted banter! 

[ShipboardSteve]

...and a light-hearted comment for any tennis Cunarders - "love all" is more comfortable than "break point" (move to the next post if you don't watch or play tennis).

[Windsurfboy]

I find this thread and the opening statement interesting and both entertaining at the same time.  It's a view point that I'm sure describes a percentage of cunard passengers.  I'm sure it also describes a percentage of P&O passengers. But not a large % or near a majority on either line. 

 

However that is what will happen when you have very large ships, with a large range of prices,  from inside cabins to huge Q1s.

 

I had the temerity of saying I had enjoyable cruises on Cunard, P&O and Saga.

 

A few Die hard "Cunarders" couldn't accept that you could mention P&O in the same breath as Cunard, let alone describe parts of it as being of comparable quality. Some think of Cunard as being the White star line of the 50s, and as if only the first class passengers existed. To think of P&O to be full of tattooed chavs , and Cunard the Posh line, is completely inaccurate stereotyping

 

When you have a mass market ship of 3000 passengers, expect variety. Which has its plusses and minuses. The same is even truer of bigger ships.

 

As ships get bigger things change, and the passenger mix changes and becomes more divergent.

 

All I can say is we found some very nice places on P&Othat we enjoyedand some places we avoided. Exactly the same applies to Cunard.

 

If you want a more homogeneous experience,  then don't go on large mass market ships, go small

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited Wednesday at 03:15 PM by Windsurfboy

[exlondoner]

I think Cunard and White Star were merged in the 1930s.

[Victoria2]

17 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

 

...I had the temerity of saying I had enjoyable cruises on Cunard, P&O and Saga.

 

A few Die hard "Cunarders" couldn't accept that you could mention P&O in the same breath as Cunard, let alone describe parts of it as being of comparable quality. Some think of Cunard as being the White star line of the 50s, and as if only the first class passengers existed. To think of P&O to be full of tattooed chavs , and Cunard the Posh line, is completely inaccurate stereotyping...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which thread were you talking about?

 

I know the comparison  thread you started had at least one inaccuracy in it which to be fair, you acknowledged.

[Poole Boy]

5 hours ago, Clewgarnet said:

My tablemates have been retired NCOs, a budget airline pilot, secretaries, civil engineers, a GP. You aren't going to bump into the sort of people you would have done on Cunard back in the day.

 Where else can you go and meet an interesting mix of people, strike up a stimulating conversation with a total stranger at dinner, virtually every night, Sit in a Sauna watching the world go, while putting the world to right, with a Lord of the realm ( Paddy Ashdown in this case) I suspect only on Cunard, so to answer the question, a Cunard cruise is for all of

us.

[Victoria2]

4 minutes ago, Poole Boy said:

 Where else can you go and meet an interesting mix of people, strike up a stimulating conversation with a total stranger at dinner, virtually every night, Sit in a Sauna watching the world go, while putting the world to right, with a Lord of the realm ( Paddy Ashdown in this case) I suspect only on Cunard, so to answer the question, a Cunard cruise is for all of

us.

or just as important, pick up the gossip in one of the passenger laundrettes.

[exlondoner]

3 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

or just as important, pick up the gossip in one of the passenger laundrettes.

Much too scary.

[babs135]

We've met some really interesting people at the dinner table: An English literature teacher whose pupils were serving time in one of the UK's maximum security prisons (apparently Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a favourite!), a Canadian couple who extolled the virtues of the Canadian wine industry (didn't know they had one) and we've also had the worst. A young couple who clearly thought that they were better than us older ones.  We were glad to see the back of them.

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Much too scary.

 

Not for me. I find the gossip in the launderettes vastly entertaining. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

3 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

Usual mantra, don't like it then don't read it.🙂

 

You beat me to it! Nobody is forced to read here. 

 

@ShipboardSteve, since you're new, you may not be aware of the "ignore" function. If there are specific people whose posts you don't want to see, you can go into your settings and ignore (block) their posts. I'm not sure if you can block 50 people, though. It's years since anyone annoyed me enough to block, so I don't know how it works these days.