Notes from Queen Anne to the Mediterranean

[MylesS]

Fantastic first day onboard, lots of warm welcomes back with the addition of the casino team as well! 

 

Dinner this evening was in Aji Wa, and as always was very enjoyable. I booked for 7 so I could watch the sunset and sail away whilst eating, and it didn’t disappoint.

 

 

As well before the muster demonstration for newly embarked guests, I popped into the spa for a quick haircut.

 

The evening was spent playing blackjack (far too long I might add), but the casino is definitely the liveliest I’ve ever seen it.

 

I came back to my room to see the “crates” of Laurent Pierre I had ordered this afternoon, I have absolutely no idea how I’ll get them off the ship or home, but that’s a problem for tomorrow perhaps. 
 

[Host Hattie]

Nice problem to have!

It was beautiful sailing as the sun set.

We had another good dinner and spent an hour or so in the Golden Lion listening to the Trivia and the Irish folk duo.

 

[Host Hattie]

Some second impressions now we've been on board for a week. In no particular order -

It's an easy ship to navigate, maybe because our last cruise was on QM2 but I haven't had to turn around and try again to get anywhere yet !

Food and service in Britannia Club has been very good. I know for some people having the same table available for 3 meals a day isn't important but we have really made good use of it. So I have no idea what the Food Hall is like ! We general avoid buffets on the other ships as well unless something has gone badly wrong!

I like the cabin, bathrooms are great, storage space is fine and the new TV system is a great improvement. (Even without the lectures available)

I haven't gone in to the wrong toilet yet so thank you to those who had posted the photos of the signs previously. 

Outside deck areas are plentiful and comfortable.

We used to enjoy the theatre boxes on QE/QV so this Royal Court is different but seats are comfortable and sight lines good. 

We already had our next cruise booked on Queen Anne but we've now added another one. So yes, we're enjoying the cruise and the ship.

[Host Hattie]

It's another beautiful day in Livorno, we're on an excursion this afternoon so Mr HH has gone to brave the shuttle bus for supplies while I enjoy the sun on the balcony. 

 

[buchanan101]

34 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

Some second impressions now we've been on board for a week. In no particular order -

It's an easy ship to navigate, maybe because our last cruise was on QM2 but I haven't had to turn around and try again to get anywhere yet !

Food and service in Britannia Club has been very good. I know for some people having the same table available for 3 meals a day isn't important but we have really made good use of it. So I have no idea what the Food Hall is like ! We general avoid buffets on the other ships as well unless something has gone badly wrong!

I like the cabin, bathrooms are great, storage space is fine and the new TV system is a great improvement. (Even without the lectures available)

I haven't gone in to the wrong toilet yet so thank you to those who had posted the photos of the signs previously. 

Outside deck areas are plentiful and comfortable.

We used to enjoy the theatre boxes on QE/QV so this Royal Court is different but seats are comfortable and sight lines good. 

We already had our next cruise booked on Queen Anne but we've now added another one. So yes, we're enjoying the cruise and the ship.

Excellent!

 

I must be in the minority as I found QM2 very easy to get round - easier than QA in getting bearings. There's only one "funny" on QM2 - the art gallery (and that proved an expensive detour...).  Easier inside on QM2 in the public spaces to be sure which way is forward

 

On both ships we were in Grills and always ate there 3 times a day (apart from one speciality restaurant meal); doesn't seem much point with the food and service on offer in Grills (or BC) to go to the buffet? Never actually crossed our minds!

 

Was reading QA reviews the other day - they really are quite awful; some due to the pod failure/port missed etc, but very few good reviews, and seem contrary to our experience to the fjords in June

 

Edited Monday at 08:55 AM by buchanan101

[exlondoner]

1 minute ago, buchanan101 said:

Excellent!

 

I must be in the minority as I found QM2 very easy to get round - easier than QA in getting bearings. There's only one "funny" on QM2 - the art gallery (and that proved an expensive detour...).  Easier inside on QM2 in the public spaces to be sure which way is forward

 

On both ships we were in Grills and always ate there 3 times a day (apart from one speciality restaurant meal); doesn't seem much point with the food and service on offer in Grills (or BC) to go to the buffet? Never actually crossed our minds!

 

No, I’m never sure why people who find the buffet irksome continue to eat there. If you want a light meal, why not go to the restaurant and just have one course in tranquil surroundings and that you don’t have to carry?

[MylesS]

1 hour ago, Host Hattie said:

TV system is a great improvement.

To report as well, it seems they’ll be adding new things somewhat frequently. There’s some new shows & movies since I was last onboard which is great.

 

Glad you’re enjoying Queen Anne! 

[buchanan101]

5 hours ago, exlondoner said:

No, I’m never sure why people who find the buffet irksome continue to eat there. If you want a light meal, why not go to the restaurant and just have one course in tranquil surroundings and that you don’t have to carry?

And some complain about portion size in the restaurants. I'm glad the portion sizes are quite small - it means I can have most courses at most meals, and still have room for the odd scone. I'm sure you can ask for seconds... or go to the buffet to "top up". Reduces food waste as well

[Host Hattie]

Just now, buchanan101 said:

And some complain about portion size in the restaurants. I'm glad the portion sizes are quite small - it means I can have most courses at most meals, and still have room for the odd scone. I'm sure you can ask for seconds... or go to the buffet to "top up". Reduces food waste as well

Exactly, portion size has been perfect for us.

[MylesS]

2 minutes ago, buchanan101 said:

And some complain about portion size in the restaurants.

I’ve always been happy to accept that maybe a smaller portion size is the correct portion, and healthier for me.

 

If I’m still hungry I can always get room service later. (And also put on that cruise weight!) 

[Host Hattie]

Just heading back after our wine tasting excursion, very generous with the wine so I predict lots of snoring on the return trip !

 

[MylesS]

5 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

Just heading back after our wine tasting excursion, very generous with the wine so I predict lots of snoring on the return trip !

 

Hopefully you brought your ear plugs HH! 
 

Very quiet day onboard today, maybe around 200 people onboard? 

[exlondoner]

9 minutes ago, buchanan101 said:

And some complain about portion size in the restaurants. I'm glad the portion sizes are quite small - it means I can have most courses at most meals, and still have room for the odd scone. I'm sure you can ask for seconds... or go to the buffet to "top up". Reduces food waste as well

I think the portion size is more than adequate. In real life, I don’t eat several things for breakfast, followed by two or three lunch courses, followed sometimes by tea, followed by canapés, followed by three courses for dinner, plus the grapes that somehow keep appearing in our cabin. So small portions are definitely necessary.

[Host Hattie]

Just now, MylesS said:

Hopefully you brought your ear plugs HH! 
 

Very quiet day onboard today, maybe around 200 people onboard? 

I knew there was something I'd forgotten 

[exlondoner]

10 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

Just heading back after our wine tasting excursion, very generous with the wine so I predict lots of snoring on the return trip !

 

If you don’t already, you may be pleased to know that otium is the Latin for leisure. A perfect name really.

Edited Monday at 02:58 PM by exlondoner

[Host Hattie]

I sat next to people on the excursion who were very pleased with the food and service in the Britannia restaurant.

And walked into the wine tasting area behind someone who said it was her first cruise and her last. I sat at the opposite end of the table  .....

[buchanan101]

19 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

I sat next to people on the excursion who were very pleased with the food and service in the Britannia restaurant.

And walked into the wine tasting area behind someone who said it was her first cruise and her last. I sat at the opposite end of the table  .....

You can't please some people... but the reviews of QA on this site are awful, so it's not just her

 

[exlondoner]

1 minute ago, buchanan101 said:

You can't please some people... but the reviews of QA on this site are awful, so it's not just her

 

It’s that old thing again. There are two versions of all the ships, a wonderful and an awful. Luckily so far I’ve always been on the good one. To be fair to the person in question, as it was her first cruise, it might not have been the ship, or Cunard, she might just not have liked being at sea.

[Victoria2]

26 minutes ago, buchanan101 said:

You can't please some people... but the reviews of QA on this site are awful, so it's not just her

 

and  that's why I take all reviews from 'unknowners' with a huge dose of salt.

 

It's also why I value reviews and comments from fellow CC members when I have got to know their cruise history and their opinions on many issues.

[Host Hattie]

We were almost the last on board and would have been on the ship at least 5 minutes sooner if they'd kept the midship gangway open rather than closing it just as our coach arrived. 🤦‍♀️.

Two sea days to Lisbon now.

[King Amo]

With regard to portion size, one of the key skills in menu planning is create a meal where your guests go away pleasantly full, after all the courses, but not uncomfortably so. Those responsible for this on the QE2 were absolute masters of their craft, where each course delivered exceptional flavours, but at portion sizes which led beautifully on to the next course. 

 

There are still elements of this on show, from what I could see, but what I thought was noticeable was that there were inconsistencies between the different choices within each course, with some dishes being huge and others insufficient. This meant that if you happened to have chosen a particular route through the menu, you could have ended up dissatisfied at either end of the spectrum. I recall a particular aubergine main course which was paltry beyond belief, and simply didn't compare to the size and quality of the alternative mains that night, and after that meal there was certainly a feeling of being short changed. On the flip side some of the steak portions were enormous, possibly twice as large a cut of meat as would have been necessary to work with the overall menu. 

 

This attention to detail isn't there anymore on any ship in my experience. Why that is, I believe, is a combination of food cost becoming more and more critical, but also with the industry having exploded in terms of number and size of ships in service, the talent pool across the industry has been diluted and the menu planning just isn't undertaken with as much skill as before. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

22 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

and  that's why I take all reviews from 'unknowners' with a huge dose of salt.

 

It's also why I value reviews and comments from fellow CC members when I have got to know their cruise history and their opinions on many issues.

 

I also pay more attention to a review when I know the name of the poster. When someone posts here, the signature shows how many posts they have and when they joined CC. But that information doesn't come up in a review, so for all we know, they joined, blasted a cruise line, and never came back. 

[Host Hattie]

It was a beautiful evening for sailaway from Livorno, lots of impressive boats including Philip Green's.

 

[Host Hattie]

Another good dinner, we now have 3 bottles of wine on the go and our waiter was expressing opinions about whether my choice of dessert would go with the Sauternes 😂.

We're currently watching the dancing in the Queens Room. 

[MylesS]

Very relaxing day for myself. I was meant to go on a tour, but after waking up I wasn't really feeling 10 hours away from the ship, so I quickly hopped off the ship to let the tour office staff aware.

Followed this with some laps of the deck before a trip to the Thermal Suite. The pool was out of action yesterday, but was being filled today. I was given a discount on the pass given the pool issues.

I did a little work in the Carinthia Lounge & Commodore Club (I actually really enjoy working given its for myself, so no problems there).

Lunch today was a stop in the Food Hall for some pizza. Like I think many others on this board, I am not usually one for buffets but I was hungry and the pizza there is really good - much better than the ones offered on the room service menu.

Some post lunch drinks in the Golden Lion and looking through the closed watch shop before returning to my cabin and falling asleep!

Thankfully I was awoken by a knock at the door which was a delivery of the paper cards with the champagne information for display purposes.

After which I got ready and went down to 1840 for some blackjack. Not as good a performance as yesterday, but still an enjoyable session and great socialising which is why I play anyway.

Unfortunately missed dinner given the sleeping, but waiting for room service as I type this.

Really looking forward to the next two sea days!

Edited Monday at 10:50 PM by MylesS