Notes from Queen Anne to the Mediterranean

[Host Hattie]

 

[babs135]

I heard elsewhere that they are trialling new show times of 6pm and 8pm! Is this correct?

[Host Hattie]

Only the last 2 nights of our cruise were 6 and 8, MylesS has posted that they have reverted to the later times on the current cruise. 

[Jack E Dawson]

Thanks HH for taking the time to bring us all along through you wonderful live travel log. It was descriptive, informative and so enjoyable to follow. From your report, and the reports of others on CC, my impression of the QA is that Princess Grill may be the sweet spot for us. 

Thanks again,

Jack

[DukeBeetle24]

47 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

This was our 3rd cruise since 2022 with the previous 2 both being 14 days to the Med, the first on Queen Victoria, 2nd on QM2. This was the first one not to be affected by illness and/or dining problems so it’s perhaps an unfair comparison but it was my favourite of the 3.

We enjoyed Britannia Club and had more meals in the dining room than usual. Apart from the Golden Lion on Embarkation Day, our Diamond Lunch and one afternoon tea on a port day we didn’t try any of the alternative options, not even Room service breakfast which is very unusual for us.

I probably only had a couple of disappointing dishes, unfortunately both the same lunchtime ! A Goats Cheese tart which was a couple of small pieces of cheese dropped onto a circle of dry pastry and Spaghetti Carbonara which was probably authentic but had very little sauce. Our waiter had previously worked in an Italian restaurant in India and didn’t recommend the pasta ! In general food and service was better than we’ve experienced on our post-covid cruises, I miss lobster on formal nights but it was good to have souffles back. The beef was much better than on our last cruise. The Britannia Club dining room is big but split into small sections and we were happy with our table location and service. Sometimes it was a bit too fast, main courses were arriving as soon as starters had been cleared

There are different drinks menus in most of the bars with some of the old favourites gone. I tried some of the new cocktails and mostly enjoyed them.

Dress Code, I didn’t detect any significant change, there was the occasional man in jeans and a t shirt in the corridors but I didn’t see anyone ignoring the dress code in the main restaurants or formal bars. There were one or two polo shirts, lots of collared shirts with and without jackets on Smart Attire nights. Our section of the restaurant was quite cold so anyone going in with bare arms probably only tried it once ! Lots of people dressed for the themes, there were a few hats on Roaring Twenties Night but I didn’t see any blow up guns this time.

I don’t know how many passengers were on board but the ship didn’t feel particularly crowded, on our last QM2 cruise we couldn’t get into the Commodore Club on a couple of occasions so it was good that the room is bigger. We even managed to get seats in the Queens Room on a couple of occasions, there were always plenty of dancers and the dance lessons seemed well attended when we passed. Those extra chairs they put out look terrible though, I hope they’ve got some better ones on order.

I didn’t mind the layout, our cabin was 5080 almost midway between the A and B stairs/lifts. It was a good location for us and we’ve booked a cabin in the same area for our next cruise. We didn’t use the promenade deck much but it’s fine for walking, it’s a shame that there is nowhere for steamer chairs but I enjoyed the variety of outside seating areas and comfortable outdoor chairs and sofas. Indoor bars and lounges had a good variety of seating as well, some of it a bit too low but we always found somewhere comfortable.

Our cabin was very quiet, we had occasional television noise from our neighbours but we didn’t hear them unless we were on the balcony. Storage wasn’t as bad as expected, we got extra hangers and I kept some things in packing cubes on the open shelves in the wardrobe. We had expected that we might have to keep some things in our suitcases but there was no need. Mr HH complained that he could have taken more clothes !

There was lots of live music around the ship, 3 duos, 2 pianists (one who sang as well) and a string trio as well as 2 vocalists with the Queens Room orchestra.

 

Thanks for the wonderful live updates, and the follow up review, it's been wonderful to follow on and read your summary of thoughts. It sounds like you had a wonderful time on board, I must admit, reading this post increased excitement levels for boarding soon myself. Thank you 🙂

[exlondoner]

Your helpful report and pictures, shocking to say, make QA sound much like the other Cunard ships, particularly in respect of the things I like. Whatever next? Many thanks.

 

BTW did you spot any rust?

[sogne]

4 hours ago, exlondoner said:

Your helpful report and pictures, shocking to say, make QA sound much like the other Cunard ships, particularly in respect of the things I like. Whatever next? Many thanks.

 

BTW did you spot any rust?

Currently on board  2 patches of rust size of a 5p on balcony. 

[dthompsond1]

On 9/13/2024 at 9:37 PM, Jack E Dawson said:

Have you tried a "Chocolate Affair"? Make sure they put the chocolate shavings on top. 

 

Also, wondering if there are any gin or vodka martinis available for $12 or less. We have the complimentary drinks package on an upcoming voyage and I saw a recent posting saying there were none. 

Thanks HH

Jack

You can have a Vodka but not a Gin Martini in the Commodore Club  on the drinks package.

[Jack E Dawson]

6 hours ago, dthompsond1 said:

You can have a Vodka but not a Gin Martini in the Commodore Club  on the drinks package.

Thank you dthompsond1, I've been having difficulty getting an answer to that question. 

Jack

[Mareblu]

On 9/22/2024 at 7:03 PM, Host Hattie said:

Disembarkation was fine, apart from the woman in front of us who insisted on joining the queue before their colour was called 🤦‍♀️. Our taxi arrived in 2 minutes and we're on our way to collect our car from the Hilton.

Thanks for all the comments, I'll do a final thoughts post when we're home.

Thanks, HH.  Your cheerful and informative comments brought fond memories of our QA May cruise.  The only negative for us was her size;  just a little too large for us.  Everything else was tickety-boo.  

[Host Hattie]

Thanks for all the kind words, I'm glad you enjoyed reading my notes.

[SwankPooch]

HH, thanks for all your posts.  I have always cruised on much smaller ships, and I am eagerly anticipating my first cruise with Cunard.

Do you happen to recall the hours of the laundromat? 
‘Thanks.

[Mareblu]

11 hours ago, Jack E Dawson said:

Thank you dthompsond1, I've been having difficulty getting an answer to that question. 

Jack

And, oh my goodness, the classic gin martini is exquisite.  I had no drinks package, but sometimes caution goes out the window, over the waves🍸

[Host Hattie]

1 hour ago, SwankPooch said:

HH, thanks for all your posts.  I have always cruised on much smaller ships, and I am eagerly anticipating my first cruise with Cunard.

Do you happen to recall the hours of the laundromat? 
‘Thanks.

No, I didn't use one and didn't even walk past.

[exlondoner]

5 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

No, I didn't use one and didn't even walk past.

That sounds like me and the gym.

[Host Hattie]

3 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

That sounds like me and the gym.

I don't even know where the gym is 😅. I think we found all the bars though.

[exlondoner]

16 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

I don't even know where the gym is 😅. I think we found all the bars though.

That shows a sensible approach to getting to know the ship. Although I never used it, on a warm calm day, I think the Sky Bar was very beguiling.

 

A couple of times on QM2, the gym has been our muster station. The first time it was simultaneously in use as a gym, which made for a very scary start to the voyage.

[Host Hattie]

The Sky Bar and the Cabana Bar were both nice spots especially late afternoon. 

[Victoria2]

2 hours ago, SwankPooch said:

HH, thanks for all your posts.  I have always cruised on much smaller ships, and I am eagerly anticipating my first cruise with Cunard.

Do you happen to recall the hours of the laundromat? 
‘Thanks.

Hours seemed to be a bit flexible judging by the chatter occasionally as we passed by of an evening going up to the bar or dinner, but I would say think 8am to 7pm as a main guide.

The machines are digital and have a much shorter [around 21 mins] light wash than QV/QE machines.

The ship's laundry facility has a same day [and a 48 hr] service which we found useful and made use of. We tried to cut down on suitcases. A bit!🙂

[dthompsond1]

2 hours ago, SwankPooch said:

HH, thanks for all your posts.  I have always cruised on much smaller ships, and I am eagerly anticipating my first cruise with Cunard.

Do you happen to recall the hours of the laundromat? 
‘Thanks.

On deck 4 it was 8am to 8pm but the doors were usually open at 07:30 as I used the single ironing board (with a ridiculously small chord) a couple of times then and people were using the machines about 7:45.