Queen Anne Low Rating

[renji]

I was on May 10 and there were things I loved and things I disliked.  The only disappointment on QE and QV for me was a somewhat lame Yacht Club my sailings, and on QM2 (which I’ve been on many times) was a major decline in food quality this year especially the food court.  QA is my 4th Cunard choice and the only Cunard ship lower for me than Celebrity or even Royal Caribbean. Yet I still have decided to go back on QA for 17 days in January, with eyes wide open, and ready to enjoy the good and work around the bad. 

The uniquely good: amazing shower with door, bed, bedding, robes, wellness cafe, grill, gym equipment options and size. Enjoyed the look of the ship and newness/cleanliness. 
 

The uniquely bad: the ship felt far more crowded and commercial, no place to sit by the water (promenade or pool), lukewarm hot tubs, too few elevators for so many (that closed too fast and without a much needed service elevator), too few laundry locations and several machines broken (already on the second cruise), buffet stations needed one extra person for food prep and cooking so both servers could actually continue serving, so it felt short-staffed all the time, and ridiculously poor balcony cabin storage, presumably to squeeze in more cabins and overcrowd the ship. 
 

The worst: entertainment ranging from mediocre to dreadful in the Queens Room, forced on an audience clearly there to dance since they skipped the theatre, with the same awful show becoming unbearable the second time, yet absolutely no alternative activity (they could easily have started the disco right across at Bright Lights at the start of the second QR show to allow people to migrate there). Shows were so bad it felt like they were spoofing or mocking passengers. Attempt to so irritate passengers it would drive them to drink?  
 

PS Lest you say I feel that way just because I’m a dancer, my favorite moment was during a fiddler whose best feature was that some of her tunes allowed for sequence dancing, which I don’t do myself.  But it was so wonderful to see the sequence aficionados find a moment to enjoy the floor. 
 

So why am I going back on for 17 days?  I like the itinerary, and I want my partner to try the new ship. I also still had a great time despite the flaws…. But at least I’ve chosen this one eyes wide open.  

Edited Saturday at 07:41 PM by renji

[Winifred 22]

1 hour ago, richard_london said:

I have been wondering this too and I did find my experience disappointing.  Everything felt just distinctly average, there was nothing exceptional to the cruise.  I think for a variety of reasons the Cunard experience was diluted and it just felt "meh".  So the reasons I see are this:

 

The interiors of the ship - I think others on here have described it being like a boutique hotel and I agree.  On the older Queens I think the style of the interiors does give a grander sense of occasion for cruising, especially in the evening for dinner.  On the QA, if you covered up the Cunard logo on things, with the generic styling, you could be forgiven for thinking you were on a Celebrity, Norwegian or P&O ship.  I think that was the biggest disappointment for me.

 

Dress code - this style of cruising with the QA has brought across new passengers and a more informal style, and with the chipping away at the dress code over the years, it just lacked the traditional feel of a Cunard cruise on one of the other Queens (I recall male guests were wearing polo shirts and Hawaiian-style shirts for dinner in the Britannia restaurant on a non-formal night).  Again, gives of vibes that you might as well be sailing with another cruise line.

 

Service - if like me you think the level of Cunard service has declined over the years, especially since the pandemic, and you feel the food isn't what it was, then it just adds to an overall level of disappointment.  Can't recall the ratio of new staff to Cunard regulars brought across, but perhaps that has a bearing.

 

Layout - as others have said, the Grills Terrace on the open decks plonked in the middle is difficult to navigate around and there feels much less space for non-Grills passengers.  The promenade feels very narrow and enclosed.  Thermal suites and gym are consigned to the bowels of the ship so the space on the higher decks can be used for more cabins.  A move away from distinct rooms to "spaces" that flow between one and another.  I think it all stems from having to shoehorn Cunard venues into the layout of a Holland America Line ship, and it doesn't work, such as the Queens Room.  Every venue always felt busy, felt overcrowded.

 

I do have another cruise booked with friends in 2025 so will give her another go, but I don't think I will be rushing to book another unless it is an itinerary I want to go on.

I was on a 2 week Med cruise recently and my experience no way reflects yours so it’s just down to very subjective opinion. I would happily sail on her at the drop of a hat. I have something booked for later on in 2025 but only reason not booked earlier is because have other cruises on QV booked. Itinerary driven not ship. I could not fault the service experience , the general ambiance was Cunard through and through. I had a fabulous cabin with a huge double balcony. Never felt anywhere was crowded. Loved the outdoor spaces particularly the Panorama pool area. I don’t go to the W C events through choice but thought the venue seemed appropriate for a warm weather cruise. I am sorry QA didn’t appeal but she certainly did to me. 

[Winifred 22]

3 hours ago, CABINET said:

We are considering cruising to Scandanavia and/or the Baltic next year.  One of the options is the Queen Anne but she doesn't seem to be coming out very well in some of the reviews I have read.

 

I love QM2 but she isn't an option so I had thought, before looking at the reviews, of giving QA a chance.  Obviously all ships take a wee while to bed in and operate smoothly but she's been sailing a while now and I would have expected any wrinkles to have been smoothed out by now.

 

If anybody has sailed on her and would be willing to tell me what they thought I would very much appreciate it because obviously reviews can be skewed by the fact that contented passengers might not bother to write one.

 

Thanks in advance.

Had a fab two weeks to the med.Would book again no problem. Have booked for late 2025 but as I tend to do spare of the moment cruises I am sure will do something on her before then. I think people who write negative reviews are more likely to do so rather than happy folk so results will always be skewed.  Not sure either I would base a big decision based on anonymous reviewers opinions. 

[Victoria2]

May I pick up on the 'broken' machines in the launderettes.

 

They weren't broken as such, more mismanaged by passengers. I suggested in May to a deck supervisor they would continue to be mismanaged until instructions on usage was posted.

 

In July, instructions on use were on a laminated wall sheet. Machines still went technical when folk didn't read the instructions but less frequently than our 10th May cruise.

[Winifred 22]

2 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

May I pick up on the 'broken' machines in the launderettes.

 

They weren't broken as such, more mismanaged by passengers. I suggested in May to a deck supervisor they would continue to be mismanaged until instructions on usage was posted.

 

In July, instructions on use were on a laminated wall sheet. Machines still went technical when folk didn't read the instructions but less frequently than our 10th May cruise.

They were still there in August and  very useful. I never normally use onboard laundrettes  but wanted to rinse swimwear properly. Easy to use and quick for what I wanted. 

[*Miss G*]

I am dying to sail the Queen Anne to find out for myself. She’ll be so different from the Vistas and the QM2 so I am intrigued.   One caveat, though.  I will be on a cruise, so my review will lean toward the positive!  And I refuse to use the launderettes!

[Victoria2]

17 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

I am dying to sail the Queen Anne to find out for myself. She’ll be so different from the Vistas and the QM2 so I am intrigued.   One caveat, though.  I will be on a cruise, so my review will lean toward the positive!  And I refuse to use the launderettes!

I use the ship's laundry but when your cabin is around twenty yards from  passenger laundry facilities, it's so easy to make use of them too.  I draw the line at ironing though! No way!! 🙂

[D&N]

2 hours ago, richard_london said:

Isn't the point of the rating system used on Cruisecritic to allow cruise passengers to make comparisons and judgements as to which ship is best for them?  The QV has been in service for three years more than the QE, but the QE has more reviews. 

Doesn't seem a very logical assumption to me.

Isn't it just to provide a ratings system for no other purpose than that.

If passengers make judgements and decisions on where they spend their money on the basis of those ratings, then perhaps they deserve any poor experiences they come across.

[WantedOnVoyage]

Or, perhaps, Cruise Critic is best enjoyed without... Critics.

 

It might be possible to criticise social media on social media or indeed to call into question the very origins and original premise of a specific site... this one, in fact, but while of no lasting value whatsoever, the "grading" by "stars" and the unsolicited comments of nobodies in particular is, one might suggest, at the heart of this very site is it not?

[watsonbeau]

3 hours ago, richard_london said:

I have been wondering this too and I did find my experience disappointing.  Everything felt just distinctly average, there was nothing exceptional to the cruise.  I think for a variety of reasons the Cunard experience was diluted and it just felt "meh".  So the reasons I see are this:

 

The interiors of the ship - I think others on here have described it being like a boutique hotel and I agree.  On the older Queens I think the style of the interiors does give a grander sense of occasion for cruising, especially in the evening for dinner.  On the QA, if you covered up the Cunard logo on things, with the generic styling, you could be forgiven for thinking you were on a Celebrity, Norwegian or P&O ship.  I think that was the biggest disappointment for me.

 

Dress code - this style of cruising with the QA has brought across new passengers and a more informal style, and with the chipping away at the dress code over the years, it just lacked the traditional feel of a Cunard cruise on one of the other Queens (I recall male guests were wearing polo shirts and Hawaiian-style shirts for dinner in the Britannia restaurant on a non-formal night).  Again, gives of vibes that you might as well be sailing with another cruise line.

 

Service - if like me you think the level of Cunard service has declined over the years, especially since the pandemic, and you feel the food isn't what it was, then it just adds to an overall level of disappointment.  Can't recall the ratio of new staff to Cunard regulars brought across, but perhaps that has a bearing.

 

Layout - as others have said, the Grills Terrace on the open decks plonked in the middle is difficult to navigate around and there feels much less space for non-Grills passengers.  The promenade feels very narrow and enclosed.  Thermal suites and gym are consigned to the bowels of the ship so the space on the higher decks can be used for more cabins.  A move away from distinct rooms to "spaces" that flow between one and another.  I think it all stems from having to shoehorn Cunard venues into the layout of a Holland America Line ship, and it doesn't work, such as the Queens Room.  Every venue always felt busy, felt overcrowded.

 

I do have another cruise booked with friends in 2025 so will give her another go, but I don't think I will be rushing to book another unless it is an itinerary I want to go on.

Exactly my own thoughts. Recently back from Med on QA - liked the extra outdoor bars but thought the outside deck areas were over cluttered. Difficult for anyone with wheelchair or walking aid as so rammed with loungers etc. Interior was underwhelming - plain carpets and decor, a few interesting bits of art. Disappointed with the lobby on deck 1 - poor floral display looked like something from a charity shop and the mustard mural in the lobby obscured by a staircase across it did nothing for me. Liked the crystal icicles of Chart Room bar, Queens Room bar was beautifully lit up marble - but the room was some nights ridiculously packed as standing room only despite extra chairs put out. Afternoon tea was good but only went once. Disappointed lectures not recorded. Commodore lacked intimacy as so large. MDR didn’t seem to have a wow factor compared to clips on YouTube and the like and has one uninspiring spiral staircase (unless another somewhere that I didn’t notice) that did not have any wow factor for making an entrance.  Liked the Pavilion and its bar/icecream/eateries -pool useless for a swim though as not very deep. Not a very suitable place to show films as found it noisy and difficult to hear soundtrack and also annoying that it was cleared and shut off every week for hours for CWC. Artisan food good -thought the lunch choice better than evening but just my opinion probably.  Shops bit too high end I thought, how many will visit Garrards to purchase !  Thought not much makeup in the beauty shops, mostly perfumes with limited toiletries. Did not visit spa. Promenade on deck 3 adequate but confusing as we walked correctly clockwise as per signage when normally opposite. Really did not like Grills stuck in middle of deck 11 blocking access from bow to stern - deal breaker for me as enjoy a good walk round so was limited to deck 3 as nowhere else. Had inside cabin deck 9 forward - excellent location. Good shower but bathroom floor area is very bijou - a very large person might find very small to move around in. Liked the power points/USBs, wardrobe storage ok but missed having drawers ! The TV in ludicrous position if you wanted to watch a film but I never used other than for general info so didn’t affect me. Lifts not too bad but doors a bit quick perhaps but got used to that.

General opinion was that everywhere was overcrowded - I’d say a lot more passengers per sq metre of public space  - 2000 on the Vistas and 2600 on Mary I believe but 3000 on QA.  It was nice atmosphere onboard though and recognised a few staff off other Queens and all staff were doing their best I thought.

 

Booked for 2026 but only because itinerary appeals to me and is a Southampton round trip. 

[D&N]

20 minutes ago, watsonbeau said:

how many will visit Garrards to purchase !

Go and take photos, then find a manufacturing jeweller in Hatton Garden! 😃

[DreamingOfSunnyDays]

Hello. 
 

Feel like I had a good comparison over the summer. I did a 2 weeks voyage on Queen Victoria followed by 6 nights on Queen Anne both in Britannia. I’m a 40 year old (just!) Platinum member so feel like I’m the younger age of Cunard target audience.
 

TLDR version: I didn’t hate her after 6 nights and have already booked 2 weeks in November.

 

Initially I didn’t like her low ceilings, lack of open deck space, promenade deck, no steamers chairs, ridiculous Queens Room, no theatre boxes, Britannia Restaurant, lack of cold towels, no cocktail of the day and no DRAFT CUNARD BLACK.

 

After a couple of days I came to realise that Cunard needs to grow their customer base, like BBC RADIO 2, when they replace favourite DJs with Scott Mills or Vernon Kay. It’s not the End of the Era, it’s the start of a new one, one that will keep Cunard alive, and hopefully fund the next QM2 for transatlantic crossings.
 

She’s a stable ship (from relatively calm seas) and yes she’s new, but she has her Quirks too; I love the Pavilion, the Sky Bar, the entertainment, the food is higher quality, artisans is better than lido, the games deck, the tv system in room, the Golden Lion in general, the pool at the aft is DEEP, the hot tubs. 
 

I’m sure there’s more, but to sum up; Yes, I have booked her again, twice!

Edited Saturday at 10:56 PM by DreamingOfSunnyDays

[renji]

3 hours ago, Victoria2 said:

May I pick up on the 'broken' machines in the launderettes.

 

They weren't broken as such, more mismanaged by passengers. I suggested in May to a deck supervisor they would continue to be mismanaged until instructions on usage was posted.

 

In July, instructions on use were on a laminated wall sheet. Machines still went technical when folk didn't read the instructions but less frequently than our 10th May cruise.

Interesting you were on the same May 10 cruise—they were constantly leaking.  And the phone in the laundry room didn’t yield results to quickly. And yes there was some passenger behavior (like taking wet clothes out of the dryer and one lady who stole the entire box of detergent sheets)!

[renji]

34 minutes ago, DreamingOfSunnyDays said:

Hello. 
 

Feel like I had a good comparison over the summer. I did a 2 weeks voyage on Queen Victoria followed by 6 nights on Queen Anne both in Britannia. I’m a 40 year old (just!) Platinum member so feel like I’m the younger age of Cunard target audience.
 

TLDR version: I didn’t hate her after 6 nights and have already booked 2 weeks in November.

 

Initially I didn’t like her low ceilings, lack of open deck space, promenade deck, no steamers chairs, ridiculous Queens Room, no theatre boxes, Britannia Restaurant, lack of cold towels, no cocktail of the day and no DRAFT CUNARD BLACK.

 

After a couple of days I came to realise that Cunard needs to grow their customer base, like BBC RADIO 2, when they replace favourite DJs with Scott Mills or Vernon Kay. It’s not the End of the Era, it’s the start of a new one, one that will keep Cunard alive, and hopefully fund the next QM2 for transatlantic crossings.
 

She’s a stable ship (from relatively calm seas) and yes she’s new, but she has her Quirks too; I love the Pavilion, the Sky Bar, the entertainment, the food is higher quality, artisans is better than lido, the games deck, the tv system in room, the Golden Lion in general, the pool at the aft is DEEP, the hot tubs. 
 

I’m sure there’s more, but to sum up; Yes, I have booked her again, twice!

Were the hot tubs hot?  I was on an early cruise where they weren’t…hoping they fixed that.

[cruising.mark.uk]

14 hours ago, CABINET said:

If anybody has sailed on her and would be willing to tell me what they thought I would very much appreciate it because obviously reviews can be skewed by the fact that contented passengers might not bother to write one.

 

Thanks in advance.

My advice would be to give it a try - only you can say whether it will suit you and your style of cruising, and you probably won't be in a position to say that until you have sailed.

 

It's likely 20 to 30 thousand passengers have sailed on QA since she was launched.  So, 63 reviews are very unlikely to be representative of the experience of the bulk of those who have cruised on her, and even less so when you take account of your (undoubtedly correct) observation that happy customers are less likely to write a review than unhappy ones.

 

Similarly, I very much doubt that the circa 100 individuals who post regularly on here are representative of the broad kirk of Cunard passengers in general and those who have cruised on QA specifically.  So, you are unlikely to get a balanced and impartial view of the QA experience from reading these boards either.  What you will probably get is a lot of subjective opinions, based on pre-conceptions, past cruising history and style of cruising.  Unless you know a poster on here who has a history and style of cruising almost identical to yours, there is likely only to be limited read-across between what individual posters think of the QA experience and what you would find for yourself.

[Victoria2]

cruising.mark.uk, I broadly agree with your post.

 

I’m sure some social media sites are very helpful but as in my earlier comment, knowledge of a particular contributor's experience would be needed by me in order to rationalise the information given.
Regular contributors to this Cunard board in giving of their experiences have consciously or not, given of their sometime bias towards certain aspects of Cunard line eg dyed in the wool traditionalists v those ready to take on the line moving forward etc. and so I, for instance can almost guarantee what their reaction will be to certain issues and so will be able to take onboard their opinions as useful or as biased reactions. In other words, I also know who will make objective comments on one or two hot topics, and who will give subjective and sometimes, aspirational comments  rather than give of the  reality.

I’m sure ( I know given some of the laughter emojis) my contributions will also be contentious even useless for some given style of accommodation but at least folk will know where we all stand on the Cunard 'timeline' and can dissect comments accordingly.

That isn’t to say either reaction is right or wrong, just that knowing their contributions means I know whether their opinions will be of use or not, to me personally.

 

[exlondoner]

10 hours ago, *Miss G* said:

I am dying to sail the Queen Anne to find out for myself. She’ll be so different from the Vistas and the QM2 so I am intrigued.   One caveat, though.  I will be on a cruise, so my review will lean toward the positive!  And I refuse to use the launderettes!

I don’t think she is all that different really.

[CABINET]

Thanks to everybody who has taken the time to respond.  I very much wanted these sorts of responses because I am aware that the general review section will attract people who are unhappy about something and want to vent.

 

I'm off to make a cup of coffee and to have a proper read through all the responses.

 

Thanks again.

[S1971]

15 hours ago, CABINET said:

One of the options is the Queen Anne but she doesn't seem to be coming out very well in some of the reviews I have read.

 

You can read thousands of reviews and posts on all social platforms, but the only real way is to try it yourself and form your own opinion.

 

I generally ignore bad reviews from one time posters, but equally I ignore some biased opinions from those who won't accept negative comments about their favourite line.

 

One good thing on this board is that there are several posters who've experienced QA more than once, all have given unbiased opinions, highlighting positive and negative aspects of QA.

 

 

 

[Victoria2]

6 minutes ago, CABINET said:

Thanks to everybody who has taken the time to respond.  I very much wanted these sorts of responses because I am aware that the general review section will attract people who are unhappy about something and want to vent.

 

I'm off to make a cup of coffee and to have a proper read through all the responses.

 

Thanks again.

That's some reading for you.

 

Hopefully, you'll be able to build a basic picture of Queen Anne from those who have sailed with her and form your own opinion on to book or not to book but at the end of the day, nothing will be as good as taking the plunge giving her a whirl to find out for yourself.

 

Just be aware, to my mind as a devoted and loyal Cunard passenger, she isn't Cunard...but also she most definitely, is.  🙂

[DreamingOfSunnyDays]

8 hours ago, renji said:

Were the hot tubs hot?  I was on an early cruise where they weren’t…hoping they fixed that.

Yes

[ascot2012]

Hi All, I thought I would throw my 10 pence worth into this, We are a couple in our 50's have cruised a good hand full of times and are moving towards Platinum with Cunard, we tried Queen Anne for the first time late August on a short trip to Rotterdam and back, we splashed out (a first for us) on Princess Grills, We found the whole Grills experience to be great and will be looking at doing it again, BUT there were just a few little thing that detracted from the overall experience.

 

The cabin steward wasn't as good as on QE in early August, I was just the little things, but as we were in a Britannia cabin on QE and Princess on QA we felt underwhelmed.

 

Service, on at least 2 nights in different bars we gave up on getting served for drinks it was taking that long, But on the other side of the service coin the staff in PG restaurant were 1st class.

 

We were disappointed to see the Queens room with plastic chairs added to try and gain more seating, Who was responsible for this design mistake???, BUT we went to the Bright Lights club and came away feeling this was one of the best venue's/shows we have seen.

 

As a conclusion we will sail on QA again and next time it probably will be in a Britannia cabin, but for us it wouldn't be our first choice, but part of that decision would be we feel it's right at the edge of being TOO big. (that's just a personal thing) 

[exlondoner]

5 minutes ago, ascot2012 said:

Hi All, I thought I would throw my 10 pence worth into this, We are a couple in our 50's have cruised a good hand full of times and are moving towards Platinum with Cunard, we tried Queen Anne for the first time late August on a short trip to Rotterdam and back, we splashed out (a first for us) on Princess Grills, We found the whole Grills experience to be great and will be looking at doing it again, BUT there were just a few little thing that detracted from the overall experience.

 

The cabin steward wasn't as good as on QE in early August, I was just the little things, but as we were in a Britannia cabin on QE and Princess on QA we felt underwhelmed.

 

Service, on at least 2 nights in different bars we gave up on getting served for drinks it was taking that long, But on the other side of the service coin the staff in PG restaurant were 1st class.

 

We were disappointed to see the Queens room with plastic chairs added to try and gain more seating, Who was responsible for this design mistake???, BUT we went to the Bright Lights club and came away feeling this was one of the best venue's/shows we have seen.

 

As a conclusion we will sail on QA again and next time it probably will be in a Britannia cabin, but for us it wouldn't be our first choice, but part of that decision would be we feel it's right at the edge of being TOO big. (that's just a personal thing) 

I agree about the size. Just as with QM, it can be a very long walk to the Commodore Club, or indeed the Library.

[3rdGenCunarder]

13 hours ago, renji said:

Interesting you were on the same May 10 cruise—they were constantly leaking.  And the phone in the laundry room didn’t yield results to quickly. And yes there was some passenger behavior (like taking wet clothes out of the dryer and one lady who stole the entire box of detergent sheets)!

 

I was on the third cruise and there were no instructions posted then. I'm pretty good at figuring out icons on machines, and I was able to choose the cycles and temperatures I wanted. I gave tutorials to a few bewildered passengers--should have offered to do classes and charged admission! Oddly, QE did have instructions posted on the wall of the launderette, but they didn't match the machines. I found those machines harder to figure out than the ones on QA.

 

Yes, I saw people "hijack" dryers on QA. That is not new. The launderettes have been witness to bad behavior going back to the days of QE2. Because the washers lock until the cycle ends, I feel confident leaving my clothes to wash on their own. But I camp out in/near the launderette with a book to guard my dryer.

[Victoria2]

I made a similar post a few months back as I too seemed to be one of the few who understood the icons on the digital machines. Simple instructions are posted on the wall in July, or they were on deck 7. The main dryer issue seemed to be opening the door before pausing the machine.

 

The beauty of the digital readouts is if it's gone technical, and I managed to get a machine whenever I wanted in July, error shows up which means no more hanging out of order signs on machines in order to reserve one and yes, I've seen that too.

Being so close, I didn't need to hang about to check on my laundry and with the digital countdown, no one can say they didn't realise the time loads took to complete.