Gomac

I knew I had read it somewhere… Here is the source from Solent Richard!

I thought we were previously informed that Tramonto would be ‘Included in the cruise fare’

So to feedback on our first Princess Grill experience… Quite simply it was amazing and has spoilt us for our future Cunard cruises 😁. Cabin: We were in 5001, right at the bow of the ship and as such was over 550sq ft, so massive compared to our usual Britannia Balcony cabins. We realise this is not the norm for the PG and there are only two of these but we loved the space. The room attendant introduced himself to us immediately and wanted to know our preferences for turndown and also said he would prioritise us for make up on a morning (I’m thinking because our cabin is the only PG on that strip we were probably his only Grills passengers). Very nice touch and he also noticed we liked drinking water and made sure extra bottles were placed all over the cabin. The in room water is a really nice benefit for us. The bathroom was a good but bigger and it was nice to enjoy the novelty of a bath at sea! The one negative (and probably the reason this cabin is a P2 instead of a P1) is the motion when seas get a bit rough. We were lucky enough to have smooth seas for the first 7 nights of our voyage. Our last night however, getting close to the Australian coast was bumpy and while packing before dinner we both got quite sick. Once we got to mid-ship is was so much better and we recovered quickly so it definitely had an impact. Princess Grill Dining: This was the highlight of our experience, we loved both the food and service. Most dishes were excellent with some very good and only one good. Any Al a carte request at lunchtime was met with pleasure, and any extra little requests like my love for chips with the chateaubriand or the fact we liked long spaces between courses was proactive. Our waiter got to know what we liked, one lunchtime Mrs Gomac was too full for anything however he knew she liked fruits from the replies breakfasts and offered that instead. Two things we were not expecting that impressed us…. (1) How much better the sommelier was. He got to know our preferences very well, he matched perfectly each course with a different wine, he proactively brought glasses of what he thought we would like as we sat down and knew I liked a desert wine and port to finish. He took time to explain why he was matching each wine with some impressive suggestions (all of which he somehow managed to get through the drinks package). (2) Lunch is a massive step up from Britannia. I don’t think there is a more splendid afternoon than a freshly made pasta dish with a crisp glass of wine sat out on the Grill courtyard on a sunny day. We normally skip lunch on Cunard and instead have breakfast and dinner, instead we usually only had coffee or fruit for breakfast and lunch and dinner. The standout dish for us was the rack of lamb from the a la carte, the perfect taste and fattiness with a lovely cabernet sauvignon to match and it made the wine taste like butter. They even got me a side of fries to have a salted crispy side. We were by far the youngest in the dining room, the Maitre D (in jest) told us he was surprised to have such a young couple in the grills but he and his team made us most welcome. We love it! Grills experience: Check in and boarding was seamless in Singapore, however it wasn’t very busy at all. The Grills lounge was a lovely spot for a day drink with our books and a pre dinner cocktail. The team got to know our preferences very quickly and the canapés were markedly better. The one negative was the Grills deck. The sunbeds were wonderfully luxurious but there was no service at all. We had to continuously go and hunt down a waiter for a drink or water. Very strange given the rest of the Grills experience but we thought the Lido pool was much better and easier for sitting out with a drink and getting good service. Now we are sold on the grills and did indeed submit a bid for PG on our upcoming QM2 transatlantic next week but unfortunately it’s sold out so we have to resign ourselves to Britannia!

Thank you so much for checking! It’s good to know 🙂

Thank you for running commentary. Very much enjoying this as my daily read with my morning coffee in eager anticipation of joining the QM2 on 3rd January after NYE in New York. It is getting us more and more excited getting a glimpse of what’s happening on board. You’re very lucky to have Stephen Payne onboard, his lectures would be right up my street, alas I doubt he will still be sailing by the time we get on 😞 One question…. Do they still have the ‘always available’ dishes in the Britannia restaurant at dinner? I seem to remember it being something on the lines of a steak and daily curry.

Thank you Jack for the detailed feedback. We loved watching your video, it got us really excited for our QE in a few weeks! We’ve watched every Cunard video on YouTube but didn’t come across this one given the title! …. Also glad to see Chateaubriand on the Al a carte menu still being available 🙂

Thank you all so much for the feedback. Given the price and the fact it’s a TA we’ve decide to put in a a bid, so fingers crossed. I will report back if we are successful. in the meantime we are excited for our QE PG in a few weeks time!

We have 5 Cunard voyages under our belt and have our first PG voyage on QE coming up next month which is very exciting. We have our first TA booked for January and are tempted to bid for an upgrade to PG (at around £900 each) given we got a great price on the sheltered balcony already. Our main value proposition would be the dining, is PG on the QM2 substantially better? The overall Grills set up doesn’t seem quite as impressive as the QE but the cabin looks more impressive.

Thanks for the data point. Has anyone received an upgrade offer from a Sheltered Balcony to Princess on the QM2 TAs or is Britannia Club the highest they will offer?

Does “Bathrooms & plumbing” mean they will be getting rid of the shower curtains or is that to big of a task given their designs?

I suppose Cunard have to evolve as they always have done, and we are excited for our 2024 QA cruise. As a couple in their early 30s, if Cunard become like all the other cruise lines and loses the formality we just won’t sail with them anymore. Without the tradition what else do they have going for them? They don’t have any of the bells and whistles of the new cool ships, the entertainment definitely isn’t to our style either. I think most people sail Cunard because of the atmosphere of the ships. Even on our last 2 night mini QV trip the younger crowd (many much younger than us) were still embracing the elegance on a non formal nights and it was nice to see. We see ourselves as the future Cunarders, after 5 Britannia trips we are now venturing to the Grills, we take 3 or more long haul holidays per year and at least one of those will include a Cunard segment as part of it for the next few years. Cunard have to be careful how far they deviate from the traditional experience. For us the option isn’t Cunard or another cruise line, it’s Cunard or a reasonably luxurious land based stay, we tried other lines and they just don’t do it for us. On every post cruise survey I receive I do try and give this as feedback. We are excited by some new dining venues, although I hope that they aren’t at the detriment to the main dining rooms and they don’t become one of those lines that push hard on the additional dining. If all of the additional venues are indeed as relaxed as indicated that will be a big shame. Sir Samual’s without crisp white table clothes and with the same dress code as the pub won’t feel like an elevated experience or a night out on the town.

Does anybody please have any recent Prince Grill menus from QE? Things seem to be changing so quickly all the time. In particular what can we expect from the A la carte menu? And do they still have Chateaubriand for example.

As a Diamond do they allow you to pay the difference and have dinner instead of lunch?

All still visible for me too.