Last November I was in Waikiki and met a very nice couple from Australia. They were staying in the same hotel before embarking on an island cruise. They were BIG TIME cruisers going back decades and I asked a lot of questions.
When I mentioned how I thought it would be great to cruise aboard the Queen Mary 2, they both scoffed and simultaneously said, "Stuffy!". It was obvious they didn't like Cunard and didn't recommend that line. They also described a strange cult of people with the most Cunard cruises being "First" and if they found out they wouldn't be first, they wouldn't book the cruise.
Not sure I understood all that, but it was fun talking with them. Based on their description, it sounds like Cunard would indeed be too stuffy for me, but I can understand why others would like that line. "Cunard-Lite" works for me.