ak1004

It is. But seeing the amounts of drinks consumed, I would still think that most people select to spend a lot on drinks, and many also buy full internet packages. Specialty restaurants are also fully booked most of the time. And while theoretically gratuities are optional, most people select not to remove them. As for excursions - there is typically selection of at least 3-5 included excursions in each port, and this is more than sufficient for most people. So yes, it is definitely possible to have your final on board bill zero, but for most people this is not the case.

My point is that on Cunard you will be paying extra anyway. Most people do use internet ($20 extra per day) and do at least some drinking. Even water and specialty coffee and tea add up. Your final bill will not be much lower compared to lines where those things are included.

You are absolutely correct about fares, and I agree that Cunard offers excellent value for money for Britannia passengers. But value for money is also subjective. Are you willing to pay more and to have better food, better service, smaller ships (that can dock for example near Tower of London instead of Dover and save you 4 hours drive)? Also, you need to account for what's included in your fare. We are sailing on Silversea in December for under $400 per night. Yes, it's double compared to Cunard, but their fare includes all drinks, all specialty restaurants, internet, gratuities, Shore excursions, unlimited caviar and butler in every cabin. Is it worth to you the extra $200 per night per person? Many people will easily spend more on Cunard if they take the internet package, the drinks package and go to specialty restaurants. Others might say they don't drink, don't use the internet and don't book the excursions with the ship, so for them those things provide less value. On Oceania it is not uncommon to find deals under $300 per night. Their fares include less than Silversea, but more than Cunard. In fact, when you account for all extras, the price gap between entry level cabins on Cunard and Oceania becomes pretty small. I believe the principle "you get what you pay for" is very relevant in the cruise industry. But many people are perfectly fine with the value that Cunard provides.

No I was comparing food in Britannia since this is where most guests eat (only 5% eat in the QG). I'm sure the food in the QG is excellent, and I don't know what a suitable comparison would be. When we compare lines, we usually compare the cheapest veranda with cheapest veranda. In terms of pricing, QG would be typically much more expensive than veranda on Oceania, so I'm not sure if this is a suitable comparison either.

After being stuck at home for two years, I would probably sail even on Carnival.. But yes, everything is relative. For most people, almost any cruise ship would be considered a luxury vacation. So lets not lose perspective. But people still like to compare. It's a human nature. We were on Oceania in December and on Cunard in May, so we have a basis for comparison. We enjoyed both, and would sail on both again, but they offer a different experience. Don't come to Oceania for entertainment and enrichment, and don't come to Cunard for food..

Exactly! Many people describe the wonderful experience they had on Cunard cruises, but forget to mention that they sailed in QG. Britannia provides a very different experience in terms of food and service. Still not bad, especially compared to other mainstream lines, but not even close to QS and the luxury lines. Another thing on a luxury line is that everyone is treated equal, regardless of the cabin they book. Everyone gets the same food and service, the only difference is the cabin size (and maybe few small perks).

Luxury means different things to different people. To me luxury means: Smaller ships with more intimate service without a crowded feel. High space-to-passenger ratio and crew to guest ratio. Ability to dine where you want and when you want without assigned dining times or tables. More extensive and flexible menus. High quality food. Ability to customize your menu and get items that are not on the menu. No lines. Ever.

Unfortunately we never had "mistakes" made in our favor. Never. Not on a cruise ship, restaurant or hotel. Somehow when a business makes a "mistake", it's always in their favor..

Cunard enrichment program is outstanding. No argument here. So is the entertainment. But it also depends on the type of the cruise. Cunard definitely shines on TA sailings, I would not sail TA on Oceania. But on port intensive European cruise, this is less important because your main goal is to see ports, not to be on the ship (at least for us). This is where smaller ships really shine. Not only they can go to ports that bigger ships cannot, but other things become more important - such as being off the ship as quickly as possible, smaller tour groups etc. And when I'm back on the ship, I want to go to dinner when I want (not on set time) and have a high quality food with high quality service. But then again, I'm comparing Britannia, not Grills.

https://www.cruisemapper.com/wiki/761-cruise-ship-passenger-capacity-ratings I think the upper range is for full capacity, including cabins with 3-4 passengers. Same for us! There is no bad cruise!

Luxury has nothing to do with all-inclusive. Luxury has everything to do with the size of the ships. I'm sure the experience is luxury in the Grills, but you are still on a big ship. Constantly waiting in lines is not luxury to me, but to each its own. My wife prefers her Honda over my Mercedes.. But I agree about lectures. No lines comes even close to Cunard in this department.

Yes, but some people mentioned to me that the same issue happened on the sailing prior to ours (May 8-15), and some other sailings. They clearly knew there is an issue with their system.

If only we could combine the entertainment and enrichment program of Cunard, the food of Oceania, the service and cabins of Silversea and the itineraries of Azamara, this would be a perfect ship! btw, Silversea has 8 different restaurants, so you don't have to be on a big ship to have a good variety of food.

Not sure why some people continue comparing Cunard to Carnival.. a completely different league. There is no contradiction between luxury and tradition. A line can be both (see Silversea example). And Cunard prices are low only in low cabins, in the suites they can be sometimes higher than true luxury lines. Plus I think Cunard is among very few lines that doesn't include drinks, gratuities, internet etc. in the suites prices.

They didn’t even bother to respond..

No I have not done any scientific study. But there are many comments from other passengers suggesting a similar pattern, including someone who was a the cruise prior to ours (May 8-15). The fact that they knew about the issue (as admitted in their own response) and never contacted me or anyone else involved speaks volume. Bad intentions or just terrible incompetence? Obviously we have no way to know.

We enjoyed many aspects of our Cunard cruise and would not hesitate to come back to Cunard - it's just important to keep things in perspective. Those who enjoy the Cunard experience don't really care if it's luxury or not. And those who book the Grills do enjoy a luxury experience and don't really care that they can book a truly luxury cruise on Oceania or Silversea for less money. This is why we all have choices and this is why different lines exist.

And our friends never got Covid while 80% of the population did. What kind of argument is it? We heard from many people that this happened to them on Cunard. The pattern is the same - charges were posted 2 days after guests left the ship, but dated debarkation day. Cunard admitted in their response that they knew about the issue - so why they even waited for me to contact them instead of voluntarily check the accounts?? Someone posted that in happened to them on the previous cruise (May 8-15), so they clearly knew there is an issue with their systems. Here is a screenshot of their response: And a screenshot of our account: How is it possible that they added a charge for a service that happened on May 22 at 18:47 while our cruise ended on the morning of May 22??

Seabourn was just an example and a response to poster that mentioned that Cunard ships "have lots of space to spread them around".

Is this incorrect? In any case, even QE and QV has 4-5 times more passengers than a typical luxury ship. Not to mention passengers to crew ratio and passengers to space ratio. As you can see, there is no comparison, no matter which parameter you are looking at.

Cunard definitely provides more unique and special experience than many other lines, definitely more special than Celebrity. But this is still a mass market line, and even if you are in a suite, you are still on a 2,500 passengers ship. The gap between mediocrity and luxury in the cruise industry is widening, and the gap between mainstream and Five-Star cruise pricing narrows.

I really want to give Cunard the benefit of a doubt, but I hear similar "mistakes" from too many people. In all cases, charges were posted 2 days after guests left the ship, but dated debarkation day. Normally I would think that after you disembark, the account should be closed and they shouldn't even have access to your credit card anymore. Apparently Cunard has different practices. Seems like a pattern to me. "Lets try, maybe they won't notice.." Hard for me to believe that the same glitch happens cruise after cruise and they are not able to fix it..

Sure.. till you try a Mercedes.. 🙂

If you are huge Celebrity fans, you will like Cunard. Going from Fiat to Honda is always an upgrade.

They did say they are going to refund. And as I mentioned, I did not officially involve the credit card company - I did call them, but they advised me to wait for Cunard's response, which I did.