Mickb

We sailed on QM2 in PG in the last year. IMO it was better than ever. We were encouraged to order off menu and the food was amazing. The price point was similar to a Neptune Suite on HAL. Although we have enjoyed cruises in the past with HAL, the current direction and offering does not suit. Club orange doesn’t cut it for us and compared to Grills offering on Cunard, it is way behind. I must stress that this only my opinion and I’m sure others won’t agree.

We first sailed with HAL in 2000 on the Maasdam. We loved it and went on to sail on Veendam, Maasdam (again) Prinsendam and Eurodam. We have not sailed on the new Pinnacle class. I think the biggest change that we have noticed over the years has been the downgrading of the menus. Lobster, Duck etc were regularly offered but on our last cruise we were offered Jerk Chicken or Rustic Lasagna. I realise that eating habits have changed over the last 20 years but there daily spend per head has obviously been substantially reduced. We now cruise with Cunard who ( until now) do not seem to have gone down the same route.

There have been several cruise ships turned away from docking in NZ and Australian ports because of sea snails and other algae that have grown on the hull. ( There is a very informative post on the Viking Ocean thread). If the ship’s hull is judged dirty then divers have to clean the hull which seems to involve anchoring 20 odd miles offshore for 24/36 hours whilst the work is carried out. As the WC is due to visit both NZ and Australia, I wonder when the hull of the Zuiderdam was last cleaned and whether this is likely to prove to be a problem? I do hope not!

Having experienced HAL cuisine and Cunard - imo Cunard is considerably better. 10 years ago HAL cuisine was very good but continual cuts have reduced the standard very significantly. This does not seem to have happened on Cunard which has if anything, improved recently.

It is a cultural thing. In the UK and Europe a 10% tip is regarded as good. On one of my last trips to the US - ( recently) I was presented with a bill that gave me 3 options to tip between 17.5% - 25% . The bill was already steep as the restaurant was ‘ in vogue’ and was quite frankly a triumph of style over substance. The service we received was perfunctory and when I asked for an explanation of one of the dishes, eyes were rolled and I was treated as someone who was ‘not all there’! Certainly in any other country such service would not have warranted a tip at all. I chose 17.5% and was asked by the server to justify my choice! I told him exactly why and suggested that we call the manager to discuss the matter further! He flounced off! I agree with the poster who pointed out that most of the high end lines have now incorporated gratuities into the price ( albeit higher) - this deals with the problem very neatly. But as I said in the beginning - it is a cultural issue.

I did of course mean ‘unusual’ - apologies!

We have invited Britannia guests to join us in the PG on QV before ( always with prior discussion with the Maitre d’) - so maybe not quite as usual as you suggest?

There was no difficulty in our friends dining as guests with friends in QG. Obviously, the host had sorted it out with the Maitre d’. It was a clever move as our friends were impressed enough to have booked in 2023 in QG!

On a recent w bound transatlantic on QM2, people we know who were in Britannia were invited to dine with friends in QG. They said that there was no difficulty about it.

We are huge fans of the PG and sailed several times on QM2 and QV. The PG staterooms are better on the QM2 - they are a better shape and are more spacious with a better balcony, however the Restaurant aboard QV is far better situated high in the ship with wonderful sea views. The PG staterooms on QV are however not so good - long and narrow with smaller balconies. Service in both is very personal and the food was outstanding with table side cooking and off menu ordering. The QV has extensive sun decks for the use of Grills passengers where they serve delicacies to you on your lounger all day - chilled fruit skewers, sandwiches, afternoon tea etc. Britannia on Cunard is a very enjoyable experience - PG and QG is an outstanding experience which we love. Enjoy your forthcoming trip!

Unlikely To be the same hysteria that surrounded the Royal Caribbean or was it NCL ship that got caught out just before covid!

I never been refused yet

If your previous 4 QM2 s were in Britannia , I would suggest that the Grills, either PG or QG are a different world. The staterooms are significantly bigger and the level of cuisine and choice of menu in the restaurant are significantly enhanced.

It depends what you like. I have cruised with Regent and found it to be an impersonal but luxurious experience. QM2 is a different vibe altogether as you well know having cruised 4 times with them. We were on QM2 in Princess Grill last winter and I thought the experience in the Grill as as good as it ever was. As for the rest of the ship, I felt that some cuts had been made and some crew could have done with more training. We will definitely book the Grills again but it suits us - Good luck with whatever you decide.

Great hotel - ideal for pre cruise - food and accommodation better than anything else In Southampton - but it’s not cheap!

I have travelled aboard all three and they all have their merits. The QM2 is an essentially an Atlantic liner - her seakeeping qualities are excellent albeit she can dance about a bit in a heavy swell! We have only ever travelled in PG and the PG cabins are much nicer than the the Vista class, however the dining lacks drama. I agree with Victoria2 that QV seems to be a friendlier ship - for me she has special something.

The Grills sun deck on QV was excellent. Plenty of comfortable sun beds, plenty of shade and very attentive service. Drinks/snacks/afternoon tea served at your chaise longue. Mind you this was just before COVID - things may have changed…..

Lobster Thermidor followed by Strawberries Romanov flambéed at the table!

IMO - A Cunard Transatlantic is a ‘travel experience’ - much more than a cruise. It is redolent of the great days of travel and there is a sense of purpose about crossing in a liner ( rather than a cruise ship) designed for that purpose. I have been lucky enough to experience transatlantic voyages on Silverseas, HAL, Celebrity and Cunard - the difference I think is that the QM2 was designed for the job and the others were designed for warm water cruising and took the southern better weather route. I have say I loved them all but the QM2 experiences were very special.

We have been lucky enough to sail on some 20 cruises with Silverseas, Regent, Celebrity, HAL, NCL, P&O & Cunard. Our Cunard experience has been 7 wonderful voyages in PG. I can honestly say that with the exception of the NCL and P&O cruises, when I couldn’t wait to get off the ship, I have loved them all. They were all different and all had their pros and cons. Personally, Cunard suits me the best although I am not blind to its deficiencies - I do however feel that that the comparison of a Cunard Britannia TA to a Silverseas repositioning cruise is not comparing apples with apples!

A gratuity to the Maitre d’ upon embarkation will ensure you get what you want!

We had one and it was fine. The only problem was that we had one of the forward facing curved balconies, which while fine for seeing forward, were smaller than the normal PG balcony.

We have crossed with both - port ( sunny side) was way better