Colin_Cameron

That's once more than me. In 20 years I've never seen it open.

I'm sure you have better things to do with your time. This performance shows up some of the limitations of the Queen's Room. It comprises of four people on stage with images projected on the screen above them. Unfortunately if you are downstairs but not at the front you can't see the screen due to the overhang of the balcony; likewise if you're upstairs but not at the front you can't see the performers.

I get really annoyed when people don't proofread. Doubly so when that person is me.

Too late to edit. ... Cunard Street wasn't performed ...

If anyone goes to the Cunard Street performance listen out for the number of "Commodore Cocktails" mentioned. I saw it on the Maiden Voyage and they said there were six cocktails named after Cunard Commodores. I was talking to them after the show and said that I thought there were seven. They laughed and said, "Yes that's what the scrips says, but we've been to the Commodore Club to check, and on Queen Anne there's only six." As you can imagine I went straight to the Commodore Club to confirm and they were right!!! I was very impressed with that dedication to accuracy. That was in May. A few weeks ago when we were back onboard the Commodore Club had new menus with seven Commodore cocktails. I waited all cruise but Cunard Street was performed so I didn't get to find out if they had kept it up to date.

When we have moved cabins all the stuff in drawers and on shelves went back in the cases but whatever was on hangers was moved using a rolling rail. The only fly in the ointment was that the QG hangers are removable with their own hooks but the Britannia ones were the hotel type with the loop around the rail. It took a few minutes longer than expected as all the hangers had to be swapped.

I love these ones that I saw at a bungee jumping facility in New Zealand.

Where the rooms are side-by-side the difference in signage is clear. Where they are not together the sign on the 'Gents' is ambiguous.

We were on this cruise and have been OK (so far). But we have taken the precaution of not visiting a friend in hospital until Monday.

After an eleven hour drive we're home. Now where was I? Things still to be fixed: The food ordering system and the logo for the 'Gents'. The former will have to be fixed, and the latter is easy enough to do over time; The lift doors are still too quick for a lot of people, not just the infirm, and the now failing up/down indicators just makes things worse. And having to take 50% of the passenger lifts out-of-service at the busiest time, embarkation day - and on the last night- is just crazy. First and last impressions people! I mentioned that we were 'underwhelmed' by our visit to Sir Samuels and I heard similar from other people. One of them summed it up, "It's amazing the difference something as simple as tablecloth makes." This is billed as a fine dining experience and although the food and the service are excellent, as far as the setting is concerned, you could be in the Lido - sorry, Artisans' Foodhall - and it could be argued that has a better view. The same applies to the other speciality restaurants. However, it's the things that can't, or won't, be fixed that make Queen Anne our least favourite Cunard ship. The promenade deck, I don't use it but my wife does; The Queen's Room, 'cheap' with poor sightlines; and the theatre, a perfectly functional space but bland when compared with the other ships. Will we sail on her again? Probably, but it would have to be the right itinerary, on the right dates, and at the right price. The problem is that now that Cunard have just-another-cruise-ship she has much more competition than the others.

So, as we sit waiting to disembark what are my thoughts on QA after our second time aboard? As expected there has been a huge improvement in the service levels. Throughout the ship staff are now working as a team. Our move to Britannia Club will have had an influence on that but it's also evident in the bars and elsewhere. The Commodore Club seems like a different room from the one we saw three months ago. It's not just the bar stools, the huge empty space that separated the bar from the rest of the room now has seating in it and it now feels like a single venue rather than a lounge with a separate bar. There are things that still need fixing. The food ordering system continues to cause problems. Working some days and not others and seemingly sometimes failing during meal service, with the waiters ordering on the tablets earlier in the evening but reverting to pen and paper later. They've called our disembarkation ahead of schedule so I'll finish this later.

Things like this. Also spotted a stylised funnel in on picture.

Someone mentioned a while ago about the lack of ship pictures. I'm not sure if they've been adding them since the maiden voyage but there are a few around. Also, the 'modern' art has lots of Cunard references that I'm only starting to notice.

QA balcony doors open outwards.

My wife thought our's was locked as well. With the application of a lot of brute force I managed to get it open about 1/4 inch but no further. It was just the wind stopping it.

It's taken a while to confirm, but no. When the lights don't work the "ping" doesn't work either. Nor does the little indicator on the digital floor display. I've yet to work out if it's the same lifts on each floor or not.

We never sailed on her under NAC/NAL but a few years later we sailed through the canal in the opposite direction, LA, Acapulco, Fort Lauderdale. To this day she remains our favourite ship.

I think they're meeting the 5-6sec.min, if only just. The situation is exacerbated by a) the seat in the middle of the foyer, which I initially thought was a good idea and b) the direction indicators not working meaning you have to head for any door that opens and having to ask whether this one's going up or down, only to find the one you really want has now arrived, on the other side of the seat in the middle. Other issues not yet resolved: The signs for the gent's toilets are still causing problems. Where the two are side-by-side the difference is clear. Where they are separate, the 'Ladies' is obvious but the 'Gents' is ambiguous. Even on day two of the Maiden Voyage management were aware, having been personally interrupted by female passengers walking in on them. It seems we're destined to not see "Brief Encounter". Apparently it's only been cancelled twice, on the Maiden Voyage, because of bad weather, and tonight due to technical (sound) issues. They're going to try and reschedule later in the voyage. It seems our waiter had a nasty fall just before we arrived for dinner tonight. There was a short delay but a replacement was drafted in (from Queens Grill) and he was asking which tables he was covering, etc. The maitre d' told him, "Just do what ***** (the assistant waiter) tells you. It's what I do." I have to say that the restaurant service reminds me of Cunard, 25-30 years ago.

They frequently close a lot quicker than that, as I've found out.

I was thinking that the lift doors weren't closing as quickly as they had been so did a little testing. If the lift is empty I've been pressing my floor and the one above (if I'm going up) and timing how long it takes the doors to close when I get out. Turns out it's anything from 5 secs to 9 secs. I haven't yet worked out if it depends on the individual lift or some other factor. Just to add to the problems a number of the up/down lights aren't working.

The bar stools in the Commodore Club have finally arrived (a couple of weeks ago) so all is right with the world. 😁 The standard of dress is as high as it has been for years, with the exception of the Maiden Voyage which was very dressy. Looks like the passengers are fighting back against Cunard's intentions for this ship. The same could be said for the ballroom dancers. Only two nights so far but the too-small floor has been crowded both nights, and also at this afternoon's tea dance. Our asst waiter from the Maiden Voyage in Britannia has had a well deserved (sort of) promotion and is now our asst waiter in Britannia Club, and has the maitre d's job firmly in her sights. The service has been outstanding and again our BC experience (QE and now QA) has exceeded our QG experience (QV and QM2) as far as the restaurant service is concerned. We had our diamond lunch in Sir Samuels today and although the food and service was excellent the experience was a little underwhelming, as was the wine list.

Probably not much use for the OP, but for anyone travelling from the north or the west I'd recommend Battlesteads Hotel in Wark. It frequently has two night deals available on Secret Escapes and excellent food. And at around 1 hour from the port it allows for a leisurely breakfast and even morning coffee before heading to the ship without too much hanging around waiting for check-in to open.

I guess the QV book got lost as well? Haven't seen it for a few years either.

Those were still the prices on QA Maiden, this month.

I'm afraid not Bell Boy. It appears that while the food is free in the daytime there is a charge in the evenings! The cheese was $2.50 for a portion equivalent to canapes for 2. The oysters were $2.50 each. Perhaps part of the reason there are no free canapes in the Commodore Club, if they're charging for them elsewhere.