Why do you like Cunard? What could Cunard do better?

[Classiccruiser777]

I have taken the QE2, QM2 and one cruise on HAL. I would like to know what you love or like about Cunard and what could Cunard do (or do better)?

[lusitanica]

I have taken the QE2, QM2 and one cruise on HAL. I would like to know what you love or like about Cunard and what could Cunard do (or do better)?

 

what you love or like about Cunard

 

The QM2 - the best ship ever built.

The best itinerary in sea travel - North Atlantic Crossing between Southampton and New York.

The QM2: Superb service, charming atmosphere onboard.

 

what could Cunard do (or do better)?

 

Food and shows.

[Cruise Liner Fan]

What I like about the Cunard Line is that the Cunard Line still has transatlantic crossing service from April to November and its flagship the Queen Mary 2 is a true Transatlantic Liner :).And I honestly can not think of what needs to be improved.I can't wait til November 1st when I board the QM2 again. Regards,Jerry

[MCC retired]

The QM2 is my favorite ship . 50+ ships under my belt.:D

 

However , too many Formal nights for me. Even requiring jackets on Casual nights is not my idea of relaxed dress.:mad:

 

Other than that, I can't think of a negative comment about Cunard.:)

[rafinmd]

To me their biggest strengths:

 

A dignified, civilized, refined atmosphere. Excellent entertainment and enrichment. A truly useful transatlantic service.

 

One thing they could do better:

 

Improve their relationship with and support of Cruise Critic. IMHO, that would be not just good for us, but would also be a good business practice. My experience is that a formalized Meet and Mingle program greatly enhances the pre-cruise enthusiasm of other lines roll calls and helps build a brand loyalty.

 

Roy

[Oahucruiser]

I love everything about both ships, return often and we are booked for the QE's world cruise. My only negative is the many tacky trestle tables that are put out frequently with items on sale, especially in the corridor on the QM2 that leads to the dining room. To avoid them, I sometimes have to go through Sir Samuels and the Chart Room. They do nothing to enhance Cunard's dignified atmosphere.

[QM2 fan]

To me their biggest strengths:

 

A dignified, civilized, refined atmosphere. Excellent entertainment and enrichment. A truly useful transatlantic service.

 

One thing they could do better:

 

Improve their relationship with and support of Cruise Critic. IMHO, that would be not just good for us, but would also be a good business practice. My experience is that a formalized Meet and Mingle program greatly enhances the pre-cruise enthusiasm of other lines roll calls and helps build a brand loyalty.

 

Roy

I agree-there is an excellent website called Flyertalk,abour airline travel. On the BA board,there are many members of BA staff answering questions etc,and they even have BA Executive club staff members on there helping out with problems of passengers. Cunard could learn a lot from it.

I also agree about the inch of gold sales...like a cheap arabian bazaar..no place on a Cunard liner IMHO..

[Pennypocket]

The QM2 is my favorite ship . 50+ ships under my belt.:D

 

However , too many Formal nights for me. Even requiring jackets on Casual nights is not my idea of relaxed dress.:mad:

 

Other than that, I can't think of a negative comment about Cunard.:)

 

 

To take the opposite approach to Cunard. It is my favorite line because of the tradition and the formality. I would prefer all at sea evenings to be totally formal and port days to always require a jacket and tie for the gentlemen and dresses for the ladies. I would go so far as to love it if during the day the ladies would sport about in their daytime dresses and always wear hats for tea and I would have no problem with a blazer at all times during the day. Unless of course any of us were engaging in a bit of sport and then "whites" would be the call of the moment. Now that would be my idea of the perfect cruise line.

[Ray66]

I love everything about both ships, return often and we are booked for the QE's world cruise. My only negative is the many tacky trestle tables that are put out frequently with items on sale, especially in the corridor on the QM2 that leads to the dining room. To avoid them, I sometimes have to go through Sir Samuels and the Chart Room. They do nothing to enhance Cunard's dignified atmosphere.

 

They're run by Harding Brothers who also work on all these ships:

 

 

http://www.cruiseshiprecruitment.co.uk/ships.asp

[missfrankiecat]

Love the look and feel of the ships, the service, the atmosphere (I'd have more not less formals). Two gripes - appalling coffee (marginally better in Sir Samuels where you pay but virtually undrinkable elsewhere) and queueing to get into afternoon tea in the Queens' Room is tacky.

[Vic The Parrot]

Nothing needs to be changed ... except the room service coffee, and the new "policy" :eek:

[Lanky Lad]

I love the atmosphere on both QM2 and QV and the formality and the level of service.

 

I think Cunard could improve the shows, some of the productions shows have been going for 5 years and I have seen the same ones at least once a year.

[RobertGraves]

It is my favorite line because of the tradition and the formality. I would prefer all at sea evenings to be totally formal and port days to always require a jacket and tie for the gentlemen and dresses for the ladies... quote]

 

Well said!

 

Refinement, which is reflected in dress code, and also in decor, entertainment and general attitude, both by passengers and staff.

 

Refinement combined with ocean liner heritage.

 

This is what differentiates Cunard from the competition and makes it worth travelling on it.

[Penzance]

Well said both Pennypocket and RobertGraves - Oh, how I agree.. Bravo!

[flag fan]

What Cunard does right (QM2 edition): overall ambiance of classic ocean liners, transatlantic crossings, great lecturers, planetarium, shows (I like them), RADA, Canyon Ranch spa (best one I've been to at sea), good mix of North American/British/European passengers (on transatlantic).

 

What to improve on: bring back interactive televisions (and add dvd players), 3 formal nights is one too many on a 6-night crossing, get rid of "informal" nights, get rid of the sales items tables in the main lobby, and find something to do with the Winter Garden (other than constant art auctions).

 

Basically, I think things are great as they are; the changes are only a few minor tweaks.

[Louise D]

To take the opposite approach to Cunard. It is my favorite line because of the tradition and the formality. I would prefer all at sea evenings to be totally formal and port days to always require a jacket and tie for the gentlemen and dresses for the ladies. I would go so far as to love it if during the day the ladies would sport about in their daytime dresses and always wear hats for tea and I would have no problem with a blazer at all times during the day. Unless of course any of us were engaging in a bit of sport and then "whites" would be the call of the moment. Now that would be my idea of the perfect cruise line.

 

I agree and look forward to seeing you wearing a solar topee in the tropics.

 

Actually, the above description seems quite liberal compared to the standards of dress I observed for QE2 passengers in Hong Kong in February 1984. The ladies almost uniformly wore fur coats and high heeled shoes when going ashore.

 

Louise

[Salacia]

I agree and look forward to seeing you wearing a solar topee in the tropics.

 

Actually, the above description seems quite liberal compared to the standards of dress I observed for QE2 passengers in Hong Kong in February 1984. The ladies almost uniformly wore fur coats and high heeled shoes when going ashore.

 

Louise

 

Hi Louise. Yes, that must have been have been quite the scene...ladies wearing fur coats and high heeled shoes going ashore in Hong Kong 26 years ago. What a relief it must be to see that women are no longer slaves to fashion, and we can actually wear shoes that allow us to walk.

 

I do agree that a solar topee (pith helmet) is well advised in the tropics.

 

With regards,

Salacia

[Salacia]

It is my favorite line because of the tradition and the formality. I would prefer all at sea evenings to be totally formal and port days to always require a jacket and tie for the gentlemen and dresses for the ladies... quote]

 

Well said!

 

Refinement, which is reflected in dress code, and also in decor, entertainment and general attitude, both by passengers and staff.

 

Refinement combined with ocean liner heritage.

 

This is what differentiates Cunard from the competition and makes it worth travelling on it.

 

 

With respect, I must disagree: "refinement" is not simply a matter of how one dresses, or the decor, or the entertainment.

 

May I suggest that those of us who follow the dress code should not presume that neither our attire or our surroundings makes us more "refinded" than others.

 

With regards,

Salacia

[brigittetom]

[quote

 

 

 

May I suggest that those of us who follow the dress code should not presume that neither our attire or our surroundings makes us more "refinded" than others.

 

With regards,

Salacia

 

Those things don't make us more refined, they put us in more refined surroundings. :cool:

[Salacia]

Those things don't make us more refined, they put us in more refined surroundings. :cool:

 

I'm happy that you found yourself in 'more refined surroundings', and I understand that those surroundings don't make you more refined. I guess the concept of "refinement" differs, but I'm delighted you've found what it means to you.

 

Cheers,

Salacia

[brigittetom]

Thank you so much for your correction Salacia. Everyone knows you are always right as usual. :)

[MCC retired]

Cunard's formality is appreciated by those that like a reminder of yesteryear when voyages were as they were , expensive and luxurious for those that could afford 1st class .

That client base is not growing .

 

Now that these voyages are more affordable to a wider range of guests , not everyone is looking for days of old. To fill the ships , Cunard continues to evolve in small ways (such as smoking restrictions) . I applaud Carnival for keeping Cunard, mostly as is .:)

My wish :Perhaps someday an ease up on sooooo many mandatory formal nights.:o

[Ray66]

I love the atmosphere on both QM2 and QV and the formality and the level of service.

 

So do I.

 

 

I think the only thing I would change is not to have so many photographers everywhere. They can really get in the way sometimes. But I realise that they and the stalls (run by Harding Brothers) http://www.cruiseshiprecruitment.co.uk/history.asp help to bring in revenue.

 

Having done a backstage tour last week on the QV, I realise how much hard work goes into the productions.

This is the company that produces them on shore before they hit the high seas.

http://www.uk.castingcallpro.com/cview.php?uid=683

[transatlantic fan]

Some things I would love Cunard to do would be to bring back the 6 night Transatlantic at least from Southampton to New York so people can feel the speed of this great ship, and also be able to have an extended stay in the states such as extend the 4th July cruise from 5 nights to 7/8 or even 9 so people from Europe can have time in the summer months and still not have to fly like they do in the Autumn.

[RobertGraves]

Those things don't make us more refined, they put us in more refined surroundings. :cool:

 

Quite right! A nice answer to Salacia's valid remark.

 

Refinement is meant as an inner quality by itself, not comparing us to others. It is not our responsibility if others believe that we dress elegantly because we consider ourselves better than them. We do it only because we like it, we like the beauty, harmony, festive atmosphere and civility that is associated with it. We also like it as an expression of the inner quality and value that lies within each and all of us. Because, most importantly, we do it within a ship where everybody is dressed well, irrespectively of social status, wealth, education, knowledge, talent, physical beauty, nationality, gender, religion (if you like) and so on. So we don't pretend to be better than others.

 

Moreover, our inner world and our surrounding world are quite different things. Whatever degree of strong and refined personality we may have, the corroding influence of the latter is bound to make an impact on us. So, those of us who prefer positive impacts of this kind, are willing to travel on Cunard's refined surroundings - including both decor and well-dressed fellow passengers, or cerebral entertainment. This may not make us fundamentally better, but makes us feel and enjoy better.

 

Last, as I said refinement is reflected on such things. At the heart of external stimulus an inner quality may lie. Those seeking this quality can pursue it accordingly.