QG v Silversea, Seabourn

[Tothesunset]

We are relatively new cruisers and enjoy our trips on Silversea and Seabourn. However, we are thinking of a TA on Cunard and wonder if anyone has experience of the QG suites and facilities and also experience of SS/SB?

 

Most particularly we are concerned with a. Quality of catering, b. Drinks prices (considering SS/SB are AI), c. Crowdedness or otherwise of ship's facilities, d. quality of suites, e. Service levels.

 

We've been alongside monster ships from P&O, Celebrity etc and the number of passengers seems alarming!

[Al54]

I never travelled on Seabourn, but travelled on Cunard QG and midship veranda suite on the Silver Spirit. Very difficult to make a comparison between a small cruise ship and a big liner! Catering is almost similar, in my opinion, good, but nothing memorable for both lines......Suites are much larger on QM2, with a lot of storage (liner!), but maybe the equipments in "basics" suites are better on Silversea (tv, bathrooms). Service levels are very similar, maybe a little bit more formal on Cunard, but it always depend on your butler! You can find a lot of informations about drinks prices -and any other subject- on the website "ask cunard.com". Even with 2600 passengers, you'll never feel the QM2 being overcrowded, specially if you travel in grill class (queen's grill lounge, concierge lounge, grills terrace). More choice of activities on Cunard, and better entertainment. The main difference is in the atmosphere : ship cruise "all inclusive" v/ traditionnal liner, but If you want to cross the Atlantic, the QM2 is the only ship to sail with, because she is the only and, probably, the last liner in the world!

 

 

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[pmb1]

Sorry I can't contribute any Silversea/Seabourn vs Cunard comparisons because my only cruises have been on QM2 (a dozen bookings in the Grills), but I can assure you that QM2 is in no way a crowded "monster ship". QM2 has the highest ratio of space per passenger (measured by gross tons divided by number of passengers) of any ship carrying 2000 passenger or more. Here are three year's worth of bar lists for you to estimate what your thirst will cost you.

[Tothesunset]

Thank you both for your replies. I know we must judge for ourselves, and the only way to do that is to try, but advance info is never wasted.

[Jim Avery]

If you choose Cunard for a Transatlantic be sure to consider, as others have mentioned, Queen Mary 2. I would not recommend Queen Victoria or Queen Elizabeth over QM2 for Transatlantic. They are modified Vista Class cruise ships whereas QM2 is a one off ship in the tradition of the great ocean liners of the past. She can take what the North Atlantic is prone to dish out. :D

[Tothesunset]

Noted, Jim. Thanks.

[Sweetpea711423]

I've cruised numerous times on Silversea, and I've done a number of crossings on QM2 (and QE2 before her), in Queens Grill. My observations are as follows.

 

The QM2 QG cabins are really much larger than a standard Silversea suite (which of course are quite well-sized and very nice in their own right). When we were on Silversea most recently, having been on QM2 the time before that, my husband commented that he thought the cabin seemed small. It's not a comment he had ever made previously, but he was obviously subconsciously comparing it to Queens Grill on QM2.

 

I thought the food in Queens Grill and on Silversea is pretty comparable, particularly with being able to order off-menu in both.

 

When you are on QM2, you are on a large ship, with all the good and bad that brings. Overall, outside the special Queens Grill areas, it's not the most luxurious experience (although it doesn't feel too crowded). But on the crossings, the enrichment lectures and other activities can be very interesting and engaging, more so than what is available on Silversea.

 

A transatlantic crossing is truly a wonderful experience, in a different way than cruises with multiple port stops. As someone else mentioned, if you are thinking about doing a crossing, QM2 is really the way to go. It is built for this kind of travel.

 

My husband and I are going roundtrip transatlantic this summer on QM2, and then our next cruise is a port-intensive itinerary in Asia on Silversea. I would never do an itinerary with ports on a ship as large as QM2. But a crossing is another matter.

 

Hope this helps. It's a nice quandary to have.

[Tothesunset]

Thanks, Sweetpea. That's a very helpful response.

 

We have been discussing this and have decided we wil try a one-way crossing on the QM2 followed by a few days in NYC (our second favourite city after Hong Kong). The next thing is to find the time!

[keithm]

We are relatively new cruisers and enjoy our trips on Silversea and Seabourn. However, we are thinking of a TA on Cunard and wonder if anyone has experience of the QG suites and facilities and also experience of SS/SB?

 

Most particularly we are concerned with a. Quality of catering, b. Drinks prices (considering SS/SB are AI), c. Crowdedness or otherwise of ship's facilities, d. quality of suites, e. Service levels.

 

We've been alongside monster ships from P&O, Celebrity etc and the number of passengers seems alarming!

You'll notice much more space in the suites than on Silversea. Food in Queens Grill is quite similar. You can venture off menu quite easily in Queens Grill. It will be more of a mainstream experience once out of the Grills lounge & terrace. Service may not be of the standard you're used to in standard parts of the ship. That is still not to say that you'll have less than a great time.

[RobertQM2]

What has not been said up to now ist the huge dancing floor on QM2, this is one of the only things we miss on the small SB boats. Anyway if you are a dancer or not, the sheer size of QM2 is amazing and there are so many quiet areas with space to read and watch the waves go by (2 deck). You'll never feel a crowd except on the mostly very good lectures on the TAs (btw. they are anounced on the website).

Kind regards