A reflection on the differences between cruise lines

[woodley]

We have just returned from our first Cunard cruise on QM2 or should I say crossing. Having sailed on Princess, carnival, NCL, Celebrity, HAL, Royal Caribbean and Disney all of them multiple times here are my observations.

 

Good-

Cunard has the most comfortable beds I have slept in on any cruise line.

The main dining room food is very good.

Cocktails and drinks are made well and not from those mixes.

Some of the lectures

 

Bad

Sauna and steam out of order the entire crossing

Todd English restaurant was a waste of money the worst pay restaurant across all the cruise lines listed above IMHO.

Staff looked bored and disinterested in the casino.

Lack of dining venue choices

Lack of variety of music...if you like harpist, violins, string quartets and classical music you will really enjoy. Although I enjoy this type of music I do not want to listen to it all day every day when frequenting the bars and restaurants.

Having to dress up every evening after 6pm to be welcome in bars and restaurants. Smart casual would do just fine on the non formal nights, this is a vacation after all.

 

No better or worse than other cruise lines.

Buffet

bingo

shows

Cabin

pool and decks

waiters/room stewards

shops

Internet

gym

 

I felt a lot of guests were sedate & serious, not much laughter heard around the ship.

Read a lot and relaxed but feel I need to do something more upbeat and fun now.

Would I go again? Yes, if the price was less than the airfare transatlantic as it was this trip but as my main vacation of the year, no I would not.

PS. Loved not having jet leg on my arrival.

[Underwatr]

QM2 isn't The Fun Ship. But some people like it that way.

 

You don't say whether you ate in the evening a la carte venues in Kings Court (I'm not referring to the buffet).

[japyke]

Thank you for posting, I enjoyed reading your feedback. It's good to hear from experienced cruisers who have just tried Cunard for the first time.

[woodley]

QM2 isn't The Fun Ship. But some people like it that way.

 

You don't say whether you ate in the evening a la carte venues in Kings Court (I'm not referring to the buffet).

 

 

No we did not. We looked at the venue and the menu for all three but did not feel it was worth the up charge mainly due to the location in the buffet area, and after Todd English decided to stick with the main dining room.

[alc13]

Thanks for your post! I love hearing about what differentiates the main cruise lines. Mostly I end up knowing better why we favor Cunard, and why some other people don't.

 

What didn't you like about Todd English? The food looks quite rich from the menu descriptions.

[woodley]

Thanks for your post! I love hearing about what differentiates the main cruise lines. Mostly I end up knowing better why we favor Cunard, and why some other people don't.

 

What didn't you like about Todd English? The food looks quite rich from the menu descriptions.

 

 

Service was rushed no sooner had we finished one course than the next arrived. My lobster was over cooked and tough, my husbands sea bass was dry. Vegetables were tasteless and over cooked.

 

We were in and out in 90 minutes not quite the leisurely meal we had expected.

 

There were no little extras that we have come to expect with all the other cruise lines, such as sorbets between courses etc.

[alc13]

Whew! Sounds awful.

[Host Hattie]

Thanks for taking the time to report back

[david,Mississauga]

...

 

Lack of variety of music...if you like harpist, violins, string quartets and classical music you will really enjoy. Although I enjoy this type of music I do not want to listen to it all day every day when frequenting the bars and restaurants.

Having to dress up every evening after 6pm to be welcome in bars and restaurants. Smart casual would do just fine on the non formal nights, this is a vacation after all.

...

 

I would never comment on anyone's opinions, but I would like to make a few comments regarding factual matters.

 

Regarding a lack of variety in music, unless this crossing was unusual, there is normally more variety in music on Cunard than any line/ship I have ever travelled on in 43 years. I have found no shortage of the usual sort of music found on cruise ships. I avoid the big shows in the Royal Court Theatre because that over-amplified pop music is not to my taste and surely the racket I have heard whilst walking near G-32 cannot in any way be described as classical. There has been much other non-classical music throughout the ship. As many people say: Cunard offers something for everyone. Long may it continue.

 

Regarding the non-formal nights, Cunard's requirement for gents to wear a jacket (tie optional, but worn by a large minority in my experience) is not really dressing up. Goodness, it's just a jacket. This dress code was dumbed down several years ago. On the QE2 it was jacket and tie every night.

[Jayneykul]

Fwiw I disagree with your comments David and agree with the post unless you like classical music harpists etc u are stuck the entertainment seriously needs addressing! As for the professional ballroom dancers in the queens room on QV I wouldn't dare post my thoughts!

[Underwatr]

I recall much of the piped-in music in the bars to be "cool jazz" renditions of 80s pop songs. I'm not sure but songs like "Every Step You Take" with a bfemale vocalist come to mind. Of course there's live classical music in the evenings but also piano and live jazz.

 

We ate in Todd English on our first QM2 cruise and haven't been back. A little too rich for my wife's digestion. We enjoy the Kings Court dining (particularly the Thai and Indian) much more.

Edited October 30, 2015 by Underwatr

[3rdGenCunarder]

I would never comment on anyone's opinions, but I would like to make a few comments regarding factual matters.

 

Regarding a lack of variety in music, unless this crossing was unusual, there is normally more variety in music on Cunard than any line/ship I have ever travelled on in 43 years. I have found no shortage of the usual sort of music found on cruise ships. I avoid the big shows in the Royal Court Theatre because that over-amplified pop music is not to my taste and surely the racket I have heard whilst walking near G-32 cannot in any way be described as classical. There has been much other non-classical music throughout the ship. As many people say: Cunard offers something for everyone. Long may it continue.

 

Regarding the non-formal nights, Cunard's requirement for gents to wear a jacket (tie optional, but worn by a large minority in my experience) is not really dressing up. Goodness, it's just a jacket. This dress code was dumbed down several years ago. On the QE2 it was jacket and tie every night.

 

I agree about the variety in music. Two or three different piano players and a jazz group rotate through the bars, so you can find non-classical music if you just look at the daily program to see what's offered where.

[woodley]

Yes you are correct G32 did not have classical music but it was full of cigarette smoke so was not a pleasant place to spend time in.

[Capt_BJ]

We did our first crossing (west) this June after 50+ cruises and as our way to get home following our first river cruise.

 

(I wrote a review and let it sit for a while b4 posting. In review it sounded too negative so I refrained)

 

- We accepted the dress thing .... we don't mind .... altho dragging the formal stuff around Europe for a few weeks b4 the crossing was a pain.

 

- Who was playing where each night was in the "program" ... we like Jazz and piano and had no problem finding either. The occasional classical diversion was not a problem for us. On our cruise we finally had to comment to a young mother who we saw bring her toddler (properly dressed) to music each evening and helping him 'engage'. She said she wanted him to be exposed and appreciate different types of music. GOOD for them!

 

- I didn't find any of the food to be GREAT or HORRIBLE .... we were in Brit' and it was pretty much what I'd expected. Our wine stew' was very attentive as was our waite staff but we could see that tables near us had problems with both ..... A smile and a friendly hello go a long way .... more on this later

 

- MOST SIGNIFICANT: we made a point of eating in the dining room for breakfast and lunch most days and asked for big tables so we could meet people. IME a large number of folks were not there for a cruise .... they could hardly care less about the entertainment .... they were on the QM for TRANSPORTATION. Most of them had no problem dressing for dinner but could care less about the casino, bingo or the gift shops. They just wanted to cross the ocean NOT IN AN AIRPLANE and many had done it many times before. This is certainly something you do NOT encounter on a closed loop cruise.

 

In this regard I think there is a major difference between a 'cruiser' like OP and me (or is it I) ... where the cruise is a vacation. The 'crossers' are more like the folks characterised on the Titanic movie .... I nice way to get from A to B .... and maybe a slight tendency to walk about with their nose in the air while doing it. (to wit there IS a bit of the old 'class separation' on QM2 is there not?)

 

This is the major thing that put us off ..... the crossers seemed to want to compare status as soon as you said "hello"

 

Would I go again?

 

Maybe .... I have the time, it WAS less $ than flying middle grade seats (I need an upgrade from coach) and now I'd have fewer unknowns. And for now I have the clothes we bought for the last one!

 

But make no doubt ... a QM "crossing" is WAY different from say a week on RCCL FREEDOM or DCL MAGIC!

Edited October 30, 2015 by Capt_BJ

[keithm]

Service was rushed no sooner had we finished one course than the next arrived. My lobster was over cooked and tough, my husbands sea bass was dry. Vegetables were tasteless and over cooked.

 

We were in and out in 90 minutes not quite the leisurely meal we had expected.

 

There were no little extras that we have come to expect with all the other cruise lines, such as sorbets between courses etc.

As to the sorbet intermezzo between courses, you need to ask. We did this on Cunard & Celebrity with no problems. we're trying the Regal Princess this Feb. & will try asking for the sorbet as well. The fact that Princess doesn't have sommeliers on board does give us some pause as to the "sophistication" of the line. We had them on Cunard/Celebrity & found the dining experience to be excellent overall.

[Austcruiser84]

While I respect the observations and opinions of others, I do get annoyed when people complain about Cunard being traditional when that is exactly how they are marketed.

 

While Cunard doesn't have lots of speciality restaurants on their ships, they have at least one on board each of the Queens, plus good room service, buffet, and cafes. Then there is the MDR. There's no shortage of food and I must say that I don't really feel that they are lacking in choice. However, they could change up the buffet menu more and have more speciality foods up there.

 

I've found the music to be quite varied. Yes, there is classical music in some of the public rooms, but there is jazz, Caribbean themes, and hits of the 70s and 80s. The music situation isn't akin to the Soviet Union or Airstrip 1, with classical music blaring from public loudspeakers and telescreens.

 

As for the dress code, I like the elegance of formal evenings and putting on a suit for informal nights. Again. Cunard markets itself based on formality. As the OP points out, there is a wealth of choice in the cruising world. However, most cruise lines are informal at best and are only downgrading the dress code to the poin that I had to face people in singlets, shorts and flip flops in the MDR on a Princess cruise. I am thankful that Cunard has maintained a high standard. Yes, it's a holiday, but for some people a holiday means enjoying fancy nights. If someone wants other then there are plenty of other options.

 

Like all ships, QM2 has its pros and its cons. But she is what she is and people who don't like the ambiance and atmosphere on board shouldn't complain and demand to change it (especially when what they complain about was explicitly marketed beforehand), but instead look at changing their choice of ship.

[Lakesregion]

With so many ships being repositioned between the US and Europe each season the only time when Cunard is the only option for a TA is the summer . And those repositioning ships are in many cases extremely inexpensive and on at least one line all you need is a pair of flip flops, two T shirts and two pairs of shorts to be right in style. Nothing like a small gym bag to get you on and off a ship in a hurry if transportation is your thing.

[Underwatr]

With so many ships being repositioned between the US and Europe each season the only time when Cunard is the only option for a TA is the summer.

The other repositions are seasonal. It's difficult or impossible to find an eastbound transatlantic in the fall, or a westbound in the spring, other than on QM2.

[robbie_3]

We spent the whole return crossing in Todd English in August and couldn't fault it, the staff were wonderful and food worthy of fine dining. I hope then that Woodley's experience was a one off. Will report back on how our 28 day Todd English booking experience goes on the Caribbean trip in a few days, we are very much looking forward to it. :)

[Thaxted]

I would never comment on anyone's opinions, but I would like to make a few comments regarding factual matters.

 

Regarding a lack of variety in music, unless this crossing was unusual, there is normally more variety in music on Cunard than any line/ship I have ever travelled on in 43 years. I have found no shortage of the usual sort of music found on cruise ships. I avoid the big shows in the Royal Court Theatre because that over-amplified pop music is not to my taste and surely the racket I have heard whilst walking near G-32 cannot in any way be described as classical. There has been much other non-classical music throughout the ship. As many people say: Cunard offers something for everyone. Long may it continue.

 

Regarding the non-formal nights, Cunard's requirement for gents to wear a jacket (tie optional, but worn by a large minority in my experience) is not really dressing up. Goodness, it's just a jacket. This dress code was dumbed down several years ago. On the QE2 it was jacket and tie every night.

 

Very well said! Thank you.

[deck chair]

Hello

 

Enjoyed the OP's observations and opinions but found it puzzling that he encountered so many snobs who made it a point first thing to inform him almost first thing what class they were in on the ship. I have been on countless crossings on both QE2 and Queen Mary in the Caronia, the Britannia and Britannia Club dining rooms. (I can't afford the horrible single supplement to be in the Grills.) I must say that I have yet to run into anyone who made it a point to inform me what so called class of cabin they were in. Just about everyone is friendly and engaging and you would have no idea why type of cabin they had. One of the joys of traveling on Cunard are all the wonderful people from all over the world from all walks of life you meet along the way. Of course, the general elegance of the ship and the dress code, all the live music and great service is a draw for me as well.

 

Deck Chair

[pepperrn]

... found it puzzling that he encountered so many snobs who made it a point first thing to inform him almost first thing what class they were in on the ship. I have been on countless crossings on both QE2 and Queen Mary in the Caronia, the Britannia and Britannia Club dining rooms. ... I must say that I have yet to run into anyone who made it a point to inform me what so called class of cabin they were in. Just about everyone is friendly and engaging and you would have no idea why type of cabin they had.

Thank you deck chair, this has been my experience, on all my trips (QM2, QE, QV, QE2), as well.

 

(Indeed on a 2011 QM2 WB TA, amongst a trivia team I was part of, there was a married couple from the US. No-one on the team mentioned which grade of accommodation any of us had, it just didn't come up. A couple of evenings before the end of the crossing the couple invited us all to drinks & canape to celebrate our moderate success in the quizzes "in suite 9082". Turned out they were in the "Holyrood Suite" Duplex Q2 overlooking the stern. As I said, at no time was this mentioned previously, it simply wasn't brought up in conversation by them. People seem to respect other's privacy on board and don't ask, and no-one I've met tries to score points by being "snobby" by mentioning it, it's just not done in my experience).

One of the joys of traveling on Cunard are all the wonderful people from all over the world from all walks of life you meet along the way. Of course, the general elegance of the ship and the dress code, all the live music and great service is a draw for me as well.

Very well said, totally agree with you, thank you :) Edited October 31, 2015 by pepperrn

[robbie_3]

Thankfully also have never encountered a problem with people declaring their status on Cunard cruises. The only encounter we had was when an American couple sat down next to our table in Todd English. Hubby was smartly decked out in a dress kilt and his wife immediately explained loudly to the waiter that their trip was a pre cursor to a much more exciting upcoming holiday. The wife then loudly exclaimed to her husband that my wife's 15ct diamond necklace was inappropriate as this clashed with her gold coloured dress and that they didn't think we were in the grills for the trip. We just ignored their behaviour.

[woodley]

Hello

 

Enjoyed the OP's observations and opinions but found it puzzling that he encountered so many snobs who made it a point first thing to inform him almost first thing what class they were in on the ship. I have been on countless crossings on both QE2 and Queen Mary in the Caronia, the Britannia and Britannia Club dining rooms. (I can't afford the horrible single supplement to be in the Grills.) I must say that I have yet to run into anyone who made it a point to inform me what so called class of cabin they were in. Just about everyone is friendly and engaging and you would have no idea why type of cabin they had. One of the joys of traveling on Cunard are all the wonderful people from all over the world from all walks of life you meet along the way. Of course, the general elegance of the ship and the dress code, all the live music and great service is a draw for me as well.

 

Deck Chair

 

I think you may have misread my post. I did not write anything about what class of cabins or indeed any conversations I may have had. My post was my opinion of the ship and its ambiance.

[Host Hattie]

 

This is the major thing that put us off ..... the crossers seemed to want to compare status as soon as you said "hello"

 

 

 

Just to clarify, when you say status, do you mean whether they were travelling in Grills or Britannia or how many times they had sailed.

 

I've not experienced the former much, only when asked which dinner sitting I was on but I could see the latter as part of a conversation - "How are you enjoying it Is it your first crossing" etc