First time with Cunard - Are They Quite Different from other Cruise Lines?

[Cahpek]

We have been on other cruise lines but later this year, we are considering going on a Caribbean cruise on the Queen Victoria , and that will be our first time on a Cunard ship. We are wondering how different cruising with Cunard is compared to other cruise lines which we have travelled with, eg Oceania Cruises, Azamara, Celebrity, Princess, P&O and Fred. Olsen.

 

Can some experienced cruisers could give us their impressions of that ship, or even just Cunard ships in general, and perhaps help us with some of our queries please?

 

1) Is it true that on Cunard ships, in addition to the $12 per day per passenger gratuity, waiting and bar staff still expects you to give them additional cash tips? This was mentioned by the professional reviewer on CruiseCritic itself.

 

2) How are the meals like, especially in their buffet restaurant and main dining room, as compared to other cruise lines(like Azamara, Oceania Cruises, Celebrity, P&O, Princess)?

 

We thought that it was rather curious that in their buffet restaurant in the evening, Cunard blocks off part of it so that they make an additional cover charge if you wish to go into those sections. Does that mean that the complimentary buffet during the evening would be pretty poor standard as the company would try to encourage passengers to pay extra for their speciality buffet sections?

 

We read that the buffet is supposed to be opened 24 hours? Is that right?

 

And is their Verandah Restaurant worth a visit?

 

3) How is their Room Service Menu like? Is it satisfactory?

 

4) What is the quality of entertainment and activities on board relative to other cruise lines in the market?

 

5) How are the excursions organized by Cunard like in general? Are they usually well organized and are they value for money?

 

6) In the Balcony cabins, is there generally enough cupboard and storage space? Is there a kettle to make tea/coffee?

 

7) Forgive us for asking but are Cunard passengers generally quite "Class Conscious"? Or is the cruise company like that (or maybe not) but the passengers are just like any other passengers on other cruises? And are staff just as pleasant and friendly like on other non-Cunard cruise ships or do they have a different attitude - especially if you are not a passenger in the Queens or Princess Grill suite?

 

What we liked about Azamara and Oceania Cruises, is the quality of their cuisine. And although many of the passengers were quite successful in their careers, they were so friendly and down-to-earth. And what we liked about Fred. Olsen, we could be sailing with anyone from anywhere from a millionaire to a school-dinner tea-lady or an electrician on his cruise holiday (literally!) As for P&O, they seem to have the (relatively) lowest prices for drinks, excursions and gratuities.

 

Also, as for clothes, even during informal nights, do you have to dress up more formally than on some of the other cruise liners? It's nice to dress smart, so we are not too concern about that, but thought we'd ask anyway.

 

8) Does Cunard have quite a lot more "rules" for passengers to follow as compared to other cruise lines?

 

Sorry to ask so many questions!!!!

Edited February 2, 2017 by Cahpek

[Scrapnana]

I will answer what I can.

 

Cunard does have a higher dress code standard than most other cruise lines (and definitely the ones you mentioned). All public areas except for the Lido and adjacent bar, require you to follow the evenings dress code after 6 pm. That is the only "rule" I can think of that you don't see on most other lines.

 

No, extra tips are not expected. Appreciated but not expected.

 

The evening buffet in the Lido is very good. The portion blocked off for the alternative dining is very small. The Lido closes for a couple of hours between about 4 am and 6 or 6:30 am but serves some food the rest of the time.

 

No problem with space in the balcony cabin cupboards and there are drawers underneath the bed if you need more space.

 

Most Cunard passengers are not "class conscious". For the most part I never knew if a passenger was in the Grills unless I saw them coming out of a suite or using their keycard in the lift to go to the Grills restaurants. You do meet all kinds of people from around the world.

 

Entertainment and activities are similar to other cruise lines with the exception of the lecturers. The number and diversity of the lecturers far exceeds anything I have seen on other cruise lines.

 

Cruise line excursions will almost always be more expensive than DIY ones but they deliver what they promise. On the 2014 World Cruise one of the ship excursions I booked was supposed to go to a cultural show but did not. I mentioned this to the Purser's Office and was very surprised to find a letter the next day apologizing and giving me a 25% credit on the cost of the excursion.

 

There were no kettles last time I was on Cunard. I know that has changed on QM2 but don't know about QE or QV.

 

I very much enjoyed the time I have spent on Cunard and recommend it highly.

[Salacia]

Hello Cahpek. In response to your first question:

 

"Hotel and Dining charge

 

Amounts vary by stateroom category as follows:

 

Queens and Princess Grill Suites $13.50 per person per day

Britannia Staterooms $11.50 per person per day

 

 

 

For bar, wine and salon services

 

A 15% charge is automatically added to your on board account for each purchase"

-copied from https://ask.cunard.com/help/life-on-board/gratuity

 

 

I noticed you gave your location as "The Moon", so be sure you have correct survival attire to visit Earth, not to mention Formal Nights on Cunard ships ! :D

[Jules.]

I consider my Cunard cruise to be my favourite cruise. I am from a modest background and in my opinion Cunard is not snobby at all, just classy and refined.

I thought that there was much more "class segregation" on my Royal Carribean cruise where they have reserved pool loungers for suite cruisers and those of high loyalty rank.

[JB9302]

I consider my Cunard cruise to be my favourite cruise. I am from a modest background and in my opinion Cunard is not snobby at all, just classy and refined.

I thought that there was much more "class segregation" on my Royal Carribean cruise where they have reserved pool loungers for suite cruisers and those of high loyalty rank.

 

Thats good to hear :) , I am from a little pit village in Yorkshire and recently became an OAP who has saved hard for this and was a little concerned over snootiness etc after reading some posts .

 

No longer concerned thanks .

[Ray66]

6) In the Balcony cabins, is there generally enough cupboard and storage space? Is there a kettle to make tea/coffee?

 

The QV is due to get kettles in cabins after her refit in May this year.

[PORT ROYAL]

Thats good to hear :) , I am from a little pit village in Yorkshire and recently became an OAP who has saved hard for this and was a little concerned over snootiness etc after reading some posts .

 

No longer concerned thanks .

 

Sorry, but no mention of the drinks and prices as you asked.

 

Although the drink prices may appear higher than other lines, the spirit measures on Cunard are larger.

Also, a cocktail (Long Island Iced Tea etc) on Cunard is the real deal, not an appalling interpretation, being poured from a carton, as on PO, RCL

 

The Commodore Club for pre-diner drinks or cocktails is a must try.

 

After Cunard, there will be no going back.

 

Caribbean? QV? - Do the 24 nighter

Edited February 2, 2017 by PORT ROYAL

[Jules.]

Thats good to hear :) , I am from a little pit village in Yorkshire and recently became an OAP who has saved hard for this and was a little concerned over snootiness etc after reading some posts .

 

No longer concerned thanks .

 

Hello from one Northerner to another! Interestingly Cunard matched mum and I up with two Northern couples at our dinner table!

[ToadOfToadHall]

Also, a cocktail (Long Island Iced Tea etc) on Cunard is the real deal, not an appalling interpretation, being poured from a carton, as on PO, RCL

 

They pour it from a carton ? That's a disgrace.

 

To give you an example, last time we were on the QV, Mrs Toad asked for a Lime Daiquiri with mint. The waiter looked a bit confused. So she explained what she wanted was the mint leaves blended in it. So off he went and we watched him whizz it up in the blender. Then after she was drinking it he came back and asked if it was to her liking (which it was). So the next time she ordered the same thing it arrived without any questions !

[newcruise]

 

7) Forgive us for asking but are Cunard passengers generally quite "Class Conscious"? Or is the cruise company like that (or maybe not) but the passengers are just like any other passengers on other cruises? And are staff just as pleasant and friendly like on other non-Cunard cruise ships or do they have a different attitude - especially if you are not a passenger in the Queens or Princess Grill suite?

 

Also, as for clothes, even during informal nights, do you have to dress up more formally than on some of the other cruise liners? It's nice to dress smart, so we are not too concern about that, but thought we'd ask anyway.

 

 

Although it has already been answered, let me add my voice to the replies. We have been on several voyages on Cunard's ships and can confirm that the folks you will meet are almost always kind, courteous, well educated, well traveled and cosmopolitan. We only twice found exceptions to that, which should reassure you! We have met and made lasting friendships with many fellow passengers. BTW, we are hardly what you would call wealthy - two retired schoolteachers who love to travel and enjoy the ambiance offered on Cunard.

 

The staff are always on alert to smile, be attentive and pleasant. Whenever you pass a staff member you are greeted with "good morning, madam," "good afternoon, sir," or "good evening." It is irrelevant whether you are in the grills or Britannia. The message to staff is that passengers come first and that seems to be taken to heart (okay, some are more genuine than others, but aren't we all?).

 

As for dressing in the evenings, yes, passengers do dress. Even on "informal" nights most women wear cocktail dresses or dress pants and tops and most men wear suits. That is the allure of Cunard - rather like a fantasy of a bygone era when ocean voyages were glamorous and exciting. Voyages on Cunard continue to be glamorous and exciting, especially after 6 p.m. when the dress code applies to all public areas of the ship except for the buffet, certain lounges and the bars adjacent to them.

 

So, keeping all these replies in mind, if you do book a voyage (and you are not looking for a rock climbing wall) you will probably enjoy Cunard!

 

Smooth sailing and fair winds on whatever voyage you take.

[happydays42]

May l reiterate, the views of the previous responders. We have cruised much of the world and enjoyed it immensely. However, we booked our first cruise with Cunard last year spending 28 days on QM2.

As Australians, in our mid 50's living in a very tropical climate, we had some reservations.

These were immediately caste aside the moment we boarded the ship. Your cruise will be an adventure, not just a holiday.

We are hooked, and will board QV for a 25 night cruise in a few weeks.

Very proud and privileged to be a 'Cunarder'.

 

 

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[Salacia]

partial quote

....

 

 

 

8) Does Cunard have quite a lot more "rules" for passengers to follow as compared to other cruise lines?...

 

My understanding is that commercial vessels carrying passengers requires consent to their Passage Contract.

 

Whenever we book passage on a Cunard ship, we are mindful that we have read and accepted the terms of the Passage Contract found here: http://www.cunard.com/legal-information/

 

While "the Captain is the Master next to God" the laws of the country in which the ship is registered applies on board, so it's advisable to have a basic knowledge of those laws, in my opinion. -S.

[MarkBearSF]

I can echo all of the previous responses.

 

However, seeing your list of previous lines, realize that Cunard is at-heart a mass cruise line with large ships. It offers premium quality and the Queens Grill is truly special. But cruising in a Britannia cabin has more in common with Princess, Celebrity, and P&O than with Oceania or Azamara. Likewise, food in Britannia is on par with the better items on those same lines. I found the menu items more traditional but consistently well-prepared than on Celebrity (which had menus that promised more, but were unevenly delivered and service that was far too stretched, in our recent experience)

 

When it comes to entertainment, what Cunard does well, it does very well. And what it doesn't? Let me just say that their production shows are best hate-watched with a good sense of humor. Talent is fine. Material is not.

However, live music fills the ship. There are almost always pianists throughout the ship's lounges, Afternoon tea will have an orchestra and/or harpist and the shows have live orchestras.

 

And as others have mentioned, the lecturers are second-to-none.

 

That's been our experience over 30 years.

Edited February 3, 2017 by MarkBearSF

[DebbieMacG]

When I went on my first Cunard cruise I had previously cruised 10 times with Celebrity and twice with Princess. I now have four cruises booked for the future, three with Cunard and one with Celebrity (booked before I cruised with Cunard) I think that speaks volumes :)

 

I think one of the biggest differences is that you are required to wear the same level of evening attire in most public places after 6pm, so this means at least jacket for gents almost everywhere every night. This wasn't an issue for us, it's just different.

 

I was a little disappointed with the winter gardens (on QV) in the evening, we believed we could sit in there but it was very dark and the tv's were permanently on very loud sports channels so apart from the buffet there is really is no other venue if you do want to be more casual. We travelled with our 8 year old grand daughter and after a long day off the ship had planned a buffet dinner incase she was tired that evening, we then found the only place to go after dinner was the WG but that wasn't suitable for us never mind her.

 

Lesson learned :)

[Eleteace]

Heya :)

 

I don't feel the need to answer the questions again as I completely agree with the answers given above :)

 

However... I took my first Cunard cruise recently and having come from a history of freestyle dining there were so many things that surprised me...(maybe I was naive and I'm 22 so not a traditional Cunard passenger) I came straight home and started a blog and wrote this post... http://cruisingisntjustforoldpeople.co.uk/2016/11/06/8-things-you-should-know-before-cruising-with-cunard-2/ just because I was so confused as to why nobody told me these things before I went... I did try googling things before I went but I was still quite surprised :')

 

Make sure you try the free room service!!!!! By far the best food on the ship.

 

 

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[PORT ROYAL]

Heya :)

 

I don't feel the need to answer the questions again as I completely agree with the answers given above :)

 

However... I took my first Cunard cruise recently and having come from a history of freestyle dining there were so many things that surprised me...(maybe I was naive and I'm 22 so not a traditional Cunard passenger) I came straight home and started a blog and wrote this post... http://cruisingisntjustforoldpeople.co.uk/2016/11/06/8-things-you-should-know-before-cruising-with-cunard-2/ just because I was so confused as to why nobody told me these things before I went... I did try googling things before I went but I was still quite surprised :')

 

Make sure you try the free room service!!!!! By far the best food on the ship.

 

 

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Additional

Regardless of status, everyone is supplied with a dressing gown and slippers. So need to pack same

[OzKiwiJJ]

Additional

Regardless of status, everyone is supplied with a dressing gown and slippers. So need to pack same

 

One size fits all?

 

Or one size fits none?

[Pushka]

Heya :)

 

I don't feel the need to answer the questions again as I completely agree with the answers given above :)

 

However... I took my first Cunard cruise recently and having come from a history of freestyle dining there were so many things that surprised me...(maybe I was naive and I'm 22 so not a traditional Cunard passenger) I came straight home and started a blog and wrote this post... http://cruisingisntjustforoldpeople.co.uk/2016/11/06/8-things-you-should-know-before-cruising-with-cunard-2/ just because I was so confused as to why nobody told me these things before I went... I did try googling things before I went but I was still quite surprised :')

 

Make sure you try the free room service!!!!! By far the best food on the ship.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

Many of those tips apply to cruiselines in general so I think the main surprise is the formality after 6pm.

[MarkBearSF]

(please delete)

Edited February 4, 2017 by MarkBearSF

[david,Mississauga]

...

 

1) Is it true that on Cunard ships, in addition to the $12 per day per passenger gratuity, waiting and bar staff still expects you to give them additional cash tips? This was mentioned by the professional reviewer on CruiseCritic itself.

...

 

The bill in bars and restaurants has an added 15% gratuity. There is a line for an additional gratuity, which many of us find to be cheeky. Everyone I know generally ignores that, although if one has frequented a particular bar or ordered a lot of wine from the restaurant sommelier an added tip at the end of the voyage is sometimes offered.

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

After sailing on many different cruise lines (Celebrity, Crystal, Cunard, Holland America, Norwegian, Princess and Royal Caribbean), Cunard remains one of my favorite lines. I have cruised aboard all three of the current Cunard ships. Most recently, I cruised to Canada/New England on the QM2 in September 2016. In April 2017, I am doing a short World Cruise segment on the QM2 from Hong Kong to Singapore.

 

Other than the formal dress standard in the evening (which everyone seems to follow), the Cunard experience is fairly similar to cruise lines such as Celebrity and Holland America. On sea days, Cunard usually offers an excellent variety of activities, including interesting lectures. The afternoon tea in the Queens Room is a highlight for me. I always like the evening entertainment. Because I am an ocean liner fan, I greatly enjoy the sense of tradition and the historical items on the Cunard ships. In short, I think that Cunard offers a high quality and refined cruise product.

 

In my experience, the other passengers are very friendly and interesting. I always sail in a Britannia Restaurant grade stateroom and have never encountered any snobbery from people sailing in Grill staterooms. In fact, I have been invited to parties held by Queens Grill passengers.

 

I certainly recommend Cunard. :)

 

Chuck

[Eleteace]

Many of those tips apply to cruiselines in general so I think the main surprise is the formality after 6pm.

 

 

That was a big surprise but also things like free room service, never had that on another cruise line. Or the free to use laundry room, again never had that before :)

 

 

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[Eleteace]

Additional

 

Regardless of status, everyone is supplied with a dressing gown and slippers. So need to pack same

 

 

Ahh I didn't think of that one! Good point :)

 

 

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[MarkBearSF]

That was a big surprise but also things like free room service, never had that on another cruise line. Or the free to use laundry room, again never had that before :)

 

Yes, as you may have noticed, of all the mass-market lines, NCL and Cunard are on opposite ends of the spectrum in just about every measurement.

 

As for dining, that is true to the greatest extent. Cunard is totally "old school" and uses traditional dining with assigned tables. NCL is totally "Freestyle" and, in fact, doesn't have enough space in its no-fee large dining rooms to completely accommodate all the passengers on its newest ships. Most other lines have a combination of the two, where passengers who prefer the traditional service are served in one area of the dining room (or 1 of 3 in many Princess Ships) where the rest are accommodated by some combination of walk-up and reservation in a flexible dining situation (which is usually the default)

 

I would recommend that you check out some of the mega-WOW ships from RCCL (Oasis, Allure, Harmony of the Seas) and the no-surprises-premium experience on Princess to get a sense of the spectrum of offerings aside from that of a single cruise line.

 

In any event, thank you for your post - and I hope to see you aboard a Cunard ship in the future.

[Eleteace]

Yes, as you may have noticed, of all the mass-market lines, NCL and Cunard are on opposite ends of the spectrum in just about every measurement.

 

As for dining, that is true to the greatest extent. Cunard is totally "old school" and uses traditional dining with assigned tables. NCL is totally "Freestyle" and, in fact, doesn't have enough space in its no-fee large dining rooms to completely accommodate all the passengers on its newest ships. Most other lines have a combination of the two, where passengers who prefer the traditional service are served in one area of the dining room (or 1 of 3 in many Princess Ships) where the rest are accommodated by some combination of walk-up and reservation in a flexible dining situation (which is usually the default)

 

I would recommend that you check out some of the mega-WOW ships from RCCL (Oasis, Allure, Harmony of the Seas) and the no-surprises-premium experience on Princess to get a sense of the spectrum of offerings aside from that of a single cruise line.

 

In any event, thank you for your post - and I hope to see you aboard a Cunard ship in the future.

 

 

I would love to try Princess! I have booked myself my first Royal Caribbean cruise on the independence. I can't wait!

 

(Thanks for commenting, don't want to fill up the lovely forum though, feel free to message me on the blog/fb/twitter and we can continue talking if you'd like though!)

 

 

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