Queens Grill vs. Yacht Club (MSC)

[Bowette1981!]

Hello fellow cruisers!

 

After many loyal, and hugely enjoyable, cruises with MSC and their Yacht Club product... the time has come to (quite literally) jump ship!

We love their product and our desire to try new things is born out of curiosity more than anything.

After many hours online we finally decided on a mini (4 night) cruise, next January, aboard the Queen Victoria in a Q2 (Master Suite).

The comparisons will be interesting, I am sure, but my main query is regards embarkation.

With MSC you are met outside upon arrival, taken straight to a dedicated Yacht Club desk and taken aboard within ten minutes at most.

Does anyone here know how the Cunard Grills embarkation compares, and if so would you be kind enough to reply with any experiences you have had?

Many thanks for taking the time to read this, more so to reply and a thousand apolologies if this is peppered somewhere throughout the forums already.

 

Gareth

[laktex]

Things may have changed - last time I was in a Q1 everything was pretty normal, the only difference being that you get a card at check in and then when you board the ship your butler is there to carry your hand luggage and take you to your suite and show you round (if you haven't been there before). My biggest recommendation is to get to know your table guests and have a pre-dinner get together with them in your suite - the butler will do everything for you.

 

 

[Victoria2]

QV Q2

We have been red carded and escorted on to making our own way onboard the last time. No hardship either way as you will be the amongst the first to board. We have 7070 booked but not before your  short cruise so can't give you up to the minute arrangements.

[Pennbank]

Will be interesting  to see the Embarkation changes to be made due to the COVID-19 situation . Obviously the only people to know  what the procedure will be when cruising starts are the staff on board each ship and I am sure even that will get tweaked as time and situations present themselves.

Edited May 3, 2020 by Pennbank

[Bowette1981!]

Thanks for all of the replies so far!

 

What a shame.

 

I was expecting something a little more personal from point of first contact, given their promo, but we'll have to see.

 

As Pennbank rightly mentioned, a post Covid-19 world will doubtlessly change the way we embark our ships in the future regardless.

[exlondoner]

I have never been in a Q2, but even in a Q4, on occasion, have been on board within fifteen minutes of getting inside the terminal, through a combination of being one of few passengers arriving at that moment, and the cabins on board being ready early. But just a matter of luck. People we spoke to in the Q2 were met, I think before they got on board, though possibly, as they stepped off the gangway, escorted to their cabin, and found, among other joys, a bottle of pink Champagne cooling.

 

[Bowette1981!]

Thanks for that, really interesting!

 

What better start to any holiday than a bottle of something chilled and sparkling awaiting your arrival!

 

🙂

[exlondoner]

16 minutes ago, Bowette1981! said:

Thanks for that, really interesting!

 

What better start to any holiday than a bottle of something chilled and sparkling awaiting your arrival!

 

🙂

 

On QV, Q1s and 2s get pink, the other Qs ordinary. 😀 Nice either way.

[BigMac1953]

Last October it was Veuve Cliquot, along with the dreaded drain cleaner that we don't touch (PA).

 

Q4's and above get an escort on QM2, but only Q1's and Q2's on the QV and QE.

 

We've done Q3's, 4's, 5's, and 6's on QE and QV, and Q4's, and 5's on QM2.

 

We've often been in our room before 1215 hrs.

 

You should aim to check in no later than 1145 hrs, after which you will be sent to the QG pen. When you're told to board, just watch, as others always mingle in to jump the queue.

 

The boarding order is: QG, PG, Diamond, Platinum and then by alphabetical cards that are allocated on arrival to the Britannia pax.

 

The Grills restaurants open at 1300 hrs, so be there prompt to ensure your allocated table is to your liking.

[Bowette1981!]

Thanks Big Mac

 

That's really, really useful!

 

Don't worry, my husband has very wide elbows which are ideal for any late arrivals that think being first is a case of self entitlement!!

 

I'm really excited, but we've also a Crystal River Cruise booked on Bach this November first (fingers crossed) and then our good friends at MSC next June.

 

For now...

[sfred]

We've done Q4 on QV, QM2 and QE.

 

We've had a priority checkin queue only in Southampton or NY.  In other ports, typically a single queue for all passengers and no priority for grills.   Typically 12n assigned boarding time, although terminal checkin desks are not always ready at the start if there are IT or staff issues.  We've never had the butler meet us at the gangway.  We've made our own way to the cabin.  Bottle of real bubbly and chocolates waiting.  The butler and steward usualy come by sometime in the afternoon to introduce themselves, ask if any questions, and remind you to attend lifeboat drill. 

 

Q4 is certainly a nice time on Cunard.  We're very happy.  But the Q4 experience is not like the Bowette1981's description of MSC Yacht Club.

[Solent Richard]

23 hours ago, Pennbank said:

Will be interesting  to see the Embarkation changes to be made due to the COVID-19 situation . Obviously the only people to know  what the procedure will be when cruising starts are the staff on board each ship and I am sure even that will get tweaked as time and situations present themselves.

 

22 hours ago, Bowette1981! said:

Thanks for all of the replies so far!

 

What a shame.

 

I was expecting something a little more personal from point of first contact, given their promo, but we'll have to see.

 

As Pennbank rightly mentioned, a post Covid-19 world will doubtlessly change the way we embark our ships in the future regardless.

 

Wow, what an interesting thread this is going to turn out to be.

 

Interestingly my wife and I disembarked a Yacht Club cruise on 3rd March this year. When we embarked 14 days previously Covid-19 precautions were also in place.

 

It made absolutely no difference to the Yacht Club embarkation process. Indeed, so efficient was it that we were invited to be screened from the Yacht Club embarkation lounge during the participation of our welcome champagne...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2020/03/25/msc-preziosa-yacht-club-experience/

 

 

*****

 

 

 

[Bowette1981!]

Thanks both, and great photos Richard.

 

Indeed, we've only had one (absolutely) shambolic boarding with Yacht Club at Kiel. 

 

One meltdown later and the service and cruise was better than ever before.

 

Reading the replies so far, it does seem Cunard leave a lot to be desired at boarding.

 

I don't want this to sound arrogant, but it will, however standing in line for an unspecified amount of time is not what I would want or expect from a supposedly premium product.

 

That said, the Q2 does look wonderful and I am prepared to overlook (slightly) a less than perfect embarkation if the onboard experience lives up to its reputation.

[Bowette1981!]

Actually Solent Richard...

 

...the 64 million dollar question...

 

Who wins battle of the product, between Cunard and MSC?

 

Obviously, it may be that they both have better elements or you consider the ships themselves too different a product to fairly compare.

 

I'd just be interested as to your thoughts.

[exlondoner]

33 minutes ago, Bowette1981! said:

Thanks both, and great photos Richard.

 

Indeed, we've only had one (absolutely) shambolic boarding with Yacht Club at Kiel. 

 

One meltdown later and the service and cruise was better than ever before.

 

Reading the replies so far, it does seem Cunard leave a lot to be desired at boarding.

 

I don't want this to sound arrogant, but it will, however standing in line for an unspecified amount of time is not what I would want or expect from a supposedly premium product.

 

That said, the Q2 does look wonderful and I am prepared to overlook (slightly) a less than perfect embarkation if the onboard experience lives up to its reputation.

 

Boarding at Soton for Grills, I have never had to wait in a queue of more than two people and have often gone straight to a free check in. What causes the delay is waiting for the ship to be ready. Sometimes it is ready before 12 in which case one can simply waltz straight through. Anyway, I've always found embarkation untroubling, and certainly not leaving a lot to be desired. I imagine if the computers go down it is entirely different.😀

[Bowette1981!]

2 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

 

Boarding at Soton for Grills, I have never had to wait in a queue of more than two people and have often gone straight to a free check in. What causes the delay is waiting for the ship to be ready. Sometimes it is ready before 12 in which case one can simply waltz straight through. Anyway, I've always found embarkation untroubling, and certainly not leaving a lot to be desired. I imagine if the computers go down it is entirely different.😀

Excellent!

 

We've a long while to go, and a Rhine River Cruise, beforehand so we've plenty of time to plan.

 

G

[Bowette1981!]

Further to my check in queries, is there some sort of bag drop you can deposit your suitcases at before proceeding to the check in desks?

 

I'm only asking as, again, on MSC YC the butler has taken them from you by the time you reach the check in.

 

G

Edited May 4, 2020 by Bowette1981!

[Victoria2]

13 minutes ago, Bowette1981! said:

Further to my check in queries, is there some sort of bag drop you can deposit your suitcases at before proceeding to the check in desks?

 

I'm only asking as, again, on MSC YC the butler has taken them from you by the time you reach the check in.

 

G

Bags are taken off you as you arrive at the cruise terminal and the next time you'll see them is when they are put in your cabin. All you then have with you is carry on stuff as you proceed to check in.

Exlondoner has put it succinctly and although the red carpet isn't rolled out [or expected in our case] for Grills passengers, embarkation is usually a doddle.

Edited May 4, 2020 by Victoria2

[Solent Richard]

5 minutes ago, Bowette1981! said:

Actually Solent Richard...

 

...the 64 million dollar question...

 

Who wins battle of the product, between Cunard and MSC?

 

Obviously, it may be that they both have better elements or you consider the ships themselves too different a product to fairly compare.

 

I'd just be interested as to your thoughts.

 

Hi Bowette.

 

Well, with the exception of my pal Big Mac, I'm probably one of the more experienced  Grills travellers on this board,  Queens and Princess Grills, four Cunard ships. 😈

 

It was only after a number of disappointments onboard Queen Victoria in 2019 (slipping standards) that I decided to look at MSC's yacht Club.

 

I certainly wouldn't look upon it as a battle as they are both very different styles of cruising. But what I would say, pound for pound, or I would guess  Euro for Euro in your case,  definitely more value and personal service with MSC.

 

Maybe in our current 'lockdown' situation, and with time on my hands when not out 'exercising' or 'cultivating the allotment, I could illustrate a few points where the MSC Yacht Club ethos impresses.

 

As you probably read in my blog, this was a fly-cruise and the first plus we experienced was a dedicated MSC check-in desk at our UK departure airport followed, on our arrival at Barbados, by our luggage labels being recognised and, one assumes, prioritised. We never saw it again until prompt delivery to our YC suite.

 

On arrival of our transfer coach at the terminal building a smartly dressed butler embarked and asked all Yacht Club guests to accompany him. Impressive.

 

More to follow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Bowette1981!]

7 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Bags are taken off you as you arrive at the cruise terminal and the next time you'll see them is when they are put in your cabin. All you then have with you is carry on stuff as you proceed to check in.

Exlondoner has put it succinctly and although the red carpet isn't rolled out [or expected in our case] for Grills passengers, embarkation is usually a doddle.

Thank you so much, and I'm sure it is!

 

I'm just overly stressing about this as we've been so well looked after by MSC.

 

Our reasons for a change are just that, we love the service but there's a big world out there that's serviced by a lot of ships.

 

I really appreciate your feedback, and will be happy with the carpet at the terminal whatever the colour.

 

G

[Solent Richard]

28 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

 

Boarding at Soton for Grills, I have never had to wait in a queue of more than two people and have often gone straight to a free check in. What causes the delay is waiting for the ship to be ready. Sometimes it is ready before 12 in which case one can simply waltz straight through. Anyway, I've always found embarkation untroubling, and certainly not leaving a lot to be desired. I imagine if the computers go down it is entirely different.😀

 

Ah, one would expect that and you are perfectly correct in mentioning that the only real delay for Grills guests is the ship not being ready.

 

Similar arrangements were also in place when we embarked Queen Victoria in Singapore 14 months ago. Unfortunately that turned out to be a bit of a shambles when the check-in computers malfunctioned. Not the doddle some would have you believe.

Edited May 4, 2020 by Solent Richard

[Bowette1981!]

5 minutes ago, Solent Richard said:

 

Hi Bowette.

 

Well, with the exception of my pal Big Mac, I'm probably one of the more experienced  Grills travellers on this board,  Queens and Princess Grills, four Cunard ships. 😈

 

It was only after a number of disappointments onboard Queen Victoria in 2019 (slipping standards) that I decided to look at MSC's yacht Club.

 

I certainly wouldn't look upon it as a battle as they are both very different styles of cruising. But what I would say, pound for pound, or I would guess  Euro for Euro in your case,  definitely more value and personal service with MSC.

 

Maybe in our current 'lockdown' situation, and with time on my hands when not out 'exercising' or 'cultivating the allotment, I could illustrate a few points where the MSC Yacht Club ethos impresses.

 

As you probably read in my blog, this was a fly-cruise and the first plus we experienced was a dedicated MSC check-in desk at our UK departure airport followed, on our arrival at Barbados, by our luggage labels being recognised and, one assumes, prioritised. We never saw it again until prompt delivery to our YC suite.

 

On arrival of our transfer coach at the terminal building a smartly dressed butler embarked and asked all Yacht Club guests to accompany him. Impressive.

 

More to follow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, MSC is hard to beat!
 

However I think, taking everything into consideration, it's still nice to have a change.

 

That AND we both have this romantic vision of old style cruise liners and passenger behavior/dress which I hope we will see more of on Cunard.

 

If I may explain...

 

Our last few YC cruises have featured topless sunbathing and screaming babies while I dine.

 

Not forbidden, by any means, but not something I'd rather have to endure when paying that sort of money.

 

I would assume neither will be as much of an issue when cruising with Cunard.

 

G

[Bowette1981!]

3 minutes ago, Solent Richard said:

 

Ah, one would expect that and you are perfectly correct in mentioning that the only real delay for Grills guests is the ship not being ready.

 

Similar arrangements were also in place when we embarked Queen Victoria in Singapore 14 months ago. Unfortunately that turned out to be a bit of a shambles when the check-in computers malfunctioned. Not the doddle some would have you believe.

Ha!

 

Fingers crossed they've performed a Ctrl + Alt + Delete before we arrive then.

 

How did you find disembarkation on your final day?

 

Again, we compare to MSC, and as you'll know in the YC you can put your luggage out at night along with an extended disembarkation time the following day if it's required.

 

G

[exlondoner]

5 minutes ago, Bowette1981! said:

Yes, MSC is hard to beat!
 

However I think, taking everything into consideration, it's still nice to have a change.

 

That AND we both have this romantic vision of old style cruise liners and passenger behavior/dress which I hope we will see more of on Cunard.

 

If I may explain...

 

Our last few YC cruises have featured topless sunbathing and screaming babies while I dine.

 

Not forbidden, by any means, but not something I'd rather have to endure when paying that sort of money.

 

I would assume neither will be as much of an issue when cruising with Cunard.

 

G

 

I believe that they suggest topless sunbathing is confined to one's balcony. Which, given the average age of cruise passengers on Cunard, is probably aesthetically prudent.  One of the most baffling things about the trips I've made on Cunard is how well the children behave. There are not usually many at all. But in the achool summer holidays, I have known of the existence of, though barely been aware of, a fair number. Those dining in the Grills are treated like adults and seem to behave accordingly. All quite extraordinary.

[Bowette1981!]

17 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

 

I believe that they suggest topless sunbathing is confined to one's balcony. Which, given the average age of cruise passengers on Cunard, is probably aesthetically prudent.  One of the most baffling things about the trips I've made on Cunard is how well the children behave. There are not usually many at all. But in the achool summer holidays, I have known of the existence of, though barely been aware of, a fair number. Those dining in the Grills are treated like adults and seem to behave accordingly. All quite extraordinary.

Ha! Yes, better to let the puppies out in the privacy of your own balcony.

 

Amazing example of good and respectful parenting by the signs of it, so hard to come across these days.

 

YC restaurant was like a Wacky Warehouse.

 

Waiters tripping over them, watching their cartoons (with volume and no headphones) at the tables, all while the parents sat there ignoring the requested dress code and slowly getting tiddled.

 

In short, beautiful ships but shame about some of the people!

 

G