How does Cunard Queen Elizabeth compare to P and O?

[majortom10]

Having done many Cunard and P&O cruises in the past as recently as November on QE I can give an honest opinion and correct many inaccuracies previously stated. All ship is prices in US$ drinks prices are higher than P&O but spirit measures are larger on Cunard and there is a 15% service charge not 18%. Dress code is not more formal as they have changed to Formal and Smart Casual where a jacket is not required and there is usually 2-3 Formal in 14 nt cruise similar to P&O. Cunard have been trialling a change to their dining times in Britannia 1st sitting still fixed at 6pm and second sitting anytime after 7-15pm, this has gone down very well and Cunard are looking at making it permanent. All other dining Britannia Club, Princess and Queens are anytime and at higher cost. IMO which is obviously subjective is Britannia is better food and service than P&O and not being a big alcohol drinker worth the extra costs of Cunard. My main advice is not to rely on responses from here because I have said earlier many are incorrect and some give opinions without ever stepping foot on a Cunard ship but think they are expert enough to give advice. If I can be anymore assistance or you have any questions please feel free to ask and I will answer as honestly as I can with facts.

Edited December 21, 2021 by majortom10

[brian1]

We loved Britannia club,a bit more expensive than the normal dining.You have your own table waiting for you anytime during breakfast,lunch and dinner.You have your own dedicated waiter and assistant allocated to your small section of club dining room.The MD gets to pour brandy over your dessert every night and set it alight (if you so wish).The menu is the same as the MDR except for a few specials every day at breakfast and dinner.A good compromise IMO for the likes of us who can't afford the grills.Cheers,Brian.

[Cathygh]

1 hour ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Just seen in other thread that QM passengers with big quarantine problems over Xmas 

 

Typical that happens just when I start looking at Cunard and thinking less people on board means less chance of problems

 

On QM 60 positive out of 1,000 ish  apparently?

 

Quarantine cabins full

 

Passengers to be quarantined in Holiday Inn New York

 

This could just be start of the big problems I think 

 

Cunard are say10 passengers have been offloaded to quarantine hotels, I guess the remaining 50 could be there contacts who could stay in quarantine on the ship unless they test positive.

[ann141]

27 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Having done many Cunard and P&O cruises in the past as recently as November on QE I can give an honest opinion and correct many inaccuracies previously stated. All ship is prices in US$ drinks prices are higher than P&O but spirit measures are larger on Cunard and there is a 15% service charge not 18%. Dress code is not more formal as they have changed to Formal and Smart Casual where a jacket is not required and there is usually 2-3 Formal in 14 nt cruise similar to P&O. Cunard have been trialling a change to their dining times in Britannia 1st sitting still fixed at 6pm and second sitting anytime after 7-15pm, this has gone down very well and Cunard are looking at making it permanent. All other dining Britannia Club, Princess and Queens are anytime and at higher cost. IMO which is obviously subjective is Britannia is better food and service than P&O and not being a big alcohol drinker worth the extra costs of Cunard. My main advice is not to rely on responses from here because I have said earlier many are incorrect and some give opinions without ever stepping foot on a Cunard ship but think they are expert enough to give advice. If I can be anymore assistance or you have any questions please feel free to ask and I will answer as honestly as I can with facts.

Thank you for the update.We were last on Cunard in November 2019 so policy has obviously changed since then

[brian1]

3 hours ago, brian1 said:

I think the sauna is one of them.

On a serious note the sauna is the most unique one I've encountered on a cruise ship.It is at the bow with a picture window looking out to sea.I was wondering if it is one way glass when alongside.

[lolabarola]

According to latest news in the Express  up to 1000 people have been offloaded into quarantine in New York from Queen Mary....bit worrying! 

[Britboys]

If overall cost wasn't a particularly important factor, I'd probably choose Cunard over P&O any day for the actual ships and on-board experience. Sadly, even pre-Covid itineraries on both lines had become very stale and samey.

[brian1]

I forgot to add,our experience was on the QE.

[Harry Peterson]

33 minutes ago, lolabarola said:

According to latest news in the Express  up to 1000 people have been offloaded into quarantine in New York from Queen Mary....bit worrying! 

1 It’s the Express, which is notorious for ludicrously incorrect stories.

2 Up to 1000 could mean just 1. Or indeed none. Typically Express.

[Interestedcruisefan]

 Just checking Britannia Club is the main dining room on Cunard? 

Edited December 21, 2021 by Interestedcruisefan

[Britboys]

23 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 Just checking Britannia Club is the main dining room on Cunard? 

Yes and no. Depends on the grade of cabin you book. Britannia is the standard mdr and if you are in a slightly more expensive cabin, you are in Britannia Club, the upper level of the Britannia. Mostly the same menu but the surroundings are a bit more intimate and you can eat any time during meal service.

[Interestedcruisefan]

Are the Grill restaurants reserved for suite passengers or can you pay extra on board to dine in them?

[Selbourne]

14 minutes ago, Britboys said:

Yes and no. Depends on the grade of cabin you book. Britannia is the standard mdr and if you are in a slightly more expensive cabin, you are in Britannia Club, the upper level of the Britannia. Mostly the same menu but the surroundings are a bit more intimate and you can eat any time during meal service.

Am I correct in thinking that with Britannia Club cabins you are allocated a specific table for your dedicated use throughout the entire cruise and that you can use it for breakfast, lunch and dinner (if you so wish) at any time to suit? If correct, that would appeal to us as it has all the advantages of Freedom Dining but without having to wait. Obviously you would lose the ability to share a table, which we sometimes enjoy but most likely wouldn’t do nowadays due to the added risk of quarantine if a table companion tested positive!

[cublet]

Hello,

 

I have just checked Cunard's 'What to pack' FAQs and indeed there is no mention of jackets being required at dinner other than on Formal Nights.

 

Heretofore this has been a major sticking point for me. I like dressing-up on the formal nights but at other times would be more than happy in a shirt and tie but not a jacket as I find them too constrictive.

 

I've already one P&O booked for 2023 - now to find a Cunard or two.

 

But back to the OP's question. Whether my imagination or not, I did find P&O's cabins/corridors had slightly lower ceilings than Cunard (& RCI/X) so could be a little claustrophobic.

 

Regards,

 

Cublet

 

[Interestedcruisefan]

6 minutes ago, Selbourne said:

Am I correct in thinking that with Britannia Club cabins you are allocated a specific table for your dedicated use throughout the entire cruise and that you can use it for breakfast, lunch and dinner (if you so wish) at any time to suit? If correct, that would appeal to us as it has all the advantages of Freedom Dining but without having to wait. Obviously you would lose the ability to share a table, which we sometimes enjoy but most likely wouldn’t do nowadays due to the added risk of quarantine if a table companion tested positive!

I just looked at booking with Cunard

 

The obstructed view and standard balcony rooms currently allow you to choose first or second sitting in the Britannia dining room and how many people you would like at your table. 2 people being the default. 

 

For 500 pounds each extra per person for the 12 night cruise you can upgrade to a Britannia Club stateroom and dine Britannia Club instead

 

Obviously a lot more to upgrade for the suites and the Grill dining

 

Looks like you can't just pay extra to dine in the grill restaurants

 

But there are speciality restaurants you can pay extra to dine in on board. What kind of level are they?

 

 

 

 

[wowzz]

2 minutes ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

For 500 pounds each extra per person for the 12 night cruise

£40+ each per day seems a lot, especially as we would only use the dining room for dinner. Eating in the speciality restaurants would be better value.

[Interestedcruisefan]

9 minutes ago, wowzz said:

£40+ each per day seems a lot, especially as we would only use the dining room for dinner. Eating in the speciality restaurants would be better value.

Thought that might be the case

 

Really fancy trying this cruise if the world is still cruising early Jan 

[terrierjohn]

3 hours ago, wowzz said:

On checking, that price is for an obstructed view balcony, but nevertheless still a good price.

Personally,  living where we do, it's not worth the hassle for 12 days, but if we lived closer we would be tempted.

The lifeboat obstruction on deck 5 does not look so bad, and there are only 2 on deck 4. The latter look as though you could hop on the lifeboat from your balcony, if needed.

We have done 12 nights in the past, it never felt that much different to 14 nts, even from 4.5 to 5 hrs away.

[wowzz]

17 minutes ago, terrierjohn said:

We have done 12 nights in the past, it never felt that much different to 14 nts, even from 4.5 to 5 hrs away

It's really just me being mean ! Given the cost of fuel, hotel etc, I want to amortize the cost over as many days as possible .

[Roger88]

3 hours ago, brian1 said:

We loved Britannia club,a bit more expensive than the normal dining.You have your own table waiting for you anytime during breakfast,lunch and dinner.You have your own dedicated waiter and assistant allocated to your small section of club dining room.The MD gets to pour brandy over your dessert every night and set it alight (if you so wish).The menu is the same as the MDR except for a few specials every day at breakfast and dinner.A good compromise IMO for the likes of us who can't afford the grills.Cheers,Brian.

Britannia club was perfect. When I travel or cruising in particular, I dont know such a word as "expensive". Why choosing something cheap and ordinary when travelling if you can do and try the same things at home? When you are on board of the magnificent ship - you have to try the best places

[Selbourne]

3 hours ago, brian1 said:

We loved Britannia club,a bit more expensive than the normal dining.You have your own table waiting for you anytime during breakfast,lunch and dinner.You have your own dedicated waiter and assistant allocated to your small section of club dining room.The MD gets to pour brandy over your dessert every night and set it alight (if you so wish).The menu is the same as the MDR except for a few specials every day at breakfast and dinner.A good compromise IMO for the likes of us who can't afford the grills.Cheers,Brian.

For some reason I completely missed your post before I posted a question about Britannia Club. That sounds ideal for us as well. We use the MDR for breakfast every day, for lunch most sea days and dinner unless we go to a Select Dining venue, so we would like having our own table and dedicated waiters, as long as both were good! 

[Britboys]

1 hour ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

Are the Grill restaurants reserved for suite passengers or can you pay extra on board to dine in them?

Yes, the Grills are reserved for suite pax only. There is for-fee dining for anyone in The Verandah, which has a steak and seafood menu. You can also eat lunch for free in the Golden Lion, which has a 'pub grub' type of menu. The buffet area comprises the Lido and King's Court. Dinner is, I believe served in the Lido too.

[majortom10]

2 hours ago, Interestedcruisefan said:

 Just checking Britannia Club is the main dining room on Cunard? 

Depending on the ship on QM2 Britannia Club is a separate section of the MDR but on QE/QV they are a totally different dining room on the same deck as MDR.

[majortom10]

2 hours ago, Britboys said:

Yes and no. Depends on the grade of cabin you book. Britannia is the standard mdr and if you are in a slightly more expensive cabin, you are in Britannia Club, the upper level of the Britannia. Mostly the same menu but the surroundings are a bit more intimate and you can eat any time during meal service.

That is incorrect Britannia Club is a totally separate dining room on Deck 2 of QE/QV and is not part of Britannia MDR. While QM2 is a segmented area of lower deck Britannia MDR.

[Britboys]

1 minute ago, majortom10 said:

That is incorrect Britannia Club is a totally separate dining room on Deck 2 of QE/QV and is not part of Britannia MDR. While QM2 is a segmented area of lower deck Britannia MDR.

Thanks for the clarification.