Live from…. Victoria, Cunard Vs Celebrity, Grills Vs the Retreat

[BigMac1953]

I really wish you lot would stop converting to Grills Class.

 

It's really rotten and definitely not worth the money. The food is dire and repetitive. Waiters couldn't care less.

 

Butlers are intrusive and intimidating. Beds are lumpy and emit strange odours. 

 

The lounge is stuffy and snobbish.

 

...and besides, it pushes up the prices.

 

🙂

 

[chemmo]

3 minutes ago, BigMac1953 said:

I really wish you lot would stop converting to Grills Class.

 

It's really rotten and definitely not worth the money. The food is dire and repetitive. Waiters couldn't care less.

 

Butlers are intrusive and intimidating. Beds are lumpy and emit strange odours. 

 

The lounge is stuffy and snobbish.

 

...and besides, it pushes up the prices.

 

🙂

 

We feel the same about the PH on Celebrity…Sooooo small, nooooo perks included, noooo premium drinks or speciality dining….Yes, there is a time when telling the truth can push up prices!

[BestGuessed]

😳🤔 …. Well I was only being honest !!

Actually we can’t afford PH a on Celebrity so it will have to be ….. ??? !!

 

 

 

[groryjm]

Parking Embarks and Disembarks

 

We have over the last few years started to cruise fairly exclusively out and back from Southampton and it has become our preferred port. We are only an hour and a bit away so it is very convenient, it saves the cost or air which can be quite a lot as we try to fly business whenever possible due to the increased baggage allowance and it saves on a hotel pre cruise. Also as the years have progressed our days of flying for over four hours are very definitely in our past.

 

For us it is easiest to drive to the port and park with either ABP, for Celebrity, or as this time with CPS. Cunard seem to sail in and out of different berths which as far as parking is concerned means that the car will need to move from one end of the port to the other which is a couple of miles. CPS (Cruise Parking Services) it seems rent carpark space from ABP (Associated British Ports) and have a team of drivers that park your car for you and then move it to your arrival berth for your return.

 

This was a new experience and one we were a little unsure about.

 

With ABP parking as used by Celebrity one drives the car to the designated carpark, which is usually next to your ship. Hands your luggage directly to the porters straight from the boot (trunk) of your car and they load it straight into a van. This van moves from car to car as they arrive and when full takes the bags to the ship for the cruise line to load. One walks with just your hand luggage to the terminal building. The distance is minimal, maybe four or five minutes at the most.

 

For CPS we drove the car slightly nearer to the terminal building and once we had checked the car in and handed over the keys we had to unload our cases on to trolley and wheel all our luggage to the terminal. Not quite as easy as ABP but not too much of a hassle as when we got there the Cunard porters took our cases before we entered the building.

 

One thing we did miss that we get with Celebrity is the priority luggage drop off. With this service given to upper suite passengers my Gastrognome would drop me and all our cases at the designated point and while she parked the car and had an unencumbered walk back, that usually is less than five minutes, I would be greeted the lady with a clip board, our check bags whisked away and moments later when my G returned we would be escorted to a check-in desk and then directly to our suit with only a brief pause to scan our carryon’s. Since the pandemic we have done this four times at Southampton and have been in our suit in ten to fifteen minutes of are allocated time . In April we had a check-in time of 11.30-12.00 we got to the Priority a tad early at 11.15 but were in our suite by 11.45. Pre pandemic it was generally nearer 11.00 that we arrived in our suite.

 

The Cunard experience was a little different. Once in the terminal building at about 11.50, a tiny bit early as our check in time was 12.00, we were very quickly checked clear to board and escorted to the far end of the terminal building to what I think was the front of the line. We were given a set and then along with all the others there left to wait. I did notice others waiting next to us had check in times of 12.15 and even 12.30. So we waited …. And waited…. I recognised a couple of the ABP port staff who I recognised from the City Cruise terminal a few months before and in return was greeted as a regular visitor to the port. We had spoken on probably two or three embarkations at the port in the last nine months or so. She did say that the captain of this ship never let anyone boards before 1pm.  So if the captain says 1pm why allocate a time slot of 12!!! 

 

At five past one we were ushered in to the security checks behind those in wheel chairs and a very slow boarding commenced. On previous cruises at our suite level on other lines, besides a wait of over an hour being extremely unusual, we would have been offered tea, coffee and pastries but Cunard expects everyone to just wait…

 

That said we were probably the first on the ship and from then on the experience was on a par, or given the grills food, slightly better.

  

…….. Disembarkation however was almost a dream.

 

We had our tags sent to the room a couple of days before arrival at Southampton and were given our chosen time of 9am. Disembarkation was directly from our room rather than the forty minute wait we experienced from Michael’s Club, the Celebrity suit lounge, last month. And we were able to have a pleasant, if reduced, breakfast at the QG before return in to our cabin to collect our bags before debarking. On Celebrity rooms need to be vacated by 8am which means if you have a later flight and want to leave the ship at a civilised hour and want breakfast you must take your carryon’s to the restaurant and the to the lounge.

 

Collecting the car was about the same as X the only pause being to collect ones keys and get directions to the cars location.

 

One thing I have found useful in recent trips is that we wrap our cases with rainbow gaffer tape which makes the very easy to find.  

[groryjm]

My apologies for being so verbose but I promise my next post will be a little lighter.. Oh and one of our pluses was the discovery of a glorious white Calvados that our Sommelier Stalin introduced us to in the QR…

 

The bottle I ordered in the UK on our last day on board with internet, Stavanger, arrived today😎😎😎

 

 

Today is a good day and thank you Stalin for introducing my Gastrognome to this treat

 

[groryjm]

9 hours ago, groryjm said:

 our Sommelier Stalin introduced us to in the QR…

 

... I ment Queens Grill

[Jim_Iain]

20 hours ago, chemmo said:

We feel the same about the PH on Celebrity…Sooooo small, nooooo perks included, noooo premium drinks or speciality dining….Yes, there is a time when telling the truth can push up prices!

I agree... I absolutely hate the Penthouse.    It took me 10,000 steps just trying to get my suitcases unpacked.    I keep forgetting which walk in closet I put something.   🥸

[chemmo]

12 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

I agree... I absolutely hate the Penthouse.    It took me 10,000 steps just trying to get my suitcases unpacked.    I keep forgetting which walk in closet I put something.   🥸

Jim, in the M class PH we ‘lost’ a suitcase…As we were (sadly) getting ready to pack we only had 2 out of three cases…Finally found the last one in a wardrobe (we didn’t even know was there) towards the second bathroom…

 

Our first S class PH was on the Eclipse when I was wearing an orthopaedic boot…It was a loooong walk from the bed to the toilet!

 

 

[Victoria2]

Seems to be a bit of a reverse variation of Monty Python's  'Four Yorkshiremen' going on!   😃

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

15 hours ago, chemmo said:

Jim, in the M class PH we ‘lost’ a suitcase…As we were (sadly) getting ready to pack we only had 2 out of three cases…Finally found the last one in a wardrobe (we didn’t even know was there) towards the second bathroom…

 

Our first S class PH was on the Eclipse when I was wearing an orthopaedic boot…It was a loooong walk from the bed to the toilet!

 

 

 

Chemo -  you have me in stitches.    I lost a pair of glasses and handn't been out of the room.  We both searched everywhere including under the bed, behind the end tables etc.. in vain.   That night after dinner they were on my end table next to my bed.   I asked the Stateroom attendant about them and said he found them while vacuuming.

 

Iain always claims I could loose anything but even he couldn't find them.  

[Victoria2]

6 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Chemo -  you have me in stitches.    I lost a pair of glasses and handn't been out of the room.  We both searched everywhere including under the bed, behind the end tables etc.. in vain.   That night after dinner they were on my end table next to my bed.   I asked the Stateroom attendant about them and said he found them while vacuuming.

 

Iain always claims I could loose anything but even he couldn't find them.  

Being terribly short sighted, I often lose my various specs. These days, I can guarantee half the time, the pair I'm looking for,  are on my head.  😮

[chemmo]

5 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Chemo -  you have me in stitches.    I lost a pair of glasses and handn't been out of the room.  We both searched everywhere including under the bed, behind the end tables etc.. in vain.   That night after dinner they were on my end table next to my bed.   I asked the Stateroom attendant about them and said he found them while vacuuming.

 

Iain always claims I could loose anything but even he couldn't find them.  

I honestly don’t think people understand the M class PH size and ‘volume’ unless they have experienced it. Following the demise of the ‘Ocean Liners’ range of restaurants we have been reluctant to cruise M class but the the M class PH really is in ‘a league of it’s own’ regarding square footage and balcony…

 

Definitely on our hit list of must do again…

 

 

[Jim_Iain]

1 minute ago, Victoria2 said:

Being terribly short sighted, I often lose my various specs. These days, I can guarantee half the time, the pair I'm looking for,  are on my head.  😮

 

Good news all my eye surgeries went well -  After 2 months I think I will be cleared by my doctor on Monday.    20/20 and no longer have to wear glasses.    It's quite an eye opener (sic).

[groryjm]

Having cruised Celebrity S Class PH and RS and the Cunard Q2 I would say the Q2 is half way between RS and PH in size and the need for a compass less than a M Class PH. Visited one of those once but all my actuall bookings gat cancelled😧

[Jim_Iain]

1 minute ago, chemmo said:

I honestly don’t think people understand the M class PH size and ‘volume’ unless they have experienced it. Following the demise of the ‘Ocean Liners’ range of restaurants we have been reluctant to cruise M class but the the M class PH really is in ‘a league of it’s own’ regarding square footage and balcony…

 

Definitely on our hit list of must do again…

 

 

 

Got to agree 2,530 Sq Ft or 232 Sq Meters of room including balcony is impressive.   In the old days it would take me 20 minutes to close all the curtains, turn off the lights etc.  Thank goodness they automated it all. 

 

I really miss the Olympic Style Dining rooms.     They were truly reminiscent of the Golden Age of Cruising. 

[chemmo]

20 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Good news all my eye surgeries went well -  After 2 months I think I will be cleared by my doctor on Monday.    20/20 and no longer have to wear glasses.    It's quite an eye opener (sic).

So pleased for you…

[Covepointcruiser]

We had curtains opened by an electric switch on the QM2.    They don’t have those on Celebrity, that’s a real miss!

[swjumbo]

So Groryjm, if Cunard and Celebrity both had an identical cruise departing Southampton on the same day and you could have an identical suite which one would you chose?

[chemmo]

2 hours ago, swjumbo said:

So Groryjm, if Cunard and Celebrity both had an identical cruise departing Southampton on the same day and you could have an identical suite which one would you chose?

Great question!

[groryjm]

3 hours ago, swjumbo said:

So Groryjm, if Cunard and Celebrity both had an identical cruise departing Southampton on the same day and you could have an identical suite which one would you chose?

Very very good question.......... 

[Victoria2]

3 hours ago, swjumbo said:

So Groryjm, if Cunard and Celebrity both had an identical cruise departing Southampton on the same day and you could have an identical suite which one would you chose?

I think different expectations will come into this as both would seem to be a good bet.

 

The reason we are loyal to Cunard boils down to staff. Admittedly, we haven't tried Celebrity and yes, we might find it a superior  experience but when you are so comfortable with a product it seems an extension of home but at sea, it's almost impossible to believe anything else could be as good.

 

At the moment, we're not willing to find out.🙂

[chemmo]

14 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

I think different expectations will come into this as both would seem to be a good bet.

 

The reason we are loyal to Cunard boils down to staff. Admittedly, we haven't tried Celebrity and yes, we might find it a superior  experience but when you are so comfortable with a product it seems an extension of home but at sea, it's almost impossible to believe anything else could be as good.

 

At the moment, we're not willing to find out.🙂

Totally understand…We feel a bit the same about Celebrity. The thought of paying ££££ for an experience we may enjoy less tends to make us all a bit conservative. However, with Celebrity only cruising the Summer season from Southampton and with a fairly limited menu of destinations looking for alternatives late Autumn or early Spring is necessary….Hence my recent interest on this board and particularly with this post.

[Victoria2]

1 hour ago, chemmo said:

Totally understand…We feel a bit the same about Celebrity. The thought of paying ££££ for an experience we may enjoy less tends to make us all a bit conservative. However, with Celebrity only cruising the Summer season from Southampton and with a fairly limited menu of destinations looking for alternatives late Autumn or early Spring is necessary….Hence my recent interest on this board and particularly with this post.

We are 'well booked' with three trips for next year, but as we can't/don't want to fly at the moment, we might  be limited for most of '24 to QM2 [not appealing]  or the newbie to the family.

 

Could be interesting. 🙂

 

 

Edited October 30, 2022 by Victoria2

[DaisyUK]

3 hours ago, groryjm said:

Very very good question.......... 

and the answer is???
have been following this excellent thread with interest.

we had a great 2 weeks on QE recently, having previously sailed predominantly with Crystal and Regent and asked ourselves the same question.

[swjumbo]

3 hours ago, groryjm said:

Very very good question.......... 

Seems another has replied on your behalf and never cruised on Celebrity lol!

But seriously, your fans are awaiting with bated breath…..