Cunard vs Celebrity

[swjumbo]

Midway through our four night trip and the weather has been glorious.

Port parking was strange for us as we normally park the car ourselves. Hopefully it’ll be there on arrival with no extra miles on the clock.

Rather disappointing security as there was no priority for Grills. I’m not elitist but when you pay for something like this you do expect a certain level of priority and made to feel special.

 

The only special thing was the lady behind us who coughed constantly and shouldn’t have been allowed to board.

We kept our distance.

 

On boarding we were overwhelmed with the level of service with the staff. The Bell Boys with their crimson uniforms were delightful.

 

The walk to our suite wasn’t so good. This ship has a lot of nasty smells in communal areas. Fish, cooking and bilgewater.The walk to our corner suite was very unimpressive. The wall panels were tatty, different shades of cream and I’ve seen cross channel ferries in better condition.

 

The suite is beautiful. The bathroom needs updating and the shower curtain needs replacement. Yuck.

 

Mini bar and selection is great. Celebrity do not do this which is a pity. The butler is ok but might have other issues because they are a tad on the grumpy side. First world problems but I’m just posting this for your interest.

 

The food is superb. Queens Grill beats Luminae hands down. We love the staff and the level of service is far superior. It is not stuffy in any way shape or form. Luminae is stuffy and the service is very corporate.

 

Here you can feel the history, even though it’s now American it still feels great. Every staff member is, without exception, excellent. Completely faultless.

 

Thats it for now. Off to raid the mini bar.

[Host Hattie]

Thanks for your report, enjoy the rest of your trip.

[Victoria2]

Are you on deck 4   swjumbo  ? We had a corner deck 4 once, many years ago and once was enough for deck 4 aft. If I remember correctly, the shower curtain was very friendly and the loo was ensuite in the ensuite.   🙂

[Coates55]

The Grills beats Luminae hands down. Luminae should have many more choices and include some additional traditional dishes.

[swjumbo]

19 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

Are you on deck 4   swjumbo  ? We had a corner deck 4 once, many years ago and once was enough for deck 4 aft. If I remember correctly, the shower curtain was very friendly and the loo was ensuite in the ensuite.   🙂

Yes. I’d much prefer a door to the shower. The bottom of the curtain looks a tad grubby and the water leaks onto the bathroom floor.

We’re delighted with the location. We had the sun all afternoon and there’s a lot less vibration than anticipated.

[grayjay]

We have never risen to the upper echelons (Grills etc. 😏) yet, but I'd have thought that at least in suites the shower curtain would have been replaced by a door...

The clingy curtain didn't keep us from booking Cunard but it's one of the things we're happy to have in a Celebrity cabin = a roomy shower with a door and rain shower to use plus a topper on the beds to make them more comfy for old bones. We tried to order a topper for our upcoming cruise on QV but were told there wouldn't be any on that ship.

We have cruised Celebrity extensively and Cunard ships a few times but disregarding my own comments about the shower curtain: we love both products and enjoy the differences!

[Victoria2]

23 minutes ago, grayjay said:

We have never risen to the upper echelons (Grills etc. 😏) yet, but I'd have thought that at least in suites the shower curtain would have been replaced by a door...

The clingy curtain didn't keep us from booking Cunard but it's one of the things we're happy to have in a Celebrity cabin = a roomy shower with a door and rain shower to use plus a topper on the beds to make them more comfy for old bones. We tried to order a topper for our upcoming cruise on QV but were told there wouldn't be any on that ship.

We have cruised Celebrity extensively and Cunard ships a few times but disregarding my own comments about the shower curtain: we love both products and enjoy the differences!

All the QG cabins we've been in have had a shower door, except the corner deck 4 we had. Once.

 

 

[Host Hattie]

We've had one of the centre QG cabins on Deck 4 (pre-refit) and it had a door on the cubicle.

[Camgirl]

We were able to get our shower curtain changed for a clean one, straight away, with no problem in a Britannia cabin. Just ask your steward/Butler.

[Bell Boy]

Swjumbo, I'm confused with you comment re,  security 'priority for Grills'  

What time did you arrive for check-in ?  Grills are aways the first to be called to go through the security scanning system & embarkation, followed by Diamond,  and then the other categories .

 

If you arrived sometime later after 1pm then I'm afraid one is grouped with the other categories for embarkation.   

 

 

[swjumbo]

1 hour ago, Bell Boy said:

Swjumbo, I'm confused with you comment re,  security 'priority for Grills'  

What time did you arrive for check-in ?  Grills are aways the first to be called to go through the security scanning system & embarkation, followed by Diamond,  and then the other categories .

 

If you arrived sometime later after 1pm then I'm afraid one is grouped with the other categories for embarkation.   

 

 

We were told that boarding time was 1245. I’m always early but traffic delayed us and arrived at the terminal, after dropping off the car, at 1252.

As you can see I’m pedantic about time!

Gave the baggage chap a small tip which made his day. Our luggage was at the cabin before us. That was impressive!

[swjumbo]

This is a small selection of the amazing food and canapés we had on board.

 

Afternoon tea was served in Princess Grill. It was the only disappointment we had with food. There are no traditional finger sandwiches served for Grill’s afternoon tea which was very disappointing.
 

The sandwiches on our last day in the buffet were perfect. 

[Solent Richard]

On 11/13/2022 at 5:12 PM, Coates55 said:

The Grills beats Luminae hands down. Luminae should have many more choices and include some additional traditional dishes.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong but, recently off Silhouette,  doesn't Luminae share the same galley as the Grand Cuvee?

[Solent Richard]

54 minutes ago, swjumbo said:

This is a small selection of the amazing food and canapés we had on board.

 

Afternoon tea was served in Princess Grill. It was the only disappointment we had with food. There are no traditional finger sandwiches served for Grill’s afternoon tea which was very disappointing.
 

The sandwiches on our last day in the buffet were perfect. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OMG, definitely evidence of cutbacks over 3 years....

 

 

😉😉

[swjumbo]

On a ‘formal’ night on Celebrity there are more Officers and people with stripes walking around than you could shake a stick at.

On Cunard there were none to be seen which was disappointing. Even on short cruises they really should make the effort.

 

Went to see Top Hat which was amazing as was another show last night. Lucky enough to get a theatre box which added to the sense of occasion.

 

We were going to cook ourselves in the hot tub but couldn’t stand the stench. There are disgusting smells everywhere on this ship. Maybe if the Officers did a stroll of the public areas this might be addressed.

 

So, would I cruise with Cunard again? 
 

Well I’m afraid I wouldn’t rush back. Getting off today was awful. No priority for Grills passengers unlike Celebrity where we were escorted off personally by the Concierge. The queue today was horrendous.

CPC parking is awful especially in the rain having to queue up to get the keys back then find the car.

 

It’s not Cunard’s fault but there’s a different demographic in the passengers here but that’s also the same with P&O passengers and Carnival, etc. Getting on a tour bus, for example, we said good morning to everyone and got one reply. Grumpy lot!

 

We went with an open mind wanting to like it, which we did, but the horrible aromas and lack of real cleanliness has put us off. In every loo on Celebrity there appears to be a cleaner. The Grills loo was disgusting. 
 

Also, when we get off a Celebrity ship we are soooo disappointed. Today not so.

 

I await with hard hat on for the incoming flack from Cunard diehards but we gave it a try. Sorry x

[Victoria2]

21 minutes ago, swjumbo said:

...Also, when we get off a Celebrity ship we are soooo disappointed. Today not so.

 

I await with hard hat on for the incoming flack from Cunard diehards but we gave it a try. Sorry x

Cunard diehard here

You didn't cruise on the Queen Victoria I know and I wouldn't want to repeat the experience on the ship you travelled with either.  🙂

[Jonem2001]

Just back myself - and I would have to agree there is most unpleasant odour in the area around the Winter Garden. I hope it’s on the list for a repair/solution soon; as it seemed to result in the space being deserted every time I passed through (with decreasing frequency as the voyage progressed). One of the external doors was being kept permanently open, presumably to mitigate the issue… I can’t think of any other reason to do that in November. Brrr.

 

I would also agree the disembarkation was very busy due to luggage processing issues, but the staff seemed to be doing everything they could, and I was off and in the car, with luggage collected, in less than twenty minutes… so I shan’t complain.

 

On the other issues… I don’t recognise your issues around cleanliness, and certainly every public bathroom I used was spotless on every occasion, including the Grills. But I suppose there may be the odd issue from time to time on a busy ship. And I must say that I think I saw more officers in uniform on this cruise than any other with Cunard this year; but perhaps they’re behind other lines on the raw numbers.

 

I will say that the staff on Victoria are the friendliest of the three Cunarders for me this year; although Elizabeth came close in April. And I felt very ‘looked after’ in Queen’s Grill compared to my normal non-Grills experience, although perhaps not to the level you describe with Celebrity. Perhaps a tonal thing? I find Princess staff, for example, very effusive and bubbly - not really so with Cunard, which seems to be a little more subdued and deferential. Both are excellent approaches, but definitely different!

 

I intend to try Celebrity at some point, so I’ve found your comments really interesting - thank you. I hope you’ve dried off and made it home now!

 

 

[Jonem2001]

Oh, and meant to say - we skipped the Grills afternoon tea and did the Queen’s Room experience. Much more of a celebratory event, and they had proper finger sandwiches! I really would choose the non-Grill version every time for the atmosphere, although the queueing is a downside!

[Host Hattie]

Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy your trip, your initial posts seemed so positive.

The smell in the Winter Garden started on or about our last sea day, I noticed it walking through there on October 6th so it's obviously not a quick fix but it's a shame if it's spread.

[Solent Richard]

3 hours ago, swjumbo said:

On a ‘formal’ night on Celebrity there are more Officers and people with stripes walking around than you could shake a stick at.

On Cunard there were none to be seen which was disappointing. Even on short cruises they really should make the effort.

 

Went to see Top Hat which was amazing as was another show last night. Lucky enough to get a theatre box which added to the sense of occasion.

 

We were going to cook ourselves in the hot tub but couldn’t stand the stench. There are disgusting smells everywhere on this ship. Maybe if the Officers did a stroll of the public areas this might be addressed.

 

So, would I cruise with Cunard again? 
 

Well I’m afraid I wouldn’t rush back. Getting off today was awful. No priority for Grills passengers unlike Celebrity where we were escorted off personally by the Concierge. The queue today was horrendous.

CPC parking is awful especially in the rain having to queue up to get the keys back then find the car.

 

It’s not Cunard’s fault but there’s a different demographic in the passengers here but that’s also the same with P&O passengers and Carnival, etc. Getting on a tour bus, for example, we said good morning to everyone and got one reply. Grumpy lot!

 

We went with an open mind wanting to like it, which we did, but the horrible aromas and lack of real cleanliness has put us off. In every loo on Celebrity there appears to be a cleaner. The Grills loo was disgusting. 
 

Also, when we get off a Celebrity ship we are soooo disappointed. Today not so.

 

I await with hard hat on for the incoming flack from Cunard diehards but we gave it a try. Sorry x

 

Hey, no flack from me, I've witnessed the decline you have alluded to and that's across the board including the Grills. Of course, Cunard is still in my DNA but until there are improvements and, more importantly for us, new itineraries, then they're not out first choice go to line.

[swjumbo]

28 minutes ago, Jonem2001 said:

Just back myself - and I would have to agree there is most unpleasant odour in the area around the Winter Garden. I hope it’s on the list for a repair/solution soon; as it seemed to result in the space being deserted every time I passed through (with decreasing frequency as the voyage progressed). One of the external doors was being kept permanently open, presumably to mitigate the issue… I can’t think of any other reason to do that in November. Brrr.

 

I would also agree the disembarkation was very busy due to luggage processing issues, but the staff seemed to be doing everything they could, and I was off and in the car, with luggage collected, in less than twenty minutes… so I shan’t complain.

 

On the other issues… I don’t recognise your issues around cleanliness, and certainly every public bathroom I used was spotless on every occasion, including the Grills. But I suppose there may be the odd issue from time to time on a busy ship. And I must say that I think I saw more officers in uniform on this cruise than any other with Cunard this year; but perhaps they’re behind other lines on the raw numbers.

 

I will say that the staff on Victoria are the friendliest of the three Cunarders for me this year; although Elizabeth came close in April. And I felt very ‘looked after’ in Queen’s Grill compared to my normal non-Grills experience, although perhaps not to the level you describe with Celebrity. Perhaps a tonal thing? I find Princess staff, for example, very effusive and bubbly - not really so with Cunard, which seems to be a little more subdued and deferential. Both are excellent approaches, but definitely different!

 

I intend to try Celebrity at some point, so I’ve found your comments really interesting - thank you. I hope you’ve dried off and made it home now!

 

 

Thank you for your thank you!

We were delayed in disembarkation last year on Silhouette in Southampton and they just threw staff at it. It was really impressive.

Today we saw a couple of entertainment staff and two hotel staff.

Again, I stress, EVERY staff member, with the exception of the butler, was a credit to Cunard.

150 odd years of training certainly showed and if any of them have the time to read this, thank you too!

[Victoria2]

52 minutes ago, Jonem2001 said:

Just back myself - and I would have to agree there is most unpleasant odour in the area around the Winter Garden. I hope it’s on the list for a repair/solution soon; as it seemed to result in the space being deserted every time I passed through (with decreasing frequency as the voyage progressed). One of the external doors was being kept permanently open, presumably to mitigate the issue… I can’t think of any other reason to do that in November. Brrr.

 

I would also agree the disembarkation was very busy due to luggage processing issues, but the staff seemed to be doing everything they could, and I was off and in the car, with luggage collected, in less than twenty minutes… so I shan’t complain.

 

On the other issues… I don’t recognise your issues around cleanliness, and certainly every public bathroom I used was spotless on every occasion, including the Grills. But I suppose there may be the odd issue from time to time on a busy ship. And I must say that I think I saw more officers in uniform on this cruise than any other with Cunard this year; but perhaps they’re behind other lines on the raw numbers.

 

I will say that the staff on Victoria are the friendliest of the three Cunarders for me this year; although Elizabeth came close in April. And I felt very ‘looked after’ in Queen’s Grill compared to my normal non-Grills experience, although perhaps not to the level you describe with Celebrity. Perhaps a tonal thing? I find Princess staff, for example, very effusive and bubbly - not really so with Cunard, which seems to be a little more subdued and deferential. Both are excellent approaches, but definitely different!

 

I intend to try Celebrity at some point, so I’ve found your comments really interesting - thank you. I hope you’ve dried off and made it home now!

 

 

 

We don't take afternoon tea very often so can't compare there but apart from the smell which is obviously indisputable, you describe more  the ship I know and love

[exlondoner]

31 minutes ago, Solent Richard said:

 

Hey, no flack from me, I've witnessed the decline you have alluded to and that's across the board including the Grills. Of course, Cunard is still in my DNA but until there are improvements and, more importantly for us, new itineraries, then they're not out first choice go to line.

Obviously I am a comparative newbie with Cunard, and QV is the only ship I haven’t travelled on since Covid, but I must say I haven’t really noticed any evidence of decline. On the other hand, I have noticed some recent improvements, such as being able to disembark directly from the cabin.

[Victoria2]

19 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

Obviously I am a comparative newbie with Cunard, and QV is the only ship I haven’t travelled on since Covid, but I must say I haven’t really noticed any evidence of decline. On the other hand, I have noticed some recent improvements, such as being able to disembark directly from the cabin.

We are relative newcomers to Cunard although we've managed to accumulate quite a few nights pre Covid.

Our holiday in August on Victoria was wonderful and I think I made a remark along the lines of 'desperately trying to find a real fault, but failed'. 

 

Maybe we're just easy to please.🙂

[exlondoner]

2 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

We are relative newcomers to Cunard although we've managed to accumulate quite a few nights pre Covid.

Our holiday in August on Victoria was wonderful and I think I made a remark along the lines of 'desperately trying to find a real fault, but failed'. 

 

Maybe we're just easy to please.🙂

Yes, I think the sheer joy of lounging around in great comfort looking at the sea, while other people do everything for me, and bring me excellent food, tends to blunt my critical faculties.