Queen Anne

[Wordzz]

Each to their own of course. To me it sounds like a solution to a problem that doesn't exist - I've never had an issue with key cards, and actually quite like them.

 

The Internet is a different story, however.....

[BigMac1953]

My car opens automatically as I approach it, but if I walk past it, the doors lock. Simple and not a problem. Incidentally, I can programme which door(s) open.

[alibabacruisers]

Only 4 laundrettes on the whole ship for almost 3000 passengers?!  That does not sound very nice. Hopefully not making it so you have to let them charge you big bucks to do your laundry.   It also seems like there is not many sitting areas and the ship seems to have less space?

 

It looks like the promenade deck goes all the way around or am I not looking at it correctly?

 

I remember back around 2009 when QE was being built and the videos they used to show you so you could see the progress, and I miss that.

 

I took our first Princess cruise last year and we had to figure out the app and the Medallion.  The Medallion did open the door sometimes when we were within about 6 feet, and if you did not go in in finally locked.  But during half the cruise (we were on for about 25 days) that feature did not work.  The app was about half and half.  Prior to the cruise, the app was so confusing and did not work properly most of the time and there are pages and pages of complaints on the Princess boards.  It was nice though, not to have to lug around the card...we had the Medallion on a watch band and that was convenient.  Having said all of that, I don't think I would like it on Cunard.

 

We are still debating 2025 QA WC. 

[Cruise NH]

Someone mentioned the Koningsdam in an earlier post, is the QA the same class ship?  We were just on the Koningsdam for an 18 day Hawaii trip and vowed to never sail it again.

 

There is a promenade deck but no chairs because it's too narrow.  In some places narrow enough that two people walking in opposite directions have to move a bit to avoid each other.  The theater could probably hold about a 1/3 of the total passengers (are trip was full) so many folks sat on the stairs.  As one of my fellow passengers said, 'this ship may have enough beds for 2600 people, but it doesn't have enough room for them'. I think it actually holds a little more then 2600, not sure but it sure wasn't our cup of tea!

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, Cruise NH said:

Someone mentioned the Koningsdam in an earlier post, is the QA the same class ship?  We were just on the Koningsdam for an 18 day Hawaii trip and vowed to never sail it again.

 

There is a promenade deck but no chairs because it's too narrow.  In some places narrow enough that two people walking in opposite directions have to move a bit to avoid each other.  The theater could probably hold about a 1/3 of the total passengers (are trip was full) so many folks sat on the stairs.  As one of my fellow passengers said, 'this ship may have enough beds for 2600 people, but it doesn't have enough room for them'. I think it actually holds a little more then 2600, not sure but it sure wasn't our cup of tea!

 

Not my cup of tea, either, mostly because of the ear-splitting music walk, which was where all the entertainment was (other than the main showroom). I know I'm in the minority, as it was crowded to point of looking like Times Square on New Years Eve. So lots of people like it, just not me. It was so mobbed when I tried getting through there that I could barely wriggle through the mob. Horrible. 

 

Sorry to say, QA is based on the PInnacle design that HAL used for the K and two other ships. I agree that the K felt crowded and the theater was ridiculously small. If I wanted to see something, I had to get there at least a half hour early to get ANY seat, not necessarily a good seat.

 

I have booked a cruise on QA  because I trust Cunard to fix most of what I disliked on HAL, which was the entertainment. I doubt QA will have the hell that is Music Walk. I think it's possible to design a theater with more seating. The one thing that won't be fixed is the promenade deck, but I will have a balcony, so I will have somewhere to sit in the fresh air. 

[Cruise NH]

Ugh the music walk, that was awful.  I ate in the Club Orange dining room and when we walked out of there we were accosted by LOUD music and it was never really well done.

 

Yes, I hope Cunard does not follow HAL's lead on a number of things!

Edited March 18, 2023 by Cruise NH

[buchanan101]

2 hours ago, Cruise NH said:

Someone mentioned the Koningsdam in an earlier post, is the QA the same class ship?  We were just on the Koningsdam for an 18 day Hawaii trip and vowed to never sail it again.

 

There is a promenade deck but no chairs because it's too narrow.  In some places narrow enough that two people walking in opposite directions have to move a bit to avoid each other.  The theater could probably hold about a 1/3 of the total passengers (are trip was full) so many folks sat on the stairs.  As one of my fellow passengers said, 'this ship may have enough beds for 2600 people, but it doesn't have enough room for them'. I think it actually holds a little more then 2600, not sure but it sure wasn't our cup of tea!

We’ve booked the QA for fjords. Yes it has 500 more passengers than the QM2 in a smaller ship so it’s a bit of a concern. (Capacity is nigh on 3000). Have booked PG as the grills deck area may be very welcome on that trip. 

QM2 seems very uncrowded though, so it’s possible to have a higher density and still be comfortable. We will see. 

[Hflors]

I am new to the Cunard boards.  My first cruise on Cunard will be in August on the QE.  We are doing the westbound Panama Canal on our way home from Tahiti.   In doing the research on my upcoming cruise I stumbled across the 2025 world cruise.  I love the itinerary and was very impressed in his cust. service handled our original booking so I put a cabin on hold.  

 

I agree with the poster that said the music walk on the konningsdam is awful, it is.  I would love to find out who actually designed that mess!  It is a terrible idea.  

 

I just looked ar the stats of Konningsdam is 99,500 tons and carries 2650 passengers and QE is 113,500 and carries 2996 passengers.  The additional space should help with the additional passengers.  

 

I hope the designers have not copied konningsdam's promenade deck as that would be a mistake.  I will keep my fingers crossed on that one.

[exlondoner]

4 hours ago, Hflors said:

I am new to the Cunard boards.  My first cruise on Cunard will be in August on the QE.  We are doing the westbound Panama Canal on our way home from Tahiti.   In doing the research on my upcoming cruise I stumbled across the 2025 world cruise.  I love the itinerary and was very impressed in his cust. service handled our original booking so I put a cabin on hold.  

 

I agree with the poster that said the music walk on the konningsdam is awful, it is.  I would love to find out who actually designed that mess!  It is a terrible idea.  

 

I just looked ar the stats of Konningsdam is 99,500 tons and carries 2650 passengers and QE is 113,500 and carries 2996 passengers.  The additional space should help with the additional passengers.  

 

I hope the designers have not copied konningsdam's promenade deck as that would be a mistake.  I will keep my fingers crossed on that one.

QE carries around 2,000 pax, and is never crowded. I don't think the tonnage figs are right either.

[ballroom-cruisers]

One thing that has not been mentioned here, as far as I remember, is that during last year there were various articles in the cruise industry news media discussing the Cunard management aim to increase the American proportion of its market share to 40%, and in order to do so to gear the operation of the ships, and the design for the new ship to be less formal, and more attractive to a wider customer base. It may well be that the changes people have been seeing and discussing have arisen from the way that Cunard plans to achieve that by opening up their cruises to 'all' rather than being to a more discerning passenger.  This may well be linked to the design of the new ship, from the overall choice of Pinnacle class hull, to the different look to the interior design, and may well also lead to changes in the way that the on board offerings for entertainment are managed and presented.  Whether the traditional Cunarder will continue to like and accept this remains to be seen.

[buchanan101]

4 hours ago, Hflors said:

I am new to the Cunard boards.  My first cruise on Cunard will be in August on the QE.  We are doing the westbound Panama Canal on our way home from Tahiti.   In doing the research on my upcoming cruise I stumbled across the 2025 world cruise.  I love the itinerary and was very impressed in his cust. service handled our original booking so I put a cabin on hold.  

 

I agree with the poster that said the music walk on the konningsdam is awful, it is.  I would love to find out who actually designed that mess!  It is a terrible idea.  

 

I just looked ar the stats of Konningsdam is 99,500 tons and carries 2650 passengers and QE is 113,500 and carries 2996 passengers.  The additional space should help with the additional passengers.  

 

I hope the designers have not copied konningsdam's promenade deck as that would be a mistake.  I will keep my fingers crossed on that one.

You mean the QA (with 2996 passengers). QE and QV are smaller. QM2 is 2500 and 150,000 tons but is built differently. Is the QA stretched compared with Konningsdam?  
 

The crew/passenger ratio is also down a fair bit on QA; obviously reduces cost - hopefully not affecting passenger experience

 

Someone on these boards claimed that a Cunard sales rep had shown them pictures of the QA promenade deck that showed it wasn’t as compromised as Konningsdam - deck plans seem to suggest otherwise…One of the several  reasons we chose grills - the grills deck area looks decent. (QG on our fjords trip is full, PG prices have gone up significantly, getting quite full) 

[Victoria2]

21 minutes ago, ballroom-cruisers said:

One thing that has not been mentioned here, as far as I remember, is that during last year there were various articles in the cruise industry news media discussing the Cunard management aim to increase the American proportion of its market share to 40%, and in order to do so to gear the operation of the ships, and the design for the new ship to be less formal, and more attractive to a wider customer base. It may well be that the changes people have been seeing and discussing have arisen from the way that Cunard plans to achieve that by opening up their cruises to 'all' rather than being to a more discerning passenger.  This may well be linked to the design of the new ship, from the overall choice of Pinnacle class hull, to the different look to the interior design, and may well also lead to changes in the way that the on board offerings for entertainment are managed and presented.  Whether the traditional Cunarder will continue to like and accept this remains to be seen.

I do wish folk would stop using words and phrases which are used in disparaging ways when describing issues which seem to be linked to some kind of 'evolving', for want of a better term.

 

I like to think I'm a tad discerning. I am also fond of traditions.I am also looking forward to travelling on the new Cunard ship. Does that make me less discerning? Will I and all the others, be they newbies or 'old hands' who have booked the new ship also be classed as less discerning for doing so?

 

No wonder I class myself a [very] loyal Cunard client and not a Cunarder.

[majortom10]

30 minutes ago, ballroom-cruisers said:

One thing that has not been mentioned here, as far as I remember, is that during last year there were various articles in the cruise industry news media discussing the Cunard management aim to increase the American proportion of its market share to 40%

That explains why they are still allowing US cruiser's to purchase FCDs given them extra OBC. Also when booking a Grill suite they get free drinks package and gratuities which you don't when booking in the UK. With recent announcement of increasing gratuity prices it is leaving a very sour taste in my mouth regarding booking future cruises with Cunard. It is plainly obvious they would prefer US cruiser's onboard than UK cruiser's with the preferential prices and service they get.

[exlondoner]

45 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

I do wish folk would stop using words and phrases which are used in disparaging ways when describing issues which seem to be linked to some kind of 'evolving', for want of a better term.

 

I like to think I'm a tad discerning. I am also fond of traditions.I am also looking forward to travelling on the new Cunard ship. Does that make me less discerning? Will I and all the others, be they newbies or 'old hands' who have booked the new ship also be classed as less discerning for doing so?

 

No wonder I class myself a [very] loyal Cunard client and not a Cunarder.

I should hope not. Isn’t a Cunarder actually a ship? Though it would be great if QM2 herself started posting on here.

[Hflors]

1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

QE carries around 2,000 pax, and is never crowded. I don't think the tonnage figs are right either.

Oops my error I Will travel on QE this August.  The ship I am comparing to Konningsdam is QA.

[Victoria2]

48 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

I should hope not. Isn’t a Cunarder actually a ship? Though it would be great if QM2 herself started posting on here.

I guess it depends how one uses the name. The traditional term describes ships of the Cunard fleet. Over the past few years, it seems to describe some Cunard passengers, as in the comment I quoted. So take your pick.

[BigMac1953]

The Cunarder used to be a magazine which was sometimes mailed to WC members.

[exlondoner]

12 minutes ago, BigMac1953 said:

The Cunarder used to be a magazine which was sometimes mailed to WC members.

Yes, that too. I haven’t had one for a while.

[ExArkie]

13 minutes ago, BigMac1953 said:

The Cunarder used to be a magazine which was sometimes mailed to WC members.

It was also the boat train from London Waterloo to the Southampton docks. According to what I read, the train stopped alongside the ship so that one could walk a short distance to board. Somewhere, we have a jigsaw puzzle of a picture of the Cunarder train at the dock with the ship visible behind it. 

[exlondoner]

24 minutes ago, ExArkie said:

It was also the boat train from London Waterloo to the Southampton docks. According to what I read, the train stopped alongside the ship so that one could walk a short distance to board. Somewhere, we have a jigsaw puzzle of a picture of the Cunarder train at the dock with the ship visible behind it. 

At the old Ocean Terminal. And your luggage was miraculously transferred without you having to do anything.

[ballroom-cruisers]

3 hours ago, majortom10 said:

That explains why they are still allowing US cruiser's to purchase FCDs given them extra OBC. Also when booking a Grill suite they get free drinks package and gratuities which you don't when booking in the UK. With recent announcement of increasing gratuity prices it is leaving a very sour taste in my mouth regarding booking future cruises with Cunard. It is plainly obvious they would prefer US cruiser's onboard than UK cruiser's with the preferential prices and service they get.

 

It is still the case that Brits are the largest fraction of Cunard's cruise passengers, but clearly Cunard wants their second largest customer base to grow.  It is fairly easy to do a search for Cunard Matt Gleaves, who was appointed as executive VP for the American and Far East sectors about a year ago, and find video and news reports of an interview he did around May last year, where he talks about this increase in the American customer base, and how they plan to have more Alaska voyages once the new ship is operational, and that they will be looking to increase the American market particularly for the Alaska region voyages. He also talks about how they want to make the ship appear less formal and more 'attractive' to that market. I seem to remember him talking about white glove service for afternoon tea allowing passengers to enjoy 'luxury on their own terms' - which is an interesting turn of phrase  and we can make of that as we wish! It would appear that he has been given quite a bit of freedom to make changes to allow the intended increase in the American market, which may well extend to more than just the design of Queen Anne's interior.  Aside from how we word the particular changes, the more important point is that we have all seen some changes already, over the past year or so, and it is clear changes are afoot already - and how much more change there will be, as we go through the next year or two, will be noticed by those who are on booked voyages who will see for themselves how the new Cunard thinking is being implemented in the way the entertainment and other aspects of voyages, not just on Queen Anne, are managed and will be an experience for us all. There are also different news reports quoting the 40% figure in two different ways - one is that Cunard apparently aims to increase the American market to 40%, and others talk about increasing the American market by 40%, and it is not clear if one or the other, or both, are true.

Edited March 19, 2023 by ballroom-cruisers
add sentence

[buchanan101]

if the current share of US passengers  is 28.5% then a 40% increase gets you to 40%.
 

I can’t remember the numbers the Captain read out on our crossing but U.K. were largest contingent at I think approaching 40%. Then US obviously. But then all sorts including many Germans as came from Hamburg. Couple on next table were Swiss (who found me the evening after we arrived in NYC in Katz Diner). 

[ballroom-cruisers]

Yes, usually the figures are Brits top fraction, then Americans, and Canadians, followed more nationals from a whole variety of other countries, and they often highlighted the one or two passengers from far eastern places like Japan, or some from smaller countries such as the Seychelles.

[ballroom-cruisers]

I guess also Cunard may be keen to have more Americans since it is more the tradition that American holidaymakers are used to paying extra for drinks, for tips, for additional services and indeed to pay for higher levels of services in special restaurants, whereas British holidaymakers like to know what they are paying for at the start and like everything on a holiday to be already covered in the cost of the holiday before they leave home.  So having various extras on holiday that need additional payment is possibly more acceptable to the American market than the British market, which may be an additional reason that the American market is attractive to target for higher returns on Cunard cruises.

[ballroom-cruisers]

I also saw that Cunard are putting special guests onto one of the Alaska voyages and although this is not Queen Anne, it is part of the American push to attract more to book for Alaska: https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/contact-us/media-centre/bear-grylls