Cunard QM2 Grills contrast/compare to NCL Haven

[exeter_acres]

We have cruised several times on various lines... but One of our all time favorite trips is a transatlantic on Queen Mary II.

We have only done Brittania for that but looking at Grills for our next crossing

Silly question and hope this is ok. we will be in the NCL Haven next month for the first time and That being said,

Has anyone sailed both the Haven and Queens Grill on Qm2 and any way to compare and or contrast?

I know dress and formal evenings are very different but more curious about service, dining, facilities... etc

The prices are pretty similar so looking at a transatlantic later in the year and trying to decide if we do Grills or Brittania.

Thanks.

[Host Jazzbeau]

Following, because this question is of interest to me.  We have not sailed in NCL Haven or on Cunard at all.  We have done Celebrity Retreat [it was great, but the recent changes have soured us on Celebrity altogether] and MSC Yacht Club [which was great and still on the radar except that their itineraries are so same-old/same-old].  If we ever sail Cunard it would have to be in the Grills, so I hope you will get answers that contrast both Princess and Queens levels.

[exeter_acres]

We have sailed QM2 in Brittania cabins and it was wonderful..  We actual love the formal nights and the atmosphere... We are ballroom dancers so dancing every night was fantastic...

Just not sure if the financial bump up to Grills is worth it knowing that everything was already so nice with Brittania

[terry&mike]

Have sailed both, and for us there is no comparison. The experience on Cunard, from service, to food, to decor, to fellow passengers is far preferred. We last sailed NCL in March/April of this year, and chose it for the itinerary, which was amazing. Everything other than the itinerary was either good to below average, with most all meals being "good" to some being very disapointing, and 2 being excellent (12 day cruise). We last sailed Cunard in August of last year, and our experience was that everything was between very good and excellent, with a couple of things being merely good.

I would take an inside cabin on a Cunard ship over a Haven suite on an NCL ship any day, but I do give preference to great itineraries, so that is a factor.

We are very happy in Brittania class on Cunard, but Grills is a whole other level, worth it if you can swing it, but certainly not necessary for us in any way. 

[exeter_acres]

Thanks for the insight!  This will be our first NCL so will have that side of it to compare.......

[LouChamp]

Aloha. Have sailed all classes with Cunard since the 1980s and NCL since the 1970s.  There is no comparison that a Grills class experience far exceeds in my opinion the NCL Haven experience. Please keep in mind in general there are less children on Cunard, the food is more extravagant and the passengers dress up more.  Service is also excellent although NCL crew also are phenomenal.  Finally there are less passengers on board a Cunard ship.  Hope this helps.

[ExArkie]

More information can be found by searches on Cruise Critic or the Internet at large, but the overview from my perspective - ignoring the general differences in the two lines, such as dress code - is that the Haven is a ship-within-a-ship concept, such that almost everything one wants on cruise ship is included in the defined, physical access-restricted area: restaurant, bar, pool, sun deck, etc. Aside from needing to go outside the Haven for entertainment, specialty restaurants, casino, gym, and shops, guests do not necessarily need to go into the non-Haven area of the ship.

 

The Grills on QM2 consists of (1) a dedicated restaurant located on the deck 7, as is the buffet restaurant (i.e., not isolated from the rest of the ship), (2) a lounge/bar located just outside the Grills restaurants, (3) a concierge lounge (with snacks and soft drinks) on deck 9, and (4) a relatively small aft deck with a hot tub that is theoretically access restricted, but relies on the honor system (i.e., a sign and not physical barricade).

 

I have not been in the Haven on NCL, but I have traveled in a non-Haven suite, which has more limited benefits and is not given access to the Haven areas.  On Cunard, most of the time Grills guests are mingling with the non-Grills in the ship's venues, which does not necessarily have to be the case in the Haven.

 

As for the more general differences in NCL versus Cunard, several people have already commented about their preferences. We enjoyed the two trips we did on NCL that were taken because of specific itineraries and pricing. The NCL approach gives an entirely different feel to the ship, whereas Cunard offers an understated elegance that NCL cannot match. Transatlantic crossings on QM2 will always be our favorite time on any ship.

[buchanan101]

Grills on QM2 is really "only" much better cabins and the dining (unlike the other Queens where there is a decent Grills deck). Yes there's a Grills lounge, but it's nothing special (you can take tea here, but we enjoyed the main ballroom for tea, sitting right by a window - low down, watching the sea go by). Concierge lounge is quiet - but dark (windowless). Useful if you need somewhere quiet (apart from your cabin), or the concierge.

 

We went QG on a crossing, and the wide balcony was great - the premium over PG wasn't that great, but that depends - dynamic pricing and all that. PG on QM2 looks to be a sweet spot (1.5 times Britannia cabin size, 75% of standard QG cabins). Britannia Club can sometimes be almost as expensive as PG (as there aren't that many) - and the cabins are high up forward which if  the ship moves, that's the very worst spot

 

 

[GonzoWCS]

Thanks for the question and the responses here.

 

Cheers

[exeter_acres]

Thanks for all the info....really appreciate it!