How much of a step up is Princess Grill vs Britannia on QM2?

[Jack E Dawson]

On 10/16/2023 at 10:57 AM, Gomac said:

We have 5 Cunard voyages under our belt and have our first PG voyage on QE coming up next month which is very exciting. 

Good morning Gomac,

I apologize if I have missed a posting but I was wondering how your QE voyage went and what your impressions of PG were. 

Thanks,

Jack

[Gomac]

So to feedback on our first Princess Grill experience…

 

Quite simply it was amazing and has spoilt us for our future Cunard cruises 😁.

 

Cabin:

We were in 5001, right at the bow of the ship and as such was over 550sq ft, so massive compared to our usual Britannia Balcony cabins. We realise this is not the norm for the PG and there are only two of these but we loved the space. The room attendant introduced himself to us immediately and wanted to know our preferences for turndown and also said he would prioritise us for make up on a morning (I’m thinking because our cabin is the only PG on that strip we were probably his only Grills passengers). Very nice touch and he also noticed we liked drinking water and made sure extra bottles were placed all over the cabin. The in room water is a really nice benefit for us. The bathroom was a good but bigger and it was nice to enjoy the novelty of a bath at sea! The one negative (and probably the reason this cabin is a P2 instead of a P1) is the motion when seas get a bit rough. We were lucky enough to have smooth seas for the first 7 nights of our voyage. Our last night however, getting close to the Australian coast was bumpy and while packing before dinner we both got quite sick. Once we got to mid-ship is was so much better and we recovered quickly so it definitely had an impact. 
 

Princess Grill Dining:

This was the highlight of our experience, we loved both the food and service. Most dishes were excellent with some very good and only one good. Any Al a carte request at lunchtime was met with pleasure, and any extra little requests like my love for chips with the chateaubriand or the fact we liked long spaces between courses was proactive. Our waiter got to know what we liked, one lunchtime Mrs Gomac was too full for anything however he knew she liked fruits from the replies breakfasts and offered that instead. Two things we were not expecting that impressed us…. (1) How much better the sommelier was. He got to know our preferences very well, he matched perfectly each course with a different wine, he proactively brought glasses of what he thought we would like as we sat down and knew I liked a desert wine and port to finish. He took time to explain why he was matching each wine with some impressive suggestions (all of which he somehow managed to get through the drinks package). (2) Lunch is a massive step up from Britannia. I don’t think there is a more splendid afternoon than a freshly made pasta dish with a crisp glass of wine sat out on the Grill courtyard on a sunny day. We normally skip lunch on Cunard and instead have breakfast and dinner, instead we usually only had coffee or fruit for breakfast and lunch and dinner. The standout dish for us was the rack of lamb from the a la carte, the perfect taste and fattiness with a lovely cabernet sauvignon to match and it made the wine taste like butter. They even got me a side of fries to have a salted crispy side. We were by far the youngest in the dining room, the Maitre D (in jest) told us he was surprised to have such a young couple in the grills but he and his team made us most welcome. We love it!
 

Grills experience:

Check in and boarding was seamless in Singapore, however it wasn’t very busy at all. The Grills lounge was a lovely spot for a day drink with our books and a pre dinner cocktail. The team got to know our preferences very quickly and the canapés were markedly better. The one negative was the Grills deck. The sunbeds were wonderfully luxurious but there was no service at all. We had to continuously go and hunt down a waiter for a drink or water. Very strange given the rest of the Grills experience but we thought the Lido pool was much better and easier for sitting out with a drink and getting good service.

 

Now we are sold on the grills and did indeed submit a bid for PG on our upcoming QM2 transatlantic next week but unfortunately it’s sold out so we have to resign ourselves to Britannia!

Edited December 28, 2023 by Gomac

[Gomac]

[Jack E Dawson]

Thanks Gomac, 

We thought you would like the step-up to PG, like you we were blown away by the difference from Britannia, especially the dining. However, one surprise with your comments was the lack of service on the Grills terrace. Our one experience on the QE (4 months ago, Panama Canal)) was just the opposite. Chilled fresh fruit kabobs were brought around at 10:00, finger sandwiches at 11:00, ice cream 14:00 and full tea service at 15:30. In-between we were often approached for drinks. Your cabin was most impressive. Besides the balcony door, I see you also had a window. Thanks for the feedback and I still wouldn't give up hope for your upgrade bid being accepted. 

Jack

[WantedOnVoyage]

The Grills Deck "service" on two cruises in QV (May and September) was hit or miss... almost entirely miss in May and  in September, it was present only enough to make you wonder who turns it on or off, seemingly at will on any given day.  A big cutback in my opinion.  I was not the only one to notice it, either.  

 

Love the size of these forward cabins but my goodness, no thanks... I am immune from seasickness after four months in ST. HELENA but not my wife... she could not last past Calshot in one of these. I would imagine in a headsea, you'd hear and feel a lot of pounding and shuddering, too. 

Edited December 29, 2023 by WantedOnVoyage