Quick review: 2 weeks on QE in the med, in a Q2 Suite

[s.s.France]

Two weeks on the Queen Elizabeth in the mediterranen in a Queens Grill Q2 Suite

 

9.-23.10 2023

Barcelona-Barcelona

The voyage was two one-week cruises from Barcelona with different initeraries stitched together.

Check-in in Barcelona was effortless. We arrived a bit ahead of our scheduled time of 1230 and went straight to a counter with no line.

We got a card with a assigned boarding group.

I would have expected to get group one since the top suites should be prioritized, but seemingly the cards where handed out according arrival time at the check in. So we waited until our group 4 was called and it was before 0100 we where in our beautiful suite.

I knew the suite from a previous voyage, but hadnt stayed in it myself. The layout is a bit strange, with the most important rooms like bedroom and sitting area away from the windows, instead the bath and dressing area have a window. Also, the large sitting area facing  the entry area is not very cosy.

A second separate toilet would also be nice. ( QM2´s  Q2 has two bathrooms) instead you can choose from five different places to arrange your hair/ makeup/ bowtie …

The dining table for 6 is nice, but oversized, who dines with so many people in the suite?

When I looked at the new suites on Queen Anne, they seem to have corrected that error and put all the important areas at the windowfront and bath and dressing room and dining table at the backwall.

Other than that, it was a delight to stay in this suite (7070) obviously.

A Bottle of Rosé Champagne was provided. There where no chocolates or strawberries as they used to.  ( they are listed still in the suite perks, though) We didnt see the Butler which I knew from a previous voyage until later the day. According to him we missed each other several times.  He was quiet, friendly and did a good job, we also had room service breakfeast set up by him.

The suite was in immaculate condition, as was the whole ship. Nothing to complain.

Service in the QG Restaurant was as good as it always has been, I could not notice a reduction in staff.

The food was absolutely fantastic, just one steak at lunch was really not so good.

The a la carte menu was, however, noticably smaller than I remember it.

Caviar on request no problem.

Both our sommeliers where very friendly and offered a very good personal service .

We had to ask specifically for a printed TV program. It was not provided, and it is not included in the my voyage app.

They still havent managed to format the movies correctly. Often the program ist stretched or compressed. Obviously no one cares. The size of the screen in the living room is quite small fort he space it occupies. They should replace it with a larger one soon.

There was no printed overwiev of the excursions either.

We got chocolate for turndown once or twice, but not more, for whatever reason. Not a problem we had enough food anyway.

As always, I had to ask for laundry bags, there should be more than one in the suite, or at least immediately restocked.

Internet was SUPERFAST!  The new Starlink did work, it was much faster than mine at home. I had strong reception everywhere, and permanent.

Still no captain´s reception, the world club party is really not a nice substitute. I wish they would bring it back.

The weather was near perfect for this time of the year. We had to cancel Ajaccio though due to bad weather, and had an additional sea day. This was the only day with bad weather. Decks closed due to strong wind and rain.

After one week a lot of the staff changed, and in the Queens Grill the maitre and sous-maitre changed. The new team was very much less engaging, and did seldomly stop to chat at the tables. It was even difficult to place an order for the evening in the second week. As a Diamond guest in Q2 Suite I am used to some more personal exchange. A world of difference to Osman´s Queens Grill on QM2.

Service in the Grill´s Lounge was very nice and earned a good tip. Very good , friendly and personal.

Deboarding went smooth, too – no lines, at the assigned time directly off the suite, well after breakfeast. I booked a private transfer through the very helpful Concierge, which was a very good idea. There was a very long line outside for taxis, but no taxis in sight…

All in all, a near-perfect cruise, not many negatives to report.

 

[portofrome]

Thank you for the review.

[Victoria2]

The dining table for 6 is nice, but oversized, who dines with so many people in the suite?

 

We dined for six a couple of times pre Covid.

It is a lovely way to spend a couple  of weeks but I agree about the layout. You can't take advantage of any views as you can in the aft 1s [especially the refitted QV1s] which is a shame and the powder room needs another loo!

 

[exlondoner]

I’m glad the cruise was so good. If you had a Q2 and a rotten time, that would be dreadful. Nonetheless, some of the omissions, nightly chocolates, printed tv schedules, laundry bags, all of which we had in a lesser cabin in August, are weird.

[BigMac1953]

6 around the table?

 

A few years ago, friends invited us to join them and others, including the Commodore and his wife, for lunch. Eight in total.

 

[tiggis]

We were also in QG but only for the first week of the OP's cruise.  I agree with all the comments the OP made.  Just a couple of additional points. Our 'free'' bottle (in a Q4) was actually Australian sparkling wine - not champagne. I don't know why.  (Another bottle of even less impressive sparkling wine appeared later in the week.).

I thought the bars - at least the ones we visited  and at the times we visited - were rather quiet.  I wondered if the imposition of Spanish IVA (10%) throughout the cruise (and not just in Spanish waters) might have had an effect.

In the Grill, our sommelier, as well as serving my bottom of the range rose, had the much greater challenge of attending to a party of two French couples, who were clearly wine connoisseurs.  Each night they had what seemed to be an expensive bottle of claret, which the sommelier had decanted in advance. He seemed to enjoy this interaction, and the French seemed very satisfied.

[WantedOnVoyage]

I was going to ask if that Spanish IVA nonsense remains throughout the cruise. Seems it does.  No more embarks for us in BCN.   Given recent published comments re. cruises and cruise passengers by the Mayor of Barcelona he certainly knows how to squeeze every penny out of them regardless. 

 

Does anyone know if the same applies for embarking in Italian ports??

 

Nice review... and the mystery bottles of sparkling whatevers continue to intrigue... in PG, we got the occasional extra bottle but left them in our fridge.  We got a nicer bottle from the shops after blowing our considerable on board credit on watches, though....

[exlondoner]

Nonsense?

[Host Hattie]

This is what the Cunard website says about IVA -

 

IVA (VAT) is European tax legislation applicable when travelling within the EU. 

Due to European VAT regulations Italian and Spanish IVA (VAT) tax is payable during your Mediterranean Fly Cruise. 

The Italian and Spanish IVA (VAT) will be due in different circumstances, please read on for details.

Information on when this tax is payable will be communicated to you on board via the ship’s newspaper. 

Due to European VAT regulations, Italian IVA (VAT) at a rate of 22% is payable during your Mediterranean Fly Cruise when starting and ending your voyage in an Italian port. This is due to the ship not calling at a port outside of the EU during this period.

Italian IVA (VAT) of 22% will be payable on the following on board items:

Goods purchased in the on board shops

Photo gallery

Products purchased in the spa (it does not apply, however, to treatments and services in the spa)

During the week where IVA will be charged you will be unable to purchase liquor and tobacco products to take home.

Due to European VAT regulations, Spanish IVA (VAT) at a rate of 10% or 21% (depending on the items purchased) is payable during your Mediterranean Fly Cruise when starting and ending your voyage in a Spanish port. This is due to the ship not calling at a port outside of the EU during this period.
Spanish IVA (VAT) of 10% will be payable on the following on board items: 

Bars

Restaurants – Select Dining Cover Charges

Room Service Menus

During the week where IVA will be charged you will be unable to purchase liquor and tobacco products to take home.

Spanish IVA (VAT) of 21% will be payable on the following on board items: 

Goods purchased in the on board shops

Photo gallery

Products purchased in the spa (it does not apply, however, to treatments and services in the spa)

Prices displayed on board are exclusive of Italian and Spanish IVA and therefore an additional 10% / 21% / 22% will be added to the advertised price upon purchase. The IVA (VAT) will be itemised separately on your receipt.

[WantedOnVoyage]

Thanks.... we are booked on QV from Southampton to Civitavecchia next May so should be exempt from this except for the usual in territorial waters which on QV the other week seemed to only apply to Spain, not Italy or Greece. Not sure how they figure this if you originate outside the EU. But if an issue, we'll cancel. 

 

Including the 18 percent service charge, you're looking at a 28% (!) add on to the drink or wine prices. No thanks. 

 

So farewell QV, old friend, at least until you escape from the EU!  

[exlondoner]

4 minutes ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

Thanks.... we are booked on QV from Southampton to Civitavecchia next May so should be exempt from this except for the usual in territorial waters which on QV the other week seemed to only apply to Spain, not Italy or Greece. Not sure how they figure this if you originate outside the EU. But if an issue, we'll cancel. 

 

Including the 18 percent service charge, you're looking at a 28% (!) add on to the drink or wine prices. No thanks. 

 

So farewell QV, old friend, at least until you escape from the EU!  

Presumably Cunard are not the only line to do this?

[Host Hattie]

No, it applies to all  cruises. 

Has the service charge recently increased from 15% to 18% or was that a typo ?

[WantedOnVoyage]

My apologies, it's 15%

[NE John]

48 minutes ago, Host Hattie said:

No, it applies to all  cruises. 

Has the service charge recently increased from 15% to 18% or was that a typo ?

Would purchasing a Drinks Package “inoculate” one from these VAT’s? For drinks covered by package obviously. 

[seasickphil]

We were also on this voyage but only in a Q6, our suite 4195 was quite uncomfortable, not the actual suite, that was fine but the clunking and shuddering was at times was quite unbearable. Can not remember noticing this in the aft suites on Victoria but had seen this mentioned on these boards before embarking, regarding the aft suites, we did try to change to a midship Q3 before sailing but was told that this was not possible. [ although1 suite was showing as available according to the website at the time ]

 

We also got a bottle of Pirie Sparkling on embarkation while others got the Laurent Perrier, while talking to the Concierge the next day this was mentioned and he said he would look into this for us, a bottle of the Champagne appeared in our suite later that day. No chocolate turn down service at all but did receive 2 Pink Himalayan Salted Caramel & Strawberry truffles on the first 2 day's.

The 10% IVA Tax did add a substantial amount to our bar bill but Cunard did not add the 21% IVA tax on anything bought from the shops.

While the actual food is, in our opinion, no better than some other lines but as we have said before on other threads on these boards we still think that Queens Grills is still the best dining experience at sea.

Our only disappointment was missing our call to Ajaccio [ of course out of Cunard's hands ] as this was the only Port on this cruise we have not been to before, apart from that we had a wonderful cruise.

[david63]

24 minutes ago, NE John said:

Would purchasing a Drinks Package “inoculate” one from these VAT’s? For drinks covered by package obviously. 

I don't think so

[techteach]

@david63 I’m wondering along with @NE John about how the tax is applied for the Drinks Package. @rakkor did you do a drinks package on your recent Med cruise?

[Jack E Dawson]

Wow, GREAT review s.s.France. Especially appreciate all of the details regarding your Q2 suite. Some really surprising information. Just curious, how broad was your selection of wine/sprits for the complimentary in-suite bar? 

Thanks again for taking the time to post. 

Harold

[rakkor]

5 hours ago, techteach said:

@david63 I’m wondering along with @NE John about how the tax is applied for the Drinks Package. @rakkor did you do a drinks package on your recent Med cruise?

 

We had a wine package which we pre-purchased direct from Cunard, Commodore's collection 

[s.s.France]

4 hours ago, Jack E Dawson said:

Wow, GREAT review s.s.France. Especially appreciate all of the details regarding your Q2 suite. Some really surprising information. Just curious, how broad was your selection of wine/sprits for the complimentary in-suite bar? 

Thanks again for taking the time to post. 

Harold

Thank you! The selection was the standard QG form, and I didnt ask for anything else. But on previous voyages I remember asking for something not on the list ( Johnny Walker Black Label) was no problem...

[Victoria2]

5 hours ago, Jack E Dawson said:

Wow, GREAT review s.s.France. Especially appreciate all of the details regarding your Q2 suite. Some really surprising information. Just curious, how broad was your selection of wine/sprits for the complimentary in-suite bar? 

Thanks again for taking the time to post. 

Harold

For info, this was QV's list last July. The selection slightly changes at times but this seems to be the core list.

 

If something isn't on the list and you would prefer it, it's worth asking if it's available as this list does change periodically and between ships.

 

Edited October 26, 2023 by Victoria2

[WantedOnVoyage]

To be clear, these "IVA" taxes are most certainly applicable to any and all drink packages.  If you ask Mr. Google, this is precisely what it causing a lot of angst and expense both for buyers of them and the lines selling them.

 

Even with a package, you are still getting a real bill for each and every drink you "buy" using your package.  And the full IVA is applied to that bill.  The cost for the drinks disappears, along with the service charge but NOT, repeat not.. this IVA.  Do they give you a bill for the bottles in QG suites, too?? Hope not. 

 

We had this on QE last year and shrugged it off as a Covid era blip... but it is clearly not going away unless the lines do something about it.  If I worked for the Tunis Tourist Development Board, I'd be beating a path to their doors... the work around this is for a non EU port to be on the itinerary.  Tunisia and Morocco seem the obvious ones for cruises originating in the Western Med.

 

Our QV cruise next May from Southampton calls en route at Turkish ports and winds up in Italy but I am going to insist that Cunard clarify... in writing... if these taxes apply... before final payment.  

[exlondoner]

17 minutes ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

To be clear, these "IVA" taxes are most certainly applicable to any and all drink packages.  If you ask Mr. Google, this is precisely what it causing a lot of angst and expense both for buyers of them and the lines selling them.

 

Even with a package, you are still getting a real bill for each and every drink you "buy" using your package.  And the full IVA is applied to that bill.  The cost for the drinks disappears, along with the service charge but NOT, repeat not.. this IVA.  Do they give you a bill for the bottles in QG suites, too?? Hope not. 

 

We had this on QE last year and shrugged it off as a Covid era blip... but it is clearly not going away unless the lines do something about it.  If I worked for the Tunis Tourist Development Board, I'd be beating a path to their doors... the work around this is for a non EU port to be on the itinerary.  Tunisia and Morocco seem the obvious ones for cruises originating in the Western Med.

 

Our QV cruise next May from Southampton calls en route at Turkish ports and winds up in Italy but I am going to insist that Cunard clarify... in writing... if these taxes apply... before final payment.  

The document HH posted refers to cruises that begin and end in the relevant country. So starting in Turkey should make you safe. We called at three Spanish ports in August, on a cruise from Soton, and paid no IVA.

 

The wine collection rakkor bought was paid for in advance, and would not attract the tax, unlike the drinks packages, where you pay as you go and get it reimbursed, apparently.

[WantedOnVoyage]

The confusing thing with many of these QV itineraries is that whilst one can board in Southampton and make a 21 day (or a 29-day one) ending in Italy, you can also do shorter segments of the same cruise indeed originating in Spain or Italy etc.How and who keeps track of all this?  Cunard has a hard enough time managing the zeroing out of the daily drink tab on the US Grills package as it is. 

 

 

[exlondoner]

6 minutes ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

The confusing thing with many of these QV itineraries is that whilst one can board in Southampton and make a 21 day (or a 29-day one) ending in Italy, you can also do shorter segments of the same cruise indeed originating in Spain or Italy etc.How and who keeps track of all this?  Cunard has a hard enough time managing the zeroing out of the daily drink tab on the US Grills package as it is. 

 

 

I know Cunard admin and IT are strangely deficient, but surely even they must have a record of where passengers boarded. 
 

Here is another thing for people to contemplate. How do they deal with a passenger who turns up at Soton with a UK passport for a cruise to six EU ports, having spent 89 days in the EU in the last four months? Is s/he allowed to board?