Queen Anne Commodore Club

[canoncruiser]

I have just seen Chris Frame’s video on the Queen Anne on YouTube and I was troubled by what he described as changes being made to the Commodore Club. I have just gotten home from a 73 Day Grand Africa cruise on Holland America’s Zuiderdam. Much was splendid about the HA ship and the cruise EXCEPT what they have done to the Crow’s Nest-their equivalent of the Commodore Club. In earlier years the Crow’s Nest was a splendid bar with a night clubby feel,  it was in the front of the ship with views forward and piano music in the evenings. HA has transformed and enlarged the space into a small bar, plus coffee bar, plus games room, plus shore excursions. The bar had a limited drinks selection and with essentially no regular night life as before-in the evening it was nearly empty most of the time.  

Chris Frame indicates that Cunard is about to effect something of the same thing on Queen Anne with a coffee bar-what else is in store I fear to imagine. Coffee availability is fine - as on QV and QE- but not a facility apart from the Club itself. 

Chris’s video struck me as an anticipatory apologia for some ‘innovations’ which some Cunarders may find offensive. Hope I’m wrong. He did say that Cunard had nothing to do with it’s creation.

 

[Guest SilverHengroen]

I guess the only advice here is wait and see. Cunard haven't even released a render yet which might signal their intention for Queen Anne's CC, and how people actually use it in practice may still differ from what Cunard intend. It looks like it will be a very large room compared to the equivalent on QE & QV. With the Hemispheres/ Yacht Club not being adjacent, perhaps Queen Anne's CC will take on some of that role itself? The deck plan indicates enough room for a central dance floor. 

[D&N]

Watched it (fast forwarding) due to this post.

He doesn't say much really other than re-hashing a whole load of historical stuff.

I'd say the OP comments on Zuiderdam are probably more relevant.

 

I was interested in the comments and another video on his page though. Are he and Emma associated? Her stuff at least gives lots of information that could be useful to folk, even if the fast talking can be slightly annoying. Not sure I can say the same for any of his stuff I've watched.

[Pushpit]

The QA deck plan shows a piano in place, right slap in the middle between the bar and the seating area. Now deck plans can change of course, but as things stand it looks to be a large version of what is on the other Cunard ships. And by having a piano in that location, with the bar then feeding into a fan effect of seating, this would make it difficult to be anything other than something that most Cunarders would recognise. The Commodore Club does provide Illy coffee already. Like QE and QM2, but unlike QV, QA is due to have a Carinthia Lounge on deck 3, which is fairly close to the Sales office on deck 2.

[WantedOnVoyage]

Squinting can cause horrible wrinkles... and will not disguise the fact... in configuration, in concept... that this latest "Cunarder" is no such thing. QUEEN ANNE is a Pinnacle-class off the shelf Carnival "platform".  Now, you might argue that QUEEN VICTORIA and QUEEN ELIZABETH are also off the shelf Vista-class ships. And be quite correct. You can judge if you prefer a Vista to a Pinnacle but those of us who were once loyal Holland America Line customers know what happened to the experience that we liked and came back for.  It was destroyed in five years. And can see precisely that QUEEN ANNE is the thin edge of the wedge to achieve the same with Cunard.  A "Jumbotron" dominating the central lido deck may someone's idea of "updating" the Cunard experience. Not mine.  A "promenade" deck of 6-ft width in places with no view of anything is no such thing. 

 

The fact they are dragging out Chris Frame, Bill Miller et al to impart some Cunard lore and history to this novo HAL retread only reinforces the desire to keep us squinting and squinting.... 

[3rdGenCunarder]

I am trying to be hopeful that, although QA is a Pinnacle ship, Cunard will make better use of her spaces than HAL does with its Pinnacles. It isn't just the arrival of the Pinnacle ships that has diminished (I won't say "destroyed") the experience on HAL. It's their reduction of entertainment. I don't see that kind of change happening on QA. 

 

The "jumbotron" doesn't have to be a constant annoyance. We'll have to see how Cunard uses it. I know some lines have it glowing all day--at night, it's what you see most clearly when there's a Carnival or Something of the Seas in the distance. HAL does keep the screen on, but when I was on K'dam 4(?) years ago, there was no sound in the daytime. And the movies at night were great. 

 

The promenade deck...can't find a hopeful note there, no matter how hard I squint.

[WantedOnVoyage]

Well, Cunard have already severely diminished the entertainment aboard in anticipation of QUEEN ANNE, especially live music and the quality of what is left.  They used to have a really good live band in the Yacht Club. No more. And really good pianists in the Commodore. No more. The evening "entertainment" in the Yacht Club is... wait for it.... "karaoke" like some naff pub on a Saturday night. Or some some nonsense called "Silent Disco." You couldn't get a seat in the place after 10:30 pm now it's a ghost town.  QUEEN ANNE has gone one better... it apparently doesn't even have a Yacht Club.  So the change is already there.  I guess they figure if you squint hard enough, your hearing is effected too and you won't notice. 

[Austcruiser84]

Looking at the Queen Anne’s deck plans, I see little reason to be so concerned. Not only does the new ship offer so much more in the way of dining venues, she has many lounge and bar venues other than the Commodore Club:

 

- Bright Lights Club

- Corinthia Lounge

- Grand Lobby Bar

- Champagne Bar

- Chart Room

- Queen’s Room 

- Unnamed bar opposite the casino

 

Glad the CC is enlarged, though hope that they increase staffing accordingly (that’s my only complaint post-pandemic, where bar staff and restaurant staff have to service more tables than previously). The plan for utilising the space for coffee is to ensure it is multi-purpose and used throughout the day rather than being a relatively empty space during the day and then being busy only in the evenings. It’s about generating revenue (Cunard is ultimately a business). 

 

As for the promenade deck size, I don’t see this being a significant problem given the wealth of deck space on the higher levels. Yes, some passengers do like to sit out on the promenade but I’d wager that’s a very small percentage to those who prefer their own balcony. 

 

Time will tell, but there were plenty of seasoned cruisers griping about the under construction QM2 not being as good as the QE2 back in the early 00s who ultimately ended up loving the new flagship (just as I am sure those who loved QM and QE back in the 30s-60s were wary of the QE2 initially). Change always creates unease initially but we all ultimately adapt and get on with it (though again I stress the net positives with so many more dining and public venues on this new ship). 

[Pushpit]

In addition QA also has a

 

- Golden Lion (seems larger too, has some Alternative Dining options)

- Sir Samuel's

- Panama Pool Club bar (presumably similar to Broadwalk)

- Sky Bar

- Cabana Bar - with telescopes

 

The change from Yacht Club to Bright Lights Society is presumably to be relevant to a generation for whom YC (let alone G32) would be a mystery. 

 

I don't quite see the Barbarians getting over the railings just yet, but I'm certainly interested in seeing it before jumping to too many conclusions.

[tacticalbanjo]

I know people love to be sniffy about the silent discos but when I was on QV in November the Yacht Club was packed for it and when they ran one in the Queens Room it was so popular they ran out of headphones. 
 

Yes, I wish they’d bring back the party bands and karaoke is not my cup of tea but I had a great time on QV this year and I have 5 bookings over the next two years so clearly Cunard haven’t frightened me off yet. 

[NE John]

Also…bucking the trend on many ships, QA has kept the Library and Churchill’s Cigar Lounge.
The marketing for QA seems skewed towards those in their 40’s with more grown children and more disposable income. Many younger people I speak to seem excited to hear about dressing up in Cunard.
There’s still enough on QA to be familiar to us and new at the same time. I’ve also heard fun things about Silent Disco from varying age groups. I haven’t tried it yet though. 
My only gripe is that the cabins and suites on QA seem to have less square footage vs Vistas and certainly less than QM2. Especially the smaller suites in PG. 

[Austcruiser84]

Presumably with smaller cabins Cunard would be hoping passengers spend more time out and about in the ship spending money. 
 

Re: silent discos and silent spaces, I find that it very much depends on the cruise and passenger demographics as to whether venues are busy or quiet late at night. The older the crowd on average, the quieter it is late at night. At least in my observations. 
 

Cunard is smart to start targeting those in their 40s. Old enough to like formality and young enough to be around in another decade 🙂

[tacticalbanjo]

6 hours ago, Austcruiser84 said:

Presumably with smaller cabins Cunard would be hoping passengers spend more time out and about in the ship spending money. 
Cunard is smart to start targeting those in their 40s. Old enough to like formality and young enough to be around in another decade 🙂

And they have parents they can bring along for the ride! 

[exlondoner]

On 12/30/2023 at 12:05 AM, WantedOnVoyage said:

Squinting can cause horrible wrinkles... and will not disguise the fact... in configuration, in concept... that this latest "Cunarder" is no such thing. QUEEN ANNE is a Pinnacle-class off the shelf Carnival "platform".  Now, you might argue that QUEEN VICTORIA and QUEEN ELIZABETH are also off the shelf Vista-class ships. And be quite correct. You can judge if you prefer a Vista to a Pinnacle but those of us who were once loyal Holland America Line customers know what happened to the experience that we liked and came back for.  It was destroyed in five years. And can see precisely that QUEEN ANNE is the thin edge of the wedge to achieve the same with Cunard.  A "Jumbotron" dominating the central lido deck may someone's idea of "updating" the Cunard experience. Not mine.  A "promenade" deck of 6-ft width in places with no view of anything is no such thing. 

 

The fact they are dragging out Chris Frame, Bill Miller et al to impart some Cunard lore and history to this novo HAL retread only reinforces the desire to keep us squinting and squinting.... 

 

I can’t see any grounds for pessimism, looking at the plans, for what they are worth. And I well remember the horror when QV was impending, even more so the first version, which was diverted to become Arcadia. Yet it turned out not to be so bad. 

[Hoveto]

For me Queen Anne is 10% larger than QE and QV but carries 50% more passengers. No promenade deck, very little open deck space except around the pools and an extra bit here and there. The grills terrace is going to packed with rows and rows of loungers - not the type of grills experience I’m looking for. Overall I think this ship is going to be a step change for Cunard. I hope I’m wrong. Waiting to read the first reviews, although some will say it’s marvellous whatever it’s like.

[Victoria2]

52 minutes ago, Hoveto said:

For me Queen Anne is 10% larger than QE and QV but carries 50% more passengers. No promenade deck, very little open deck space except around the pools and an extra bit here and there. The grills terrace is going to packed with rows and rows of loungers - not the type of grills experience I’m looking for. Overall I think this ship is going to be a step change for Cunard. I hope I’m wrong. Waiting to read the first reviews, although some will say it’s marvellous whatever it’s like.

Well I will let you know.

 

I don't pull my punches and I was most sceptical initially to the point of no way Jose

but

QE is down under

QV will be wowing the Med and we're not flying yet

and I'm not a fan of QM2

so we're left with little choice.

 

I promise to be both objective, and subjective at the same time.

Promise.👍

[NE John]

With 50% more pax and only 10% more space (please define. Tonnage?) you make a stronger case for upgrading to “The Grills”. 

[3rdGenCunarder]

31 minutes ago, NE John said:

With 50% more pax and only 10% more space (please define. Tonnage?) you make a stronger case for upgrading to “The Grills”. 

 

Are you sure about those numbers? That sounds extreme, but I do expect the ship to feel more crowded. I certainly felt it on a HAL pinnacle compared to a HAL Vista. The large MDR on the HAL pinnacles makes for a noisy venue. I don't know if Cunard can/will do something to control the sound. 

 

I want to trust Cunard to do a good job with the layout of QA, but I also want to have an enjoyable cruise. Although I'm normally happy in Britannia, I've booked PG for my QA cruise. It's going to be warm weather, a lot of sea days, and I'm looking forward to lounging on the Grills Terrace.

[WantedOnVoyage]

I don't think it's that hard to find the passenger capacity... 

 

QUEEN ANNE 2,996 pax, 113,000 grt  =  37.71 grt per pax density

QUEEN VICTORIA 2,061 pax, 90,000 grt =  43.66 grt per pax density

QUEEN MARY 2 2,691 pax, 148,528 grt =  55.19 grt per pax density

 

Them's the facts, so you judge if you prefer a higher density of passengers on your cruise ship or a lesser one.  Carnival bean counters know what they prefer....

 

 

[NE John]

41 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Are you sure about those numbers? That sounds extreme, but I do expect the ship to feel more crowded. I certainly felt it on a HAL pinnacle compared to a HAL Vista. The large MDR on the HAL pinnacles makes for a noisy venue. I don't know if Cunard can/will do something to control the sound. 

 

I want to trust Cunard to do a good job with the layout of QA, but I also want to have an enjoyable cruise. Although I'm normally happy in Britannia, I've booked PG for my QA cruise. It's going to be warm weather, a lot of sea days, and I'm looking forward to lounging on the Grills Terrace.

I was quoting @Hoveto’s numbers that have been published by Cunard. 
Another very knowledgeable poster on these boards said that space on a cruise ship is calculated by more than just tonnage. That’s why I ask how do we define space available. 
In general though, there seems to be too much “doom and gloom” over QA so let’s see what pax with first hand experience have to say. Cunard needs to move ahead and attract the next generation of loyal pax, like they’ve done for generations. 

[seacruise9]

Hi, 

 

I am still hoping for the best regarding the Queen Anne. In fact, I optimistically booked the ship's 98-day World Cruise departing in January 2025.

 

My most recent cruises were on the Queen Elizabeth (August 2023) and Rotterdam (November 2023). I like both the Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth and think Cunard did a fine job distinguishing these ships from the Holland America Vista Class ships. Also, I enjoyed my recent cruise on the Rotterdam. I agree that the narrow promenade deck is not a positive development, but I still managed to take my walks around the promenade deck each day. At least it wraps completely around the ship (although much of the walk is behind life boats and is very narrow in places). Overall, I was pleased with my cruise on the Rotterdam.

 

I started sailing with Cunard on the QE2 in 1984. After 20 crossings/cruises with Cunard, I continue to be a big Cunard fan. Hopefully, I also will like the Queen Anne. 

 

Chuck

[WantedOnVoyage]

To be clear.... "grt" is gross registered tonnage. It is a measure of SPACE in the first place. Not of weight (displacement) or carriage (deadweight).  So taking the number of people in a ship of so many grt gives you a pretty far comparison of how much room you have as a passenger one ship vs another. Ditto the number of crew per passenger gives you an indication of service levels. 

 

I am not quite sure how the age of the passenger demographic fits into all this.... do "young" people like less space and more people at sea? I made my first ocean voyages aged 16 in Tourist Class on FRANCE and RAFFAELLO... even as a dopey teenager I knew what cramped was and aspired thereafter to... spacious. 

[Jim9310]

4 hours ago, WantedOnVoyage said:

I don't think it's that hard to find the passenger capacity... 

 

QUEEN ANNE 2,996 pax, 113,000 grt  =  37.71 grt per pax density

QUEEN VICTORIA 2,061 pax, 90,000 grt =  43.66 grt per pax density

QUEEN MARY 2 2,691 pax, 148,528 grt =  55.19 grt per pax density

 

Them's the facts, so you judge if you prefer a higher density of passengers on your cruise ship or a lesser one.  Carnival bean counters know what they prefer....

 

 

Another interesting comparison for "Bean Counters":

QUEEN ANNE - Passengers/Crew members =  37

QUEEN VICTORIA - Passengers/Crew members = 21

QUEEN MARY - Passengers/Crew members = 20

[D&N]

4 hours ago, Jim9310 said:

Another interesting comparison for "Bean Counters":

QUEEN ANNE - Passengers/Crew members =  37

QUEEN VICTORIA - Passengers/Crew members = 21

QUEEN MARY - Passengers/Crew members = 20

Very interesting.

Can't really imagine what difference GRT/passenger makes. Just a wee bit more or less space.

Passengers/Crew members makes a massive difference to service.

[Austcruiser84]

6 hours ago, Jim9310 said:

Another interesting comparison for "Bean Counters":

QUEEN ANNE - Passengers/Crew members =  37

QUEEN VICTORIA - Passengers/Crew members = 21

QUEEN MARY - Passengers/Crew members = 20

The statistical comparison on its own isn’t enough to suggest lower standards. We would need to know how the crew are distributed across the ship. Given it’s a new and modern ship could be that fewer are allocated to engineering and maintenance (as technology undoubtedly has improved since 2010 when QE launched) and more to the hotel side of the ship.