Just off QM2 it has really gone downhill in 2 years

[s.s.France]

Reading the first initial post, I cant help to feel its written with some irony in mind?  Of course, "Cunard going dowhill" is always the hottest topic...  I would just be happy if the captains reception would come back. Its dearly missed. To me it was always the high point of a voyage.

[MCC retired]

White Gloved service and over priced chocolates in Sir Samual's are not that important to us 

but the complaints about Brittania service do concern me. On the job training I guess?

 

We were supposed to be aboard this "400th" crossing and expected a bit more special things and events than mentioned here?

 

Had to cancel 3 weeks out due to our ill pet dog.

 

Note

Cunard Care feature of "Cancel for any reason 75% Future Cruise Credit" was wonderful .

Even covered 75% of the Cunard Complete Airfare loss .

 

 

[ExArkie]

13 minutes ago, s.s.France said:

Reading the first initial post, I cant help to feel its written with some irony in mind?  Of course, "Cunard going dowhill" is always the hottest topic...  I would just be happy if the captains reception would come back. Its dearly missed. To me it was always the high point of a voyage.

I was trying figure out how one makes a ship traveling on an ocean go downhill. Aren’t oceans pretty much all at sea level, without hills?

[exlondoner]

10 minutes ago, ExArkie said:

I was trying figure out how one makes a ship traveling on an ocean go downhill. Aren’t oceans pretty much all at sea level, without hills?

When at school (dreadful days, long ago), we were told that one end of the Panama Canal was lower than the other. This may have been untrue, like so much of the rest of the stuff one was told.

[Victoria2]

3rdGenCunarder, I love Hershay's Nuggets and Kisses and would be delighted to see them in place of any other bedtime choc!

They are both so pricey over in the UK, my US friends always bring me some when they visit. 😀

[*Miss G*]

Hershey’s chocolate is very grainy and tastes like vomit.  For real.  Maybe include them in a box of Bertie Botts.

[Slugsta]

@3rdGenCunarder I'm with you on the dark chocolate!

[Victoria2]

27 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

Hershey’s chocolate is very grainy and tastes like vomit.  For real.  Maybe include them in a box of Bertie Botts.

I must have different taste buds then as Hershay is a real treat for me.😄

[rakkor]

I'm with @Miss G on this one, Hershey's chocolate tastes like vomit

[Kynance]

I think the recent change which has irked me the most is the radical make over of the cocktail offerings, especially in the Commodore Club where the signature Commodores range was completely revamped just before our trip in June. There are far fewer “sparklers” on the drinks menus now - and I was “forced” onto rose champagne instead! 😊 To be serious for a moment, it was really somewhat of a disappointment as pre-dinner drinks in the Commodore Club have always been a Cunard highlight for me. That said, I think the rosé champagne is clearly easing my disappointment as I’ve booked QM2 for next spring. 😀

 

I am with everyone who likes dark chocolate for the pillow chocolates - we now leave them behind - the milk ones are far too sweet for us. 

[Dermotsgirl]

24 minutes ago, rakkor said:

I'm with @Miss G on this one, Hershey's chocolate tastes like vomit

On my first ever holiday in the US, I bought a Hershey bar. After one bite, it went in the bin. It really does taste like vomit 

[3rdGenCunarder]

I like a nice pink champagne, but I was disappointed the first time I tried the Laurent Perrier--it has almost no taste. Bring back the Veuve Cliquot!

 

I was annoyed at the price change of my favorite cocktail on my recent cruise. I was in PG and had the drinks package. I think the cap was $12. I looked at the menu--$11, $11, $11, and WHAT???? Why has my honeysuckle daiquiri gone up to $13???? HAL has decided to be kind and charge only the overage if you have a drinks package. I had to pay full price for anything over the cap on Cunard. 

[*Miss G*]

36 minutes ago, Victoria2 said:

I must have different taste buds then as Hershay is a real treat for me.😄

 

What is wrong with you?!! 😂

[ace2542]

2 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

Well, I'm glad you aren't panicking. But for some of us chocolate is SERIOUS business!!!!!

 

I was horrified one night on QM2 in 2022 when the pillow chocolate was a Hersheys Nugget instead of the Godiva I was expecting to find. Hersheys that I can buy in a supermarket????? Fortunately, the next night, the chocolate was one of the generic ones that say "With Compliments" on the wrapper. Not Godiva, but good enough that I didn't jump overboard. And to be fair, it was larger than the Godiva chocolates, which diminished in size over the years.

QM2/Cunard was a big order for Godiva I am sure. I wonder why it ended. Why they didn't come to terms or why they didn't wish to and which party didn't wish to.

[maz48]

46 minutes ago, rakkor said:

I'm with @Miss G on this one, Hershey's chocolate tastes like vomit

Me too.

[DukeBeetle24]

5 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

QM2/Cunard was a big order for Godiva I am sure. I wonder why it ended. Why they didn't come to terms or why they didn't wish to and which party didn't wish to.

I think the only answer we'd ever get to these big questions is... Forty-two. 

[swjumbo]

I completely get the OP’s comments.

 

A small cut back here and there might appear trivial to some but these small ‘extras’ do make a big difference to a lot of us.

 

We’ve seen cutbacks with our favourite Celebrity Cruises and we are looking forward to our next voyage on QA.

 

I’m glad the OP has highlighted it. Thank you for giving us the heads up.

 

The advice given to the OP to contact Cunard directly will fall on deaf ears as they are a huge company looking at the bottom line and how to make money.

 

For as important as we think we are, and the crew make us feel special, a letter or email won’t make any difference to this massive organisation.

Edited September 2 by swjumbo

[Jim_Iain]

1 hour ago, rakkor said:

I'm with @Miss G on this one, Hershey's chocolate tastes like vomit

 

Hmmm.... I don't go so strong,  but think it tastes like candle wax.

[3rdGenCunarder]

11 minutes ago, Jim_Iain said:

 

Hmmm.... I don't go so strong,  but think it tastes like candle wax.

 

That's because they do put wax in it. That was a Hershey "improvement" to make the candy bars hold their shape better when they get warm.

[Jim_Iain]

7 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

That's because they do put wax in it. That was a Hershey "improvement" to make the candy bars hold their shape better when they get warm.

My taste goes to Belgian Dark --- Hold the wax.

[Victoria2]

59 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

What is wrong with you?!! 😂

How long you got?!!!!!😄

 

but, ignore all the rest of my innumerable faults, Hershay Kisses are delicious. Nuggets are OK.

[*Miss G*]

35 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

That's because they do put wax in it. That was a Hershey "improvement" to make the candy bars hold their shape better when they get warm.

 

I was like 😲 and had to google that!!  😂

 

Results returned a lot of comments related to the vomit taste so that’s a thing too!!  Who knew?!  🤷‍♀️

 

P.S.  I love that Cunard threads inevitably end on chocolate.  Or scones and clotted cream.  It’s kind of like turndown service.  Without the cruise.  (And the brawls on other boards.)

[space oddity]

OP, I'm sorry you (and any others out there) had an experience you thought fell short! 

 

I'm always struck by how different experiences can be, though. Without wishing to diminish anyone's complaints at all, I will say that we were also on this 400th crossing and thought it was great. This was our third QM2 crossing -- one pre-Covid, one after (2022) -- and both my wife and I thought it was better in various respects than the 2022 one, and in most (not all) ways represented a return to pre-Covid standards.  If I get a chance later this week I'll try to type up a proper review, but alas, real life may intervene!

 

As one example of a little thing that has gotten better: they've restarted the early "kids' dinner," which runs in the Chef's galley area off Kings Court, as an early-dinner option for kiddos.  (I don't remember the exact hours, but something like 4:30-5:30.) It wasn't on the daily programme, but was mentioned to those of us with children in the kids' clubs.  This was something we repeatedly took advantage of on a pre-covid crossing, but which wasn't present last time around -- now thankfully restored!

 

I will agree, though, that the service was a bit inconsistent in Brittania. For various reasons, we were mostly on fixed late dining (deck 2), but tried out two other sections (one deck 2, one deck 3) on different nights.  Of the three waitstaff teams, I would say one was absolutely superb; the other two were pretty good (i.e., orders were mostly taken promptly and accurately) but with some off bits (e.g., wine that arrived late).  The "superb" team were on a par with the best I've seen -- proactive, friendly, plus of course accurate and prompt.

 

I am with the other poster who said that my biggest disappointment was the change in the cocktails at the Commodore Club!  Probably not a cost-cutting move per se, just someone's idea of what people want.  (FWIW, at the cocktail tasting, one of the staff told that it was a move towards the historical "martini bar" nature of the Commodore Club.  All the new drinks are served up, martini-style.) Still my favourite place for a drink on the ship, though, and they can still make any "standard" drink, including many off the old list (just not the old "Commodore" specials) -- e.g., an Aviation or Corpse Reviver aren't on the list anymore, but I had them both. 

 

Anyway, hope your next one is better!  🙂

[RK-NC]

3 hours ago, MCC retired said:

We were supposed to be aboard this "400th" crossing and expected a bit more special things and events than mentioned here?

 

Primary focus was the lectures by Stephen Payne and Bill Miller. There was a special flag that was auctioned off and a commemorative piece of artwork for sale in the art gallery. 

[Bell Boy]

57 minutes ago, RK-NC said:

 

Primary focus was the lectures by Stephen Payne and Bill Miller. There was a special flag that was auctioned off and a commemorative piece of artwork for sale in the art gallery. 

Not forgetting the usual 'showcase 400th commemorative cake' on display in the grand lobby, an excellent gala dinner complete with the commemorative souvenir menu to take away and an interesting demographic of guests, many being ocean liner buffs with a wealth of Cunard experience   which made for stimulating conversation/interaction around the open bars in the evenings. (so busy meeting interesting fellow guests and interacting , didn't have time to miss the Canapés )  

The experience on this voyage was certainly a big highlight for me 👍 unlike my recent underwhelming experience on QA 👎