A Assessment of Our Return to Cunard’s Queen Anne
General Rating: 90 out of 100 factors.
We sailed on Cunard’s Queen Anne for the primary 9 nights of her maiden 111-night world cruise. This was additionally her maiden transatlantic crossing. We had tough climate for about six days. This included ten-meter swells, which I assume means 30 toes from the highest to the underside of the wave. Our captain, Inger Klein Thorhauge, did her greatest to chart a southerly course to keep away from the worst climate. This had the sudden advantage of days with outside temps near 60 levels – In January! Because the maiden transatlantic crossing, it was a studying expertise for everybody.
The observations and analysis are my very own and don’t embrace rumour from different passengers. We paid our personal fare however did obtain sure perks like free web. At no level did I point out to any crew or fellow passengers my function as a journey author.
Boarding and disembarking. Allow us to take into account these as two separate classes:
- Boarding: We booked the Cunard airport to ship switch. We entered the Arrivals space at Heathrow, recognized ourselves to the guy with the Cunard signal and had been requested to take a seat and wait. half-hour later, our group was led to the Cunard bus. Our luggage went beneath and we had been on our method to Southampton. Right here is the cool half: We didn’t must reclaim our baggage! It was transferred from the bus to the ship and delivered to our cabin. We walked into the terminal and stored transferring by means of registration and safety, then onto the ship. That is our quickest and smoothest ever expertise. Rating: 5/5.
- Disembarking: In New York we booked the Cunard ship to airport switch. We had been nearly the primary group off the ship at 7:40 AM. We claimed our baggage in Brooklyn. Porters had been in all places and we tipped. They adopted us by means of Immigration, on to the bus. There was a small JFK bus and a big one to which we had been directed. Our baggage went into the big one. From this level, we waited greater than an hour! We had little info, however ultimately realized six individuals who booked the switch weren’t there. Everybody waited till they arrived! Rating: 2/5.
Well being: We’re previous the Covid testing days, so this isn’t the difficulty it was because the lockdown has been lifted. Cunard takes well being severely. They suggest medical health insurance. They’ve some restrictions for passengers. (They received’t carry with sure medical situations.) You have got ample alternatives to scrub your fingers on a regular basis. Rating: 10/10.
Ship Design. We had firsthand expertise of the ship in stormy climate. Our cabin was 4003, within the Balcony Ahead class. There was one cabin past us, then a door into crew house within the bow. Our cabin was very noisy. Loads of booms because the ship hit waves. One evening felt like sleeping on horseback. If we had 10 meter swells, that’s probably a Pressure 9 or Pressure 10 on the 12 level Beaufort scale. That’s termed a Robust/Extreme Gale (9) or a Entire Gale (10). (Footnote 1) In my view, due to our (far) ahead location, we felt the storm greater than most different passengers. Any ship harm we noticed was beauty. (damaged flooring tiles within the Artesian Meals Corridor). Allow us to get again to the subject of ship design. The ship has a big, lined pool space midship, The Pavillion. This could be a “drive in” film, while you use the wi-fi headphones offered. It was used for the Captain and Officers celebration reception. It may be a casual eating space for lunch. Nevertheless, Queen Anne shouldn’t be an ocean liner like Queen Mary 2. You are feeling the movement on tough seas and the pool is closed on tough days. Rating: 8/10.
Stateroom: We booked a balcony stateroom, the situation TBD earlier than crusing. I assume our cabin was assigned by pc. It wound up being in direction of the bow. It has a superb structure. The balcony was a minimum of 10/10 toes! This is likely to be due to the ahead location, nevertheless it’s the most important balcony we ever had! The bogs are fantastic. The showers are giant with glass doorways. There may be loads of cupboard space within the cabin. In my view, the Brittania Class balcony cabins are about the identical dimension as the opposite Cunard Queens. Rating: 10/10.
Procuring. I purchased a Barbour coat for $354 onboard. An identical Barbour jacket runs about $415 earlier than tax within the US. That’s a few 20% financial savings. The ship has the standard jewellery, watch and fragrance shops. One of many featured audio system was the Managing Director of the Theo Faberge jewellery agency. He had nice tales, but was additionally promoting his agency’s customized jewellery. The artwork gallery additionally had a sequence of talks within the Queens Room. They had been fascinating, taking into consideration the last word intention is for folks to purchase artwork onboard. Nobody has perfected onboard buying, however this got here shut. Rating: 9/10.
Meals. I’ve at all times been happy with the meals on Cunard ships. We dined within the Brittania Eating Room (Deck 2), which serves the vast majority of passengers. We had been second seating (8:15 PM). We tried Freedom Eating to see the way it works. Though I assumed you wanted to order a time for this Deck 3 part of the Brittania Eating Room, you possibly can merely present up and request a desk. We arrived at 6:00 PM and had been dropped at Deck 2 and seated at an empty desk through the First Seating. We weren’t held to the primary seating timetable and our meal proceeded at a leisurely tempo. My sense is the general meat alternatives leaned in direction of pork and hen, away from beef and lamb, as previously. This was extra obvious within the Artesian Meals Corridor. Nevertheless, Cunard has added an incredible characteristic. The dinner menu signifies you possibly can at all times order steak frites, roast hen or baked salmon should you don’t want that night’s entrée selections. We had lunch at Sir Samuels, the steakhouse with a supplemental cost. The meal was glorious. Rating: 9/10.
Drink: I’m a fan of the Cunard wine lists. There are many bottles below $50 (and even $40) on the record. The choice is broad. Cunard lets you deliver a bottle of your personal wine to rejoice an important day. That is topic to a corkage cost within the eating room. The drink costs are truthful. A gin martini runs about $12.80 earlier than service cost. They’ve free fountain juices within the Artesian Meals Corridor. Rating: 10/10.
Leisure. I didn’t suppose the speaker lineup was pretty much as good as on different voyages. I didn’t discover them a giant draw personally. The naming voyage had well-known personalities. That is her first world cruise! There have been highlights: They supplied Spanish classes every day! There was an eight-session inventive writing class, extending into the subsequent voyage section! An Improv group carried out an impromptu homicide thriller 3 times through the voyage. They carried out nice Improv workshops! The Vibrant Lights Society, a nightclub setting, has two nice reveals, Fizz and Noir. Rating: 9/10.
Ports. On a transatlantic crossing, there are none! You begin in Southampton and arrive in New York. Climate prompted us to dock in New York a day later than anticipated. This didn’t have an effect on the crusing schedule as a result of there was an in a single day deliberate in New York, however the passengers reserving Friday excursions had them cancelled as a result of we arrived on Saturday. Rating: 10/10.
Employees Attentiveness. Once we first sailed on the naming voyage final Spring, numerous the employees had been new. They had been supplemented by skilled employees from different Cunard ships. On this voyage, the state of affairs nonetheless felt the identical. The stateroom cellphone has no “Call your steward” button nor was there a card with the steward’s title and a cellphone quantity to succeed in them. Our steward was satisfactory at greatest. Our first waitstaff workforce within the eating room was lackluster. They didn’t handle passengers by title or appear enthusiastic. (We modified tables mid voyage.) Our second waitstaff was spectacular. They had been at all times checking on us and supplied good recommendation. The headwaiter and maître d’ had been additionally glorious. The maître d’ defined he met us beforehand on a Cunard voyage. Our wine steward was aimable however may have been extra educated. Rating: 8/10.
Photographs credit score Bryce Sanders
Excessive Factors:
- That is spectacular. You may at all times get a connection.
- TV motion pictures. There’s a gigantic choice.
- Vibrant Lights Society. That is an intimate leisure venue with nice reveals.
- Improv group. The reveals and the workshops had been glorious.
- Inventive writing courses. An excellent concept!
- Pavillion pool space. This can be a nice multipurpose house. Positioned midships, it swayed lower than different areas of the ship.
- All the time obtainable dinner entrees: Steak Frites, salmon or roast hen.
Areas for Enchancment:
- TV information channels. Though there are 4 (BBC, SKY, MSNBC and CNBC) There may be little information. Solely a few tales that don’t change a lot.
- If the ship carries extra passengers than the QV or QE, they need to a minimum of have a library of the identical dimension, or a minimum of with as many books.
- No ship morning TV program. This was a chat present highlighting main actions for the day. It obtained you interested by the audio system.
- Much less navigation info than earlier than. On the opposite Queens, you noticed particulars on the wind velocity, particularly the Beaufort scale degree (measures wind velocity at sea or on land). I didn’t see this on the navigation display screen or within the noontime ship’s place and climate updates.
The well-known Cunard expertise is alive and nicely on Queen Anne, however for the transatlantic crossing, Queen Mary 2 is the perfect ship.
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Additionally see General Assessment: Cunard Queen Anne Naming Ceremony Voyage ~So very a lot to love! – All Issues Cruise
Cowl photograph: Queen Anne credit score Cunard
