Cunard Cruise line

Holland America are great

I’ve been on about ten Cunard cruises on Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria, always in Queen’s Grill and have enjoyed it very much.

I went thanks to Galen who I met on Gransnet. She kindly invited me to join her after my DH died and we got along very well. I could not afford to travel in such style myself so am very grateful for the opportunity.

I’d go again in a heartbeat but Galen is not well enough to travel now, sadly.

Lesley60

I’ve only cruised on Princess and it took me over twenty years to persuade my husband, he thought it would be snobby and he would have to wear a tux, but he was pleasantly surprised that smart trousers and a tie was acceptable for formal night.
now we are both addicted but I’m afraid to go on any other cruise line incase it doesn’t match up to Princess.
If anyone has found something better or comparable to Princess I will be interested to know, we don’t like partying or snobbery

Forgot to mention I feel a balcony is a must and we always have a drinks package, I’m not a big drinker but enjoy trying different cocktails and my husband likes to try all the different whiskies not all on one night I hasten to add 😂

Barbadosbelle

.

It's wonderful.
You'll have a marvellous time.
Bump up to Grill grade if you can - It's amazing and well worth it.
.

Pardon my ignorance but what’s grill grade

I’ve only cruised on Princess and it took me over twenty years to persuade my husband, he thought it would be snobby and he would have to wear a tux, but he was pleasantly surprised that smart trousers and a tie was acceptable for formal night.
now we are both addicted but I’m afraid to go on any other cruise line incase it doesn’t match up to Princess.
If anyone has found something better or comparable to Princess I will be interested to know, we don’t like partying or snobbery

We've been on Cunard a few times but found it a bit too big and slightly money grubbing. They're always trying to upsell.
We now much prefer Viking Ocean cruises. Much smaller ships, all balcony cabins and absolutely no extras to pay.

I went on the QE2 many years ago, it was a Caribbean cruise over the Christmas /NY period and I hated it. So many people trying to be other than what they were and it was all about getting dressed up for formal nights, knew there would be several formal evenings so bought loads of new clothes which I mostly never wore again.
Vowed to never cruise again but was persuaded many years later to cruise to Alaska with Regent Seven Seas which was excellent. Amazing service, choice of several restaurants, very relaxed, great outings, knowledgeable guides and very nice guests, predominantly Americans. Been on several cruises with them since and cannot fault them.

I loved Queen Elizabeth but we took the cruise so many years ago when the present Queen Elizabeth was on its second voyage.

.

It's wonderful.
You'll have a marvellous time.
Bump up to Grill grade if you can - It's amazing and well worth it.
.

DH & I have done 8 cruises with Cunard (QM2, QE & QV) in the past 4 years and absolutely love it. We’ve got Queen Anne booked in November & I’m doing a solo on QE in January whilst my DH is in Asia which is quite brave for me!
Can’t compare with other cruise lines as we’ve not tried any.
Happy cruising!!!

I was fortunate that my late husband worked for the parent company and I got to enjoy many cruises( while he was working on board) including Transatlantic crossings on QM2. Loved it

For those who are inexperienced Cruisers, or even just thinking about their first one, there's a wealth of advice out there, on various forums. Cruise.co.uk is just one, you'll find very few questions that you can think of that haven't been asked and answered before?!

We've been on about a dozen cruises, assorted lines, not Cunard but we've met folk who were semi-regulars with them.

I'm afraid we got the impression that the line suits folk who are trying to "get one up on the Joneses" - also those who like a very trad way of doing things. And that's not for us, we swerve the fancy dressing-up nights wherever found, use the buffet instead (so then you can have 3 starters and 4 puddings if you like, or just a main course, whatever?!).

The 'Curly' mention that "Oceania was head & shoulders" was quite amusing, that line is one of a group that we call the '6 star' group, where service is off the charts (& and some lines are 'smart/casual' too) but as stated the prices reflect that! Other similar high-standard lines would be Regent, Crystal, Seabourn, Silversea, and perhaps Viking too.

A line called Azamara also offers an 'upper class' experience, also very high on the service scale, smaller ships though (which some prefer) and not quite as dear as the 6-star group!

An alternative to Cunard for Brits of the more mature age scale would be Fred Olsen, tried and trusted offerings (but likely an older ship).

We liked Celebrity as a line, but if you choose them you'll likely meet a higher percentage of American and European passengers, depending on the route. But remember that Chump was only elected by a minority of Americans?!

These days we are wary about flying (so much hanging about!) and that reduces your cruise options of course!

Lots of website bookers, we always had good service from 'IGLU' (I think they have a skiiing dept too?!), and I think Bolsover Cruise club (ties in with a recent 'Peak District' thread?!) are also OK.

Curly whirly- you sound seasoned enough to me,on all those trips.😁

Quite rightDebi58 you can't take it with you! We went on Queen Victoria to the Baltic capitals some years ago, it was wonderful. We've just booked the Panama Canal with Holland America for next March.

Thanks again . I think i'll book one . Its a special occasion and we can afford it , so why not

Hiya! I been on Cunard a couple of time. Smart atire, and at least one or two gala evenings if going for a week or money. Dress for going out for a meal at home, and glam up for the gala evening. Although there are areas less formal, but why not go for it. Famous for the afternoon teas. I'm claustrophobic, so balcony cabin, but inside cabins offer best prices but no window! Loads of speakers, shows . Basically cashless, unless casino & tips are added to your bill. Currency is usa dollars. If paying by card it's often cheaper not to let cruise line convert it as poorer exchange rate. Have fun.😁

Yes i love Cunard. A bit more expensive than many others but to my mind totally worth the extra. The entertainment and service is reliably good but Cunard tends to cater a little more for the slightly older cruiser so don't expect some of the family stuff you find on the likes of Celebrity and Virgin.
Dress is more formal which we love.

Wonderful, the stabilisers on the QM2 are incredible, rough seas and such a smooth crossing. We were upgraded to Princess Grill with our own dining room and afternoon tea with white gloved waiters. Woukd go again in a heartbeat if we could afford it!

Am going on QV in August, not tried Cunard before but hear good reports.

QM2, NY to Miami via various Carribbean Islands. For me it was all about the ship, LOVED it.

My son and his wife go at least twice a year on a Cunard cruise. They have also taken their young ones girls who love it. They recently did the Eclipse cruise recently with their little girls.
They are going again on a week's cruise in November. They have been on Anne, Victoria and Mary.
They like it as its so relaxed they are both in their late 30's and seem to stick to Cunard.

Thanks everyone

Queen Victoria, many years ago.
Loved the old oak library.

I've only done a transatlantic crossing with Cunard. DH and I sailed back from New York on Queen Mary 2. We had a balcony cabin with a restricted view. There was a lifeboat outside.
We loved it and would like to do a world cruise with them, but I doubt we will ever be able to afford it.

We are going on Queen Anne at the end of October. We have had lots of good reports from friends.
Really looking forward to it.
Will report back when we return.