A large, but intimate ship. Beautifully styled and presented.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
The port of Southampton is always efficient at embarkation. The ship already had a high number of German guests on board so this made the terminal very quiet. We didn’t have to wait at all and went straight to the check-in desks.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The service and food were excellent as always. Our evening waiters were brilliant and very ‘on the ball’. Cheerful and polite.
On the one occasion we used the breakfast buffet, we found that staff in the area we were sat, were quick to ensure you had plenty of tea/coffee. In our experience, we found this better on here than the Queen Victoria.
The Britannia for breakfast was great, but we found the service inconsistent. This voyage appeared to be at least 50% German guests (if not more). On two days, we had the pleasure of them being sat with us. Luckily on the first occasion there were other guests on the table that could speak a few words of German, so we helped them to order food etc. The second occasion our companions spoke very little English and we were desperately trying to help them to order. The waiters were rude and inefficient. We weren’t served any pastries. Their patience with the German guests was particularly short. As the service finished we did ask the waiters if they had German menus - they said yes! After this unacceptable experience I did go and have a word with one of the managers....he was very professional but did use the week were busy excuse’. I advised him that it wasn’t an acceptable answer an his colleagues need to review how they interact with their guests. Why no-one offered the German menu was beyond belief!
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
We didn’t really partake in much. We enjoyed a couple of talks on rare gems - the retail manager who delivered one on Tanzanite was very bubbly!
Entertainment
5 out of 5
All 4 shows we experienced in the theatre were superb. The stage has brilliant features, which in parts, is better than most West End venues! Seating is comfortable and there are some great views from the balcony. There are some blind spots so pick your seats accordingly. We were lucky to secure tickets for one of the planetarium shows. Really clever and an experience I hadn’t come across before on a Cruise ship. The only minor point is that some of the reclining seats could really do with some maintenance to ensure they work fully and correctly.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
I must say that, even though there are lots of staff, I’ve noticed their numbers decline on Cunard over the last 5 years. It may be just my perception.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
The ship is spotlessly clean and well maintained. For a large ship there are actually a lot of intimate seating areas where you can relax and watch the world go by. A large central concourse on the main levels.
The buffet rooms don’t feel like they flow. Probably nicer than a large open plan area, but at times it was confusing to know where to go. This was also the main area for the muster stations and that was very confusing to try and understand where you had to go although there were plenty of staff on hand to point him in the right direction.
I did find it quite challenging to get to the Queens room and the G 32 nightclub you need your wits about you and a copy of the ships plan until you get used to it. Those places were probably originally designed so that you retired from the Britannia dining room to them. However it appears that most people moved into the main part of the ship meaning that you did have to follow a aThose places were probably originally designed so that you retired from the Britannia dining room to them. However it appeared that most people moved into the main part of the ship meaning that you did have to follow an ‘adventurous’ route!
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Although it had a balcony, it was the type that was behind the large oval openings in the hull i.e. not the glass balustrade ones. The cabinet south was very comfortable. But again as I’ve experienced on several Cunard voyages lately inconsistent in its approach to being serviced and restocked.
Ship tip
Make sure you explore every inch of the ship...as some places are ‘tricky’ to find!
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