Overall a lovely cruise with a few unfortunate drawbacks. No one's fault that the wind messed up the Cape Town and Walvis Bay stops.
The respiratory virus nicknamed the Cunard cough could have been mitigated if ship had mandated that people who were sick stay in their rooms or wear masks when in public. Having people constantly cough on you in bars, restaurants and buses was insane.
The GI issue that was reported prior to getting to San Francisco and subsequently occurred again after leaving South Africa was concerning. I think they focused too much on food handling and not on contaminated water in the rooms.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
It was terrific that the baggage handlers where out in force and it was so easy to unload the car. Lines through security were fast and was in my cabin in under 30 minutes from getting out of the car.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Food on Cunard is not to my taste, too British, too bland. Fortunately Afternoon Tea is always lovely and I can live on Breakfast croissants, boiled eggs, made to order pizza, Cheeseburgers and Banana Mama's for a long time.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The solo musicians and one of the duos were outstanding with 4-5 hours of good music each evening. The shows were so so. The on board daily schedule was packed and the Insight Lectures were by and large interesting. Cunard cruises are also known for the sequence dancing every evening.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Already mentioned above.
Children's Programs
Not traveling with children.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The food service staff was overworked. Housekeeping was outstanding.
Purser staff was always very helpful.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
I was happy to be on one of the regular cruise ships and not one of the mega ships. Getting from one end of the boat to the other was manageble for someone with mobility issues.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Cabin was okay. Carpet was a little grubby. Bed was comfortable but I don't like the comforter only set-up. I bring a top sheet of my own to compensate.
Made full use of the refrigerator to always have cold water available in room.
Ship tip
The only way to avoid the respiratory virus that was a constant threat was to wear a mask whenever out one's room. And avoid drinking the water in the room or even using it to brush one's teeth. I think it was the source of contamination that lead to hundreds of cases of gastro-intestinal issues.
Lovely island and bus excursion was fine. Was very pleased with the school bus size buses that were fully air conditioned as they were easy to get on and off.
The port city excursion was a little disorganized in that it dumped too many people in the same place at the same time. It was hard to figure out what we were supposed to do at the government sponsored culture stop.
Outstanding port and lovely bus excursion around city and then to the 360 tower. Easy to get back to the boat via reasonable cost taxi. Would love to visit again.
Port of Lyttleton is lovely while bus ride to Christchurch was kind of lame. The look out stop required walking on uneven ground that was not safe in the rain so never got to see an overview of the Christchurch area.
The amount of walking was challenging getting off the boat via tender the first day. The two excursions I took were terrific but challenging mobility wise.
The cruise port is within walking distance of the Opera House but it was nice that that tour took us a half mile closer than would otherwise be the case. The Sidney Opera House tour while mobility challenging is designed to include seating for all guests when visiting each room that is covered during the tour. So the only distance walking is getting into and out of the building.
Commercial port surrounded by warehouses for miles. Drive to animal park lovely. Riding around an off-road vehicle in the pouring rain for almost three hours is an unforgettable experience. Watching two male lions frolicking in the rain made it worth it.
Unfortunate that the winds kept us from going into port on arrival day and then keeping us in port an additional 12 hours meaning we missed our next scheduled stop.
Commercial port was easy to traverse and bus tour to Chapman's Peak was outstanding.
Very difficult to get off the boat with multiple unnecessary switchbacks on ramp, very annoying. While carts were plentiful, it was difficult to locate bags because they were not kept together even though put out for pickup at the same time. Luggage Forward was not in the same terminal but had to be transported by passengers out of the terminal to the pickup dock. Very unfortunate set-up as porters for assistance were few or occupied with managing carts rather than assisting passengers. Never saw port from either the ship or when emerged from underground terminal.
Very difficult to get off the boat with multiple unnecessary switchbacks on ramp, very annoying. While carts were plentiful, it was difficult to locate bags because they were not kept together even though put out for pickup at the same time. Luggage Forward was not in the same terminal but had to be transported by passengers out of the terminal to the pickup dock. Very unfortunate set-up as porters for assistance were few or occupied with managing carts rather than assisting passengers.
Amazing itinerary! Appreciate your detailed and informative review. Glad you managed to enjoy some of cruise. Sorry about the illnesses coursing through the ship.
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