A Review of Our Return to Cunard’s Queen Anne
Overall Score: 90 out of 100 points.
We sailed on Cunard’s Queen Anne for the first nine nights of her maiden 111-night world cruise. This was also her maiden transatlantic crossing. We had rough weather for about six days. This included ten-meter swells, which I assume means 30 feet from the top to the bottom of the wave. Our captain, Inger Klein Thorhauge, did her best to chart a southerly course to avoid the worst weather. This had the unexpected benefit of days with outdoor temps close to 60 degrees – In January! As the maiden transatlantic crossing, it was a learning experience for everyone.
The observations and evaluation are my own and do not include hearsay from other passengers. We paid our own fare but did receive certain perks like free internet. At no point did I mention to any crew or fellow passengers my role as a travel writer.
Boarding and disembarking. Let us consider these as two separate categories:
- Boarding: We booked the Cunard airport to ship transfer. We entered the Arrivals area at Heathrow, identified ourselves to the fellow with the Cunard sign and were asked to sit and wait. 30 minutes later, our group was led to the Cunard bus. Our bags went underneath and we were on our way to Southampton. Here is the cool part: We did not need to reclaim our luggage! It was transferred from the bus to the ship and delivered to our cabin. We walked into the terminal and kept moving through registration and security, then onto the ship. This is our fastest and smoothest ever experience. Score: 5/5.
- Disembarking: In New York we booked the Cunard ship to airport transfer. We were almost the first group off the ship at 7:40 AM. We claimed our luggage in Brooklyn. Porters were everywhere and we tipped. They followed us through Immigration, directly to the bus. There was a small JFK bus and a large one to which we were directed. Our luggage went into the large one. From this point, we waited more than an hour! We had little information, but eventually learned six people who booked the transfer were not there. Everyone waited until they arrived! Score: 2/5.
Health: We are past the Covid testing days, so this isn’t the issue it was as the lockdown has been lifted. Cunard takes health seriously. They recommend health insurance. They have some restrictions for passengers. (They won’t carry with certain medical conditions.) You have ample opportunities to wash your hands all the time. Score: 10/10.
Ship Design. We had firsthand experience of the ship in stormy weather. Our cabin was 4003, in the Balcony Forward category. There was one cabin beyond us, then a door into crew space in the bow. Our cabin was very noisy. Plenty of booms as the ship hit waves. One night felt like sleeping on horseback. If we had 10 meter swells, that is likely a Force 9 or Force 10 on the 12 point Beaufort scale. That is termed a Strong/Severe Gale (9) or a Whole Gale (10). (Footnote 1) In my opinion, because of our (far) forward location, we felt the storm more than most other passengers. Any ship damage we saw was cosmetic. (broken floor tiles in the Artesian Food Hall). Let us get back to the topic of ship design. The ship has a large, covered pool area midship, The Pavillion. This can be a “drive in” movie, when you use the wireless headphones provided. It was used for the Captain and Officers party reception. It can be an informal dining area for lunch. However, Queen Anne is not an ocean liner like Queen Mary 2. You feel the motion on rough seas and the pool is closed on rough days. Score: 8/10.
Stateroom: We booked a balcony stateroom, the location TBD before sailing. I assume our cabin was assigned by computer. It wound up being towards the bow. It has an excellent layout. The balcony was at least 10/10 feet! This might be because of the forward location, but it’s the biggest balcony we ever had! The bathrooms are wonderful. The showers are large with glass doors. There is plenty of storage space in the cabin. In my opinion, the Brittania Class balcony cabins are about the same size as the other Cunard Queens. Score: 10/10.
Shopping. I bought a Barbour coat for $354 onboard. A similar Barbour jacket runs about $415 before tax in the US. That is about a 20% savings. The ship has the usual jewelry, watch and perfume stores. One of the featured speakers was the Managing Director of the Theo Faberge jewelry firm. He had great stories, yet was also selling his firm’s custom jewelry. The art gallery also had a series of talks in the Queens Room. They were fascinating, bearing in mind the ultimate aim is for people to buy art onboard. No one has perfected onboard shopping, but this came close. Score: 9/10.
Food. I have always been pleased with the food on Cunard ships. We dined in the Brittania Dining Room (Deck 2), which serves the majority of passengers. We were second seating (8:15 PM). We tried Freedom Dining to see how it works. Although I thought you needed to reserve a time for this Deck 3 section of the Brittania Dining Room, you can simply show up and request a table. We arrived at 6:00 PM and were brought to Deck 2 and seated at an empty table during the First Seating. We were not held to the first seating timetable and our meal proceeded at a leisurely pace. My sense is the overall meat selections leaned towards pork and chicken, away from beef and lamb, as in the past. This was more apparent in the Artesian Food Hall. However, Cunard has added a great feature. The dinner menu indicates you can always order steak frites, roast chicken or baked salmon if you don’t prefer that evening’s entrée choices. We had lunch at Sir Samuels, the steakhouse with a supplemental charge. The meal was excellent. Score: 9/10.
Drink: I am a fan of the Cunard wine lists. There are plenty of bottles under $50 (or even $40) on the list. The selection is broad. Cunard allows you to bring a bottle of your own wine to celebrate a special occasion. This is subject to a corkage charge in the dining room. The drink prices are fair. A gin martini runs about $12.80 before service charge. They have free fountain juices in the Artesian Food Hall. Score: 10/10.
Entertainment. I didn’t think the speaker lineup was as good as on other voyages. I didn’t find them a big draw personally. The naming voyage had famous personalities. This is her first world cruise! There were highlights: They offered Spanish lessons daily! There was an eight-session creative writing class, extending into the next voyage segment! An Improv group performed an impromptu murder mystery three times during the voyage. They conducted great Improv workshops! The Bright Lights Society, a nightclub setting, has two great shows, Fizz and Noir. Score: 9/10.
Ports. On a transatlantic crossing, there are none! You start in Southampton and arrive in New York. Weather caused us to dock in New York a day later than anticipated. This did not affect the sailing schedule because there was an overnight planned in New York, but the passengers booking Friday tours had them cancelled because we arrived on Saturday. Score: 10/10.
Staff Attentiveness. When we first sailed on the naming voyage last Spring, a large number of the staff were new. They were supplemented by experienced staff from other Cunard ships. On this voyage, the situation still felt the same. The stateroom phone has no “Call your steward” button nor was there a card with the steward’s name and a phone number to reach them. Our steward was adequate at best. Our first waitstaff team in the dining room was lackluster. They did not address passengers by name or seem enthusiastic. (We changed tables mid voyage.) Our second waitstaff was spectacular. They were always checking on us and offered good advice. The headwaiter and maître d’ were also excellent. The maître d’ explained he met us previously on a Cunard voyage. Our wine steward was aimable but could have been more knowledgeable. Score: 8/10.
Photos credit Bryce Sanders
High Points:
- This is spectacular. You can always get a connection.
- TV movies. There is a gigantic selection.
- Bright Lights Society. This is an intimate entertainment venue with great shows.
- Improv group. The shows and the workshops were excellent.
- Creative writing classes. A brilliant idea!
- Pavillion pool area. This is a great multipurpose space. Located midships, it swayed less than other areas of the ship.
- Always available dinner entrees: Steak Frites, salmon or roast chicken.
Areas for Improvement:
- TV news channels. Although there are four (BBC, SKY, MSNBC and CNBC) There is little news. Only a couple of stories that don’t change much.
- If the ship carries more passengers than the QV or QE, they should at least have a library of the same size, or at least with as many books.
- No ship morning TV program. This was a talk show highlighting major activities for the day. It got you interested in the speakers.
- Less navigation information than before. On the other Queens, you saw details on the wind speed, specifically the Beaufort scale level (measures wind speed at sea or on land). I did not see this on the navigation screen or in the noontime ship’s position and weather updates.
The famous Cunard experience is alive and well on Queen Anne, but for the transatlantic crossing, Queen Mary 2 is the ideal ship.
For more information about Cunard Line and Cunard ships Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, and Queen Anne, click here https://www.cruisecompete.com/lines/cunard_cruises.html
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Also see Overall Review: Cunard Queen Anne Naming Ceremony Voyage ~So very much to like! – All Things Cruise
Cover photo: Queen Anne credit Cunard
