Check in went fast because as a ''Grills'' passenger I got to bypass the “steerage” line – non Grill, non-Platinum or Diamond passengers – which was quite long. Once on board the stewards are now in the hallway to greet arriving passengers and to introduce themselves.
Originally I had booked a balcony guarantee in order to experience what the ship is like in ''steerage''. Having sailed before in the Princess Grill I wasn’t expecting the same level of service, and PG had been sold out. As sailing approached however I became increasingly apprehensive about an experience so different than before and when a PG became available and I called Cunard to upgrade. Because I was in the ''Grills'' lunch was available in the restaurant and I didn’t have to deal with the cafeteria. My port side stateroom was the next to last at the aft end. I would not feel any unusual vibrations even though I was directly over the ship’s props.
On the only formal night about half the men were in black tie and the other half in suits. Short and long evening dresses tended to reflect age where younger women opted for short evening dresses. There was no Captain’s cocktail party; Cunard tends to skip these on short voyages. It’s nice to see people dressed up but during mid-performance in a private lounge in walked a man wearing daytime shorts, polo, leather sandals. Within a minute he walked out again. I didn’t turn to see if he was asked to leave but I hope that is what happened.
Large with plenty of closet and cabinet storage space. Generous balcony with two teak loungers and a table. My port side stateroom was the next to last at the aft end, bed facing aft. I did not feel any unusual vibrations even though I was directly over the ship’s props.