The highlight of our October crossing was the selection of terrific jazz performances by Blue Note artists Gregory Porter, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and their bands. Headline concerts in the Royal Theater, more informal concerts in the Carinthia Room, and jam sessions in the Chart Room were all fantastic and really made our experience enjoyable.

Embarkation: We've had a number of bad experiences in this area on Cunard, so this time we decided to show up late, after 2:30. No line for Grills, so we walked on board, short line for Britannia class. The Captain later announced that there had been a problem with American immigration during the morning that caused a traffic jam for those leaving in Brooklyn that spilled over to long lines and delays for those boarding. But later in the afternoon all was resolved. Note to self: Always show up later in the afternoon.

Queens Grill: This was our first time in Queens. We enjoyed the extra space in our stateroom (see review below). The Queens Grill dining room and food quality was underwhelming. The dinner dishes were mostly traditional cruise ship food, done well, but with no special or modern touches. They will try to make a special dinner for you, if you order in advance and they have the ingredients. There is a special menu available for those who order at lunch time, but it is confined to traditional dishes like Dover sole, rack of lamb, and Chateaubriand, nothing modern. They make a big deal of finishing the preparation on a trolley brought to your table. A bit too lah-dee-dah and old fashioned for our tastes. We were a bit shocked that the menu at breakfast and lunch matched the menu for Britannia and the food quality was often less than fabulous. Read more