There are 1,046 cabins onboard Queen Elizabeth. Eighty-five percent are outside, and of those, 71 percent have balconies. The decor is calming and serene with shades of gold, green and brown, and there's plenty of storage, both under the beds and in the wardrobes; the under-the-bed drawers were added after complaints about lack of storage on Queen Victoria.
The biggest disappointments in the design of standard staterooms are the bathrooms. (Again, this applies to insides, outsides and verandahs.) They're stingy in size, shower-only (including a clingy shower curtain) and dreary in decor. (Everything is beige.) They're also not very well designed; the little bottles of Gilchrist & Soames shampoo and conditioner don't fit properly on the soap dish holder and kept falling off, as did the soap. Towels were small, too. I used the pool towels supplied in the cabin for the duration of my cruise.
The other criticism is that you can't turn the air-conditioning or the fan off, or even down very low; our cabin was pretty cold most nights.
All cabins have flat-screen TV's with more than 40 channels, including movies in French, German and Spanish, as well as in-house channels on which the port and enrichment lectures are rerun. My outside verandah cabin had a mini-bar stocked with sodas and mineral water, which cost $3.50 for a large bottle.
Other options include Princess Grill mini-suites. These are essentially elongated versions of the standard verandahs; the balconies are roughly the same size. Beyond larger living areas, there's also more closet space, and the bathrooms have full-size tubs and very pretty tiling that renders them charming -- one of the touches that makes the difference between standard and luxury.
The Queens Grill and Princess Grill suites are scattered around the ship, either aft, with views of the wake, or in the bulge midships, where the balconies are deeper. Deck 7, in addition to several Queens Grill penthouses, has the biggest concentration of top suites -- two Grand Suites and two of the four Master Suites, which include features like huge balconies, whirlpool baths and separate dining areas. These six suites are named after the half-dozen Cunard Commodores who have been knighted: Commodore Sir Arthur Rostron, Commodore Sir Edgar Britten, Commodore Sir Cyril Illingworth, Commodore Sir James Bisset, Commodore Sir Ivan Thompson and Commodore Sir James Charles. If you want a bath with a sea view, go for one of the Master Suites. For a wraparound balcony and outdoor dining, it's the Grand Suites, the top category on the ship.
had been upgraded to Obstructed Ocean View - would not deliberately pay for such a cabin. However positioned mid ship, peaceful area yet close to elevators,...continue
Our balcony cabin seemed smaller than the ones we've had on Celebrity, however there was adequate space. Tiny bathroom. Only one person at a time. Our cabin 8004 was at the very front of the ship. Very quiet. Luxurious with designer toiletries....continue
