I’ll keep this short as I find I stop reading if people write to much. In bullet point fashion. Embarkation: great Cabin steward: absolutely marvellous and they always are. Ship: a bit tired looking, could do with new carpets and paint etc. Staff: reception: awful. If a smile is all your after, that’s all you will get. They really are dreadful. Waiting staff: at breakfast they are miserable and slow even though we were all extremely polite and patient. The evening the attitude is slightly better. Other guests: Rude, arrogant and miserable. Honestly why come on holiday if your going to be like that. I’ve found this to be true on Victoria as well. I think this contributes to the mood of the staff. Food: very good. Kids club: great Pools: dirty (all of them) I went in with my son wearing goggles and wished I hadn’t! Perhaps I’ve gone on too much but really I don’t expect anything to change and if Your only interest is to tell people you’ve been on Cunard you’ll probably continue to put up with it. Holland America beats them hands down (I’m English btw). Enough droning as I’ve definitely gone on too long. Happy cruising Read Less

Our second time on Queen Mary 2. First trip was transatlantic a decade ago. The ship looks still to be in great shape. The food in Britannia was uniformly excellent. Beef tenderloin, sirloin, pork Wellington, venison, and lots of excellent fish including cod and trout. We did not mess with the “buffet“/Kings Court: Even at breakfast, one could sit down and have a lovely multi-course meal serve to you within half an hour in the restaurant. Entertainment was very good. Shipboard lectures excellent. Staff were uniformly a professional and polite. The shore excursions in Norway were well handled. Transportation from Heathrow to London and from London to the ship and from the ship back to Heathrow was seamless. However, we found our experience with Cunard disappointing in terms of booking the trip: Their website is not very good. The voyage personalizer page is not very well designed. I think we significantly overpaid for the London hotel which we booked through them. We booked airfare through Cunard as well and ended up having to pay significant extra premiums in order simply to have seat assignments. “Air Cunard“ seemed unaware that our flight from JFK to Heathrow that they booked had been canceled; and there was much last minute scrambling between the Cunard travel desk and American Airlines and British Airways in order to re-schedule us. Also, the entire Wi-Fi system on the ship is archaic. Additionally, although they “include gratuities“ and you pre-pay them, sometimes there is a gratuity line that you are asked to complete on receipts. I would prefer that either they leave gratuities up to the passengers or they make it a truly all-inclusive price and you are not expected to tip. Right now it is some kind of weird hybrid and you never really know who to tip or who is getting what tip. But, in the end, Queen Mary 2 is an amazing ship with first Street service. Go for it! Read Less

Was on the Iceland Canada crossing. Very smooth but there lacked things to do for anyone under 50. Also had a worrying fire on board one evening over the tannoy telling us it had broken out in the incinerator room. Could smell smoke. Also had a person helicopter lifted off. All quite eventful! Boat was clean and tidy and staff very nice plus the food was great. The buffet was very good especially the sushi etc. Did get a bit of a dodgy stomach from the mussels which upset my stomach for 24 hours but it soon passed. The entertainment in the theatre was very poor however. Some of the acts were dreadful including the resident singers. A very good guest French pianist though. Overall worth the money but be prepared to occupy yourself as there is very little to do on those long sea days if you don't do ballroom dancing or enjoy bingo etc ! Read Less

We decided to take this cruise to celebrate my son's 18th birthday, which was on the date of departure. We were upgraded to Princess Grill (for a cost) and I was beside myself with excitement, having been on the old QE2 some time back. We are Celebrity afficionados, but we were excited to see what one of the Queens would be like. I found it a mixed bag to be honest. The Princess Grill suite was a real disappointment; nothing like a lowest grade Celebrity Sky Suite, and certainly not in line with suite expectations. The service from the steward was great, but no contact from the concierge at all. We had a lovely greeting with strawberries, fresh fruit and sparkling wine, which really set the mood. The Princess Grill restaurant was good. Lovely service, fabulous wine list. The food on the first night was indifferent; gritty scallops and a very tough steak. The restaurant redeemed itself on other meals, but I can't say that it met the expectations at this level, and certainly not at the price point that they would normally charge. The ambience in the restaurant was good, and no hint of the snobbery that others sometimes refer to. The gym was very good, and it was fun to play table tennis with the kids also. Lastly, the atmosphere on the ship was, for me, dead. Very little nightlife if you aren't into ballroom dancing. I felt the age demographic was much, much older than expected. Perhaps it's the itinerary. None of this would stop me travelling with Cunard again, as overall the ship is in good condition and the service was excellent, but I'd have to think hard about the class, the itinerary, and my travelling companions. My daughter can't wait to get back on Celebrity in a few weeks for Alaska! Read Less

Just come back from one of the best Cruises we have ever been on.We decided to try a new Cruise line for our Journey to Norway and Iceland and went with "Cunard" Queen Victoria.Having never been with Cunard we were a bit apprehensive especially about the more Formal side of the Cruise. Embarkation at Southampton was the quickest we have ever done,from getting off the Coach to stepping onto the Ship less than 20 mins!!!!The Ship was everything Cunard(White Star Lines) stands for,taking us back to the heady days of the majestic Liners of the 40s and 50s.we were met by the Staff in White Bell Boy Uniforms,the Staff friendly and welcoming.The Interior was impressive with Wood,stained Glass,Iron works on stairs,Atrium was beautiful and the 3 Violinists playing were Icing on the cake The Inside Cabin was slightly bigger than other Cruise lines we have been in,bottle of Champagne waiting,Dressing Gowns and slippers and very Clean and Tidy. The Food was very good in all areas,Buffet Breakfast and Lunch had lots of variety,and dinner was again very good and varied and waiters were very attentive.Entertainment was great,Shows at night were varied,and something for everyone.Guest Speakers were also excellent especially Lord Digby Jones(very entertaining) All the Staff very very nice and nothing seemed to much trouble,Neil our Entertainment Manager was great as were his Staff. Although we were a bit worried about how Formal the Ship was especially having to wear a Jacket in Dining Room on all non Formal nights,it wasn't as bad as I feared.Of Course you can dress down in certain areas of Ship ie Golden Lion Pub and Lido Buffet areas so it was not that Formal as I had feared. On the downside Drinks were very expensive and had 15% Gratuties added on ,Spa Treatments also very expensive,but we didn't indulge too much in any of those so just beware as Drinks packages are always a bit pricey. Itinerary was very Good,Olden and Alesund in Norway, Akeyuri,Isafjordur and Reykavik in Iceland and Stornorway in Outer Hebrides. Overall this was one of our best Cruises we have done,and have to say Queen Victoria is one of the best Ships we have sailed on,we will be definitely booking Cunard again Read Less

We (2 couples) chose this cruise to return from a European vacation rather than fly back to the US. We knew the cruise would be very formal but as one English passenger said when I queried him about his experience on the 2nd day of the cruise, "They are quite serious". LIkes: We booked the Brittania Club, therefore we had our own private dining table for four each night with the same servers. The food was truly excellent, on par with Oceania Cruise line, which is noted for it's food. (Kudos to our servers, Brendo and Orsulah). We ended up eating breakfast, lunch and dinner in the restaurant. We only gained an average of 2 pounds per person for a 7 day cruise and we believe that is because we mostly avoided the Kings Grill, which is very chopped up, located in several separated rooms with a limited selection of food. We understand it had been upgraded in 2016 from the original design. I cant see how it could have been much worse then. Also, the brewed coffee in the restaurant is very good, unlike the machine coffee in the Kings Grill. We had dinner one night in the Verandah steakhouse restaurant for a small upcharge of $39 per person and it was the best steak we have ever had. 35 day aged beef. The Enrichment and Art seminars, Tea Time and Gala Evenings were spot on great! We didn't mind the tuxedo and formal dress evenings and enjoyed the Masquerade Ball. The planetarium and Queen's Theatre were great venues also. Dislikes: Probably because we have been spoiled by cruises on Oceania Marina, Rivera, & Insignia and Holland Statendam and Koningsdam, we didn't appreciate the QM2 as much as we should. Even with the retrofit in 2016, she looks a bit tired. Very chopped up, no flow to the design. What's with the Churchill and Chart room locations? You have to go through the Brittania Dining room to access the Queens Ball room or go through the Art Gallery up and down stairs to access. Also, the aforementioned non functional Queen's Grill area. The Library boasts 8 thousand books and a room the size of an average family dining room and each passenger is restricted to 2 books at a time with the shelves locked during night hours? That's when most insomniacs need to find a book. We found this very unusual as Oceania ships boast great libraries with a barrista next door. Their libraries are unlocked and open to all cruise passengers 24/7. Finally, what ever you do don't buy the liquor package!!! Very limited pours (50 ml) which makes no sense, as it requires the staff to service you more often. (However, once they see you have a drink sticker on your card, they avoid you like the plague, and you practically have to tackle them to get service). This occurred in every lounge but was particularly acute in the Golden Lion Pub! The wine steward in the Brittania Club restaurant also was put off by our asking for wine refills at dinner, until 3 days before the cruise ended, when he finally increased the pours, which saved him extra trips. (We were not heavy drinkers, drinking no more than 2-3 50 ml pours at dinner) or any other sitting. The package was very restrictive, nothing over $11. If you want to purchase a $20 cocktail, you have to pay $16 (purchase price less 20%), which begs the ? why purchase the liquor package? Also, our traveling companions, (one who drinks and one who cannot drink because of medical reasons), cleared with Cunard corporate that if she brought a Doctor's excuse that he could by the package but she wouldn't have to. We spent the better part of the first afternoon being shuffled between the Purser's office, the G. L Pub and were even sent to the spa, because no one could or would make a decision on allowing our friend to purchase the liquor package alone. Finally, a bartender in the G.L. Pub told us in great whisper (I am not exaggerating) that he would allow it if our non drinking friend would purchase the $30 per day beverage package (water, soft drinks and coffee). You could not purchase wine by the bottle at dinner like on Oceania or HAL only by the 50 ml glass because of the liquor package restriction. The ship was good in the water, you never really felt any motion. However, it felt as if It was designed more for sailors than passengers and the staff was not there to serve you as much as ensure that all rules and regulations would be followed and not be infringed on! Read Less

This is our first cruise with Cunard and it was excellent in most ways. We have sailed with TUI Marella and P&O before and we expected Cunard to to head and shoulders better....it wasn’t though. Now that’s not to say it was poor, because that’s not true....it was wonderful, but it just says to us that tge other cruise lines are also good. The quality of food and in particular the amount of free-space was welcomed and certainly different to what we found on the rather cramped and poorly organised Azura. The Q.V. is lovely and all staff were helpful, polite and professional. Before going we were concerned that there may be a “class system”....but there certainly wasn’t, we felt very welcomed and the service and food in food in the Lido Restaurant was wonderful.....one very small point, they could do with a few more waiters offering beverages in there. Not everyone wants to dine in tv more formal venues, borne out by the fact that tge Lido Restaurant was always busy, but not cramped....to have an offer of a drink would have been nice. Entertainment was fine, we have seen better productions on TUI and P&O but the shows were fine. The outside acts were fabulous however....We are very confused why we were charged a daily service charge, PLUS, if we had a drink from the bar we had a further service charge added.....it’s like a double insult!.....other than these very small points, it was outstanding and we would recommend to everyone. Read Less

We set off on this cruise in a state of trepidation.....would we manage the formal evenings with two under 30s?, would the food be mediocre? would the service be lacking? Well we were blown away! I wondered if I should write this review as this ship was so amazing that I didnt really want to share! Anyway here we go.... Food in Britannia restaurant was better than Celebrity, ...halibut, turbot, lobster in a week. Lovely Japanese options including an excellent miso soup, Italian pasta we couldn't fault, tea and coffee and home made marshmallows and chocolate creams to finish. Breakfast in Britannia was excellent, go there if you can. Afternoon tea......what can I say...lovely. Lido restaurant was a full step ahead of other cruise lines, you really didn't think you were in "motorway services". Tea and coffee for breakfast served to your table, no battling with teapots etc etc Room steward, excellent nothing too much trouble. Take on a bottle or two, top up at a port call......you need to do this as alcohol is extortionate! So service better than someone like Celebrity. Formal nights were a breeze, do as you will. Just join in, fellow passengers are lovely! Never worry you will find somewhere to sit on this ship wherever you are, seats and beautiful sitting areas a plenty. Don't forget the library, amazing! Any downsides? She can be a little noisy but not enough to spoil your holiday. Please don't tell anyone about this beautiful ship...keep it a secret please? Read Less

We have been on the Queen Victoria before and also the QM. We are regular passengers on other lines. This was the first time we had tried Princess Grill and it was a real treat. We were on board for the ship experience and not the ports. Priority check in but when waiting at the Mayflower terminal the suite guests were just huddled in a separate area no real advantage. We just sat in the main area as there was more room. We had researched about the Grills experience - strange but the Britannia Restaurant is described as the Britannia Grill? Anyway we knew pretty much what was in store for us. This was a no holds barred cruise so if we wanted it we bought it. First this was a spa package as we did not expect to be able to use the outside pool so we bought this for 2 for 7 days no discounts so this came off our on board credit. I know from experience that drinks prices on board the Queens are about the highest afloat but so to is the quality. So we had decided that we would buy 2 full drinks packs for the full 7 nights this was $69 a day each so $138 so with our exchange rate it was £109 a day so £763 for the week. We were told that we could only buy this on board so we went to the Grills lounge and asked. It would seem that there have been problems with this package as people have not really read the small print. You are limited to the number of alcoholic drinks - 15 each per day. But the soft drinks and mixers are unlimited. Some staff had difficulty understanding what unlimited soft drinks meant! OK so I like a drink and this is for 7 days. I tried my best but I really could not get through 15 alcoholic drinks in one day! We have been on other ships with these packs and we see people simply ordering the bar taking a sip from each and throwing the rest away just because they can. So a limit is sensible if in some cases a bit frustrating. We eventually bought the pack and ordered drinks. At the end of the cruise we worked out that had we paid over the bar it would have cost us over £1660 and I never manager 15 alcoholic drinks in a day and neither did my wife! Food is next and the menus in the Princess Grill are fabulous, service to was the best we have experience so far and we have been in suits in Celebrity ships. We had the same table for all our meals which was fortunate in being next to the window - we were lucky I guess. Drinks before dinner in the Grills lounge where they brought round a selection of 3 hot and cold canapes. Dinner was 7 courses including cheese board and coffee. We ordered wine by the glass from our package and this was perhaps a bit limited. Menus were everything we were expecting - fillet steak every night if you wanted, lobster twice that week. There were specials that you could order at lunch time so they could be ready for you in the evening. We did this once with Duck L'Orange where a whole duck was cooked for us to share - has to be cooked so long and it was fantastic. You can also ask the Maitre'D to do Crepes at the table Weather was not too great but toward the end of the cruise there was a bit of a heat wave. So much so that we were able to dine outside in the Grills terrace. The lunch time menu is a bit smaller but quality was top. Breakfasts were again at our table and usual range with just about everything on call - eggs Benedict, fillet steak and eggs and the ubiquitous English breakfasts. Didn't go much on the entertainment this time. Saw Mick Miller on the second night but after that I we were not really too fussed and went to the commodore club to listen to the lady piano player and singer. Only did afternoon tea once which was in the Princess Grill restaurant. Very goo but too much. We were served tea on the grills terrace in Rotterdam which was also very nice but had to be careful because dinner is just around the corner though you can go in at any time and your table is waiting for you. Tipping is always controversial and Cunard apply a daily charge to your account. Our rate was $13.5 per day. We usually remove one of the daily charges from one of us and then give individually the same amount or indeed usually more to staff who have stood out. I am now not to sure that this achieved what we wished. On the last night I handed out envelopes to both waiters, sommelier and Maitre'd. I also gave cash in dollars to our room steward. We paid out more than if we had had the automatic gratuities but at least I know they actually go to who I wish without interference from Cunard. My wife was therefore startled the following morning to see the waiters and all staff making a big fuss over another table and thanking them for their tips whilst our service was a bit flat. I seem to think that they thought that we had only given them half of what they expected yet we have given them more! This did leave a bit of a sour taste. I will talk a bit about the drinks pack we bought. We worked out roughly how many drinks we were likely to have each day including coffees, water and soft drinks. A large gin and tonic would have cost around $15 which would include the mixer and the 12%service charge. On the pack you could have any drink up to $11 but you were then given the mixer free so to speak and did not have to worry about the service charge. Coffee in the lounge was around $4 so a couple each in the morning after breakfast would soon mount up. We also ordered a bottle of water with nearly all our drinks the pack limited you to small bottles but you could have as many as you liked during the day. There had to be around 10mins between each alcoholic drink order. This was starting to get complicated. As I said I never got through 15 alcoholic drinks in a day though I did try! I could not keep this up for any longer but this was a holiday. Now saving for the next one. Read Less

We cruise with Cunard most years, but found to our shock that it was ten years since we had been on QM2, so we booked this cruise. Basically it was a cruise made up of bits of other voyages, so did not have quite the same feeling as a cruise where almost everyone embarks and disembarks at the same time and place, and was a bit lacking in things like World Club parties. But we expected this and did not mind. Rather unexpected was the four formal nights. We had forgotten how truly magnificent the ship is, with vastly impressive public rooms and huge expanses of real teak decks. This of course means that distances between venues can be quite great, particularly as our cabin was near the front and our restaurant at the back. This means you walk off more of the food you consume. The ship always seemed restful and tranquil, never crowded, though I believe it was, to all intents and purposes, full Our Q6 cabin was very nice with an expansive balcony and a blissfully comfortable bed. The bathroom unfortunately, though spacious, is poorly arranged. There would be plenty of room for a separate shower, but it doesn't have one, a great shame. Food in the Queens Grill was good with a wide choice, though the coffee was sometimes warm rather than hot. We did not eat anywhere else, prefering to enjoy the restaurant comfort, quality, and excellent service. Indeed the service was a great highlight. Both the restaurant staff and our butler and assistant were thoughtful, courteous, efficient, and kind. We could not have been better looked after. Our sommelier had a great knowledge of wine and great ability to convey his enthusiasms. Embarkation and disembarkation at Southampton were both very smooth, aided by our priority status. We were on the ship at midday and off by 8.20. We called at Hamburg twice, and QM2 always gets a great welcome and sendoff. This time we celebrated fifteen years of the ships association with the port. It is a most attrative city to wonder round. We also visited Gent on a Cunard transfer, and that too is a city worth seeing. While in some ways this cruise was harder work than one on the smaller ships, it was very much an experience, and one I would recommend. Best of all would be an Atlantic crossing on her. Read Less

As someone who always believed inside cabins were sufficient I was dazzled by my first time in a suite (albeit the smallest suite possible). Still, a walk-in closet on a ship and a bathtub! We really enjoyed our cabin and our roomy balcony, having breakfast on the balcony almost every day. It was also great fun on the balcony waving to all the boats that accompanied us out of Hamburg. The Princess Grill was superb every night except the first. The fish that night was average and we, two older women, were seated way off in a corner. Eating in the Princess Grill had been on my bucket list but I felt that I was still on the outside looking in. However, the (very entertaining) maitre d quickly moved us to the center of the part of the room that overlooked the promenade deck and we were much happier there. The food was very good, mostly well executed classics, and anyone looking for more trendy choices might be disappointed. We loved the Dover Sole and the Chateaubriand and the Cherries Jubilee (you get the picture). Mostly we loved the atmosphere of muted, leisurely meals in an attractive room with excellent service. Dinner became our evening activity and we often missed the planned entertainment as a result. What else did we do? We enjoyed the singers and dancers when we did make the shows and regretted missing the violinist. The planetarium was moderately interesting as were the speakers. We tried to visit all the bars but gave up and pretty much settled on the Carinthia where we could have a light meal with our wine. Zumba was fun but the pools were rather cold. The Golden Lion Pub offered good fish and chips. Afternoon tea in the Queen's Room was a disappointment -good food but a mad rush to get in and get a table. The library was lovely and the Promenade Deck was a comfortable place to sit or get some exercise walking. Service was excellent and we appreciated the young man who brought our room service breakfasts, our assistant waiter, and all the nameless crew members who smiled and made us feel welcome. We only took one shore excursion - to Bruges - which left us needing to do a lot of walking to get to the center of town but was well organized and on time. We explored on our own in Hamburg and Guernsey. Regarding the ship, she is showing her age (I had sailed on her in 2005) but just barely. She is still a magnificent "grande dame". Just don't expect glitz and glitter and instead settle into a leisurely, relaxed way of life. Read Less

Booked the Queens Grill = £9.000 so quite expensive. Was expecting a real quality experience but very quickly realised it was not all it was made up to be. So, arrived in Southampton and entered a chaotic cattle shed where I was shunted to the priority line. Walked on the ship to be told “the lift is over their, like “get on with it”. Walked around aimlessly for a bit and really found my cabin (943) by chance. Cabin was clean, bathroom tiles were dirty. A welcome was conspicuous by its absence. Food in the Queens Grill was like clockwork .. boring and on numerous times Luke warm. I never got the Gala Nights. Put on a DJ to eat dinner, nothing else, I expected the captain to sit with us or a gala ball for the Queens Grill ... nothing. What was very surprising is that during the entire trip not once did any management come to us to say “welcome” or “how it the trip” .. there was no discerning quality, they just wanted your money. So where was “packing and unpacking, or a morning pot of tea” .. didn’t exist. The evening canapés delivered to the room were simply low grade pate or other stodge. Cut my leg badly on the edge of a chair on the deck and asked a crew member to get me a plaster, he just walked away. The whole experience felt like a Chanel Ferry crossing .. once you leave the ship in New York you are on your own. There is NO assistance to locate your baggage or assistance with carrying. We are elderly and really struggled through the immigration hall and border controls to the chaotic outside with NO assistance to find a taxi .. total chaos. Read Less

This is our 13 Cruise trip and the third with Cunard. We sailed before on QE and QV, but it was our first time on the mighty QM2. The ship was iconic and displayed luxury interior deco in all areas. However, it lacked some of Cunard elements and plenty of cosmetic maintenance. We understand that it has been built as a translantic ocean liner, but the entertainment and the activities did not meet our expectations for 8 days full sea sailing. The food was great in term of quality, quantity and dining experience. We can't say exceptional or outstanding tho. Although, the customer service was pleasant by the staff in the public areas and the cabin alike, the senior management did not show positive courtesy or professional attitude. We had an incident on board for which the ship had to divert to Halifax and transfer an ill passenger, so we made it to New York with 5 hours delay. Unfortunately, at Brooklyn Red Hook embarkation on Friday, the customs and passport control process was utterly unorganised and disappointingly slow. It was a major complaint from most passengers and we heard a lot of unprofessional issues. The CPD officers lost a British passport while processing one passenger entry clearance between them, and they initially refused to admit liability, then they asked him to request an emergency travel document from the British consulate after four hours in order to catch up with his flight back to UK on Sunday. Cunard staff did not offer any help or assistance. We have decided to conclude our cruising experience with Cunard for the time being because the cruise line is not making any effort in diversifying their clientele, and providing extra excitements to middle aged passengers and young people. The planetarium, the Gym and the Swimming pools were extremely under used, and a lot of outdoor space was not utilised during this cruise. If you suffer from sea sickness, this is one of the most stable ships we have ever been as far you booked in the middle low floors. Read Less

We were so excited to be going on the QM2! The ship itself was magnificent. Our cabin was also very nice and we had a balcony. But what a waste of money the top drinks package was! It was almost impossible to get anyone to get you a drink in a lot of the bars! At lunchtime I was lucky if I managed to get one glass of wine from a barman! I also had to spend 2 days in our cabin as I picked up a bug on day 5 of our cruise. From the food, drink? Who knows but it ruined my cruise! My husband witnessed one maintenance worker who used the WC in the indoor pool area and walked out without washing his hands!! Really!! In this day and age!! Entertainment on board was okay, but the planetarium gave me a sore head. Best entertainment was the irish comedian Roy Walker. We were given the dining time of 8.30 p.m. and were unable to change it. So this was far too late for us and we had to dine in the buffet every evening. The person allocated to give you hand sanitiser when entering the buffet made no effort, unless you went straight up to them. This should be addressed as clean hands are essential for hygiene reasons. Also, very few staff made you feel really valued/ welcome! Best part of the cruise was sailing into New York! Read Less

A lot of positive reviews have been written about the Queen Victoria and to be fair I agree with a lot of what has already been said especially about the public areas, facilities and the staff, all very good. However, the age demographic on board our cruise I would put as an average of 70 maybe even 75 with many obviously much older, ok that's not a problem if you fall into that age range, I'm in my late fifties and I looked like a spring chicken, honest. Consequently the public rooms were full of old people doing old people things-sleeping, reading books and playing cards. The evening venues were relatively quiet because there weren't a lot of people who wanted to party (apart from the Queens room). If you identify with people who walk around the ship carrying their latest novel (even when going to the theatre) then your quids in. We saw about two families on board I guess they had all the childrens facilities to themselves which must have been good for them. The princess grill was good, the service was excellent the food generally good but not earth shattering and at times below the standard expected. We got a 6 wine package from the Captains table list, the wines were absolutely nothing special, it was quiet amusing to listen to the sommelier wax on about a $11.75 bottle of wine and then charge $57.00 for it (I have the photos but couldn't upload them due to their small size the wine was a J.LOHR Merlot 2016 Los Osos, look it up.). So having paid upwards of £11000 for the cruise and an onboard account of £800 was I happy with the outcome? Generally yes, would we do it again? No. Finally cruising isn't for everyone we had a good time but it didn't quite live up to expectations. Read Less

Chose this cruise as it visited Visby, Klaipeda and Oslo, which we had not been to before, plus some old favourites like Skagen, Copenhagen and Kristiansand. A 16 night cruise with 5 formal nights and plenty of sea days. (To be honest we would have happily missed St Petersburg as every Baltic cruise goes there and there is a limit to what you can do) We've travelled on the QV several times before, always choosing a restricted view outside cabin as it gives you a light cabin without the cost of a balcony, and the view is perfectly adequate unless you plan to spend a lot of time in the cabin. As usual the cabin was kept immaculately clean by our steward. The QV is like a comfortable slipper...everything just seems right. Plenty of quiet spaces, a lovely library, good shows in the evening and attentive staff. We also had the bonus of Captain Andrew Hall, who was friendly and approachable, although his weather forecasts always seemed wrong. Plenty of choice food wise, morning, noon and night. We tended to eat in the restaurant most nights apart from a few port days when our early sitting didn't fit in with our return to the ship. Rest assured that the food in the Lido was excellent in the evening and in some cases, surpassed that in the main restaurant. Our only disappointment was we felt the quality of meet had declined from previous voyages. Highlight of the trip for us was Oslo, even though it rained most of the day. The city has some lovely buildings, open spaces and public art. We ended up walking about 14 miles around the city. Klaipeda in Lithuania also surpassed expectations....a lovely old centre, best explored on foot following a guided tour supplied by the local Tourist Board. It pointed out old buildings and some lovely art that we might have missed had we stuck to the centre. Our only disappointments were that a) a few guests choose to ignore the formal evening dress code and were allowed into the restaurant wearing polo shirts with no jacket, when everybody else were in their finest tuxedos and b) the QV was virtually full of Brits this time. On previous voyages we have found a more varied international makeup which we think adds to the trip. Its always lovely to talk to someone from another country to get a different perspective of things. Overall - would always recommend the Baltic for first time cruisers and the QV for anyone who likes to dress up a little and recreate a bit of glamour. Read Less

Previous Cunard experience on Queen Victoria and sailing back home instead of flying. The relaxation of being aboard for 7 days without having to get up and out for excursions. Looking for a truly relaxing vacation being treated royally. These are the reasons we needed a Cunard vacation. We were not disappointed. Nothing, really nothing, went awry. The embarkation process was amazingly smooth. We boarded the ship and about a half hour later our luggage arrived. This proved to be just the preview of how things were to play out for the rest of the trip. The cabin, see the cabin review, was beautiful. The dining experiences again amazing. Yes the menu options were grand, but Osman the Matre' D would come to the table and ask and give recommendations for off menu options. Foie Gras, an iceberg salad made to order, the Grand Marnier souffle, ask and it was yours. The casino was small. Not very many options. Roulette, Black Jack, 3 Card Poker, Texas Hold'em type game (not against players but similar to 3 Card Poker) and a few slots. One woman hit the same machine for 4 jackpots in 2 days. The beauty of the ship, the cleanliness of the decks, I walked the decks about 3 in the morning and found more than a few people vacuuming and cleaning the common areas. Loved it so much we booked next year's trip onboard already. Wish we found this years ago. So very happy we found it at last. Read Less

We brought this crossing, Southampton to New York, as an alternative to flights. Little did we know it would provide the tranquility we craved following two weeks of sightseeing. Cunard QM2 has the best entertainment ever experienced at sea. The service is impeccable. While we would rank the food at the Brittania restaurant as rather unremarkable, the Kings Court (buffet) was excellent! Their specialty salads were outstanding. One can also order pasta or pizza, prepared from menu choices (non-buffet), while at Kings Court. We did this, one evening craving pizza. It was fresh from the oven to our table, piping hot. The beds are so comfortable! The evening entertainment included a vocalist, a flautist, along with the ship’s Royal Court Dancers. Top notch. Don’t forget the band, also superior to other ships! Lounges provided a stringed-quartet, a harpist, and jazz band. The latter group did a Dixieland Jazz lunch which was just plain fun. Kudos to Cunard! Read Less

Pricing for this crossing was less than one way business class airfare, so we decided to come back to the USA in style after crusing over to Dublin on a Celebrity Cruise ship. What a GREAT choice! We will definitely choose this method of travel again. Loved the food, the service and the ship. I tend to sea sickness and we were on deck 11, very high up. With 30 foot waves, this is the smoothest sailing ship I have been on. No rocking and rolling, just like a baby's cradle at night. You can do as much or as little as you want on this sailing. Entertainment is OK, but the lectures are very interesting. Warning, everyone likes them and afternoon tea, so get in line early, there is a lot of "waiting in line" for activities. But who cares, it is much better than a flight home from Europe and getting jet lag. Read Less

We chose a short 5 night cruise out of SOU to give our friends a taste of cruise life - he has mobility issues and has not travelled for some time - we thought a cruise would be ideal. The whole embarkation process was fantastic and the staff very helpful. That's a positive! On the negative the ship now has the feel of a rather tired but yet still grand Old Lady. Some areas are in need of a refit (eg some of the carpets) and refresh. Let's deal with the negatives first - on board charges for drinks and extras (eg spa) are EXTORTIONATE - we tried to purchase a drinks package but this was $69 per day per person (so you can't even share with your spouse) and was for drinks up to the value of $11, however a double G&T is well over $13, so are the majority of glasses of wines so you would still end up paying extra. For a 5 day cruise this would have amounted to £690 and you would still have to watch how you chose your drinks!! Food - Kings Court buffet looks great until you realise that almost everything is repeated 3 times in various area so the overall choice is a little limited. The food in the Britannia Restaurant is average with hardly any vegetables served. It was only on the 3rd night that we discovered the "always available" menu which included steak,chicken and fish dishes - these were much better than the menu although our waiter was obviously not happy that we had discovered this! Cabins - we had a balcony cabin which was fine although the bathrooms do need a refit. Our beds were SO COMFY we are considering purchasing an identical mattress for home!! (Sealy manufacture) Entertainment - sadly the cruise company/chorus were dreadful, 4 'shouty' singers 3 of which were out of time/tune. There was a great comedian and a fab tribute 60's band though which made up for it. This was our 9th cruise so we do have a fair amount of experience with Cunard and other companies - sadly our overall experience was not as good as others and as this was very much a "fill in" cruise between transatlantic crossings were felt as though some staff treated us as the 'poor relations' ie..."oh bless, they can't afford a real cruise so they do a mini cruise instead..." If this were a school report it would read "Good have done better" Read Less

I fell in love with the QM2 when I did the transatlantic crossing last October. I booked another transatlantic so wanted another one in between. Because the single cabins had gone then the cost was extra expensive so a short cruise was needed. This visited p places id not been to before as well. I was on a table of 8 for the 6pm and the writing staff were friendly efficient and very professional. There wasn't a meal I didn't enjoy. The main meals are a little short of vegetables but we asked for extra and they were provided for us every night. I chose to eat all my meals in the Britannia apart from breakfasts on tour days when I had room service and late night snacks when I used the kings court. People are very friendly and so I never lonely and shared tables at lunchtime. There were lots of activities to do and I enjoyed them all. I did a couple of spinning classes but don't why these have to be paid for as other classes were free. I arrived early for embarkation but that was not an issue and I was on the ship in under 30 mins. I self disembarked so that was equally smooth. The tours are great. I went on the walking tour and canal ride in bruges. The tour guide was very informative and with doing four a first visit. On Guernsey I did the sea kayaking. This was great was it was the other side of the island di we had chance to see the island and the instructor was very friendly and from the island so very informative. Highly recommended. The entertainment was mixed. Some very good, some ok and some not quite up to it. Read Less

I stayed in an interior cabin on this recent cruise and found it to be just what I needed for a comfortable bed in the evening. Linens, pillows, comforter - all great. Cabin attendee was warm hearted and helpful with anything needed. Bathroom was starting to show its age, but great shower pressure, size and heat. Spa services were wonderful, took advantage of some of the discounts onboard during slower times and found the value to be good, especially considering you get use of the in-spa jacuzzi and pool. Ate in the main dining room twice out of the five nights and probably would reduce this number on the next cruise. Service was not nearly as good as specialty restaurants, though I had no issue with the food quality. Our waiter in the second seating was rude, always trying to rush and never in sight after the order was given. It also took a long time for the sommelier to get to our table, he clearly had his hands full and the two times we ate there he would arrive at our table around the time we were eating our appetizer. I don't fault the ship for this and give a 5 star review because this was easily solvable by eating at the specialty restaurants where all these issues were more than solved. The Veranda was wonderful (ate there twice) as was the rotating restaurant - we had Indian and it was great. Loved grabbing lunch at the golden lion pub in the afternoons. Pool decks were nice and public spaces in part because there were far less children on this boat than many other carriers. This kept things more organized. My wife and I are in our early 30's and felt well placed in the crowd. Overall a great experience and great value. Will be back and would like to try the princess grill on the next voyage. Cheers Read Less

We have done this trip before and wanted to go back at a different time of year. We always sail with Cunard having experienced the cattle market of other lines sailing from Southampton. As always the service was impeccable and crew are always happy to have a chat, they smile and are sincere. Formal nights are now called Gala nights but the themes remain the same. One of the main reasons we sail with Cunard is because we like the formality of dressing up properly in the evenings. We also enjoy dancing in the ballroom to live band music. The singers can vary in ability though and this time we had an excellent lady singer and a dreadful male. Cunard are very clear that ‘dressing’ is a requirement and you know what you are signing up for before you embark. There are areas that can be accessed for those who wish to dress more casually. As for drinks prices - if you are used to London prices, cocktails and beer are comparatively priced, however wine is expensive. This trip followed the aforementioned Baltic, and I see that a previous passenger complained that the ship was too cold. I guess that they changed the air con to suit this as we spent our trip too hot! If you have never done the fjords trip, you really should. We’ve done it twice now, both times on QV. The weather was amazing, 24c in Haugesund. Norway is expensive, however the scenery is fantastic and there are things you should see before global warming has its way. The Briksdal glacier for instance, is a shadow of its former glory and yet remains an awesome sight. So if you are someone who likes to dress properly, enjoys politeness and old fashioned service, Cunard is for you. Read Less

65th Husband's birthday in May 2019. Sailing time evening. We arrived 2 pm. Relaxing start to cruise was the Southampton embarkation and disembarkation. Never sailed from Southampton before always fly cruised. Felt the start of cruise as soon as on the ship.Cases were at our cabin before we even arrived at the door. Was a bit concerned about whether the ship would be too posh for us and too big as previous cruises have only been with Marella Cruises tui but did need to worry at all. Lovely step up size. You can dress up and go over the top or just formal and smart, which was us. Men I do need suggest a black tie / or tie and and white shirt with a jacket. used most evenings in the bars and restaurants. 3 tiers to this ship money wise: but we on this ship but we did not feel out of place. even though they have the Britannia club, we went with our budget and was more than happy.We had booked an early saver for this ship and was very lucky as we had a balcony cabin on deck 5. Never had a balcony before. We went to eat in the Lido buffet as hungry. Good standard of food, although two buffet restaurants, one was geared to more Asian food.Although buffets were cleared sharply on time for change over meal times. Lovely views out of the windows. I requested early sitting at dinner, although not guaranteed we had been seated for 6 pm in the Britannia restaurant.Later I wished we had the later eating time because if you eat late breakfast or have afternoon cream tea lovely..... then you are not really hungry at 6 pm. Britannia restaurant is waiter service. Small portions, but four courses. Personally not a lot of choice but I managed as I am not a fussy eater. Enough for us.Although someone was on our table and had been on the ship before, so knew she could order soup as a starter. Pointer: if you drink alcohol and like your drink and do not want to be worrying about the cost of drinks every time you order one, then suggest the drinks package.15% is added to every drink and it is dollars.it can be expensive and not worth it if you are not going to use your allowance. Average 4 double gins and 3/4 beers a night is worth it. But my husband got more than his worth and did not worry about ordering which is what I wanted for him to enjoy his birthday week. As for me not worth it... I only had a couple on non Alcohol cocktails and a tea or coffee. But a tip''''' They say you have to buy two the same drinks package, I don't drink and only wanted the soft drinks package and my husband wanted the drinks package, they will not let you buy one of each..... but argue this if this is the case and they will let you in the end.You are given an on board card for all your spending and a sticker is put on if you take the drinks package. Don't keep your on board card next to your phone as it wipes your account and it is a pain to keep renewing it from the purser and you cant get into your room without it. Staff were from around the world We had some nice and some not so friendly.. so we asked for our gratuities back from the purser . we then tipped who we wanted. Some bar waiters really nice, some not so. Absolutely lovely meal in the special La Pizza restaurant. Extra $19 dollars each bookable. Need to learn the corridors when you come out the ship as you have a long walk otherwise. Deck 2 was where the reception was. Deck 3 was the lovely Gin Bar and the pub bar was the meeting place in the evening for karaoke and quizzes. other bars were relaxing,as so the extra places like the library etc. Music was played by musicians in the evenings as so dancing if you wanted it. if you book any birthday meals in the Veranda restaurant make sure you have your booking ticket with you. If you book a photograph go and see the photographer beforehand as they do not come to you. The Manager is lovely Warren such a lovely man.Made our evening really enjoyable and memorable. Joe the steward look for him he is good as well.Dennis is also good as so was Ronaldo. Casino staff good very friendly but easy to get hooked so be aware. lol. Excursions okay. Beautiful scenery even if you do not get off. You can do as much or as little as you want on or off ship in the way of exercise. We booked online before we left. Book before hand for Flamm as very popular and will not get booked up on ship. We were lucky with the weather, we had sunshine and 20 degrees in May. We actually swam in the ships pool and Jacuzzi. They have a spa and hydrotherapy pool but these are extras. Down sides ? a bit poor on the theatre shows and not much show of the captain and his staff unless you mix a bit upper class.Purser staff a bit offish with you when you have issues except for the younger girl staff.she was helpful. Cabin steward a bit aloof. Just did the basics.did not go out of his way at all.One or two staff unfriendly but then a very mixed employment of staff so some very helpful others not so. Same with some people on the ship s cruise.Best thing is to just enjoy your selves and not worry about the others. Disembarkation was a bit of a free for all. should have been a bit. more organised/. Britannia club and people with coaches go first then every body has to wait until these people are cleared. then they like release you all at once and every body wants to race to get off at once. so you have people coming from their designated areas from like 8 am and from their cabins or other waiting areas trying to leave and disembark at once. Overall a lovely week. will definitely cruise Cunard Queen Victoria again/ Cannot comment yet on the other ships. Will definitely sail Cunard Queen Victoria again. Read Less

Five years since our last return transatlantic cruise and we looked forward eagerly to the experience. Not a particularly smooth start with a booking while on the QE last November and being told cabin would be allocated later. Eventually we were told two weeks before embarkation that we had been upgraded. Take this tip - if you are offered cabins on deck four at the rear, especially 4180, say no. They are directly above the Queens Room and the night club. The constant thud thud of amplified sound can be heard until the early hours. But as usual there can be no cabin change as the voyage is full - has anyone been on a voyage when that sign is not on the Pursers desk? Embarkation - never seen the departures hall so full, hardly a spare seat. Priority check-in got us through in around 15 minutes. Cabin spotless as usual - steward Mayo on hand to sort out any problems. Up to the Kings Court for light lunch. I appreciate that I am in a minority but I prefer the old layout and find too many dark areas in the new layout. Food, however, good as ever with tremendous choice. Later Britannia restaurant proved much the same but we felt the choice was more limited, to the extent that some nights we found nothing on the menu to tempt us. Entertainment was the usual Cunard standard ie pretty average with one big exception - we had new films, after years of complaining. Insight lectures were mixed - some good, one excellent and some mediocre. Evening shows in the Royal Court theatre have changed little over the past 12 years - and as anything in the arts is so subjective it seems pointless praising or criticising. The transfer from the Brooklyn cruise terminal to Macy's was a complete shambles, due in some part, to road closures due to 30,000 cyclists taking part in a bikeathon. having been dropped some way from Macy's we were told the pick up would be at 7th and 34th which covers quite a few combinations, worse in the pouring rain. And, of course, no Cunard rep anywhere. Conclusion - we have always loved our return crossings but this will be our last. Difficult to pinpoint why but overall it seemed to lose the magic. Read Less