Visiting norway and iceland Again Queen Elizabeth has technical problems : can‘ t therefore landing in Isjafordur. Excursions are cancelled; yesterday night the ship could‘t drive all the time with her max. speed, so we had a delay in Akureyi. I remember my cruising by QE 2 years ago: in St. Petersburg we could‘t depart; by the way: it has been the same captain Why cunard is not able to remove the known technical problems? I hope they will solve theses problems to the next cruise we have booked with Queen Elizabeth in may 2019: from yokohama towards alaska and to vancouver. I ithink cunard requires too much of this ship. Captain says that we shall have understanding for her decision. This will be difficult because things repeat. Summery: crew- specially in restaurants, bars, on deck and the butler in the staterooms is very courteous and friendly. The german hostess sometimes was arrogant and complacent. The (english) travel tours hostess rattled off the explanation of the trips. Dining in Queens Grill had been excellent; cabin was luxurious and calm. We will return and hope that technical problems will be solved. Read Less

This is my 6th cruise and 6th different cruise line. What sets Cunard apart is a sense of history that you can’t find on other cruise lines. All the wall decorations are paintings of current and past Cunard-White Star ships and old photos and memorabilia. You might want to read a little bit about the history to fully appreciate it. When the ship is in port it’s seems to be more special than just another ship. The trip was through the Norwegian Fjords - we anticipated dreary weather in port but we lucked out with mostly sunny days with only a few showers. If you are looking for a ‘party’ atmosphere and towel animals – then the ship is not for you. Our cruise was through the Norwegian fjords – so it wasn’t pool-centric although there were some warmer days. Most of the music piped in the pool area (when there was music) was soothing. The aft bar is a small, mostly walkup bar. The cruise director was low-key, not running around the ship pumping up the passengers. But, there also isn’t the hard sell to buy ‘extras’ that you find on other ships. The ship is on the smaller side, but it never seemed crowded – you can easily find a quiet place to read. One member of our group is a smoker. On other ships we could sit together in a bar at the aft part of the ship, but the smoking areas are not near any bar. We had the late dinner seating. People complied with the nightly dress code, Our wait staff were professional, but not overly friendly – we didn’t feel the need to pose with them at the end of the cruise. All the ship employees have their first name and job title, not the home countries that you normally find. They are also almost exclusively male. We attended one of the musical/dance shows performed by the ship troupe which was entertaining. There was a comedian which was funny – although we didn’t fully understand some of the jokes and impressions since we aren’t from England. We usually went to the Commodore Club for cocktails before dinner – it is in the bow of the ship and had a mellow piano player/singer. After dinner, the Queens Room had a band and played swing/Latin dance music – it was nice to watch from above. For something more lively, there is the Yacht Club which has a DJ or band that plays more current music. Most of the people boarded the ship in Southampton – but we boarded with about 350 other people in Rotterdam. We came from the USA and booked through Cunard a night before/after the cruise in an Amsterdam hotel (Movenpick) with transfers between the airport and cruise ship. We were more than pleased. Everything went smoothly and there was even a Cunard representative (Christiaan) at the hotel who couldn’t have been more helpful. Read Less

Norway and Iceland have been on our bucket list for quite a while and the ports certainly didn't disappoint. Same couldn't be said for the cruise after our great time in the Med on Queen Vic two years ago. Is it just the different ship or is Cunard being Carnivalised? Cabin and attendant were great but just about everything else was understaffed, under quality and at times under sufferance. Dining and meal service in Britannia was rushed and off hand, food quality and presentation not of Cunard standard. In the end we retreated to the Lido at night where at least you could set your own pace. Drinks, especially wines, were expensive and there wasn't a decent cup of coffee on the ship. The theater entertainment was patchy but the music was great. The get together of the Bands to do a Big Band recital was very good. Guest speakers and the activities staff were good. Didn't do any ships tours but the tendering and shore-side set up was good in ports. I suppose when the rest of the ship isn't working well it is difficult for Pursers staff to raise a smile so they are excused. I imagine the ship did have officers but they certainly were not visible unless you went to the special events. Embarkation and disembarkation in Rotterdam were very smooth and well handled. It is an easy terminal to use. Bergen and Geiranger were both spectacular. A tip if doing the Funicular in Bergen is to book your tickets on line in advance. With 4 ships berthed the queue was horrendous. Just did the town in Akureyri and Isafjordur, both very Iceland and good to walk. Did a privately booked tour in Reykjavik which was interesting with some spectacular sights and a great commentary by a local. Torshavn in the Faeroes was a wonderful little town to spend a day and our private tour (See Orkney) in Kirkwall was a real highlight. Ticked off the bucket list but if I have to cart a Penguin suit half way round the world I expect the style and service to match the effort. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the itinerary around the British Isles, with stops in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Orkney Islands, Dublin, Liverpool, and Guernsey. We had sailed on the former QE2 many years ago. The current Queen Elizabeth is a lovely ship, and overall the staff is good. This particular cruise catered to a much older crowd, many passengers in their 80s. I mention this primarily because I do not think children or teenagers would particularly enjoy this ship, even though they apparently have activities for children. I saw only 2 children on our cruise. The cabin was certainly adequate and was attended to very well. We decided to try the Britannia Club level, which allowed us to eat dinner whenever in the separate dining room and the staff there is truly outstanding. The food is good but it is not great. We have sailed before on Crystal several times and there is no comparison between the food services on the 2 cruise lines. In the Britannia Club, the seafood dishes were generally successful but some of the appetizers and desserts were much less successful. The one outstanding dinner we had in the dining room was venison. The Lido worked well for us for breakfast since we are up early. Wonderful omelettes, and full English breakfast if you desire...kippers, tomatoes, mushrooms, baked beans, all sorts of bacon (I don't eat pork). The coffee on the ship is quite mediocre and a change in the brand they use would help things tremendously. Smoked salmon the first few mornings and then that disappeared. Problems with the toasters. They need more waiters to refill coffee in the mornings, and more staff to quickly bus the table. We had dinner one evening in their special dining room, which charges a surcharge. Very pleasant, although the staff tries way too hard such that their "friendliness" becomes intrusive rather quickly. Nice pasta appetizer, beef filet was very good but I would not say outstanding. Still it was a nice change and I would recommend it. One of the main problems on this cruise is the tours, more specifically the disorganization in the mornings. Because there are quite a few passengers with canes, wheelchairs, and walkers, passengers were not able to keep up with the staff member who was supposed to guide them off the ship. Staff members were giving contradictory messages between the Queens Room and the rest of the ship. It was confusing and irritating such that we were relieved we had left several dates without the annoyance of their tours. On another note, most major cruise lines have made an effort to reach out to LGBT travelers. On Cunard, this is is noted in their Daily Program as "Friends of Dorothy". This term is old-fashioned, and goes back to a time when gays and lesbians were supposed to/needed to stay in the closet. Cunard should join the 21st century and use the appropriate term LGBTQ, especially if they want to appeal to gay travelers under the age of 65 or 70. You can do it, Cunard, and everything will be just fine. Read Less