I had been on two previous Alaska cruises (Crystal & Princess) and hadn't planned on going back again, but I wanted to cruise on one of the new Cunard Queens and since I live in Oregon.... The ship is beautifully done, the food in the Britannia Dining Room was excellent and so was the entertainment in the Royal Court Theater. But the service throughout the ship was consistently uninspired. Nobody, including the room steward and your waiters, bothers to learn your name. Supplies in the staterooms are stingy. Tables in the Lido remain dirty with used dishes and nobody comes over to ask if you need anything. I wonder if they have cut the crew to save money, something Cunard should never do. I always thought Cunard was a tier above Princess but its service on the QE was one big step below. I'm glad I got to ride on the ship but I wouldn't bother to buy a ticket on any of the new queens again. Read Less

" Slow boat " to Japan for the Sakura or Cherry Blossom, and a bit of sightseeing, fine dining and some dancing in between, that was the idea and why not, take 19 nights instead of 9 hours fly direct. It is the journey that matters and something to reminisce in future. See photos. In Nov 2017, we travelled the shinkansen or bullet train around Japan for the autumn foliage and kind of felled in love with the beautiful people, place and views. So this time, we wanted to see the sakura. We experienced sakura in Hirosaki Castle Park in North Honshu. Aomori is the closest big town. ( see photos and separate review on the Diamond Princess ) We sailed QE, Melb to Yokohama for the first leg and switched over to the Diamond Princess to sail around Japan for the 2nd leg for another 9 nights. Thanks Cunard staff for the cabin upgrade. Hundreds of us, had to do the switch over and gladly give the Japanese a chance to enjoy what we did in the last 3 weeks on the QE. The rumour was, 1700 Japanese were getting onboard the QE for the Golden Week ( 4-5 public holidays ). In my past reviews on Cunard voyages, I have commented their excellent ambience, decore, service, food, entertainment and varied activities. Breakfast room service and dining service were excellent, everyday. These high standards continued, in my humble view. Thanks Reynaldo and Alvin for your serving of pistachio souffle which I enjoyed watching more than eating ( I am not a dessert person ). Thank you to our Brissie realtors table companions and making everyone laugh, sometimes in tears, each night. And to Ron and Angela for the many many happy times we had while onboard. On sea days and there were many, Zumba exercises at 9am and line dancing at 10am, ballroom dancing at 11am and in the afternoon, different type of dance lessons and from 7.45pm onwards, ballroom and latin dancing in the Queens Room till midnight and in the Yatch Club, with more pop and disco until the wee morning hours. In QE, you can literally DANCE TILL YOU DROP DEAD. As they say, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Survive I did with a trick, get some rest and catch a nap. We enjoyed dancing but not as dedicated as some others who wake up at the crack of dawn, to practice in the Queens Room. Thanks to the many people we met while dancing like Des and Pauline, Ron n Barb, Arthur n Betty, and Tim n Tima, Mark n Annie, etc.... Life on board the QE includes the pool activities, mahjong, fencing, table tennis, darts, trivia, interesting talks, shows and of course, drinking and fine dining and late night suppers in the Lido after dancing. Following an interesting presentation on the social culture and food aspects of Japan, there was an interesting ceremony on breaking of the sake or wine barrel. The Japanese vintage sake was free flowing and was limitless. It was not a good idea, on an empty stomache and before lunch but life goes on.... Neil, the entertainment director and zumba instructor, was easy, funny and encouraging to many newcomers to zumba. He got my table companions, Steve and Donna, converted. Lesley, did a great job hosting and was ably assisted by the dance hosts like Brian and Sheila, Richard, etc. Much credit is due to our 4 dance instructors who patiently taught many of us, several useful dance moves and techniques to improve ourselves. Recorded music used for dancing was in manyways better than live music on some occassions ( see review on QE to Tasmania and Port Arthur) As for the ports, we were lucky to get some magical views of sunrise over the Sydney Opera House and the ferries darting in and out of Circular Quay ferry terminal. I have lived and worked in Sydney before and this experience is still a treasure. A tip, get the portside cabin when coming into Sydney. We enjoyed strolling along the Royal Botanical Gardens and the views from Mrs Macquaire Chair of QE, Opera Housre and the Harbour Bridge. This must be one of the most beautiful harbour in the world, in my view. In Brisbane, we enjoyed the free shuttle to town centre, free City Hopper ( red coloured ) ferry ride around Southbank and wandered and shop inthe high street. We dropped in a big Commonwealth Bank to do some banking and got free wi-fi and an excellent coffee, on the house. Thank you customer service. That is why banked with you. We skipped visiting Alotaul in PNG as it was so bloody hot and humid but we did our own shore excursion ( aud 45pp for a 2 hour air cond bus tour ) in Rabaul to the Hotsprings, Mt Tavurvur ( pronounced TaVOORvoor) volcano that last erupted 5 years ago in Sep 2014, the Japanese general Yamamoto bunkers, and the Volcano Observatory station. The scientist staff showed us in and explained all the seismological monitoring. You can get some beautiful views of QE in the harbour below and the volcano, too. In Manila, we got a free shuttle to a big shopping complex. We got some currencies and went shopping. I booked and got a nice hair trim by a gorgeous hairdresser and my wife got a manicure done at the same time. You can walk out of QE or port to see Josef Rizal Memorial and Fort Santiago without having to catch the free shuttle. Do that later. Otherwise, it was a 30 min hike back and it can be very sweaty due to its humidity and the pathways are not always clear and smooth. In Nagasaki, we took a tram ride to the nearest station and walked 5 min to the Peace Park and another 5 min walk to centre of the atomic bomb blast. The English tourist brochure on how to ride and pay the tram fare and the direction to the stations is very simple and clear to understand. Remember to change tram at the main station for the next tram and get a transfer ticket from the tram driver before disembaring. This is used for the 2nd and final tram when you exit. Just follow the cruise crowd as nearly all will head in the same direction. It is 50% cheaper to pay on the tram as you exit instead of buying the day pass. You may not have much time visting other places. We window shopping when we return and walked up to the Church which was first used by Portugese inthe 13th-15th century. BTW, you can see the small mountan scenic top from the QE ship portside andyou can catch your own ropeway or cable car up there for a small fee as compared to shore excursion. Yokohama, has a lot ot offer which we will do the next time. This time, we caught the city free shuttle to Sakuragicho station. We have a Suica card from previous visit and we avoided the very long queue to buy a train ticket to Central Tokyo or Shinjuku or Akihabara in our case. We caught the unreserved seating JR Keihin- Tohuku for Omiya direction express train direct to Akihabara for under 600 yen or usd 6 or aud 9. Incredibly cheap and quite fast if you know how and do your homework. Use hyperdia.com website. Otherwise, Cunard transfer will be aud 100 plus. Hopefully, my table companions took up my suggestion,if not for the money, at least, just for the experience. In conclusion, we were very happy overall with the voyage and the many people we met, dined and danced with and highly recommend this ship and voyage especially for the Pollywogs who have never crossed the Equator. You get a big colorful Cunard map of the world certificate with your name on it for crossing the Equator. Nice surprise. Looking forward to the next Med cruise in Sept. Hopefully, you enjoyed reading the review and got something out of it in some little ways. Well, at least enjoy the photos. Read Less

After a great cruise on the Queen Mary in 2017 we had great Expectations of First Class service on Queen Elizabeth in March 2019. Our cruise from Melbourne started poorly with a Cunard Computer glitch at the Port check in causing long delays. In fact as we boarded the crew were in their life jackets directing all passengers to their muster stations for our safety drill. Obviously they were leaving on time no matter what. Anyway these computer problems do occur but we missed that welcome aboard photo, the officer’s greeting and the champagne. Not to worry we were on the Queen Elizabeth heading out of Port Phillip Bay heading for New Zealand on a 12 day cruise with one of the best ships on water. Generally the waiters in the Lido Dining Room were just not interested in providing service to their guests with avoidance of eye contact and little interest in meeting our needs. At Britannia Dining Room the service was improved but still it was no better than that of a café . Drinks service was appalling. On day six they ran out of scotch in the dining room so served Jack Daniels without asking if OK. Bourbon is not Scotch. Despite all bars on the ship having plenty of scotch (one had 31 bottles) the waiter said he could not borrow or restock and we would need to ask head office why not? Really? Our table of ten ordered 4 bottles wine throughout the cruise with 3 of them out of stock. These were all listed on their wine menu. Food was Ok with rather small portions and limited selection and variety compared to previous cruises. Drinks service at the Golden Lion Pub was very slow whether they were busy or not. Staff seemed disinterested in good service. Plumbing issues began on morning one when our toilet would not flush. Maintenance responded after my 2nd call adjusted something and it worked. Great til morning three when same problem same result after my 2nd call again. Morning four Toilet won’t flush. By now we are “Not Happy Jan “so again after my second call maintenance arrives and I indicated you can’t just keep adjusting this thing every day or we will have to move. He pulled the whole thing apart found the component that was faulty and surprise surprise it was fixed for good. Happy with the outcome but we did not need three goes to get that result. I am sure this is a regular problem so they will be aware of what needs to be done. On morning eleven toilet would not work but neither did the water supply. Seems they had a main water pipe burst and the entire ship was without running water. To be fair these things happen I guess but I got the impression this was not the first time. Anyway the Casino, Shops and many Staterooms were flooded as this occurred during the night. We were without running water until 9.30am just as Captain Simon Love had announced at about 8am. The flooded areas had poker machines and tables in pieces trying to dry them out before the next cruise that started the next day. We did speak to some guests whose rooms were flooded and the crew were helping dry out their clothes and belongings. Our Stateroom Staff were very efficient and friendly. Our room was in good condition but the balcony was in need of rust treatment and painting roof and rails. It doesn’t make it appealing when it looks grubby. We found the entertainment nightly was very good with entertainers of high quality well presented. Well Done! The Thermal Spa and the Gym were very well equipped with helpful enthusiastic staff. Well done! Ports of call were good with even a tendering port Akaroa being not problem at all. Cruising through Milford Sound was a highlight with an onboard commentator who gave great descriptions of the entire area with the Captain and crew placing the ship perfectly for viewing throughout the ship. Well Done! In summary we found the ship was as expected with good facilities and décor but the service and staff are letting the Cunard Experience down badly. Read Less

We have travelled on Queen Elizabeth previously and had a wonderful time. We flew to Melbourne to join the ship at our allotted time of 12.00 only to be told you can’t board until after 2.00 pm come back later. They did take our luggage and manage to lose 1 piece. We eventually got to our cabin at 3.45 pm after much queuing. People were passing out in the heat in the lines. Very poor. The food in the buffet was very ordinary and repetitive. The food in the main restaurant was appealing but lacked taste. We had room service but it was cold and the selection was small. The entertainment had too much Cunard singers and dancers and not enough other entertainment. The guest speakers were poor compared to other cruises we have been on. We were asked to disembark at 7.00am. They put on early breakfast in the Lido but while we were at breakfast our room was stripped even though we still had items in the bathroom and on the bed. We felt given that we had to leave so early the room steward could have waited till we had left. When we arrived home we had been charged for water that was given to us when the cabins had no water due to a burst water pipe. It was refunded after we complained but complimentary usually means free. Queen Elizabeth is a beautiful ship but not the high standard it was. Read Less

Just completed the Melb-NZ cruise 18-30 March 19. Seemed like a good way to see a little of NZ in comfort. Massive delays and chaos at boarding in Melbourne. Burst water main leaving cabins without water until 9:30 AM one day. Casino flooded and smelling. Long queues for shuttle bus into Dunedin with USD 8 charge each way. Long queue for tender from ship to Akaroa even at 11:00AM. Stale cheese board crackers in upgrade Verandah restaurant; reported to maître d' who took no action and continued serving from the same supply on the cheese cart. Drinks overpriced in US dollars and even more expensive when converted to AUS and 15% service charge then added. No ushers in cinema with very elderly people entering in the dark after the film started with one gentleman falling badly on the stairs near my seat. No assistance/supervision in the gym in the early mornings with elderly people on machines. Cabin clean and comfy. Staff very polite and efficient. Food plentiful and good but silly corner cutting like complimentary food from room service but charging for tea/coffee delivered with food. Evening shows too much of the same "song and dance" type routines. Good classical music program and ballroom dancing lessons. Overall the company are milking the Queen Elizabeth name. Read Less

Apart from having to queue for 90 minutes to check in due to Cunard computer crashing several times, the cruise was everything we expected and more. There was a bottle of champagne waiting in our cabin, robe and slippers supplied and lovely toiletries and the beds were so comfortable. There was plenty of choice in Lido restaurant for breakfast and lunch and dinner in Britannia restaurant was excellent for quality, choice and service. Golden Lion pub served excellent British food for lunch, the Atlantic cod, chips and mushy peas were a favourite. Afternoon tea served in Queens room by waiters wearing white gloves was an experience. There was plenty of activities to take part in if you wanted to and plenty of seating if you just wanted to read. We took up the offer of 'book inside cabin and get free upgrade to balcony'. However it was not used very much as the weather got quite rough crossing the Tasman Sea and travelling down the east coast and round to Fiordland, so unless the same deal offered next time, an ocean view would suffice. Definitely recommend this trip to New Zealand. Read Less

We chose this cruise after enjoying a Queen Mary 2 circumnavigation of New Zealand a few years ago. Our boarding time was 2.30pm and we arrived at Station Pier, Melbourne, 10 minutes before the scheduled time to encounter a long and mutinous queue stretching along the pier. We had to queue for 40 minutes on Station Pier in 30 degree heat. Several elderly passengers were becoming quite distressed. Passengers were being allowed into the Cruise Terminal in groups of about 20. Here we queued for a further 40 minutes in a hot, stuffy antiquated building - the air conditioning unable to cope with the passenger numbers. I understand the problem was due to multiple computer crashes and a passenger who fainted in the airless terminal having to be medivaced. Cunard could, and should have handled the situation better. They could have sent a ship's officer down onto station pier to explain the situation first hand. They could have set up the cold drink stations and gazebos on the pier as they did at every port stop. They could have provided temporary seating for elderly passengers. An apology would have been nice. Maybe even a voucher for a complimentary drink once on board. This was hardly Cunard's famed White Star service and the problem was exacerbated by Melbourne Port's antiquated facility. Overall the embarkation was a tedious, unpleasant experience. Most reasonable people accept that things can go wrong. Unfortunately, the bad embarkation experience got the cruise off to a bad start with some passengers just looking to find fault wherever they could. Once on board things changed considerably for the better. Our cabin was spotlessly clean and well appointed. Our steward, Alfie, was an absolute treasure. There were a couple of minor issues with our cabin - a blown light bulb and blocked toilet. Both were fixed very promptly following a call to the Pursers office. Like one of the other reviewers, i was slightly irritated that there was no pen provided in the cabin. On our QM2 cruise there was a nice faux "Mont Blanc" style pen. Cost cutting to save a couple of dollars on a cruise costing several thousand dollars just doesn't make sense. The ship itself is fabulous with its art deco interior, artworks and magnificent staircases. It is only spoiled somewhat by the gaudy poker machines that occupy too much premium space. Surely they could have been placed somewhere less conspicuous (preferably down on Deck 1). I find it hard to understand why some reviewers complain about the food. The dining choices are many and varied. We ate most of our meals in the Britannia Restaurant where the meals were excellent, as was the service (and we're fussy). We had a couple of meals in the Lido buffet where there was plenty of variety and we had no problem with service. We loved the Golden Lion pub and the English fare. The Fish 'n Chips were great and I enjoyed one of the best chicken curries I've had in a long time. Our favourite bar was the Commodore Club for pre-dinner drinks. Service was always excellent and the complimentary canapés were a nice touch. Our only problem with service was in the Verandah Bar where we once waited 20 minutes to get any service. The waiter seemed more interested in chatting with the barman than attending to guests. Drink prices were high for guests paying in AU dollars. Beer was best value with prices being about what you would pay in a good quality hotel, even after conversion. Wine was expensive for Australian travellers who love their wine. The wine list provided an excellent selection from around the world and I enjoyed attending the wine tasting and sampling wines that are not easily available in Australia. Our sommelier was very knowledgeable and happy to share his expertise. The enrichment lectures were of a very high standard as were the song and dance routines accompanied by an excellent band. We had no problem with the embarkation and disembarkation by the ship's boats in Akaroa as reported by another reviewer. We also opted for the Train excursion in Dunedin which was well organised and well catered for. The train came right onto the Jetty at Port Chalmers. The highlight of the trip was the navigation of Doubtful Sound and Milford Sound which was accompanied by an excellent commentary form a local expert. Would we book Cunard again? Definitely. We have already booked the QE Christmas and New Year cruise to NZ. I'm pleased to report that the disembarkation ran a lot more smoothly than the embarkation. Read Less

I previously sailed on the Queen Elizabeth two years ago, San Francisco to Auckland and enjoyed every minute apart from one or two minor irritations. So, when the opportunity to cruise Melbourne to Melbourne came up, I jumped at the opportunity. Cruise 911, Melbourne, Picton, Wellington (overnight), Akaroa, Dunedin (Port Chalmers) and cruising the Fiordland National Park. The itinerary was great, enjoyed all of the ports and cruising Doubtful and Milford Sound was wonderful. Embarkation was a total shambles and if I hadn't been using a walking stick who knows how long it would have taken me to board. My boarding pass/ticket stated embarkation time was 12.30pm. I joined an exceptionally long queue in sweltering heat - no shade - and when I got to the top of the queue was told embarkation time was 1.30pm. A friend who had 1.30pm on her ticket, was told her embarkation time was 3.30pm. Seriously? I understand some people fainted because of the conditions. It seems to me that the Victoria Port Authority need to lift their game if Melbourne wants to attract more cruise ships. While their staff tried hard, it doesn't help that the facilities are hopeless. Thank goodness Cunard's check in staff were fabulous. I received an unexpected upgrade from Britannia to Princess Suite. My cabin steward was fantastic, the room was exceptionally clean and the fruit bowl was replenished on a regular basis. Dining in the Princess Grill was out of this world. But there were aspects of the cruise I found disappointing. No pen in the cabin. Previously there was always a pen. This was the most commonly discussed annoyance among passengers. Why provide a notepad if you're not going to provide a pen? The cost of those pens, as marketing tools, is probably negligible. I know it's not a big deal and I did have my own pen but still, it rankled because if this is how Carnival are going to strip down the Cunard brand it's a pretty stupid thing to do. I ate in the Lido a couple of times for lunch and with a group of non Grills friends at dinner. What can I say? Presentation was dreadful, selection seemed to be limited and I noticed that people were queuing up for whatever was going to be cooked on the spot - there was nobody to cook it! On one occasion one side of the Lido was blocked off because the "chef wasn't ready!" It was 12.20pm for goodness sake. For the first few days I had breakfast in my room. Big disappointment. Again, presentation was zero, portion sizes were so small I began wondering if I ought to order two breakfasts. A piece of bacon that measured less than 13cm in length (5 inches for non metricated folks), scrambled eggs - almost cold, presented in two small rounds. Coffee cold - every single time. Yes, I had a coffee maker and I could have made my own, but I chose not to because previously the coffee was always hot. On three occasions I had no knife on my tray, so not sure how I was expected to eat my breakfast and spread butter on my toast. Lucky I had that fruit bowl because I had a knife I could use. Yes, I could have probably complained to somebody about my breakfast but I also understand the logistics of keeping food warm etc. The lack of cutlery was another problem altogether which I felt reflected the lack of care I sensed in the Lido. Maybe the variety in the Lido was due to the fact we were cruising in the southern hemisphere when many northern hemisphere items (especially fish etc.) are not available. But the overall impression I had regarding the Lido was that the staff didn't care. Food ran out and was not replaced in a timely manner. Despite these issues, I still enjoyed the cruise and have booked another one. Read Less

We chose a 3 night Sydney - Burnie - Melbourne cruise as a sampler and introduction to Cunard cruising. Embarkation was reasonably painless. We arrived a little earlier than the allocated boarding time and was told to board anyway. We dropped off bags, queued for about 15 minutes and then found ourselves on-board. Finding our cabin was easy as we were escorted by our cabin steward who did a good job of explaining our cabin facilities. The cabin was comfortable and clean, though no larger than what we've previously experienced. Power is via British and American sockets, which is no problem, but there were no USB sockets. The bathroom was small but everything worked as expected. The bed was comfortable, but I found the pillows too soft. A nice touch was a complimentary bottle of sparkling wine on ice in the cabin. As a tip for Cunard though, next time source a wine that is drinkable. Two lunches and breakfasts were in the Lido buffet. As a buffet, the food was reasonable quality with a good variety. Shouldn't have to pay extra for espresso style coffees though. One lunch and dinners were in the Britannia Restaurant. This was disappointing. The food was no better than a reasonable RSL club bistro. The service was reasonably attentive though a little hit and miss. After our first night's dinning I found myself with someone else's keycard. This was quickly fixed up at the purser's office and provided a lesson to check the card after purchases. A highlight of the food experience was the high tea, which we experienced on our second day. Being our only day at sea, it was very popular and the overflow ended up in the Britannia Restaurant. The tea (or coffee) was plentiful and hot, the food, sandwiches, scones and sweets, were spot on and the service was attentive. Drink prices were on the expensive side, especially once you remembered to convert from USD and add the gratuity. Being Australian, gratuities, and tipping in general is a pain. If it is part of the standard or expected cost, just roll it into the overall price and be done with it. Then we can decide to tip if we feel the service deserves it. Overall though, the service was good. We didn't take in a show but did experience some of open the entertainment on other nights. The bands were what you would expect and reasonably entertaining. We took in a talk by a historical expert regarding WWII Japanese hold-outs (refusing to surrender after the war) in the Pacific. I found this interesting as I enjoy the historical aspect, but it wasn't to my wife's taste. My wife though did sample the shopping, fortunately without much success. Our one port day was in Burnie, Tasmania. This a good, honest working town, but not a very inspiring cruise destination, especially as it was a public holiday and would have been completely dead if it weren't for hundreds of cruise passengers wandering around looking for something to do. There were very few cafes and you couldn't even have a beer and lunch in a pub as they were all closed. At least the mayor was there to greet us when we came down the gangway. We didn't do any organised shore excursions, but my sister, who was part of our cruise group, did, and enjoyed the Cradle Mountain excursion. Overall, the ship had a decor in keeping with it's image and wasn't overcrowded. We weren't disappointed, but now feel we've done the Cunard experience and probably won't be sampling it again. We are going on a longer Oceania Mediterranean cruise later this year. It will be interesting to compare that experience. Read Less

We suggested to a friend who suggested to others and before you knew it, there was a bunch booked for this 6 Night cruise Melbourne to Tasmania and Port Arthur. Our friends plan to check out QE high reputation, dance a bit, sight see and spend sometime together. We enjoyed the good weather, smooth sailing and with excellent views of the Tasman Peninsula from Mt Wellington. Hobart and Salamanca Place was alright ( there was a big public demo infront of State Parliament for climate change to add some excitement ) and so was Richmond with its iconic arched sandstone bridge built by the colonial convicts to keep them mentally and physically occupied and be a better person after prison, unlike those today. We enjoyed the fresh Tassie scallops and hot scallop pies for lunch at a friendly bakery. But our visit to Port Arthur was most pleasant and enjoyable. See the photos. They speak a thousand words of the wonderful day and the views but not our personal experience. Entry to the penal settlement was free and so was the catamaran cruise in Mason Cove which allowed me to take some beautiful photos.This was a big unexpected bonus. The ship public areas itself, is beautiful and elegant throughout as to be expected of Cunard. So pleasant to stroll along. So was the individual customer service from cabin stewards to dining stewards to dance hosts and especially, the entertainment director, Neil who also happened to be our zumba instructor. Same thing happened in our previous Queen Victoria cruise to Norwegian fjords. Entertainment director was also the zumba instructor. But Neil, was funny and easy going and the zumba exercises was always full and enjoyable. Line dancing was carried out by various staff from the Royal Court Theatre and were equally well instructed, enjoyable and again, pretty much fully attended. Many of the guests enjoyed the recorded music ( it was good selection ) sequence dancing hosted by Lesley. She was well assisted by the many good dance hosts especially Jane and " Tarzan " from Wales. Our friends enjoyed the many ballroom and latin dancing to the live sounds of the Queens Room orchestra and especially when they were joined by the Royal Courth Theatre orchestra. What fabulous sounds and great ambience for the night. Jack Kennedy while talented and handsome and does sing well and plays the guitar, too appears to us,to be a bit jaded and flat on several occassions which kind of kill the song and hence, the dance altogether. So we kind of skip the dance altogether when that happens. Jack may do better singing on alternate nights to get the sparkle and be more engaging like Damian Dodd from the QM2 cruise in Feb 2018. Still, there is always some crowd on the dance floor but it peters off very quickly after 10.30pm which was unlike the QM2 and QV cruises that we were on last year. It was going strong till midnight. Okay, we we had other missions. Our friends very, very often have a late night supper in the Lido and catch up on various affairs and with other people we met on the ship. Dancing can be consuming despite what we already ate at dinner. So it was all good. Note, while there was afternoon tea, there was no live band and dancing like those of QM2 afternoon tea. Maybe this is the thing in QE with more dancing in the night instead. Dining and service in the Britannia was excellent throughout. Dining among good friends, it was even better. Each of us, took our complimentary bottle to share as the sparkling wine does not hold overnight. Entertainment was very good although it can be a hit and miss from the guest artists. The British comedian who perforned on the 2nd night was hilarious but not the other Aust comedian who was quoting jokes without much consideration as to its appropriateness to the ladies and wives. The lead solo female lady singer ( Lisa ) was superbwith strong vocals and crowd engageent. I remembered seeing her on the Wheelhouse Bar in Rhapsody of the Seas on the Pacific cruise some 10 years ago and she was good then. She may have put specs and a kilo or so, like me as we aged but she still looked marvellous and entertaining, not me or what a shame. Overall, a fantastic cruise and highly recommneded. We are on the next QE cruise to Yokohama and we will let you know what happened on the next post Read Less

This was a short cruise Sydney-Burnie-Melbourne. It was my 5th cruise, 3rd on Cunard, first on QE. Other 2 Cunard cruises were on the Mediterranean and loved them I echo the other reviews that you see on here - lovely ship, quick on-boarding, good service on dock, ordinary service on-board Had to visit the purser couple times and had to wait 30+ min each time. Whenever i walked by, always a queue. No such queues at tour desk where you need to pay for tours.On last night went there to pay bill and only 2 on desk. All waiting complained incl 2 poor souls who were locked out of cabin but had to wait for new keys with those waiting to pay. Issues in cabin - see below. It was very disappointing I wouldn't go on Cunard in Oceania again (but Med yes) , though my wife did enjoy, even with the issues. Read Less

We chose this review to celebrate a milestone birthday with family. Food was very average to say the least. Had better food in on our Royal Caribbean cruises and better service too. Everything seemed to be an extra cost plus 15%. Wine was very expensive. Got a suprise of $US 34.50 for each person on our bill. $US30 to play bingo? Had 8.30 seating for dinner which meant the plays were at 10.30 what a joke. Perhaps they should do what other cruises do so if you have 6.30 dinner you do 8.30 show and vise versa. First & second night entertainment was dismal. Last nights comediam was excellent. Highlight was Burnie where we organized our own amazing tour. So unbelievably disappointed would never go again! Oh I divot to say that afternoon tea was so packed people started trying to get a seat at 2 for 3.30 afternoon tea! Something is so wrong with the coordination of this cruise. Read Less

Queen Elizabeth is beautiful. The ship is incredibly elegant as it's namesake allows it to be. But unfortunately when the surface is scratched there are many imperfections that simply are a bit of a let down. Food... We were not impressed by the food in the buffet area, Brittania dining room or specialty dining. It all tasted bland or the same - but it really did look great, so I guess that was the disappointment. Cabin... Our cabin was nice, but the bathroom extremely small, smaller than on other ships we've been on. One thing we noted was our television service was intermittent & the English speaking channels didn't show any of the movies being shown in the foreign languages which was weird. Service... We did not encounter many staff but those we did seemed to have very high expectations of the passengers. Our room attendant made mention that we should put the make my room up sign out because otherwise he didn't know, which is fair enough - but he went in our room anyway so.... We could not get a drink in Lido to save ourselves, it was almost if they avoided eye contact. In the main dining rooms service was far too slow with our drinks arriving at the end of our mains or dessert. Simply by being efficient they could have sold extra beverages so I thought they would be on top of it. Entertainment... There just wasn't enough, but this was only a small voyage. We have sailed Cunard in the past, and I really want to stress that despite my disappoints the ship was beautifully appointed - it really could be something remarkable with a few adjustments. Read Less

I chose this cruise as an opportunity for my partner to experience a cruise steeped in history which he loves and for a little luxury. I have been on other liners and the difference was quite significant. We arrived early and was pleasantly surprised to be let on board immediately. Embarkation was a breeze. To keep this review brief I will deal with the disappointments. I expected more of the food. It was very ordinary and at breakfast only one person was doing personalised egg choices. We gave up. Cheapest bottle of wine - $48 USD which equated to almost A$70. Toilettries were never replaced even after asking 3 times. In fact the steward was only seen three times and it was very poor service. Finalising of account queue on the last night. Both my partner and everyone in the queue were furious at the wait time with 2 people serving and another desk free being payment for tours with nobody at it. People eating at 8.30 pm session had to wait till 10.30 to see a show lasting sometimes till 12. My partner would have loved a tour of the ship's history perhaps as a speaking or walking activity. We spoke to others who agreed. It was both my birthday and our anniversary and there was no provision or opportunity/acknowledgement for anything special as with other liners where a sign and balloons are put on your door or they bring out a little cake to your group dinner table (sounds trivial and not that I wanted to be centre of attention but if it's a special occasion, it always goes down well). When I enquired about this they advised I should pay for the specialty restaurant or purchase one of their expensive gift packages. We did not go on a shore excursion with the ship as most were booked out and were quite expensive. We went on a private tour and it was the highlight for us. It was a public holiday in Burnie but as the operators were locals they knew all the places to go. We were stressing before we went as to how formal the gala dinner would be, what to wear and how this would be presented. It was over-rated and nothing special was done. On the positive side - room was comfy, smooth sailing, nice surprise of a bottle of bubbly in the room, entertainment good, good guest speaker talks, impressive fit out of ship and we particularly loved the bar near the theatre (can't think of name) where the meals there were better than most restaurants and were free with such a great atmosphere and we found the staff here to be the most welcoming and engaging of all Happy it was a sampler but wouldn't go again.. Read Less

It was our first time on Queen Elizabeth and we had a wonderful time. It was a cruise from Sydney to Tasmania, we disembarked at Sydney. It is amazing ship and crew were friendly & helpful. The service all over the ship was fantastic. The day core of the Queen Elizabeth was lovely and had plenty of nice areas to look out at the sea & read a book. You could do looks or just relax. We enjoyed great shows, Lectures, Entertainment and of course the tasty food. I am on a Gluten Free diet and I enjoyed lovely and tasty meals. The Activities on board was very good. Last time we were on a Cunard ship was 20 years ago, on board the QE2. That was our first ever cruise. We just love cruising. It was wonderful having the Queen Elizabeth in Australia and we love it so much we had booked it again for next year 2020. Mum and I cant wait. Read Less

Having cruised on other cruise lines we thought why not go upmarket with the Cunard QE. Our great expectations did not materialize, from embarkment at Sydney at 1.00pm an untrained lass was totally lost doing the paperwork constantly requiring supervisor assistance for 30 minutes with no seating for semi-disabled senior passenger doing the procedure. On way to ship entry no Cunard photographer or photo opportunity for souvenir. Balcony cabin was ready and comparable with other lines, however the cabin steward never introduced him/her self during entire cruise. Half bottle of sparkling wine in bucket of ice was appreciated and a thoughtful touch. Unfortunately, sleeping at night was difficult as other passengers seem to enjoy slamming cabin doors plus our cabin door was directly opposite cabin steward's kitchen with much banging and clattering of metal seemingly oblivious of passengers comfort. First night main restaurant dining at 8.30pm (we had no choice) no "my-time dining". Sat down at table for two and waited 25 minutes for waiter to notice our presence. Took our order which came after 30 minutes further wait. During this time we did not sight a drink waiter, nor during the entire meal so that was a saving no less. The second night was "Gala" night, formal black tie. Service was better , main course had choice of lobster that my wife and self selected. My lobster came but not my wife's. She did not want to cause a scene so declined to complain and missed out. The idea of semi-formal attire after 6.00pm was to be commended for such a ship but in reality it was somewhat of a joke to see what some people considered this dress code to be and was rather comical. We ate mostly in the Lido buffet, rather than otherwise at 9.00pm, and the food here we found limited and not overly impressive. Roasts were disappointing, one night only one roast meat on offer, lamb, undercooked and so trough was 'rubbery"and inedible. Other cruises always offer a choice of three roasts each night... why not Cunard.It's not as if we aren't paying for it big-time. Much of the upper decks and restaurants are verboten to the lesser guests putting us well and truly in our place.... perhaps that is where the good service is found. One person on board needs an attitude make-over and she is a young "lady" in the purser's office front counter. For someone being one on one with the public she seems to have a big "chip" on her shoulder. She continually and rudely insisted that my partner and I were entitled to $75.00 each on-board spending money only for us to find on departure that this was not the case, naturally after we had in fact spent the $150.00 on useless overpriced souvenirs. Is this the face of Cunard? Read Less

Since we first started cruising, about 4 years ago, we always wanted to try Cunard and see what the real difference was at this level of cruising. This was our 15th cruise so we have a few ships to compare it to. First impressions were amazing. Gorgeous decor, lovely stateroom, beautiful rooms to relax in, we were very impressed. On sailing might, we went to the Verndah restaurant which was first class, even the following night in the Britannia dining room, the food and service were top notch as was the first couple of shows that we went to in the main theatre. At this point of the cruise this was 'best cruise ever' material. Then we came to Sydney and 1700 people disembarked, with 1700 new people embarking and for what we could see a lot of first time cruisers, getting the chance to experience Cunard at a reasonably lower cost, given that this was only a 5 day cruise, to Tasmania and back. The whole vibe of the ship changed, people were older loud, rude and obnoxious, the English Pub was always full, so Trivia was standing room only, the buffet was full and almost impossible to get a seat there for breakfast. There were many old people with scooters and walking frames. I have never seen people with walking frames on a disco floor, but I guess there is a first time for everything and good on them for giving it a go! We really were ready to disembark after 9 days, a first for us. All in all QE is a beautiful ship with first class food and service but maybe it's that we are just not old enough. Read Less

We thought we were going on a luxury cruise holiday. The ship needed an update. We were promised first setting of evening dinning for health reasons but we did not get this. When spoken to Maître-de & Purser this was denied and not available to us. Some of the service staff looked and acted as though they didn't wish to be there. Disembarkation in Sydney treatment by Customs very unpleasant experience if you triggered the metal detectors. we were very disappointed with the whole cruise. Bar staff were very good chatty and always had a smile Room was serviced daily but when looking for something I dropped found a cigarette butt under the bed and a bottle top behind the sofa. No top sheet on bed and bed linen was not changed at all over the entire 10 nights. Mini bar was never refilled from day 1 Any of the entertainment was to loud and hard to hear correctly. Staff could not always be understood with broad accents. Read Less

I'd previously been on the QE2 which was a beautiful ship that oozed class and was an amazing experience. Last year my husband mentioned he'd love to see New Zealand from a cruise ship. A short while later, after having my DNA tested, I discovered I had an elderly cousin and his family in NZ. What a golden opportunity to do something special. Remembering the QE2 cruise, I felt we couldn't do better than to travel with Cunard again. What a terrible mistake I made. Every morning I woke up with swollen neck glands and was sea sick for most of the 12 day journey. I haven't been sea sick for years and as soon as I disembarked the symptoms disappeared. Next problem was when I turned up at the Concierge desk in the Britannia dining room to enquire about the table we would be seated at (4 of us). Concierge lambasted me for not letting him know 2 days earlier! I had made the arrangements directly with Cunard months earlier getting a TWID code and doing everything required. Next problem occurred when my cousin booked a tour and the guide didn't turn up. Several guests were left stranded and in the ensuing chaos my cousin's wife fell and cut open her chin requiring stitches (which the Ship's Doctor carried out well). I had finished my part of the cruise by this time but was not surprised at the shonky treatment they had from other Cunard staff. Oh, forgot to mention that on the two occasions I had to use the Concierge desk, I waited patiently in line for some time and on both occasions, just as it was my turn to be served, a young female in a pink dress, butted in and the Concierge who obviously knew her, and greeted her as Miss _____, attended to her first. It appeared she was acting on behalf of a group of 'special' passengers. Next was the food. I couldn't count how many times we tried to get something to eat and were told that we were too late! Here's an example. We arrived at the Lido dining room before 4:00pm and were told afternoon tea had finished and there was not so much as a biscuit available to have with a cup of tea. And that reminds me, Don't think you'll get served a cuppa with your breakfast. One dining room staff member walks up and down with a pot of tea in one hand and a pot of coffee in the other. Trying to catch his eye is nigh on impossible. The person who cleans the tables on the other hand is standing around with a cloth and tray in his hand doing nothing. We dined with many passengers during the cruise and couldn't believe how many passengers had complaints. People complained to us unsolicited, about everything from the food, to the miserable faces most of the staff had, to the lack of anything 'classy' about the whole experience. And lastly, a few days before our much anticipated voyage, we received a phone call from Cunard asking if we would change cabins. I said "No" but felt guilty in case the other passengers had a special need. However, I was offered $500 spending money (each) to change from my carefully selected balcony room which we paid $8,000 for to a cabin with a window, not a balcony. Which was just too big an ask for such small compensation. Then, on board we had at our dinner table a couple who proudly told us about their getting a phone call (they didn't know we'd had one too) and they were crowing about how they received one full fare refunded ($3,700) plus $500 to change from their balcony cabin on a high deck to a similar one but with a bigger balcony on a lower deck! Hearing that after my Concierge desk debacle left me totally bewildered. Please excuse the long review, I usually write much shorter reviews so this is unusual but then I've never written a review before where I've had so much to complain about. Usually I'll only write something if I can be mostly positive. This is a first. Read Less

Went on a three day Melbourne - Burnie - Sydney cruise and having been on QM2 in 2017, we were really looking forward to a great time as we had on QM2. I have to agree with others, the embarkation was messy. The ships decor is beautiful and very impressive. The ship is also better laid out than QM2. We decided to pay a little more for the Britannia Balcony Club which simply gives you your own restaurant. We arrived, the manager introduced himself, walked us to our table and as I was sitting, preceded to tell me in front of other passengers that my dress was acceptable tonight but tomorrow I should were a jacket (no formal night this night), despite me wearing a sleeveless frock coat. Short story, complained, Maitre D apologised and stated that I was a good example for the ship to accept more modern dress modes - the main issue was the public berating, I could have been asked quietly as I entered. Dinner at the Veranda Restaurant was spectacular, the food totally amazing with great service and atmosphere. Our cabin steward was brilliant. Generally, staff need better training, when used asked them simple questions we were referred to the Purser's Desk or told to listen for announcements, bit much when you only wanted to know what timer the shops opened or directions to an activity. All staff on QM2 knew their drill. I found the ship dancers somewhat tardy and lack lustre compared to QM2. Maybe Cunard is struggling to adapt to Australian passengers. Personally, for the money, I was somewhat disappointed. Read Less

This was our first cruise - three nights Melbourne-Burnie-Sydney. Unfortunately the first impression was a negative one of just over an hour in the queue to board. Apparently everyone (several hundred people) had been told to arrive at the same time of 12 noon. We were standing in a slow moving queue like cattle. Very poorly organised and managed. Once on board we were seriously impressed by the beautiful decor and high quality throughout the ship. Our Balcony Stateroom (category BA) was more than we had expected. Our Stateroom 5110 was a disabled accessible cabin with far more space than the regular ones in this category. Our balcony was large enough to hold two banana lounges and two chairs! Meals were generally high quality with plenty of choices, especially in the Britannia restaurant where we took dinner each night (early sitting). Service in that area was a bit hit and miss however. On one occasion the next table had their second course before we got our first. On another night we had to ask twice for the wine list. We enjoyed lunch in the Golden Lion pub and had two other lunches at the Lido buffet. The Lido was just ok, salads in particular were extremely plain and unimaginative. Room service breakfast was mixed - lovely scrambled eggs with sausage and hash browns but a really basic and tasteless fruit salad. Toast was also tasteless. I suspect the sliced bread had been frozen but rolls and scones seemed to have been freshly baked. Breakfast in Britannia was excellent however, although on the sea day with everyone on board it was rather slow. The Royal Court Theatre put on two good shows (the house singers/dancers plus a Beatles tribute band) but you had to be early to get seats, especially if you wanted to sit with friends. We really enjoyed an art lecture and a talk by a cinematographer about the Titanic. Drink prices were on the high side of reasonable but internet pricing was extortionate. At about A$1 per minute we decided to go without, which did us no harm but meant we had a pile of emails and texts when we docked in Sydney. No tissues in our stateroom. As first time cruisers we were very surprised that we had to put our luggage outside our room the night before arrival. Had we known this we would have taken an airline carry on bag for use in the morning. Overall a terrific experience but with a few shortcomings that would not be hard for Cunard to address. Read Less

Ok after the last 2 disappointing cruises with princess we thought we'd give cunard a go.Def aimed at.a diff market. .only one child on board for first half of cruise (poor bugger was lonely in kids club) The average age was older and this changed down to around 55 after melb. Embarkation and disembarking was brilliant.so much more efficient.Food was.great 8 out of 10 the ship was immaculate no leaking roofs and the carpet was stain free and trip over buckets or carpet dryers. The rooms were very good. The mens change room had a sauna which looked out over the sea...didnt have to pay for the expensive spa suite..9/10 and no one used it most of the time i was the only person there. The only downfall was the way they bill you in us dollars and charge your account. Drinks were expensive . Our semillionier in the Britannia dining room was Mysdrago from serbia who was so charming you could take him home. The only other issue was dining in the buffet for lunch or breakfast as there were not enough seating for everyone inside. The entertainment was very good. This cruise was not a booze cruise with everyone just having a nice time relaxing. Its not carnival or princess and doesnt cater for that market. We enjoyed dressing for dinner and whilst some standards were enforced (No swimmers.in buffet ) most of the time everyone dressed accordingly..had a great cruise definitely a much better standard for me anyway. Read Less

Being Cunard we expected something better that Holland, Princess and Royal Caribbean but we were disappointed. We booked some months in advance and requested the early dining @ 6pm but found we had been allocated 8:30pm. No good for me with gastric reflux issues. We saw the Maitre D' who was disinterested but put us on a waitlist of 2 pages of other people. This meant we ate in the Lido Buffet for the first two nights - the food was typical cafeteria food and nothing special. After 2 night of poor food we complained to the Purser that we didn't book the QE for poor quality food. Next day we were given the early dining. We joined in Adelaide but 2 people on our table joined in Melbourne and had only booked 3 days before and were given early dining - pathetic. TV picture quality in Balcony room 6119 was poor, given that we were cruising in Australian waters there were no Australian channels for news. At the time we had bush fires in TAS, NSW and floods in QLD and parliamentary chaos federally and in NSW so news would have been nice to hear. The shows were excessively loud, even with ear plugs and pretty boring. Service in the main Dining room was very good once we got access to it. Service in the Lido buffet was not good, especially if you were old and with a walker (not us). We helped an old lady get a glass of water because none of the staff would and she said she had to get only a half-full glass because it would spill carrying it back on her walker. A couple of the lectures were interesting 1. Lowry the painter and his stick people paintings; 2. RAF pilot and his experience of being shot down in the 1st Gulf War and being captured. In addition there were water colour painting classes which were very helpful. On shore tours were the usual price of most cruises but there were some interesting ones. Read Less

Just spent 7 magnificent and relaxing days on the Queen Elizabeth,our group of 12 were spoilt by a band and classy singers that kept our dancers very satisfied.the selection of music and songs were perfect for us to dance to.you can’t find many cruise liners that can do what this band did in the queens room.they guaranteed many more visits with a much bigger audience once we tell our dance groups about it all. The service and food was second to none.so happy you are catering for us downounder.well more often.The ship was always clean and staff were always available to assist.the quality of food was 1st class and very good value for money.if you want a cruise to be spoilt and dine with real quality food and excellent entertainment.....you must try this cruise ship.....the staff make this all possible...see you all again real soon!! Ps...we all danced so much that we are nursing so feet and that has not happened for some time....thanks again BiG Band! Read Less

Last year we really enjoyed a 14 night Baltic cruise on Queen Elizabeth in a Princess Grill room. Decided to try the Queens Grill on this short cruise and regretted the decision to move up from the Princess Grill. The Queens Grill room was larger but didn’t provide a significant upgrade over the Princess Grill. The Queens and Princess restaurants have the same menu and waiting staff rotate through the range of restaurants so there was no upgrade there. The menu in the Grills restaurants is very conservative and quite bland but the waiting staff were excellent and dealt very well with some very rude passengers. The singers and dancers currently on the Queen Elizabeth are much better than the previous group and the entertainment was really good on this cruise. The room staff, waiting staff and other service staff were very good but the security staff who manage the port disembarkation/embarkation were awful and on a number of occasions were rude and overly officious with passengers attempting to get on or off. The things that annoyed us with the earlier Cunard cruise, very expensive Internet and the gratuity/service charge gouging, haven’t changed and we’ve decided we won’t travel with them again until this is improved or they are offering free gratuities and Internet. Read Less