We chose this cruise from Southampton to Fort Lauderdale because we like days on board the ship and the 11 day voyage from Southampton to Forty Lauderdale is perfect for us. We had done the same voyage the year before -since when the QV has undergone a refit which has improved the ship although it has created yet another tier of special client which may be good for Cunard but does nothing to integrate passengers. .
The itinerary changed due to bad weather and missed Bermuda on the outward stretch but for those doing the whole cruise the commodore did not rule out visiting Bermuda on the return journey which of course does nothing to help those only doing the 11 days to Fort Lauderdale!!
We ate in the Britannia restaurant for all meals as we believe it is easier to control what you eat there rather than the buffet! The quality of the food was very good, the range likewise and the choice was sufficiently wide for even the most fastidious..
There was a wide range of activities on board from bridge to table tennis to art appreciation to many dancing classes at different levels to wine appreciation to very good speakers including David Gower who was extremely entertaining even if you knew little about cricket. . Ex US ambassador Peck was also extremely good in his knowledge and background . .
The entertainment was generally very good and was certainly varied
Any gripes - well yes. Wine remains very expensive and therefore most passengers drink water with their meal . Wine must be purchased at duty free prices and it really is time for Cunard to pass that saving on to passengers .
We bought a reasonable amount of drink on board with us as you are allowed on Cunard although we did drink in the lounges as well. . In that Cunard is one of the few lines to treat its passengers as adults and for that they deserve applause.
Dressing up is not for everyone but we enjoy it and as this was our second Cunard cruise we have become more used to it. .I saw an article on a forum asking what is the least a lady can get away with dress wise and you did see on formal night many ladies with a sparkly blouse and either nice neat trousers or a skirt to match. .On the whole most people travelling on Cunard do dress up and yes if you dont mind too much that is part of the fun!
As my wife uses a mobility scooter we were assigned a cabin sorry stateroom (4108)with easy access for the scooter which worked very well indeed. Access generally across the ship for my wife was very smooth and easy. There was enough space, the bathroom had a shower only and the holdbars were in all the right places.I would heartily recommend it for disabled cruisers. It is also near the lifts!