First of all, I am a very experienced cruiser including very high end like Regent and more moderate lines like Celebrity. I was very excited to sail on Cunard as I had heard so much praise and accolades for the white star service, the food and the elegance of the ship. So my perspective is comparing to what I know of other lines.

First of all, the good. Hands down, the cocktails are the best anywhere I have been including high end cocktails bars. The choices are huge and go far beyond your standard fare. The bartenders took a lot of time preparing each one. They should. The package was very expensive and I for sure didn’t get my moneys worth. The desserts are excellent and abundant. The public spaces are very comfortable and varied. Loved exploring all the lounges. The Royal Theatre is very nice. The art gallery lectures were surprisingly good and not pushy. The director onboard is very polished and informative. Embarkation in Southampton was a breeze. Maybe 15 minutes from arrival to stateroom.

Now the not so good…. It was a transatlantic and I had been led to believe that there was a huge variety of activities to do each day. That was not my experience. I don’t play bridge or do art. And other than that, there were daily lectures that were not at all to my taste. They were very specific and some very academic. A lecture on Homer? Where were the presentations about travel, parts of the world that Cunard goes to etc? Nothing like that. We had a whole week of sessions with a presenter who was connected to Wimbledon. Read more