Cunard oozes tradition at every turn; and the 'best of British' but is it suitable for families and kids ? Well we just arrived in Melbourne after a 6 night cruise from Fremantle with a 7 year old boy for my mother's 80th birthday present. We probably would not normally have chosen Cunard with a child but my mother had a lifetime dream which we wanted to fulfill of traveling aboard the QEII so this was our best option. Embarkation in Fremantle was a little 'hit-and-miss' with the requested wheel chair for mum nowhere to be found and her walker arriving just before the 4:15pm safety briefing. The staff were all very accommodating but this really wasn't the best start given our previous wonderful experiences with P&O departing out of Fremantle. Yes, there is a kids-club with ages separated into 2yrs to 8yrs and 8yrs to 14yrs. The staff were delightful and so attentive to the 12 children travelling. You can rest assured that the kids will have plenty to do with the club open from 10am -12noon, 2pm - 5pm and then 6pm - 11pm on sea days. While there are no fancy water slides or fun character shows or bumper cars there are the traditional shuffleboard, bowls, tennis and a wonderful library and card room with plenty of board ganmes to borrow. This is traditional cruising the way it use to be with none of the frills and excitement that family orientated ships now include. So come prepared for the occasional 'I'm board' because there is not 24/7 entertainment - kids have to make up their own fun for a change ! The age profile is very much slanted to the older end of the spectrum which means plenty of adopted grannies and pas around who are mostly young at heart and only too delighted to engage with young, well mannered little people. However, it's a bit like visiting Grandma's home where there are rules to obey. The ship's decor is all in a magnificent Art Deco style with plush interiors and carpets. So running through the atrium in a bathing suit with an icecream is absoultutely NOT OK !! The food options more than cater for kids with free flowing icecream, fish and chips, plenty of delicious choices and the chef will even adapt to various food alergies if required. Somehow the needs of both old and young are often very similar ! The rooms are all wonderfuly comfortable and cater for famileles of up to 4 in a room. The room stewards are all very helpful and room service is free for those nights when you just want a pizza and a movie in bed. Cunard would not be our first choice for young children as there is a need to really encourage a slightly older approach to cruising that relies on children being able to makeup their own fun and not be constantly entertained. Having said this, that's not necessarily a bad thing but parents will need to be ever present. We had the most wonderful 'multi-generational' cruise and 6 nights was the perfect length. Having done 8 cruises now as a family we were fairly well prepared for this type of holiday but it's not for everyone and you need to do your research. Thank you Cunard and Her Majesty QE for a most delightful and charming walk back in time to an eara of gracious opulance when kids were well behaved and had to use their own imgination to have fun ! Read Less

This was our first cruise with Cunard for some years. It did not disappoint. It was part of a World Voyage and our 12 night cruise started in Fremantle and ended in Sydney. We flew to Perth from Manchester (3 flights). It was a long journey. We added 2 nights stay in hotels at both Perth and Sydney respectively. When we arrived at Fremantle Port the check in for the Queen Mary 2 was a breeze. We soon arrived at our stateroom which was better than expected. The accommodation was immaculate and beautifully decorated throughout. We had a sheltered balcony which was ok. We do prefer a standard balcony however. There was a costly refit in 2016 and the ship has been tastefully refurbished. It's very stylish around the Grand Lobby area. Even though it's a big ship there was always plenty room on the decks and in all the elegant lounges. You could always find somewhere to sit. The promenade deck circumnavigates the ship and is a great area for a daily stroll. The entertainment at the Royal Court Theatre was very professional and we saw some great shows. The Queen's Room was wonderful for dancing, Big Band Nights, and Gala Balls. It has a superb ballroom. There was a buzz of activity every night and a lovely way to spend a pleasant evening. We dined at the Britannia Restaurant most nights. It has a fabulous atmosphere. Food was excellent, well cooked with varied menu. Staff very courteous and efficient. Kings Court was our breakfast choice. Again a good selection of delicious food and well presented. Sometimes it was difficult to find a seat here because this is a very popular dining area. The seating is spread over a large area. Evening dress code for men is Dinner Jacket on formal and informal nights. It is not to everyone's liking but is a Cunard tradition. Overall the food was very good despite adverse reviews from some passengers. The Purser's Office was very efficient dealing with any problems. Excursions were well organised but not cheap. We met some lovely people from many countries. My Wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our cruise on the Queen Mary 2. It's a truly magnificent ship. Read Less

We have cruised before many times, an expensive error was assuming QM2 & Cunard would prove an upmarket ship&cruise,although the entertainment average,the food in the Britannia Rest.nothing short of a disaster @ all times many cold meals replaced on request only to have the same again,some tables all meals sent back ,dress code for the Australian Port of calls dubious¬ policed, sad for passengers who having travelled a long way to see their cruise become little short of a Hop on/Hop off joke, not quite what was expected for the premium paid!,some staff surly, possibly because of the long hours worked&distances covered,The bistro food ok, providing you like cakes & again most hot food, cold on collection,In the restaurant I actually saw a tray of toast delivered to a serving station &of course stone cold before serving!May I suggest Cunard employees irrespective of postion read your advertising in the brochure supplied on booking of the cruise,If this line is the pinnacle of the Carnival Group god help the rest.Nothing unique or wonderful, we dressed to fulfil our part of the bargain, sadly you did not keep yours. Read Less

This was our first Cunard cruise, but 15th overall. We embarked at Fremantle, Western Australia, on 2 April 2015 for a 16 night cruise to Cape Town, South Africa. Embarkation process was smooth, easy and quick. Then onto the ship, which was a little confusing until we got our bearings. There were people around to point you in the right direction. Our balcony cabin (5036) was on deck five which was an ideal location, it was selected for us as an upgrade and although the balcony was sheltered, we still enjoyed it, though would have used it more if it was not sheltered. The balcony was very large and private, and being on deck five we could easily go up and down the stairs as most activities, bars and dining were on decks two and three. The bed was very comfortable. The cabin was similar to others we have had, it had all the basics and was kept clean by our wonderful steward Joey. Joey was impressive, knew our names from the first day, always friendly and smiling and nothing was too much trouble. He is a real asset to Cunard. (To improve the cabin a shower screen, instead of the existing shower curtain, would be good. Also a better TV with interactive capabilities so you can check your bill, your photos and order room service like other cruise lines have.) Another advantage of being on deck five was it was very stable and you could hardly feel the ship moving. On a Celebrity cruise in December we had a lovely suite on deck 12 but you could really feel the sway of the ship. On level five it was much smoother. Also, deck five has cabins only above and beneath, meaning there was no noise. We ate most of our meals in the Britannia dining room, on a table for eight. Our table mates were lovely although we did have one couple who were not very interested in the dress code, which we found amusing. I don't understand why people would book a Cunard cruise when they don't want to wear a dinner jacket, or suit jacket. This man wore a track suit jacket into the dining room and then promptly took it off - and most evenings sat in a t shirt - as he was too hot. He wore a shirt with a collar and tie on formal night. We found this behaviour very child-like and laughed about it, but it didn't detract from our wonderful dinners. Only one evening we booked Todd English (which was ok but I wouldn't bother in future as Britannia was so good) because we were on the 6pm sitting in Britannia and had a shore excursion that was due to bring us back after this time. The service in Britannia was outstanding, our waiter Alecs and his assistant were excellent and the food was really good. We had a four course meal every night, and left the table very content every evening. One formal night we were invited to dine with two of the officers, which was a lot of fun. They were very approachable and friendly, and we had a great evening, although probably drank way too much as they were footing the drinks bill. A very funny night. We also attended a captain's welcome and meet the officers drinks one night. We had our photo taken with the Deputy Captain, David, who was a lovely man. We ate lunch occasionally at the Boardwalk Cafe on deck 12, they do salads, burgers and hot dogs, ice cream and quick snacks. Only once we visited the Kings Court buffet, which was a quick lunch one port day between tours. We usually breakfast in the Britannia or Sir Samuels (the coffee shop, which has complimentary muffins, doughnuts, pastries) or we had room service if a port day. We usually avoid the buffets on most ships as they are crowded, and in 15 cruises we have not once had a stomach bug or bad flu, which we attribute to avoiding the buffets. And lots of hand washing! The ship is lovely, with large public spaces and walkways. We had coffee in Sir Samuels most days, and spent a lot of time in the Golden Lion either drinking or doing trivia. We love trivia! And the sessions were great fun, with stiff competition but we managed to win a few times. John and Rebecca were the two activity hosts that usually did the trivia and they were both friendly and great entertainers. Instead of giving out pens and other paraphernalia to the winners, a stamp was provided. These stamps were saved up and then cashed in at the end of the cruise, which was Cape Town for us. My husband Mic participated in a few sporting challenges such as golf, decathlon, cricket, shuffleboard, table tennis and won additional stamps that way. The prizes on offer were really good, we left with two lovely photo frames and a couple of smaller items. The pianist in the pub, Pat, was great. We spent many evenings enjoying his playing and singing and he was a real character. The service in the bars was really good, plenty of people serving drinks and clearing tables. There were heaps of Aussies on the ship which meant the bars were busy. A highlight of the cruise for us was the Planetarium, which is situated in the Illuminations theatre and we saw three of the four planetarium shows, which we enjoyed. The ship also has a 3D cinema, which we have never come across on a ship before. The movie screen was really large, it was just like seeing a movie in a cinema on land, great sound as well. We saw a few movies, and also attended lectures in Illuminations. We preferred this venue to the main theatre, which had a rather odd configuration for seating. We saw a couple of good shows in the main theatre though and enjoyed the guest speaker David Campese who is an Australian Rugby great. F.W. De Klerk was also a speaker, we saw the ex-President board the ship but didn't attend his lecture. The nightclub G32 is a little gem, hidden away behind the Queens Room, or ballroom. Most evenings there were very few of us in there, but the band was terrific and was a great place to get down and boogie! Lots of fun. We didn't know it existed at first, and when we heard about it we were not interested as it partially allowed smoking (upstairs is the smoking section). When you first go in you can smell the smoke, but it doesn't bother you and you can't really smell it when in there, as we sat in the lower level near the dance floor. It is a shame that it is a smoking venue as most people said they were not interested because they didn't like the smoke. The Queens Room is where afternoon tea is served, we only attended once as we had 6pm dinner, and there is no way you can eat scones with jam and cream at 3.30pm and then front up for a 6pm dinner. But it was fun to do once. At night the ballroom dancing happens in here, with male dance hosts on hand for the single ladies. The ballroom dancers were mainly an older crowd though. The ship put on lessons daily I think, so it is a good opportunity to learn if you are interested. The ship had a lot of activities on every day, there is no time to be bored. We were flat out most days trying to attend everything we wanted to do. Another good venue is the Commodore Club which is at the front of the ship and has large windows so you can look out and enjoy a cocktail with friends. We did four ship excursions, in Mauritius we did 'southern delights' which was an all day tour with a nice lunch although the restaurant had all of the tour groups in there at once, so it was a bit of a mad house. In Durban we did 'valley of a thousand hills' which toured a native village with dancing, and also a reptile park which had an impressive array of crocodiles. In the afternoon we took the free shuttle from the ship to the Shaka Village shopping complex, which was about ten minutes from the port. In Port Elizabeth we did Addo Elephant Park which was amazing! Lots of animals there. In Cape Town we did an all day tour to the Cape of Good Hope, a winery for tasting, and up the cable car to Table Mountain. It was very cold up the mountain, even though the day was warm. So pack a warm jacket! Overall, a very enjoyable holiday! Read Less

We booked the cruise at the last moment and for a price we could not refuse. What a bargain ! We have cruised with Cunard three times before always on the queen Elizabeth. The QM2 surpassed all our expectations. We loved the spaciousness of the ship with its wide corridors and large public areas. There really was not anything we could fault. I read other comments from people who have been on the queen Mary and I wonder if we were travelling in some parallel world ! The dress standards seemed to be more relaxed than on other Cunard cruises and it was not unusual to see people in the bars after 6pm with shorts, track-suites, trainers etc. The main dining room seemed to be more fussy, although there were people without jackets on a few occasions. Only real complaint was that there were two loons who power walked around the cabin decks shouting at people yo get out of the way. Really rude pair it was a wonder they did not get a serious slap from one of the guests! Read Less

My husband and I embarked on the Queen Elizabeth for a 18 night Asian leg of her Maiden Voyage. We have both cruised before, my husband with P and O and myself with Star Cruises on the Virgo. Our balcony stateroom was very comfortable but the bathroom tiny, much smaller than the Virgo s. The sulleness of parts of the crew became evident almost immediately and this continued throughout the cruise. We found the housekeeping staff and the barstaff to be extremely friendly quitte different from the wait staff and the reception staff. My husband has had on-going problems with our on-board account with numerous errors being made and repeatedly repeated. The tender way of getting to shore cannot be avoided at some ports I accept that but when the Queen Elizabeth goes into HongKong on her Maiden Voyage one would think we would be docked for the duration, not so, we spent a night in Junk Harbour having to be ferried in by the tenders which takes up so much of one s valuable time when in port and is an extremely uncomfortable way to travel. My husband and I are in our early 60 s but the majority of the passengers, by far, were in the 70-85 age group which became quite depressing. They were quite snobby which added to our dis-enchantment. Consequentally the activities and entertainment were aimed at this age group. Would I travel with Cunard again, that s a no but to each his own. Read Less

Arrived at Fremantle dock and the time it took for us to sign in get passed customs only took 15 minutes dad and i did not rush once aboard, took our carry on luggage to the room we didn't panic that our bags hadn't arrived went for a wonder around the ship it was great i admit yes it is different from the Queen Mary 2 but it was still one experience to remember. The waiters serving us for first sitting of dinner were great, had a great table of 8 everyone at our table seemed to be from Sydney and disembarking in Hong Kong. The entertainment staff were awesome they made everyone welcome, also befriended three of them and they were quite friendly i would walk down one of the corridors and if they weren't busy they would stop and have a chort conversation.I do feel sorry for them(and all the housekeeping, waiters and bar staff) when it comes to cruisers who think the whole world revolves around them. The lectures were quite interesting, expecially those on the worlds greatest ocean liners, the food at lunch and dinner in both dining room and Lido deck were fantastic not one boring meal The performances were interesting and the activities after dinner were never boring, all different types of trivia, sing-a-longs were great. End of the day a cruise is a trip to which should be relaxing, there is nothing worse then listening to a fellow passenger who complains about their eggs are cooked for three minutes and not two minutes Read Less