Cruise Ship Reviews : Cunard Line Reviews

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Residence saw things this way:


Princess Grill cabin, staff and restaurant were excellent, good entertainment, May 28, 2014
Reviewer: Residence

Pros: Food and service were top notch, couldn't fault our experience on board

Cons: Lectures were a bit lightweight

Date of cruise: February 1, 2023

Departure port: Southampton

Region visited: Europe

Cabin category: Jr. Suite

Cabin number: 5099

The Queen Victoria is "dark wood and velvet" in style which provides an ambience of comfort and luxury without being 'fusty,' but has a wide range of "state of the art" facilities including a traditional pub and smart cocktail bars. Staff were extremely helpful and friendly. Although a large liner with nearly 2,000 passengers, none of the public rooms seemed crowded. Princess Grill stateroom was spacious, well designed and very comfortable and provided all that we needed including a daily replenished fruit bowl and bottled water. Dining room was excellent and thoroughly enjoyable with varied menus, good wine list and service which was friendly and attentive but not intrusive. There was also always the option of the very good self-service Lido restaurant for less formal breakfasts and other meals. We found the combination perfect. Princess Grill Lounge/bar was friendly and intimate both for afternoon tea (white gloved friendly service and delicious scones in particular!) and drinks, with good sea views. Fitness center was well equipped with great sea views over the bow. Theater was in "West End" style with comfortable seats, some boxes, and good visibility/sound and access. Public areas kept smart and clean. They were spacious and provided many small areas for a quiet read or chat. A wide variety of activities catered for all tastes from classical concerts to rock and roll, painting classes to wine tastings. Plenty of handy loos, smart and clean. Disembarkation and embarkation at ports was well organized as were the tours. Purser's office was very efficient and helpful.

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orracle saw things this way:


Stylish cruising with an Old World Charm, January 27, 2014
Reviewer: orracle

Pros: Spacious cabins and balconies, tea at sea and unrushed dining

Cons: Photographers taking pictures at every turn, sales goods sprawling in the aisles

Date of cruise: February 1, 2010

Departure port: Aruba

Region visited: Panama Canal

Cabin category: Balcony

Good for children: No

Good for teenagers: No

This is the kind of cruise I'm particularly fond of. The activities are organized and well run without being frenetic. Dining is relaxed and enjoyable. The ship itself is lovely to look at. Passengers are interesting and easy to meet, and staff are helpful. I hate those parades in to dinner, though, where couples have to run the gauntlet of photographers every day.

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GBarker saw things this way:


Cruising to the Panama Canal in style, January 25, 2014
Reviewer: GBarker

Pros: Impeccable service and great food

Cons: Some will find the British traditions too stuffy

Date of cruise: March 1, 2011

Departure port: Fort Lauderdale

Region visited: Panama Canal

Cabin category: Balcony

This was a round trip cruise from Ft. Lauderdale to the Panama Canal, with stops in St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Bonaire. While many find the British traditions somewhat stuffy, we are diehard anglophiles who felt right at home. While many ships offer afternoon tea and scones, no one can compete with the authentic experience one gets on Cunard, including the harp music playing as white-gloved waiters serve. Seeing the Panama Canal up close and personal is amazing in itself. If you get the chance for yourself, don't miss it.

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Ms27Purple saw things this way:


"Law of the laundry", September 12, 2010
Reviewer: Ms27Purple

Pros: Free use and availablility of the facilities

Cons: The attitudes and practices of some of the other passengers.

Date of cruise: January 12, 2010

Departure port: New York

Region visited: Panama Canal

Cabin category: Balcony

Cabin number: 7108

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

When travelling, no matter how free the spirit or unplanned the journey, there are certain laws that bind us together as part of the human race. For example, think about the law of averages, the law of the jungle and, of course, Murphy?s law! On board a recent Cunard cruise I discovered there is another law from which no traveller is exempt, and one in which these other laws apply. It is the "law of the laundry." On a 15-night cruise on the stately Queen Victoria, the guest laundries (conveniently located on five decks) were bound to be busy. This was intensified by the virulent strain of Norovirus on board for which sanitation measures were bumped up to prevent further outbreaks. The strict measures included shutting the public laundries for two separate periods of two hours in order to disinfect all the surfaces. This cut down the washing and drying time by four precious hours a day and passengers began to show their true colors (as well as their dirty whites), as the laws took effect. First, the law of averages, because for every washing machine on board there were approximately 300 passengers with dirty laundry. This doesn?t include the people staying in suites who had access to their own valet, and those passengers who were happy to pay for their laundry to be ?sent out? at a cost. The law of the jungle, meaning every man for himself, came on the heels of the law of averages within this cruising community. Whil some people were happy to queue for anything (especially afternoon tea), others would do anything to avoid a queue and would stoop to any measures. These miscreants could be found using two machines at once, or worse, loading the same machine again, after one load had finished. These loathsome creatures incurred the ire of fellow cruisers, who innocently presumed that once that machine was empty, they would have a chance to put in a load. If they protested, the offenders would just sneer and leave the laundry, knowing that those who queued were too scared to fight back. The predators could also be known to re-enter the laundry environs, when all their prey were snoozing or eating, and take the prey?s washing out of machines, wet or dry, in order to do their own loads, not giving a fig about folding or fluffing. And this is where Murphy?s law fits in, dictating that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Leaving laundry unattended became risky as some passengers went beyond the pale by stealing items of laundry; usually a single sock here, a pair of running shorts there. No doubt, they would merely laugh at the pathetic signs tacked to bulletin boards pleading for the return of the beloved items. One episode took on urban legend status in its blatant lawlessness. It involved a missing dress from one passenger?s laundry. Upon finding the dress missing, the lady took herself to afternoon tea to cheer herself up. There, she saw her missing dress being worn by a fellow passenger, whom she approached and challenged on the theft. The other woman feigned indignation and objected to being quizzed. When the rightful owner said it was her dress and she had made it with her own two hands, the thief replied, ?Prove it!? On behalf of all those law abiding laundry users, I can only hope that the some other law soon reigns down upon these unlawful kinds of passengers.