That is what my partner said when we were going through my photos from Queen Elizabeth at the weekend. He was referring to the photo of the Grill’s sun deck below and he was exactly right. Cunard had promised a ship that was more art deco in design and that is what they’ve delivered. It is subtle and elegant, admittedly the art deco is more browns and creams in design than the more traditional pinks and turquoises, however had they taken this route they would have risked being too tacky. They do have the Cunard branding to maintain, which their customers love and which brings them repeat business year after year.
The games deck was amazing and followed this 1920’s theme perfectly. Customers have the choice of 2 golf driving ranges, a croquet lawn, short mat bowls and a paddle tennis court. There was also a giant chess board and 2 table tennis tables. I really wanted to get dressed up and try my hand at croquet – I’m sure they would benefit from an old time photographic studio. Customers would have a great time dressing up and having their photo’s taken playing traditional games before sampling a fresh cream tea.
The cabins were well appointed, although nothing particularly different to any other cruise line. As always I found the shower too small. The main point of note was that they had plug sockets for the British 3 pin plug so no need to pack your adaptor. And yes, you can still smoke on your balconies if you wish to. I was disappointed in the Princess Grill’s though, the P1 was hardly any difference in size to my A3 balcony. I also didn’t feel it looked like a suite at all, with the living area and bedroom not being particularly separate. (see photo below.) You do get the open dining and separate restaurant with the Grills, but I really enjoyed my dinner in the Brittania restaurant anyway, so probably not worth the money.
After dinner, I enjoyed a good dance in the Queens room. This is something that I haven’t seen on any other ship and really makes Cunard cruises stand apart. It was a fantastic room for ballroom dancing and had plenty of space. If you enjoy dancing then my first recommendation from now on will always be Cunard.
There is so much to write about the different aspects of the ship, but I don’t want to go on too long. In terms of service and standards, she was great, it gets hard when you’ve been on so many ships and I’ve never been a picky person, but she delivered what I was expecting of a Cunard ship. Some of my colleagues moaned that the weren’t enough pictures on the walls or that there was a mix of silver and gold edging, but to be honest I really can’t imagine this spoiling my holiday.
Many of my customers were lucky enough to be on board this weekend and all seemed very impressed with Queen Eizabeth - if you've been on board I'd love to hear your comments.
Just a quick note that not only do you know need to pay $14 for an ESTA visa, in order to visit the States, but you need to apply for one even if you are just passing through.
