This Cunard Regular Puts Their Brand-New Ship To The Test

Every so often I binge watch this gentleman's videos on cruising. Not exactly unusual, except that I don't take cruises and actually, after watching these videos, I'm not sure I want to. But for some reason, I find his videos interesting and his voice somehow calming.

I want the old fashioned. Polished wood,, crystal chandeliers,. Yes Agatha Christie for sure. And i want to dance with Inspector Poirot .And I'm not old❤🎉

Having been on exactly 1 cruise, on Holland America Konningsdam, I was watching this and thinking "ooo recognise that, that looks familiar" Which strikes me as missing the point for Cunard.

Yeah that's one ship I'm not setting a foot on. If I sail with Cunard, I want Art Deco. Art Deco looks more luxurious than contemporary.

I think I'll stick with the art deco gorgeousness of QM2.

You always do such fair and balanced reviews. We just love them and thank you.

We've just returned from the QA trip after yours (down in the Med, where the sundecks were heavily used) and think you've given a very fair & balanced review of the new ship. A couple of observations: Most of the passengers seemed to be long term Cunarders (and also in the older age bracket. I'm early 60s and was definitely in the younger demographic on this cruise). I think the proof of the pudding will come in maybe 6 months time when Cunard will be hoping to attract new customers (either from other lines or new to cruising altogether) to fill the Winter & Spring sailings. Cunard have to tread a very fine line in offering the new innovations to attract those new customers (the Bright Lights cabaret venue and the Wellness café are two of the new features I think worked very well) but also keeping enough of the Cunard traditional things that are really their USP. For example the dressing up on the Formal evenings (and indeed the overall smartness of passengers on all the other evenings) is the one thing that separates Cunard from all the other lines and is widely appreciated by most of their clientele. Secondly. Even though I thought the decor & design in general was good,, I think that the overall passenger flow of the ship could have been better implemented. I know you were in Grills, but for us lowly Britannia passengers, getting from one end of the ship to the other on the upper decks (without sneaking through the Grill Terrace ) was a real trek (involving dropping down a couple of decks and coming back up). The cabins (and especially the bathrooms) are a step up from the other Queens, but as mentioned elsewhere, the wardrobe space has been decreased (and with no drawers except in the bedside cabinets) and why won't Cunard trust it's customers (who've paid thousands to sail) not to pinch the coat hangers! QM2 is still our favourite, but wouldn't dismiss another trip on Queen Anne if the itinerary (and price) was right.

This is so spot on Gary...gone is the Agatha Christie feel ...it's like any other vanilla cruise ship. No character ...almost like an upmarket P&O with furnishings that lack sumptuousness . That theatre is hideous ...think of the sense of occasion in the other Cunard ships have. Welcome to the world of generic, "safe" globalisation.

Great to see this review Gary 🛳️

Thank you, Gary another outstanding video. I find it difficult to want to travel on Cunard. Number one not going go on a 3000 passenger vessel that calls itself “luxury” & charges premium prices, that’s just incongruous. Number two, I’m not at a fan of specialty dinning & regard it as a waste. Why should pay a “premium” then pay additional for dinner. I’ve always believed MDR food is delicious. I am aware lines including Silversea also have premium dinning. I do want to acknowledge how beautiful the ship Is, love the design. In summary I believe the cruise industry is undergoing monumental change. More and more small ship companies are sprouting up 😊. Atlas looks awesome. The newer smaller ships are for me. Mainstream lines are recruiting the budget travelers who wish to “pay as you go”, in my opinion (pay for gratuities, drinks, restaurants, wifi, excursions, on board activities). A couple will wind up paying an extra &1,000 for a week aboard these crowded ships.😮

we did a princess ship (caribbean princess) that also had those annoying siteline issues. Iirc, in the second section, certain seats had good views and we made sure to sit in the latter seats. This is an important thing for everyone to observe early (maybe even during muster time on day 1).

Travelled on the QE2 trantlantic and encountered the class system first hand. On a walk around the ship we were yelled at and humiliated because we sat on the edge of a sun bed reserved for the grill passengers. This trip was for our 25th anniversary. Well that steward made it memorable and it was the unpleasant yelling at us that we now remember. Fortunately we found Seabourn and to my mind, it is far superior plus the small ships are way more personal. We will never set foot on a Cunard ship again, even if someone gave us the trip.

Thank you Gary. You really put it all in perspective. This helped me decide that if I sail on Cunard again, it will be on one of its older ships. There's nothing like the traditional outdoor promenade and having afternoon tea in the Queen's Room/ballroom. If the Queen Anne is an extended Holland America Pinnacle Class ship, I'd prefer to sail with HAL.

I think it about getting people to pay more for less. The quality of just about everything on Queen Anne was inferior

Agreed, it is not much of a Cunard ship, very little "wow" factor anywhere on board. It could be any one of dozens of other cruise ships, nothing much to differentiate from say, P&O. The Queens room in particular is very disappointing. The storage space in our balcony cabin was the worst we have ever had, very little space to even hang shirts without them dragging on the floor and the same for long dresses. Booked a QM2 cruise as soon as we got back.

I only go on Cunard going on The Queen Anne later this year hopefully we will enjoy it. Enjoyed listening to your thoughts

Going on our 1st cruise (Cunnard) in August, this channel has really helped. Theres so much i didn't know (and probably still dont🤭). We're excited and abit anxious on what it will be like. Thankyou Gary, see you in the next video. (Rob & Donna)

Oh no Gary! No one could possibly want to replace you! I wouldn’t do Cunard solo, but would consider going with my Mother if I can convince her. She is more of a Seabourn lady - I am still trying to convince her to try the Retreat on an Edge class ship. 😂

Thank you for this review. I've taken one trans-Atlantic crossing on QM2 and loved it. Now I'm scheduled for 82 days (partial world cruise) on Queen Anne. I wasn't sure I would like the modern look but it is attractive....maybe a little disappointing. Obviously, not that disappointing or I wouldn't be planning on spending almost 3 months aboard! What I'm especially glad to hear is that the Cunard program of activities is very much the same. I love ballroom dancing and dressing well!

V interesting and in depth review, thank you.