Life on board Cunard

Often I get asked for advice on what to expect on a certain cruise line, the dress code on board and how they may differ from a cruise line they have been before with etc? So for this blog I have decided to take a closer look at Cunard – The most famous ocean liners in the world.

The Cunard fleet has 3 ships – The Queen Mary 2 which came into service in 2004, Queen Victoria came into service in 2007 and then Queen Elizabeth which came into service in 2010. Cunard will be celebrating their 175th Anniversary in 2015 and big plans are in the pipeline for the 3 Queens to meet in Liverpool.

So although Cunard do not have ice skating rinks, climbing walls or fairgrounds on their ships, they do have the biggest library at sea with over 8000 books, the only Planetarium at sea (on Queen Mary 2), Afternoon tea served by waiters in white gloves, and also beautiful gala balls held during the cruise. All of this offering a more luxurious and elegant ambiance on board.  I haven’t sailed with Cunard yet but will have some first hand experience soon of Queen Mary 2 which I will be able to share on a later blog with pictures.

Dress code on Cunard is more formal than other ships and there is two options: Informal and Formal. On informal nights men are required to wear a jacket but a tie is optional, and on formal nights then tuxedos/dinner suits are required. No blue denim is permitted on board the ship after 6pm.

Dining on board does depend on which grade of cabin you are in. For those who have booked to stay in a Britannia grade of cabin: ie inside, ocean view or balcony then dining will be in the Britannia restaurant and will be on 1st or 2nd Dining. If you have booked a Princess or Queens Suite then it is open seating and will dine in their respective restaurants ie Princess Suite will dine in the Princess Grill and the Queens Suites will dine in the Queens grill. There is also other dining venues on board such as the Kings court, Todd English and the Golden Lion pub to name a couple.

Other on  board activities include: Dance Classes, Spa, Croquet, Paddle Tennis, Short mat bowls, Fencing lessons, Sports matches,  Golf Simulator as well as the spa, swimming pools, film screenings and Bridge. Theatre shows and also Karaoke.

Some guests like myself have preconceptions about Cunard and puts them off sailing with them such as – its too formal or don’t like dressing up everyday, there is a two tier class on board and the guests in the Britannia grade of cabins are not treated the same. The ship will be full of posh pompous people who will look down on me.  I will re look at these preconceptions on another blog.

Have you cruised with Cunard and what are your thoughts on life on board?  Did you have any preconceptions and how did Cunard change your mind?