I have been cruising for 50 years, mainly with Cunard and P&O, but with several other cruise lines too, and have sailed on every Cunard ship from QE2 onwards, plus a couple before. A friend and I booked this short cruise on Queen Anne to see what she was like and whether some of the reports we had read were true.
Firstly I would say she is a nice ship but doesn’t have the traditional Cunard style I have been used to and she will certainly fit in better in the P&O fleet. My main criticisms are that: 1) The Promenade deck is nothing more than a launch pad for the lifeboats, however this will apply no matter which cruise line she sails with; 2) The Queens Room is very unimpressive compared to other Cunarders; 3) I found the decor a bit garish in some places, although pleasant in others; 4) My biggest criticism, and I know that this will not concern many passengers, is that the Grills Lounge is too small for the number of Grills passengers Cunard have crammed in on this ship, making it extremely crowded and unbearably noisy before and after dinner.
On the plus side I would say that our corner Penthouse Suite was superb; the food in the Queens Grill was excellent though, like all Cunard ships in recent years, the menu is rather more limited than it used to be; the service, as always, was first class.
Would I sail on her again? Probably, but would like to sail on Queen Victoria or QM2 more and time is running out. Perhaps it will be with P&O!
