Cunards Queen Elizabeth - Cruise review

I've just returned from a two night mini cruise onboard Cunards Queen Elizabeth and thought I'd share with you some of the photos and videos I took whilst onboard.

I've sailed a few times now with Cunard through work but it was my wife's first experience of them and she was a little nervous. She'd read all the reviews and heard all the criticisms -

"Cunard are too formal"
It's really stuffy onboard"
"They're boring"
"Everyone will be really snobbish"

As it turned out we both had a great time with my wife being turned into a huge fan of Cunard.
I've personally always thought traditional or formal are the wrong words to describe Cunard. When I think of them the word that always springs to mind is iconic and I think this sums up the whole experience you'll have onboard.
As soon as you see that black hull and red funnel in the distance you know you're in for a great cruise.
Yes as a cruise line they are more formal than others, but rather than this feeling overbearing it lends a 'special' feeling to each dinner. You come out of your cabin each evening feeling like James Bond.
I realise that this style may not be for everyone but for anyone that's ever been put off the idea of a Cunard cruise please don't dismiss them out of hand, you really will have a great time!

As I've said you can always spot a Cunard ship from the black hull and the red and black funnel; you can't mistake them for anything else and it always looks iconic as a backdrop to your experience onboard, (that really is a good word to describe Cunard!).

This is a panoramic shot of the lido deck at the back of the ship, (you'll have to click the picture to increase it's size).  I took it during the sailaway party, (a must on any cruise but especially so with Cunard).

And this is the same view of the lido deck that evening at sunset whilst everyone was at dinner. 

Some people may enjoy these but if you ever find yourselves in the Commodore club of a Cunard ship may I suggest you don't order a molecular mojito - It tastes like you're drinking rum and lime through a layer of toothpaste!

The waiter did mix it all in front of us though which was quite impressive, (maybe one of the other cocktails will be nicer next time!)

Another shot of the lido deck by day so you can see it in all it's glory, (it got a lot busier that afternoon when the sun came out).

And another panorama shot of the Queen Elizabeths lido deck by day, (again you'll have to click it to see it all).

I'm nearly done with the lido deck now, (I promise), but here's a last quick video tour of it for anyone that wants a more in-depth view of it.

One of the two hot tubs at the back of the lido deck.

This is one of the things I really liked about our Cunard cruise, (and Cunard in general); is that they're not afraid of tradition. There were several different shuffleboards all scattered over the top decks for people to enjoy.

These are some photo's of the central pool. I think I preferred this pool to the lido one as there were a lot more areas sheltered from the sun if you wanted to cool off, however the trade off for that is that this pool tends to be a lot busier, especially on sea days.

This is the Commodore club. All of Cunards ships have  them located at the front for some stunning views when you're sailing. It's a great, chilled out bar to meet up for some pre or post dinner cocktails and of an evening there's normally a guy with a piano playing some nice background music.

Yep, it's a giant chess board. If I was being picky some of the pieces were cracked and looked a bit worse for wear but for all I know that may have just happened - Can anyone else confirm this? Have you been on recently? Have the battered pieces being replaced yet?

This is one of my favourite areas of the Queen Elizabeth and I think one of the big factors that lend to her charm - The games deck. You may need to approach it with an open mind if you've not done something like this before but if you get into it it can lead to a really fun sea day.

They have paddle tennis - Tennis played with large paddles, (like overlarge table-tennis bats).

Lawn bowls. For the record I'm awful at this. If the point of the game is to throw your ball absolutely nowhere near the jack then I'd be the world champion; so if you you're thinking you wont try as you're no good trust me, I'm worse!  

Croquet. I'd never played before so it was quite a nice experience, (the rules are posted on the fence if you're worried about looking silly). My wife claims she won but I still maintain the winner is the person who takes longest to get through all the hoops.

Another video for you of the games deck so you can see it in all it's glory - I really do think this is one of the best things about the Q.E.

Have you sailed on her? Would you agree or did you just think it was a wasted gimmick on Cunards part?

If you ever read any of my other cruise ship reviews you'll know I'm not a huge fan of the casinos on cruise ships, (I'm just not a huge gambler), however the Queen Elizabeth's casino did seem a lot smaller to a lot of the other casinos I've seen at sea.

If you're ever lucky enough to find yourself on one of Cunard's ships make sure you head down to the Golden Lion. It's an American version of a traditional British pub and it's a great place to hang out in of a day and in the evening. 

If you head down during the day the traditional 'pub grub' is great, (see above menu), and it's a nice quiet part of the ship to chill out in with a drink; however, of an evening it becomes much more lively venue with pub quizzes, upbeat live music and karaoke.

This is the lido restaurant onboard the Queen Elizabeth, (the self service restaurant or buffet). The range of food wasn't as good as I've seen on some lines, (I'm thinking Royal Caribbean here), however the quality of the food was top notch. I wouldn't give up my dinner in the main dining room to eat here however for breakfast and lunch it was fantastic.

Some photos and a video of the Winter Gardens, another feature that makes the Queen Elizabeth so unique amongst cruise ships. It's a conservatory style bar area in the middle of the ship that makes for another really nice area to relax in, (the Queen Elizabeth isn't short of those), both during the day, (for the sun), and of an evening, (for the stars). 

A Cunard cruise might not be the first thing that you think of when it comes to child friendly cruising but it's worth noting that there are kids clubs onboard as well as facilities to keep them entertained. Obviously there's the pool and the outdoor games I've already covered but for younger children there's an outdoor play area with climbing frame. 

This is the grand lobby on Cunards Queen Elizabeth. I've seen bigger atriums and lobbies on cruise ships, I've seen busier but you'd have to go a long way to find a grander atrium. 

That, I think, is what makes Cunard so special. Everything about them is luxurious, grand, well appointed and yep, I've said it before, iconic. You'll always remember the luxury of a Cunard cruise!

This is another panoramic shot of the grand lobby, (just click it to enlarge). 

So that's Cunard. Or more accurately I should say that's the Queen Elizabeth as although all three of the ships in the Cunard fleet, (the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria), are similar they all have their own unique charm but I think the Q.E will always be my favorite as she's the newest with, I think, the most to do onboard.

Have you sailed with Cunard? How do you think the Queen Elizabeth compares to the other ships of the fleet? Or if you haven't sailed with Cunard what's put you off in the past? Has this review changed or your mind or just confirmed what you already thought?

Let me know what you think here..............

Happy cruising

Written by James Crossland