Cunard Is NOT What Most Cruisers Think It Is. Here’s Why

Just as I was recently embarking on my 6th Cunard Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic Crossing, I received a question from a follower asking if Cunard was suitable for American cruisers these days. It got me thinking about the many questions I get about Cunard, as they are getting more complicated to answer because Cunard has recently changed in a couple of ways while remaining stubbornly stuck in the past on others.

So, I thought it’s time to answer not only that question, but other questions about Cunard and share some warning signs about changes coming that many are not going to like.

Welcome aboard, I’m Gary Bembridge. Although I’ve spent 270 nights on Cunard ships, now, other than the Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic, I am much less enthusiastic about the line for reasons you’re about to hear about.

Is Cunard A Luxury Line?

Most people ask if Cunard is a luxury cruise line.

This is a misconception driven by their marketing. Cunard’s heritage makes it feel grander than it is, and they show white-glove service, butlers, fancy food, glamorous people in glamorous outfits and talk about highbrow festivals at sea focused on fashion, theatre, dance, and literature, and they show the experience suite guests get.

I never forget the shock I got stepping on my very first Cunard voyage, Queen Elizabeth 2, back in 2004, realising it was not the luxury line the advertising suggested.

Cunard is aimed at and competes for passengers in what the industry calls the “premium” category, which includes lines like Holland America, Princess, Celebrity, and now Virgin.

They have the same sized ships, carrying between 2,000 and 3,000 passengers, and the same cabin grades from inside to suites with comparable fares to those other premium lines.

The service levels and the crew-to-passenger ratio matches them too. As does the range and quality of food, unless in a suite.

They have broadly the same daily program as premium ships, with one area they do excel at which I will talk about shortly.

Cunard also has all the cost add-ons, upcharges, and push for you to spend more as with the other premium lines.

Cunard fares do not include drinks, gratuities, Wi-Fi, and Specialty Dining. There are upcharges for items like lobster and steaks on the menu. Most cabin grades pay for room service, and there’s many revenue-generating pushes, like shopping promotions, photographs, drink tasting events, bingo, and so on.

It is very much a premium ship experience, aimed at everybody, from people seeking value inside cabins through to those wanting a suite on a larger ship experience.

There’s also a development I think you need to be aware of. As it could mean that in addition to recent cutbacks and changes, more could be coming.

The President, senior leadership and teams managing the more mainstream P&O Cruises have been merged into combined Cunard and P&O Team. P&O Cruises is the UK line known for cutbacks and increasingly offering value cruising for families,.

We already know Queen Mary 2 is coming out of the 2027 revamp with more cabins and increased passenger capacity.

So, we should be watching for what and how these changes in how Cunard is run impact the ships and experience.

I mentioned the Grills is used in the advertising as their flagship. But what exactly is the Grills? And is Cunard as class and status driven as most think it is?

Is Cunard Status and Class-driven?

Most people assume Cunard is very class driven, and there are big differences between passenger grades.

This is mostly a misconception.

There are some differences, and some limited exclusive areas, but nowhere near as many segregated areas as some of Cunard’s direct competition, like Celebrity with The Retreat, or even some mainstream mass-market lines like MSC with its Yacht Club, or Norwegian with the Haven.

Cunard does have segmented dining rooms tied to the cabin category you book. Britannia for Inside, Oceanview and Balcony cabins, Britannia Club for Britannia Club Balcony Cabins, Princess Grill for Mini-suites, and Queens Grill for Suites.

However, every passenger, regardless of their cabin category, has full access to all the public spaces on board like the Golden Lion Pub, Chart Room, Commodore lounge, Carinthia Lounge, Nightclub, library, Casino, Queen’s Room for afternoon tea and dancing, pool decks with hot tubs, and even the Royal Court Theatre has no reserved seating for suite guests, unlike on Celebrity, Norwegian, MSC and others.

All Grills passengers do get, beyond their dining room is a small lounge and a deck with loungers — no pool, no hot tub, no bar, no dining up there — unlike Celebrity’s Retreat, where their suite guests get a large, dedicated lounge and large deck with drinks, pool, bar and dining.

Where the Grills genuinely stand out is in food. If you’re in Princess or Queens Grill, the dining is, without question, better than anything in Britannia — and I’d argue better than most cruise lines in the world, luxury lines included.

With open seating for breakfast, lunch and dinner, Grills’ passengers have a dedicated table, three waiters looking after them, and a huge menu, plus a list of off-menu items like Dover Sole and Chateaubriand they can order.

In Queens Grill, you can even order anything you fancy — want a roast chicken dinner or a curry that isn’t on the menu that night? They’ll make it for you. Plus, unlimited caviar every single night in Queens Grill.

Many dishes are prepared tableside too — Dover sole, crêpes suzette, a whole theatrical dining experience.

And of course, book the Grills and you get a bigger cabin, and in Queens Grill, a butler — but that’s true across many of their premium category competitors.

And other premium lines also have separate dining for their top cabins — Celebrity has Blu and Luminae, Holland America has Club Orange, Princess has Club Dining or the Sanctuary Restaurant. So, Cunard isn’t more class-driven than its competitors — arguably it’s less so when it comes to unique closed-off spaces.

I mentioned at the beginning of this that I’d been asked if Cunard is more of a British line for British travellers these days with many Britishisms, traditions and rules. Here’s the answer.

Is Cunard a British line for British travellers?

While Cunard plays up its British roots and leans into it in some areas to differentiate itself, it is a global brand owned by Carnival Corporation and markets to and caters for international travellers.

This is most evident on a Queen Mary 2 Transatlantic which will have many Americans, Canadians, Germans, French, Dutch, Australians, of course British cruisers.

Sailings out of the UK, and their Mediterranean fly-cruises, do skew heavily British.

So, the passenger mix varies hugely by ship, itinerary, season and departure point.

And despite the British image, the onboard currency is US dollars, not UK sterling, and Cunard has major sales operations in the US, Germany, France, Australia and beyond.

It’s easy to book internationally, unlike very UK-focused lines like Saga, P&O Cruises, Ambassador, Marella and Fred Olsen, which are much harder for international passengers to book.

The crew is also diverse and international. While the Captain and several of the Senior Crew are usually, but not always, British, most of the crew are like any other line, full of Filipinos, South Africans, and Eastern Europeans.

They do lean into Britishness where it makes sense. Like having the Golden Lion Pub, Afternoon Tea is a major daily event, and popular English dishes like fish and chips, bangers and mash, and curries are on the menu.

The Daily Program and the language are British spelling, and Trivia tends to have a British focus.

The Guest Entertainers and Speakers will be a mixture of nationalities, often based on where the ship is sailing from and to.

For example, on the Crossing I just competed we had some American speakers like we had Seth Gopin talking about New York Skyscrapers and Ken Walsh a White House Correspondent talking about topics like Air Force One, but I’ve also had UK ex-Concorde pilots and UK Prison Wardens, and Chris Frame the Australia Maritime Historian and Author is a frequent speaker too.

The Celebrity Guest Speaker on each trip though is normally from the UK. On that Crossing it was Sir Tony Robinson, known for shows like “Blackadder” and “Time Team”. I’ve also been on with Celia Imrie, a well-known UK actress, Will Carling, a famous UK rugby player, and Michael Howard a Conservative Party Leader.

The next question I get asked a lot is if Cunard is only really for elderly and very traditional cruisers?

Is Cunard Only for Elderly, Traditional Cruisers?

Several people on that Transatlantic I mentioned did remark they were surprised at how much older the demographic was than other mainstream and premium lines they had been on.

Cunard does tend to skew towards an older demographic, especially on longer trips like World Voyages. But I think that is also driven by it being a very traditional line with a classic and more enrichment focused program.

I have already mentioned they have speakers on board, and enrichment talks is their major focus of entertainment with 4 or 5 speakers on a trip. It is by far the most expansive and best program on any line

But also, Cunard offers cruisers that like traditional cruising more than many lines.

They have ballroom dancing every night in the Queens Room with an orchestra, making it pretty much the only major line that still has proper ballrooms and ballroom dancing.

There is a massive library on every ship.

The program is classic, leaning into things like trivia, bingo, afternoon tea, craft and painting classes, dance classes, dance exercise classes, and passenger choirs and sing-a-longs.

However, the mix depends on where and when you’re going.

During school holidays, more families are cruising on Cunard. For example, I have been on a Christmas cruise twice out of New York to the Caribbean with over 400 kids on board.

Summer Transatlantic Crossings have more of a mix of multi-generational families, and more cruisers in their 40s and 50s.

And on their short 3- to 5-nighters out of Southampton, they attract an increasing number of the younger party crowd.

Many, especially LGBT travellers, ask me if this older and traditional passenger profile makes it stuffy and close-minded on board. Not from what I have seen.

Cunard attracts a large gay traveller base, with very busy daily LGBT meetups, and same sex couples dancing at the ballroom nights.

But, of course, one of the biggest questions is always about just how formal is Cunard?

Is Cunard Very Formal?

Cunard through its history, reputation and advertising is seen as being very formal, with Tuxedo Black Tie and Ballgowns required much of the time.

The reality is very different these days.

Daytime is entirely casual — shorts, T-shirts, baseball caps, whatever you like.

Most nights after 6pm it’s smart casual to go to your dining room. This means men can wear chinos, smart jeans with a collared or polo shirt, and ladies can wear smart dresses, skirts with blouses, or stylish trousers. The only real no-go items are T-shirts, shorts, ripped jeans, and sportswear.

Cunard does still hold Gala evenings, but there are far fewer of these than there used to be — at most two per seven-nights.

On those nights, to go to the dining room men are (in their words on their site) “invited” to wear dinner jackets, tuxedos, or suits with a tie, and women evening gowns, ball gowns, cocktail dresses, or a smart trouser suit. On board the wording in the daily program suggests it is required rather than optional to go to the dining rooms.

So, if you’d rather not dress up at all on any night and prefer to stick to T-shirt, shorts, or ripped jeans, you can dine in the King’s Court Buffet and the pop-up Speciality Dining venues they have in there.

Afterwards you can enjoy most of the public venues. These include the Golden Lion Pub, Carinthia Lounge, King’s Court Theatre to see the show, gamble in casino, and go to the night club. Only the Queens Room dancing, and a bars like The Chart Room and Commodore Club are considered off limits if not following the Dress Code.

But talking about the Cunard experience, I often get asked if it us the same across the fleet?

Is The Cunard Fleet Consistent?

The Cunard fleet is not consistent.

It has one unique one-of-a-kind ship, Queen Mary 2 which is the only true cruise liner in the world. Then it has three ships repurposing ship designs from the Carnival Corporation.

Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth are Vista-class ships, sister-style to ships you’ll find in Holland America and Carnival fleets. These have a “classic Cunard” Art Deco style interior décor, and itineraries leaning into Norway, the Mediterranean, British Isles, World Cruises and Grand Voyages.

Queen Anne is a stretched Pinnacle-class ship originally designed for Holland America, and has a more contemporary feel, less rich Art Deco decor, clearly designed to pull in a newer kind of Cunard cruiser. This ship now mostly sails ex-Southampton routes including World and Grand Voyages annually.

All four ships have versions of the same classic Cunard venues including the Queen’s Room, Golden Lion Pub, Chart Room, Library, Commodore Club, Royal Court Theatre, and the Britannia, Britannia Club, Princess and Queens Grill restaurants. Though often in different locations, laid out differently, and each feels different ship to ship.

If you want the truly unique, iconic experience, it’s Queen Mary 2, no contest.

If you want the classic Cunard, feel with more diverse itineraries go for Queen Victoria or Queen Elizabeth. If you want the newest, more modern interpretation of the brand, that’s Queen Anne.

And to find out more about Queen Anne, this newest interpretation of Cunard, join me over in this article where I talk about how it’s different, what works and what does not work and why.

 

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