9 Nights Port Louis, Mauritius to Cape Town, South Africa Cruise

Our Wonderful Cruise on Queen Anne

I have started with things we felt need improving or were just not that good as no cruise ship is perfect. Cons : There is not enough full length hanging space in the wardrobes . The biggest flaw in the Queen Anne design is the Grills terrace and restaurants being full width of the ship . This makes for the extra footfall in the artisans foodhall as you cannot journey from forward to aft on the higher decks without going through the artisans foodhall or “buffet restaurant” as it is more commonly called . The layout of the artisans foodhall adds to the congestion by having all the food stations facing onto the main corridor which is also where the drinks stations are . This all results in an unpleasant experience when you want to eat in here as you get bumped into frequently as there isn’t enough space in the corridor for all the extra people . The food quality and is good but it’s very loud and crowded due to the amount of extra people using it to transit from forward to aft or vice versa . Consequently we only used it a couple of times for light bites or ice cream . The salad and pasta stations are busy but worth the wait which we would have used more often but for congestion. The pavilion grill served what I can only describe as the most average burger I’ve had . The first one I ordered was served cold so I had to wait for another which was the very average burger. Afternoon tea was underwhelming as the scones were dry and crumbly . The amount of clotted cream was nice but a very small portion. The Queens room is not for us as neither of us ballroom dance or like watching others dance . The music was quite average at best even though we only heard it when passing through. Personally Cunard missed an opportunity to have this as a music venue like the Rolling Stone venue on Holland America ships but that is only my opinion. Pros: To be honest there are too many to list so I’ve only highlighted the ones that really stood out for us . The overall food quality was excellent as far as we were concerned except the pavilion grill.The Golden Lion pub is neither a pro or a con as we didn’t use it enough but Aileen and Sticks the Irish duo who played in there were brilliant . The fish and chips on embarkation day was also very good as was the Cunard Gold beer. The Bright lights society was such a good experience so vibrant and a wonderful space . The 2 shows we saw “ FIZZ” and “ NOIR” were both funny and brilliant to watch. The cast are all exceptional from they he singing to the dancing and the interaction was outstanding in both shows. The only downside is that it comes at an extra charge of $20 pp where as it used to be free but it is still worth the cover charge , a better included cocktail would be better . The Kings Court Theatre is brilliant as the seats are very comfortable with plenty of legroom and the arm rests are wide enough for 2 elbows . I know they are comfortable as I had a 15 minute nap during one of the Cunard insight talks ( it was about geology) The Chart room is such a lovely space with plenty of seating somewhere we will use more next time we’re on the ship. Corinthia lounge is another great space again underused by us but a wonderful place for a coffee or cocktail especially with a bit of jazz in the background. The Commodore Club is truly outstanding such a bright and calm place to sit and look out to sea whilst sipping a gin and tonic. We saw some good jazz one evening which was “Nice

Queen Anne world voyage

Queen Anne layout is a bit different to the other Queens, but still fabulous. Service was outstanding, even checking every dish for my wife who has alergies. In 33 nights we never had an average meal, all were fabulous, especially dinner, pheasant, halibut, you name it and it was on the menue, n cooked to perfection. Our room was very comfortable, with many tv channels n films to choose from. We had a large restricted balcony, restrictions r minimal in this category. The theatre is large, comfortable n high tech. Entertainment n activities follow the usual Cunard set up but with focus also on cabaret. Plenty of ballroom n general dancing. The wellness cafe was a great addition, as was the burger bar and atrium cinema. Possibly the downside of the ship design was a simple promenade deck with no seating, functional enough. Also upper decks are split in two seperate areas and don't connect. We were not hit by any severe gales so the ships ride was fine albeit only the Mary is in the ocean liner category. Overall this cruise equalled or even surpassed previous Cunard cruises we've had. As Arnold says - we'll be back.

Lovely cruise on the Queen Anne

My husband and I wanted transportation to New Zealand for our hiking tour. I figured that now that we are retired, we can take our time getting there! To arrive without jet lag from the east coast of the US sounded appealing. We originally booked club rooms but bid (the minimum amount) on the upgrade to a princess suite. Our bid was accepted. The expedited boarding was appreciated and meals in the Princess Grill were simply amazing. The room, while lovely, was not much different than a regular balcony room. Location was excellent, midship and 5th deck. Service both in our cabin and the grill was outstanding. It was very nice to have the concierge service for quick questions and making reservations. For so many sea days, it was nice to have use of the well stocked library. The lectures were excellent. We especially enjoyed the sociopath and psychopath expert. Both chilling and fascinating. The shows in The Bright Lights Society were good. Make reservations when you board. The ports of call: Honolulu: we had never been to Pearl Harbor, so we were very pleased to get there. We booked reservations several months ahead and then ubered there. (The ships tour that included Pearl Harbor was really a drive by that did not include a visit to the Arizona Memorial). The ship had a free shuttle to a mall, which was nice for any forgotten items. There’s a beach across the street from the mall frequented by locals should you want a swim. Apia Samoa: a very disappointing stop. Because the Queen Anne was new last year, there hadn’t been time to reserve docking at more desirable ports. There is apparently a 3 year lead time for reservations. Tonga: ditto Samoa All in all it was a very successful trip. Our hiking tour was fabulous. New Zealand is utopia.