I Put Cunard's New First Class 'Ship-Within-Ship' To The Test

While there's been many reviews about cruising on Cunard's new Queen Anne, there's not been much about what it's like to travel in their costly first-class Grills “ship-within-a-ship” on it. I spent 14 nights testing that out and having also been in it on every ship in their fleet too, I think I’m well positioned to report back on what they’ve changed, got right and frankly not got right at all.

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ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 101 cruises I have done to date.

#Cunard #CunardQueenAnne #CunardGrills

00:00 Start
00:37 Queen Anne Overview
01:15 Cunard Class-Based System
03:00 Cunard Grills Areas & Perks
06:13 Princess and Queens Grill Perks
09:30 Queens Grill Only Perks
10:56 Tips For Travellers Channel Members
11:30 Grills Cabin Differences

[donbeaton]

If I’m paying $15000 I expect drinks wifi and tips included

[MebXVII]

What I like about Gary is that when he is critical, it's matter of fact and never over the top or comes across as whiny.

[celia]

When you showed the table they had originally assigned to you, I immediately thought, "Nobody puts Gary in a corner." 😂

[davidgapp]

You literally couldn't pay me enough to take ANY cruise on a ship with 3000 passengers, but I thoroughly enjoy your reviews!

[baobo]

15000 Buckaroos!
I would expect Louis Vuitton life jackets and a non-smoking Life raft for that.
Thanks Gary for looking after us.Cheers

[BoysOfBoca]

You could sail on Silversea, Regent, Seabourn, etc for far less where the entire ship is an "exclusive area."

[gkmacbeth]

I ran into you on board and I recall we held similar views of Queen Anne. In Princess Grill, where we were booked, the cabins were smaller than we have seen on the other Queens. The bathrooms were comparable in size to those found on an aircraft with the showers an exception. Over US$900 for wi fi for 14 days rankled since we had been on Viking earlier in the year where it was included. Viking also included access to their excellent nordic spa. Queen Anne charged extra. Drinks at meals are also an included feature with Viking ( cocktails excepted)
The ship's food was excellent. One last thing was the rather dissappointing promenade deck, which has the ships lifeboats and tenders parked on it and therefore obscuring views and not allowing deckchairs.
(I am biased, I guess, towards Viking since I am also a shareholder.)
The bottom line? All things considered that was probably our first and last sailing on Queen Anne.

[dvmr]

I’ll take vacations I can’t afford for $15, 000 Alex ( Jeopardy game show reference)
Thank you Gary for letting me live through your cruises.

[TheOnlyLilithcat]

I just got home from an Alaska cruise on the Queen Elizabeth. We decided to splurge and accepted an offer to upgrade from Princess Grill to Queens Grill. It was wonderful! Our butler was so helpful in many ways, but not obtrusive. The food was great, and I really do enjoy having the same table and the same staff for every meal. (After a couple of days, they knew I'd want orange juice and English Breakfast tea in the morning, but Earl Grey after dinner.)

It seems odd that the Grills Lounge on the Queen Anne doesn't have views or access to the deck. That was one of the great things about the Lounge on the QE, particularly when we were viewing the glaciers.

The only problem is that now I am spoiled!

[kathrynryches]

For $15, 000 wifi should be included as well as a lot of other things. This makes me lean even more towards Viking.

[paulasimson]

I actually didn't think that $15, 000 was that bad for a 14 night cruise for 2. $500 p/night for a luxury experience sounds about right. That was until I heard you talk about what ISN'T included! I was actually shocked. And having the outdoor area be a walk-through? What were they thinking? And the Queen's Grill restaurant is very underwhelming.

[simonf]

I cannot believe drinks and Wi-Fi and tips are extra 😂

[geoffdrew]

Just completed a long cruise on Virgin Voyages, no kids, all specialty restaurants included, wifi included, no gratuities, best ever service, great entertainment and a fraction of the price of this trip. Different experience but even if money was no option I would still go with Virgin over Cunard.

[reginaobrien]

I’ll never be able to afford Queen or Princess status, but it’s fun to watch your videos!

[FraserAtSea]

Thanks for giving us such a great insight to suite life on Queen Anne - I haven't seen much other content showing this so far! Really impressed with that Butler overview - seems like quite a good way of setting expectations with the customers.

I also share your thoughts on that Grills Lounge - so unusual to have the highest paying guests on the inside of the ship, rather than offering them amazing views of the ocean, or looking into the ports.

Great video, Gary!

[wbert]

I went on the QE2 in 1989 at the same level (Princess Grill) as you and your husband. For the two of us, it cost around $5, 000 (I got a 50% off coupon from Hilton Hotels). This included a one-way Concorde ticket or first class on other airlines. We loved it. Times have changed!! When we went, caviar was complimentary. We also could order whatever we wanted given 24 hours' notice. In 1989, the only difference between the two restaurants was simply one word: Presentation. Queens Grill got a presentation at the table, while Princess Grill had the same food without the table-side presentation. We had a four-person table right beside the window. Our table mates were a British couple who just retired. They traveled from South Hampton to South Hampton via a Caribbean cruise on the QE2.

[nially]

Cunard need to start making grills an all inclusive fare. It’s crazy when you look at competitors

[billybenson]

Unfortunately, I find that price is silly. But I'm spam sucking trailer trash and do most of my cruises booking interior cabins so I can do another cruise. In the past 26 years I've been upgraded a few times to balcony and window but don't plan on it. To each their own

[janiekcarney]

Paying for a Butler that hasn’t been on a cruise and has never been a Butler?? I guess you had to train him!!

[tonybye]

Very interesting and professional video. I really enjoy watching videos of cruise type holidays even though I know I would hate every moment of being on one.