Cunard Queens Grill - Not what we’d hoped. Honest and factual review.

Kenard have long been avid upholders of the traditional class system that prevailed in almost all the ocean liners of the last couple of sanctuaries in fact here's properly the one thing they have kept untouched since their inception but might think the red funnels then it still exists in our politically correct and discrimination-free world today has to do with the companies not to pass tradition it's part product differentiation in other words prevailing USP and part company DNA you either like it or you don't sail with Kunar they're not the only ones that still offer this form of financial segregation either several cruise lines do the same thing by offering sweet classes but in a slightly thinner veiled more modern way kyun arts is just a bit more in-your-face canard gives us that grills experience their way of splitting the ship into three distinct classes but another way Queens Grill is first class princess grill is business class and for the rest of us Britannia classes good old steerage and mean economy no ordinary class no that's not right either suffice to say the rest of us after twelve Britannia class sailings with canard and for one single five night voyage we had the relatively rare chance and the bank balance to try Queens Grill for the very first time the ultimate travel experience Crows the Kunar website about his grills so join us on Queen Victoria in a queue six the lowest price Queens grill and we'll take you through what it's like to experience how the other half live firstly priority boarding was so cool we rode up strolled straight into the check-in desk and strolled straight onto the ship with barely a glance at the waiting throng and we could get used to this our suite is at the rear on deck four yes that controversial backside which once was sleek and sporty and now after the victorious summer surgery is from peon rotund just like a sister yes you're right no we don't like it also while we're on the subject of the refit a very quick word about the new resituated britannia club restaurant it's very pretty and inviting would make us consider upgrading a standard britannia level cruise to club for the luxury of open dining and the sheer pleasantness of sitting in there what intrigued me though was the section of corridor outside the venue the design is totally modern contemporary and totally out sync with the rest of the ships traditional stately home decor I wonder why they did this could it be a secret taster to the interior style of the new ship during 2020 if it is the new ship will look pretty stunning okay back to the job in hand the Queen's grill the first genuine surprise was the size of the suite even a lowly q6 is big enough to draw gasps as we entered it is a beautiful well-thought-out living space little kitchen area was also well stocked with useful glassware and crockery and the coffee machine was actually usable I'm a dreadful coffee snob and this little gadget was more than capable of feeding my caffeine addiction not I need that to keep me awake as it disappoints me to say that the air conditioning did this thing is loud like putting your car aircon on full blast on a hot day loud constantly day and night there was no control to turn it down either just to adjust the temperature not the fan speed seriously this thing gave my tinnitus have run for its money the balcony is more than big enough to swing at decent beef wellington it was a shame our bitter December weather prevented any meaningful lounging without being served complimentary hypothermia but we can imagine in the summer we'd never want to go up on the public decks one thing that wasn't so amazing was the bathroom yes the jacuzzi bath was wide enough to host your own hot tub party and the shower was also big enough for a guest invited of course but the way the loo and sink was set off in a sectioned area with doors seemingly everywhere on a claustrophobic angular arrangement it just didn't feel as grand and well-thought-out as the rest of the suite well at least it stopped you from lingering in there with a good book there's no room in front of you to hold one while I'm in a grumbly mood there are other little nickels that didn't live up to the Queen's grill hype the included in sweet alcohol for example you will enjoy a complimentary bar stocked with your choice of spirits wines or soft drinks says the website in a luxurious font the spirits of white would consider supermarket in dial brands none would be my choice surely it wouldn't cost ku not much more to offer a few more semi premium brands even the mass-produced ones like Bombay Sapphire Jack Daniels I mean this can't be difficult can it you not are seriously falling behind their competitors here a dollar or two here and there can make all the difference to the not so luxury feel to the inn Suites drink list don't premium guests paying premium fares expect a bit more than the bargain basement booze here the wine list was equally short in fact as short as a list you could make a wine list from one white and one red seriously after perusing the choice for all of all three seconds we chose the white but to be fair it was a pretty good white now before you all start thinking privileged little mony type you have to remember at all times the price of a Queen's Grill ticket it is serious money we need to keep this in context queue not for this much money you really have to do better incidentally when we ordered a second bottle of white wine it arrived non chilled so we had to stick it in the little fridge for a couple of hours before we could drink here yeah that kind of killed the moment again the detail the little detail six star cruise company's obsess over Sochi canard with its grills the grills are synonymous with perfecting the finest details boast their website well my friends at carnival house the details are far from perfect while we're on the subject of privilege has anyone in 2017 outside of the British for all family actually got a butler or have any experience of what a butler does or should be doing no me neither experience impeccable butler service in your queens grille suite throughout your stay says q not what does your delegated butler assisted by your delegated assistant butler actually do what should they be doing well ours did what any self-respecting state room attendant would do and not a lot else in fact we struggled to see any difference between a butler and the britannia rooms state room guys in fact we saw them a lot less than many of the state room attendants we've had over the years I'm sorry but I haven't come off the set of Downton Abbey and therefore the thought of asking my Butler to run me a bath shine my shoes or nip into town for some collar starch before ironing my shirts quite frankly horrifies me therefore we shyly just let them make the bed and give the room a quick once-over everyday and that was it no here's a genuine what the flip moment the sweet big comfy full of mod comms well a DVD player was modern in 1995 you unpack outcomes the camera a camera charger an iPad an iPad charger some hair straighteners not for my hair you understand a watch charger a laptop charger and a charger for two phones that's two charges you get where I'm going with right yes a massive room with one usable socket one I'll repeat one damn it Q nod if only you'd have told me I brought all my clockwork gadgets with me okay with my clockwork camera in hand let's go outside the suite let's crack open the mythical forbidden world of the grills areas shall we those secret staircases with those grills only signs that mysterious card slot in certain elevators that allow you to go higher than as mortal Britannia guests have ever been those outside areas you can just see if you crane your neck but can't get to you know the areas with the extra comfy sun beds all will be revealed the grills area on deck 11 is a wonderful little world of escapism the elevator opens to reveal a little open reception area hosting three entrances one to the grills lounge one to the princess grill restaurant and one to the Queens grill restaurant the lounge is like a mini Commodore club but without the jaw-dropping panoramic front view there's a small bar to the right side and a concierge desk to the left we love this area for pre-dinner drinks the staff are great and the cocktail menu is comprehensive and inventive if I can make it better without COO not breaking the bank I'd say let's have some complimentary teas and coffees in here it would encourage more to spend an afternoon with a good book lounging on those comfy sofas and the lounge leads to a terrace outside and another terrace above and these again looked nice places to spend some time unfortunately the pre-christmas weather prevented us lounging too long on those cushiony sun beds nor did we experience the courtyard area which must be a nice sheltered area to eat in the summertime the courtyard has absolutely no view though so you won't be tempted to linger whilst lovingly drinking in the latest vistas you simply can't see them the one thing that's all I'm missing is there's no grills hot in any of the open decks if you want to refresh those baking toes with a little paddle you have to descend her into the ordinary world below the restaurant is not as small as I imagined and this is because they allocate each suite a table that is theirs for the whole voyage for every meal nobody sits there after you have left and that feels quite special the tables are laid out beautifully to the staff in here deserve a particular mention they are just brilliant nothing is too much trouble and you have the same waiting staff for your whole voyage like the Britannia restaurant but because they have less tables to service you have more time with them and they have more time for you the menus are brought to your suite in the morning every day so you can peruse them during the day the food is very good indeed and there wasn't a single course we wouldn't eat again and again if I was to suggest a relatively economic condition it would be to have complimentary house wine with your meal as it is all drinks have to be paid for in the restaurant except coffee tea and water yeah remember the context this is Queen's grill the top most expensive experience to not have to offer almost all six Star Line's have complimentary drinks in one form or another even other five-star lines have decent value drinks packages so why are you not so reluctant to do the same so we really enjoyed our five night cruise at canards top level package I felt a bit more special and we proved by mostly using the grills only areas that it is possible to have in some ways a small six star ship experience on a much larger ship such as a Cunard Queen in many other ways small but significant ways q not let themselves down on the whole you pay the extra money for the much bigger room and a better dining experience and to be fair there's very little wrong with that in fact there's a lot right with it the room is a joy to be in and we spent a fair proportion of our waking hours in it which is our first the food is delicious in the grills restaurant and the service in our view is actually marginally better than a six star ship as kun art mentioned many times in their grills literature it's the details that matter and it's the little things that they stumble on that could be so easy to rectify to bring the whole experience into six star territory widening the complimentary in sweet drinks menu offering wine with your evening meal and even lunch would be a start I'm not going to end on a negative though would we book grills again heck yes if we got the right deal with less expectation of a 6 star experience more five and a half whoops I said I wouldn't end on a negative it's five and a half really a negative you

Channel: Visit With Us (Rich and Helen)

Views: 262,429

Keywords: MS queen victoria, queens grill, cunard line, cunard queens grill, cunard queen victoria queens grill, cruise ship tour, cruise ship (ship type), princess grill, visit with us, cunard line (organization), cunard ships, cunard cruise, ms queen victoria cabins, queens grill restaurant, queens grill queen victoria cunard, queens grill suite, queens grill cunard, queens grill queen elizabeth, cunard line ships, princess grill suite queen victoria, princess grill queen victoria

Id: 8ML1mE38wY4

Length: 14min 24sec (864 seconds)

Published: Sat Jan 13 2018