Cunard Queen Anne

Day 1 – Boarding Day on Cunard Queen Anne

Well... what a lovely first day!

As I'd stayed overnight in Southampton (to see the little one who's absolutely flourishing at uni 🥰), I managed to board a couple of hours before my friends.

I was actually quite surprised they let me board early...and without my cabin mate, but nobody asked any questions... happy me! 😂 Meant I didn't have to kill another couple of hours hanging around Starbucks or wandering around West Quay... probably saved myself a few £££ too!

So off I went to the Carinthia Lounge (best coffee onboard) to start my holiday with a matcha latte AND champagne!

Then had a wander around the indoor pool area and an early healthy lunch at the Pavilion Wellness Café... with a margarita! Well, the lunch was healthy...all about balance isn't it!

Queen Anne is just as gorgeous as I remember from earlier this year... I want my house looking like this!

And our cabin... gorgeous! The mattress is so comfy, not too soft, not too hard, just right. Duvet not too thick or too thin, pillows just perfect too... why am I thinking of Goldilocks while typing this?!

We're on Deck 4 near the front and have a huge balcony! Yes, it's overlooked, but I'm not planning on doing anything inappropriate out there... so all good!

With all the recent news about Queen Anne going to P&O, I must admit I'm looking at things a bit differently this time. All those pretty glasses for different drinks, little nibbles in the Commodore Club, complimentary snacks around the ship, fluffy robes... I keep thinking all these lovely Cunard touches will disappear.

But then I remind myself there are still 3 other Queens to enjoy! Queen Victoria was actually my very FIRST cruise back in 2017 ❤️ I've also been on Queen Elizabeth and QM2 twice. Such lovely memories... and plenty more Cunard cruises to look forward to!

Anyway... back to our evening!

We thoroughly enjoyed the duo playing in the Commodore Club tonight... some great songs to get the evening started!

We've got anytime dining... open dining... whatever Cunard calls it!

We booked a table for 6 at 8pm using the Cunard app thingy (which isn't really an app and only works once you're onboard... lol). You can also join a virtual queue if you've got anytime dining, which is quite handy!

There are 3 dining options on Cunard... early (5.30/6pm), late (8/8.30pm) or anytime (6-9pm). We went for anytime so we could be a bit more flexible with our evenings.

And the FOOD!!!

SO SO SO SOOOOO GOOD!!!

Every mouthful there seemed to be little "mmmmmm" noises coming from our table! 🤣 Anyone listening would've thought we'd not eaten all day! But we had... LOADS!

Lots of chatting, laughing, fabulous food and just enjoying being together.

Happy happy me!

What a brilliant start to our little girlie getaway! ❤️

Day 2 – Sea Day, Rotterdam Bound on Cunard Queen Anne

Well, my day started with a bit of holiday mode confusion... completely forgot the clocks had gone forward! Easily done when you're on holiday and don't really need to know what time it is... lol!

Started the day with a lovely long soak in a few of the hot tubs. Probably stayed in there far too long, but they're soooo lovely for soothing my aching muscles! Think my determination not to use the lifts is catching up with me!

There's 3 hot tubs in the Pavilion (indoor pool area), and here's a little tip... pick one of the 2 smaller ones if you want your back AND feet massaged by the jets at the same time!
See... I can give useful cruise tips!

Now, people watching is one of my specialities... and I'm still trying to work out the demographic on this cruise! There's a real mix of children, teenagers, young adults and older passengers. I'd say the majority are probably between 50 and 70... which I'll be joining next year! 😂 But it's actually quite hard to suss out so far.

Definitely FAR too much food being consumed on this cruise so far... and afternoon tea was particularly naughty! 😋 Did try my best to walk some of it off around the promenade deck. Queen Anne has a lovely wraparound promenade, which I absolutely love!

Also did a few laps up on Deck 12. It's a very short circuit up there, but the views are incredible! Even the smoking area on Deck 14 has one of the best views onboard, right up high at the front of the ship.

And the Sunset Bar looks amazing! I've already decided that's where I'm going to plonk myself while everyone else is off exploring Rotterdam!

It was also Formal Night, and lovely seeing everyone dressed up to the nines! 🥰 I do love a formal night!

Just one on our 4 nighter, but normally two on a 7 night Cunard cruise. Sometimes they're themed, like Black & White or Red & Gold, so always worth checking online before packing!

Wonder if they still do the Roaring 20s theme like pre-Covid? Loved that one!

I've got three 7 night hosted cruises on Queen Anne in my diary... so when I get home, I really need to work on making sure I can still fit into all my dresses! Especially at the rate I'm enjoying the food onboard!

After dinner, some of my friends headed to the Golden Lion pub for the quiz and karaoke, while 2 of us enjoyed the Commodore Club, listening to a fantastic pianist... one of the best I've ever seen! I'll definitely be going back and really hope he's onboard for my future cruises.

We also watched "Let's Dance" in the theatre... AMAZING! 😍 If it's showing on your cruise, don't miss it! Well, if you love dancing and singing shows that is... the performers were incredible!

Now, a little bit about Cunard's new all inclusive packages...
We bought the new Signature Premium Package, which includes premium drinks up to $20 each, Premium WiFi and $25 speciality dining credit.
For our short cruise, it costs £80 per person, per night.

For seven night cruises, the prices are £70 per night for the Signature Premium Package, which includes drinks up to $20, Premium WiFi and $40 speciality dining credit. The Signature Classic Package costs £60 per night and includes drinks up to $13.50, Essential WiFi and $25 speciality dining credit. Do look online to see differences in all the packages...too much information to discuss today....

For me, these packages suit me really well. I easily have 3 or 4 coffees a day, a drink with lunch and dinner, a couple of cocktails, maybe a hot chocolate... it soon adds up..especially if cheapest glass of champagne is $20!

And when you factor in WiFi, which I'd buy anyway as I like being contactable to my family, it makes sense for me. Obviously, everyone is different, so it's worth doing the maths before buying! Don't forget you need to add 18% gratuities if buying drinks as you go, without a package.

Now, let's talk about those pretty glasses again...
I soooo love that Cunard uses different glasses for different drinks... I'm sure drinks taste better when served in the right glass! 😂 Or is that just me being a bit fussy with my quirky pet hates... ha ha ha!

There's 4 Queen Gin Perfect Serves on the Commodore Club drinks menu.
I've popped a photo of the menu in with my pictures, so if you love gin, tell me which one you'd pick!

Anyway... another lovely sea day doing what I enjoy most... a bit of relaxing, wandering around the ship, people watching and chatting to everyone!

Day 3 – Rotterdam... but another 'sea day' for moi!

Today was all about doing absolutely nothing...

But what did I actually do?

Started off in the lovely Carinthia Lounge with my usual latte/lattes and a pastry. Couldn't decide which pastry to have... decisions, decisions! Eventually went for the pineapple one, which was actually rather yummy!

Then had a wander around the ship getting some steps in, admiring Rotterdam bridge views, before heading for the pool and hot tubs... again!

For those who do fancy getting off the ship, Rotterdam is really easy to explore on foot!
Just walk across the bridge, head towards the famous Cube Houses, then onto the Markthal for a little wander. From there, you can make your way past Miniworld Rotterdam before heading back to the ship.
A lovely little DIY wander without needing to book an excursion.

Also tried the grill in the Pavilion today... had a delicious hot dog. And somehow ended up trying a boozy milkshake... all in the name of research obviously!

I do love that we can enjoy our cocktails whilst sitting in the hot tub too! Not all cruise lines allow this, so it feels rather grown up and indulgent... ha ha ha!

Decided to give the Chart Room a try today too. It's one lounge I've never actually sat in before, and I rather liked it! Lovely sophisticated nautical feel to it. It's on Deck 2, so I can imagine sitting by the window on a sea day watching the waves so close to you... definitely somewhere I'd happily sit for a few hours.

Something we were chatting about today... none of us have come across anyone moaning about anything on this cruise! Everyone just seems so content onboard, which is really lovely...then we had dinner..

... and this is interesting!

Because we've got the Signature Drinks Package, we each had $25 speciality dining credit to use. We nearly didn't bother and would have just lost the credit, but decided to give the Italian restaurant a go as it costs exactly $25... so no extra spending!

The Indian is $40, while the Steakhouse and Japanese are $70 each (although the Japanese does also have an à la carte menu, but I didn’t have the brain power to work that one out! 😅😂).

We didn't really fancy paying any extra this time, especially as I think the included food on Queen Anne is excellent! Between the main dining room, buffet and all the lovely little light bites around the ship, there's certainly no shortage of excellent food... but let's give the Mediterranean a go...

Well... I must say, I would not recommend the Mediterranean restaurant.

Some of the food was okay, but other dishes really weren't worth the calories! Especially for my vegetarian friends, who found their choices a bit bland and uninspiring. Such a shame, as we'd hoped for something a little more special.

Luckily, we're a fun bunch, so rather than letting a disappointing meal spoil our evening, we ended up having a good laugh about it all!
If we'd paid extra out of pocket, we probably would have mentioned it at the time and given them the chance to put things right.
But by this point, we just wanted to finish dinner and get on with our evening! We decided we'd leave our feedback until the end of the cruise instead, as I'm sure the lovely staff would have tried their best to sort things out... and we didn't want to be held up, as there was dancing to be done!

This now means I've tried all the speciality restaurants on Queen Anne, and if I had to rank them, Sir Samuel's Steakhouse would still be my favourite, followed by Japanese, then Indian, with Italian coming last for me. I just felt the Mediterranean menu could do with a little more variety and flavour to make it that bit more special.

The Indian could easily have been second if the food had been a little spicier and there'd been another course. I just felt it could have offered a bit more variety and quantity for the price.

Of course, food is such a personal thing, and this is just my experience!

I guess it doesn't help that I was on Royal Caribbean's Legend of the Seas not long ago, enjoying their amazing Italian speciality restaurant. It's hard not to compare when you're lucky enough to experience so many different ships and restaurants...

Tonight Fisherman's Friends, the shanty band, were performing in the theatre. I've seen them quite a few times and do recommend them, but decided to give them a miss this time.

Instead... we headed to Bright Lights Society for an 80s band performance, followed by the silent disco!

So much for a day of doing absolutely nothing... somehow managed to fill the whole day without even setting foot in Rotterdam!

And that's what I love about cruising... you really don't have to do much at all to have a lovely busy day!

Day 4 – Zeebrugge for Bruges… or another ‘sea day’ for moi! And my final thoughts on Queen Anne!

Seems quite a few people had the same idea as me today… stay onboard and enjoy the ship!

I guess when you've been to Bruges before, the thought of trekking in from Zeebrugge isn't quite so appealing. It's around 20km away, so not somewhere you can just wander into from the ship. If you do fancy going, I'd recommend sharing a taxi with friends. Last time I checked it was around €55 each way, and you can arrange for them to collect you too. Or try Uber coming back, which works out a little cheaper. Saves all the faffing about with trains!

Anyway, Bruges wasn't on my agenda today. I had far more important things to do… absolutely nothing!

Although I did manage to try a turmeric latte in the Carinthia Lounge for the first time. Surprisingly nice actually! And apparently turmeric is good for you, so I'm counting that as my healthy choice for the day. We won't discuss the rest of my food intake!

I won't bore you with another rundown of hot tubs, chilling, eating and generally enjoying all the lovely spaces onboard. You've probably got the picture by now! But that's one of the things I love about Queen Anne. I can quite happily spend the whole day onboard without feeling the need to do much at all.

The highlight of today was definitely Kev Orkian. OMG, he's brilliant! I've only seen him once before, but I think he's one of the best comedians doing the cruise circuit. Had everyone in stitches! Such a talented entertainer and a fabulous way to spend our last evening.

And talking of fabulous… dinner tonight was superb! Both the food and service were faultless. A lovely ending to our little four night getaway.

Which brings me nicely onto my final thoughts about Queen Anne… and this is where I might get a little sentimental!

I'm really going to miss this ship when she leaves Cunard in 2029. There's just so much about her that I love, and I know not everyone feels the same.

She's certainly not everyone's cuppa tea, especially those who love the more traditional Cunard Queens. But I actually like that she's different. She has her own personality.

I've heard quite a few people compare her to P&O, but I don't really see it myself. That's not me knocking P&O either, as I enjoy their ships too. I just feel Queen Anne has a little something extra. The spaces, the atmosphere, service, food and those lovely little touches give her a slight edge for me.

Now, in my ideal world, P&O would make her an adults only, slightly more premium ship. Oohh, I'd be first in the queue! 😂 But I've got a horrible feeling there could be a few more bunk beds appearing and she'll become a busy family friendly ship. Of course, that's purely me speculating, and I hope I'm talking complete rubbish!

As for this cruise, I really can't find much to grumble about. The food has been excellent, the service excellent and the entertainment excellent. Everything has just flowed so nicely, and the crew have been wonderful.

The only real disappointment was the Mediterranean speciality restaurant, which I found rather underwhelming. A shame really, especially when the food elsewhere has been so so good.

But you know what? If one disappointing meal is the worst thing I can say about a four night cruise, then I think that's pretty good going!

I've rarely had a holiday where absolutely everything has been perfect. There's nearly always something that doesn't quite hit the mark, and that's just life. I certainly don't expect perfection, although it's rather lovely when you get close to it!

And that's exactly how I'd sum up these four nights. A fabulous ship, lovely food, great entertainment, wonderful service and plenty of time spent laughing, eating and doing very little with my crazy gals.

So yes, Queen Anne still has a very special place in my heart. I know she divides opinion, but she's definitely one of my favourite ships, and I'll be making the most of her while she's still part of the Cunard fleet.

Four nights went far too quickly… but what a lovely little getaway it's been!