Welcome aboard Queen Anne, the latest ship in the Cunard fleet

The Queen Anne is the latest addition to Cunard’s flotilla of cruise ships and, as we are finding out, is considerably different to the other Cunard’s vessels. Having caught the cruising bug, so to speak, Mrs PBT’s and I have previously  sailed on the company’s three other ships, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Victoria plus Queen Mary 2.  The latter is a quite a radically different vessel, having been commissioned as an ocean liner, specifically designed for trans-Atlantic crossings, where strong winds and rough seas are a common occurrence.With these factors in mind, how does Cunard’s latest ship stack up, against its younger sisters?

The first ting to notice, is that Queen Anne has a much more contemporary and modern feel, and this is immediately apparent from the moment you step aboard. Despite this, the ship retains some of the classic, 1930’s art-deco feel which is familiar to those who have sailed on the other three Cunard vessels. There are two swimming pools, a large indoor one midships, with a retractable roof, plus a smaller outdoor pool at the stern. Neither Eileen nor I are particularly keen swimmers these days, and neither are we massive fans of getting a suntan - see below.

There is only one promenade deck (No. 3) on the ship, and no recliner chairs (steamers), where passengers can sit sunning themselves, as the waves glide by. This is because the ships’ compliment of lifeboats is stored along this deck, a feature that allows the majority of cabins to have uninterrupted views from their balconies, instead of one that is obscured, (partially or wholly) by escape craft. Deck 3 is still available for those who like to get their daily amount of steps in, although for those intent on frying as much exposed flesh as possible, there are plenty of sun loungers on the upper decks.

The other difference, and one that is a massive improvement, is there are proper showers fitted in each cabin, or “State Room,” as Cunard like to call them. So, instead of a moulded, plastic/fibreglass shower tray, and a plastic curtain that clings to one’s body, with an annoying habit of not staying where it is supposed to, so that water runs all over the floor, showers on Queen Anne are proper, step-in affairs, with a glass screen that prevents any of the aforementioned problems.

Similar to the other vessels in Cunard’s fleet, the main restaurant (Britannia), occupies an area spread between decks two and three, at the stern of the boat, but the main, help-yourself, buffet area has become rather more upmarket, with a revamp reflected in the name “Artisan’s Foodhall.”  Here there are16 different food stations, offering a wide variety of different dishes and food options, along with a bar in the middle, where you can buy BrewDog Punk IPA or Moretti, by the pint.

Self-service in the buffet, is now a thing of the past, an important point in this post COVID era. Instead, food for guests is served up by the catering staff directly onto customers plates, from beneath Perspex covers, before being handed to diners. This not only protects against the spread of germs, but also ensures proper portion control and far less food waste. (There is nothing to stop you from asking for a larger helping though, should you really fancy something).

As on the other Cunard vessels, there is the Golden Lion pub – a quite reasonable interpretation of a great, British boozer, serving a good range of draft (keg) and bottled beers. The latter includes, St Austell Tribute, Adnams Broadside, Badger Tanglefoot, Theakston’s Old Peculier, plus several others.  Most of the draught and bottled beers are available in Queen Anne’s other bars and restaurants, alongside the three exclusive Cunard beers, brewed specially for the company by Wiltshire-based, Dark Revelation.

Having written about these beers on several previous occasions, I won’t repeat myself here, apart from saying that I’ve been drinking quite a lot of the excellent Cunard Black, Biscotti Breakfast Stout! Typical, traditional, pub grub is available in the Golden Lion (lunchtime only, at present), and is included in the cost of the voyage, although drinks (apart from tea & coffee), are not.

There are, of course, other features that don’t interest me at all, and I’m talking here about the high-end, over-priced, jewellery, fashion, perfume and whisky shops, designed to rake in the money for the shipping line. The same applies to the casino, although this seemed busy every time we passed by. But if these pricey “designer” outlets and gambling facilities help keep the price of the fares down, then so much the better.

Nicotine addicts, like Mrs PBT’s are catered for with a partially covered section at the front of the very top deck (14). Waiter service, at no extra costs, operates up there, with drinks being brought out to guests, from the neighbouring Sky Bar, which overlooks the main pool and sunbathing area, three decks below.

We still haven’t fully explored the ship, but despite all the improvements and obvious changes, we have heard a lot of negative comments and, to our minds, quite unnecessary criticism about Queen Anne. People are criticising both the design and feel of the ship, saying it is too modern, and too contemporary, in appearance. The only one I would agree with, and then only slightly, is that the cabins – sorry, "Staterooms", are slightly small than on the other ships. To me, this criticism is offset by the vastly superior bathrooms, that from an integral part of each cabin.

I am sure that everything has been ergonomically designed to maximise available space, and if the changes allow an increased number of passengers to enjoy this type of cruising, then surely it is to everyone’s benefit. They seem to forget that we are already almost a quarter of the way through the new century.  I’m sure that once they get used to the look of this amazing new ship, people will get to love it, in exactly the same way as they have with the other Queens in service with Cunard.

As for occupancy, Queen Anne can accommodate 3,000 passengers, compared to 2,000 apiece on Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth, but the clever layout of the ship allows for most of them to dissipate so as to appear far less visible than they might otherwise have done. With this in mind reports indicate that Queen Anne is being reserved for “no-fly” cruises operating out of UK ports, such as Southampton and Liverpool, releasing Elizabeth and Victoria for cruises much further afield. I trust this little piece has helped give you a feel of this latest Cunard vessel, and I’m sure there will be other features and points of interest for me to describe as the cruise progresses.

Author’s note: After 16 days on board we discovered that the variety and the quality of the food on offer compares much less favourably to what we recall from previous cruise ships – Elizabeth, Victoria and Queen Mary 2. There have been some rather strange combinations on offer- salmon & cheese toasty, anyone? I haven’t had a single curry, and there hasn’t been any of the theme evenings we’ve enjoyed in the past, such as Chinese night, American night (burgers, hot dogs), Asian night or even the German night we experienced on our Norwegian cruise. We are not the only passengers to have noticed these omissions, but apart from cost saving (penny-pinching), there seems no rhyme or reason for them.

So, lots to enjoy, and plenty of further posts to follow, especially as I am slowly catching up on things. It wasn’t perhaps the wisest thing to do, going back to work straight after our return to the UK, but it does means maximising on my annual leave. Until next time, then?