Winter Mini Cruise
We went from Southampton. Cunard are now using a different terminal and once inside we were directed towards the embarkation points. I don't remember much about the check-in, but it was different from the previous very crowded terminal.
There was a bottle of sparkling type wine in our balcony cabin but unfortunately neither of us like sparkling wine or champagne, but it was a nice gesture!
We reserved the first sitting, as this gives plenty of time to go to the theatre and find a good seat. I enjoyed the shows, dancing and singing which was always very well done and different each night. How they manage to learn all the different songs and dance routines is amazing.
On the previous occasions when we went on the Queen Victoria the captain kept to Greenwich Mean Time, but this time once we were in European waters, the captain said we would be on continental time. This meant that our mealtime was from 5pm and not 6pm. This was much earlier than we usually eat, but we managed! We were allocated a table of 6, but no-one else ever turned up for the evening meal. I wonder if they came there for breakfast or lunch. We went to the buffet for our breakfast and lunch, so we could please ourselves what we had to eat and when.
I will give some details of the ship itself:
Deck One: The 3-story Grand Lobby with a staircase, “Cunard ConneXions” College at Sea! Oxford University, Internet Centre, Voyage Sales Desk (for passenger services). The lower level of the “Royal Court Theatre” (with 830-seats, venue for grand-scale music productions and shows).
Deck 2: The lower level of the main dining room, the Britannia Restaurant, the Golden Lion Pub (English traditional menu, beers and cider) the Champagne Bar with its resident pianist, the ballroom (Queens room), the Verandah restaurant, the Empire Casino (9 tables, 79 slot machines and a bar), Cafe Carinthia (pastries, teas and coffees) and the lower Library (over 6000 books).
Deck 3: Britannia Restaurant upper level, boutique shops, Library upper level, the Art Gallery (holds art auctions at sea), Midships Bar and Cunarders’ Galley (mini museum with photos of the Cunard ships and their history.
Decks 4 to 8 mostly contain cabins.
Deck 9: Lido Pool with two whirlpools, Lido Pool Bar and Grill, Lido Restaurants with seating for 821, for casual buffet dining, at least one side is always available, Garden Lounge has a glass dome and plenty of ‘greenery’. Next to the Pavilion Pool area, two more whirlpools and a Hydro pool, Royal Spa & Fitness Centre, Reception, Hair Salon, Thermal Suites, and Aerobic room.
Deck 10: The Zone, a nursery for children 2 to 7, The Play Zone for children 8 to 12 (both supervised by professional staff), The Yacht Club, with resident DJ, music band and dance floor, The Commodore Club, observation lounge with a Bar and bow panoramic views. Deck 11: Princess Grill, the Grills Lounge (pre-dinner cocktails) with panoramic Terrace, the Courtyard and the Queens Grill. These are high grade cabins; the Queens Grills have a la crate dining. These facilities are not open to people not in the Grills. This is also where the Games Deck is.
Deck 12: also Grills, with canopies-shaded areas.
We went to the Yacht Club and really liked the atmosphere, also went for a ‘dance’ in the Queens Room a couple of times.
We went to Bruges via the train to Blankenberge. It was busy as always, but possibly also because one of P&O ships was operating the same itinerary! We had some lunch there in a tiny restaurant. Also walked into Amsterdam, as on previous occasions. I think there is some talk of the ships berthing further out in the future. We also went into Cherbourg but there isn’t an awful lot to see there on a cold damp winter’s day!
But we do enjoy watching all the Amsterdam fireworks from the deck at midnight on New Year’s Eve. We get a panoramic view and they must spend an absolute fortune, as there are firework displays all around plus the one below on a small island in the water, which we think was a Cunard arrangement. Lots of little boats came along side to watch this display, then we went inside to the atrium to celebrate the New Year at midnight GMT.
Sadly, Cunard are not doing this cruise for the coming New Year!