Combining Tradition and Innovations

By John and Sandra Nowlan

Cunard has been carrying passengers across the Atlantic and beyond for 185 years. We’ve sailed with the line several times. But the company, founded by Nova Scotia native Sir Samuel Cunard and now owned by Carnival Corporation, continues to surprise and delight us.

Our cruise this time was a new venture for Cunard, basing Queen Elizabeth in Miami for a series of eastern and western Caribbean cruises. Our first surprise was the number of British accents we heard upon boarding in Miami. We soon learned that among the 1900 passengers there were an equal number of American and United Kingdom guests plus large contingents of Canadians and Australians. Several of the Brits told us they always choose Cunard because of its rich history (the line began in Liverpool) and traditions like pub food, high tea and formal nights.

Queen Elizabeth, although launched in 2010, has an Art Deco interior, rich with brown and gold, that honors Cunard’s original Queen Elizabeth from the 1930s. That complex design is evident in the main dining room, the two deck library with 6,000 volumes and the 800 seat Royal Court Theatre, complete with traditional West End boxes.

Our accommodation on Queen Elizabeth was also a happy surprise. For the first time we were booked in Britannia Club rather than a standard Britannia balcony stateroom. Better rooms, more elegant dining and exclusive perks put Britannia Club passengers in a special but underappreciated category. The cruise director told us it was “Cunard’s best kept secret”. We found it to be of especially good value. On our nine day cruise our stateroom cost $600 more than a standard Britannia balcony room. If we had moved even further up the price and luxury scale to a Princess Grill suite, it would cost an additional $2600.

Our Britannia Club room was slightly larger than normal Britannia accommodation and had a balcony significantly larger. All Club staterooms were in a quiet mid-ship area on decks 7 and 8 for smoother sailing. Our additional perks included a bottle of sparkling wine and a specialty tea and coffee maker. Spring water in glass bottles was always replenished and fresh fruit could be ordered daily. For comfort, a pillow concierge menu was available, and the bathrobes were upgraded velour. Unfortunately, slippers came in only one size, too big for Sandra, too small for John. There were no bedside power or USB outlets; they were all located at the desk on the opposite wall.

The bathroom was the standard Britannia size with a small shower stall but the toiletries – shampoo, conditioner, body wash and hand soap - were by high-end Penhaligon’s of London.

We found the most distinctive difference between Britannia and Britannia Club was the dining. Club guests have the exclusive use of the most intimate of the four main dining areas. Capacity in our well-planned dining room near the stern of Deck 2 was just 92 while the Princess Grill serves 120 guests and the Queens Grill can handle 132. The regular Britannia restaurant covers two decks at the stern and can accommodate 900 guests.

*Britania Club Guests have a more intimate dining*

In the Club all tables have white tablecloths and, at dinner, all waiters wear dark suits. Most of the tables were for two but guests could also choose a table for four, six or eight. The assigned table became the guest’s restaurant home for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Dinner ran from 6 to 8:30 pm and we could arrive at our window table for two anytime we wanted. No waiting. If we ate elsewhere, the table stayed vacant.

The Britannia Club had the same breakfast, lunch and dinner menus as the Britannia restaurant. But in the evening there’s an additional and enhanced menu for Club guests. Basic Britannia usually gets good marks for its cuisine and we were impressed with dishes like Beef Wellington, Pork Cordon Bleu and Poached Filet of Plaice. The separate a la carte Britannia Club menu was even more imaginative with choices including Coquille Saint-Jacques, Duck à l’Orange and Roast Rack of Dorset Lamb. Our lamb dish was particularly outstanding, probably the best we’ve had at sea.

Another Club restaurant exclusive was its flambé desserts. We were impressed when the restaurant manager prepared our peach flambé tableside. He was careful to avoid standing under a sprinkler!

Like many other Club guests we wanted to explore Queen Elizabeth’s range of culinary venues so we first booked Bamboo, an extra-cost Asian specialty restaurant on the Lido deck ($45 pp). Its colorful Bento Box appetizer was a delight followed by a tasty Japanese style halibut. The most expensive restaurant option was the Steakhouse at the Verandah ($65 pp), an elegant room with fine service (even a choice of steak knives) and large portions. Our crabcake and roasted marrowbone appetizers were followed by a New York striploin and an American Wagyu striploin. Both were good but, surprisingly, the New York cut was more tender than the Wagyu.

*Colorful Bento Box appetizers in Bamboo*

Being on a ship with a proud British heritage we had to try some pub food and the Golden Lion, a no-extra-charge staple on all four Cunard ships, was a must-stop. We weren’t disappointed. The deep-fried cod and chips, Scotch eggs and sticky toffee pudding were all excellent.

Excellent Fish and Chips in the Golden Lion Pub

Cunard also has a reputation for excellence with its speakers and entertainment. The most interesting presenter was a British professor, now retired from Old Dominion University, who spoke about unusual cloud formations (more fascinating than it sounds) and the atmospheric illusions that may have fooled the lookouts on the Titanic on that fateful night. The grand Queens Room in the center of the ship was the venue for two long-standing Cunard traditions. First, a formal afternoon tea with white-gloved waiters, available for everyone. After dark the Queens Room came alive with the sounds of the biggest Big Band at sea. The dance floor was always full.

The elegant Royal Court Theatre had excellent nightly entertainment including acrobats and several good singers. But our favorite was a Cunard first. The company obtained exclusive cruise ship rights to the Tony winning Broadway musical, Come From Away, with the stipulation that the show was presented in its full hour and 45 minute entirety. It was an ideal fit for Cunard – a feel-good production about the small-town welcome received by more than 6500 stranded passengers after U.S. bound airplanes were diverted to Gander, Newfoundland, on 9/11. International friendship at its best. We saw the original cast show in New York and the Cunard version was just as good.

We were among many guests who appreciated the good mix of sea days and port days. Cunard did a great job organizing tours. One favorite excursion was a bus tour of Grand Turk in the Turks and Caicos islands followed by beach time with some of the cleanest, clearest water we’ve ever seen. Before tourism became the dominant industry, this British Overseas Territory counted on income from exporting sun-dried sea salt. Donkeys were used to haul the salt carts and, with the demise of the industry, the donkeys were set free. Now their descendants roam freely across the island and often poke their noses around beach umbrellas.

In Central America we also loved our visit to the English speaking country of Belize (formerly British Honduras). In the interior it has several ancient Mayan ruins we’ve visited in the past. This time we chose Lamanai (Mayan for “submerged crocodile”), a prominent Mayan center from the 4th century BC through the 1st century AD. Three prominent pyramid-shaped structures dominate the former city of 35,000, the Mask Temple, the Jaguar Temple and the High Temple. It’s worth the two hour bus ride and high speed boat transfer to reach the isolated site.

*Ancient Mayan Temples at Lamanai, Belize*

By retaining classic service and activities with modern touches, Cunard continues to be a great choice for adults at the premium cruise level. This time we were delighted we discovered Britannia Club. For a relatively small additional cost, it adds major value and pleasure to a Cunard sailing.

Cunard’s Queen Elizabeth

Combining Tradition and Innovations

MSC Yacht Club on MSC Seascape