Thank You Brian for a wonderful , informative and entertaining video !! 👍 Of all the Queen Anne videos out there online currently, I think yours is the most accurate and intelligent. Your observations are absolutely the closest to my opinions of Queen Anne! I’ve always been an avid fan of Cunard since I was a small boy. Since retiring in 2017, I’ve been fortunate enough to indulge myself and my love of ocean travel. I’ve know sailed on all three of Cunard’s Queen’s including five Transatlantic crossings on QM2 . To me a transatlantic voyage is the ultimate !! As you said in your post “ sailing on Cunard “ is like stepping back in time to the “ GOLDEN AGE “ of sea travel. As I walk through the Queen’s visions of Mauretania, Titanic, Queen Mary, Normandie , Queen Elizabeth and QE2 dance through my head and heart!😌The Art Deco designs of the current Queens are amazing and beautiful !! The polished wood panelling, etched glass and polished metals are so welcoming and inviting !! As you perfectly said, they all have that Cunard WOW FACTOR !!! 😮😃❤️ I’ve always had a transatlantic maiden voyage on my bucket list ••• So I knew that Queen Anne was going to probably be my one and only chance! Many months ago, I booked the Queen Anne’s Transatlantic Maiden Voyage in January 2025 ! Since the ship debuted this month and all the online video tours have ( including your’s ) come online , I’ve been experiencing buyers remorse !!😮😒😢 I’m still going to soldier through and enjoy my “ Maiden Voyage “ but sadly not to the extent I was expecting and hoping! The interior design of Anne is the problem for me. She doesn’t look like a Cunard ship??!! As you said , NO WOW FACTOR !! It could be any ship from any cruise line !! MSC, VIRGIN, Carnival , Princess ect. 🥴 The Queens Room is disappointing, small and frankly just plain ugly ! The Promenade Deck is too narrow , no deckchairs and the lovely ocean views are blocked by low hanging lifeboats?? Some rooms are very nice ( Commodore Club , Golden Lion, Cabins and Pool areas) but many others have the look of an onshore contemporary mid-level hotel !?!?! I’ve already decided that I will be sailing aboard Queen Anne one and onetime only !😢🤷♂️ After that , it will be back to the beautiful Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth and the majestic Queen Mary 2 in the future !!!! Big Mistake Cunard! Even the Christening and Naming ceremony in Liverpool was disappointing! No member of the Royal Family there to christen the ship ???!!! Well Perhaps some time in the future Cunard can rename and send the ship back to Carnival Corporation!! How about the “ Princess Disappointing “ 😂😂😂
Hi Michael thank you for your comments. I did try to give a balanced view of the ship without being too harsh (possibly unnecessarily). But I did overhear several comments about some bars or lounges being mid-range shorebased hotel. We will be sailing on QM2 next year which will complete the set for us. One real disappointment is that neither Queen Victoria or Queen Elizabeth are sailing out of the UK for the foreseeable future
We were on Queen Anne for the round Britain cruise, so we got on when you got off. One of the stops was Kirkwall, and while in port the Holland America Nieuw Statendam was also there. Our Captain announced that they were sister ships and from the outside they did look identical. I've always wanted to try a Holland America ship and now I feel that I have. Queen Anne definitely didn't feel like a Cunard ship.
Ank you for your review I found it a good one. I've been on QV and QE many times and am about to sail on QA next week, and tbh I'm nervous.... I found the cabin review very useful indeed and I'm worried where I hang my shirts and suits. This isn't good enough
Hi from Perth, Western Australia. Thanks for your honest review. I've heard so many people with the same opinions as yours. We actually booked a QA cruise for when she finally arrives here in 2026! After seeing the interiors on TH-cam, we cancelled. We love the traditional feel of QE and QV but even they will be leaving the Aussie cruise market which makes us very sad.
Thank You Brian !!😃 You and your wife are going to love Queen Mary 2 !! May I offer you a helpful suggestion and hint ? If the two of you are travelling at the BRITANNIA LEVEL and want a table for just two , call Cunard now and ask for Table 408 👍 !! It’s on the lower level of the Britannia Dining Room , and located at the centre bottom of the huge mural ( woven tapestry ) of Queen Mary entering New York harbour. Check it out by just googling the images for the Britannia Dining Room QM2 , and you’ll find photos of the table! I always ask for that table when sailing abroad QM2 ! The lower level is for the “ early dining seating “ So you do have to want early dining and just a table for two people - but if that’s OK with you then your going to LOVE THE TABLE 👍👍👍 Fantastic sweeping views of the room in all directions and great privacy !! It’s right next to the huge “ Captain’s Table , but don’t get too excited about that because the Captain RARELY uses the table.?!? Sad that a great tradition from the old days is apparently slowly disappearing 😢🤷♂️. When you call Cunard, you might get someone on the line that might say “ We normally don’t do that “ or “ We can’t guarantee that you’ll get the table “ blah blah blah ••• just ignore that and say I want you to type that on my booking!! I Always get the table 👍😃 ! I think you will really love the table ! If you don’t want it for dinner every night, then just be at the front of the line for breakfast or lunch seating and ask the maitre’d for table 408 and experience it just once and see what you think. Anyway do enjoy QM2 ! She is truly Majestic and Beautiful !!!! Cheers 🇬🇧❤️🇺🇸. MikeW.
I thought your overall review was well delivered and very fair. We are serious Cunard fans and are due to sail on QA in September. The hanging space in wardrobes concerns me and for that reason alone i will think twice before sailing on QA for a second time. We nearly always choose to cruise in an inside cabin as we spend so little time there but the lack of wardrobe space will be a big no no. I dont usually pay a lot of attention to other peoples comments regarding ship choice but I must say that I found your comments very interesting and fair. Thank you for that, we shall see in September what we make of the new Queen Anne.
So the lack of wardrobe space puts you off, you clearly have never heard of portable wardrobe rails, easy to pack in a case, then I rarely need to bother as my capsule wardrobe is fine, given outfits can be worn differently as the same one over many nights excess luggage is rather last year
Just recently returned from round Britain cruise. You are quite right for me it was hype over substance and for me no more Queen Anne. They might like to try to run the company with the new clientele they now seem to favour. As for entertainment it was mediocre. The much vaunted naming ceremony it was a big let down as no royalty breaking a tradition that was not lost on all the people I talked to. Sorry Cunard it was not the Cunard I knew.
I was on the same cruise, had a day of vomiting in the first week, and not feeling the best in the second, disembarked and spent the following week with full blown covid.The amount of coughing on board was horrendous. Disappointed in the food offerings in the Artisan area during the evening, mainly pizza and pasta. SEveral people I spoke to onboard cancelled future cruises onboard the QA.
Rob, we were on the same cruise as you (the mad whale watching people at the front of the Commodore Club!). We agree with all your comments. It was our first Cunard cruise and we expected to be wowed but the quality of the whales and dolphins we saw made up for it.
Just got off queen ann and were very disappointed overall by nearly everything it's not like the old queens having sailed on all of them since 1969 so will not use them again. The Americans just want big ships which they say are commercial viable, however, the European countries don't want them understanably,so will look for a different cruise company next time .
Some really interesting and pertinent points you've raised here, and frankly, many that we haven't seen or heard in other reviews of the ship. Yep, that coffee machine is a far too dominant feature on the dressing table. And that closet!....maybe we should go back to the days of huge ocean liner, steamer trunks of the old Cunard days, that had hanging compartments built in, and bring our own damn wardrobe on a trolly 😏
Very useful analysis, Rob. Many thanks.
Great video, very informative. Keep the coming.
Thank You Brian for a wonderful , informative and entertaining video !! 👍 Of all the Queen Anne videos out there online currently, I think yours is the most accurate and intelligent. Your observations are absolutely the closest to my opinions of Queen Anne! I’ve always been an avid fan of Cunard since I was a small boy. Since retiring in 2017, I’ve been fortunate enough to indulge myself and my love of ocean travel. I’ve know sailed on all three of Cunard’s Queen’s including five Transatlantic crossings on QM2 . To me a transatlantic voyage is the ultimate !! As you said in your post “ sailing on Cunard “ is like stepping back in time to the “ GOLDEN AGE “ of sea travel. As I walk through the Queen’s visions of Mauretania, Titanic, Queen Mary, Normandie , Queen Elizabeth and QE2 dance through my head and heart!😌The Art Deco designs of the current Queens are amazing and beautiful !! The polished wood panelling, etched glass and polished metals are so welcoming and inviting !! As you perfectly said, they all have that Cunard WOW FACTOR !!! 😮😃❤️ I’ve always had a transatlantic maiden voyage on my bucket list ••• So I knew that Queen Anne was going to probably be my one and only chance! Many months ago, I booked the Queen Anne’s Transatlantic Maiden Voyage in January 2025 ! Since the ship debuted this month and all the online video tours have ( including your’s ) come online , I’ve been experiencing buyers remorse !!😮😒😢 I’m still going to soldier through and enjoy my “ Maiden Voyage “ but sadly not to the extent I was expecting and hoping! The interior design of Anne is the problem for me. She doesn’t look like a Cunard ship??!! As you said , NO WOW FACTOR !! It could be any ship from any cruise line !! MSC, VIRGIN, Carnival , Princess ect. 🥴 The Queens Room is disappointing, small and frankly just plain ugly ! The Promenade Deck is too narrow , no deckchairs and the lovely ocean views are blocked by low hanging lifeboats?? Some rooms are very nice ( Commodore Club , Golden Lion, Cabins and Pool areas) but many others have the look of an onshore contemporary mid-level hotel !?!?! I’ve already decided that I will be sailing aboard Queen Anne one and onetime only !😢🤷♂️ After that , it will be back to the beautiful Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth and the majestic Queen Mary 2 in the future !!!! Big Mistake Cunard! Even the Christening and Naming ceremony in Liverpool was disappointing! No member of the Royal Family there to christen the ship ???!!! Well Perhaps some time in the future Cunard can rename and send the ship back to Carnival Corporation!! How about the “ Princess Disappointing “ 😂😂😂
Hi Michael thank you for your comments.
I did try to give a balanced view of the ship without being too harsh (possibly unnecessarily). But I did overhear several comments about some bars or lounges being mid-range shorebased hotel.
We will be sailing on QM2 next year which will complete the set for us.
One real disappointment is that neither Queen Victoria or Queen Elizabeth are sailing out of the UK for the foreseeable future
Totally agree,
We were on Queen Anne for the round Britain cruise, so we got on when you got off. One of the stops was Kirkwall, and while in port the Holland America Nieuw Statendam was also there. Our Captain announced that they were sister ships and from the outside they did look identical. I've always wanted to try a Holland America ship and now I feel that I have. Queen Anne definitely didn't feel like a Cunard ship.
Very helpful. Thanks.
Ank you for your review I found it a good one. I've been on QV and QE many times and am about to sail on QA next week, and tbh I'm nervous....
I found the cabin review very useful indeed and I'm worried where I hang my shirts and suits. This isn't good enough
Hi from Perth, Western Australia. Thanks for your honest review. I've heard so many people with the same opinions as yours. We actually booked a QA cruise for when she finally arrives here in 2026! After seeing the interiors on TH-cam, we cancelled. We love the traditional feel of QE and QV but even they will be leaving the Aussie cruise market which makes us very sad.
Thank You Brian !!😃 You and your wife are going to love Queen Mary 2 !! May I offer you a helpful suggestion and hint ? If the two of you are travelling at the BRITANNIA LEVEL and want a table for just two , call Cunard now and ask for Table 408 👍 !! It’s on the lower level of the Britannia Dining Room , and located at the centre bottom of the huge mural ( woven tapestry ) of Queen Mary entering New York harbour. Check it out by just googling the images for the Britannia Dining Room QM2 , and you’ll find photos of the table! I always ask for that table when sailing abroad QM2 ! The lower level is for the “ early dining seating “ So you do have to want early dining and just a table for two people - but if that’s OK with you then your going to LOVE THE TABLE 👍👍👍 Fantastic sweeping views of the room in all directions and great privacy !! It’s right next to the huge “ Captain’s Table , but don’t get too excited about that because the Captain RARELY uses the table.?!? Sad that a great tradition from the old days is apparently slowly disappearing 😢🤷♂️. When you call Cunard, you might get someone on the line that might say “ We normally don’t do that “ or “ We can’t guarantee that you’ll get the table “ blah blah blah ••• just ignore that and say I want you to type that on my booking!! I Always get the table 👍😃 ! I think you will really love the table ! If you don’t want it for dinner every night, then just be at the front of the line for breakfast or lunch seating and ask the maitre’d for table 408 and experience it just once and see what you think. Anyway do enjoy QM2 ! She is truly Majestic and Beautiful !!!! Cheers 🇬🇧❤️🇺🇸. MikeW.
Are you able to call Cunard and ask for a particular table? We like the one we had on our last cruise so would like it again.
I thought your overall review was well delivered and very fair. We are serious Cunard fans and are due to sail on QA in September. The hanging space in wardrobes concerns me and for that reason alone i will think twice before sailing on QA for a second time. We nearly always choose to cruise in an inside cabin as we spend so little time there but the lack of wardrobe space will be a big no no. I dont usually pay a lot of attention to other peoples comments regarding ship choice but I must say that I found your comments very interesting and fair. Thank you for that, we shall see in September what we make of the new Queen Anne.
So the lack of wardrobe space puts you off, you clearly have never heard of portable wardrobe rails, easy to pack in a case, then I rarely need to bother as my capsule wardrobe is fine, given outfits can be worn differently as the same one over many nights excess luggage is rather last year
Just recently returned from round Britain cruise.
You are quite right for me it was hype over substance and for me no more Queen Anne.
They might like to try to run the company with the new clientele they now seem to favour.
As for entertainment it was mediocre.
The much vaunted naming ceremony it was a big let down as no royalty breaking a tradition that was not lost on all the people I talked to.
Sorry Cunard it was not the Cunard I knew.
I was on the same cruise, had a day of vomiting in the first week, and not feeling the best in the second, disembarked and spent the following week with full blown covid.The amount of coughing on board was horrendous. Disappointed in the food offerings in the Artisan area during the evening, mainly pizza and pasta. SEveral people I spoke to onboard cancelled future cruises onboard the QA.
Rob, we were on the same cruise as you (the mad whale watching people at the front of the Commodore Club!). We agree with all your comments. It was our first Cunard cruise and we expected to be wowed but the quality of the whales and dolphins we saw made up for it.
Ps I've already rescheduled our winter cruise from QA to QV thank god!
Just got off queen ann and were very disappointed overall by nearly everything it's not like the old queens having sailed on all of them since 1969 so will not use them again. The Americans just want big ships which they say are commercial viable, however, the European countries don't want them understanably,so will look for a different cruise company next time .
Took a shot everytime he said "now" .
Ended up with liver failure.
Too much talking, not enough photos or footage of the actual ship.
Some really interesting and pertinent points you've raised here, and frankly, many that we haven't seen or heard in other reviews of the ship.
Yep, that coffee machine is a far too dominant feature on the dressing table.
And that closet!....maybe we should go back to the days of huge ocean liner, steamer trunks of the old Cunard days, that had hanging compartments built in, and bring our own damn wardrobe on a trolly 😏
Thank you . I do try to look 'outside the box' for stuff that may get overlooked.
Never again.