My wife and I have recently returned from the maiden voyage of Cunard’s latest addition, Queen Anne.

 

 

*******

We had originally booked the maiden voyage in June 2022 to sail on 11th January 2024.  Unfortunately, as with many cruise timetables due to the Covid pandemic, this was delayed to May 2024.

As the date approached the excitement of embarking on yet another maiden cruise grew. To add to the excitement  we were delighted to be invited to join  Cunard executives and the Sovereign Cruise Club sponsored motor yacht to head out into the Solent to welcome Queen Anne on her arrival at Southampton….

*****

 

******

 

Just three days later we were embarking with considerable anticipation as to what the Cunard future holds.

Due to the postponement of the original date all passengers were given the opportunity to transfer their booking intact to the new date. The only real change was that the  itinerary would now include two ports of call whereas the original date had only one scheduled port of call, Lisbon….

On arrival at the cruise terminal it was interesting to note the new ‘livery’ and colours on offer to welcome us…

Fair warning I guess that here was something different.

For this cruise we had booked a BC Balcony Stateroom, Number 11058…

….which proved an excellent choice….

********

…in both general position and  facilities.

We would normally have booked either a Princess Grill or Queens Grill accommodation, however the original sailing date would have given little or no opportunity  to utilise the Grills Terrace spaces and, more importantly, Princess Grill staterooms onboard Queen Anne are smaller than their opposite numbers on other Cunard ships while also being  devoid of a bath.

One can therefore imagine the joy of discovering a good sized, spacious and glass doored shower cubicle in the stateroom’s ensuite….

 

*******

Additional plus factors in the stateroom included more than ample power sockets….

*****

…in addition to bedside USB charging points for both Type A and C USB leads.

The sitting out area was practical…..

…while the  not massive  balcony was of a reasonable size and we managed to put ours to good use on a number of occasions….

Storage spaces were certainly adequate for a one week cruise but would need considerable innovative skills for those of us who tend to appreciate dressing up on longer itineraries.  A good feature proved to be the easy removal of the hanging rails in wardrobes to facilitate the storage of long dresses and full length hanging of trousers.

A minor stateroom disappointment was the ‘welcome’ half bottle of Pol Acker as recognition of one’s diamond loyalty status.

Our embarkation had been speedy and   the stateroom ready for occupation but  as our  luggage was yet to arrive we set out to make our initial tour of discovery and find somewhere to grab some lunch.  We had booked a first for us on Cunard, Freedom Dining. Previously with our Cunard sailings , indeed most cruise lines, my first port of call would be to check out the position of our allocated table in our allocated dining restaurant. Not necessary with freedom dining there was no rush on this cruise.

However, our discovery tour took us to the Britannia Restaurant …

 

********

…where we noted lunch was being served in the upper area.

This is not a normal service on Cunard ships and, not being fans of the ‘buffet’ facilities on any ship, we grabbed a table for two….

ordered wine…

…and food…

*******

…and proceeded to enjoy a rather  good seafood lunch…..

********

Who needs the Grills?

With the arrival of Queen Anne,  Cunard have introduced a new concept in entertainment: the Bright Lights Society. Having witnessed the hype surrounding this new entertainment innovation we were keen to experience it and our first priority on boarding was to log into the ‘My Voyage’ app and book ourselves in….

Noir was the name of the show featuring at The Bright Lights Society during our voyage ….

Job done…..

More about this later.

Following our excellent lunch we also managed to witness the performance in the Queens Room of the 24th Invicta Rifles Band….

Our luggage eventually arrived – five hours after being deposited, and for yours truly it was time to find the laundrette, and its ironing facility in particular, to ensure one’s dress was  to the highest standards expected…

 

A word of warning here. There are five self service laundrettes on Queen Anne (on  Decks 10, 8, 7,4 and 1) though they aren’t anywhere near the size or facility that  regular Cunarders have come to expect in the rest of the fleet.

Though we had opted for ‘Freedom Dining’ there had been a card left in our stateroom explaining that for the first night only we had been assigned  the time of 8:30 pm. This appeared a little odd at first as it precluded any chance of making the early show and could prove a  bit tight for the second performance at 10:00 pm.  We were particularly keen not to miss it as it was starring one of our favourite cruise entertainers, Mike Doyle….

Being rather traditionalists we headed for our pre-dinner drinks to the Commodore Club….

…which turned out to be considerably larger than on other Cunard ships.

 

*******

…while noting another difference from her sisters, there are no longer any seats at the bar….

Having duly obeyed our indicated dining time we had a rather rushed dinner with a  very good Cod and Cherry Tomato Oreo Pasta….

….washed down with a bottle of Pinot Grigio Via Nova. Indeed, in our haste to get to the show we had to give dessert a miss and I settled for a photo of the Sommelier’s iPad rather than wait for a printed receipt…

We retired naval chaps know how to cut fine corners and were incredibly pleased with ourselves to make the show…

….and Mike didn’t disappoint either with the good news that he would be making a second appearance later in the cruise.

The Kings Court Theatre onboard Queen Anne has a seating capacity of 800 and once again is a break from Cunard’s past traditionist style of theatre….

*******

The Kings Court Theatre can be accessed from both Deck 2 and Deck 3….

…and has excellent raking and no interruptions of line of sight.

 

The following day was a sea day which didn’t  get off to a good start. Breakfast in the Britannia Restaurant was an unmitigated disaster with 30 minute waits to place orders and even longer times for courses to be delivered. Indeed two hours after sitting down I decided to leave without having received my hot breakfast.  There was both a serious staffing problem coupled with the waiter’s electronic iPad ordering system.

So another rush between venues for yours truly as there was a scheduled meeting in the Commodore Club of the Facebook Group ‘We Are Cunard Fanzine’ …

We eventually counted in 16 members with a few stragglers who’d not clocked the ‘time change’ overnight…

 

We spent most of the afternoon of this first sea day discovering the decks and outer areas of Queen Anne and most interesting it was too. While there is a named  ‘Promenade Deck’ (Deck 3) it can only barely be described as one as there are very limited sea views ….

…and no traditional steamer chair spaces. Indeed, it really could be described as more of an exercise or walking deck, as it is suitably signposted…

…and probably the most relevant section is at the stern of the ship…

…where at least one can get a good view of the wake…

Moving higher is a different story altogether. I would guess The Pavilion takes centre stage…

…with its retractable roof….

…swimming pool and jacuzzis…..

….and large cinema screen….

…it is a major facility plus against Queen Annes’ sisters.

On the Pavilion lower level (Deck 9) it offers bars, a Gelateria  and the Pavilion Grill…

******

While it was generally agreed the burgers were good they never proved a match for those offered on Cunard’s sister company, Carnival.

 

The upper Pavilion level (Deck 10) hosts The Pavilion Wellness Cafe….

Open from 8:00 am this eatery  offers healthy breakfasts and all-day healthy options…

*****

Moving aft, also on Deck 9, is the Panorama Pool Club….

…with its own bar and direct access to the Artisan’s Food Hall….

This is Queen Anne’s take on  ‘buffet’ dining….

******

*****

******

 

While not a place my wife and I would choose to use on a regular basis…

…it was certainly good to note the introduction of glass fronted servery counters….

 

… a timely food service and good health measures.

 

Our discovery tour now moved on to the higher decks where our first stop on Deck 11 was the ‘Cabana’….. 

….with its own bar….

 

….and sitting areas….

******

 

Above the ‘Cabana’ is a ‘Sports Court’….

 

…while further forward there is a designated  ‘Sun Deck’…

…a collection of areas on different raised levels ….

 

Continuing forward on Deck 11 we arrive at an area that has generated considerable discussion on social media: and to a lesser extent on Cruise Critic, as to the unhindered 11 Deck access through the Grills Terrace….

While the signage clearly indicates the privacy of the Grills Terrace there was no entry control on the access door and it has proved to have provided a degree of amusement  amongst the sailing ‘hoi polloi’: come and take a peek into the sanctuary  ….

******

*****

******

*******

And for those who have wondered what all the Cruise Critic Grills Lounge fuss is about, here’s a peek through the keyhole…

On the forward side of the Grills Terrace and  above the Pavilion is the Wellness Studio…..

This is basically a covered and shaded court style gymnasium where health and fitness activities can be run no matter what the prevailing weather conditions , while the decks to the sides of the Pavilion roof are given over to sports/ games  activities…

Further forward and onto Deck 12 we found ‘The Terrace’….

 

…which appears in reality to be an overflow for the Sky Bar on the deck above(Deck 14)….

*******

*******

What a ‘Fab’ position for an early evening  sailaway.

Forward of the Sky Bar are more games areas and spacious sunbed areas…

including a putting green and driving nets…

…while even further forward is the aptly named and very swanky ‘Observation Deck’…

******

A word of warning here however: to the left of this superb area, i.e. the Port Side, is the designated ‘smokers’ area.

This evening was also the first of the Maiden Voyage’ Formal Nights (Gala Evening) and we kicked off with pre-dinner drinks in The Chart Room…

We certainly took to this venue with its circular bar…. 

…very reminiscent of our favourite on Celebrity cruises, the Martini Bar.

The Chart Room is beautifully positioned on Deck 2’s thoroughfare,  adjacent the Grand Lobby…

 

*****

The Chart Room oozes quality ….

 

******

…and has classy colours and decor.

We had used our ‘MyVoyage app’ to make a reservation for dinner….

….booking a time that would allow us to enjoy dinner before our planned and booked show at ‘The Bright Lights Society’ later that evening…

******

******

*******

 

Having perused the Gala Menu and decided on our choices the biggest decision was choosing a full- bodied red.

 A no brainer really having only recently visited Puglia on a land holiday…

*****

My Duck Liver and Madeira Parfait with Smoked Duck Starter….

 

Barbara’s Smoked Chalkstream Trout….

 

…and for both of us, the Rack of Red Gum Creek Lamb…..

 

******

 

All in all an excellent meal before we headed off for our late evening date at the Bright Lights Society….

 

A first of its kind for Cunard, this eye-catching show bar…

….has twice nightly performances of high energy acts and lively, fully interactive entertainment ….

On completion of the second evening performance the doors open for an ‘After Dark’ Disco venue…

The performance this evening was entitled ‘Noir’…

….while cast members circulate pre-show raising both the audience mood and anticipation…..

The show itself has a story line but it’s the energy, speed  and choreography that really catch the eye…

******

******

Noir was a truly  blistering performance by a cast of outstanding professional artists ….

…who continued to circulate and entertain long after the show ….

******

The following day was our first of two ports of call to A Coruña which I will cover under the Itinerary section later in the blog.

Worth  noting however was the entertainment this evening which featured the world-renowned tenor, Russel Watson.

This proved a very popular show…

Prior to Russel’s appearance, and after I’d taken the above photograph,  an announcement was made that photography and video were NOT allowed. Needless to say from our rear theatre position there was at least one hearing impaired guest in the Kings Court Theatre.

Cunard certainly had a grip on the popularity of this show and it was repeated the following evening as well.

A further sea day (Monday 6 May) followed as we sailed towards the second of our ports of call, Lisbon. Again I will cover our Pastel de Nata adventure in the Portuguese city in the Itinerary section later.

The highlight of entertainment today was the return of Mike Doyle. On this occasion however he was giving his ‘Rocking with Laughter Show’….

…..in the Queens Room and an exceptionally good performance he gave…

 

******

At one stage ably assisted by our good friends from Switzerland, Nala and Marius…..

 

Following our Lisbon sailing we were invited to the Cunard World Club Party. Due to the high volume of qualifying passengers this social event was being staged over two evenings and we were on the second one. The venue for this event was the Pavilion…

…which I personally thought was an excellent choice….

As is our wont, we tend, at these functions, to ‘remain on our feet’…

 

….circulate and, where possible, engage in social conversation…

 

Following another good dinner, for our evening entertainment we headed to the Kings Court Theatre for the evening show given by  The Overtures….

…who proved a particularly good sixties tribute band who, having got us on our feet, left us with no further option to head to the Bright Lights Society After dark Disco.

Wednesday  May 8th  was a sea day and the second of our Formal (Gala Evenings). We  had a full day ahead which started with a good breakfast at the Britannia Restaurant….

 

…before we headed once more to the Kings Court Theatre for the final talk by Peter McGovern MVO on the History of the Tower of London…

We had met Peter earlier in the cruise at a  very well attended ‘Veterans Get Together’ hosted in the Admirals Lounge which, incidentally, is also the venue for onboard weddings….

 

…followed by an equally good lunch back in the Britannia Restaurant….

 

*****

******

*******

*****

******

 

Having just risen from the lunch table  we were headed upstairs for the World Club Wine Tasting event….

 

*******

…where we haphazardly joined a group on what can only be likened to a production line conveyor belt

 

******

 

******

There were 4 wines on offer and apart from the Italian Montepulciano there wasn’t one that we would have considered purchasing while onboard. Indeed, once again the impression was that these affairs are a convenient vehicle for offloading wines that aren’t selling  well onboard.

Our Gala evening started with a gathering of cruising friends back in the Commodore Club…

The scheduled entertainment in the Commodore Club that evening was the Amethyst Duo …

 

…which we found far to ‘loud’ and not the usual cocktail pianist style that the Commodore Club had become renowned for.

Having  enjoyed the company and gossip on offer we headed off to the other end of the ship for our second ‘Gala Night’ Dinner…

********

******

*******

 

*****

********

*********

 

*****

 

*****

 

Following an excellent dinner we headed to the Queens Room for the Masquerade Ball…

…and then on for  a nightcap during the last hour of the ‘Full Irish Duo’ performance in the Golden Lion…

 

The following day was our final full day onboard.

After another good breakfast in the Britannia Restaurant…

 

….we made a start on our packing before heading for our pre-booked lunch at what on Queen Anne has now become a ‘Speciality ‘ restaurant,    Sir Samuel’s…

 

******

At this juncture I should point out that under normal Cunard Cruising circumstances Cunard World Club Diamond members would  be offered a complimentary lunch in a speciality restaurant (Usually the Veranda or Todd English when they were open) or an evening meal at one of the pop-up restaurants in the Kings Court on QM@ and Lido on Queen Victoria or Queen Elizabeth.

Diamond members booked on the Queen Anne received an email well before embarkation date stating…

Armed with this knowledge and being keen to sample what was on offer at Sir Samuel’s we pre-booked online a lunch at Sir Samuel’s…

True to their word, Cunard added US$ 70:00 to our onboard account and we pitched up at Sir Samuel’s at our designated time and had an immediate feeling that our welcome wasn’t the warmest. After a few minutes delay we were shown to our table and offered menus….

 

******

Our choices are relatively easy and following a request for the wine list we were on our way….

Our chosen starters arrived, for Barbara the Grilled Asparagus with  Crispy Poached Egg…..

…while I had chosen the ‘Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes’

 

….at the $8.50 supplementary charge

The observant amongst us will of course note the ‘cakes’  definitely appeared in the plural on the menu but not on the plate.

What I would add though is that the one I did receive was outstanding and to make the point I add this to indicate that the crab content was practically one hundred percent of the cake…

For our main course we both ordered the Dover Sole…

…having particularly requested it remained ‘on the bone’.

From the Dessert menu we chose….

The Sherry Trifle….

…and the Rum Baba….

Again, the more observant amongst us would have noted  from the Dessert menu that the ‘Rum to be selected and prepared at the table’…..

There was a selection of 3 rums on the trolley from which I chose the ‘Black Tot’. It was duly splashed over the Rum Baba and that was it.

Needless to say we were the last to leave and had noted we were, in our section of the restaurant, the only table that had  a bottle of wine. We were both of the opinion that we weren’t appreciated arriving at the time but if that is the case why offer booking slots with that time availability. The meal had definitely been rushed: my iPhone photographs timings indicated that from beginning to end took one hour and 7 minutes. On our departure the Head Waiter was nowhere to be found so I left a small token…

Our final dinner in the Britannia Restaurant was once again an enjoyable experience….

We’d found another excellent full bodied red on Cunard’s wine list…..

Starters were perfect…

while for myself, a real favourite, Oxtail Presse….

Entree for my lady, the Spiced Plaice….

…and for me, a most reasonable Sirloin Steak….

Even dessert appealed this evening, the Dark Chocolate Fondant…

 

 

…good un-rushed service and food: an excellent precursor to our planned  final fling in the Queens Room with a return of the Overtures…..

…and once again the boys gave an outstanding performance.

Disembarkation the following morning wasn’t good. We had been given a later than required time which I managed to get changed at reception along with the matching coloured tags. Prior to leaving our stateroom a quick observation of the jetty told me that luggage disembarkation didn’t appear to be that efficient. However, we had no problem transiting by lift from Deck 11 to Deck 2 and joining a short queue to disembark at our allotted time.

Once in the terminal the real problem soon became apparent. The narrow terminal walkway (to the right of my photograph) soon became  jammed with disembarking passengers while the luggage stevedores refused most folk access to their disembarkation time linked colour coded luggage….

…while they continued unloading the luggage of later disembarkation passengers.

Itinerary

 

A Coruña

We have visited La Coruna on a number of occasions and it has already featured in my series ‘One Way to do…’  …..

One Way to do A Coruña

There were, however, a few more places we wanted to see.We were helped to a small degree by the fact that on this visit Queen Anne was berthed considerably closer to the city centre and within easy walking distance to the first place on our list, The Opera House at the edge of the Santa Margarita Park….

The park itself offers some great views over the city – but regrettably not of the ship’s berth. Also featured in the park is the A Coruña Planetarium….

…and examples of Hórreo Gallego ……

Ancient Galician granaries,  built in wood or stone, raised from the ground on pillars ending in flat saddle stones  to prevent access by rodents….

From the park we crossed the narrow part of the city to the rather grand Eusebio da Guarda High School…

 

…which actually fronts onto the Playa del Orzán….

….where we could see in the distance the Millennium Obelisk….

that was on our list of visit places….

Just beyond the Obelisk can be seen Ascensor Panorámico…..

…which was regrettably ‘out of action’ and has been for some time. However, that wasn’t going to stop yours truly heading up onto Mount San Pedro….

…to enjoy both the views across Ensenada Orzan to the Tower of Hercules….

*******

…and take in a visit to the Cannon emplacements …..

*********

********

*****

There are in fact two of these British built Vickers-Armstrong 15 inch guns on Mount San Pedro. They were originally built in 1926 for the Brazilian battleship ‘Riachuelo’: the Spanish subsequently purchased 18 of them for coastal artillery purposes.

I considered myself very lucky when on Queen Anne’s sailaway from A Coruña  once outside the harbour we sailed along the coast and I could trace  exactly  my morning adventure path…

….and with a little camera zoom….

Needless to say after all that exercise a stop for a beer and tapas was in order prior to our return to the ship….

 

And another successful visit to A Coruña was had by us both

Lisbon

Again, we had visited Lisbon on a number of occasions and indeed have in the past spent a number of nights in the city pre-cruise. It has already featured in my series ‘One Way to do…’  …..

One Way to do Lisbon

What was a treat this time was that we got to experience the new cruise terminal…..

 

…which is only a short walk to the Praça do Comércio….

 

…at the heart of Lisbon’s Tourist district….

Welcome to Lisbon.

 

Once again we had a plan, something a little different. We were going  in search of the best Pastel de Nata…

…fully intending to travel further afield than the cruise terminal (above).

…in Lisbon. A pastel de nata is a Portuguese egg custard pastry and if you’re heading off to Lisbon, there are so many delicious options available to you. We had a plan and a map which had THREE of the most popular Pastel da Nata cafes marked…..

having crossed the Praça do Comércio….

 

and headed through the famous Arco da Rua Augusta…

 

we found our first venue, Fábrica de Nata…

 

 

….a few hundred yards along Rua Augusta. Here one is able to witness the process of making the pastel da nata ….

 

******

But of course, no substitute for actually sampling said product, Pastéis de Nata…..

Suitably impressed we continued our journey stopping briefly at the most amazing Mundo Fantastica Da Sardinha Portuguesa……..

 

…which has to be a must when searching out traditional Portuguese fare….

Now that’s some collection of sardines….

Onward we trekked until we arrived at  Praça Luís de Camões…

 

…which according to our map, and our internet enquiries, was a branch  of the Manteigaria  pastéis de nata bakeries.

Shock. Horror. It was closed…

Fortunately we were a mere 200 metres back across from the third of our planned  pastéis de nata venues, A Brasileira do Chiado…

More disappointment here, the place was packed with little prospect of a table becoming vacant for at least thirty minutes.

We did however make use of the bronze Fernando Pessoa statue for a photo shoot….

******

All was not lost. We had indeed remembered that, while walking along the Rua Augusta,  we had earlier passed another branch of the Manteigaria  pastéis de nata company….

 

…where once again we indulged  on these wonderful custard tarts…

…even inviting a passing fellow Cunarder friend to join our table…

******

We even managed to buy a sample for a member of Queen Anne’s crew who had looked after us exceedingly well….

So there you have it. Our Lisbon  pastéis de nata  tour, with sadly  only two samples enjoyed,

was a close finish,  with the  winner being the  Fábrica de Nata.

We  agreed that our day in Lisbon was a resounding success.

SUMMARY