Queen Elizabeth Ship Inspection from Emily and Darlene

On Monday 2^nd March, Darlene and I had the pleasure of inspecting the spectacular Queen Elizabeth – and what a sight she is.

Celebrating their 180^th Anniversary this year, the Cunard fleet are truly iconic and boy does Queen Elizabeth look gorgeous with Sydney as her backdrop.

As we were visiting on an embarkation day, we headed straight to the staterooms to ensure we saw a number of cabins and were not disturbing guests heading to their rooms.

First up, we viewed a BC Balcony Cabin 4051. It is located midship and had an extremely generous sized balcony. The cabin was very Cunard classic, with the royal gold and navy colours throughout. It had a reasonable sized bathroom and quite a large lounge seating area with a 2 seater lounge and 1 seater, small desk and what we loved was the kettle!

Our second stop was SUITE 4101. This is a Q3 Category – Queens Grill Suite. The bathroom was significantly larger with a separate toilet to the main bathroom, separate bath to shower as well. In these particular suites, the little details make all the difference. Some gorgeous little chocolates were waiting, fresh fruit is provided and replenished daily and the champagne was ready in the ice tub for the guest’s arrival. In addition, a huge vanity and dressing area off from the wardrobe and an even larger lounge area.

Third stop was suite 5091 – A Princess Grill Suite P2. Not as large as the Queens Suite but just as spectacular. Not the full list of Queen’s grill inclusions in these suites but certainly your fair share. And access to the Grill Lounges & Princess Grill Suite are of course included with these categories.  

One of the main difference between cabin categories onboard the Cunard Fleet, besides physical category differences, is the exclusivity of certain areas on board including where you dine. For Inside, Oceanview, Balcony & Club cabins, you have access to the Britannia Restaurant. Your Princess & Queen’s Grill Suites will give you exclusive access to corresponding Princess or Queens Grill Restaurants.

Princess and Queen’s Grill Restaurants are much smaller, more intimate restaurants. Service is 1:1. The images here speak for themselves!

I loved the quaint little courtyard off from the restaurants. What a gorgeous spot to have a cup of tea, read a book or simply just enjoy the fresh air. This was probably one of my favourite little nooks of the ship!

From here, we headed out to the exclusive Grills deck with plush lounges and casual seating areas. I am sure this would be a lovely place to relax out of the main areas of the pool deck.

Onto the Commodore Club, situated over the bow, which is the perfect spot for a pre-dinner cocktail. We could picture ourselves here with the sun setting over the sparkling ocean relaxing and listening to the soothing tones of the pianist.

Another gorgeous little spot is the Garden Lounge, with a roof of glass and cozy plush seating areas scattered throughout. This is situated just off the mid-ship pool area.

The second pool is located at the stern of the ship and has your classic poolside restaurant and bar, perfect for lounging, snacking and a few cocktails. (Really is a shame we couldn’t stay on ??)

Two of the most spectacular spots on the ship would be the Theatre & the Queens Room. Take a look at these shots! I loved the idea of the Royal boxes to pre-reserve for a special occasion – you would truly feel like you were royalty onboard. And the Ballroom ... I could imagine the ambience of this magnificent stage with everyone dressed to the nines, the band playing nostalgic tunes ... It would feel like you've stepped back in time to a moment on the Titanic (minus the iceberg).

Now I know that packing a suit for some guests, may seem tedious.....Never fear, Cunard even have suits for hire onboard, making sure that you are dressed the part for the formal nights.   

The ship is scattered with stunning art, memorabilia and gorgeous portraits of Queen Elizabeth herself. To be completely honest with you, I wasn’t sure a Cunard Queen was my style of cruising until I had the opportunity to get onboard to see her. It’s like taking a step back in time, with a touch of modern glamour. A truly unique experience and we can’t wait to get onboard again to indulge in it!