Cunard’s Queen Anne Cruise Ship Tour and Review
I’ve just returned from a fantastic two day voyage on board Cunard’s newest ship, Queen Anne, and I can’t wait to show you around.
As the first addition to Cunard’s fleet for more than a decade, Queen Anne is unique compared to her sisters. Not only does she have the largest capacity to date, accommodating up to 3,000 guests and 1,225 crew, she’s also the most modern, seamlessly blending luxury with traditional features. Owned by the same umbrella company as P&O, I definitely noticed some similarities to their newest ships Iona and Arvia, while she still remains distinct to the Cunard brand.
Queen Anne has a total of 14 guest decks to explore (minus deck 13), containing all new restaurants, entertainment and activities. It felt very special to sail on a ship that was only a few months old, having embarked on her maiden voyage on the 3rd of May 2024. She definitely had that new ship shine, which was only enhanced by the palpable excitement of thousands of guests experiencing something new at the same time.
The Grand Lobby
Starting with the heart of the ship, the Grand Lobby onboard Queen Anne appears to be controversial. From speaking to other guests, we heard complaints that the lobby isn’t as grand as those on other Cunard ships. While I’m unable to compare as the Queen Anne is my first Cunard sailing, I found this atrium to be a beautiful, often peaceful space to relax.
Attached to the grand lobby you’ll find the Drawing Room and Games Room, and it’s here that I spent a relaxing evening reading and playing games while listening to a string trio play. The Games Room is a delight, and it stocks a wide range of games including Jenga, Battleships and Guess Who, as well as a variety of jigsaw puzzles. There’s lots of space to play, and if I’d been on a longer voyage then I’d definitely have made the most of those jigsaw puzzles.
Opposite to this you’ll find the Drawing Room, which features a variety of books and newspapers and lots of comfy seating. It’s a great place to catch up on the day’s news or to crack open one of their hefty coffee table books. For more literary goodness, make sure you visit the library (read on to learn more!)
You can access both of these venues on deck 1 of the ship.
Restaurants And Dining
Cunard operates a class system onboard its ships, which dictates which dining room you’ll eat in. As we were staying in a Britannia Inside Stateroom, which is part of the lowest class, we ate in the large Britannia Dining Room. Spread across decks 2 and 3, this restaurant is included within the cruise fare, and has an elegant, expensive feel. There’s nothing lower class about this experience, and the food was delicious with fantastic service from the crew. I ate in this dining room for dinner on the first night, as well as breakfast on the final morning, and thoroughly enjoyed both of my meals.
Other dining rooms include the Britannia Club, Princess Grill and Queen’s Grill which are accessible to those in the higher classes of stateroom. As economy guests, I didn’t get to experience these, but I was perfectly happy dining in the beautiful Britannia restaurant and didn’t feel that I missed out.
My only point of constructive criticism is that the tables were positioned very close together, meaning that sitting at a table for two felt more like sitting on a table for six! While it was lovely to chat with some of the other passengers, I do usually prefer a more private experience, so it’s something to be prepared for if you’re introverted like me.
Cunard’s take on casual buffet style dining, the Artisan’s Food Hall is a lovely alternative to the main dining room with a laid back atmosphere. Upon entering on deck 9, you’ll find various stations serving a variety of foods. These range from fresh bread and cheese to pasta, pizza, salads and desserts. Unlike a traditional buffet, each counter had staff serving the food which not only felt much more hygienic, but also gave a personal touch to the experience.
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the food hall is also open for a late night snack, closing at 12pm. We visited once for dinner and twice for the late night snack, and I really enjoyed the experience.
A tradition onboard each of Cunard’s ships, afternoon tea takes place each day in the Queen’s Room at 3pm. Included in the cruise fare, you do not need to pay extra for this delicious treat, but make sure you arrive early as it’s very popular. The room was packed when we arrived at 2:30 - all of the tables were already occupied and I was gutted thinking that we wouldn’t get the chance to experience Cunard’s signature afternoon tea. Fortunately we plucked up the courage and asked a friendly American couple if we could share their table, and subsequently spent a pleasant hour chatting and eating rather a lot of delicious food.
The afternoon tea was served to the fanfare of the Queen Anne orchestra, with waiting staff dressed in white and serving from silver trays. Ballroom dancing also commenced with the music, as many keen guests broke out their dancing shoes (literally). I was very impressed by the high calibre of the dancing, and watching the couples spin across the dance floor was entertaining in itself.
Located in the Pavilion on deck 10, the Wellness Cafe is a healthy alternative option that I definitely would have tried on a longer voyage. Here you can choose from a variety of breakfast and all day options which are included in your cruise fare, with drinks costing an additional fee.
You can find another included dining option, the Pavilion Grill, on the opposite side of the Pavilion. Here you can choose from quick and easy comfort food including burgers and hot dogs with vegetarian and vegan options available.
Speciality Dining
As I was only onboard for a short period of time, I didn’t get the chance to eat in the speciality restaurants, but I did manage to have a look around each of them. I was definitely impressed with what I saw and would love to return and give them a try in the future.
On deck 10 you’ll find the ship’s steakhouse, Sir Samuel’s, which is named after the line’s founder Sir Samuel Cunard. The decor here was stunning and it’s easy to imagine enjoying a delicious meal with a glass of wine.
It’s worth noting that the cover charge is currently set at $31.50 for lunch and $58.50 for dinner. Although this might seem relatively high for a cruise ship, it’s significantly cheaper than a comparative meal on land and I’ve heard good things about the food. If you’ve tried it, please do leave a comment and let me know what you thought!
Based on deck 9, past the Artisan’s Food Hall, is Tramonto - a restaurant which combines a variety of Mediterranean cuisines with African and Arabic influences. Prices for this restaurant are very affordable, currently sitting at $18.10 per person.
The ship’s dedicated Japanese restaurant, Aji Wa serves a wide range of dishes from sushi to bao buns. I personally love Japanese food and would definitely want to eat here during a future voyage.
This restaurant uses à la carte pricing in place of a cover charge, and requires a $20 dollar fee when booking. You’ll find it opposite Sir Samuel’s on deck 10.
If you enjoy Indian food, then head to Aranya, which is also on deck 9 opposite Tramonto. The pricing at this restaurant is most similar to Sir Samuel’s, with a $31.50 cover charge.
Our Cabin: 7174
As someone who likes to travel on a budget, I booked one of Queen Anne’s Britannia Inside Staterooms for this trip. I personally really like inside cabins on cruise ships and find them to be a very affordable and cost effective way to experience a cruise.
When booking, I was advised that cabin 7174 would be quiet and comfortable, and I’m pleased to report that this was our experience. There was no unwanted noise from other cabins or entertainment venues, and we felt very little movement from the ship.
The cabin itself felt modern and spacious, with lots of storage and a surprisingly large bathroom. There was a lovely paper cutting artwork on one of the walls, and the television (which we barely used) could swivel out from the wall for easy viewing. To my delight, our cabin steward turned down our room each evening, leaving a small chocolate on both of our pillows. It was a nice touch and it’s things like this that really elevate the experience on Cunard.
For a more in depth walkthrough of my cabin, a full tour and review will be coming soon.
Entertainment
While it’s difficult for me to fully review the entertainment as I only joined the ship for a two day voyage, I definitely enjoyed what I saw. We opted for quiet, relaxing evenings and spent time listening to a pianist play in the Commodore Club, as well as a string trio in the Grand Lobby. They were both fantastic and I was delighted to hear the pianist play an instrumental rendition of ‘I’m Just Ken’ from the Barbie movie.
Although we didn’t get chance to see a show at the Royal Court Theatre, I was very impressed with what I saw. The seating was very comfortable and had much more leg room than most West End theatres!
I adore going seeing shows and definitely would have been a regular visitor had I been on a longer voyage. Performances in this venue range from West End style shows and comedy to lectures and seminars, depending on the time of day. The Queen Anne also hosts the wonderful Royal Shakespeare Company, which I’d be very keen to see onboard. You can access the theatre on decks 2 and 3.
Below: the Royal Court Theatre
In contrast to the expansive 825 seat theatre, the Bright Lights Society on deck 2 is a more intimate venue offering hosted evenings with a variety of performers.
While this venue does need to be pre booked (whether that’s with reception or on the Cunard app), it does not incur an additional fee and is included in your cruise fare. If you want to visit, make sure you book as soon as you can because it’s very popular and does sell out.
Located on decks 9 and 10, the Pavilion is a casual, open plan space with a roof that is retractable in sunny weather. It’s a great place to relax with a pool, hot tubs, plenty of sun loungers and a large screen used to show movies. There’s also gelato available here for an extra charge. As our voyage took place during the Euros, we watched England play from one of the hot tubs and there was a great atmosphere!
While the pool and hot tubs all close at 8pm, this is also a great space to relax in the evening while watching a film.
The location for Cunard’s famous afternoon tea, the Queen’s Room is also an entertainment venue that spans across decks 2 and 3. In the evening you can find live music and cabaret performances, and group activities often take place here during the day.
You’ll find Queen Anne’s Casino on deck 3, conveniently located next to the Golden Lion pub. From poker and roulette to a range of slot machines, this casino is fully equipped with everything you’d need.
As an avid reader I was very excited to experience Queen Anne’s Library, which is on deck 12 and holds more than 2,700 individual books. The space is beautifully decorated and furnished with comfy seating - making it a lovely spot to read a book while watching the sea go by.
The shelves are open for browsing for most of the day, and guests can borrow a maximum of two books at any one time. Staffed by a dedicated librarian, the books are locked up in the evening and overnight, so many sure you check the opening times.
I adored this space and spent a lovely hour reading the first 40 pages of Four Seasons in Japan by Nick Bradley. I was genuinely delighted by the range of books that they had on offer, which includes recent releases and bestsellers, in addition to biographies and nonfiction.
On a longer voyage, you’ll always find me in the ship’s spa - which gives me another reason to revisit the Queen Anne! Mareel Wellbeing and Beauty is fitted with a state of the art gym and wellness centre, and the facilities include fitness classes, hairdressing and barbering, as well as multiple treatment rooms and a thermal suite.
Queen Anne’s wellbeing programmes have been created in collaboration with lifestyle magazine Harper’s Bazaar, and activities are bookable on the app or in person at the spa reception on deck one.
Finally, I’d highly recommend heading to the ship’s upper decks to try out their deck games. From table tennis and pickle ball to shuffleboard and archery, there’s loads to do and it’s a great way to get some exercise in. My only complaint is that some of the deck games appeared to be placed above the library, which meant that the peaceful atmosphere was occasionally disrupted by banging noises, which is not ideal.
Bars
As with the restaurants, Queen Anne has a variety of fantastic bars available to visit around the ship - make sure to remember that these will usually incur an additional fee unless you have purchased a drinks package.
One of my favourite places to relax on the ship, the Commodore Club observation lounge is located at the front of deck 12, offering fantastic views of the surrounding area. It’s also a live music venue, and I really enjoyed listening to the pianist play as I sipped my drink.
On this deck you’ll also find the cigar lounge Churchill’s, as well as the Admiral’s Lounge and the Board Room, which are used for private parties and functions.
Above left: the Chart Room, Above Right:
Designed to replicate a cosy British pub, the Golden Lion hosts live music and also serves food that’s included in the cruise fare. You’ll find it on deck 2 opposite the Bright Lights Society. Also on deck 2 is the Chart Room, which you’ll find alongside the Grand Lobby. It has a striking circular bar and specialises in zodiac themed cocktails.
Finally, don’t forget about the Carinthia Lounge, which is Cunard’s dedicated coffee lounge and bar. They serve hot drinks and pastries at an additional fee, as well as wine and small plates in the evening. You can find it towards the back (aft) of deck 3, past the boutique shops.
Overall Thoughts
I thoroughly enjoyed my mini cruise onboard Queen Anne and it was wonderful to experience a taste of the Cunard experience. During my two days I found that the service was relatively prompt and the food was delicious. While the ship may not be to everyone’s liking, particularly those who are fond of the more traditional ships, I personally loved the ship’s modern features and definitely plan to return for a longer voyage in the future.
If you’re looking for a luxury experience that melds tradition with modernity, the Queen Anne is the ship for you.
Have you sailed on the new Queen Anne? Leave a comment and let me know what you think.