Cunard Line

Cunard Queen Anne

Average Editor Ratings
Staterooms & Cabins
Food & Drink
Entertainment
Spa & Fitness
Overall Editor Rating
Andrea Guthmann August 30, 2024
Cunard Line
Cunard Queen Anne
Queen Elizabeth
Queen Mary 2
Queen Victoria

Fodor’s Expert Review

Ship Overview

Cunard Line
Cruise StyleLuxury
Ship SizeLarge
Price Range$$$
Sails To

thr...iterranean

throughout Europe and Mediterranean
Sails From

Sou...n, England

Southhampton, England
Duration3-112 days

Long synonymous with tradition and elegance in ocean cruising, anglophiles and lovers of refined travel will find a Cunard cruise to be a dream vacation. Queen Anne, the fourth ship in the fleet and the British line’s first new ship in 14 years, debuted in May 2024 and continues Cunard’s heritage of sophisticated exploration. When passengers first board, they’ll be wowed by the opulent crystal chandelier filling the three-story Grand Lobby with its sweeping staircase, regal color palette of red, gold and navy blue, and art deco design harkening back to a golden age of cruise travel.Read More

Evenings are filled with elegance and fun. Passengers can choose to dance to big band tunes or golden oldies in the Queens Room or attend first-rate theatrical productions in the Royal Court Theater. Other beloved Cunard traditions aboard Queen Anne include daily lectures and afternoon tea. Weeklong cruises feature two gala evenings, where passengers will feel they’ve been transported to the Gilded Age, with most male guests wearing tuxedos, a custom unheard of on most of today’s cruise lines.

Cunard’s revered reputation is built on attentive service, impeccably dressed crews, gourmet meals, and formal evenings. And while many of these traditions remain, the reality of the modern day world has impacted some of the line’s historically high standards. Past passengers will remember fondly the Cunard tradition of having their carry-on luggage whisked away by a bellhop wearing a red suit and iconic red pillbox hat. On a recent Queen Anne sailing, three was word of one such bellhop, but most passengers never saw them. Like much of the cruise industry post-pandemic, customer service can occasionally feel compromised in places like the main dining room or when seeking help from the Purser or other staff. Though service aboard Queen Anne will be considered excellent by most, some discerning passengers who rightfully associate Cunard with the gold standard of customer service may notice occasional shortcomings.

Overall, Queen Anne serves as a relaxing, luxurious home base for exploring the world. A two-story pool/hot tub area with retractable glass roof, provides a beautiful spot for relaxation, no matter the weather. An abundance of entertainment and dining options is sure to satisfy a wide range of guests, most of whom are middle aged or retired. Passengers who want to immerse themselves in British culture will appreciate the understated elegance and longstanding traditions found on board Queen Anne.

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Pros
Cons
Abundance of vegetarian and vegan plant-based dining options
Laundry facilities, with complimentary machines, soap, and iron/ironing board, allow passengers to vacation without bringing as much luggage
Onboard lectures provide unique insights into port destinations    
Few activities specifically for children
Casual cruisers may not appreciate the formality of this cruise line
In main dining room service is rushed and quality of food is mixed

What to expect on board

Staterooms & Cabins

Editor Rating
Cabins
Accessibility
 
 The ship stayed with the classic color palette in its staterooms—red, navy blue, and gold, but features contemporary, sophisticated artwork. Most staterooms and suites are suitable for two guests, but some have upper pullman beds to accommodate up to four guests. Bathrooms are ample and luxurious, contain a hair dryer and are stocked with shampoo, conditioner, and soap from upscale British brand Penhaligon’s. Every cabin contains plush bathrobes, and slippers for each guest. Each stateroom contains outlets with American, British, European and USB power sockets. Raised beds create more space by allowing passengers to tuck away their luggage underneath, and every cabin comes with a flat-screen TV and small desk/dressing table with a mirror.
 
Interior cabins are on decks 4-11 and start at 150 square feet with a king size bed, or two twins. Oceanview cabins are similar sizes. Those looking for more space might choose either a Standard Balcony or one of Queen Anne’s 59 Britannia Club Balcony staterooms, which range from 230 – 470 square feet. The main difference between the two categories is a Britannia Club Balcony cabin gives you access to the more intimate and upscale Britannia Club restaurant for all your meals. Note the Standard Balcony Staterooms on deck 4 come with oversized balconies, perfect for hosting a few people to join you for drinks. All balcony staterooms come with a king-size bed or two twins, a desk, and a small sofa and table.
 
The next category up are the princess grill suites. Starting at 300 square feet, you get more space, including a larger sofa, additional interior chair, and a bathtub, in addition to a shower. Similar to the Balcony staterooms, your balcony has two chairs and a small table. The main perk to staying in a Princess Grill Suite is access to the Princess Grill restaurant and the Grills Lounge and outdoor Grills Terrace.
 
The highest room category is the queen’s grill suite. All are spacious, ranging from 485 to 2,250 square feet. All come with a dedicated butler, fresh flowers, and binoculars; a complimentary mini bar is stocked daily. Queen’s grill suites have separate living room areas and marble bathrooms with bathtubs. Guests of these suites also have access to the ultra-exclusive Queens Grill restaurant, Grills Lounge and outdoor Grills Terrace.
Although there are no single-occupancy cabins (solo travelers pay the same fare as two guests sharing a stateroom), there are various configurations and sizes, including connecting cabins on deck 1 that connect two-person inside cabins with two-person ocean view cabins.
Several staterooms are designed for those with accessibility needs, featuring wider doorways, roll-in showers, grab rails in the bathroom, sufficient floor space for maneuvering a wheelchair or mobility scooter, accessible vanities, and ramped access to the balcony.
 
The majority of public areas have level or ramped access. Queen Anne’s two theatres have set aside space for guests to watch the performance from a wheelchair or mobility scooter, with seating nearby for travel companions. The two pools on Queen Anne have a pool hoist with a chair. Once on board, passengers will need to make reservations to use that hoist through the purser’s desk. 

Food & Drink

Editor Rating
Dining
Bars
Free Restaurants:
 
Queen Anne’s main dining restaurant, Britannia, is an opulent, two-story venue with crystal chandeliers and floor-to-ceiling windows allowing for an ocean view from almost every table. Passengers can request either the early (5:30 p.m.) or late (8:30 p.m.) seating, but the restaurant is also flexible in accommodating diners arriving at other times. Though the venue is elegant, the service here is rushed and quality of food is mixed. Some menu items are exceptional, while others are a bit disappointing. Menu items often reflect British tastes, including an outstanding Beef Wellington.
 
Passengers in Princess and Queen’s Grill suites and the Britannia Club cabins have access to their own private restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Princess and Queen Grill restaurants are separated by the Grills Lounge. Each are serene fine dining with exemplary service, floor-to-ceiling windows and fresh flowers. The Britannia Club restaurant is also an elegant step up from the main dining Britannia restaurant.
 
Despite its posh sounding name, Artisans’ Foodhall is a standard buffet restaurant. Food here is typical fare found in a buffet, except that diners do not serve themselves. Instead, servers behind the counter dish out items requested. Like most cruise lines there’s a carving station, salad and soup bar, pasta bar, pizza, daily hot sandwiches, and plenty more to choose from. Some cruisers will also be delighted to find the beloved soft serve ice cream machine.
 
Healthy eaters and vegetarians will be thrilled by the high quality of offerings at the Wellness Cafe found on the upper level of the Pavilion pool area. Diners can order bowls filled with their choice of healthy, flavorful ingredients, from hummus, baba ganoush and tofu to kale, quinoa, and kimchi. Sweet treats include vegan brownies. Next to the Wellness Cafe is a bar serving fresh pressed juices and kombucha.
 
You can’t go on a Cunard cruise without trying the signature afternoon tea, accompanied by classical string musicians in the Queens Room. Many guests will take breaks from their tea to head to the dance floor. Finger sandwiches with the crust removed, scones with cream and jam, and other delightful confectionaries are presented on silver trays by white-gloved waitstaff dressed in formal attire. The use of fine china adds to the elegance as guests dance to classical and big band favorites.
 
An alternative spot for afternoon tea is the Carinthia Lounge on deck 3, overlooking the lobby. The exquisitely delicate finger sandwiches and pastries are complimentary, and actually superior to what’s served in the Queens Lounge. However, the specialty coffees and higher-end Tea Forte brand teas come at an additional fee, unless you have the drink package. The tea served at afternoon tea in the Queens Room is complimentary.
 
The Pavilion Grill is the casual spot by the pool that serves fries and onion rings, burgers, chicken and fish sandwiches, as well as hot dogs. Vegetarians will be thrilled to see they also serve a plant-based burger and vegan bratwurst. It’s open from noon – 4:00 every day.
 
As on all Cunard ships, there’s a Golden Lion Pub, featuring a rotating daily special of hearty English pub fare, items like fish-and-chips or shepherd’s pie, during lunch hours.
 
Complimentary room service is available 24 hours a day. Some menu items have additional fees, but coffee, tea and morning pastries served on fine china and delivered on a silver tray is a complimentary luxury that feels like an indulgence.
 
Basic coffee, tea, and juices (apple, pineapple, orange, and cranberry) are all complimentary. Cunard offers four different drink packages. The unlimited soda package is $13.50 per day. The $40 per day Premium Non-Alcoholic package includes soda, premium coffees and teas, bottled and sparkling water, and non-alcoholic beer, wine and mocktails. There is also a $16 per day specialty coffee and tea drink package. The $85 per day Alcohol Package includes everything listed above in the other packages, plus unlimited alcohol, up to $13.50 per drink.
 
Additional Fee Specialty Restaurants:
 
There are four specialty restaurants that come with additional fees.
 
Sir Samuels is the steak restaurant, which comes at an additional $65 charge. Service here was exemplary, with each guest given a choice of steak knife, a nice touch which adds to the meal feeling like a special occasion.
 
Aji Wa is a high-end Japanese restaurant. This is not a playful hibachi steakhouse where the chefs are putting on a show twirling their knives. The setting in Aji Wa is sophisticated and modern. The multi-course omakase menu is a creative culinary experience not to be missed. Diners raved similarly about the ship’s specialty Indian restaurant, Aranya.
 
Tramonto, with its Italian-inspired menu that comes at an additional $18 charge, was a bit of a disappointment. The service and quality of the food here was not of the same caliber as the other specialty restaurants.
 
There is also a gelateria where you can purchase gelato in the Pavilion pool area.
The Golden Lion Pub is your classic English pub where guests gather for a pint in the evening while playing darts, participating in karaoke or trivia games, watching live sports, or listening to lively folk musicians. In addition to a vast selection of beers, Golden Lion also offers a selection of non-alcoholic beer, wine and cocktails, as well as coffee and tea.
 
The Chart Room is an elegant piano bar with a view of the Grand Lobby, as well as intimate two-person tables looking out at the ocean. With its floor-to-ceiling windows, the Commodore Club boasts some of the best views on the ship. Located high up in the front, or bow, of the ship, this is an elegant spot to enjoy the breathtaking scenery as well as live musicians performing throughout the day and evening. Just outside the Commodore Club, guests will find Churchill’s, the ship’s cigar bar.
 
The outdoor Sky Bar on deck 14 with its cushioned seating and choice of shade or sun, is a delightful place to pass the time. Like all the bars, it offers a wide selection of cocktails, beer and wine, as well as plenty of non-alcoholic beer, wine, and mocktails.
 
Both pool areas, the Pavilion and Panorama Pool Club, also have bars. This is where you can order up a frozen pina colada, margarita, or daiquiri, with or without alcohol.
 
The Queen’s Room is a two-story lounge with a dance floor located near the Grand Lobby, and serve as as a hub of activity throughout the cruise. During the day it’s where you can take ballroom dance classes or enjoy afternoon tea, accompanied by a classical string trio. At night, couples hit the dance floor to the sounds of big band music, popular standards or golden oldies from the ’60s and ’70s.
 
At night, the Carinthia Lounge with its floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean, transforms from a cafe with barista crafted coffees and teas, to a lounge serving charcuterie boards and small plates.
 
Room 1840 is the stylish bar located in the casino.

Entertainment

Editor Rating
There are plenty of activities on board for everyone. Every evening you’ll have a daily planner delivered to your stateroom. You can also find that information on myvoyagecunard.com, which you can access during the cruise even without purchasing internet. The outdoor sports deck on deck 14 features shuffleboard, a golf driving range, pickleball and a large outdoor chess set. There’s also an archery range, with instruction, that you have to sign up for in advance.
 
Deck 1’s Games Room with its comfortable leather furnishings offers daily bridge lessons. Scrabble, chess, and a multitude of other board games are also available for play.
 
Movies are shown during the day in the Royal Court Theater and at night in the Pavilion pool area, with the retractable roof. There is also an outdoor pool area on deck 9 in the aft of the ship called the Panorama Pool Club, a relaxing area with a bar and two hot tubs.
 
A lending library on deck 12 outside the Commodore Club is a magnificent spot to quietly relax and read, with comfortable furnishings and floor-to-ceiling windows. Daily British newspapers can be read in the Drawing Room on deck 1, a traditional library setting featuring wood and leather furnishings and nautical decor, including a model of Queen Anne. Guests will also appreciate getting to choose from an array of complimentary magazines as they first board.
 
Daily dance classes are offered in the Queens Room. Dancers can practice their moves with live classical musicians during elegant afternoon tea, or dance to more modern tunes at night.
 
Nightly entertainment aboard Queen Anne is lively, with a nod to British culture, featuring British comedians and other entertainers. Cunard has an ongoing relationship with the English National Ballet, which performs on specific cruises. “Pride and Prejudice* (sort of),” a comic retelling of the Jane Austen novel had audiences roaring during a recent sailing. Austen lived near Southhampton, Cunard’s home port, so it’s a fitting production for a Cunard cruise. Other lively entertainment included the creative hi-tech musical performance, “Imagination”. These productions were all held in the 825-seat Royal Court Theater.
 
Bright Lights Society is Queen Anne’s smaller theatre lounge. During a recent sailing an acting troupe performed the murder mystery production, “Noir,” involving audience participation.This production required reservations and was not of the same quality as the more professional West End-caliber London theatre productions seen in the ship’s Royal Court Theater. Later at night, the Bright Lights Society theatre lounge hosts dancing with a DJ.
 
Queen Anne has an elegant casino with several blackjack and roulette tables, a giant spinning wheel, wide selection of slot machines and a sophisticated bar.
 
In addition to standard cruise entertainment, Queen Anne offers the Cunard Insights lecture series, bringing enlightening speakers onboard to give presentations about various topics, including some relevant to the specific itinerary. On a recent cruise through Norway’s fjords, a Norwegian woman spoke about her father’s involvement in Norway’s resistance movement during WWII. On the same cruise, British Olympic ice skating champion Robin Cousins shared highlights from his career.
 
Those who enjoy shopping and royalty will appreciate the replicas of Queen Elizabeth’s crown and Princess Diana’s engagement ring found in the Cabinet of Curiosities, one of the shops found near the Grand Lobby on deck 3.

Spa & Fitness

Editor Rating

For those who want to exercise, deck 1 is home to a fitness center with treadmills, cycles and weight machines, and an adjacent room for spinning classes. Pilates and yoga classes are offered in the large, beautiful, light-filled Pavilion Wellness Studio, adjacent to the pool, for a fee, and personal trainers are also available at additional cost. Two daily sunrise and sunset stretch classes are complimentary, and a jogging track encircles the ship on Deck 3, but views are often obstructed by lifeboats.

Adjacent to the fitness center is the spa, offering a large menu of massages, facials, and other services in its nine treatment rooms. For an additional fee, guests can enjoy the spa’s relaxation area with heated loungers, sauna, steam room, cold room, experience showers, and Himalayan salt room. Two hour passes for the relaxation area cost $59 and a pass for the entire cruise is $150.

The beauty salon on deck 3 offers women’s haircuts and styling for $89, manicures for $59, and a menu of additional services for men and women in an elegant setting with windows looking out over the ocean.

Key cruising tips

Health & Safety

Cunard has no requirements for proof of COVID vaccination.
The medical center on Queen Anne is open daily for routine appointments with fully qualified doctors and nurses, and a doctor is on call at all times for medical emergencies. The medical center can treat seasickness with injections and tablets. Passengers should keep in mind there are additional fees for visiting the medical center. Costs vary, but a typical consultation with a physician will cost approximately $110.

Dress Code

Cunard’s dress code is more formal than the average cruise line. A one week cruise will typically have two gala evenings, where most men are wearing tuxedos, and women are often in floor-length evening gowns. The dress code for the main dining rooms and evening entertainment is casual cocktail. Most men will be wearing suit jackets and button down shirts at dinner. Dinner at the Artisans’ Foodhall is more casual. Nicer shorts and polo shirts would be fine, but no bathing suits or pool cover-ups would be allowed at dinner. For specialty restaurants, formal attire is not necessary, but dress pants and collared shirts would be expected.

Junior Cruisers

Queen Anne provides babysitting for the youngest children, but not many activities for those who are school age. The Play Zone, the dedicated playroom on deck 12, is available during the day for children two and up. Parents will breathe a sigh of relief to hear that unlike many cruises, children on Cunard do not have to be potty-trained to be dropped off. However, unlike most cruise lines, guests must make a reservation each time they want to bring their child.
 
Parents of the smallest children will greatly appreciate the complimentary Night Nursery, where children under two can be dropped off between 6 p.m. – 10:45 p.m. While this is a huge perk for mom and dad, parents should note that the child must already be asleep in order to be dropped off in the Night Nursery.
 
Children age 8-17 also have a small room in the Play Zone filled with video games and a foosball table, but not much else. Staff may organize scavenger hunts, movie nights, ping-pong, and pickleball competitions. However, there are not many children children traveling on Cunard, which can make it a challenge to organize these events. Aside from the helpful services provided the youngest of children, a Cunard cruise is best for older children who can truly appreciate the history and adventures to be had in each port.

Service

Service aboard Queen Anne is professional and prompt, although some returning guests may feel it does not quite reflect the high service standards they have become accustomed to on Cunard. Grill-class guests will appreciate the even higher level of service and amenities available to them.

Tipping

Gratuities are not included in the base fare. Cunard charges a daily service charge for cleaning and dining that varies by cabin, $18 per person per day for Grill Suites, $16 per person per day for Britannia Staterooms.

QUICK FACTS

SHIP STATS
Entered Service
2024
Number of Cabins
1,397
Passenger Capacity
3,000
Crew Members
1,225
Passengers to Crew Ratio
2.45
Gross Tons
113000
Width
117 feet
Length
1058 feet
CRUISE LINE INFO
(800) 728-6273
www.cunard.com/en-us

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