Cunard sells a brand synonymous with quality, elegance, dignity and style, a cut above the rest.
It was evident on this voyage that, although the fine Cunard name had been effectively sold, the supporting product had fallen rather short of the brand’s promises.
Indeed, it was disappointing to note how, in many silly ways, the quest to cost-save had impacted on the service to the customer.
1.
The usual welcoming bucket of fizz on ice, sitting on our stateroom’s coffee table with a little flower to greet us on arrival, had deteriorated to a half -bottle of Prosecco hiding in a corner of the fridge.
This meanness sadly set the scene for the trip as a whole.
It would have been better for the gesture not to have been made at all rather than for it to have been done badly and clearly in expectation that the little bottle might be missed by some guests, thereby enabling it to be re-used.
2.
In the past we benefitted from no-cost bottles of mineral water in the stateroom which were replenished as a matter of course by the steward.
Given that the morning tea service had some time previously been deleted, this was a method of nevertheless providing ourselves with the, albeit inferior, early morning facility.
On this voyage the water had to be specifically ordered from room service at $5 a bottle!! We might just as well have been provided with the tea in the first place!
3.
Drinks in the Commodore Club have become noticeably expensive.
This must also be taken in the light of no longer being routinely offered accompanying nuts and crisps; we had to ask for these.
This naturally represents a cost-saving for the company but, for heaven’s sake, what are a few saved peanuts against the inflated cost of two double gins and tonic?! In the past we were offered canapes, a small plate per head with maybe two or three on each plate.
On this trip we were obliged to ask for canapes and were subsequently presented with just three canapes to be shared between two persons served on a curiously compartmentalised piece of crockery.
How does one split three canapes between two people? Clearly the manager implementing this policy has little concept of matrimonial harmony.
4.
The free dining on deck three of the Britannia Restaurant worked well and it was a pleasure to be able to come and go at times that suited us.
However, this advantage was more than offset by the sad offerings from the ship’s galley.
The menu had been restricted, the portions shrunk, the bonbons miniaturised, extra sauces and gravies had to be ordered to top up the mean dribbles proffered, salads comprised of only a few leaves, and overall the meals were disappointingly bland! But worst of all, the food was never hot; tepid at best.
One is, of course, staggered by the ability of the chefs to provide such a large number of meals in the space and time available, but they used to do it properly and they should still be able to do it properly.
And pulling a few leaves off the customers’ salad plates is a noticeable false economy.
5.
The King’s Court Restaurant was no better.
Again, the food was not hot, presumably in an attempt to make it last longer in the serving bins.
I enjoy a bowl of hot soup, but mine were repeatedly on the cold side of tepid.
I asked the Maitre D’ for a soup spoon but he refused to provide me with one on the grounds that I had been given a dessert spoon and I should use that.
It is an anachronism that a brand priding itself on luxury and style, with regular dinner-jacketed formal evenings, should at the same time expect their customers to abandon their table manners! Whoever dreamt this one up should have paid more attention when on their mother’s knee! Besides which, if I were to use my dessert spoon for eating my soup, how am I supposed to eat my dessert? Come on; a few soup spoons made available on a tray near the tepid soup bucket would cost next to nothing.
Next to the juice machines there used to be tumblers provided, stacked up and ready for use.
This arrangement has been substituted by offering the glassware still in the plastic racks straight out of the dishwasher! This may give joy to the time and motion people but not only does it look cheap and nasty but it is also nigh impossible to remove a tumbler from within the rack without the help of a child with small hands.
Furthermore, successive diners rub their fingers over many different tumblers in an effort to extract just one for themselves, with consequent sanitation and health implications.
This not only looks so bad but it actually also is.
6.
It was nice being able to use the internet and to make calls to shore using Mr Musk’s
new facility.
However, we did struggle with this much of the time, needing repeated assistance with the internet and the on-board app which wasted a disproportionate amount of holiday time.
This was partly due to the ship’s system not being up to scratch and partly because it was just too complicated for us to use.
My wife and I each had an $80 internet allowance by virtue of our Cunard World Club status.
We bought a trip-length package which allowed two devices to be used, one of hers and the other mine.
I assumed that we would thereby each use our individual allowance, but of course I was wrong.
The small print revealed that although we each had the allowance we could only use one per stateroom.
The money is only of moderate importance but the real sting in the tail is the knowledge that one is being wilfully misled, and that just shouldn’t happen to a guest of Cunard.
Despite the above, and the list is not exhausted, there were many things that were done not just well but very well and full marks for that.
One could argue that so they should have been, given that the customer is paying a premium price, but credit where credit’s due.
I single out for praise the very clear and informative announcements from the bridge.
Also very good were the evening offerings in the theatre and the daytime Insights lectures.
We also appreciated how smart and elegant the ship herself looked, especially with her delightful Christmas decorations.
My intention in writing these observations, as requested, is purely for Cunard to be aware that standards are dropping and that they need to restore the product that underpins the brand before customers drift off to more exclusive shipping lines or abandon cruising altogether.