Cunard lines
Cunard lines are a British company that operate mainly in the North Atlantic. The company was formed by Samuel Cunard in 1839. Up until 2008 Cunard lines operated the famous Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) liner. The QE2 is still to remain in service although it will be preserved as a luxury floating hotel off the coast of Dubai rather than an ocean going luxury liner.
Offering world cruises as well as transatlantic crossings puts Cunard lines in a different league to most of the other cruise operators. Their cruises are a voyage in them selves with Atlantic crossings taking anything up to a full week without seeing land. As well as transatlantic crossings cunard lines offer the following destinations: Mediterranean, Caribbean, Northern Europe & UK, Scandinavia, The Baltic, Iceland, Canaries, Madeira, The Azores, USA and Canada.
With Cunard the cruise is the holiday and the liners are built like luxury floating hotels.
Cunard currently operate two luxury liners, the Queen Mary 2 and the Queen Victoria, the Queen Mary being the larger of the two. A third boat is currently in construction and is expected to commence service in 2010.
Cunard lines - Queen Mary 2
The Queen Mary 2 was built in France and is currently Cunard lines biggest liner, and at the time it was built it was the tallest and widest passenger ship in the world, and still is the largest Ocean liner on the planet. The Queen Mary 2 can house over 2,600 passengers and 1,200 crew in elegant luxury. The ship is vast. It has 15 restaurants and bars as well as 5 swimming pools, a casino, a ballroom and a theatre!
The Queen Mary has larger accommodation than usual because of the design of the ship. All the cabins are at the top and the entertainment rooms are at the bottom. This arrangement not only allows for larger rooms but it also means that your room is more likely to have a private balcony.
One strange thing is that the guests are limited to which restaurants they can use by how much they paid for their cabin. The Britannia is the "standard" restaurant for regular cabins, the Princess Grill is the "middle" restaurant for those in junior suites, and the guests lucky enough to have booked a deluxe suite may eat in the Queen's Grill. This has led to the entire ship being segregated into 3 classes.....Only at meal times however, the rest of the ship is a free for all, and all other public spaces may be used by any guest at any time.
The Queen Mary contains all the modern amenities you would expect on any cruise ship with plenty of Cunard lines additions. You will be pampered in luxury from the second you board to the second you leave. The luxury on board is simply stunning. More than 5000 specially commissioned pieces of art are on show throughout the public areas of the ship including a two-storey-high tapestry in the Britannia Restaurant - an abstract depiction of an ocean liner.
Cunard lines - Queen Victoria
The Queen Victoria was built in a ship yard near Venice and is Cunard lines second largest ship and can house over 2,000 passengers in 990 staterooms and 900 crew being housed in the crew quarters. Unlike the Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria is a cruise ship rather than an ocean liner. The ship is another example of elegant, timeless luxury and is every bit as luxurious as the Queen Mary 2. In following with tradition, at the opening ceremony coins were welded onto the mast; a Euro and a gold sovereign were fixed in place beneath the radar mast.
The Queen Victoria's facilities include seven restaurants, thirteen bars, three swimming pools, a ballroom, and a theatre as well as the usually luxuries that are lavished on all Cunard lines guests. The Queen Victoria is famous for its magnificent staircase and elaborate chandeliers that hang from the Queens room double height ceiling.
86% of the 990 rooms are outside rooms and 71% have a balcony. This generous layout was designed into the Queen Victoria to allow for more luxurious accommodation.
The Queen Victoria has the same bizarre practice of splitting its passengers eating areas, except the Queen Victoria goes one step further. If you are a Grill Passenger (those dining in the Princess Grill or Queen's Grill) you will also have access to a private outdoor deck on 11 Deck with the specific name "Grills Terrace." Although the Queen Victoria is officially a classless ship the passengers are clearly split into classes at meal times.
Although this practice sounds a bit dodgy it actually isn't that noticeable and won't cause you any inconvenience at all. All the restaurants on board both ships are of the highest standard. They are superb.
The Cunard Lines experience
Crossing the oceans on any Cunard Lines ship is a majestic and memorable experience. A cunard cruise is a luxury that everyone should experience and is more than merely a cruise from one destination to the next. The ships are second to none and the customer service is one to be envied by other operators.
Cunard lines are simply a pleasure to cruise with.