DESTINATIONS SUITES | CRUISE
CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Queen Mary 2 at sea; the Queens Grill restaurant, available only to guests in Queens Grill Suites; afternoon tea is a Cunard institution PICTURES: Cunard
Ask THE AGENT
“The Queens Grill Suites are the pinnacle of ocean luxury.
It’s more than accommodation, as the experience extends
far beyond the grandeur of the suite. Each meal brings a personalised welcome in the exclusive Queens Grill restaurant, where staff remember your preferences and anticipate your needs. This intimate setting offers some of the finest cuisine at sea, paired with exceptional service. Guests also enjoy
priority embarkation and access to the private Grills Lounge, ensuring a seamless and
distinguished journey from start to finish. For those seeking the ultimate in luxury ocean travel, this experience is unmatched.”
We’re also free to dine at other venues, including the grand main dining room and laid-back Kings Court buffet. In our art deco-inspired Queens Grill Suite, a butler comes and goes with daily canapes, and reconfigures the complimentary minibar with full-sized bottles of our favourite gin and wine. That’s on top of the chilled champagne that awaited us on arrival. A long weekend sailing out of Southampton is
the perfect way to introduce seasoned cruisers to the Cunard product, or upsell the Grill Suites to clients that have cruised with the line before. It certainly whetted my appetite for embarking on the classic week-long Southampton to New York (or reverse) crossing.
OUT AND ABOUT In Rotterdam, there’s a surprisingly large choice of excursions, including a day in Amsterdam. We stay closer to home with an exciting Land & Splash tour, where an amphibious vehicle takes to the roads before gliding into the Main River to explore the waterways around Europe’s largest seaport. With an overnight stay in port, there’s also time for independent sightseeing. A 30-minute walk from where the ship is docked is another grande dame of the ocean, Holland America Line’s one-time flagship Rotterdam, which launched in 1958 and is now a floating museum.
CREATURE COMFORTS Even on this short sailing, there’s one sea day to explore the ship. I spend hours enjoying the huge art collection
travelweekly.co.uk
with its wonderful black-and-white photos of royalty, film stars and politicians who’ve sailed with Cunard during its 185-year history. The ship is also home to one of the largest libraries at sea. When I spot the wave-shaped steel structures at
the front of the Observation Deck, I think I’ve stumbled across another art installation. They’re sometimes mistaken for windbreaks but a sign reveals they’re spare propeller blades, which the crew affectionately call the ‘commodore’s cufflinks’. It’s another delightful quirk on this distinguished cruise ship, which is also the only one with kennels for cats and dogs. We stroll along the pet-friendly area of deck 12 – which is out of bounds to passengers when the kennels are in use – and chuckle at the lamppost that’s there for the convenience of UK pooches and the red fire hydrant for their American counterparts. If pets aren’t partial to the food brands stocked
on board, the chefs will prepare chicken, fish and freshly baked biscuits to their liking. Although such special-request meals for four-legged friends arrive without the flames and fanfare, it seems they’re almost as pampered as Queens Grill guests.
TW BOOK IT
Cunard’s four-night round-trip Short Break to Rotterdam on Queen Mary 2 costs from £1,349 in a Queens Grill Suite, departing from Southampton on November 6.
cunard.com
Clare Dudley managing director, Ponders Travel
TIME FOR TEA
Afternoon tea, served by white- gloved waiters to a soundtrack of classical music in the Queens Room – incidentally, the largest ballroom at sea – is a Cunard institution. It’s incredibly popular on sea days and as Cunard newbies, we arrived at 3.30pm to find every seat taken. We were shown to a spillover table in the nearby Britannia Restaurant, and although it’s a beautiful room, it wasn’t quite the full experience. So advise clients to arrive early. Grill guests can also take their tea in the Grills Lounge or, for a casual option, head to the Kings Court.
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