Cunard is a cruise line that operates some of the most popular ships in the world. Since their founding in 1840, they have been responsible for famous ocean liners such as Mauritania, Aquitania, Queen Mary, Caronia and Queen Elizabeth 2.
Cruises are quite formal, with people dressing up for dinner on several occasions on each voyage, a bit like what you see in the movie Titanic. Since they attract a well heeled clientele, you may think that their cruises are prohibitively expensive, but they are not.
The Ships
Each vessel in the Cunard fleet are named after Queens, a tradition that began with the Queen Mary back in 1934. The flagship is the only ocean liner in the world, Queen Mary 2, which is also the largest ship they own.
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- Queen Elizabeth in Geirangerfjord.
Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth round out the current fleet, these being Vista-class cruise ships as opposed to ocean liners. Joining the fleet in 2024 will be Queen Anne, a larger Pinnacle-class vessel, which will become second in tonnage in the fleet.
Affordable Cruises
When searching on the Cunard website, the best thing to do is search all cruises from 1-5 days in duration. These are short breaks and are ideal for first time passengers.
For example, 2 nights from Southampton to Hamburg comes in at £229 per person in an inside stateroom (one without a porthole or window). That fare includes all food and drinks, except alcohol. Having travelled on the QE2 across the Atlantic once, I can vouch for the fact the food is amazing and there’s tons of it.
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- Queen Victoria in Sydney.
Feel like more time? You can do four nights to Hamburg on Queen Mary 2 for £399 per person. This gives you two full days at sea and one day in Hamburg. It is a “Late Saver” price, also in a Britannia inside stateroom, but it’s not outrageously priced by any means.
There are also things like three nights to Bruges (£499pp), Rotterdam and Bruges for five nights on Queen Victoria (£529pp), three nights from Vancouver to San Francisco on Queen Elizabeth (£539pp) and even Melbourne to Sydney on the same ship (£419pp). Plenty of options all round, really!
Overall Thoughts
Having travelled with Cunard once, I can thoroughly recommend it. The food is amazing and there’s plenty to do on board. I’m itching to give them another go sometime, as it’s quite enjoyable being at sea.
With the prices I’ve listed, you can see how affordable it can be. Of course, you can also spend as much as you want, as the accommodations can be very lavish if you can pay for it. The only caveat is that they will try to charge you for as many extras as possible on board and at prices that aren’t cheap. However, if you’re happy to not drink alcohol you really wouldn’t have any other outlay if you didn’t want to have any.
Have you been on board a Cunard voyage before? What do you like about it? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image of Queen Mary 2 by jace48 via Wikimedia Commons.
Queen Elizabeth by Gary Bembridge via Wikimedia Commons.
Queen Victoria by Mike Young via Wikimedia Commons.
Interesting. I hadn’t really considered a cruise but a touch of nostalgia would be lovely. The toughest part might be bringing proper attire to Europe for a single use.
I’ve only been on a couple, one on Celebrity Equinox and the transatlantic on Queen Elizabeth 2. It’s definitely an experience. Worth doing once to see what you think anyway!