With the debut of Queen Anne in 2024, Cunard has grown its fleet to four ships. Its newest ship (Queen Anne is the first new ship for the brand since 2010) is also its biggest, in terms of capacity, accommodating 2,996 passengers.
Beyond its size, Queen Anne is impressive for the way it moves Cunard into a more modern era. Queen Anne is a contemporary ship that feels like a step into the future, with a few hiccups.
The ship itself offers many restaurants and bars, with plenty of options for all tastes, and it takes entertainment to a wholly new level for the cruise line, offering fun production shows, cheeky theater and excellent live music. I particularly loved the hilariously fun "Pride and Prejudice (sort of)" show in the theater and thought the "Imagination" production was innovative.
It also brilliantly leans into onboard wellness, thanks to a partnership with Harper’s Bazaar U.K. Queen Anne has a terrific, vegetarian-forward restaurant kiosk called the Wellness Cafe, a nearby bar that offers pressed juices and smoothies, and a well-rounded fitness program, though I have mixed feelings about the Wellness Studio, which feels like a large and completely underused space.
The pool area is beautiful and relaxing, and many of the spaces retain the Cunard touches that keeps guests loyal, like an authentic English pub and a Chart Room that connects passengers to the sea.
Likewise, cabins are fresh, modern and well-equipped.
Where Queen Anne struggles is with consistency in food quality and service. I enjoyed some wonderful meals onboard, both included and for an additional fee, but found the quality of food on Queen Anne was inconsistent from venue to venue, and sometimes even dish to dish.
I encountered some of the same issues with service, which is surprising given the line’s commitment to service. In the main restaurant, for example, I had stellar service at dinner. Then the next day at breakfast, the waiter who took my husband and me to our table didn’t say a single word to us. He placed a napkin on my lap, but not my husband’s, then simply walked away. (This is notable because this “napkin service” is even called out online as an example of Cunard’s service.)
I never received a drink onboard at a lounge without flagging down a server, and waiters would routinely remove empty glasses from a round of drinks without asking if guests would like another round. (Both service and quality could improve with subsequent sailings; I sailed less than two months after Queen Anne’s debut.)
Still, overall, the ship has some lovely venues and delivers memorable entertainment and experiences. It also has set the path for the future of Cunard.
Queen Anne’s deck plan puts the pool deck – The Pavilion – at the heart of the activity during the day. Located on Deck 9, it’s a beautiful pool area that feels like a private resort oasis, even when it’s packed with people. It also offers a magrodome, a glass ceiling that slides over the pool deck when weather isn’t ideal.
The Deck 9 placement of the pool, however, leads to some confusing layouts on the top decks, which are difficult to navigate and often require you to go up and down stairs or cut through private spaces (like the Grills Terrace area for suite guests) to get from one spot to another. I was invited by Cunard to sail on Queen Anne for a weeklong cruise, and by the end of the cruise, I still was struggling to find my way around those top decks.
This is somewhat of a problem inside as well, as some of the big public spaces, like the spa and fitness center, are located at the end of passenger cabin quarters, and it just feels like you’re heading the wrong way trying to find these spaces.
The primary decks for activity, entertainment and dining inside are decks 2 and 3. This is where you’ll find the main dining room, many of the bars and lounges, the ship’s main and secondary theaters and all the shops and guest services. These decks are well designed and flow well together. They also open into one another, so you might hear an activity at a nearby venue and wander in to join.
Most of the guest cabins are located between decks 4 and 8, with additional staterooms on decks 1, 10 and 11.
Queen Anne offers lots of little spots to tuck yourself away, including a fun game room on Deck 1, an impressive library on Deck 12 and some very clubby, beautifully designed lounges, like the Chart Room on Deck 2 and the Commodore Club on Deck 12.
One bit of weirdness I noticed on my cruise is that a lot of the crew work that usually goes on behind closed doors on other ships was front and center on Queen Anne. For example, room service is delivered using guest elevators, which in the morning means you’re likely to share an elevator with a crew member and a large cart. The night before disembarkation, large luggage carts filled the elevator waiting areas, and several elevators were taken out of service from late afternoon on. This meant a lot of guests were forced to wait for long stretches for elevators or use the stairs, all the while maneuvering around bulky carts.
The rooms on Cunard’s Queen Anne are well designed and beautifully decorated. They feel like a step up from what you might find on other mainstream cruise lines. I love the little touches like contemporary wall paper and a loveseat vs. a big space-wasting sofa in most cabins.
Staterooms also have lots of spots for charging, big showers and exceedingly comfortable beds and linens.
Queen Anne suites fall into the ship’s “Grills” category: Queens Grill rooms include the top suites, while Princess Grill cabins are just a step below. Both categories offer spacious, modern cabins with a strong selection of included perks, including an exclusive lounge, sun deck and restaurants.
Rooms to avoid on Queen Anne if seasickness is an issue include those at the very front or back, or those high up. Instead, stick with lower-middle cabins. If you’re a light sleeper, choose a cabin that has other cabins both above and below it, which tend to be the quietest.
Food on Queen Anne hits all the notes when it comes to variety, but it lacks consistency in terms of quality.
This seemed to be the case at nearly every restaurant I tried on Queen Anne. For one meal, the food would be excellent, then for another, it was just OK. Sometimes, it would happen in the same meal, where one course was tremendous, and another fell short.
Our best meals onboard were in the Britannia main dining room, the Golden Lion and Aranya, the ship’s specialty Indian restaurant, which was top-notch course after course.
The biggest disappointment was the misnamed Artisans' Foodhall, the ship’s buffet, which didn’t have the same variety we saw at other venues and offered long lines and ho-hum dishes.
It’s worth noting that Queen Anne’s approach to vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and plant-forward dishes is exceptional. The buffet has a corner dedicated to these foods, and the Wellness Cafe puts veggie-forward first, proving those dishes don’t have to be boring with items like miso-whipped tofu (so good!) and coconut labneh.
All menus, no matter the restaurant, offer forward-thinking options for those with specific dietary needs, and the primary galley has an area dedicated to allergens to avoid cross contamination.
Meals in the main dining room, buffet and other select venues
Tea, coffee, water and juice
Room service
Traditional afternoon tea
Entertainment
Most daily activities
Onboard fitness center (including some classes)
Gratuities
Meals in some restaurants
Alcohol, soft drinks, specialty coffees, smoothies
Thermal spa
Spa treatments
Fitness classes
Some activities, such as drink tastings
Wi-Fi
Onboard shopping
Casino
Passengers on Queen Anne hail mostly from North America and U.K., with some Australians as well as Germans. They tend to prefer a traditional style of cruising that leans toward more formal when it comes to things like dress codes and service.
As such, the ship appeals to an older crowd, though families are not uncommon, especially as Queen Anne is a bit of a break from the more traditional vessels in the Cunard fleet.
The ship has 33 cabins onboard that are accessible for wheelchair or scooter users. It has no solo cabins, though it does have meetups for passengers traveling alone (and crew do a good job of matching solo passengers with other guests at meals).
The ship also hosts gatherings for LGBTQ+ passengers, usually drink gatherings. It also has get-togethers for Friends of Bill W.
Cons Outweigh the Pros
few6-10 Cruises
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Age 73s
‘New’ Cunard - My thoughts on Queen Anne
many10+ Cruises
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Age 32s
many10+ Cruises
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Age 65s
not really cunard
many10+ Cruises
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Age 75s