Cunard Line is a British company with headquarters in London and Santa Clarita, California. Its ships include some of the most famous ocean liners in the world: Queen Mary II (QM2), Queen Elizabeth II (QE2) and Queen Victoria (QV). The company won the ‘Best Overall Service Award’ in the 2008 Berlitz Complete Guide to Ocean Cruising and Cruise Ships.
The company offers a transatlantic crossing, sailing from Southampton to New York, which lasts for six days and guests can choose to combine their cruise with a tour in America. The company also offers cruises to the Caribbean, Canada and the Americas, the Mediterranean and North Africa, the Canary Islands, Southampton Roundtrip and a World Cruise, a three month journey that visits some of the most famous ports in the world in Asia, Australia, South America and Europe.
The accommodation on the ships is divided into various categories, each offers slightly different facilities, but all reflect the elegance and sophistication that is a feature of the Cunard Line. The most luxurious are the Queen’s Grill suites in which guests are welcomed by a bottle of French champagne and strawberries. Included in the price is a personal butler service and use of private lounges. Guests dine at reserved tables in the single-seating Queen’s Grill restaurant and enjoy exclusive amenities such as use of the private sun deck, evening canapés, shoe shine service, in-room X-box, bath salts and manicure kit, full flower arrangements and fruit baskets with bottled water. Each of the room categories are paired with a single-seating restaurant and some of the rooms have private balconies and ocean views. All rooms are provided with TV, fridges, hair dryers, newspapers, safes, telephones, bathrobes and slippers and 24-hour room service.
Guests on a Cunard Line voyage can enjoy fine dining in the restaurant associated with their suite. The ships employ a team of outstanding chefs and the waiters are all highly trained in the fine art of Cunard White Star Service. There are up to ten different dining options. In addition to the standard restaurants there is the Todd English restaurant that serves innovative Mediterranean cuisine and other cafes that serve breakfasts, lunches or late-night buffets. The Golden Lion Pub serves lagers, ales and pub snacks. For those who want a traditional meal they also serve classics such as fish ‘n’ chips or cottage pie. Guests can use the room service to order snacks or meals to be served in the comfort of their suites.
During the day guests can relax with one of a range of treatments at the Canyon Ranch SpaClub. There is also the state-of-the-art gym, weight room and a sports deck. The Queen Mary 2 has a planetarium, a Maritime Quest Exhibit and a range of other activities including swimming pools, virtual reality golf, basketball and a book shop. The other ships in the company also have indoor and outdoor swimming pools, sporting facilities, shops and libraries. The Cunard Enrichment programme offers guests the chance to acquire new skills or listen to lectures on a variety of topics, from history and politics, to musical theatre. Lectures are given on the culture and history of the ports that the ship will visit on the cruise.
At night the ships host elegant soirées that evoke memories of the golden age of cruising. On Queen Mary 2 the black-tie dances are held in the largest ballroom at sea, the Queens Room. All the ships have theatres that stage West-End-style shows and recitals. The Royal Court Theatre on the Queen Victoria has private boxes. Other attractions are the onboard casino, lounges, cocktail bars, piano bars, night-clubs and film theatres.
Find out about all the ships in the Cunard Cruise Line fleet