Big Band Ball On-board Queen Elizabeth

Bank Holiday weekend is the perfect time to take a cruise. This bank holiday I was introduced to Cunard for the first time and sailed on the 4-night Netherlands escape voyage to Rotterdam from Southampton

Having visited Queen Elizabeth previously for a ship tour I was excited to get on board again and see the Cunard experience in full

We were allocated a balcony cabin on Deck 4 towards the aft of the ship. BE Grade, I was pleasantly surprised by the size of the cabin itself and the balcony was very spacious, there was plenty of storage, tea and coffee making facilities and John our lovely cabin steward delivered the Daily programme each evening, so we knew full well what would be happening the following day

On arrival to Southampton Check in was really smooth and we were on board the ship within 10 minutes of arriving to the port – we sailed from Queen Elizabeth 2 Terminal and were racing against Queen Victoria as they sailed side by side out of Southampton

Muster call was taken in the Britannia restaurant – Your muster station will be allocated to you on Check-in and can be found on your Cruise Card, it is very important to attend the muster so as you know what to do in the unlikely event of an emergency, also you will know where to head for dinner later that evening

Throughout the ship, you can Sample the delights of the onboard bars and restaurants

Midships bar where you can sample 3 queens’ gin Cunard’s very own Gin of which there is 3 flavours to go with each of the 3 ships in the fleet – If you have loved ones who like a nice Gin you can purchase larger bottles or a smaller gift pack which is a lovely Souvenir or Present. The midships bar is the go to place for a pre-dinner aperitif

We had been allocated late dining at 8.30pm, it was my first experience of second seating and I much preferred it, the choice you are given at mealtimes is amazing and the menu is enough to make your mouth water. If you have an allergy or a particular food, you don’t like just let the staff know on board and you will find they are so helpful and nothing is too much trouble

After dinner it is then to head to the Royal court theatre for some fantastic entertainment we were lucky enough to catch 2 of the production shows from the onboard entertainment team which were both very good and a comedian who was outstanding and if your dinner wasn’t enough to split your sides he certainly would with laughter! If you really want to feel like Royalty, you can rent one of the Theatre boxes for $60 and this includes Champagne and Chocolates delivered to your box

If you are a night owl you can head to the Yacht Club Disco which gives you the opportunity to dance the night away

Other venues to sample on board are

Golden Lion Pub – Pub Quizzes, Pianists and Amazing pub grub – Perfect if you fancy a relaxed evening or if it is formal night and you don’t fancy dressing up

Queens Room- During our 4 night cruises the Queens room was the hub of life, not only was it the venue for Cunard’s famous Afternoon tea but also the Big Band Ball – Held Once a year on each of the queens the big band ball brings together a large orchestra and hosts ballroom throughout the voyage, whether you know your foxtrot from your quickstep everybody is welcome to come along and learn in the day with the professional instructors and practise their moves in the evening in a fantastic atmosphere

I have to say I was really impressed with Cunard, the ships are stunning, and I was very surprised with just how much was going on on board. If you are thinking of booking your next cruise with Cunard please get in touch or if you have cruised with Cunard before i would love to hear your thoughts?

Eliza x