Cunard Queen's Grill Q4 Suite Tour and Review! - Aboard the MS Queen Elizabeth (7082)
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- čas přidán 25. 06. 2024
- We recently disembarked from an amazing 2-week voyage in the Queens Grill (first class) aboard Cunard's MS Queen Elizabeth. Here is an in-depth tour of the suite (room 7082) with its pros and cons discussed - and the butler's role explained!
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@@@@@Music is by Gaita Medieval Music and can be found on their Queen of Measures album available at www.gaita.co.uk
I adore a good rowdy travel adventure filled with muddy streets, derring do and tales of near misses. But about once a year, I feel the need to fall into the lap of luxury and be pampered. To retreat to a glamorous world harkening back to a bygone era of elegant travel, of dressing for dinner and dancing to an orchestra in an ornately appointed ballroom.
For those occasions, I turn to Cunard and their three Queens: the HMS Mary, the MS Elizabeth and the MS Victoria.
After 2.5 years of no pleasure travel to speak of, of isolation and non-stop work, I was ready to be pampered as never before in my life. And so for our first post-Covid cruise, we settled on the top-class cabin offered by Cunard: a Q4 Queens Grill suite aboard the Queen Elizabeth, with its own butler, its own concierge, its own exclusive restaurant, and many other elevated amenities.
So here is an in-depth tour of the suite (room 7082) that we inhabited, complete with its pros and cons - and the butler's role explained! What about you, dear Reader? Would you splurge for this stateroom?
Timestamps
00:00-00:11 Intro
00:12-00:35 Cabin types
00:36-1:48 "Office" area
1:49-5:22 "Mini"-bar tour
5:23-5:57 Living room
5:58-7:14 Balcony
7:15-10:46 Bedroom
10:47-12:42 Closet
12:43-14:13 Bathroom
14:14-16:43 Role of your butler
16:44-17:16 Moment of kitty zen
Our Q4 suite was our favourite of all the accommodations we have had on any ship. We so enjoyed it we have booked another Alaska cruise for this summer. This time we booked a Q3 which is supposedly a little bigger than a Q4. From the pictures and videos I have seen it looks the same. But the cost difference was small and they are mid-ships right by the B lifts and stairs. The only thing we found different than what you did was the walk-in closet. It seemed bright enough but it was much smaller than the closets we have had on the QM2 - both in Queens and Princess Grill.
Thanks for the great comment! Since this voyage, we have been on a steady downhill in terms of cabin categories... from this Q4 to a regular balcony, and now most lately to an outside cabin. 😆 We have missed the elevated level of service and amenities of QG, as well as the double-sized cabin and will hopefully be in a position to book QG once more at some point soon. We found, to our surprise, that we prefer the outside cabin to a balcony because of the greater interior space versus the regular balcony cabins. What are your thoughts on Princess Grill?
Thank you for posting this. We have just been upgraded from a Q6 to a Q4 for our Alaska cruise. We are just a few suites away from the one you depicted.
Thank you for watching and commenting! You will have a magical time! Although, the Q6 suites are actually more spacious than the Q4s. I would take a Q6 over the Q4 any day. When QE was first built and launched, the Q6 and Q5 suites were apparently the Q3 and Q4, but because they were aft, they experienced a lot of motion, and some passengers complained that midships was preferable. So they swapped the grading around. I was desperate to get a Q6 or Q5, but those always book up first because they are less expensive while offering a more spacious experience.
Went across the Pacific on the QE! But - in a Brittania balcony cabin. Really, it was all the luxury I needed. Thanks for the tour of the Queen's Grill, and, you're right - the Brittania closet space is larger with two full-length closets. BTW, I knew a duchess. She managed to solely move our group's lodging while we were out skiing up at Tahoe - surprise, surprise, when we came back looking forward to wind down, dinner - we had to pack up and move :( LOVE YOUR GLOVES. I want some they'll go with my candelabra.
I realized I never replied to your excellent comment - so pleased you enjoyed the tour! As to your lamentable experience in Tahoe, goodness gracious! That resort should be ashamed for allowing an ultimately meaningless rank to inconvenience guests in that manner! 😑
We are booked in this exact suite for Alaska next June! Thank you for the tour.
I am glad it was of benefit! I hope your Alaska voyage is as great as our Canary Islands journey was - do let me know how it goes! :-)
Great video - very informative. We are booked on the QE Alaska cruise in August 2025 and have suite 7013 which is on the starboard side directly opposite 7082. A couple of quick questions: was the mini bar fridge restocked daily or is it a one-off thing, and will the butler arrange for your clothes to be washed and ironed?
Thank you for watching, commenting and complimenting! 😊 As to your questions, your fridge will be restocked daily with your choice of beverages (from the beverage package that is included in the Grill fare), and your butler will arrange for your clothes to be washed and pressed, but this service costs extra (not your butler doing the wash, but rather the ship's laundry service). They will also arrange for shoe shining, which was complimentary, curiously.
@@travelswiththecontessa5307 Thanks for that info.
This was an amazing tour! I felt like I was right there with you! Thank you Rachel for this lovely peek inside one of the Queen's Grill Suites - it sure beats the standard rooms! That closet and bathroom are huge by comparison. This was a really well-edited video and your narration was crisp and eloquent; truly lovely start to finish. Hope you and Ryan have another fun trip coming up soon!! :)
Thank you so much for the feedback! In fact, this is my MOST unpopular video on my Travels channel - four thumbs down! :-D Based on the (few) negative responses in the Cunard FB groups, apparently some people took umbrage to my candid review (how snobbish of me to suggest that not everything was perfect, especially wearing "marigolds"! - I had to look up what those were in this context), and others objected to my clothing ("Who is she trying to impress dressed that way in her?"). So it's really great to get positive feedback too, and especially great from a far-away friend. :-)
I thought the outfit was one of the best parts! I especially liked the cut-ins of the hallway walks and stair descents
@@gregholland11 So pleased you enjoyed the composition - we have been growing increasingly creative with our video editing! It is a skill, after all, and one that we have literally taught ourselves. And, regarding the outfit: As you can see in the comment below about "leaving the gloves off", about one in 100 people seem to react negatively classy vintage-esque attire!
@@travelswiththecontessa5307 Looks like one in 800 or so now :D
@@travelswiththecontessa5307 How odd! I thought the dress looked lovely. And I was wondering where you get your gloves. I'm looking for some nice over-the-elbow ones for the Roaring Twenties gala on the QM2.
Enjoyed the tour! We have sailed all three Queens (Platinum/World Club) and we are in a Q3 on the Betty out of Tokyo on 24MAY/23 trans-Pacific. Our first trip though aboard Cunard since Covid and our last one was crossing in a Q2 on the Mary. Deeply chagrined about the news of the butler not arranging an en-suite cocktail party! We had 6 couples and enjoyed it immensely! Bummer. But good to know ahead of time at any rate.
P.S. The gloves are fabulous! Pay no bother to some of the comments - completely get the affect of the purpose for the tour. It would be wonderful to have you and your husband near our table in the restaurant! My own husband and I (gay couple in our 40s) have found that the tables near and adjacent your own can make or break the trip in terms of the dining experience(s).
Thank you for commenting and complimenting! Now, I will say that Praki was happy to set everything up for our cocktail party - he laid a lovely table for our little soiree! He was just not permitted to tend bar. However, it has been a year since this voyage, so perhaps the offering has been restored?
Also, thank you for the encouragement on the gloves. I am starting to wear them indoors in videos out of spite now. ;-) My husband and I would be delighted of your company at table, or any other place for that matter. Completely agree about dining "neighbors" being crucial to one's enjoyment! Especially when the next table is literally two inches away!
Love your hair and the maroon coloured dress.
Thank you so much for commenting! So delightful to receive a compliment instead of the ad-hominem vitriol I often receive in the comments of my travel content! 😅
@@travelswiththecontessa5307 you could literally (if you haven't already), do a clothing review. I'm about to do my first 25 night cruise and I know I will overpack but I dont like wearing the same evening dress twice. Casual I can mix and match a little more.
@@antoniabaker7770 I am certainly a fashion afficianado and should probably do a more in-depth video exploring the topic, BUT - I did publish this fashion review shortly after this voyage which shows all og my evening attire and some of my day wear. Like you, I loathe repeating formal wear (and I tend to wear formal clothing on "smart casual" evenings as well)! czcams.com/video/vSI39J2H0rI/video.html
@@travelswiththecontessa5307 oh I think we must be twins. I'm exactly the same. Thanks I will view it shortly.
What’s with the gloves. Like the bar area. I agree with you on the tea bags, QG is serious money. Celebrity gives you everything and the kitchen sink. Great tour.
We love (and are very spoiled by) QG. We travel with my mother (now 97!) and that is her preferred. She will take her 20th Cunard cruise on QE with us in July-Aug. I can hardly wait!
Thank you for commenting! Your mother is my inspiration for how I want to live my life at 97 - I hope we may meet on a Queen some day! And yes, as my upcoming videos will show, there is everything to love about the whole QG experience (especially with the complexities of covid travel - concierge for the win!).
Disappointed we did not have a hand held shower in our Q4. Noticed you did not either
Sorry, I missed this comment! it is disappointing that such an expensive cabin doesn't have a detachable shower head; on the other hand, that might be problematic during high seas as it might come out and slam around easily.
Such a contrast to my room on the Hurtigruten! 2 beds, cupboard and tiny bathroom. Nothing else.
Was that an expedition to Antarctica?
Also such a contrast to my first ever cruise, which sounds like the cabin you described!
Love the gloves
Thank you so much! I somehow overlooked this comment. It is remarkable how the gloves really seem to polarize people. 😅
just been upgraded to q4 10th dec cruise 9001 suite cant wait
hi did the cruse fantastic only thing i dident like was the tea bags as prefer loose tea bed was very comfortable i love the drapes you have very beutiful
Holy cow - 3 minutes into it and the tea is cheap! Let's see how long I can watch this train wreck!
Did you make it much further, or was the cheap tea too discouraging? 😅
booked a q4 on queen victoria never done queens grill
Gloves? Inside your own cabin?
The gloves ……. Maybe not
9:07 IMHO architects of hotel roomes should generally be _forced_ to live a month in their own creations. 😁
=> No more useless curtains (or sometimes even glass-walled bathrooms 🙄), but more possibilities to hang clothes, ...
OMG, yes! That is in fact probably the nature of Architect Hell...
That was very interesting! 👍 - But...
I personally would never do such a cruise (for reasons of environmental protection, too boring during sea days, sightseeing too short and crowded ("plague of locusts"), the places visited receive nothing from the turnover, everything is impersonal big, ...)
P.S: You're looking gorgeous! 😊
First off, thank you for the compliment. :-) I understand your reservations about cruising (especially the ecological one!), but the Queen Elizabeth is actually one of the smaller ships out there now (as insane as that sounds). It definitely has a personalized feeling - the staff really get to know us and recognize us from previous voyages (we normally make such a voyage once a year), so it does not feel impersonal at all. I used to think that sea days would be boring, but on Cunard, they have so many fascinating and engaging activities throughout the day: enrichment speakers lecturing on a wide array of in-depth, intellectual topics - arts, science, humanities, literature, etc.; dance classes; painting classes; fitness classes; afternoon tea; tea dances in the afternoon; gala balls in the evening; quiz sessions; on-board sports. I look at cruises as a sort of buffet of travel - to get a taste of new places and decide if I want to return to explore more in-depth. But also, with Cunard, it is a chance to step back into the vanished world of Dowton Abbey for several weeks, to dress for dinner every night and dance vintage dances in a proper ballroom to a proper dance orchestra in elegant art nouveau and art deco surroundings. To immerse oneself in pomp and be properly pampered. No place else in the world I can do that, literally! But yes, not for everyone, and still - the environmental concerns remain (but I hope will find solutions in the coming years as more passengers express a desire for sustainable cruising)...
@@travelswiththecontessa5307 Wow, thanx a lot for your looong and insightful answer! (BTW: Is "insightful" a real word? 🤔)
I understand your motives very well - it's only (personally!) not my cup of tea. 😉
With all of the blogs and patreon posts I am currently writing, I am in full-on writer mode - to hell with short replies! :D And yes, "insightful" is in fact a real word!
@@travelswiththecontessa5307 ♥️👍
Consider leaving the gloves off next time! Q1s and Q2s on QE and QV are not duplexes....they exist on the QM2
What's with the hate for the gloves? She looks cute in them.
I've watched hundreds of cruise reviews, and this is absolutely the most ridiculous one I've ever seen.
A cruise ship is a giant diesel engine monster with zero benefit to the planet (disclaimer: I'm totally cool going in these beasts). Pretending that you care about the environment by complaining that the coffee pods, tea bags and tea pot are not "sustainable" is laughable at best.
Either care or don't. Biodegradable coffee pods don't offset your cruise and neither will a donation to an environmental charity.
Good grief.
Three words in a 17 minute video out of "hundreds" of cruise review videos: what a low threshold for "most ridiculous."
But more to your point, convictions don't need to be, and arguably should not be, absolute. There are some affordable, environmentally friendlier alternatives for teabags that would require very little effort to instate and make a positive difference; such low hanging fruit. Arguably there are no economical alternatives to cruising that encapsulate travel, lodging, dining, events, and ocean access the way cruises do. Sure you could do without, but the same argument could then apply to any and all activities one might do, including respiration. Are you suggesting only the apathetic should go on living?
And chatting with my wife on the matter, she suggested that dismantling a $9.2 billion industry is not a realistic objective, while influencing companies and individuals to adjust their spending habits ever so slightly is infinitely more attainable.