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Cunard

The last of the ocean liners, and it still behaves like one.

Who Cunard genuinely suits

  • People who want the crossing itself to be the holiday. Cunard is the only line here where a transatlantic is a scheduled service rather than a repositioning afterthought, and Queen Mary 2 is built for open ocean in a way most modern cruise ships are not.

  • Anyone who actively enjoys dressing for dinner. Gala nights are real here, and observed.

When you'd be better off elsewhere

  • Anyone who finds a dress code tiresome. It is a known, avoidable mismatch if you know before booking rather than after.

  • Families wanting a resort at sea. There are children aboard, but the ship is not organised around them the way P&O's newest ships are.

What the ships are actually like

Grill accommodation is a genuine two-tier system, and it changes the holiday. Princess Grill and Queens Grill guests each dine in their own private restaurant, separate from Britannia and from each other, and both tiers share access to the exclusive Grill Suites lounge, sun terrace, and priority disembarkation. Butler service, though, is a Queens Grill exclusive: Princess Grill guests instead get a dedicated suite steward and a Grills concierge, a real distinction rather than a marketing one. Worth understanding before you compare fares, because a Britannia fare and a Grill fare are not the same product wearing different prices.

Call it what it is: a British maritime class system

Nobody at Cunard will phrase it this way, so here it is plainly: the Grills are a class system, by design, and the modern descendant of how ocean liners have always worked. That is not an accident anyone is embarrassed about, and knowing it before you book is worth more than discovering it at dinner.

What it actually buys you: Princess Grill and Queens Grill each dine in their own restaurant, and both share a private lounge and sun terrace. What it does not buy you is a separate ship. The theatre, the Queens Room, the grand public spaces, everyone uses those together, and that is the point rather than a compromise.

So it cuts both ways. Book Britannia expecting the whole ship to treat you identically and you will notice the doors you cannot open. Book a Grill suite expecting to float above the rest of the ship and you have overpaid for something Cunard never offered. Book either one knowing exactly where the line falls and it is one of the most characterful holidays at sea.

What the fare covers

Usually in the fare

  • Breakfast, lunch and dinner in the restaurant that goes with your stateroom grade

  • The buffet restaurant, plus afternoon tea each day

  • Tea, coffee, water and juice at the buffets

Costs extra

  • Most drinks, including alcohol and premium soft drinks, unless you buy a drinks package

  • Wi-Fi, apart from free access to the My Voyage planner app

  • The alternative restaurants, for a supplement

  • Shore experiences, the spa and the casino

Cunard's Signature Packages bundle drinks, Wi-Fi and a dining credit if you would rather pay for them up front.

Read from the line's own website, October 2026. What a fare covers varies by sailing and by fare, so check your booking.

Tips and gratuities

Gratuities are not in the fare. A daily gratuity is added to your onboard account, so allow for it on top of the price shown.

It is charged per person per night, with the amount depending on your stateroom.

Checked against the line's own website, October 2026.

Where Cunard sits

Class

Premium, on our ladder from Mainstream through Ultra-Luxury.

A sample sailing

Queen Mary 2, 7 nights: Transatlantic, Southampton to New York, guide price from £1,199pp.

Close to half of every Cunard sailing leaves from Southampton

285 of 649 sailings worldwide leave from a UK port (44% of the programme), from Southampton, plus 1 from Liverpool.

Counted 4 August 2026 against live cruise-line inventory. Sailing counts move week to week.

Where Cunard boards in the UK

In the UK, Cunard sails from Southampton. Our guide covers who it suits, what actually sails and how to reach it.

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