Three questions. Is the promenade deck a full wraparound?

Are there many single cabins? I was told there was. The cruise line is advertising big savings (two for one) and no savings for singles. Isn't that proof that there is no such thing as two for one? What if the price is good and one traveller is a no show? I could live with that.
Finally, is that ship stable like the Rembrandt was? (Not financially of course) The Rembrandt was the most pleasant ship in rough seas. There are many sea days in the cruise I'm looking at.

Hope you Caronia fans give me some answers.

The other Bible (Berlitz Guide) rates her as 4.5 stars, which is very good indeed! There are 376 cabins with a maximum passenger capacity of 732 and 400 crew. There are 73 single cabins. Berlitz rates her amount of teak deck space and wrap around prom as expansive. She is well maintained, stable and quiet in operation.

Sounds perfect!

Cunard's Vistafjord (above):

Transformed into Caronia (above): One ship, two different paint jobs!

The Caronia now matches the QE2 (above):.

(Pictures borrowed from Travelpage and cunard.com)

Colt thinks your "Scottish", thats the best laugh I will have all weekend.

Cheers
M.

Caronia docked

Caronia funnel

Clearing the dock

Her stern, showing the pool area

Click on the pictures for a larger version.

I heard some comments about the stability problems of Caronia and she was expected to receive spoonsons at waterline but I'm not sure if this was done (at least they aren't visible) or if the problem was resolved differently. Can anyone put some light on this matter?

Regards
Paulo Mestre

Fantastic pictures Paulo!

I would look into the stability thing a bit more. I read somewhere that after Cunard did all its promoting and re-launching from Liverpool I believe, all the dignatories on board were overcome by seasickness. It did go into dry dock quite soon after that, so maybe the problems were fixed. Your best best is try and get a hold of someone who has been on it recently, and hopefully when it was quite rough seas.

Ofcourse you may be a very good sailor and the stability thing may not be a factor in your choice.

I'm sailing on her next month Southampton to Ft. Lauderdale so I'll let you know as a transatlantic crossing in November ought to answer the stability questions.

I share your frustration at the lack of first hand information regarding CARONIA, particularly since her makeover at the end of last year. So far have seen nothing about recent experiences onboard (and been booked since February so have had plenty of time to search.)

If it comes close to the experiences we had on the QE2 in 98 and 99 I'm sure it'll be fine but on those (World cruise segments) we were in the Queens Grill so expected (and largely got) an unforgettable experience. As the CARONIA is one class rather than the QE2's three or four we wonder if the service is the same across the board or varies, even if in less obvious ways, between cabin grades.

Cunards unique selling point is indeed their heritage.

It still amazes me how one person will think that a cruise is fantastic, and another person on the very same cruise, regards it as a disaster. It's all rather subjective!

Allow me to hazard a few guesses. What puts you off the QE2? The class system? The prices? The smokers? The elegant nursing home atmosphere?

The class system thing is overblown. Yes, the Queens Grill pax have a private lounge to which one can invite non-QG passengers and for which privilege the Queens Grill passenger must sign the check. It's small, the servers get to know you, the snacks are tasty and it's a lovely place to read and gaze at the sea, far from all the activity in other rooms during the day. The high teas seem nicer as well, better food I guess.

The prices are high but so is the ambiance.
There are probably better bargains out there but none I know of on the last true liner in service. Likewise my experience has been that the passengers, from the lowest inside cabins to the sundeck suites, are nicer people for being onboard. (And nice people when on land, as well.) I got to hang out with an 80 year duchess at the pool one day as well as a (relatively) poor widow from New Zealand I met in the laundromat. Both were helping me iron after a week and got to be friendly with one another.

The Grill itself is divided into smoking and non and the two non-smokers among the ten at our five tables for two on our "shelf," a raised platform along the starboard side, raved about the ventilation saying it was so good they didn't mind dining with us nicotine addicts. All other public areas are similarly divided and ventilated.

On the World Cruise, the age demographic is high. Really, really high. God's waiting room high. Who else has weeks and months to travel, not to mention the wherewithal to afford the cost? That said, I found my elderly shipmates lovely, pretty lively, and good company. The disco isn't swinging but that's the tradeoff for the refined, if slightly sleepy, atmosphere.

You might love her, you might hate her, but she's one of a kind. I'm in my mid-40's and am glad to have had the experience. Pretty soon it'll no longer exist.

The thing that galls me now is that the former first class cabins, for which we paid, what I would consider on a US Civil Service moderate-grade-level salary, reasonable prices, are now offered at stratospheric prices. I have the old tickets and recently queried Cunard how much cabin XXX or YYY would now be. Jeeeze!

As previously certified snobs, we are reluctant to (you should excuse the observation) "descend" into the former tourist class resturants, which we know do not now have the ("Would you care for a delicious rack of lamb tonight, sir? There are a few back there.") amenities.

Now Mauritania Class is now the only mode that our current finances will permit.

The meals on QE2 in the 1970s were our major raison d'etre for our devotion to Cunard.

But I have noted several comments in these pages that, along with international crews and (ugh) midnight buffets, its former shining culinary glory has been adjusted to the cruising masses - e.g. significantly diminished!

Thus our interest in Caronia. Does Cunard or "Caribbean Schlock" rule?

And yes, I am already pre-qualified as a snob, so do not bother repeating the charge!