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Originally posted by NAL:
Just wondering, Pam, how did QE ride the winter Atlantic?

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She did fine. We had good and bad weather. 3 rough days with it being F9/10 - I did note the Queens Room seemed a bit empty for Afternoon Tea one afternoon She took everything in her stride really, no slamming and juddering, just plenty of rattling and creaking. The bedside table lamps became very irritating. Spray was up against the Lido windows continuously at one point, but no big waves over the bow that I saw.

The New York arrival in the mist, sleet and wind was about an hour late as we had had to slow down mid way due to the weather, but caught up once it improved. Being aboard overnight there is superb with the views.

My photos are all online and my comments re her are in the various albums' descriptions and also links to a few video clips from them, Indexed here.

Tom, it took us just under 2 hours from joining the queue to getting through Immigration. We had been given times for each deck and as we berthed an hour late, being good we joined the queue an hour after our allotted time. However others just piled down and pushed in where they could - this did not help! When we joined the queue to exit from QE was from midships all the way down Deck 2 hallway to the restaurant and up the stairs to the next floor.
A few people obviously grumbled at the Cunard lady there, what they said I don't know, but she was somewhat less than polite in her responses - not good - and was saying it wasn't Cunard's fault etc.. and only so many people were permitted off at any one time into the immigration hall.
When we got to just before exit from QE on her radio another lady was being told off from shore saying she was not keeping up with letting enough people off and to quickly send another 100 or more.
Once in the immigration hall, this was much better.. a short snake queue in a high ceiling brightly lit area - far better to queue here than in a hot dark corridor!
Why it took this length of time I have no idea as there were many desks of officials all working fast [I did not specifically count them, but certainly 15 - 20, even more perhaps, I was surprised], polite and efficient, not the go-slow non smiling type. Certainly a better 'Welcome to the USA' than one gets at most airports. I wouldn't complain over our experience there. It could have been quicker, but it wasn't drastic - and it would also have been faster disembarking without the queue jumpers on board.

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Originally posted by PamM:
The Golden Lion is fine but I found it a bit dark, dismal even, due to the double windows; those 'square pane' dark framed thick surrounds inset into her real windows did not let in much natural light..

Pam

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The best room on the ship is the Commodore Club. The Midships Bar is just long space the border open passageways, (As if your living room is in the middle of a mall.) not a real room such as the Chart Room on the Queen Mary 2.

The pictures of the bath reminded me of the very small shower stall on the Queen Victoria I experienced. To make it even less of a space there was VERY limited shower stall shelving for soap and other items. The next time I sail on the Queen Victoria or the Queen Elizabeth I will be sure to bring along a shower head caddy that you can slip over the shower head. Perhaps other passengers have already tried this.

I never sat in he Midships Bar, it did not seem to be one as you say, and with the display cabinets of memorabilia it is a bit odd having to stand between people sitting having a drink to view them, the cabinet contents that is; you felt sort of intruding.

No one has noticed that I made one big omission The 'room' I frequented probably more than any was Café Carinthia and I do not have a single photo. I kept saying to myself I would take some another time when there were less people about [it was always quite full] and then just thought I had taken them as had been there so many times. I could kick myself as it was one of the best places imho.

Pam

[ 02-02-2012: Message edited by: PamM ]

Pros and cons to each and much is personal preference. I enjoyed them both thoroughly and would not have passed one up in preference to the other.

QE is new and modern, clean and tidy; BW is quite tired and needs a good spruce up. QE has slippy shiny decks, BW has blue plastic covered crunchy metal on her upper decks and a lots of teak on the prom/poop. QE is really brown with yet more brown and quite 'twee' in areas, but lovely in others [the nickname Beige Princess is quite deserved]; BW actually has more colour in her decor. Apart from the lack of double beds in most of her cabins, BW's are better fitted out with more storage and you get tea/coffee making facilities in all, but no fridge in most.

There was no difference in the standards/quality of staff aboard, nor really with the food, just different options [not more on either one] and some not as good as others. QE's Britannia Restaurant is a far nicer area to dine in though and spacious compared to the squash in BW's Glentanar, yet QE's Lido is terrible to find a seat in at times; the Britannia having quite limited opening hours at lunch 12:30 - 14:00, one sometimes has to queue at those same times the Lido is too busy. QE's charges are double those of BW for drinks/wine etc.

As far as the average cruiser goes they would each have a specific preference between these two depending on their personal likes/dislikes. If QE and BW were doing an itinerary I wanted to do, on the same dates I would take BW. I would not choose to specifically sail QE again, but I have been on BW 5 times and would happily choose her anytime, just as I would QM2

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Originally posted by PamM:
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QE is new and modern, clean and tidy; BW is quite tired and needs a good spruce up. [...]

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Unfortunately, this was true many years ago. Also, she became a rather crowded ship with Fred Olsen (beside other changes). However, while I have not been aboard QE I do not at all like the 'plastic' flooring on her decks. Giving that Black Watch has an amazing 'variety' of different open deck space (especially for her size - this is definitely her strength) - she is certainly outdoing QE in this respect.

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Originally posted by PamM:
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and BW were doing an itinerary I wanted to do, on the same dates I would take BW. I would not choose to specifically sail QE again, but I have been on BW 5 times and would happily choose her anytime, just as I would QM2
Pam

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The Queens Grill was spectacular. Nothing the seas could do caused any flaws in service or cuisine. Infact The dining experience was far superior to the Queens Grill the week before on the MARY. Maitre'd Eco's mantra was, "If it's a problem, I'll worry; you don't!" I hope to savour the ELIZABETH's Queens Grill again and soon.

This was my second transatlantic crossing on the ELIZABETH. I would do it again too, but not in any room on or near the stern. The first time my room was on 8 deck midships, and even that high up there was no violent motion, and like this year the seas misbehaved last year also.