Queen Anne

[Ray B]

Great, very interesting Portsmouth. Your wife forgetting her reading glasses reminded of a time we were on the beach at the Habour lights Barbados. Any how it was hot, and Sarah and myself thought a quick dip is calling, it was as we were about to get out of the
sea and as we climbed the small ridge just off the beach a large wave knocked us over. The Good lady had forgot to lake her brand new glasses off before entering the sea, the wave knocked them off and despite people nearby and some snorkeling hunting for them, they were lost.
So if you see a dolphin swimming around with a £500+ pair of glasses on, you know where they came from.
And yes, like you it was a trip to try and find a shop that sold reading glasses, the big department store sort us a pair.
She now uses a cheaper pair for the beach.
I've rattled on a bit , but good posts Pompy.

[Portsmouth]

Glad you enjoyed Madeira. It's one of our favourite places in the world. We go twice a year most years to stay for two or three weeks. It all started with a one day cruise call in 1999.

Agree....it's a lovely island to have a holiday. Just wondering if you stayed at the Porto Santa Maria it looks a really nice hotel in the old town 4 star with rooms overlooking the sea away from the centre of Funchal but close enough to walk. If sometime, we go back for a few days, it might be worth staying there.

Saturday......we are in La Palma today and have until 6:30. Had booked a morning trip with Cunard for here and it took us to where the volcano erupted in 2021. Luckily there were no deaths but over 1000 houses got destroyed. I really enjoyed the coach journey.....we were taken through the rain forest and then we went past a huge amount of banana plantations and saw a different side to the island. The island is referred to as La Isla Verde ( the green island ) & I can see why.

When we returned it was about lunchtime so we had lunch onboard and then went back outside to explore.....we didn't need to go that far. I heard the sound of music and thought we would see if there was something going on.....we followed the coastal road along and there was some sort of small festival with different local foods for you to eat along with different wines and drinks . Everyone looked pretty chilled a mixture of locals and some from the ship with a dj playing music.
However thats not all....there is a reason the road is called Balcones de la avenida Maritima. there were some amazing wooden balconies overlooking the road....some decorated with flowers. If you like looking a styles of buildings etc it's definitely a place to take a walk along.

Ok, so it's time to tell you about the entertainment

Royal Court theatre had magician Stephen Garcia comedy and magic.....now I did go to this show and think I might have enjoyed it but to be honest....a month later I can't even remember it ...so your guess is as good as mine
Queens Room had Made in Britain with the Queens Room Musicians celebrating all things British

[Portsmouth]

So if you see a dolphin swimming around with a £500+ pair of glasses on, you know where they came from.

So funny the comment of course...not losing the glasses

[Portsmouth]

Sunday....we were in Santa Cruz de Tenerife....all aboard time is 7:00pm
Got off the ship and had a nice time wandering about stopping for a drink every now & then

Royal Court theatre had Brief Encounter an adapted production of the Noel Coward play....very enjoyable
Queens Room had another chance to see Shona Lindsay singing
The Pavilion film was The Who Live in Hyde Park

Monday.....Las Palmas Gran Canaria.....all aboard time is 6:30pm
We decided to do our own thing again today and decided to catch a bus going to Playa del Ingles a beach resort in Maspalomas.
If anyone else wants to catch a bus rather than taking the Cunard coach way it is far cheaper and depending where you want to go some bus services seem pretty regular. As you leave the cruise area on the right hand side there is a big sign saying Bus Station. There is a lift and the bus station is one floor below. Anyway...Playa del Ingles is only 45 minutes drive.
Anyway, we got there and usually when I off a bus I haven't been on... I cross the road and check the going back timetable
However what I hadn't anticipated was being dropped off on a one way street but honestly it really wasn't a big deal as we soon found where one was to go back. Quick check of the timetable and buses going back were about 2 an hour . Then we had a delightful walk along the long promenade and when we got to the shopping area stopped for a drink etc etc.
When we decided to return...a bit later than planned we were walking towards the bus stop and we were 5 minutes early and to my surprise the bus shot by and didn't even stop. Luckily I had made sure we had plenty of time but it was a bit annoying. We decided to wait for the next one which was in about 25 mins and that was fine. If you go by public transport you have to make sure you have a good safety net .

Royal Court theatre Harry the Piano.....virtuoso pianist Harry recounts hilarious tales from a life in music and takes your requests for a song into to any style you like.
Queens Room.....Sounds of the 80s with the Queens room musicians ( Madonna,Kool and the Gang,Dianna Ross,Billy Joel and more
The Pavilion....Silent Cinema....Romeo & Juliet ....Shakespeare's play updated to the hip modern suburb of Verona

[Portsmouth]

Tuesday....Arrecife Lanzarote........time aboard 4:30
got up late....too late for breakfast .....got off the ship about noon and decided to have breakfast somewhere in town. As time back onboard was in about 4 hours didn't think we had time to go further afield so just wandered around.

Royal Court theatre ...they had New Amen Corner covering hits from the 60s etc....great act everyone seemed to enjoy them
Queens Room...Modern Vintage with the Queens Room musicians playing familiar favourites with a vintage twist
Pavilion screen was showing a collection of BFI shorts....Meow or Never, TheCrane, Something in the Closet and a couple more

Wednesday....we are at sea en route to Lisbon
Cunard Insights...Royal Court theatre
10:00am had Roy Paul discussing Maritime history.....Vasco da Gama
11:00am had Robert Powell discussing Jane Austen - A celebration of her life and work
12:00am had Dave Mallinder popular Music historian .......After the Beatles

Tonight it's Gala Evening Attire ( Masquerade )
Royal Court Theatre has Lets Dance.......classic and modern dance styles in a contemporary and entertaining way ....didn't see it
Queens room Masquerade Gala Evening with the Queens Room musicians taking you back to the grand old days of Venice.
Queens Room 9:45 Aerial Performance with breathtaking aerial acrobatics.

[Portsmouth]

Thursday.....last port we visit ....it's Lisbon time to be onboard 5:30

Took a Cunard excursion today.....Lisbon Highlights & Cascais....I think on this tour I would have liked
to spend more time in Cascais and I think that Cunard could have improved this tour with a bit of extra time added.....
First stop was King Edward V11 gardens to look at the statues.....that was OK . Then We went to the The Padrão dos Descobrimentos or to put in English .....Monument of Discoveries. It was something to see and get a photo but there were so many other tourists . On the other side of the river was the statue of Christ the King ( Cristo Rei Statue.) but it was so far away to get a decent photo. Then we went along to Cascais a small seaside town. We only had a hour to be there ...not enough time to wander round and have a cappuccino in a cafe....that's why I thought it could do with an extra half hour to be there. I did see a railway station there and as the ship in Lisbon is close to the main railway station it looks like somewhere to go independently.

Royal Court theatre...John Martin he performs stand up comedy...used to write jokes for Jimmy Tarbuck & other well known comedians.
Queens Room....70s rewind with the Queens Room musicians lots of different songs from Creedence Clearwater Revival, Led Zeppelin to Diana Ross and Otis Redding.

Friday....its the first of two sea days
my daily programme is missing but I can tell you it is the last formal night...It was dress up for the Roaring 20s.

Saturday....last day at sea.
11:00am Zumba with Cruise Director Neil Kelly.....I heard someone say he is retiring soon.
Cunard Insights in the Royal Court theatre
10:00am Roy Paul Maritime historian.......I believe in Father Christmas...the story of Saint Nicholas of Myra born in 270AD
11:00am Dave Mallinder popular music historian ....12 songs for Christmas Bing Crosby, Mariah Carey and Michael Bubla
12:15 Judith Hinchliffe Forensic Science....discussing how teeth can be useful for evidence

Royal Court theatre 2pm....An Audience with John Martin.....answers questions about his life....it was really interesting.
Royal Court theatre.....Harry the Piano is back....6pm and 8pm
Queens Room....its another chance to see New Amen Corner
Royal Court theatre ....John Martin again at 10:30

Sunday ....back at Southampton

[Mervyn and Trish]

Glad you enjoyed Madeira. It's one of our favourite places in the world. We go twice a year most years to stay for two or three weeks. It all started with a one day cruise call in 1999.

Agree....it's a lovely island to have a holiday. Just wondering if you stayed at the Porto Santa Maria it looks a really nice hotel in the old town 4 star with rooms overlooking the sea away from the centre of Funchal but close enough to walk. If sometime, we go back for a few days, it might be worth staying there.

We have a timeshare apartment a little further out at the Pestana Grand, but we have friends who've stayed at the Porto Santa Maria and highly recommend it. It would be a very good choice. A lot of good restaurants close by.

[Portsmouth]

Just made a last minute booking to Madeira for a few nights...I did look at Porto Santa Maria but of course its booked up. Gone instead for a nice hotel just outside Funchal. Maybe time to give the Cabo Girao Skywalk a go.

[Portsmouth]

So here it is the final post about the Queen Anne.
I think most cruisers on here will know about The Golden Lion on deck 2....it's a pub with various music acts and also seems to have a quiz of some sort each evening and they seen to be quite fun. Even though it has plenty of room, it does get a bit full at times. They also serve food at lunch & evening but I didn't try any so I can't comment. I did notice that a few larger groups go there and people seem friendly when the various quizzes are on.I was there for one music quiz and it was great to see the way audience participation made the quiz so much more fun.

Just along from the Golden Lion is the Bright Lights Society which puts on a special show. Although they are free, because of the size of the room you have to book in advance usually. I saw Noir a murder mystery that you can join in ( if asked ) or just watch. It's quite funny but I can also see it might not be for every one. I actually liked it especially how the person murdered kept on dying 7:15 or 9:30 were the times and it was on a few times. The other one they did was Fizz which I didn't see ....they say it's an invite to the most extravagant party in town.Enjoy live music , stunning vocals and burlesque dance.
Later in the evening it turns into a nightclub where a DJ Mark is in charge.

They call the casino ....room 1840 and it's on deck 3 just before you go to the theatre. I did have a small attempt at winning on roulette. I gave myself a set amount $40 ( last of the big spenders ) and decided whatever happened that was all I was going to spend. Anyway as it turned out I ended up losing $7 overall before cashing in the $33 I had left. The other thing to mention is that when alot of people are going to or leaving the theatre it can get a bit crowded but nothing really that bad.

So to sum up....for me it was a really good experience to cruise on Queen Anne and also my friends liked being on her. I think that if it was a choice of Queen Anne v Queen Mary then the latter would win as I've heard many good things about the Queen Mary and I'd also like to cruise with her.

[Ray B]

Thanks Portsmouth, it was very interesting to follow your time on the Queen Anne.
I'm one who did not know of the Golden lion pub on deck two or anything else about the ship. But your posts have given me a glimpse of what ticks onv the ship, and it sounds a good ship to give others thinking of a Queen cruise, worth a good look at.

[CaroleF]

Thank you Portsmouth, your report really gave a good insight into what Cunard offers. I'm very impressed with all the lectures etc. I'd certainly have been very interested in quite a few of them. I've been on Queen Elizabeth for a short cruise but may well be interested in a Cunard cruise at come point. I think I'd keep to either Queen Elizabeth or Victoria rather than the other two larger ones.

Carole

[Onelife]

Yes’, nice review Pompey ...having read other reviews, the lectures and entertainment on Cunard seem to be more varied than that of other cruise line reviews that I have read.

I’ve given your review **** as it wasn’t quite as good as my last Aurora review 2014