Originally Posted by
TATLTAIL
- Service was spotty and generally unpolished: some staff were good, others really quite poor. Over 7 days we learned which ones to avoid, although few of them seemed to be in a good mood. Perhaps Cunard pays poorly or they are at the end of contracts?
- Extra charge restaurants are not worth the expense and are better avoided: the Veranda Grill was entirely mediocre, with a shockingly bad wine list for its billing and sloppy service; the speciality space (our was billed as "South Asian", called Bamboo) was vile, the service inept at best and definitely not worth an extra euro.
It's been hypothesized that a lot of the better cruise service workers left during the COVID shutdown and recruiting suitable replacements has been a challenge for almost all the lines since. It's been reported that most lines are short-staffed and/or poorly-staffed (substandard) in the hotel department. All lines (at least the non-gratuity-included ones) pay pretty poorly partially made up from the hotel service charge (i.e., gratuity) pool.
- The buffet areas were absolute zoos, as if fresh meat had been thrown into a cage of wild animals. TBF, the food on offer was pretty poor there, but one can always go to a restaurant or order to cabin.
I am surprised but perhaps Cunard suffers the same catering cutbacks as its CarnivalCorp wharfmates. Buffets seem bad on crowded ships in general and may have been made worst by staffing shortages.