Nightlife ratings
| Live venues | Rating |
|---|---|
| Bar(s) | (4.0) |
| Night club | (3.0) |
| Lounge(s) | (4.0) |
| Live shows | (4.5) |
| Electronic | Rating |
|---|---|
| Movies | (4.0) |
| TV channels | (4.0) |
| Internet | (4.0) |
The Commodore Club
The Commodore Club is a piano bar that serves signature Cunard cocktails. It also has great panoramic views across the front of the cruise ship, making it something of an observation lounge.
The cocktails in the Commodore Club are one-of-a-kind. In fact they aren’t available in any of the other Queen Elizabeth bars. I like the “Punch Romaine à la Carpathia”. It’s part dessert, part drink with Advocaat, Lemocello, Cream Sherry and Mallow. They say it was the last libation served on the Titanic.
The pianist adds to the ambiance and is happily take requests.
Hours: 10:00am – 1:00am.
Midships Bar
The Midships Bar is a popular pre-dinner meeting place on Queen Elizabeth. Indeed, as the name suggests it is located midship (on deck 3) and in the evening a string quartet set the mood.
The bar has an old-world feel with lots of comfortable sofas and some quiet nooks for romantic rendezvous.
The Midships Bar has a great drinks menu. In fact it specialises in gin creations with 8 pages of gin-based inspiration. I sampled a delicious gin cocktail called “A Hint of the Orient” with notes of lotus root and star anise.
The Midships Bar is not to be missed.
Hours: 5:00pm – midnight.
The Yacht Club
The disco on Queen Elizabeth is called the Yacht Club. It has a resident D.J. and a round dance floor, as well as plenty of seating and a bar. The Yacht Club is located near the Commodore Club and has views over the Pavilion Pool.
It’s not always busy, but on the nights when people do decide to come out it is one of the most lively Queen Elizabeth bars.
Hours: 9:30pm – late.
The Royal Court Theatre
The Royal Court Theatre is the place to go for spectacular shows and entertainment by guest artists.
There are performances almost every night and the standard is generally very high, especially the cast shows.
The venue itself is like a West End theatre with stalls as well as a dress circle. There are even boxes for hire. Hiring a box is a real treat and includes champagne and chocolates. The cost is US$60 per box.
The Royal Court Theatre also has movie screenings at certain times. Check the Daily Programme newsletter for details.
Showtimes: 8:00pm and 10:00pm.
Ballroom dancing in the Queens Room
Dancing in the magnificent Queens Room is a very special experience, particularly on Gala nights. In fact the Queens Room is the biggest ballroom at sea, with a dramatic high ceiling, crystal chandeliers and a live orchestra that sets the scene.
You won’t be able to resist the urge to swing your way around the dance floor. But that said, the Queens Room seems to attract as many spectators as it does dancers!
The pub – a different Queen Elizabeth bar
The Golden Lion Pub showcases of the best of British pub-life. Each evening there is a live bands as well as coverage of major sporting events on big screens. In addition there are pub games and even karaoke. It’s all good fun and it does feel just like a London pub.
Hours: 10:00am – 1:00am.
The Garden Lounge
The Garden Lounge is a large, conservatory-style Queen Elizabeth bar. Indeed, it is inspired by the conservatories at Kew Gardens. There are oversized wicker armchairs and lots of pot plants which add to the decor. The Garden Lounge serves a light breakfast, delicious afternoon teas and refreshing cocktails.
The Grills Lounge
The Grills Lounge is reserved for guests staying in Princess and Queens Grill suites. It’s an exclusive venue, although the drinks they serve are similar to those in other Queen Elizabeth bars. Read more about the Grills Lounge here.
The author sailed as a guest of Cunard.
About the Author: Jason Kerr
Thank you for the insight, my anticipation grows!
Already bookedLast check for my bucket list. Sailed The Queen Mary and The Queen Victoria. Going with family and friends who are all very excited about this trip. Thank you for all the good information.
59 days and “We are Sailing”
Always sailed on a party cruise or musical cruises but really looking forward to
this cruise
Pampering
Massages
Total relaxation
On Deck scenic Vistas
Nice review, it accords with our experience on the QE. Your comments here, and in your Silver Whisper review about under-populated dance floors and more spectators than dancers were interesting.
My wife and I are at Silver, or intermediate, skill level in ballroom dance, which includes the old stalwarts of waltz and foxtrot and also the popular Latin dances, rumba, cha cha, tango, merengue, samba etc. One of our major reasons for cruising is the ability to walk to a good restaurant, walk to a night spot for a few drinks and a few hours of dancing, then walk to our room. No cars, no rush, no stress.
But you’re right, the dance floors are often empty. Our last trip was on NCL Pearl and we were in the Spinnaker lounge nearly every night and there were never more than 5 couples on the floor, except on gala evenings.
A lady who regularly sat behind us at NCL Bliss Ballroom Dance Hour said to us that:
-cruise lines do not like ballrooms, dance floors or dancers, too costly.
-but they need a few dance venues and dancers so they can advertise the ability to “dance the night away”.
-dancers are part of the advertising and the on-ship entertainment.
-the lady liked to dance but only the informal clutch and sway, or stand and rock we all did in high school.
-those with no formal dance training do not like to be on the floor with trained dancers, we embarrass them. I think that’s true and hate it, it’s the last thing we want to do. I asked her to dance with me several times and she refused, while remaining friendly and talkative.
The result of all this is fewer, smaller and badly maintained dance venues on cruise ships and musicians and DJs who don’t know less and less about dance music and so play everything from Hip Hop to American hillbilly at ear-splitting volume for “dancing”.
Anyway, keep up the good work, maybe please include a few comments in future reviews about the size of dance floors and venues and the quality and volume of the music. Your review of Silver Whisper convinced me to try to talk my wife into a Vancouver to Hawaii trip on her this September.