QE2 Restaurants

[Bob C.]

...in 1972 when the Grill disappeared to become an extension of the Columbia Restaurant. The PG was reinstated in 1976...

I was not aware of this fun fact.  Anyone have a deck plan from 1973-1976 that shows this?  I was onboard the summers of 1972, 74 and 77 but was a tourist class passenger with a room on 4 deck and eating in the Britannia Restaurant so I did not notice any changes to the Q-deck public rooms.  I do remember exploring the C Stairway lift in 1977 and finding myself disoriented at the 1 Deck landing at the Champagne Bar and  Q-Deck P-Grill.  One of my subsequent favorite places on the ship.

[cunardqueen]

The glass Baby Grand piano, l remember they used to do requests on it at night time and Miss Arlene Daniels was there singing her little heart out & tickling the keys, god bless her, with a few folks sitting round the edge of it.
 A friend with a very dry sense of humour on a crossing dared to suggest the song " Enough is enough i cant go on" Im sure that isnt the song name more the words in a line, Well she must have overheard that comment and took offence as she gave a looks could kill look to where we were sitting.
She was for ever playing the tune New York New York
 I seem to remember being told that it was custom made  to the tune (no pun intended ) of £100K   

[Michael Gallagher]

The original Grill Room on Quarter deck was closed and the space became part of the expanded Columbia Restaurant. (Passengers previously assigned to the Grill Room would now dine in the Queens Grill).

1972 refit: In order to obtain an additional 225 seats to give the Columbia Restaurant a capacity of 810, the restaurant was enlarged and extended forward taking in, and replacing, the Grill Room on the port side and a chunk of the galley on the starboard side (the galley could be made smaller with the introduction of the dedicated galley above for the Britannia Restaurant).

To incorporate the former Grill Room into the Columbia Restaurant the settees in the Grill were recovered in the same as the Columbia and the Race chairs (as in Columbia and Britannia) were introduced and replaced the original leather ones; new carpeting and furnishings were introduced.

The Grill Room Bar on One deck was also closed with the space being used for storage purposes. However, the spiral staircase linking Grill and Lounge was retained.

And so from 1972 there was only the Queens Grill, Columbia Restaurant and Britannia Restaurant until, to appeal to larger deluxe passenger audience the Grill Room was bought back in 1976 and named Princess Grill. In 1977 the Britannia became Tables of the World and so it went on.....

The design of the 'new' Princess Grill was entrusted to Dennis Lennon and included perspex lights on pink table cloths at night with bulkheads panelled in Burgundy red leather and velvet and shiny metal trim. The original Grill Room Lounge on One deck forward was re-opened with the re-introduction of a Grill Room above. The area was decorated in the same style as the Grill itself. Passengers would gain access to the Princess Grill through the Princess Grill Lounge on One deck via a spiral staircase.

[Rob Lightbody]

Fantastic information, thanks so much!

I had been thinking that the PG Bar was pretty much original except for the seats.  I would LOVE to see how the bar looked Pre 1972!  So glad the PG bar & grill were rescued - they were possibly my favourite bits on board, if I'm honest.  They gave a huge sense of history and originality, even if they weren't 100% original.  At least an original QE2 designer worked on the refit of these areas.

[Malcolm]

The old glass piano from the original Yacht Club was sold to one of thr Hotel Managers for £12,000 when it was being removed in 1994...

I heard that it disappeared under rather unusual circumstances! I can't remember the details any more or who was actually thought to have it but I'm fairly certain it wasn't John Duffy.

[Twynkle]

Hello!

This is a really interesting part of QE2 history - thank you!
I'm wondering about the introduction of the term, expression and use of the Grills?
And the food served there!
There seems to be quite a similarity with The Savoy
Was there a Grill restaurant on QE2  from the beginning
 and solely for the use of first class passengers?

[Malcolm]

a few folks sitting round the edge of it.

That was my favourite spot to finish an evening when I first started going on the QE2 One of those stools immediately to the Pianist's right. I can't remember the name of the pianist on my first trip although I remember that he was there for a second trip as well. On another trip I "befriended" the pianist and he was the one who took me into the crew area

[Malcolm]

There seems to be quite a similarity with The Savoy
Was there a Grill restaurant on QE2  from the beginning

There was a Grill Room on both the original QM and the original QE. They were always a premium restaurant. I know that the Savoy Grill pre dated either of the Grills on the QM and QE. I don't know if there was a Grill Room on earlier ships (Mauretania for example) or when the term was first used to describe an exclusive restaurant.

[Michael Gallagher]

The Grill room concept began on the German ships Imperator, Vaterland and Bismarck - rivals to Mauretania / Lusitania and Olympic / Titanic. Imperator became Cunard's Berengaria after WWI - the first Cunard Queen. So she was the first Cunarder with such a facility. However, the Grills Rooms came into their own with Normandie / Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth where first-class paid extra. QE2 had her Grill Room (also extra tariff and open to both First and Tourist Class) until 1972 when the Queens Grill was introduced and assigned to Penthouses / Suites. I suppose today's extra tariff restaurants on ships are the Grills equivalent.

I think the Hotel Manager who got the piano was Englebert Lainer.

Rob: the original Grill Room Bar was decorated in the same colour as the Grill above but was quite stark - and stunning. The banquettes and bar was there but the seating was the same at that found in the original Midships Bar (just burgundy instead of green) and there was no flower / champagne display under the stairs. So that lovely spiral staircase was more dramatic.

[Bob C.]

What room was this piano in?  It does not look familiar at all.

[Louis De Sousa]

The old Yacht Club

Louis

[Chris]

Rob: the original Grill Room Bar was decorated in the same colour as the Grill above but was quite stark - and stunning. The banquettes and bar was there but the seating was the same at that found in the original Midships Bar (just burgundy instead of green) and there was no flower / champagne display under the stairs. So that lovely spiral staircase was more dramatic.

Michael, I noticed that after 1994 the "PG Lounge" was never included on the deck plans - it gathered a rather unique clientele of the repeat QE2 traveller and the inquisitive. Do you know why it was omitted from the brochure deck plans? Aside from the desire to have passengers use the Crystal Bar?

[Michael Gallagher]

Chris

The PG Bar was off deck plans for a while as it was used as a storeroom believe it or not!! What a waste. I'm glad sense was seen and it was reopened. For a time after 1994 there was a determined effort to get people to use the Crystal Bar and the 'new entrance' but the good old regulars would have none of that and continued with the One Deck entrance and who could blame them? The PG Bar and Grill certainly my favourite space on board but funnily enough, I never used to like eating in PG - the Britannia Grill always being my favourite place to eat.

[Louis De Sousa]

After the 1994 refit the PG lounge was used for FRIENDS OF BILL meetings and for private parties.

Louis

[Rob Lightbody]

I never used to like eating in PG - the Britannia Grill always being my favourite place to eat.

I have rather less experience to go on than you (thats to put it mildly) but the PG was quite close to magical to dine in.  I've never experienced anything like it.  BUT.  This room was only designed to be used in the evening... and in the evening, with the lights dimmed, and the blinds lowered, and the statues twinkling, and that clever roof doing what it does (hard to describe but it affected the ambience/light in the room).  I have to say it was also affected by my knowing its history, and for Andrew Nelder helping with this too.  It felt like we'd gone back in time to do something I'd always dreamed of doing.  I savoured every moment.  No photo can do it justice, but ESPECIALLY no photo taken before the room was full of people, in the evening, dark outside, in their finery.   I also dined in BG, and loved it, it felt less formal, more friendly and fun - but PG was also friendly and fun too.