Cunard's Queen Victoria visits Edinburgh

On a breezy Sunday I joined a group of other travel agents to get a sneak peek at the lovely Cunard "Queen Victoria" on her British Isles cruise. Hopping on board the tender from Newhaven Harbour, it didn't take long to reach the ship, which was anchored in the Firth of Forth, giving her passengers a fabulous view of Edinburgh as well as the Forth Rail Bridge.

I was immediately impressed by the number of smiling staff - on Queen Victoria there are 1,990 guests when fully booked, and nearly 1,000 crew. Cunard take a huge amount of pride in their legendary "White Star" service which means that all the staff are very highly trained and will ensure that guests feel pampered at all times.

We were shown some of the lovely public areas on board - on all three Cunard ships, restaurants are paired with the accommodation chosen - inside, ocean view and balcony stateroom guests eat in the Britannia Restaurant while choosing a Princess Grill and Queens Grill Suite entitles you to the respective single seating restaurant. There is also an alternative fine dining restaurant or a buffet which is open all day or evening.

I was really impressed by the size of the Spa on board - there are plenty of treatment rooms as well as a gorgeous relaxation area with heated beds looking out to sea. The outdoor pools and whirlpools were not in use due to the chilly Scottish weather, but they looked very inviting!

There are some completely unique Cunard touches - where else could you learn to fence, shop in Harrods or sit in your own private box in the theatre? I loved it!