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Although close to Christmas, we decided on a pre Christmas cruise from Southampton calling at Amsterdam, Zeebrugge, Brussels and Le Have in order to visit the Christmas Markets. Parking at Southampton could not be easier. From the time we handed in my keys, dropped the luggage, to the time we entered our cabin was just 30 minutes.

As this was a six day cruise we tried an inside cabin which actually turned out to be better than expected as I suffer a little from claustrophobia and after the first night did not find it a problem. The cabin was well designed to give a feeling of spaciousness and the light decor just added to this feeling. The Queen Victoria is just one of Cunards three liners and in many ways very similar to the new Queen Elizabeth which I had the pleasure of going on in Southampton when she was launched last October. A sleek design with a contemporary feel and overtones of the 1920's - 1930's, and with traditional Cunard features, a lovely ship. This cruise also made Cunard History as their first lady Captain, Captain Inger Olsen took command for the first time, although she had previously been Captain of the Azura. Dress code on board was one night formal, two semi formal and two casual but I think because it was near to Christmas most people wanted to dress up.

Our main dining room was the Britannia which has two sittings and where we found the staff very helpful and always at hand when needed; nothing was too much trouble. The menu was varied and well presented. One evening we dined in the Todd English restaurant which is an alternative dining option and for which they have a cover charge of US$25.00 per person. The restaurant is more intimate and ideal for a special occasion, it even has it's own galley with Chef and staff trained by Todd English. If you don' t want to be tied to a sitting or avoid the more formal evenings then there is always there very popular Lido restaurant where on certain evenings they have special themed menus such as India, Italian or Chinese, and although there is no cover charge it is wise to prebook in order to reserve a table. We tried the Indian which was excellent, but wherever you eat on board the food was very good. The Lido restaurant is also open I believe 24 hours so if you fancy a snack after the night club closes at around 0330 then you will find one at the Lido. Apart from the above there are also other places to eat such as the Golden Lion Pub, where as the name suggests you get 'pub grub', the coffee shop for delectable pastries, ice creams and speciality coffee (charge) and a couple of the bars to be found around the ship.

If after all that food you want to work it off they do have a very well equipped fitness centre with trained staff in order to offer advice. The Spa Centre offers an array of different treatments with staff to advise on various products. Cunard has a varied entertainment programme from their own entertainers and dancers to guests artists, never the same two evenings. They also have several different venues so you may watch a film in the theatre, listen to a band in the Queens Lounge and join in the dancing (Ladies on Cunard also have Gentlemen who will partner them in the waltz and foxtrot), to a trivia quiz in the Pub, and if you don't fancy that and want something quieter then there is the library, card room or a quiet lounge, something for everyone depending on your mood. Like other ships they have a daily newspaper which is delivered to your cabin so you can see what is going on the next day and which also includes port information if a port day. Unfortunately for us we had snow, snow, and more snow which meant that although we could get ashore in Amsterdam, the excursions in the Belgium and France were cancelled, which was a great shame but Cunard did arrange extra on board activities, and with the ship being so beautifully decorated for Christmas I don't think too many people minded. If you like Christmas then I would thoroughly recommend this sort of cruise and if you would like more information on the Queen Victoria then why not give me a call.