Queen Victoria Ship Visit
She has a very homely feel with her Edwardian dark wood and is very traditional in style. Queen Victoria carries 2061 Guests and a crew of 981 and is the smallest in the Cunard fleet. She is perfect for both regular cruisers looking for more value, flexibility and choice and also first time cruisers. There is plenty to do onboard and you will certainly feel special and well looked after. Cunard are very proud of their famous white star service and there is always one crew member for every two guests. Cunard are one of the only mainstream cruise lines to maintain this on their ships. The crew have to complete white star training, which is very intense, but unless they pass then they cannot work for Cunard. They have four values charismatic, thoughtful, refined and proud.
First stop on our tour was to visit the staterooms. We saw the main four types of cabins – Britannia (inside, outside and balcony), Britannia Club, Princess Suites and Queen Suites – each category has its own restaurant. You can’t dine up, but you can dine down if you wish to dine with friends who are in a different category to you. We headed straight to one of the grand suites, which are the most lavish suites on the vessel. By staying in this suite you will also have the advantage to be able to dine in the Queens grill. These suites also enjoy a butler and concierge service as well as lots of other privileges. We then proceeded to see a variety of different staterooms. I was really impressed with the size of the interior staterooms. They were very roomy. The outside staterooms all have picture windows as well.
If you are wanting to book a balcony stateroom on Queen Victoria, a great tip would be to try and get a corner stateroom. There are 8 to choose from and they all have larger balconies. There are also 20 accessible staterooms onboard. They do sell out extremely quick though, so you need to book well in advance. If you are wanting a stateroom with a bath the first category with baths are the Princess Grill staterooms.
After viewing the staterooms we then headed to the front of the cruise ship to view the Commodore Club. This is a great bar to come to for a pre-dinner cocktail, whilst enjoying the panoramic views. We also visited the Yacht Club as well, which is where you should aim for if wanting to dance the night away to live DJ's and bands until the early hours. My highlight was the Royal Court theatre. For a special treat you can hire a private royal box for the evening, which is bookable for up to 4 people and includes a half bottle of champagne and nibbles. This would be fantastic if celebrating a special occasion whilst on board.
By the time we got to the outdoor decks the sun was shining and I could just imagine what it would feel like to be relaxing by the pool on a day at sea. There are two swimming pools onboard the Lido pool and the promenade pool. Onboard Queen Victoria there are plenty of sunbeds and areas with shade as well. I loved the Winter garden area, which is a really airy lounge area and if the weather is bright the roof retracts as well.
One of the most popular bars on board is the Golden Lion pub, which is very casual bar and designed to feel like a traditional London pub. You can enjoy a fish and chip lunch or even some karaoke of an evening here. This is also one of three venues you can go to if wanting to dress casual on a formal night. The other 2 venues are the lido restaurant and the Winter Garden.
Formal nights onboard the Queen Victoria are a real occasion and all part of the fun. Cunard have more formal nights than other mainstream operators so on a week-long cruise you might expect 5-7 formal nights. The dress code for the gala evenings for men is either a dinner jacket, tuxedo, or suit and tie and evening or cocktail dress for the ladies. Although you can opt to stay casual and visit one of the casual venues the majority of guests will be dressing up on these evenings. They often have grand themed nights too such as Cunard Balls, Masquerade Balls, White & Black Theme Nights, Egyptian Nights, Royal Ascot themes and more.
Another unique experience onboard is the afternoon tea in the Queens room. This room is so elegant and is a ball room as well. It was designed in the style of Osborne House - Queen Victoria's holiday home and every afternoon at 15:30 you can have afternoon tea. This is all included in your cruise fare. The Captain’s Cocktail Party is also held in this room. It has a large dance floor and bands often play in here. They also have dance hosts available for those travelling by themselves as well.
I hope this has given you an insight into what you can experience travelling on Queen Victoria. If you would like to experience this elegant ship for yourself, please do get in touch as I would love to help you.