Cunard Ship Visit - Queen Victoria

The ship has a lovely welcoming and homely feel, quite relaxed and understated. The ship is Edwardian in style and is decorated in dark wood throughout much of it. (Queen Elizabeth is lighter inside and has more of an Art Deco style on board and QM2 has a completely different feel altogether). Cunard itself is very much traditional cruising but with a modern twist and at the height of luxury (compared with the mainstream operators). Relaxed and casual during the day but making a real event of the evenings where the ship and atmosphere is transformed into elegance, luxury and indulgence. The staff have very strict White Star Line training that they must pass in order to work on board Cunard’s ships meaning only the very best service is available on board – they are one of the only mainstream cruise lines to maintain a member of crew for every 2 guests on board too. The four values they must show guests are to be charismatic, thoughtful, refined and proud.

That leads me onto the dress code. Cunard have more formal nights than other mainstream operators so on a week long cruise you might expect 5-7 formal nights. For men this means a tux and bow tie (or jacket and tie is also acceptable although most do go for a tux so you might want to join in!) and for ladies ballgowns and formal dresses. They often have grand themed nights too such as Cunard Balls, Masquerade Balls, White & Black Theme Nights, Egyptian Nights, Royal Ascot themes and so on. On the other nights, men are expected to wear a jacket but open shirts are acceptable, for the ladies it’s a bit easier with dresses or nice two-piece outfit.

So, onto the ship herself. We saw the main 4 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 guests who are in a different category to you.

Aside from the suites being larger than the other staterooms there are many more benefits. At the Queens & Princess Grill restaurants things are a little more flexible, there is no set dining and many more tables for 2 guests. There is an outdoor space reserved just for suite guests with luxurious sunbeds. There is also a courtyard restaurant for al fresco dining which is shared among both categories and was really pretty even in the daytime but I imagine it would be lovely in the evenings with the traditional street lamps. Queen suites also come with your very own butler! There is a lounge with a private concierge so you don’t have to queue with everyone else for any questions you need answering or tours you need booking. It is only the suites that have baths available too, all lower category staterooms only have showers.

One of the great British traditions of Afternoon Tea happens every day at 3.30pm in the Queens Room with White Glove service, all included in the cruise fare. This room also hosts the Captain’s Cocktail Party. It has a large dance floor and bands often play in here. They also have dance hosts available for those travelling by themselves which is such a lovely touch.

If you don’t fancy getting dressed up one evening there are 3 dedicated casual areas – The Lido Restaurant (buffet, where you can get complimentary tea, coffee, juices and water for much of the day), The Winter Garden with its retractable roof and The Golden Lion Bar (one of the busiest places in the evening!). Just bear in mind that a large majority will be dressed up so not everyone would feel comfortable in casual wear on these nights!

If you enjoy your cruise and want another voyage to look forward to, they have an onboard special offer too giving you additional on board credit for the new booking – just ask for it to be put back to your travel agent and it will be looked after as normal in the same way – you just benefit from the extras. The desk can get busy though at the end of the cruise so they advise not to leave it til the last 2 days as you don’t want to be disappointed if you can’t be seen!

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading a little about Queen Victoria and my day trip – if you’d like to experience her then do get in touch with your cruise enquiries, I’d love to help. I have also posted more photos on my Facebook page here www.facebook.com/VickyDyerTC.