DAY VISIT TO THE QUEEN VICTORIA
Review of Cunard Queen Victoria by bev (18 Dec 07)
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Overall Rating
As a Cruise Consultant for Ideal Cruising I was very lucky to be able to go and see the Queen Victoria on Saturday 8th December 2007, before she set off for her maiden voyage or even officially named. My first impression of the ship as we pulled into the docks at Southampton (on a grey wet morning) was how fantastic it looked with her name in lights! We were given a set tour to follow, which covered all the main areas of the ship, and one of each stateroom.
When we boarded on deck 3, we past by the Photo Gallery, where ordinarily the pictures taken by the onboard professional photographer would be situated, however as we were the first people on board this was empty. We then took the lift to deck nine for the Lido restaurant where refreshments were served including Hors d’Oeurves and Champagne. The Lido restaurant itself is the Buffet style restaurant on the ship, and had a light and airy feel to it, and would ordinarily have spectacular views as it was surrounded by glass.
We then proceeded to The Zone and the Play Zone on deck ten, which are children’s areas on the ship, they seemed to have a lot of stuff for the children to do, and should keep even the most mischievous of children busy for a full two weeks. We then continued on up to deck eleven where the Queen Victoria’s Grills are situated (Princess and Queens Grills and the Grill lounge). The Princess and Queens Grills were fantastic, very spacious with plenty of tables for two which is quite unusual, we had a glimpse at the menu in here, and there was such a fantastic range of food on offer that you would not be able to have one of everything during a two week cruise. The Grill Lounge was just as spacious, with plenty of seating to relax with a drink either before or after dinner (and you will want too afterwards!!). The Courtyard (which is an outside extension to the Grills) looked fabulous, however due to the rain, it was not the best time to be sat out there. There was space for around 40 people in the Courtyard, and this is normally allocated on a first come first served basis. You can also opt for Pre or Post dinner cocktails out there, and Grill guests can also arrange to have small private cocktail parties there.
We then travelled down to the Winter Garden on deck nine, which is an indoor/outdoor relaxation area with a retractable roof, not dissimilar to a giant conservatory. We then strolled past the Pavilion Pool, which had a lovely surrounding area and jacuzzi’s. The Pool was not the largest I’ve seen, but did have facilities for the less able bodied passengers to lower them into the pool. It has been quoted that there is some 10,000 square feet of sunning area on this deck. We continued to travel forward through the ship to the Cunard Royal Spa which has various rooms offering different treatments, and a hydrotherapy pool. Connected to this is the fitness centre and Gymnasium which has stunning view out over the bow of the ship through the masses of glass, and plenty to keep the avid keep fit enthusiast and person trying to work of the fantastic amounts of food served on board happy. Also located on deck ten is Hemispheres, which is an ideal venue for daytime pursuits and becomes a Nightclub which is open into the small hours of the morning. With a floor to ceiling 270-degree panoramic view this really is something to see, and something to see out of. The Admirals Lounge, Churchill’s Cigar lounge, Commodore Club are also located in this area, with The Admirals lounge the ideal area for relaxing and reading, Churchill’s Cigar Lounge seats 11 passengers and serves Cigars (Obviously!!) and a range of fine spirits and fortified wines, and The Commodore club (which captures the essence of Old World Liner elegance and includes murals of past Cunard liners, and two intricate ship models.) offers a comfortable seating area and an extensive Martini menu with both hot and cold canapés.
We then took the opportunity to explore some of the different stateroom types, and went down to deck seven to see a P1 (Princess Grill) stateroom. In my opinion the P1 cabins were very well fitted out with plenty of home comforts and decorated fantastically, however I was a little disappointed by the layout and size of the cabin, and would seriously recommend paying the upgrade to a Q6 if you can!! (see below).
We then visited a Q2 (Queens Grill) stateroom which is named the Carpathia Suite, now this cabin was quite immense, and too be honest at 1100 Square feet, is probably bigger than some peoples homes. Everything was laid out wonderfully, and the decor and amenities were great. I thought “if I stayed in one of these cabins then I would not end up coming out of it for the whole cruise”......until....
.... I visited the Q1 Aquithania stateroom, now at around 2000 square feet there really would be no need to leave. The Balcony was enormous, and you really could live in here quite easily. The stateroom includes a Butler and Concierge service, a bar stocked with spirits, wine and soft drinks and personalised stationary. This stateroom has a real WOW factor, and if you can get one of these then I suggest you do.
I also visited a Q6 grade of stateroom, and in comparison to the P1 this would well be worth the small amount to upgrade, at up to twice the size and laid out so much better, with all the extra’s you get from the Queens Grill, and a larger balcony it really would be rude not to.
We also visited a balcony stateroom, which was very nice, and extraordinarily larger than a lot that I have seen previously. Other than that, it still contained everything you would normally expect from a Cunard stateroom. The inside cabin, was of a high standard, although reasonably small in comparison with some of the other cabins on the ship.
The ships largest dining venue is the Britannia restaurant, which is located on deck s2/3. Although spread over a vast area there were distinctly less tables for two in this restaurant with the larger tables taking a higher precedence. There was plenty of room to move around though and the dining experience was still of a 5* service. The restaurant itself was decorated beautifully, and in a very Art Deco manner.
The Chart Room is a paradise for sea farers paradise, with maps, and memorabilia from Cunard ships past and present (and you can also get a drink in here), and link directly to the Cafe Carinthia which is named after a former Cunard ship, and offers the style and sophistication of a traditional French Patisserie from early morning until well past sun down with its freshly baked Croissants, Danish pastries and the like with a large selection of Coffees, and a full bar.
The Veuve Clicquot Champagne Bar is a small and elegant bar which overlooks the Grand lobby, with seats for around 40 guests and serves the above named Champagne exclusively along with Hors D’Oeuvres such as smoked salmon and smoked Barbarie duck.
The Todd English restaurant is on the Queen Victoria due to the success that it has enjoyed on the QM2 and in the famous Chef’s other grand restaurants. The restaurant offers an alternative to customer’s primary dining at a surcharge of $20 for lunch and $30 for dinner (per person). You will experience dining with the very finest Wedgewood china, Gainsborough Silverware and Hepp cutlery, and drink from Waterford Crystal, and eat some of the very best food at sea.
There is also an unusually large library on board for a ship, and you can choose from a selection of 6000 books, and there is also a gorgeous spiral stair case that has to be seen to be believed, although I fear many people will miss it.
There is actually a full on Cunard Museum on board called the Cunardia, with many artefacts from many of the previous Queens, and above is a beautiful art gallery with much artwork devoted to Cunard’s heritage, and opposite is a museum style shop.
The Queens Room and Queens Arcade are inspired by Queen Victoria’s home on the Isle of Wight (Close to the home port of Southampton) and look like a grand ballroom with its two deck high ceilings and beautiful crystal chandeliers, and are designed for cocktail parties , dancing and afternoon teas, all accompanied by a harpist or string quartet
The Golden Lion Pub is basically a traditional English pub at sea, down to its tabletop blackboards, wide selection of Ales, and shows the latest news and sports on large screen TV’s.
The Empire Casino is quite small in comparison with those on other ships and this came as a surprise as Cunard normally appeal to the Americans who love the gambling side of things. It is however beautifully decorated and contains everything that the discerning gambler should wish.
Lastly, we visited the Royal Court Theatre, where although we were not scheduled to watch a show, luckily for us they were practising on the stage, and if that is what there rehearsals look like, then the shows on board are going to be something else!! The Theatre itself was based over on one level, however a distinguishing feature is that it has sixteen private boxes over two upper levels, however the boxes were fronted in Perspex (obviously as a safety feature) and we found that this did obscure the view of the stage from some positions as the Perspex bent the view.
Overall the Queen Victoria was a lovely ship and has lots of unique and key features, however some of the public spaces were smaller than I expected.
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