Cunard Cruises - Queen Victoria Cruise Reviews

Thursday 24th May 2012

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Cunard Cruises

Queen Victoria

Queen Victoria On The Med - October 2008

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Queen Victoria on the Med - October 2008

Reviewed By: Quaile, 9 West Abercromby Street on 20th Nov 2008
Cruise Line: Cunard Cruises	Times cruised before: 3-5
Cruise Ship: Queen Victoria	Sailed: October, 2008
Destination: Mediterranean	Age: 65+
Cabin: Balcony

Classical Mediterranean Cruise ‘Queen Victoria’ October 2008 Things got off to a somewhat unpromising start when we arrived at Gatwick Airport well ahead of the 2-hour check-in time (as suggested) to find a large queue already formed and no seats anywhere near. After a stand of about an hour the check-in desk opened but told us that the aircraft on which we were about to fly had just left for Venice to pick up returning passengers and we would be subject to a delay of at least 3 hours. This was caused by fog elsewhere which was disrupting flights all over Europe. Such are the joys of flying! We eventually took off and arrived at Venice in the dark, which was disappointing as this was our first visit there. However, things looked up at the Cunard check–in where we were told that we had been upgraded and were given a new stateroom number. I asked about our luggage which had our original labels but was assured all that would be taken care of. On arrival at the ship we were told that the Grill was still open but we should go there immediately as it was about to close. We had a quick wash and went up and I must say that the staff there gave us a great reception, considering that they were being kept working very late. After an excellent meal we returned to our stateroom and guess what – no luggage! Enquiry at the Purser’s office produced the reply that it would arrive in due course. By midnight we gave up and went to bed. Next morning the luggage had still not arrived and on phoning the Purser’s office again they started by asking for a list of contents which was slightly disconcerting! At this I found our steward and asked him to take me to our original stateroom. Sure enough our cases were sitting in the corridor outside it. After a hasty change we set off on the first of the tours we had pre-booked; ‘an Introduction to Venice’. This was well done but we were quite tired by the end of it. We sat down at a café in St Marks Square and enjoyed the most expensive coffee I have ever had! They charge extra for musical entertainment (to be fair we were warned) which finished before the coffee arrived. As my wife was recovering from an operation on her ankle we had decided to limit the number of tours we took. We explored Dubrovnik on our own and had an enjoyable day, including an hour on a glass bottomed boat – not much to see below but great views of the town.. Similarly at Katakolon and Mykonos we enjoyed the facilities on board with only short runs ashore At Istanbul we took the Palaces of the Sultans tour and were rewarded by having the best guide we had come across anywhere. He had patience with the slower among us, was highly knowledgeable but kept his lectures brief, and had a fund of slightly risqué stories which were actually very funny. His name was Kumal (or Kumel). That was an excellent tour. Our next tour was Ephesus. Here we found the going harder (we knew it would be) but this guide was much less patient and on occasion we only caught up with him as he was finishing his spiel. There was no need for the rush as we had quite a long wait as the RV for the bus back to the ship. Our final visit was to Pisa where we had chosen the easy ‘Panoramic Pisa’. This was interesting as we had never been there before. Unfortunately there wasn’t time to enter the Leaning Tower Somewhere at sea on the Sunday my wife had a minor accident when moving between the stateroom and our balcony. I wasn’t there to hold the door for her and it caught the heel of her better foot which started to bleed profusely. One of the butlers summoned help which arrived just as I got back to the cabin. She was taken to the Medical Centre where she received excellent attention. Fortunately we were insured as this was quite costly but the insurance company is not rushing to settle our claim. We received a letter two weeks after I posted the claim saying it would be dealt with as soon as possible. By the end of the cruise we had met two other ladies who had had similar accidents. We blamed the strength of the spring on the door which was difficult to hold open with an armful of books, glasses etc. We found the standard of service on board excellent. The staff were invariably courteous and eager to please. Entertainment, (particularly the solo performers, harpist, pianists etc) was also of a high standard. Eating in the Queens Grill was a delight, while the Lido was good if not quite the same level of excellence. The cruise ended with the same minor irritation as the beginning – we were ferried to the airport 3 hours ahead of the flight time and had to stand for an hour before the check-in opened. At our age this is trying. Summary: Accommodation Excellent - but see note above about accident Queens Grill Excellent Service overall Outstanding Activities on board All we needed Excursions Istanbul was outstanding. Others very acceptable Entertainment Some excellent artistes. We only saw the floor show once Criticisms The wait at airports. Surely it should be possible to devise a queueing system that would allow passengers to sit down while waiting. Luggage handling The upgrade was most acceptable, but the wait for the luggage quite stressful especially as we had been assured that the change would be allowed for automatically
Quality of Food

Entertainment

Shore Excursions

Staff

Children's Facilities	n/a

Onboard Activities
As much as we wanted
Cabins
My wife cut her heel on the door between cabin and balcony which had a strong spring. We later met two other ladies who had had similar experiences
Overall Rating

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Comment by Richard Okill, Lee on the Solent (21 Nov 08 09:48) about this REVIEW

So pleased to hear you had an excellent time despite some minor irritations. We were on the cruise previous to yours which also included an upgrade to Queens Grill. Anticipating your problem with luggage I requested the butler check our original cabin and, lo and behold, he had retrieved it within a few minutes- readers take note. The airline delay was genuine, due to fog at Bournemouth where its first passenger outbound pickup was prior to taking us from Venice. Nice airline though! I hope this doesn't annoy anyone but we have just been upgraded to Queens Grill on Queen Victoria in January, second consecutive cruise. It must pay to say kind things about Cunard on this website. Good luck with the insurance. Richard

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Comment by cunane, inkpen, hungerford (23 Nov 08 19:07) about a COMMENT by Richard Okill (21 Nov 08 09:48)

MY WORD THATS ANOTHER TWO DRINKS YOU'LL BE BUYING ME MR OKHILL , PAUL .C.... SEE YOU AFTER THE 12TH .. ! TRY AND MAKE IT A HATRICK FOR THE 13TH UNTIL SYDNEY.. :)

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Comment by Richard Okill, Lee on the Solent (24 Nov 08 07:11) about a COMMENT by cunane (23 Nov 08 19:07)

Your on Paul, though maybe it's my high bar bills that get me these upgrades. I really would prefer to stay Princess to Sydney. Have requested a nice table and am on the best side for navigating South America. Looking forward to meeting you. Richard

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