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Faboulous cruise - we did not want to get off! |
| Reviewed By: Brown, Halifax on 17th Jun 2008 |
| Cruise Line: Cunard Cruises |
Times cruised before: 1-2 |
| Cruise Ship: Queen Victoria |
Sailed:
January,
2008 |
| Destination: World Cruise |
Age: 56-65 |
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QUEEN VICTORIA WORLD CRUISE 2008 – LOS ANGELES –SINGAPORE
Prior to embarking on the above cruise, you may recall that we had several telephone conversations with yourself whilst you sorted out a number of problems that had occurred during booking. During one of these phone calls you said you would be very interested to receive any feedback from us on our return. Whilst this feedback is coming to you a little later than anticipated, we hope that nonetheless, it will be interesting and useful to you.
TRANSFER TO HEATHROW: Car arrived promptly and we were taken to the hotel in comfort by a courteous and considerate driver.
THE HOTEL: More than adequate for our overnight stay.
TRANSFER TO TERMINAL: Although led to believe that the hotel had courtesy transport for the very short distance involved, we nonetheless had to take the shuttle bus, for which there is a fare of £4 each, surely the most expensive journey ever taken by anyone? We thought you would wish to be aware of this for the benefit of other clients.
FLIGHT TO LA: Once at the terminal we had a very enjoyable interlude in the Executive Lounge whilst waiting to board. Although there was a problem with this flight due to cancellation of the previous flight, resulting in overbooking, we were initially told that there was no room for us in WTP class. On boarding, however, we discovered that we had been upgraded to Club World and thus enjoyed a very comfortable flight!
BEVERLEY WILSHIRE HOTEL: Our hotel in LA was very luxurious, located in Rodeo Drive. It was not the one originally listed but could not have been better. Transfer to the ship was straightforward and efficient, as was the boarding procedure.
THE QUEEN VICTORIA: We liked the ship very much. We expected elegant decor and a wide range of amenities and we were not disappointed, but we particularly liked the style of design, the library, artworks and theatre. We were very happy with our stateroom (6070) and we particularly enjoyed the balcony design whereby the doors opening onto the balcony were glass to ground and the lower balcony was also clear, thus allowing wonderful sea views from the room. Several passengers had, apparently, complained about the lack of drawers in the rooms, which we understand will be rectified. The provision of these would have been useful, but did not cause us any inconvenience.
Our stateroom was located almost opposite the laundrette and when doors were closed there was no problem. Future clients may need to be aware, however, that not all passengers are considerate and despite signs on the doors requesting that they be kept closed at all times, this was mostly ignored. Since the laundry opened at 7.30am, early morning disturbances were frequent.
Overall, the QV is an excellent ship and by the time we left it, we felt very much at home!
Smaller than the QM2 it did feel in some ways ‘ cosier’. Since it differs in design from the QM2, though, it does not cope so well with choppy seas!
We cannot praise the staff highly enough. At every point we were met with smiles, courtesy and a willingness to go beyond what would be expected in order to help. Food was excellent and plentiful. We think the range of activities on board catered for all tastes and we found that the lectures in particular were of an extremely high standard and often set the context of our next destination. On many sea days we found ourselves extremely busy until afternoon tea, which was an event in itself not to be missed!
DESTINATIONS: Amongst these, Napier, NZ, Port Douglas, Vietnam and Thailand were particularly memorable for us, partly because they were new and completely different to us (Napier coincided with Art Deco weekend and we were welcomed in port by a cavalcade of vintage cars.)
At several ports we chose to organise our own ‘exploring’ and this worked very well. We think we were wise in opting for organised trips in places where both language and culture were totally unfamiliar, eg Vietnam. These trips were quite expensive and so the additional credit you provided for us was much appreciated and put to very good use – thank you.
Having initially wondered whether a cruise of 7 weeks might prove a little too long, we found ourselves saddened and reluctant to leave in Singapore. Back home, we continued to follow the ship’s voyage back to Southampton and it took us quite some time to return to reality! It was a wonderful experience and we know that we now want to take another cruise covering different parts of the world. We aim to do this as soon as practically possible.
Finally, Andrew (at www.Cruise.co.uk), we would like to thank you again for sorting out the initial problems, not of your making, in such a pleasant and efficient manner and helping to make this trip very special for us.
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Some of our favourite QE 2 pics!
QM2 
Iberian Interlude - The Chiles'
Baltic Highlights
