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Western Mediterranean on Queen Victoria June 2009 |
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Reviewed By: Wilson, sheffield on 4th Jul 2009
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| Cruise Line: Cunard Cruises |
Times cruised before: 10+ |
| Cruise Ship: Queen Victoria |
Sailed:
June,
2009 |
| Destination: Western Europe |
Age: 65+ |
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We chose to sail on Queen Victoria, being seasoned Cunard cruisers, but not having sailed on QV before. We chose this itinerary as most of the ports of call were new to us. The seas were calm and the weather perfect throughout.
QV was much as we expected - impressive entrance and public rooms, and it was simple to find one's way around.
We were upgraded from an A cabin to a P, and it was with the cabins that we heard the most 'niggles'. P's have a bath instead of a free-standing shower, which takes a large chunk out of the cabin. It was well-appointed, comfortable and spotlessly clean, but everything was very 'tight'. There was plenty of hanging space for clothes, but you had to be out of that area when someone emerged from the bathroom. The bedside cabinets were so close to the beds that the counterpane caught in them whenever used! People with a lot of luggage to store found this a problem. There was a good sitting area with two flat-screen TV's and a pleasant balcony, very well-placed to watch the tenders being lowered and raised, and the pilot arriving and departing. Our room stewardess was attentive and we were overwhelmed with fresh fruit and clean towels.
The lifts are smaller than on QM2 and were always busy. This may have been due to the predominantly older population on that cruise, with quite a number of wheel-chairs and walking frames, but we have never seen so many lifts arriving at a floor already full.
The dining room (Grill) was situated on deck 11 with panoramic views. It was not as big as I expected, and the number of passengers wanting tables for two meant that the larger tables were quite crowded. Our's didn't have room for the silver salvers with which the tables are laid - this was no hardship. The food was delicious and we could order off-menu whenever we wished. (The table next to us had both lobster and steak on 12 out of the 13 nights.) The restaurant staff were delightful.
We ate breakfast in the Lido on all the shore days, and had an occasional lunch there. The organisation seemed chaotic at busy times. The hot and cold serveries are opposite each other and there was a melee of people with trays going from one side to the other, pushing in to get what they wanted with no formal queuing. The drinks area could be also crowded with people leaving their trays whilst finding what drinks they wanted. The Lido was very clean, and in all the eating areas hand hygiene was strictly enforced and you couldn't get past the maitre d' with the alcohol rub.
Entertainment was good especially the production shows. These are lavish and expensive, and we were told that if you sail on QV again in the next couple of years or so, you will see them again. (We have found this on QM2). We were tempted to pay $50 for an evening in one of the theatre boxes, with champagne and chocolates, but having tried out a box we felt we couldn't hear or see very well because of the glass screens. We noticed that the boxes were not all occupied.
We didn't book any shore excursions, which seemed expensive, but of course you do not have to think what you are going to do in advance. My husband put in a lot of time and effort on-line before we went, and we planned our days using public transport which all worked very well. The ship's tours seemed well-organised and we never had to wait when we wanted to leave on our own, even at the anchor ports.
Our Cunard World Cruise club level entitled us to a free internet package which we made good use of, but it was very slow, and people paying by the minute weren't too happy. There is no Wi-Fi in public rooms with the World Cruise Club internet package, unike QE2 and QM2.
We found the ship easy to navigate around. A couple of interesting visits we made were to the main Britannia galley (ask your maitre d' when you get on board and he will arrange it for a sea day), a backstage tour of the theatre (how do they do what they do in such a cramped space?) , also a 'virtual' bridge tour given in the theatre by one of the Bridge Officers. There was not the range of lectures you get on a transatlantic crossing, but the talks about the places we were going to visit were good, and always included advice and information for those doing their own thing.
Altogether this was a pleasant cruise, and good value for money. The three days to Barcelona, and the two back from Gib. were restlful, though some passengers felt that a 'day-off' in the middle of the seven shore days would have been welcme.
The ship, her officers and crew, the food and service were all up to the high standard we have come to expect from Cunard.
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| Quality of Food |  |
| Princess Grill and Lido food couldnot be bettered | | Entertainment |  |
| We prefered the 'shows' to the individual performers, particularly the very over-amplified pianist and singers | | Shore Excursions | n/a |
| | Staff | |
| Amanda Reid, Cruise Director, and our individual cabin and table staff. | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities | |
| as much as we wanted | | Cabins | |
| | Overall Rating | |
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