This luxury cruise liner from Cunard Line entered service in December 2007 as the third Queen—that is until November 2008, when the Queen Elizabeth 2 is withdrawn and makes her way to retirement as a hotel and attraction at Dubai. At approximately 90,000 tons and a length of 964 ft and a beam of 106 ft, Queen Victoria can transit the Panama Canal, something that the Queen Mary 2 cannot do. She takes 2,014 passengers and an international crew of 1,000 at a service speed of 18 to 20 knots. Paul Wright, who commanded both the QE2 and QM2, is the primary master of the ship. She is the first Cunarder built in Italy at Fincantieri shipyard, so her hull form and much of her superstructure design is off-the-shelf.
Following on the original Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth and her two present running mates, the Queen Victoria is the fifth Cunard Queen and she is marginally larger than the QE2 and considerably smaller than the QM2. While she has some hull strengthening, she is not an express ocean liner, but rather a cruise ship with Cunard-style ocean-liner interiors.
As with the QE2, this ship is based primarily in Southampton, England and the Mediterranean. Her clientele is more British and European than North American. But on her annual world cruise, more Americans are present as, after departing England, she calls at New York and Florida to pick up more passengers.
In warm weather, the Queen Victoria sails from Southampton for the Baltic, Norway, around Britain and south to Iberia, the Canary Islands and the Mediterranean. In the fall and early winter she is based at ports such as Barcelona, Civitavecchia (Rome) and Venice for fly-cruises from the U.S. and the U.K. Then from January to April, she makes a three-month-plus world cruise.
With Cunard traditions in decor and functions, she exhibits Victorian, Edwardian and art-deco styling in her public spaces. Upon boarding, passengers enter a three-decks-high wood-paneled atrium lobby with a formal staircase that gives access to various public spaces. The Royal Court Theater, decorated in a deep plush red, offers private boxes and a post-dinner package that includes an escort from the dining room to a special lounge with champagne served prior to the performances. Cunard Insights, an expansion on the Oxford university lecture series, provides university-educated special-interest lecturers who speak in the theater. The Queens Room, with a 1,000-sq-ft dance floor and cantilevered balconies, is designed for ballroom dancing, special evenings such as Ascot and Black and White Balls, and a formal afternoon tea. Bars such as the Commodore Club with a maritime theme and views over the bow, the Chart Room and Golden Lion Pub all have familiar rings as Cunard watering holes. Churchill's Cigar Lounge and Hemispheres, a night club, are also located in the bow.
The library's two levels are joined by a private staircase and have a 6,000-volume collection, plus Internet access. The Royal Arcade expands the shopping opportunities with top name brands. Maritime paintings by British artists recall early Cunard liners throughout the ship.
Dining takes place in the Britannia Restaurant, a two-level main two-sitting restaurant, and in the Princess and Queens grills. On the Queen Victoria, their locations are far more private than aboard the QM2. With about 125 seats each, they are high up, accessed by a private elevator or staircase, and cantilevered over opposite sides of the ship with outstanding views in three directions. An intimate grill room bar with a stained-glass dome sits between the two. Alfresco outdoor courtyard dining and a private sun deck are reserved for guests occupying grill-room accommodations. A frilly Todd English restaurant is available to all passengers at a supplemental charge of $20 for lunch and $30 for dinner. Informal dining takes place in the lido buffet with multiple stations to cut down on queuing, and tablecloths appear in one section at dinner with themed menus. Attractive black-and-white tiled scenes recall Victorian seaside England. Gratuities, added to passengers' accounts, are pegged at two dining levels—Britannia Restaurant and the two grill rooms.
A plant-filled winter garden with ceiling fans and cane-style furniture receives plenty of natural light from its sliding glass roof. It opens onto one of the two outdoor pool decks, both flanked by whirlpools. Cunard Royal Spa and Fitness Center, overlooking the bow, offers all the latest treatments, and a small adjacent indoor hydro pool is open to all. For children, The Play Zone and The Zone appeal to different age levels with adjoining indoor and outdoor play facilities.
Of the 990 cabins, 85% are outside and 70% have balconies. The standard cabins range from 150 to 240 sq ft, and while they have all the standard bells and whistles, they are remarkable in their lack of adequate drawer space and the small size of the baths. The problem of shelf and drawer space is apparently soon to be addressed. These cabins are assigned to the Britannia Restaurant. Princess and Queen grills accommodations consist of 127 suites and penthouses, from the 342-sq-ft Princess Suites to the 2,131-sq-ft Grand Suites. Guests in wheelchairs can access 20 of the cabins.
The Queen Victoria, the QE2's replacement, is a warm and woody ship with a London hotel feel that appeals to a mature cruise market, mostly from England, apart from the annual around-the-world cruise. By 2010, a new Queen Elizabeth will arrive, providing a similar size cruise experience to the Queen Victoria.
