PASSENGER PERSPECTIVE
Queen Victoria
Smart, Stylish and Ultra-Professional
Elgar and Patricia Williams, from Rhyl in Denbighshire, enjoy their ‘Gaelic Overture’ cruise aboard the stylish Cunard Line vessel, visiting Dublin, Cobh, Bilbao and Brest
O
ur first cruise with Cunard was in 1993 when we embarked on the Crown Dynasty (now Fred. Olsen’s Braemar) at
Quebec and cruised down the St Lawrence to New York, where we disembarked to join the historic QE2 for an eastbound voyage back to Southampton. Cunard were leaders then and have maintained their premium position in today’s crowded cruise market. After arriving at Southampton’s cruise terminal, we were aboard in less than 20 minutes and in our cabin, which was a balcony cabin on Deck 5. We were greeted by our steward, Joe, and our lug- gage arrived moments later. The cabin was well furnished with ample wardrobe and drawer space for a 7-14 day cruise. We dined in the elegant Britannia Res-
taurant, enjoying our dining experience with fellow seasoned cruisers, who had many tales to tell of previous voyages. We were looked after in a most professional manner by our waiter, Herman. The cuisine was well presented with a good selection of dishes and the taste well above the banquet catering standard of many ships. The wines, however, were on the expensive side, starting with Cunard’s own label at $30 (plus 15 per cent service charge). If you were tempted to buy a
bottle, say, at $100, you would be paying $15 service charge, which, in ‘real money,’ is nearly £10.
Queen Victoria is a beautiful ship,
though, very easy to find your way around and every room elegantly furnished in a sophisticated and comfortable manner, with many smaller function rooms ideally suited for private functions. The smart- ness and helpfulness of the crew were first class, regardless of rank or position.
Says Elgar: “I am 80 and Patricia is 75 going on 37 (I keep on telling her!). We would love to have another cruise to Alaska but the insurance is so prohibitive we now just cruise the Mediterranean, Atlantic coasts and Norwegian waters.”
The Queens Ballroom is an impressive room with glittering chandeliers, and the dance floor must be the envy of many ball- rooms ashore, featuring its own Orchestra directed by Merion Kelly, with vocalist Paul Ritchie. Resident dancing partners are a feature of the ballroom and ladies travelling alone may enjoy an evening’s dancing.
This is also the venue where most of the official cocktail parties take place and Captain Ian Hurley and his officers meet and greet fellow passengers. We enjoyed 3 of these functions. For more informal gatherings, we recommend the Golden Lion pub, which invites you to enjoy a variety of music and quizzes, the likes of which you are likely to experience in a pub at home. The production shows in the splendid
Royal Court Theatre were all well pro- duced and performed by the resident the- atre company. Special mention is deserved for Cruise Director Keith Maynard. He is at the top of his game, friendly without being over the top. He was very well supported by his entertainment team. The tour programmes offered were com-
prehensive, with a wide variety of choice. And, for those of us who prefer to explore the ports at our own pace, Cunard ran a free shuttle service into the main town. The weather left a lot to be desired, with
a lot of rain and wind and even a Force 10 one day, which caused a few passengers to miss dinner that evening. But we thorough- ly enjoyed our first Queen Victoria cruise. Would we cruise again – you bet, and may it be sooner rather than later! Elgar K & Patricia Williams
Winter 2011-12 I WORLD OF CRUISING 61
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