We went on the Queen Victoria Voyage du Vin cruise for 14 days September 2019 and in our opinion everything was better than last year. The Britannia Restaurant food was beautifully presented and the service was excellent. Thank you to Olesha and Victor. The Lido Restaurant was very good and the staff were very helpful and efficient. The place to go for delicious omelettes to order. Our Stateroom was beautiful and very comfortable. The Stateroom was kept spotless and I appreciated the turn down each evening. I think there were more activities on offer than last year and I enjoyed flower arranging and singing in the choir. I was really impressed by the music on board everything from flamenco guitar, a reggae and R&B band and a former member of the Drifters with amazing backing singers. I thought the Port and Shore excursions were well organised and informative. Our favourite destinations were La Spezia and Palma. We are looking forward to our next cruise on the Queen Victoria. Read Less

We have been in the QG on Cunard many times and always enjoyed ourselves, so chose a Q4 cabin again. The cabin is spacious, with a lovely large balcony for lounging in the sun, separate bath and shower, and gorgeously comfortable beds. The pillow Concierge service enabled us to have goose down pillows, and they had complied with my request for blankets rather than duvets, which I had made in advance. Throughout, the cabin was serviced frequently and efficiently. Embarkation and disembarkation were both efficient, helped by the priority for the Grills. We were in our cabin before noon on the first day, and left the ship at 8.05 on the last. The ship herself is lovely. By modern standards she is not that big, but always feels serene, peaceful, and spacious, never crowded, so the voyage was truly relaxing. There were various lectures, which I didn't attend, preferring to watch the sunny sea from our balcony, but my spouse enjoyed the ones on space. I did attend the passenger choir, which all four Cunard singers gave up their time to rehearse, surely beyond the call of duty. The only show I saw was Top Hat, which was completely brilliant, singing, dancing, sets, costumes. We were lucky throughout the cruise with the gorgeous warm dry weather which obviously enhanced our enjoyment of the ports, most of which we had visited before. The only trip we went on was to a vineyard in Mallorca, which was most enjoyable. The service in the QG was excellent, but I have to say the food was somewhat inconcisistent. Most of the things we had were very nice. But, twice my husband was served very tough meat, once venison, once lamb, such that he did not feel like eating it. They were deeply apologetic, and offered something different, but that really should not happen. Also some of the menus were odd. One evening there were two tofu main courses out of five, which seems decidedly strange. Many other things we had were delicious, but not everything. Read Less

This 14 night voyage is my 13th cruise with Cunard and it is a few years since I have written a review. However, as this cruise was one of Cunard’s ‘special event’ and themed voyages and the longest single cruise I have done, I think its time to share my thoughts again. At only 26 and 29 years old my husband and I are quite a bit younger than the stereotype Cunard passenger, however we enjoy the ambiance; dressing for dinner; the formality and the tranquility that a Cunard voyage provides. Indeed, with the addition of options such as the Gin & Fizz Bar Cunard is very much on trend and I feel many of my own generation are missing out. Embarkation and disembarkation was efficient and painless; in 13 cruises we have never had a bad experience in this area. We were on board by 11.30am. This cruise was the 2019 Voyage du Vin with guest speakers including Oz Clarke. We enjoyed a conversation with him and Cunard's Beverage Manager in the Commodore Club one night; they were engaging and approachable. There were a series of wine themed talks and events and overall, these made a pleasant addition to the Mediterranean itinerary. Many of the events were at an additional cost but those that we partook in were worth the additional spend. We are very interested in wine; it is a stroke of luck that this cruise was made the Voyage du Vin after we booked it. We would certainly consider booking a themed cruise again after the experience. This was our first time on Queen Victoria in nearly 4 years with Queen Elizabeth being our favourite ship. I was very excited to see her after her major refit a couple of years ago. The extra and more varied seating options on deck are a welcome addition and the Britannia Club restaurants looks very stylish and comfortable. I have already mentioned the Gin & Fizz Bar; we spent a lot of time here in the evenings. It is a new and innovative concept with an exceptional range of cocktails to complement the wide range of gins and sparkling wines. The move towards specific menus in specific venues around the ship adds variety and choice and is preferable to me to the generic bar menu that existed when we first travelled with Cunard. I would particularly recommend The Mary Rose cocktail. Bar prices are frequently mentioned in these reviews. I have no issue with Cunard’s prices; they are not dissimilar to London bar prices or indeed bar prices at a more average bar elsewhere in the UK. And remember Cunard use larger U.S. measures. The variety of canapes and nibbles served with drinks continues to impress again especially in the midships Gin & Fizz Bar. The food and service in the Britannia Restaurant was generally good throughout. There were some surprisingly good dishes such as ravioli with salmon caviar and some more average dishes. My lobster was a little tough one evening but was still very nice. Overall the food was pleasing, and we ate there all but one nights. We normally dine in the Verandah some nights however I am still of the opinion the Steakhouse concept is just not in keeping with the Cunard brand; we tried it QM2 and hated it feeling that it represented a major reduction in standards compared to the old Verandah menu. That said, I don’t eat beef and love elegant French cuisine. We didn’t try the Verandah this time. I feel that service aboard was very good; it wasn’t outstanding, just consistently good and reliable. Our cabin steward was faultless and the purser’s desk quick and efficient. Occasionally the sommelier was a bit slow in the restaurant or drinks took a while to come in bars at busy periods. Perhaps a couple of extra sommeliers or bar waiters in those areas would have improved this, but it really wasn’t a major issue and I am picky about service. It was interesting talking to other guests though that have travelled with different lines and feel that Cunard’s service is always better. We took several Cunard shore excursions for ease and peace of mind. We found all of them good value for money. We could possibly have done something similar ourselves for less but the avoidance of hassle and not having to worry about getting back to the ship was worth the additional expense of booking an excursion. The wine themed tour with tasting whilst in Vigo, where we visited the Albarino wine region was particularly good; it felt authentic with almost free flowing tasting and plentiful nibbles with the wine! There were a few niggles such as the air conditioning in our room not being very good; it was never so bad we actually got around to complaining so I can’t hold that against them. The Royal Court Theatre Vocalists were not great but the dancers were good. The hydrotherapy pool jets intermittently didn’t work in the first half of the cruise and the showers were cold, and indeed one morning the pool was empty. What was more surprising was that the spa staff didn’t know it was empty until we told them! Each time we mentioned an issue however it was fixed. We ate Alfresco one night for a small cover charge; the food was good and would have made a lovely change being able to watch a Mediterranean sunset had they not started jet washing and buffing the deck whilst we were eating. Obviously, this destroyed the ambiance. The maitre’d appreciated this and we were not charged. Clearly this was a communication issue between departmental managers. Despite these little problems I would give this voyage 4.5/5 stars overall. We had a wonderful time and I would happily book a similar voyage again. The combination of good food, good drinks, good service and excellent weather has made another memorable cruise. I can now start counting down the days until my next cruise of QE next year. A few notes regarding the ports of call. Vigo, Palma and Barcelona were all interesting and pleasant. In La Spezia we went to Florence and were disappointed; far too busy and polluted to properly explore its' history. In Cannes we went to Monaco. we absolutely loved Monaco; despite it being pricey I would recommend Cafe de Paris for lunch especially the profiteroles dessert. The Gothic quarter of Barcelona was very interesting and I highly recommend the little wine bar opposite Santa Maria del Mar. Finally Gibraltar was good; I recommend walking the Mediterranean Steps if able as it affords excellent views even when a bit cloudy. Read Less

U.K. Cruise – Queen Victoria – August 2019 Pre cruise in London We stayed at the Holiday Inn Kensington High Street. The staff was wonderful and the location was perfect -BUT- the rooms were tiny tiny tiny! We did not have room for our luggage. We got them to move us in what turned out to be a handicapped room which was adequate. The breakfast was included and was wonderful. We took the Original Tour, hop on hop off bus and had a great one-day tour of London (which was extremely busy!) We did not get on the included river cruise because it was just too busy. We had lunch in Leicester Square which was great (Belle Italia) Cunard transfer to Southampton We took an Uber from Kensington to Victoria Coach Station (15 pounds) and were bused to the port. Boarding was a breeze because we arrived at about 2:30 and most had boarded already. We went straight to our room and one of our bags beat us there! Amazing. The other arrived shortly after we did and we were able to unpack and get ready for muster drill. The ship Queen Victoria is what I would call understated compared to other ships we have been on. Classy but not flashy. The pools are very small and there are almost no loungers that are in a covered area. This was not too much of an issue for this trip as it was cool, but would be an issue on warm weather trips. We used the Chart room bar for pre-dinner drinks. It was fine. The dining room is standard design, nothing special. The theater was the best we have seen on any ship. We were able to sit in a private box for every show! We generally did not have dessert or coffee with dinner (6 p.m.) so we were able to arrive at the theater early and get the private box. Our cabin was a standard balcony cabin. Very small but adequate shower. Lots of storage space. (more than our hotel room in London!) Service on the ship was, with some exceptions, quite cold and impersonal. Most “good mornings” sounded like an obligation rather than a true greeting. The bartender in the chart room was great. The waiters were below average the room steward was just adequate. We expected for the price we paid to get super service…..we didn’t. Food Dining room was good but they had no items that were available every day (needed!) Some menus just did not have anything that we really wanted. Good food, again. Not outstanding. The Lido buffet was quite good. They had a good variety that changed every day. I think it was one of the best buffets we have seen. We did not see a grill facility although there may have been one. Theater and Entertainment Most of the shows were very good. The ships singers and dancers were hit and miss (as usual). We went to the show most every night. There was lots of dancing in the Queens Ballroom (which is gorgeous) but we did not partake except for the last evening. Ports Newcastle – we did not go on tour. We just went to the adjacent shopping mall (free shuttle) Edinburgh – After the tender in Newhaven we took a bus to the town center and met with previous cruise friends who live close by. We did a Hop on Hop of bus first, then we climbed the Scott Monument to get great views of the city (and the Queen Victoria at anchor). WE had a pub lunch and coffee at the Dome. A great day in a great town. Invergorden – We stayed in the small town and walked about. We had a complimentary tea and biscuit at the church and bought some souvenirs. Greenock – We decide not to go to Glasgow and instead stay in Greenock. The Inverclyde Tourist Group provided us with a free bus tour of the area which was very enjoyable. We saw the town hall and a local church as well as magnificent views of the whole area from high in the hills. Belfast – We booked Allen tours to take us around Northern Ireland. We saw the “troubles” area (which seem to continue!) then we went to The Dark Hedges, Bushmills, and the Giants Causeway and were back on the ship in time for our 6 p.m. dinner. Allen’s tours were efficient and friendly and 1/3 they cost of the ship’s tours. Liverpool – again. Cruise friends met us at the pier and took us up to Lancashire for the day. We got to meet their family in Burnley (and visit Smackwater Jack’s!) We had a nice British lunch and then got a brief tour of Turf Moor where the Premier League Burnley Clarets play. We toured an old mansion and got to see some Narrowboats at the Barrowford Locks. They took us to the Preston Train station and we rode the train back to Liverpool Lime Street station where we walked back to the ship. Saint Peter Port Guernsey – This was a great stop as the weather got nice and warm! We tendered into the town and walked about looking at the shops. The town and the island are beautiful. Southampton – We had a Cunard transfer to Victoria Coach Station Post cruise in London We stayed at the Park Plaza Victoria. The rooms were very nice and the breakfast the next morning was Full English. We went the Victoria Palace Theatre to see “Hamilton” that evening. The show was magnificent but the seats in the grand circle were too small for even a small human being! I am glad the show was so good because my wife and I were uncomfortable the entire time. WE booked a car to take us to Heathrow for the trip back to Canada Read Less

This was our 3 rd cruise aboard a Cunard ship. Booking was made through Cunard/Hamburg. Service here is in need of getting used to it. Very impersonal for the class we booked. A mere call center processing. Never beforehave I received such poor service in this section. We were even forced to print out our own luggage tags. I am willing to spend the money - but I am not willing to accept the lousy Cunard travel agency service. ( asserted Service ??? ) Also I am fed up with wasting my time on the phone trying to get connected for what they call service. Cheap Internet attitude. I was very disappointed and upset. Cunard Southampton did not even bother answering my letter regarding this issue. The service in the Queens Grill was very good again. Very attentive. Quality of food and beverage also very good. The whole atmosphere in the restaurant is inviting. The sameapplies for the Afternoon Tea Service. Laundry service also very good. Excursion service aboard the ship also lacks an attitude. Personally I do not like guided tours. Take a taxi instead and speak to the locals. Shops here are not very inviting. Variety very small. Many items are of very poor quality -sold at premium prices. After returning to Southampton again we were invited to a Windsor tour. Here we have to emphasize the very good support given by the bus driver and our tour guide. Thank you Port service was fast and effective. Most members ofthe staff are well trained. Read Less

Normally we don't like many sea days but we'd never been with Cunard and never been to Iceland and we got a good deal so we decided to book. We both really enjoyed it as the food was excellent, the service great and the ship elegant with lots of public spaces. We're not fans of dressing up in the evening so didn't attend any gala dinners and had to avoid most public spaces from 6pm as we weren't in smart enough attire (we were asked to leave one of the bars at 6.15pm once as we had jeans on, there are casual bars but we went back to our cabin instead and stopped buying cocktails). We ate mostly in the Lido and had plenty of choice all the time and it was good quality. We only ate once in the dining room as 6pm is too early but the 8.30pm sitting was too late plus I'm not keen on having to dress smartly every night. Loved the food in the Red Lion and the choice in the Chart Room and the barista coffee was passable. I can't comment on the entertainment as we don't normally go to any or partake in most activities (there wasn't an option to say not applicable in the ratings) but we did like some of the guest speakers during the day. The gym isn't good if you like to do lots of weights. There are dumbbells but only two benches and the machines aren't worth using (they try and cover multiple exercises with one machine) and there's no lat pull down machine, Smith machine etc which other ships of this size have. It does open at 6am which is perfect. The ports were interesting. We booked independent tours for each port apart from Dublin which we did on our own. There isn't an not applicable option for shore excursions in the ratings so my 1 isn't realistic as we didn't do any. Read Less

Queen Victoria is a wonderful ship offering excellent entertainment options and an amazing dining experience. It does have some problems, as does every ship I've sailed on, but overall I think you'll enjoy your experience. First of all, it is not a young person's cruise. The average passenger on my cruise was 70+ years old. If you have trouble with elderly people walking very slowly in front of you and stopping suddenly for no apparent reason, you may be frustrated at times. At the height of the summer cruise season for families, there were hardly any children on board. Secondly, It is largely a British clientele, which I found charming. The average cruiser was well educated and well mannered. No line jumpers of chair hogs, which was refreshing. I could strike up a conversation with almost anyone I met and found most of them interesting. However, if you want to shoot the breeze about NASCAR, baseball and the NFL, you may be disappointed. Check-in was smooth on the dock, but scattered and unprofessional on board. No one met us in the lobby. There was no sign telling us where to go. We were boarded on the open deck three and had to find our own way inside. Even inside, no one greeted us or offered to help us find our cabin, lunch, etc.. We had to ask! Talk about a bad first impression. It got better after that. We had a suite and were dining in the Queens Grill. Our butler met us at the door (Suite 7050), took our alcohol orders for the in-room bar, showed us how to work everything in the room and walked us to the elevators to show us how to access the private Queen's Grill dining room. She was amazing throughout the cruise. She set up a cocktail reception in our room for a half dozen guests (the complimentary appetizer platter was huge and delicious). Lourdes took care of last minute laundry requests and kept our suite spotless. She also restocked the bar any time we were running low. The suite has a boxy crowded configuration which made the room seem much smaller than it was. There were plenty of electrical outlets with both American and British sockets. We had no problem keeping two cell phones, two tablets and two fitbits charged. The love seat is fine. There is adequate storage space and the butler stowed our empty luggage so we wouldn't have to worry about it. TIP: Don't remove your stateroom luggage tags. You'll need them to find your luggage at disembarkation! The balcony was large enough for a table and three chairs plus two loungers. The bed was very comfortable, however they do not use typical American sheets, on board, but rather European duvets. Very comfortable, but not what I'm used to. The bathroom was functional, with a private toilet room and a private room for showering and bathing, The tub was jetted and offered a very relaxing bath with bubbles. The towels were not soft at all, The teri cloth material made for the worst towels I've experienced in 25 cruises. The suite's bar was stocked with loads of teas, coffee and cookies. My wife and I each chose a brand of alcohol. I requested Crown Royal, even though it was not on the list offered by Cunard. The butler made it happen! The fridge was stocked with Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, 7-Up, tonic nd soda water, Carlsberg Beer and plenty of water, Again, our butler replenished our bar twice a day! We dined in the Queen's Grill, which is the best dining experience on the seas, in my opinion. The menus are very similar to those in the Princess Grill and Britania Dining Room. The difference is we were invited to order off the menu at every meal, and the dining staff did their best to accommodate us. Among the items I ordered off the menu were: Caviar, shrimp cocktail, Dover sole, chateaubriand, lobster, veal parmasean, fettuccine Alfredo, pistaccio ice cream, french onion soup and several different salads. Basically, the sky's the limit, if they have the ingredients on board, The tables are close together. My wife and I were seated at a table for two, but conversed easily and often with diners at nearby tables. When we wanted privcy, we were left alone. However, we all became instant friends. Here's a tip: Be the first to say hello to someone and do it early in the cruise! Coincidentally, one gentleman, at a six-top next to us, turned out to be a Cruise Critic member I had conversed with on line! He and his wife were positively charming! I found the entertainment on board to be excellent. The big production shows were good, but not amazing, Headliners like the magician and acrobatic dance team were marvelous. And it seemed on any given night there were six or more venues offering music and fun. I've never experienced such a wide variey of musical enterrtainment on any ship I've sailed. It truly was a highlight of th cruise.And it meant fewer crowds. We never had a problem finding a table or a seat in the showroom for the late shows. The only bummer was the Grills Lounge never had live entertainment. The enrichment activities were a disappointment. Cunard offers wine tasting seminars on its web site. High end wine seminars. However, after pre-booking a very expensive tasting, we got on board to learn the wine seminars were canceled. In fact our sommelier told us they han't done the high end wine tastings in six months. Cunard refused to credit the money from my canceled wine tasting to my shipboard account and told me I'd have to try to get refunded when I returned home. VERY POOR CUSTOMER SEVICE on that! Tip: Do NOT PRE-ORDER WINE TASTINGS! There were 3 speakers on board. One was a retired fighter pilot, who offered some fun anecdotes about his flying career. The other two sounded so boring, I cannot even remember them. I believe one woman was discussing the film career of an actor I've never heard of. We did not use Cunard for shore excursions. We booked everything independently. I suggest you consider private independent shore excursions as well. Remember, every group tour moves as fast as its slowest member. Everyone else has to wait on the slow poke. You may only have one shot to visit some of these ports. Do you relly want to wait on that last person? Additionally, Cunard builds profit into its excursions. The independent tours are almost always cheaper. Cruise Critic has an excellent section devoted to independent tours. Disembarkation for this cruise was difficult, because we got off in Kiel. It is an hour+ drive to Hamburg from there. It's pricey and difficult to reach the airport in time to make flights to the USA. Many people opted to spend an extra day in Hamburg. Don't take the negative aspects of my review as an indication I was disappointed. I was not. I will definitely cruise Cunard again if I can find the right itinerary. And I will definitely book Queens Grille for the dining experience. These reviews are supposed to help future cruisers prepare, I hope I have! Read Less

We chose this cruise because it was going somewhere we always wanted to visit. Also, we got a Queens Grill cabin for the price of a balcony, so the value was there. With the included drinks package, we thought we had gotten a great deal. We sailed from Hamburg on July 16th, our first day being a sea day. The ship is very pretty, but a bit tired. Could use some sprucing up. The carpets were worn in many spots, and you could see rust all around the ship. Our cabin, 5190 was on the back of the ship and had a very large balcony. However, compared to other cruise lines, the suite was quite small. I was shocked by just how small it was. We sailed HAL two years ago and our suite was easily twice the size. Queens Grill dining made up for the tired ship and small cabin however. The dining room was beautiful and the food and service amazing. Anything you want you can have. It is never too much trouble, and offered with a smile. Everyone who works there seems to really care about the passengers. What a great experience. The included drink package comes with one caveat. Any drink over $12 will be charged in its entirety. Most popular drinks on the ship are priced at $12.50. Makes the package not much of a perk. The one shore excursion we took through the ship almost had a mutiny it was so bad. People were leaving in droves, and everyone complained about it. It was boring and hot. The guide was not very good at what he did, and almost everyone could not wait until it was over. As an example, they took us to a pier for a break and there were only two restrooms. We spent the entire time waiting on line. We saw only one show, which was ok. Most of our evening time was spent either in one of the lounges, or sitting on our balcony watching the ship move. Since it got dark so late, we really enjoyed it. Also, the included liquor supplied in Queens Grill didn't run up our charges. Considering all of these issues, we did have a good time. I would say I am only 60/40 as to whether I would cruise on Cunard again. With the dressing up, the state of the cabins and the boring evening entertainment, perhaps it is time to try one of the smaller luxury lines. Read Less

We decided to take this cruise to celebrate my son's 18th birthday, which was on the date of departure. We were upgraded to Princess Grill (for a cost) and I was beside myself with excitement, having been on the old QE2 some time back. We are Celebrity afficionados, but we were excited to see what one of the Queens would be like. I found it a mixed bag to be honest. The Princess Grill suite was a real disappointment; nothing like a lowest grade Celebrity Sky Suite, and certainly not in line with suite expectations. The service from the steward was great, but no contact from the concierge at all. We had a lovely greeting with strawberries, fresh fruit and sparkling wine, which really set the mood. The Princess Grill restaurant was good. Lovely service, fabulous wine list. The food on the first night was indifferent; gritty scallops and a very tough steak. The restaurant redeemed itself on other meals, but I can't say that it met the expectations at this level, and certainly not at the price point that they would normally charge. The ambience in the restaurant was good, and no hint of the snobbery that others sometimes refer to. The gym was very good, and it was fun to play table tennis with the kids also. Lastly, the atmosphere on the ship was, for me, dead. Very little nightlife if you aren't into ballroom dancing. I felt the age demographic was much, much older than expected. Perhaps it's the itinerary. None of this would stop me travelling with Cunard again, as overall the ship is in good condition and the service was excellent, but I'd have to think hard about the class, the itinerary, and my travelling companions. My daughter can't wait to get back on Celebrity in a few weeks for Alaska! Read Less

Just come back from one of the best Cruises we have ever been on.We decided to try a new Cruise line for our Journey to Norway and Iceland and went with "Cunard" Queen Victoria.Having never been with Cunard we were a bit apprehensive especially about the more Formal side of the Cruise. Embarkation at Southampton was the quickest we have ever done,from getting off the Coach to stepping onto the Ship less than 20 mins!!!!The Ship was everything Cunard(White Star Lines) stands for,taking us back to the heady days of the majestic Liners of the 40s and 50s.we were met by the Staff in White Bell Boy Uniforms,the Staff friendly and welcoming.The Interior was impressive with Wood,stained Glass,Iron works on stairs,Atrium was beautiful and the 3 Violinists playing were Icing on the cake The Inside Cabin was slightly bigger than other Cruise lines we have been in,bottle of Champagne waiting,Dressing Gowns and slippers and very Clean and Tidy. The Food was very good in all areas,Buffet Breakfast and Lunch had lots of variety,and dinner was again very good and varied and waiters were very attentive.Entertainment was great,Shows at night were varied,and something for everyone.Guest Speakers were also excellent especially Lord Digby Jones(very entertaining) All the Staff very very nice and nothing seemed to much trouble,Neil our Entertainment Manager was great as were his Staff. Although we were a bit worried about how Formal the Ship was especially having to wear a Jacket in Dining Room on all non Formal nights,it wasn't as bad as I feared.Of Course you can dress down in certain areas of Ship ie Golden Lion Pub and Lido Buffet areas so it was not that Formal as I had feared. On the downside Drinks were very expensive and had 15% Gratuties added on ,Spa Treatments also very expensive,but we didn't indulge too much in any of those so just beware as Drinks packages are always a bit pricey. Itinerary was very Good,Olden and Alesund in Norway, Akeyuri,Isafjordur and Reykavik in Iceland and Stornorway in Outer Hebrides. Overall this was one of our best Cruises we have done,and have to say Queen Victoria is one of the best Ships we have sailed on,we will be definitely booking Cunard again Read Less

We set off on this cruise in a state of trepidation.....would we manage the formal evenings with two under 30s?, would the food be mediocre? would the service be lacking? Well we were blown away! I wondered if I should write this review as this ship was so amazing that I didnt really want to share! Anyway here we go.... Food in Britannia restaurant was better than Celebrity, ...halibut, turbot, lobster in a week. Lovely Japanese options including an excellent miso soup, Italian pasta we couldn't fault, tea and coffee and home made marshmallows and chocolate creams to finish. Breakfast in Britannia was excellent, go there if you can. Afternoon tea......what can I say...lovely. Lido restaurant was a full step ahead of other cruise lines, you really didn't think you were in "motorway services". Tea and coffee for breakfast served to your table, no battling with teapots etc etc Room steward, excellent nothing too much trouble. Take on a bottle or two, top up at a port call......you need to do this as alcohol is extortionate! So service better than someone like Celebrity. Formal nights were a breeze, do as you will. Just join in, fellow passengers are lovely! Never worry you will find somewhere to sit on this ship wherever you are, seats and beautiful sitting areas a plenty. Don't forget the library, amazing! Any downsides? She can be a little noisy but not enough to spoil your holiday. Please don't tell anyone about this beautiful ship...keep it a secret please? Read Less

We have been on all 3 Cunard ships which are all beautiful and very well presented. The staff are second to none and very helpful. We chose this cruise and had booked a year in advance whilst still on board in 2018. It was our wedding anniversary on the 24th June so we like to go away the same time every year. We don't mind where to as long as it falls on our anniversary date and as long as we are on board a Cunard ship! Our stateroom was serviced twice daily and a turn down service for the evening with chocolates provided, just before bed time (as if we hadn't already eaten enough) and tomorrow's programme of events to browse through and plan tomorrow, before some very much needed zzzzzz's after such a fabulous day/evening. We usually chose a large table of 6 for dinner as we enjoy meeting like minded cruise buddies. Two of our 'tablemates' we'd met on a previous cruise the year before (we had arranged this with them and are certainly now lifelong friends). We met two other guests who were delightful. We all had a lot in common particularly when it comes to cruising! The food was very well presented and tasty. The Lido buffet on board is fabulous. The food is fresh and plentiful in choice. Despite being in the Grills, we still love a wander through and maybe a little nibble here and there ;) The entertainment on board is amazing. I particularly enjoy the Cunard singers and dancers and all the other shows and guests appearances/entertainers. Also during the day on sea days, we love going to the on board speakers insights/enrichment talks. They are very interesting and have met some really lovely speakers from famous sports people to pilots to ex-policemen/detectives. There is always plenty to do around the ship on sea days and of course there's the swimming pools and hot tubs and the gym if you feel you need to burn off a few gained pounds! The service on board from the stateroom steward to the waiters and sommeliers to the cleaning staff and pursers desk are always so helpful and nothing is too much trouble. They are always welcoming and are very polite and say 'good morning' or 'have a good evening'. The shore excursions are varied and interesting. The coaches are clean and comfortable and the guides are very knowledgable. I love the fact that we can book an excursion and know the ship will be waiting for us whether we are late or not. We have travelled with our grown up children who equally love the Cunard ships. We haven't got grandchildren yet but I'm sure they would love it with their very own special area and staff to entertain them on sea days. We will certainly book again soon. We just have to save up the pennies first :) Read Less

This is our first cruise with Cunard and it was excellent in most ways. We have sailed with TUI Marella and P&O before and we expected Cunard to to head and shoulders better....it wasn’t though. Now that’s not to say it was poor, because that’s not true....it was wonderful, but it just says to us that tge other cruise lines are also good. The quality of food and in particular the amount of free-space was welcomed and certainly different to what we found on the rather cramped and poorly organised Azura. The Q.V. is lovely and all staff were helpful, polite and professional. Before going we were concerned that there may be a “class system”....but there certainly wasn’t, we felt very welcomed and the service and food in food in the Lido Restaurant was wonderful.....one very small point, they could do with a few more waiters offering beverages in there. Not everyone wants to dine in tv more formal venues, borne out by the fact that tge Lido Restaurant was always busy, but not cramped....to have an offer of a drink would have been nice. Entertainment was fine, we have seen better productions on TUI and P&O but the shows were fine. The outside acts were fabulous however....We are very confused why we were charged a daily service charge, PLUS, if we had a drink from the bar we had a further service charge added.....it’s like a double insult!.....other than these very small points, it was outstanding and we would recommend to everyone. Read Less

We have been on the Queen Victoria before and also the QM. We are regular passengers on other lines. This was the first time we had tried Princess Grill and it was a real treat. We were on board for the ship experience and not the ports. Priority check in but when waiting at the Mayflower terminal the suite guests were just huddled in a separate area no real advantage. We just sat in the main area as there was more room. We had researched about the Grills experience - strange but the Britannia Restaurant is described as the Britannia Grill? Anyway we knew pretty much what was in store for us. This was a no holds barred cruise so if we wanted it we bought it. First this was a spa package as we did not expect to be able to use the outside pool so we bought this for 2 for 7 days no discounts so this came off our on board credit. I know from experience that drinks prices on board the Queens are about the highest afloat but so to is the quality. So we had decided that we would buy 2 full drinks packs for the full 7 nights this was $69 a day each so $138 so with our exchange rate it was £109 a day so £763 for the week. We were told that we could only buy this on board so we went to the Grills lounge and asked. It would seem that there have been problems with this package as people have not really read the small print. You are limited to the number of alcoholic drinks - 15 each per day. But the soft drinks and mixers are unlimited. Some staff had difficulty understanding what unlimited soft drinks meant! OK so I like a drink and this is for 7 days. I tried my best but I really could not get through 15 alcoholic drinks in one day! We have been on other ships with these packs and we see people simply ordering the bar taking a sip from each and throwing the rest away just because they can. So a limit is sensible if in some cases a bit frustrating. We eventually bought the pack and ordered drinks. At the end of the cruise we worked out that had we paid over the bar it would have cost us over £1660 and I never manager 15 alcoholic drinks in a day and neither did my wife! Food is next and the menus in the Princess Grill are fabulous, service to was the best we have experience so far and we have been in suits in Celebrity ships. We had the same table for all our meals which was fortunate in being next to the window - we were lucky I guess. Drinks before dinner in the Grills lounge where they brought round a selection of 3 hot and cold canapes. Dinner was 7 courses including cheese board and coffee. We ordered wine by the glass from our package and this was perhaps a bit limited. Menus were everything we were expecting - fillet steak every night if you wanted, lobster twice that week. There were specials that you could order at lunch time so they could be ready for you in the evening. We did this once with Duck L'Orange where a whole duck was cooked for us to share - has to be cooked so long and it was fantastic. You can also ask the Maitre'D to do Crepes at the table Weather was not too great but toward the end of the cruise there was a bit of a heat wave. So much so that we were able to dine outside in the Grills terrace. The lunch time menu is a bit smaller but quality was top. Breakfasts were again at our table and usual range with just about everything on call - eggs Benedict, fillet steak and eggs and the ubiquitous English breakfasts. Didn't go much on the entertainment this time. Saw Mick Miller on the second night but after that I we were not really too fussed and went to the commodore club to listen to the lady piano player and singer. Only did afternoon tea once which was in the Princess Grill restaurant. Very goo but too much. We were served tea on the grills terrace in Rotterdam which was also very nice but had to be careful because dinner is just around the corner though you can go in at any time and your table is waiting for you. Tipping is always controversial and Cunard apply a daily charge to your account. Our rate was $13.5 per day. We usually remove one of the daily charges from one of us and then give individually the same amount or indeed usually more to staff who have stood out. I am now not to sure that this achieved what we wished. On the last night I handed out envelopes to both waiters, sommelier and Maitre'd. I also gave cash in dollars to our room steward. We paid out more than if we had had the automatic gratuities but at least I know they actually go to who I wish without interference from Cunard. My wife was therefore startled the following morning to see the waiters and all staff making a big fuss over another table and thanking them for their tips whilst our service was a bit flat. I seem to think that they thought that we had only given them half of what they expected yet we have given them more! This did leave a bit of a sour taste. I will talk a bit about the drinks pack we bought. We worked out roughly how many drinks we were likely to have each day including coffees, water and soft drinks. A large gin and tonic would have cost around $15 which would include the mixer and the 12%service charge. On the pack you could have any drink up to $11 but you were then given the mixer free so to speak and did not have to worry about the service charge. Coffee in the lounge was around $4 so a couple each in the morning after breakfast would soon mount up. We also ordered a bottle of water with nearly all our drinks the pack limited you to small bottles but you could have as many as you liked during the day. There had to be around 10mins between each alcoholic drink order. This was starting to get complicated. As I said I never got through 15 alcoholic drinks in a day though I did try! I could not keep this up for any longer but this was a holiday. Now saving for the next one. Read Less

Chose this cruise as it visited Visby, Klaipeda and Oslo, which we had not been to before, plus some old favourites like Skagen, Copenhagen and Kristiansand. A 16 night cruise with 5 formal nights and plenty of sea days. (To be honest we would have happily missed St Petersburg as every Baltic cruise goes there and there is a limit to what you can do) We've travelled on the QV several times before, always choosing a restricted view outside cabin as it gives you a light cabin without the cost of a balcony, and the view is perfectly adequate unless you plan to spend a lot of time in the cabin. As usual the cabin was kept immaculately clean by our steward. The QV is like a comfortable slipper...everything just seems right. Plenty of quiet spaces, a lovely library, good shows in the evening and attentive staff. We also had the bonus of Captain Andrew Hall, who was friendly and approachable, although his weather forecasts always seemed wrong. Plenty of choice food wise, morning, noon and night. We tended to eat in the restaurant most nights apart from a few port days when our early sitting didn't fit in with our return to the ship. Rest assured that the food in the Lido was excellent in the evening and in some cases, surpassed that in the main restaurant. Our only disappointment was we felt the quality of meet had declined from previous voyages. Highlight of the trip for us was Oslo, even though it rained most of the day. The city has some lovely buildings, open spaces and public art. We ended up walking about 14 miles around the city. Klaipeda in Lithuania also surpassed expectations....a lovely old centre, best explored on foot following a guided tour supplied by the local Tourist Board. It pointed out old buildings and some lovely art that we might have missed had we stuck to the centre. Our only disappointments were that a) a few guests choose to ignore the formal evening dress code and were allowed into the restaurant wearing polo shirts with no jacket, when everybody else were in their finest tuxedos and b) the QV was virtually full of Brits this time. On previous voyages we have found a more varied international makeup which we think adds to the trip. Its always lovely to talk to someone from another country to get a different perspective of things. Overall - would always recommend the Baltic for first time cruisers and the QV for anyone who likes to dress up a little and recreate a bit of glamour. Read Less

A lot of positive reviews have been written about the Queen Victoria and to be fair I agree with a lot of what has already been said especially about the public areas, facilities and the staff, all very good. However, the age demographic on board our cruise I would put as an average of 70 maybe even 75 with many obviously much older, ok that's not a problem if you fall into that age range, I'm in my late fifties and I looked like a spring chicken, honest. Consequently the public rooms were full of old people doing old people things-sleeping, reading books and playing cards. The evening venues were relatively quiet because there weren't a lot of people who wanted to party (apart from the Queens room). If you identify with people who walk around the ship carrying their latest novel (even when going to the theatre) then your quids in. We saw about two families on board I guess they had all the childrens facilities to themselves which must have been good for them. The princess grill was good, the service was excellent the food generally good but not earth shattering and at times below the standard expected. We got a 6 wine package from the Captains table list, the wines were absolutely nothing special, it was quiet amusing to listen to the sommelier wax on about a $11.75 bottle of wine and then charge $57.00 for it (I have the photos but couldn't upload them due to their small size the wine was a J.LOHR Merlot 2016 Los Osos, look it up.). So having paid upwards of £11000 for the cruise and an onboard account of £800 was I happy with the outcome? Generally yes, would we do it again? No. Finally cruising isn't for everyone we had a good time but it didn't quite live up to expectations. Read Less

65th Husband's birthday in May 2019. Sailing time evening. We arrived 2 pm. Relaxing start to cruise was the Southampton embarkation and disembarkation. Never sailed from Southampton before always fly cruised. Felt the start of cruise as soon as on the ship.Cases were at our cabin before we even arrived at the door. Was a bit concerned about whether the ship would be too posh for us and too big as previous cruises have only been with Marella Cruises tui but did need to worry at all. Lovely step up size. You can dress up and go over the top or just formal and smart, which was us. Men I do need suggest a black tie / or tie and and white shirt with a jacket. used most evenings in the bars and restaurants. 3 tiers to this ship money wise: but we on this ship but we did not feel out of place. even though they have the Britannia club, we went with our budget and was more than happy.We had booked an early saver for this ship and was very lucky as we had a balcony cabin on deck 5. Never had a balcony before. We went to eat in the Lido buffet as hungry. Good standard of food, although two buffet restaurants, one was geared to more Asian food.Although buffets were cleared sharply on time for change over meal times. Lovely views out of the windows. I requested early sitting at dinner, although not guaranteed we had been seated for 6 pm in the Britannia restaurant.Later I wished we had the later eating time because if you eat late breakfast or have afternoon cream tea lovely..... then you are not really hungry at 6 pm. Britannia restaurant is waiter service. Small portions, but four courses. Personally not a lot of choice but I managed as I am not a fussy eater. Enough for us.Although someone was on our table and had been on the ship before, so knew she could order soup as a starter. Pointer: if you drink alcohol and like your drink and do not want to be worrying about the cost of drinks every time you order one, then suggest the drinks package.15% is added to every drink and it is dollars.it can be expensive and not worth it if you are not going to use your allowance. Average 4 double gins and 3/4 beers a night is worth it. But my husband got more than his worth and did not worry about ordering which is what I wanted for him to enjoy his birthday week. As for me not worth it... I only had a couple on non Alcohol cocktails and a tea or coffee. But a tip''''' They say you have to buy two the same drinks package, I don't drink and only wanted the soft drinks package and my husband wanted the drinks package, they will not let you buy one of each..... but argue this if this is the case and they will let you in the end.You are given an on board card for all your spending and a sticker is put on if you take the drinks package. Don't keep your on board card next to your phone as it wipes your account and it is a pain to keep renewing it from the purser and you cant get into your room without it. Staff were from around the world We had some nice and some not so friendly.. so we asked for our gratuities back from the purser . we then tipped who we wanted. Some bar waiters really nice, some not so. Absolutely lovely meal in the special La Pizza restaurant. Extra $19 dollars each bookable. Need to learn the corridors when you come out the ship as you have a long walk otherwise. Deck 2 was where the reception was. Deck 3 was the lovely Gin Bar and the pub bar was the meeting place in the evening for karaoke and quizzes. other bars were relaxing,as so the extra places like the library etc. Music was played by musicians in the evenings as so dancing if you wanted it. if you book any birthday meals in the Veranda restaurant make sure you have your booking ticket with you. If you book a photograph go and see the photographer beforehand as they do not come to you. The Manager is lovely Warren such a lovely man.Made our evening really enjoyable and memorable. Joe the steward look for him he is good as well.Dennis is also good as so was Ronaldo. Casino staff good very friendly but easy to get hooked so be aware. lol. Excursions okay. Beautiful scenery even if you do not get off. You can do as much or as little as you want on or off ship in the way of exercise. We booked online before we left. Book before hand for Flamm as very popular and will not get booked up on ship. We were lucky with the weather, we had sunshine and 20 degrees in May. We actually swam in the ships pool and Jacuzzi. They have a spa and hydrotherapy pool but these are extras. Down sides ? a bit poor on the theatre shows and not much show of the captain and his staff unless you mix a bit upper class.Purser staff a bit offish with you when you have issues except for the younger girl staff.she was helpful. Cabin steward a bit aloof. Just did the basics.did not go out of his way at all.One or two staff unfriendly but then a very mixed employment of staff so some very helpful others not so. Same with some people on the ship s cruise.Best thing is to just enjoy your selves and not worry about the others. Disembarkation was a bit of a free for all. should have been a bit. more organised/. Britannia club and people with coaches go first then every body has to wait until these people are cleared. then they like release you all at once and every body wants to race to get off at once. so you have people coming from their designated areas from like 8 am and from their cabins or other waiting areas trying to leave and disembark at once. Overall a lovely week. will definitely cruise Cunard Queen Victoria again/ Cannot comment yet on the other ships. Will definitely sail Cunard Queen Victoria again. Read Less

We love to travel but have never had the urge to cruise. Wanting to see the spectacular scenery of the Norwegian Fjords, we felt that a cruise would be the best option. After extensive research, we opted for Cunard as we enjoy fine dining, dressing up and don't like large crowds of people so thought a smaller ship would suit us best. We also prefer to keep ourselves to ourselves and so opted for a Princess Grill Suite so that we could request a table for 2 and eat when we wanted to eat rather than at set meal times. The added bonus of a private deck area also appealed as we felt it would be less crowded and Cunard also seemed to have more of a traditional style and less glitz which we felt would be perfect for us. Aged 46 and 50, we were rather nervous that cruising was for 'older' people and that there would be nothing for us to do other than watch the scenery go by, however we couldn't have been more wrong. What a stunning ship she is and so much space everywhere you never felt like there were more than a few hundred people on board! We never got bored - in fact i never really had a chance to just sit quietly and read during the week. We listened to some really interesting speakers during the sea days in the theater, attended gin tasting one afternoon, used the golf nets for some light exercise and never wanting to miss the delicious afternoon tea, found ourselves in the restaurant rather a lot of the time! The service in the Princess Grill restaurant was outstanding and the food was amazing at every single meal. From breakfast to lunch to afternoon tea to dinner, the menus were varied, interesting and the food just delicious. The Grills lounge was also a wonderful quiet area to enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail or two. We stumbled across the commodores club halfway through our cruise and enjoyed some fabulous cocktails in there each evening served with canapes and listened to some lovely live music. There was always a low level buzz in this large bar area and we loved the atmosphere. We loved dressing up for dinner each evening and the 2 gala evenings were great fun as the atmosphere on the ship racked up a notch! The theater blew us away! We visit London regularly to take in shows and the theater on board was on a par if not better than most west end theaters. The entertainment was varied and good fun and we found ourselves attending the late show every single night, before popping to the casino or one of the bars to finish off the evening. With so many beautiful public areas and bars, you could always find somewhere quiet to sit and enjoy a drink, however with such amazing weather and spectacular scenery we found ourselves up on the Grills deck on the super comfy loungers watching the world go by most of our spare time. We booked a couple of excursions through Cunard and both were really enjoyable and well organised. All four ports we visited were interesting and we liked the fact we could just get on and off the ship throughout the day if we chose to. We stayed in cabin 6099 - a Princess Grill suite which was the perfect size for a one week cruise and we enjoyed watching the scenery go by on the balcony. Our steward was lovely and we had no issues at all. We wanted flexible dining times and a guaranteed table for 2 which is the main reason for choosing the suite. Also the added private deck areas were important to us as we are very quiet people! We had no complaints with embarkation or disembarkation. Both were effortless and so much nicer than the airport environment. All in all, we had an unexpected amazing week and didn't want it to end. We were so impressed, we have booked a 2 week cruise on the Queen Victoria next summer to The Baltics to experience some more wonderful countries of interest which we probably would never get to visit. We have pushed the boat out and booked a Queens Grill suite so that it will be a slightly different experience and are really looking forward to our second cruise :) Read Less

We have done this trip before and wanted to go back at a different time of year. We always sail with Cunard having experienced the cattle market of other lines sailing from Southampton. As always the service was impeccable and crew are always happy to have a chat, they smile and are sincere. Formal nights are now called Gala nights but the themes remain the same. One of the main reasons we sail with Cunard is because we like the formality of dressing up properly in the evenings. We also enjoy dancing in the ballroom to live band music. The singers can vary in ability though and this time we had an excellent lady singer and a dreadful male. Cunard are very clear that ‘dressing’ is a requirement and you know what you are signing up for before you embark. There are areas that can be accessed for those who wish to dress more casually. As for drinks prices - if you are used to London prices, cocktails and beer are comparatively priced, however wine is expensive. This trip followed the aforementioned Baltic, and I see that a previous passenger complained that the ship was too cold. I guess that they changed the air con to suit this as we spent our trip too hot! If you have never done the fjords trip, you really should. We’ve done it twice now, both times on QV. The weather was amazing, 24c in Haugesund. Norway is expensive, however the scenery is fantastic and there are things you should see before global warming has its way. The Briksdal glacier for instance, is a shadow of its former glory and yet remains an awesome sight. So if you are someone who likes to dress properly, enjoys politeness and old fashioned service, Cunard is for you. Read Less

We've cruised some over the years: river, small ship, big ship. It's a great way to travel. Queen Victoria is the most gorgeous ship I've ever seen. I was so immediately "at home", all the positive reviews of her are true. I am grateful to Cruise Critic reviewers for all their information, it really made a difference. Actually, we found our cruise to be better than the reviews. While there certainly could be more horizontal space in the cabin for "your stuff", and the bathroom is tiny, that's about the only change I'd make. We dined mostly at the Lido buffet and the food was amazingly good with great variety. Service was adequate. The "activities" were fine, we didn't participate much. An artist demo was a waste of time, but Big Dave who manages the Goring, a luxe London hotel was great. The entertainment was mediocre to awful, the "Hollywood" production was the worst I've ever seen. Most staff was polite and professional; interesting to realize after a couple of days that they lack the seemingly-genuine friendliness of the crew on all the other cruises we've taken. Exception was the bar staff in the Chart Room ... most of them were barely civil. Embark and disembarkation was handled very well. Except for one thing: COMMUNICATION We had issues with the Drinks Package and were run around in circles almost 2 days. Communication overall was pretty awful ... and non-existent when it comes to the ports. Cunard is only interested in selling their own shore excursions and provides absolutely no real information on the ports. I found their shore excursions so expensive that I didn’t book an. $59 for a 2-hour walking tour of a small Norwegian town?? Sure, there's a 2-page information sheet delivered the every evening, but it contains very little solid information. A perfect example is Olden. Cunard’s map is a big blob of grey surrounded by more shades of grey, lines that might be streets ... and not a word on the map. I had no idea who to ask, so I visited the Purser's Desk. Looking down, we had seen three little trains, some large buses and lots of activity on the dock. I wanted to go out to the new Loen Skylift, and there might be some other activities we'd like. The clerk shrugged her shoulders when I asked about the map. I was told to sign up for one of Cunard's shore excursions. She said "it's a small town, there's little to do". Really? Then why are we here? What about those little trains? Another shrug. Other passengers were asking the same questions and being given the same answers: "who knows?". This was beyond aggravating. I had extensive research notes on this cruise, but as you all know, some details can't be verified until you arrive at the dock. I could have purchased hours of internet from Queen Victoria and done more research for several hundred dollars, of course. Based on previous cruising experience, I did expect some level of information from the ship. This is Norway, after all, not the Caribbean where most ports are often quite alike. Another example: we had received an email announcing our last port would be hosting a big festival in honor of Norwegian Constitution Day, so no shore excursions. I was really looking forward to Haugesund and the festival. The daily news told us about a couple of parades, and that there would be shuttle busses running all day to the festival for people with limited mobility. That was the extent of the info. They had added a couple of shore excursions. The walk was supposed to be "ten minutes", but we've heard that before. My husband has had a hip replacement, so we boarded one of the busses. It took us to the bottom of a huge bridge over a big river, maybe 3 stories. We were expected to walk up this bridge and down the other side, or perhaps there were several flights of stairs, we couldn't tell. Coming back, we'd have to climb to the top of the bridge again. This was too much for people with limited mobility, that's for sure. There was no sign of a festival of any kind. We asked a couple of people returning to the ship and they confirmed that "the morning parades were the festival, there were no stalls with Norwegian goods or foods, no music, nothing much except a long line of bars and restaurants" on the water". Very disappointing. These two examples are merely that ... Cunard is a wonderful cruise line, Queen Victoria is just a gem and we enjoyed almost every minute. We'll cruise on her again for sure. But someone is not doing their assigned job on Queen Victoria. There's no excuse for not giving passengers any real port information ... just a bunch of fluff and history ... little about the activities available. Read Less

There’s no point beating about the bush. Booking my first cruise filled me with dread; at one stroke I was destroying my credibility as an independent traveller. 15 years and 40 cruises later, I admit I couldn’t have been more wrong. Sea travel has opened up a new world of exploration and last week I repeated my first ever cruise, but this time with Cunard. Would the grand histories of the Baltic ports be matched by the royal splendours of Queen Victoria? THE PORTS Every city on the Baltic itinerary is steeped in history and if palaces, galleries and cathedrals are your thing then this cruise does not disappoint. And if, like me, you appreciate Scandinavian art and design, the ports have some wonderful specialist shops and art studios as well. Be prepared for eye watering prices, however. A cup of coffee and a pastry in Copenhagen for £9 is one thing, but £925 for a cake slice is quite another, albeit an exquisite one designed by Georg Jensen. St Petersburg remains the highlight destination and these days there is more of an effort to make visitors feel welcome: immigration formalities have been streamlined and stern faces replaced with occasional smiles. This is one port where organised excursions are the only way to enjoy the city’s palaces and museums because independent sightseeing is impossible without a visa. I started with a four-hour walking tour, led by a witty and knowledgeable guide who was as happy to be quizzed about Salisbury as she was to rib Putin. One of many highlights was the Church on Spilled Blood with its onion domes reaching to the sky, still beautiful despite a major programme of renovations. Stockholm’s royal palaces are as good a starting point as any for understanding the city’s history but there is so much more. The Museum of Modern Art on the island of Skeppsholmen is worth a visit, its gardens home to colourful and zany sculptures. Although there is a shuttle bus service available, I found it as quick to take the riverside walk past the Film Museum and enter Stockholm via the warren of narrow streets in the Old Town. Of the other ports, Tallinn is compact and the easiest to explore on foot. My starting point was the 13th century cobblestoned main square where I enjoyed a coffee in warm sunshine. From there I walked up to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, an orthodox and gloriously ornate cathedral funded by public donations. Kiel on Germany’s Baltic Sea coast was less impressive. It is twinned with Coventry but has not been as successful in rebuilding after the devastations of war. The Rathaus, or Town Hall, with its ornate interior survived the bombing but Kiel is one place where the best plan might be to book an excursion. THE SHIP Ask loyal Cunarders which is their favourite ship and the answer more often than not is Queen Victoria. I can see why. My cabin was spacious and the public areas luxuriously comfortable, with deep sofas and armchairs waiting to help relieve tired legs after busy days ashore. The dark wood veneers, deep pile carpets in golds and creams, and art deco marble tiling all recall a golden era for passenger ships. The elegant Queens Room on Deck 2 is a popular haunt, not only for afternoon cream teas served by waiters in white gloves but also because it is a ballroom where every evening there is dancing to live music. Cunard dance hosts offer to partner single guests and during the day there are classes led by a professional dance couple. Guests Jane and Robert from Harlow in Essex are keen dancers and the ship’s ballroom was one of the reasons they booked the cruise. “The setting is beautiful,” Jane told me. “We love dancing and enjoyed our times in the Queens Room – but more opportunities for sequence dancing would have been nice.” The handsome two-storey library is well-stocked and the two librarians impressed me with their courtesy and knowledge. At the Purser’s Desk, international receptionists like Lisa from Berlin, Martin from Vienna and Charles from Cambridge were fine ambassadors for Cunard, cheerfully responding to my questions and often providing me with additional maps before going ashore. I cannot think of any area where service was less than excellent. On deck and in the bars, stewards were attentive however busy they were and in the Chart Room ($4.83 for an Illy cappuccino), waiters Julito, Martina and Rolando made every visit special thanks to their professionalism. It was the same in the Britannia Restaurant with waiters Gede and KC delivering faultless service at our table, and Cyril offering expert wine advice. The House wines were good although $14 for a glass of red made my eyes water! The galleys prepare around 5000 meals a day and standards are high. My beef sirloin and pork medallions were first rate, piping hot and full of flavour, and the fish was also excellent, whether the roasted monkfish or the grilled turbot. When I asked for chips, they were delivered immediately. For desserts, and knowing that coffee and chocolates or petit fours would follow, I generally restricted myself to the ice creams. Yes, there were disappointments but they were remedied quickly. My roast turkey one evening was lukewarm and Gede handled the matter without fuss, apologising and returning promptly with a hot replacement meal. There was a wide range of activities to choose from on sea days, from bridge and watercolour art classes to port presentations and talks from guest speakers, all of them well attended. Captain Tomás Connery was seen around the ship every day – always a good sign - and at midday updated us with navigational details. In the evenings, The Royal Court Theatre Company presented music and dance shows to packed houses and there were guest artists too. My favourites were Roy G Hemmings who spent ten years as a singer with The Drifters and Jon Courtenay, an energetic pianist comic. Perhaps because of the Baltic itinerary, there was an international dimension to the cruise. The majority of passengers were British but there were several other nationalities as well – mainly Australians, Americans, Germans, French and Dutch . . . and one South Korean. Does such a mixture have a major influence on menus? Not according to Jackie Bott, the ship’s Hotel General Manager (HGM). “People generally come to Cunard because it’s Cunard,” she told me. “Our international guests tell us that they don’t want to be served with their local dishes. They want to taste British food.” Nancy and John Keisman, guests from Brandon in Mississippi, took the same view. “We loved this cruise,” said John. “Not only for the ports with their different cultures but also for the opportunity to enjoy some great British food - Yorkshire pudding was new to us but we kinda liked it!” Nevertheless some of the food did reflect Continental tastes. The variety of bread and pastries served at breakfast in the Lido restaurant on Deck 9 is one example, with white, black, rye and brown breads, along with bagels and croissants, available each morning. WORTH BOOKING? The Baltic itinerary features throughout the Cunard 2019/2020 brochure and, although I have now done it twice, I would happily do it a third time because each port offers such a diverse range of history and culture. But the real star of this cruise was Queen Victoria and I can’t wait to return on board. HGM Jackie Bott unwittingly summed up the ship’s success when she told me what appealed most about her work in leading a department of 800 officers and crew. “Passengers think it must be the chance to see the world that is the best part of the job, but ports are secondary to people and in any case I’ve visited most ports more than once. People are far more interesting and complex and they are central to everything we do at Cunard.” No surprise, then, that Queen Victoria delivered such a successful cruise. Read Less

We had not sailed in the Baltic and this cruise sailed to all the ports that we wanted to visit. Boarded in Southampton on Sunday 28 April 2019 and were in our cabin by 1.31pm. Suitcases were outside the cabin, quickly unpacked making our cabin home for the next 2 weeks. We had lunch in the Lido (self service restaurant), I had pork escalopes and salad vegetables - lovely. The Emergency life jacket and muster drill at 4pm was uneventful and hopefully will never need this equipment. Walked around deck and went to the sailaway party on the bow deck 9 around the Lido pool. Queen Mary 2 was in dock embarking passengers and both ships blew horns in respect to each other. Food - we eat in the Lido buffet restaurant, we can take our time eating with plenty of choice for breakfast (cold cuts of meat, fish, cooked breakfast items and cereals), lunch menu was varied and always good. Dinner ranged from roast meats, vegetables, cold meats and fish, salad vegetables, various soups especially New England clam chowder and roasted pepper and tomato - superb. Some evenings the food was presented from different countries e.g. Germany, India, China, America and celebratory e.g. turkey. The Italian cooking area (manned by a chef) was always busy and people seemed happy with the food being cooked live. The ship Queen Victoria is beautiful inside and out, and it is well cared for by the crew. My wife attended the water colour art class, including the live painting demonstration by Lynn Rodgie sponsored by the on board art gallery. We saw a live unveiling of a new picture by Lynn, unveiled jointly by Lynn and the Captain in the Clarendon Fine Art Gallery. I attended the lectures in the Royal Court theatre - including lectures on NASA, Princess Diana, Carl Faberge (useful as he lived in St Petersburg one of our cruise ports), various cruise ports and various artist lectures e.g. L S Lowery and Sherree Valentine -Daines. I used the gym on aft deck 9 - dumbells, benches, weights machines and aerobic machines, fine for keeping fit. The weather - late April to mid May, sun shine, wind, rain at sea but not on the excursions, and cold. Snow overnight early hours of saturday 4 May 2019 sailing from Copenhagen to Stockholm. People wore fleeces, padded jackets and goretex outer layers. We had a terrorist alert for Stockholm requesting that nobody bring packages from unknown people on board. Security whilst embarking in Stockholm was tighter. We would visit the Baltic again on a cruise but maybe not for a few years as we want to see different areas of the World. Read Less

This Cruise was chosen as our first with Cunard because we have always wanted to visit St Petersberg & other venues along the way, which did not disappoint. Our cabin was ideal being kept very clean & comfortable. Our evening dining experience in the Britannia Restaurant was exceptional with the most delicious food every day, along with exceptional service ...…. However, the breakfast service left a lot to be desired, after twice being left to ask when our breakfast was going to arrive & mistakes being made with other orders on our table, after that we ate in the Lido most mornings! Embarkation was a breeze making for a very pleasant, stress free start to our holiday. Plenty to do on board at all times. Excellent entertainment & speakers. Attention to cleanliness (offering hand sanitizers at entrance to all restaurants), health & safety was noticeably paramount. Spa experience & services offered therein were grossly overpriced. Drinks on board were vastly over-inflated, I paid 5 times what I would normally for a bottle of wine at home plus a service charge on top, which only added insult to injury! A drinks package on offer only allowed you to purchase the wine that Cunard chose! Cocktails were vastly over-inflated too.... We consider that if the drinks cost was reduced we would certainly have enjoyed more cocktails and wines across the board as would our other fellow passengers (a view not limited to ourselves but others we talked to), thereby increasing the feel good factor & increasing Cunard's revenue in a more pleasant way! Sadly, because of financial advantage taken by Cunard at every opportunity, (charging for water in room too)…. we will not be joining you again...…….. Read Less

Our cruise was a 14 day Baltic Sea sailing 28th April 2019. We have sailed on Queen Victoria many times, but sadly our recent cruise to the Baltic will likely be our last on this ship. The embarkation, the service, the food, the elegance and the general ambience on the ship plus the choice of shore excursions were all as we have come to expect, excellent. But there were a couple of issues that spoilt the cruise. The cabin and the public spaces were uncomfortably cold. Firstly the cabin temperature was simply too cold to relax in, even withe temperature dialled up to maximum and wearing the heavy Cunard dressing gown. Some of the bars, particularly the Commodore Club were also much too cold to relax in, especially for ladies wearing evening dresses. This is our favourite place for after-dinner drinks, but we could only stay for one. We witnessed couples entering, shuddering and exiting. One group of four couples walked in and immediately all four of the gents gave their jackets to the ladies. I know we were far from alone in these views. Just about every conversation in the lifts and bars mentioned the low temperature. One lady told us she had been on Victoria SIXTEEN times and had never been this cold before. To be fair the temperature did improve in the public spaces during the second week, but not in the cabins. The second issue was the general shabbiness of the Queens Grill suites, (state rooms to the Americans). The sofa bed needs to be renewed or at least re-upholstered, and the carpet has staines. NOT the fault of the Cabin Stewards (Butler and Staff), who kept the room immaculate at all times. The usual complaint of the cost of drinks and the high service charge (10% should be more that enough), is well documented, but I guess the ships sail completely full, so why would that change? I do not agree with the complaints about the 'strict' dress code, (which enforcement is no longer as strict as it should be). Cunard make it quite clear what is expected and give very good reasons for it, (aside from the fact that dressing smartly, and appropriately, is a courtesy you extend to others). So if it is not to your taste, choose a different cruise line. Read Less

This was our first sailing on the Victoria and it really is a most impressive ship . We had booked Balcony Club as we prefer the availability of dining when we choose . Shortly before leaving we upgraded to Princess Grill and considered the larger suite and good sized balcony well worth the extra cost . We were not , however, impressed by the Princess Grill dining room . It is large and caters for well over 100 people and is thus not an intimate venue . It compares unfavourably with the Club Balcony on the Elizabeth which ( on our earlier cruise) only catered for about 50 people . The waiters ( dedicated to a group of tables ) were polite and charming and very willing to please but on occasion did not notice when the plate was not as ordered. I could not fault the menus – 5 courses for Dinner and Lunch . We don’t have hearty appetites and never ate lunch there preferring to use the casual Lido restaurant where there was always a large range of different types of food where we could “graze” from the self service buffet . Even though we had the onboard spending allowance ( much of which was taken up by the automatic daily charging of staff gratuity charges of $27 ) I found the wine pricing exorbitant. In the restaurant a bottle of Cloudy Bay, Sauvignon Blanc had a basic price of $40 which was not too bad seeing that , tax free , in the UK it would be about £20 (c $26 ) . However a corkage charge of $25 was then added and ,on top of that , there was a service charge of 15% bringing the total up to $ 74.75 . I refrained from any further purchases there . Quite a number of people to whom we spoke also complained about drink pricing policy on the ship . The air conditioning throughout the ship was set low This was affecting the ladies, especially as they had to dress accordingly . A number complained that they had been unable to wear dresses which had been brought especially for gala nights . Perhaps this was a factor in the ship seeming deserted after 10pm . People were more comfortable in their suites. As regards the excursions we found these to be very well organised by Cunard staff as far as getting us off the ship was concerned but they varied in quality from place to place just as was mentioned in Cunard’s publications . They are dependent on local companies whose employees seem often to be students doing casual work . For example , in Mauritius , we had an early start one day and visited a charming old French colonial villa where we were given a bottle of water and offered a couple of very small deep fried battered vegetables . We then drove a long distance to an old sugar plantation factory which had been converted into a museum dedicated to the local spice industry. Here we were led around every section which , because of the time involved in slowly following other groups of visitors, we found intensely boring . It was over by around 2pm and there had been no allowance for lunch and we still had another town to visit . What was annoying was to find that the factory had a very pleasant outdoor café facility of which we were totally unaware and unable to use as we were then driven off for another 2 hours unfed, and with no opportunity of buying a snack anywhere , until we returned to the ship. Our cruise was part of the Victoria’s World Cruise and covered Singapore to CapeTown . When we boarded it was clear from the amount of coughing noted that there was a “bug” in situ . This was clearly recognised by the Medical Centre which had a prominent notice saying that they did not prescribe antibiotics for this bug which they said was a Cold/Flu infection . They admitted it was virulent and could take up to a month to clear completely . My wife caught this after a week aboard and was prescribed only basic cough medication and paracetamol. She saw the doctors twice and , it not improving , was then told that that was the only medication that they could/would prescribe . Her condition worsened and , when we disembarked in CapeTown , she immediately saw a doctor who diagnosed acute bronchitis and prescribed strong antibiotics and steroids and certified her unfit to fly ( we were due to leave 3 days later and this had to be extended by a further 3 days ) . We thus incurred considerable extra cost and had no opportunity of making the most of our time there . Regarding the entertainment (in the magnificent theatre) there were very good lectures during the day e.g. antiques , topical history and politics and regional cuisine but we found the evening shows and performances mediocre . All in all this was a rather like the proverbial curate’s egg – good in parts . For us however it was a disappointing cruise . Read Less