Having cruised on the QE2 and Queen Mary a couple of times sailing round the Med, we thought we'd like to try a Baltic Cruise and sure enough Queen Victoria was sailing at a good time of the year for us. It was the offer where they sell you a Britannia class balcony cabin at a cheap price but they only have a few on the ship so you know you're going to get an 'upgrade'. We got due upgrade to deck 7, aft. The cabin was the same size as other cabins we have had with a small bathroom but it was comfortable enough and clean - although we did find a hair band behind the bedside cabinet.
We were second sitting for dinner and throughout the voyage the food was OK -â€" not fabulous but given it was mass catering it was OK, no real complaints. Table service was efficient if a bit rushed -â€" I felt as though the waiters couldn't wait to get you out so they could re-set the table for breakfast. In the morning and at lunchtime in The Lido (which is where we mostly breakfasted) waiters were asking if you would like to order wine for that evening 'in case they were busy'. Two things, if they're that busy they should have more staff and secondly, at that point, we didn't even know what we'd be eating! If this sounds a bit negative, it's not meant to be because in general, I found the service very good.
The ports were interesting but everyone was waiting for the big one -â€" St Petersburg. It certainly didn't disappoint. We took a full day trip and 'did' The Hermitage and Winter Place as well as a small concert at a nearby music school. It really was the highlight of the journey.