4.7 out of 5

Queen Victoria Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean

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Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 96

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Rome To The Adriatic (Rome To Venice)

Sail date: September 24, 2016

Ship: Queen Victoria

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

The good: Beautiful ship, better than the pictures in the Cunard literature. Great, professional Cunard staff. Fantastic service almost everywhere. Britannia Restaurant food very good for mass-produced food, and Verandah Restaurant food better than that. Really appreciated 2 full days in Venice.

The OK: Cruise entertainment ranged between great and not. What was with that Queen cover band? Awful! Some of the shore excursions had too much bus time to get to unrewarding destinations. They should disclose how much time is spent in a coach on each itinerary. But most excursions great.

The bad: while the Spa services were good, the relentless up-selling by the staff really took away from the experience, and the treatments were expensive for what you got. The internet service was terrible, and failed log-outs (not just me) wasted a lot of purchased minutes. In-room entertainment was bland, and the technology was antiquated. It should at least have allowed you t plug in your own device.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

If you don't like wearing black tie (some nights), you really should find another cruise line. You can get by with going to the Lido on formal nights, but you are missing the experience that makes Cunard special.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Very nice not-quite-Broadway singing and dancing. The Queen cover band was awful (though others seemed, amazingly, to enjoy it).

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Consistently polite and appropriately formal

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Gorgeous ship; better than the photos. They fixed some of the design flaws they had in the QM2 (better position for the Queen's Room; separation of the Grills).

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Just like the Queen Mary 2. Very well designed for the size. I had been worried, because the door was right by the entrance to the elevator/stair hall, but no noise problems!

Ship tip

If you don't like at least moderate formality (I do), you should look elsewhere. Also, Cunard is not overly kid-friendly (again, a plus for me), not because they are hostile to kids, but because the vibe is very adult.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

3 out of 5

Really just a port; not much to see in the city. Go to Rome! Amazing!

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2 Comments

Anniegrant 6 years ago

Thank you for your extensive review. We're going in September 18 - a dinner jacket for my husband is high on the agenda and I'd better buy a few glam outfits. And I think we'd better take a few ball room dancing lessons!

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judycooper1 7 years ago

I agree with you about the Spa services and the up selling. I generally tell them before my treatment not to try upselling and I will tip them personally instead. It works....

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