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Queen Victoria Cruise Review to Europe
Contributor Level:
Second Mate
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 3
Helpful Votes: 138
Athens to Rome
Sail date: July 08, 2017
Ship: Queen Victoria
Cabin type: Oceanview
Cabin number: 4109
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 7 years ago
Review summary
Great Greek island cruise but traveling from Newcastle to the ship and back via Gatwick was awful as there are now no flights Newcastle to Gatwick and trains took for ever then dragging cases.... ugh. Loved the Queen Victoria especially the dress code which most people adhered to.Embarkation
Embarkation in Venice was the fastest we have experienced anywhere. Our Diamond status helped in that we were given priority, however there were little if any queues.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
We ate most meals in the Britannia restaurant (the main dining room). Service was excellant and the quality of food first rate. The soups deserve special mention fabulous. The head waiter Mr Fernandez was terrific and always prepared to help where he could. Thomas the Maitre d runs a well organized restaurant and was popular with staff and guests alike. The lido buffet had good variety and long opening hours, there was rarely a problem finding a table but finding a sommelier to order drinks was difficult. No trays meant more visits to the food areas so there were often times when we found ourselves alone to eat whilst the other half went off in search of the next course. The Golden Lion pub lunches were very good and I can highly recommend them. We ate 1 lunch in the Verandah specialty restaurant which was as good as any 5* restaurant on land and good God a special treat but a bit pricey. Outdoor burger bar was time consuming, not sure why everything took so long but it did. Basic fayre but cooked to order so always hot. We did not eat in the other specialty dining so cannot comment on them. Finally afternoon tea in the Queens room.... well don't miss it. Superb.
Onboard Activities
2 pools one adults only, 4 spa pools. In addition there was a hydro pool in spa area that you could pay to use, we chose not to. Lots of spa treatments at the usual inflated prices, a good gym and lots of excercise classes some free some to pay for. Lots of daily activities. Too many tables at the aft pool side and not enough sun loungers, not sure why Cunard did that during the refit, it looked messy with people obviously want to lye in the sun but forced to sit on uncomfortable chairs.
Entertainment
Lots of different entertainment throughout the ship, covering most tastes. Carlo the pianist in the commodore club was very good but others including string quartet, orchestra, dance band and pop vandals were all good. Headliners in the theatre were the usual mix mainly good rather than very good but others might say differently. The royal cunard singers and dancers performed well but we had seen better and worse so I guess average.
Service and Staff
Everyone we met was polite and courteous with good customer focus. Yes of course there were little niggles but a quiet polite word and they always improved.
Ship Quality
Well laid out and easy to navigate, no dead ends or having to go up and down stairs to move around. Pleanty of lifts. Very clean in the main, good common areas. Our only negative comment was as above the aft pool had too many chairs and tables which reduced the number and availability of sun loungers.
Cabin / Stateroom
Restricted view, a lifeboat kept out much of the light and all of the view. Reasonable size room, well furnished lots of hanging space just enough drawer space. tiny bathroom, shower was uncomfortably small with the dreaded sticky shower curtain. Well kept and clean.
Ship tip
There is lots to do so choose carefully and save some rest time.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
Love Venice but our flight arrived late afternoon too late for sight seeing, but the sail away was great.
Great port the old town well worth a visit but a long walk, lots of local transport very cheap but you need local currency for public transport.
We did not visit Olympia this time having been before, recommend local transport or local tours much cheaper than Cunard. Small walkable town lots of cheap bars restaurants and shops to keep us amused. Short walk from the pier.
Disembarkation
A 21.05 flight meant we disembarked at 16.00 at least they allowed us to stay on board all day and use the facilities. Transfer to the airport fast and painless. Easy jet check in fraught with difficulty as cunard had not given us an airline reference number and pursers desk said check in would be taken care of by their coordinator, it wasn't and easyjet made it very difficult for us as they only have on line check in, that followed by a 3 hour delay when they refused to give us food and drink vouchers even though the EU regulation says they must meant a great holiday was spoiled at the last point.