We have sailed several times on Cunard, and we always enjoy the elegant, traditional, and very British environment on board. We selected the Queen Victoria because the itinerary was ideal, the ship is not overwhelming in size, and the gala nights are a special occasion to shine! We had a wonderful time on our cruise, especially with the splendid on-board entertainment, the delicious dining, the lovely ship, and the interesting ports of call. We would return, and would definitely highly recommend.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
We were through quite quickly without any lines! We did miss the welcome aboard photo, though.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We ate mainly in the Britannia Restaurant, and enjoyed breakfast, lunch, and dinner in this traditional and elegant location. We found the menu very good, but would have preferred a greater variety of choices some evenings. For dinner we always reserve a fixed time and staff. Our wait team was superb, very friendly and organized. We also ate a few times in the Lido--there was a great selection and variety of foods at all times. We enjoyed a wonderful lovely afternoon tea in the Queen's Room, and even stopped in the pub for a tasty fish and chips British lunch. The restaurant and bar choices were fine and sufficient for us, as we were also touring in every port.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The daytime activities on Cunard cruises can be a bit low-key, but highly intellectual. I did not participate in too many this time, but husband did attend some lectures that he really enjoyed. In the past I have taken the watercolor painting and dancing classes, but I did not do them this time. We went to a live British game show which was fun to watch, although we did not know how to play. We did go to the nightclub and the Queen's Room for dancing frequently in the evenings, so we saved most of our energy for that, as well as the busy port excursions.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We were amazingly pleased at the wonderful on-board entertainment. We did not have any big production shows, but the quality of the performers we encountered was amazing--first class experts in their fields! The shows we attended included flamenco, violin playing, acrobatics, magic, and singing in French. We also really enjoyed the high quality of all the small bands on board (classical, jazz, rock, etc.), and the DJ was very friendly and nice, and tried to play a great variety of dancing music! The entertainment director was very visible.
Children's Programs
We did not travel with children.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
All ship personnel we encountered were fabulous! The captain was very present and funny, our cabin steward was fantastic, and our dining team wait staff was over-the-top wonderful. Everyone we met was friendly, and helped make our cruise more enjoyable.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The Queen Victoria is very lovely and easy to navigate, as she is not too large, and laid out very clearly and rationally. We like that there are dedicated decks for shopping, entertainment, dining, and cabins. We learned our way around very quickly. We found the entire ship very clean, with lots of staff available to care for her.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Our spotless cabin was nicely arranged and equipped, although very snug. I prefer to be mid-ship and on a higher deck. The decor was very pretty. We do miss hair conditioner, so we now bring our own bottle. Because we were touring every day in port, we do not need a large cabin on these busy Mediterranean cruise itineraries. On sea days we spent time at the pools relaxing.
Ship tip
Try to participate in all of the Cunard special events, such as the Gala theme evenings, the Queen's Room afternoon tea, and the ballroom dancing!
The eternal city of Rome could take a lifetime to truly see and know. We always plan on at least four days pre-cruise to visit in Rome. This is our second Summer cruise in a row in this glorious location, so we were able to do a few more unique tours this time, such as going to the opera at the Baths of Caracalla, as well as visiting the beautiful Palazzo Colonna. We also toured the Castel Sant'Angelo, as well as walked all around the city multiple times, and passed all the famous free sights. Last year we visited the Colosseum, Forum, Palatine Hill, Vatican, Galleria Borghese, Hadrian's Villa, and Villa D'Este, so we are starting to learn our way around! Rome is a wonderful destination!
We decided to be intrepid travelers and took an all-day excursion to visit both Florence and Pisa. Sadly the tour was not as well organized as it should have been, as we were dropped off far from sights by the bus, people were late, lunch was not included so we had to scramble to find a cafe, and there were no entrances to buildings--only an outside walking tour in Florence. Both cities were also extremely crowded!
Of course Florence is lovely, and magnificent, and should be visited with more time allotted! I did not buy any gold jewelry on the Ponte Vecchio--the prices were astronomical! In Pisa we barely had time to take a few good photos of the famous Tower. In the future I would choose only one city to visit from the cruise ship in order to see and do more.
The Toulon port is not a first choice for a cruise, but from here we went on an excursion to exclusive St. Tropez. That city is very crowded with yachts and high-end stores, and is a bit pricey and lacking in traditional character. In the morning we stopped in the small town of Port Grimaud and took a relaxing local boat tour. That little village is quaint and fun to stroll. We would have preferred a more famous city to visit in the south of France, or perhaps to have headed to a beach. It was fun to practice a few words in French!
This is a very lovely island, but very crowded with tourists these days. On our short excursion we were able to visit the castle, and the impressive and stunning cathedral, and walk around the city to do some shopping and see some of the pretty views. We wished for more time to tour and perhaps a visit a beach---definitely a place to return!
We selected the short Tuk Tuk tour as we were in the city on a Sunday, and most stores were closed, and we were disembarking the next day. The Tuk Tuk provides a close-up way to briefly see some of the major sights of the city and get a good overview of the layout. Valencia is very pretty and clean, with great green areas. The modern museum area is very striking. The Tuk-Tuk is somewhat comfortable, but the whole ride is open air and can be a bit noisy.
I have sailed Cunard twice 2nd time was more than enough, it was in Europe, the entertainment was a disgrace, so bad that I left a comment about it on my halfway through cruise feedback form, then I received a request from the cruise director asking what was wrong, I felt like a naughty school child being summoned before the headmaster, my idea of watching someone making balloon animals in the theatre is not my idea of fun, we left after 5 minutes, they had a ½ decent band in a lounge to about 20 people, I suggested putting them in the ballroom after the ritual ballroom dancing, he did this & it was full every night with people really enjoying themselves & dancing, wouldn't do another Cunard if it was free, they don't won't anyone under the age of 70.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
