I loved the ship for its style, food and friendly staff.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
In Rome/Citiavevchia embarkation was very smooth. Very frequent shuttle buses connect the dock with a square (Largo della Pace) where taxis also operate a drop off/pick up service.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
To me Cunard never disappoints - it’s the best food I’ve had on sea so far. You can dine much better here than in many fancy, pricey restaurants in London.
The only thing I’ve noted for this cruise is how stretched the sommeliers were in the main dining room. At the time of the cruise (May 2024), some argued that this was due to a shortage of staff because of the introduction of a new ship in the line, Queen Anne, where many staff members had been relocated without being replaced.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
What I like the most about Cunard is the offering of talks throughout the voyage. This time, as the cruise was meandering through the East Mediterranean, there were talks about the local history and archaeology of the area, which I really appreciated.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Staff was professional and very friendly as always. A pity that in the main dining room staff, and especially the sommeliers, seemed at times to be overworked/outstretched due to lack of personnel.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Sailing on Queen Victoria brings me back to the golden age of ocean liners. The Art Deco touches make this ship one of my favourites among modern cruise ships.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
I absolutely loved this interior cabin. It’s the double size of any normal cabin (bathrooms are the same size, though). It was next to the lobby and to the lifts. At times you could hear noises coming from a close-by service staircase/lift, but the comfort and extra-space were too big a boon to mind those.
Ship tip
If you enjoy Celtic folk songs, check the Irish Duo usually performing at the Golden Lion Pub!
To visit the main attractions such as Hagia Sophia, the Topkapi and the Basilica Cistern, I recommend going with a tour - you avoid queuing up for buying tickets AND then queuing up to enter!
Many stunning mosques around the city are free to enter instead: I particularly recommend the Sulemanyie Mosque, built in the 1500s by Sultan Suleyman The Great and the biggest of them all, on a great spot overlooking the harbour.
We took an excursion to Apollo’s sanctuary at Delphi - something I was very much looking forward to.
We stayed out all day - it took us 3 hours to go and 3 hours to come back. This was mainly due to the nightmare traffic in Athens (1 hour only to get out of and then get back into the city).
That said, the place is stunning - the setting is majestic, and the local museum contains invaluable pearls of the past.
I have been to this site many times now, and I always come back here with pleasure.
The little town attached to it is also very pleasant and the local museum is astonishing - make sure to check out the monumental sculptures which once adorned the fronts of Zeus’s temple.
We took the excursions to Ephesus, Dydima and Miletus.
As a historian and archaeologist myself, I was stunned by the beauties of Apollo’s sanctuary at Dydima. The following pictures will speak for themselves.
N.B. Be prepared for the crowds at Ephesus - though this shouldn’t deter you from visiting it.
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