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Queen Victoria will delight you with her special appeal, where elegance and unique features combine seamlessly with outstanding hospitality. You’ll discover an extraordinary way to see the world.
From the moment you step on board, you're immersed in an enchanting world of pleasure and escapism. Pass leisurely days soaking up the sunshine or gazing out at the tranquil ocean from her light-filled Winter Garden. Learn something new with our Cunard Insights speakers, or simply unwind with a good read. As evening falls, choose from a delectable array of dining options, and enjoy world-class entertainment in the Royal Court Theatre. On Queen Victoria the freedom to create your perfect trip is all yours.
About Us Whilst I wouldn’t say we are regular cruisers, this was our 6th ocean cruise and we have also done a 14 night European river cruise. We have previously cruised with P&O Australia 3 times as well as Carnival and Royal Caribbean. We are a couple, both around 60, and, whilst we have previously cruised 3 times with our daughters, this was our second cruise as just a couple as well as being our first cruise with Cunard. Cunard Queen Victoria Queen Victoria is a 92,700 tonne cruise ship launched in 2007 with a passenger capacity of just over 2,000 and represented the first cruise ship launched for Cunard following Carnival Corporation’s acquisition of the brand in the late ‘90s though, of course, the ocean liner QM2 had also been launched in the early 2000s. Apart from her almost twin Queen Elizabeth, she is most closely related to Holland America’s Vista Class and Signature Class ships and P&O UK’s Arcadia which launched a couple of years earlier and was originally slated as being QV before being rerouted to P&O. From a hull and mechanical design point of view, she is also related to Carnival’s Spirit Class ships. When launched, she had a raked aft but a significant update on the ship in 2017 added a number of cabins and also extended the Lido sundeck giving QV the same squared off stern as QE. QV blends Cunard traditions such as the Queen’s Room , library, and classic bars like The Commodore Club with expansive oceans views with the more modern approach to cabins with over half the staterooms having balconies. With a classic Victorian décor, she also has a grand two level theatre forward on Decks 1, 2 and 3 including private boxes which was a cruise ship first. The ship remains in great condition throughout with some lovely places to get some iconic photos like the stairs in the central atrium, the spiral staircase in the library or the famous clock near the casino. Cabin Whilst QV has grand suites (Queens Grill) and mini-suites (Princess Grill), she eschews the modern trend of all these suites being grouped together in a secure area commonly referred to a “ship within a ship”. Instead, the suites are located across the ship, principally midship and aft-view. The only “secured” suite area is the Grill dining rooms midship on Decks 11 and 12 which also includes a small “Grills only” sundeck. Cunard has also introduced another class of cabins in recent years called Britannia Club which is basically the same as all other balcony cabins but has access to another private dining room on Deck 2. We were not in any of these more exclusive cabin classes but instead in a standard Britannia balcony cabin towards the aft on Deck 4. Our cabin was on the port-side near the rear stairs and lifts (Stairway C). This location was ideal making it easy to get to the Britannia Dining Room (MDR) as well as the Lido buffet and sundeck. One benefit of a ship of this size is that even venues such as the theatre are never more than a 5 minute walk away. This cabin was located above the Britannia Room kitchen, but we never heard any noise or encountered any smells. We really liked our cabin. Despite Deck 4 typically being the lowest cost of all the balcony capable decks, it has the advantage of the balconies being about 30cms (1 foot) deeper than any of the higher decks. There are two chairs, a footrest and a small table out on the balcony though the coffee table from inside could be brought out if needed for things like room service breakfasts. That being said, the decking on the balcony was a bit stained and the rail needed a revarnishing. In other respects, all the non-suite cabins are basically the same, be they balcony, ocean view or interior. They include good wardrobe storage (reflecting the round-the world cruises this ship may do), a queen size bed (convertible into 2 singles), a small couch and a desk. The bed is quite comfortable with a mattress topper but there is only a continental quilt so it can be hard to adjust for temperature. Apparently, some people asked for a top sheet to overcome this. Standard Britannia cabins do not get a pillow menu. The cabin is not perfect though. One issue that betrays its age is the complete lack of any sort of power supply near the bed meaning all charging needs to be done at the desk where there are European, UK and US style sockets. To make matters worse, there are also no USB charging ports of any kind in the cabin. The biggest issue with the cabin is the bathroom. In some respects, it is hard to believe the “plastic fantastic” was even acceptable in 2007 but it now looks terrible. Storage is OK, the Penhaglion products of good standard and, at least, the plastic shower curtain doesn’t chase and cling to you but it’s not great. The bathroom on our river cruise had more space and was better designed even though the area available to designers was less. The final issue with the bathroom is the shower head is not adjustable and mounted too low; anyone over 6 feet will be ducking under the outlet to get their hair wet. Itinerary We didn’t pick this trip because it was Cunard; in fact, initially, we were looking at a cruise on the new Sun Princess. What attracted us to this trip was the itinerary. It took in sights we had always wanted to visit and had a good mix of port and sea days. 12/5/2025 Depart Civitavecchia, Italy (Rome) 13/5/2025 Sea Day 14/5/2025 Sea Day 15/5/2025 Rhodes, Greece 16/5/2025 Kusadasi, Turkey (Ephesus) 17/5/2025 Dardanelles and Marmera Sea Scenic Cruising (including Gallipoli memorial service) 18/5/2025 Istanbul, Turkey 19/5/2025 Istanbul, Turkey 20/5/2025 Dardanelles and Aegean Sea Scenic Cruising 21/5/2025 Heraklion, Crete (Originally Santorini but changed following earthquake damage) 22/5/2025 Piraeus, Greece (Athens) 23/5/2025 Sea Day 24/5/2025 Katakolon, Greece (Olympia) 25/5/2025 Sea Day 26/5/2025 Civitavecchia, Italy (Rome) This cruise represented the first Mediterranean cruise for QV for summer and arrived in Rome after a 7 day cruise from Southampton. It was quite modular and could, if desired, be bought in a series of 7 day segments from Southampton, Rome, Istanbul, Rome or Trieste without ever repeating a port except for a couple of turnaround days in Rome. About half the people on our cruise were doing the same 14 day block from Rome to Rome as us. We were lucky in that, apart from Istanbul and Athens, we never had to share a port with another ship though, had our Santorini call happened as originally scheduled, we would been one of seven tendering into that island on the day we were there. For excursions, we did Cunard excursions in Kusadasi, Istanbul, Athens and Olympia and independent (Shore Excursions Group) tours in Rhodes and Istanbul. We had seen enough ruins by the time we visited Crete so just walked into town ourself. From a value point of view, Cunard’s excursions weren’t bad but they tend to be big groups and you’d have to question the difficulty grading. There were several people on out tours who couldn’t complete the tour because they thought a moderate graded tour would be less strenuous than it was. Maybe, the tour should say approximately how many steps are included and whether there is any climbing involved which is an issue in places like Athens and Istanbul. Food We opted for Anytime Dining which meant we were eligible to dine on Level 2 of the beautiful Britainnia Dining Room whilst those who choose fixed dining were a deck above. You can book a dining time via the My Voyage “app” but we rarely saw a delay for those who choose to just walk-up. Obviously, one downside of Anytime Dining is you can be allocated anywhere but we found we enjoyed a certain area where the drinks waiter seemed to remember our preferences and usually had no trouble asking for a table in that area. The food in the Britannia Room was typically very good with only a couple of courses over the 2 weeks not being great. The menu changed every day but there were three always available (roast chicken, steak, salmon) if you couldn’t see something you liked. The only thing I didn’t like was the cheese option at dessert which was quite limited in range and bizarrely served with Digestive biscuits which aren’t what you normally expect as a savoury option. We had four Gala nights on our cruise but only attended three (we ate off the ship on the Gala night when we were in Kusadasi). Most complied with the published dress standards with no one blatantly ignoring what was requested by Cunard.. We had dinner twice in the Lido Buffet, once in the buffet itself and once with us taking our food outside to the Lido Deck on a lovely warm evening. The Lido Buffet tended to have a theme every second night such as Indian or Spanish with other nights being what was called International but, realistically, apart from a few main items the food was very similar every day but always tasty. Made to order pizza and pasta is also available in the buffet. Be it breakfast, lunch or dinner, we never had an issue finding a seat in the Lido Buffet. For breakfast, we did Britannia Room, Lido Buffet and room service depending on what we were doing on the day. The buffet was fine and we did enjoy the Britannia Room on lazy sea days when we were in no rush though the toast was always cold. Room service was always on time and great on port days when you were getting organised for excursions etc and could eat at the same time as getting dressed etc. We never did lunch in the Britannia Room usually using the Buffet or the Lido Grill on the aft deck. The latter makes good quality made to order burgers, steak sandwiches and hot dogs. We did lunch in the Golden Lion one day. The menu has apparently shrunk from what it used to be with Tikka Masala gone. I had the Pie of the Day and my wife had the Fish’n’Chips. Both were good though the fish serving was small. Some friends had the Ploughman’s which they rated as poor. The remaining items were at a cost and basically consisted of burgers. Not sure why you’d pay for a burger when the Lido Grill does a great made to order option included in the cruise fare. Our cruise was before the implementation of charging for room service for Britannia passengers but, as we never used room service except for breakfast, it wouldn’t have affected us anyway. For lunch, on one sea day, we went to the Verandah Restaurant which we purchased before the cruise. Both the service and food were excellent though the lunch menu is restricted compared to the more expensive dinner menu. There was no need to dress up for lunch here. The only other specialty restaurant options are a rotating menu in a cordoned off part off the buffet and a Lido deck meal on one night which makes no sense. Why pay USD35 to have a limited meal on deck when you can just walk into the buffet, pick your meal and eat in the same spot on any other night? We did do the famous Cunard afternoon tea in the Queens Room one afternoon and would recommend everyone do it at least once. Cunard’s drinks packages are extortionately priced with the alcoholic package at an amazing USD70 per night for each adult sharing a cabin. This is the same price that Princess charges for their Premier package which includes other benefits like WiFi and specialty dining. We only took the USD13 per day soda package and, even then, probably didn’t get full value from that. With a port intensive itinerary, I’d always just stick with pay as you go on Cunard in future. Entertainment We didn’t attend the theatre every night but, as usual, the offerings were a combination of cruise troupe offerings and special guests. The troupe performances were OK but nothing special and probably the same as you would have seen on any major cruise line 10 to 15 years ago. To its credit, Cunard uses a live band to provide music during these performances rather than taped music. We saw a mix of special guests including a couple of comedians, a group of 4 operatic singers performing modern songs and a band performing ‘60s classics who also performed in the Queen’s Room one night. All were very good. On one night, we paid USD60 to watch the performance from a private box which was a bit of a treat and included a pre-show drink, petit-fours and a small bottle of Laurent Perrier champagne. We are not dancers but did enjoy watching the live band and skilled dancing passengers in the Queen’s Room. We also went to the Yacht Club disco one night which was fun but quiet compared with what you would see on a “resort” line. Whilst in-cabin movies are free, they are not on demand. Other channels include a variety of news channels as well as bow view and repeats of port and enrichment seminars. You cannot check your account on the in-room TV. Activities We did music trivia each sea day afternoon on the Lido Deck which was fun and a great way to meet other passengers. We came second a few times but never won. We also went to Trivia in the underwhelming Wintergarden one night. We never went to any of the enrichment lectures but did watch a couple of them in our cabin whilst doing some other stuff. On our cruise, we had a war historian in week one which was very appropriate as the ship transitted the Dardanelles, an astrophysicist across both weeks and former English tennis player and commentator, Sue Barker in week two. Laundry QV has free self-service laundries including detergent on all cabin decks except Deck One. Each deck has 3 modern washers and dryers. As expected, on a cruise of this length, the laundries tended to be busy but accessible as long as you were patient. Cunard’s laundry costs are quite expensive on a per-piece basis but they do have a 15 item deal for USD50 which is still expensive when other lines like HAL offer unlimited laundry for around USD60 per week. WiFi WiFi onboard is expensive at nearly USD700 for the 14 day cruise on a 4 device premium plan but, using Starlink, it is quite fast and reliable. I needed it for work on seadays and my employer paid for it but otherwise I probably wouldn’t have bothered and just used 4G roaming when in port. App Unlike other Carnival brands, Cunard does not have a proper mobile app. Instead, you get access to the My Voyage web page which is available on your mobile phone regardless of whether you have WiFi or not. It is not great. You can book a table or check your account balance but functionality is limited. Spa We never used the spa facilities but did both get a haircut in the area which we pre-purchased when there was a 30% off sale. Without the discount, the price would’ve been prohibitive but the service was fine and generally welcoming. Surprisingly but pleasingly, the hairdressers didn’t try to upsell us on product . Embarkation and Disembarkation With not everyone embarking or disembarking at the same time, moving through the terminals in Civitavecchia tended to be pretty relaxed. We arrived at Civitavecchia from Rome about an hour before our scheduled boarding time of 2PM but had no issue dropping our luggage and immediately heading through security. We were onboard within 30 minutes of arriving at the terminal though apparently things deteriorated later in the afternoon with security queues taking over an hour. We were allowed immediate access to our cabin with 2 of our bags already waiting for us. Of the 2000 passengers onboard, about 1400 were disembarking with us in Rome. We were in no real rush and not fazed when we were allocated a 10:15 departure time. As it turned out, the final everyone disembark order came at 9:45 and, with no immigration requirements, we had our luggage and were landside with luggage within 10 minutes of the announcement being made. Going Forward QV is due for a three week drydock next year. This will be largely cosmetic and probably mirror the minor updates that QE has had this year. At some point, a more major update will be required for QV so what is needed so she can continue sailing for another 15 years. • As mentioned earlier, the cabin bathrooms and USB situation need attention. This will be expensive and time consuming but definitely needed. • The Wintergarden is largely wasted. The retractable roof no longer opens but the furniture is still a mix as if it did. The area needs to be reimagined. • The area that was previously the photo gallery is now deserted as photos are now viewable on a couple of screens. Maybe this could be another bar • The Lido Buffet, whilst still good, should move to the post-COVID largely crew serving foodcourt style as seen on Queen Anne and other new ships. Summary What we Liked • Peaceful relaxing environment with no annoying announcements • Traditional cruising with minimal frippery in a beautiful ship • Visible captain and senior staff along with great crew • Good value overall What could be improved • Drinks and internet packages are extortionately priced • Theatre entertainment could be updated • In-cabin entertainment offering All in all, QV suits a warm weather cruise well. We’d sail her in an instant providing the itinerary suited. Not sure, I’d love her if there were too many sea days or on a cold weather cruise. Cunard has a great product that is becoming less common with some of the gimmickry that cruiselines feel compelled to build into their newer ships. It is not for everyone but, if you are the type who enjoys a quieter cruise sitting on the deck reading a good book and enjoying good food in the evening, this may be your cruise.
From parties of one to families of four, you’ll find a variety of spacious staterooms and suites on board our ships to make your voyage as comfortable as possible.
From casual bites to haute cuisine, each day on Queen Victoria unlocks a new culinary adventure. Enjoy the timeless elegance of her fine dining restaurants, the array of dishes at her Lido buffet, or the chance to indulge in hearty pub fare at the Golden Lion pub. Where will you eat first?
As with all Cunard ships, Queen Victoria operates a stateroom-affiliated dining system, whereby your main dining room corresponds to your stateroom grade: Britannia, Britannia Club, Princess Grill or Queens Grill. Guests can dine in their main dining room for all meals of the day, and it's all included in the cruise fare. However these are just the beginnings of what your tastebuds can discover on board Queen Victoria. Read on as we introduce six of our favourite culinary experiences available to guests on Queen Victoria, wherever she sails.
A journey of sophistication and indulgence awaits you at Queen Victoria’s bars and lounges. From classic cocktails and fine wines to global beers and spirits, here’s nine places to raise a glass on board our legendary vessel.
The ship features a fantastic array of health and fitness facilities for passengers that wish to stay active or relax and be pampered. These include, a spa, a fitness centre, a games deck, sports courts and much more.
Our ships are ideal family holiday destinations, with plenty to keep our younger guests entertained.
Children of all ages are welcome on our ships, and our dedicated clubs offer activities and entertainment. These include arts and crafts, sporting activities, play areas, computer games and much more. They can make friends with other children at The Play Zone, for two- to seven-year-olds, and The Zone which is ideal for eight- to 17-year-olds. Our youth staff will supervise your children and organise events, activities and competitions.
Access to the children's clubs is included in your fare.
