The Queen Victoria is a fab ship with plenty of lavish details (a martini bar with wall to wall glass windows overlooking the ocean) and small luxuries (white gloved tea service). A Veuve Clicquot Champagne Bar, Todd English restaurant, cushy cabins and elegant teak deck chairs only contribute to the posh British ship effect. Plus, Cunard’s emphasis on customer service and a 2-to-1 guest to crew ratio means that you’ll be very well looked after indeed. However, there are a few crucial things you should be aware of before planning to cruise on the Queen Victoria.First, Cunard markets themselves to an elderly audience. I kid you not: seminars on arthritis and swollen ankles, vegetable carving demonstrations and bingo games are daily occurrences. But the sports on the ship are truly redeeming and include: paddle tennis, table tennis, outdoor chess, an indoor gym, shuffleboard, deck quoits, golf chipping cages (for an additional fee), fencing, ballroom dancing classes and use of the two pools and four Jacuzzis.
Additional activities include: wine tasting seminars, travel lectures, musical theater productions, an internet center, board games, line dancing classes, cocktail mixology classes, whist and bridge tournaments, black-tie balls, art auctions, comedians and daily trivia. The casino features slot machines, blackjack, roulette, Caribbean poker and 3-stud poker. Matinee movies are offered at 2 p.m. daily and range from classics (Gone With the Wind) to current (No Country For Old Men). There’s also a two-story library which has a nice selection of fiction and non-fiction as well as a massive assortment of travel books. And then of course, there are the bars & lounges in which to tipple an expertly made cocktail and dance the night away.
You won’t find ice skating rinks or video arcades – so if you’ve got young kids or are looking for people under 40 to party the night away with, this might not be your ship. But in a strange way, this lack of trendy activities is actually an asset for those passengers looking to avoid the dreaded "family vacationers" so prevalent on other cruise lines. Meaning that on the Queen Victoria you can settle into your enormous chaise lounge, wait for the waitress to take your drink order and then happily sip your daiquiri in adults-only peace (no screaming kids by the pool…no hordes of roaming teens in the clubs...hooray!) while you listen to the sound of the waves quietly crashing below you.
