Queen Victoria – Southampton to Istanbul

May 2025

Reviewed by: Clive Heath

Cruise Line: Cunard Line

Size of ship and passenger capacity: 90,949 GRT. Carries 2,014 passengers

Year Built: 2007

Where the ship cruises: World Cruises, Europe

Currency onboard: USD

 

It has been a few years since we cruised on Cunard. Our last ‘Queen’ voyage was Queen Mary 2 through the Mediterranean in 2014. 

Pushing the ship out this time (excuse the pun) we opted for a Queens Grill suite Q3 located on deck 5 Port side, mid-ship.

These cabins are particularly stable through the ‘Bay of Biscay’ being midships but on a lower deck which is close to the lifeboats and main decks can be a little noisy.

Our cabin

Equivalent to roughly two standard-sized balcony cabins with a circular flow, it had all the wardrobe space necessary for those gowns and tuxedos that were essential on a Cunard cruise with 4 formal or gala nights. 

Dress standards were generally enforced and spoken about daily by the Entertainment Director.

Note: If you didn’t feel like dressing up there were two restaurants where normal smart attire was acceptable.

Our cabin didn’t feel overly spacious but worked well.

Slightly old fashioned in decor with wood panelling and a marble bathroom. 

There was ample draw space and a walk-in wardrobe, two desks, and an older style TV, but with plenty of power points, although mostly American, and not yet with USB port technology that is common on later build ships.

Our butler Moses, organised our favourite wines for the bar fridge on day one and kept them topped up for the duration.

Bottled water was used even for tea and coffee. Multiple bottles were left every day. 

Canapes were delivered at 4:30pm daily.

Around the ship

Below us on Deck 3 down to Deck 1 were located the Theatre, bars, tour desk, Atrium, Red Lion pub and a selection of shops. The Queens Lounge on deck 2 was heavily utilised for everything from workout classes to fencing and was converted each afternoon for high tea by suitably attired waiters. 

This was certainly a guest favourite and was packed out every afternoon. 

For extra luxury pay $45 and add champagne to your experience!

The Red Lion Pub was offered as a typical English pub with Bingo daily morning and afternoon, pies, hamburgers and other pub fare! Not all ncluded in your cruise fare.

The Royal Court Theatre was located at the front of the ship spanning decks 1-3, on deck 3. We reserved a private box one night pre-show with a half bottle of bubbles and Canapes for added opulence! The Theatre had a lovely old world feel reminiscent of a London Theatre. The Theatre was also used for daily events and Port talks called ‘Cunard Connections’, these lectures took place twice daily on subjects relevant to the area or the patrons travelling onboard.

Our principal lecturers included Dr Helen Roe who spoke on topics ranging from the battle of Britain, Gallipolli and the ships of Brunel and David McCaddon who entertained us with tales of London criminals fleeing arrest to Spain in the 1970’s and what had become of the members of the Great Train Robbery in the 1960’s.

Evening shows at 7:15pm and 9:00pm offered the usual range of song and dance style reviews & comedians. Jools Holland, a UK entertainer was enthusiastically received as were most of the comedians.

It was not possible to eat in the Grills restaurant which opened at 6:30pm and attend the first show. 

A minor inconvenience.

Dining

The Britannia restaurant was the main dining venue with 5:30pm and 7:30pm sittings, all day dining was offered by the Lido on deck 9 although outside main meal times it was mainly snacks only on offer or room service.

Part of the Lido was used for speciality dining such as Coriander (Indian) and Bamboo (Chinese) this changed during the voyage.

The Verandah, or ‘Speciality’ restaurant was a premium mainly ‘meat’ offering on deck 3 at an added surcharge of $45 USD pp for lunch and $65 USD pp in the evening. 

For Grills passengers, daily lunch and dinner menus were placed in the cabin the night prior by our Butler.

The Commander Lounge on deck 10 was and ideal venue for a pre dinner cocktail offering panoramic views from the front of the ship, especially wonderful when entering and leaving port.

Dining for Grill passengers was on decks 11 & 12 which were our haven. The Grills lounge was shared by both Princess and Queens Grill patrons and had a concierge desk to help with everything from Internet issues, shore tours and restaurant bookings.

The Queens Grill restaurant flanked the lounge on the Port side and was mirrored on the Starboard by Princess Grill dining. In the middle was an area  open to the elements with cafe style chairs and umbrellas which was an excellent spot for an Alfresco lunch if the weather permitted.

The formal menu changed daily but our chefs accepted any challenge and could cater for just about all tastes. We requested a curry menu one night and specific pasta dishes another which were prepared without question. 

Lobster and steak were basically on request.

Grills Benefits

Behind the Grill lounge on deck 11 and on the top deck, deck 12, were comfortable sun lounges but no pool.

Decks 11 & 12 were reached by only two lifts midships which required key card access. It could be a long wait for the lift sometimes which encouraged use of the stairs which given the frequency and amount of food on offer was badly needed.

It was difficult to obtain clarity on exactly what was included in Queens Grill or Princess Grill packages. Research done in advance did not make things clear. Certainly, there was access to an exclusive restaurant, The Grills Lounge and private sun terraces as primary along with the cabin level of your choice. Alcoholic Drinks however were not included in any lounge unless you purchased a drinks package. 

The stateroom mini bar came with a few soft drinks and a bar list. You could also choose two bottles of wine which were replaced as consumed, however it was never clear if this was the case if you had not purchased a drinks package.

Embarkation was a mixed bag. There was no clear Grills ‘line’ only a cursory look at our tickets gave us access to a shorter queue. 

Speak up for yourself would be my advice. No preferred boarding signage in Southampton at all.

Overall

The staff onboard were exceptional, a well-oiled machine! They were friendly, helpful and efficient. Some of the best we have encountered on any ship. Unfortunately the same could not be said of the Pursers desk staff,  where it was almost impossible to obtain a smile from any staff there.

I guess there’s a thankless job dealing with constant customer account queries.

Tips!

On any cruise starting from Southampton in early or late summer season opt for a starboard side cabin. This should provide more western sun and balcony sitting opportunities.

Other comments to note, Cunard has changed their tipping policy once again, they now levy a service charge of 15% which is added to all purchases of meals, drinks etc every day. For Grill passengers, this was set at a minimum of $18 per pax per day.

You can still use your discretion and give your cabin steward extra however you could have the ‘tips’ removed from your account at the purser’s desk. But Good luck trying!

All port visits were handled well although we did not join any of the ship’s tours preferring pre-arranged plans made through local operators at a quarter of the cost. 

Highlights

The ship itself – one of the best run and well organised we have enjoyed. 

Lots of places to relax.

Grills class. Maybe do it once!

Rhodes Town was exceptional – touristy, but packed with history. A visit to the Rhodes Museum is a must.

Transit of the Dardanelles – whether it was because we were on a ‘British’ ship or not, the respect for the Anzac landings in 1915 was profound and emotional experience with the last post and a minute silence.

Overall it was a very memorable cruise.