Cunard Queen Victoria, Cunard

We got on board Cunard Queen Victoria for 5 nights Channel Cruise in Nov 2017, we asked and got upgraded from inside cabin to a balcony cabin, for £150. Inside cabin was ok but very noisy with no windows and just a bed but balcony is fantastic in comparison, there is a sofa and table & a balcony with 2 chairs and a table. The bed is soooo comfortable with more comfortable pillows. Wardrobe space is limited but plenty of hangers, one cupboard has shelves which also can hold a medium size suitcase, we put the rest of our cases in the same wardrobe as our clothes. No shoe rack but enough room to put them next to the suitcase ( we like a tidy room ) depending on how high is bed and your suitcases you might be able to fit them under the bed instead. There is a safe which can hold laptop and some other small items & it’s on one of the shelves. Adequate shower, basin and toilet. Shower gel, soap & body lotion, shower cap and cotton wool, flannels, hand & bath towels. Shaver plug, box of tissue. In our balcony cabin we also got really nice fluffy large Cunard towels which wasn’t in the inside cabin. We got a 1/2 bottle of complimentary Champagne . They provide Bathrobes & slippers, tea & coffee making facilities & a small fridge. TV is big but channels are rubbishbut if you have a smart phone (not sure about iPhone) you can connect it to the TV, watch any downloads or any TV catch up apps you may have on your smart phone. Food is plenty and of high quality. There are sprinklers and fire alarms in ever cabin and all over the ship which is very reassuring. Many Restaurants and pubs. A buffet restaurant is open 24 hrs a day serving all kind of food from salads to hot meals, pizza & sliced meat & cheese, plus waiter service restaurants with set meals but certain opening hours. There is lots of slot machines, roulette and black jack tables. You have to buy WiFi , we didn’t & only used our own mobile data on each ports of stay. There are lots of things happening such as bands, singers, comedians, darts, quiz, ballroom dancing which are announced on the daily programme left in your room. Each port has a day trip, we bought the Amsterdam city tour & river cruise, we found the city tour very boring, the bus is too big to go to real places of interests such as Ann Frank house and traffic is heavy so lots of stops. We had been to Amsterdam 3 times before so may be that’s why we found it boating. We got an hour free time then the river cruise which was a bit more interesting than the coach trip. At each port there are free bus shuttles to the nearest town every 10 minutes which if you can walk around is much cheaper and you can do your own excursion. The outdoor lido pool is heated to 26c and is ok for a short swim in winter, there are 2 jacuzzi on either side, one day they gave me towels but not the rest of the time, I put the bathrobe & slippers on to get there & took one of our white towels with me. They pool is quite busy during Sea Days, but empty other times Dress code for waiter service restaurants are jackets for men , cocktail dress or smart separates for women. The Duty Free ship is NOT Duty FREE. Prices are expensive & they charge 20% VAT on top. So don’t plan to buy any alcohol, cigarettes, make up, skincare or perfume on board. Tap water is drinking water but they try to sell you a 1 lt bottle for $8.50 You can buy small amounts of water, alcohol etc... when at port and being in but they have the right to confiscate it. I found the 36hr sea day & night cruise awful, every one was on board therefore everywhere was crowded and packed, with public toilets starting to smell around the ship. We drove our car to Southampton and there is no choice but to use the only valet parking available for £75 for 5 nights. We opted out of the percentage they take out of our credit card for tips, you need to go the purser’s office as soon as you board, instead we tipped those who served us well in cash in US Dollars as the ship was sailing to the Caribbean next. It was our first time but never again

Just returned from a trip Southampton to Sydney and although we enjoyed the itinarary we were disappointed by how far Cunards standards have slipped. The ship was due to go for a refit at the end of this world cruise but this was overdue with dirty carpets obvious areas needing redecoration and in the Garden Room the sun roof was broken and couldn't be opened so the room was like a sauna in when the sun was shining through the glass roof. We are diamond world club members and have travelled a lot with Cunard but menus were so repetitious with virtually the same dishes being rotated on a weekly basis. The resident entertainers were not very good and shows were repeated, although most of the visiting entertainers were good. A minor point but in the Lido, the buffet restaurant, at peak times they ran out of cups and some plates. A tea or coffee in a paper cup is this Cunards new standard. We were ready to get off the ship when we got to Sydney and I don't know how I could face a world cruise with so much repetition.