King Amo

The issue is with the narrow corridor though - the space is totally unsuitable for the restaurant. The banquette actually leads to there being more circulation space for that number of tables, as guests slide in, rather than having the room to pull a chair back. Also seems I have to clarify that I never said a banquette was cozy. I said it makes an empty restaurant appear more cosy. I made no comment on the comfort of the seat.

Can you imagine the fume if Cunard had decided to sit two tops side by side on the banquettes, rather than being face to face? You solve one problem by creating an even bigger one. Banquette seating is something that has come back into fashion in recent years in high end restaurants, and I suspect this is why the interior designers went for it here. It makes an empty restaurant appear more cosy and inviting (and, to add another new word that many on here will hate, Instagrammable). They cope very nicely with maximising space in awkward areas, and given the less than ideal QG floorplate, I can see why they would have fitted the bill here. I'd be interested to know if the feedback on them is universally bad, as this place is certainly not a representative sample. If it is, I can see them working on alternatives as we speak and ripping them out at the first opportunity, as it is never that difficult to do. Getting sufficient capacity and circulation space will be challenging though, as that area should never have been a restaurant (at least front of house) in my mind.

Regarding the Chart Room, there is a perspex case positioned just outside, which shows what is available at any given time. Presumably you order them via the staff inside, but I never actually used the Chart Room when I was on board as its positioning on a main thoroughfare made it all seem very 'on display'.

When I was on QV a few weeks back, I would say there were only maybe half a dozen couples you would call experienced ballroom dancers, but many more novices who appeared to be very much enjoying the less pressured atmosphere of having others in a similar boat trying the steps and routines they had learnt in the lessons and practices. Having the room completely dedicated to ballroom and Latin would have left it pretty empty as most simply would not have had the repertoire to enjoy it to its fullest. The clientele on a Med fly cruise is not the same as on a transatlantic, or indeed a Southampton round trip, so Cunard is absolutely right to try and do more to provide more that people would find both attractive and accessible. They need to make sure all the spaces are activated, and everyone is having a good time. That may not please the hardcore dance crowd, but it is hardly like they are being completely pushed out.

Interesting as Tom Connery was on board until 19th, at least. His wife and kids were on board, so perhaps that was the end of his stint and they all went back together.

On QV they had one of those machines which measures weight, bodyfat % etc. Can't remember how much they were going to charge for a consultation, but presumably it came in as part of a personal training plan etc.

We were on board until just over a week ago and did not see anything that would cause any legitimate concern. She is a relatively old ship, so there are naturally areas which are showing age in comparison to newer ones, so I will list some of the issues I saw here. The pod bathrooms are a case in point, which feel quite dated with the cream finish and shower curtain, however everything worked fine and was spotlessly clean. Likewise, in the cabin, the quantum, positioning and design of the plug sockets show that this was a ship designed many years ago before the explosion in smart devices all needing charge. There is the odd bit of rust on balconies and on deck, but this is an endless task and the case on any ship. Staff could be seen throughout the day painting and varnishing, so it is certainly not the case that she is being neglected. The starboard side door that connects the Winter Garden to the Pavilion Pool was out of action throughout our two weeks, but that was actually quite helpful as it enabled the area in front to be utilised by chairs and loungers, being in the shade. There was clearly a leak that was causing issues on Deck 2 leading to the Britannia restaurant, as there were dehumidifiers running to keep the carpet dry, but this had no impact on anyone, as the passageway was always wide enough for those in wheelchairs or mobility scooters to pass by. Generally though, I think the ship is holding up remarkably well and is being kept in very good order. Carpets throughout were in great condition, as was the internal decoration and state of the furniture. There is still a very clear wow factor through the various public areas on decks 2 and 3, even if it does not seek to be glitzy. In terms of luxury, this is much more to do with Cunard itself, rather than being specific to QV. The level of service provided by the crew was exemplary in what it was. It would not compare to a small, high end product like Silversea etc. as there just isn't the ability with these numbers to provide such personalised service across all aspects of the ship. You will certainly get it from your cabin steward and waiting staff (if you had a fixed table), and would be able to build a similar rapport with bar staff if you frequented somewhere in particular, but the scale of the operations, and therefore what it takes to be operationally efficient and successful are very different. I think it is Victoria2 who often describes it as a happy ship, and I would 100% concur with this and observe that it rubs off on the guests too. The Captain on board on our sailing, Tom Connery, was laid back but very much in evidence, and it appeared that his manner of approaching staff and passengers was mirrored down the hierarchy to the point where lower grade staff across all the visible sections appeared genuinely relaxed and happy in their liaisons with management (as opposed to being anxious and subservient that you see on many other ships). I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to anyone who knew what they were buying into with Cunard and would have appropriate expectations. The condition of the ship would barely figure in my concerns, it would be much more to do with pace of life on board, the kind of facilities vs the likes of RCI etc.

Good plan. I wore the tux for the four galas (and noted that many more people went with the theme than I was expecting, including numerous masquerade masks at early dinner on that night), and had a long sleeved collared shirt and smart trousers for the other nights, but I could probably have counted the number of guests wearing ties on two hands. If packing's tight, I'd certainly recommend ensuring you have enough daywear given the heat in ports, rather than worrying about having lots of jackets for smart evenings.

Just think of it like going back in time. You will check in at the airport, rather than beforehand, so be prepared for long queues as each customer has to be allocated, be asked all the pre-flight questions, have documents checked etc. This happens both ways, and on the return you will likely get dumped at the airport long before the check in desk is open, so the queue time is even longer. Absolutely not their forte, and room for serious improvement in how they manage the process.

I was on there between 5th and 19th August, so will be very interested to compare notes. Going straight back to work from Tuesday, I've not had time to put a review together yet, but will certainly do the same. What I would definitely say, though, is to be prepared for it to be significantly more casual than you will be expecting. While on the gala nights, the restaurant team were busy handing out jackets to certain disgruntled guests (or sending them away to the Lido), it was noticeably casual on 'smart attire' evenings. How much of this was due to the heat, and how much due to the eclectic mix of nationalities on board I don't know. Naturally for some on here this would signify the end of the world as we know it, but it made absolutely no difference to the quality of the service on offer, which I have to say was exemplary from the Captain downwards. Air transfers were another story entirely. Not Cunard's fault, but loads of room for improvement in proactively dealing with issues and providing assistance at the time, rather than apologies afterwards. The ship experience itself though? I'd be back on board tomorrow if I could. Wonderful.

I only had experience of an M3 and C3, and my word that M3 was small! I'll have to dig out some old photos to see if I took one of the cabin, but my memory is that you pretty much had to clamber over one of the beds to reach the bathroom.

Agree. Expectations have now changed considerably, and while there would be both nostalgic and novelty value in continuing to run her, no level of service quality could make up for the issues with the accommodation and facilities compared to the more contemporary ships.

Fabulous, thanks. Will put together my thoughts and observations at some point as naturally there are many! To be honest, I generally only give a passing glance to excursions, more for curiosity value as to what is being offered and what appears to be popular. There has generally been, in my experience, a greater demand for excursions when either the number of US guests is high, the ports of call are somewhat tricky (such as St Petersburg for visas etc.) or local infrastructure is poor or unreliable. On this trip the only real places that would have warranted a booked excursion would have been Toulon if you were wanting to get to St Tropez, or Naples if you were wanting to guarantee getting back in time from Capri. Other than that it was dead easy to do it yourself, and helped massively by the free shuttles provided everywhere we weren't docked right in the centre of town.

We've just come back from 14 nights on QV, and if this year is anything to go by, I'd suggest waiting until you were on board and using your credit. There was availability for everything aside from the extremely niche and limited (e.g. 4x4 treks etc.), and in some cases they were saying that people could just turn up at the meeting time and they would sort everything out there and then. The clientele was very different to a TA or sailing from Southampton, and it appeared that most opted not to take Cunard's excursions. Perhaps if there is something you are absolutely dead set on, you could book that and not risk it, but I was very surprised by how much was still available.

From that photo it doesn't look too bad to me, but my view doesn't count!

https://cruisedeckplans.com/ships/slideshow-cabin-members.php?ship=Queen-Victoria&cabin=5136

I've no real beef with anyone finding a place to sit and then using that place. Naturally a level of thought and courtesy of fellow passengers wouldn't go amiss, i.e. large queue at the door and not using the space as intended such as the buffet during main service or Golden Lion at the lunch rush. My issue is with people who spread their belongings out then disappear for hours, which tends in my experience to be around the pool, particularly during meal service times, and the Queens Room early afternoons prior to afternoon tea.

Indeed, and we've discussed this before too. I paid my TA for our latest trip, and the bank statement shows them rather than Cunard. Nothing is cut and dried here.

Perfect😀

Wasn't there an incident of this a month or so ago, for someone's honeymoon getting bumped? I'm pretty sure it ended up being resolved (although not necessarily with an appropriate level of goodwill gesture), but can't remember what tactics were used to get there. I'll see if I can find it, but I'm sure someone else will be quicker in doing so.

I'd never heard of it until 'Notes from a Small Island' came out.

Paddle tennis courts have been a mainstay of a cruise ship/ocean liner sports deck for a long time, so not sure why Pickleball would raise any eyebrows. I assume this is another example of new equals bad (even if 'new' is a bit of a stretch here given the similarities), and new and popular equals even worse.

Bagging loungers and seats (particularly in advance of afternoon tea) has happened on every Cunard cruise or crossing I've been on. It isn't a new phenomenon, and isn't any more or less prevalent on P&O. It's annoying, inconsiderate and greedy, and always has been.

Generally six weeks, from late July through to very early September.