Queen Victoria, Aug 24-31, Norwegian Fjords...our thoughts

We sailed a quick 5 day last year on the Queen Elizabeth and wanted another go at the Cunard experience. We had an excellent rate for a balcony cabin, grats included via our agent's affiliation, so a good value all around.

We like Cunard because of the upscale atmosphere, almost no kids sailing on this itin, low key approach to onboard sales, formal nights and size of ship, Absolutely no complaints. The Victoria was in amazing shape, very clean, beautiful, no areas in need of help.

Embarkation in Southampton was wonderful! We stayed 1 night pre-cruise at the Ibis Southampton Central. We could see the ship docked at Mayflower from the hotel but needed a cab to get there, only 6ps though. We arrived at the terminal about noon and we were in our stateroom by 1230 or maybe even earlier. The staff at embarkation are wonderful & there was no issue at all that our assigned boarding time was 3:00pm.

Food: their buffets are excellent, so much choice, no cutting back on 'upgraded' options like smoked salmon, fish, good cheeses, etc. I am a pescatarian but never felt underfed in any way. The Britannia DR fell a bit short for us. Small portions, especially the fish & seafood entrees and the deserts were disappointing... often lacklustre, very small portions and missing visual appeal. Having said that, the chocolates/candied ginger etc served with coffee were always a lovely touch. Oh, and lunch in the DR on the last sea day was the best meal we had all week in there.

We had dinner in the specialty section of the Lido. We went on Asian themed night and it was excellent. Highly recommend. Wonderful food, great service, best desert of the cruise. Nice and romantic with a table for 2 next to the expansive windows.

Entertainment: was mostly a miss for us. They work their singers/dancers to the bone, with 3 different shows on a 7 night sailing, performing 2x night. The singers are ok, but not good enough to warrant several solos each over the 3 shows. We left half way through the 2nd night of the 3 but decided to give it another go on their final night (day 6) That show was better than the other 2 combined.

The 3rd? night of the cruise they featured a comedian from the 60's? Somewhat famous from UK telly from years back, apparently, but as Canadians in our early 50's we thought he was dreadful. Jokes we've heard before from better performers, a ridiculous song about Viagara... ouch. Just when we'd about given up on good entertainment in the theatre space, they piled in on the last 2 nights and there was almost too much to choose from. A great men's quartet for singers, and a wonderful Australian violin player, who was actually funnier than the 'comedian'.

I think Cunard need to scrap their entertainment director and start fresh. There was certainly no lack of $$ put into the costumes, they were abundant and well done, but the song choices, boring choreography and muddied themes make the production shows a sad experience.

The casino was ok, but the slot machines are old and extremely stingy.

What was great, as always, was the live music. Always something going on, no holding back on the budget for musicians, which definitely adds to the overall atmosphere of the ship.

Please feel free to send any questions.

cheers!

If you do not mind me asking, what was the extra supplement cost per person for the Asian pop up restaurant in the Lido?

Thanks!

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If you do not mind me asking, what was the extra supplement cost per person for the Asian pop up restaurant in the Lido?

$19.50 per person for all the themed popups. If you're in the UK things like the prices and sample menus are easily accessible in the FAQs.

$19.50 per person for all the themed popups. If you're in the UK things like the prices and sample menus are easily accessible in the FAQs.

Thank you for this!

Alas... I’m one of the US folks who must rely on the kindness of all of you who will share the info we cannot access [emoji4]

(I adore the magnificent nature in Norway, btw... glad you enjoyed your trip)

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Thanks for reporting back, it's always good to read a review.

Hi Northern Hiro,

We are from Canada as well. Just wondering what travel agency did you use that offered you the free gratuity? I presume it is something your agent offered you, but it was not part of a promotion Cunard offered?

Did you experience the orchestra in the Queen's Room, was it very crowded for ballroom dancing? We were on Queen Victoria before, and we found that the Queen's Room got crowded during certain sets, but not other sets. We also went upstairs to the night club, which also had a live band and the DJ played music when the band was on their break. Can you tell us how did you find the music the orchestra and the band upstairs played? We enjoyed doing ballroom dancing as well as some club dancing. Thanks in advance.

On both of our QE cruises (last August) and just the other week, the Yacht Club featured really good (I mean really) good bands and an excellent D/J before they start playing. I know that they used this room for sequence dancing as well after dinner. We find it a really delightful venue after dinner, far more to our style than the Ballroom. And on QE this time, the best bartender on the high seas, too. One of the pleasures of sailing on a ship with mostly British passengers, they know how to have a good time and participate. Oceania, post 9.45pm, is dead as a doornail.

Thanks for your report. We just completed a RT crossing on the QM2 and I filled out my online questionnaire today. I singled-out Cunard's continued dedication to live music as my favorite part of the voyage. We also loved the alternative dining (it was Coriander - Indian).

Hi Northern Hiro,

 

We are from Canada as well. Just wondering what travel agency did you use that offered you the free gratuity? I presume it is something your agent offered you, but it was not part of a promotion Cunard offered?

 

Did you experience the orchestra in the Queen's Room, was it very crowded for ballroom dancing? We were on Queen Victoria before, and we found that the Queen's Room got crowded during certain sets, but not other sets. We also went upstairs to the night club, which also had a live band and the DJ played music when the band was on their break. Can you tell us how did you find the music the orchestra and the band upstairs played? We enjoyed doing ballroom dancing as well as some club dancing. Thanks in advance.

Thank you for your understanding.

Hi Northern Hiro,

 

We are from Canada as well. Just wondering what travel agency did you use that offered you the free gratuity? I presume it is something your agent offered you, but it was not part of a promotion Cunard offered?

 

Did you experience the orchestra in the Queen's Room, was it very crowded for ballroom dancing? We were on Queen Victoria before, and we found that the Queen's Room got crowded during certain sets, but not other sets. We also went upstairs to the night club, which also had a live band and the DJ played music when the band was on their break. Can you tell us how did you find the music the orchestra and the band upstairs played? We enjoyed doing ballroom dancing as well as some club dancing. Thanks in advance.

Hi there! We booked with my bff,,,she works in an agency that's a member of Ensemble, a consortia of independent agencies and suppliers. http://www.ensembletravel.com/

Pretty sure the grats came from them. I can't really say how the music in Queen's Court was. We walked by many times but never sat. We're not dancers. Last year we were on a dedicated Big Band cruise and that music was amazing, but the dance floor was so crowded I'm surprised there weren't injuries!

How were the Norway ports?