Venice And The Adriatic on the Queen Victoria

[moses0]

We have sailed on QM2 several times and  have now booked the QV for Sept 20th sailing. Looking forward to it but would appreciate any input from those who have taken this voyage in the past.  Any must see excursions? Differences between the 2 ships to look out for? 

Thanks for any feed back.

[exlondoner]

I've just been through the reverse experience, on QM2 after many voyages on her smaller  sisters. In comparison, they are cosy and comfortable rather than magnificent, but with the same sense of serenity and restfulness. If you are in the Grills, you will find the Grills area much nicer. In any case, you will probably be amazed how close together everything is, and navigation around the ship is more straightforward. Their decks are plastic rather than teak, which is not quite as cheap looking as it sounds, but definitely unimpressive compared with QM2.

 

When we did a Venice cruise on QV, slightly later in the year, the most enjoyable port was actually Korkula, where we were the only ship - in fact the last ship of the year - and which was tranquilly beautiful. 

[moses0]

thank you for your feed back

[Bigmike911]

Several years ago, I traveled on Queen Victoria from Venice to Ft Lauderdale via Greece, Gibraltar , Madeira, Bermuda and Nassau. We were supposed to board on a Sunday, have the day in Venice then sail the next day. Unfortunately heavy fog closed Venice, so on when we got to the terminal we were bused to Trieste where QV had docked.  The excursions in Venice got canceled, but the upside was that trip to Trieste and the city itself were interesting. I looked forward to gliding down the main channel with Venice 'passing' on either side. Alas that was not to be. My last QV as I am a QM2 guy exclusively now. 

[AspirationalFlyer]

Hello, 

 

I did a Med cruise on QV in September 2017 and the journey into Venice was one of the absolute highlights. I’ve attached a few photos - I took many! 

 

We used the Cunard shuttle boat in Venice which took us from the ship to the pier right outside St Mark’s Square, Doge’s Palace etc. That personally worked better for us as Venice is compact/very walkable and we could do things at our (typically faster) pace whilst also saving money. 

 

Where are your other ports of call? I’ve done Cunard excursions in both Greece and Croatia so happy to provide more information where I can. 

 

AF

[Host Hattie]

Great ports, what sort of things do you like to do ?

 

 

[exlondoner]

The Cunard launch service in Venice is quite expensive, unless one has OBC, but worth it, both because the ride is enjoyable in itself, and because of its convenience.  Although it drops you in a very crowded area near St. Marks, we found wandering randomly inland for a couple of minutes brought us to near deserted squares and canalsides.

[luckymal]

19 hours ago, moses0 said:

We have sailed on QM2 several times and  have now booked the QV for Sept 20th sailing. Looking forward to it but would appreciate any input from those who have taken this voyage in the past.  Any must see excursions? Differences between the 2 ships to look out for? 

Thanks for any feed back.

 

 

We are also on this trip,  Last time we called I

19 hours ago, moses0 said:

We have sailed on QM2 several times and  have now booked the QV for Sept 20th sailing. Looking forward to it but would appreciate any input from those who have taken this voyage in the past.  Any must see excursions? Differences between the 2 ships to look out for? 

Thanks for any feed back.

 

We are on the same cruise, last time we did Venice we made our own way to St Marks Square. Loads cheaper that the ships ferry, the ships ferry was full, our ferry had about a dozen people on, and no trouble what so ever on the return journey. 🍷🥃

[moses0]

6 hours ago, Host Hattie said:

Great ports, what sort of things do you like to do ?

 

 

One in our group is not able to walk too much so we can't really do a lot of walking or anything too physical. I am a keen photographer so looking forward to the opportunity that affords. 

 

[moses0]

7 hours ago, AspirationalFlyer said:

Hello, 

 

I did a Med cruise on QV in September 2017 and the journey into Venice was one of the absolute highlights. I’ve attached a few photos - I took many! 

 

We used the Cunard shuttle boat in Venice which took us from the ship to the pier right outside St Mark’s Square, Doge’s Palace etc. That personally worked better for us as Venice is compact/very walkable and we could do things at our (typically faster) pace whilst also saving money. 

 

Where are your other ports of call? I’ve done Cunard excursions in both Greece and Croatia so happy to provide more information where I can. 

 

AF

great photo's thank you

[Host Hattie]

The sail into and out of Venice is stunning and Dubrovnik is one of my favourite cities but it sounds as if walking the walls won't be an option.

 

[AspirationalFlyer]

57 minutes ago, moses0 said:

One in our group is not able to walk too much so we can't really do a lot of walking or anything too physical. I am a keen photographer so looking forward to the opportunity that affords. 

 

 

I agree with Hattie - Dubrovnik is very nice indeed and the Walk the City Walls tour was excellent (probably the best Cunard excursion that we took on that cruise). 

 

However, it doesn’t sound like a viable option. How about a small boat trip from the Dubrovnik Harbour area around some of the rugged Croatian coastline? I really enjoyed that too and just sat, relaxed and enjoyed the scenery. I think there is a glass bottom boat too if you’re looking for something a bit different. It didn’t cost much either. 

 

With the exception of Gibraltar, I haven’t been to the other places but it looks like a great itinerary. The cable car and rock are the obvious choice in Gibraltar - I thought the walk up and down the Mediterranean Steps is great for those that are able to do it. 

 

Have a great time. 

 

AF

[moses0]

2 hours ago, AspirationalFlyer said:

 

I agree with Hattie - Dubrovnik is very nice indeed and the Walk the City Walls tour was excellent (probably the best Cunard excursion that we took on that cruise). 

 

However, it doesn’t sound like a viable option. How about a small boat trip from the Dubrovnik Harbour area around some of the rugged Croatian coastline? I really enjoyed that too and just sat, relaxed and enjoyed the scenery. I think there is a glass bottom boat too if you’re looking for something a bit different. It didn’t cost much either. 

 

With the exception of Gibraltar, I haven’t been to the other places but it looks like a great itinerary. The cable car and rock are the obvious choice in Gibraltar - I thought the walk up and down the Mediterranean Steps is great for those that are able to do it. 

 

Have a great time. 

 

AF

Got any contacts for that boat trip?

[PORT ROYAL]

1 hour ago, moses0 said:

Got any contacts for that boat trip?

 

Consider the shuttle ferry along the coast from Dubrovnik to Cavtat.  About £12.00 return.  Get the ferry from the quayside inside the old city, you can not miss the kiosks and flags.  Takes about 45 minutes, with a schedule of every 15 minutes. Lots of nice bars, cafes and restaurants at reasonable prices at Cavtat, with flat walkways, and a supermarket selling good local wines, beers etc. A pleasant trip, with lots of photograph opportunities.

 

[moses0]

1 hour ago, PORT ROYAL said:

 

Consider the shuttle ferry along the coast from Dubrovnik to Cavtat.  About £12.00 return.  Get the ferry from the quayside inside the old city, you can not miss the kiosks and flags.  Takes about 45 minutes, with a schedule of every 15 minutes. Lots of nice bars, cafes and restaurants at reasonable prices at Cavtat, with flat walkways, and a supermarket selling good local wines, beers etc. A pleasant trip, with lots of photograph opportunities.

 

thanks will look for that

[Aspidestra99]

We visited Hvar last year on QE - I think it was the maiden call for Cunard. It was a tender port but once on dry land was fantastic for anyone with mobility issues. There is a lovely marina with a splendid block paved walkway past a pretty park and quite a few bars/cafes. You also get a great view of the ship. There is a castle overlooking Hvar which is accessible via a steep path from the marina which would be a challenge for anyone with mobility problems. If you do go, take local currency as euros weren't accepted when we went and quite a few people couldn't get in. They didn't take plastic either. The entrance fee is very reasonable and as well as fantastic views over Hvar, there is a pretty gift shop and cafe. You can tell that quite a chunk of money has  been spent to attract tourists and they have sympathetically enhance an already pretty town. Hope you enjoy it.

[Underwatr]

On 6/28/2019 at 1:41 PM, exlondoner said:

Their decks are plastic rather than teak, which is not quite as cheap looking as it sounds, but definitely unimpressive compared with QM2.

I found QV's decking to be very slippery when wet when wearing dress shows. Be careful.

[moses0]

I thank you both for the input

[Solent Richard]

On 6/29/2019 at 6:55 PM, AspirationalFlyer said:

 

I agree with Hattie - Dubrovnik is very nice indeed and the Walk the City Walls tour was excellent (probably the best Cunard excursion that we took on that cruise). 

 

However, it doesn’t sound like a viable option. How about a small boat trip from the Dubrovnik Harbour area around some of the rugged Croatian coastline? I really enjoyed that too and just sat, relaxed and enjoyed the scenery. I think there is a glass bottom boat too if you’re looking for something a bit different. It didn’t cost much either. 

 

With the exception of Gibraltar, I haven’t been to the other places but it looks like a great itinerary. The cable car and rock are the obvious choice in Gibraltar - I thought the walk up and down the Mediterranean Steps is great for those that are able to do it. 

 

Have a great time. 

 

AF

 

Good morning AF.

 

I'm coming a little late into this thread as I have been away from home touring the East Coast of Scotland but I must say I do like all your photographs. It's always so much better when posts are illustrated.

 

I also noted your mentioning of a tour of the city walls in Dubrovnik. so I thought I'd pass on to the readership a link to my review where I have covered that very experience...

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2013/09/05/one-way-to-do-dubrovnik/

 

...albeit on four visits.

 

[Solent Richard]

On 6/28/2019 at 6:18 PM, moses0 said:

We have sailed on QM2 several times and  have now booked the QV for Sept 20th sailing. Looking forward to it but would appreciate any input from those who have taken this voyage in the past.  Any must see excursions? Differences between the 2 ships to look out for? 

Thanks for any feed back.

 

 

Good morning Moses.

 

I note that you or a member of your party may not be able to walk great distances.

 

On one of our visits to  Corfu my wife and I took a ships excursion that may well suit you.

 

It was to the scenic village of Paleokastritas and included entrance into the Monastery of the Virgin Mary. Here is a link to the review I wrote following the excursion....

 

 

https://solentrichardscruiseblog.com/2014/11/03/one-way-to-do-corfu/

 

It also included a visit to the Achilleion Palace...

 

 

A site of significant historical importance and which I found absolutely intriguing. Should a similar excursion be available on your Cunard cruise I would highly recommend it.

 

Edited July 8, 2019 by Solent Richard

[moses0]

thank you everyone you have been most helpful

[tmee]

Hi there,

I was on the Queen Victoria around the Adriatic last fall. We had a slightly different itinerary with an overnight in Venice.     The shared stops on your itinerary are Venice, Dubrovnik and Corfu.

(I apologies in advance for these videosJ)

 

Venice:  I opted to take the Brenta Rivers and Villas tour first day. (Ship tour) I really wanted to see the Villas so I find that type of thing interesting, the drive itself was very nice and scenic. While I myself did a large amount of walking around the grounds gardens, labyrinth etc.  One could avoid the walking possibly avoid the walking if desired. 

https://youtu.be/3n_fPOPqn1s

https://youtu.be/M-qdwyJlEuE

 

 In Venice proper I toured on my own that night and the following day.  I took the people mover (it worked out very well for me)   shopping wandering, eating, visiting churches etc.  Which had many, many photo ops one was so inclined.

I wanted to catch a concert in one of the Villas or churches but I kept missing them for various reasons. 

https://youtu.be/w7qaGybu3wE

 

Dubrovnik:  I took the Game of Thrones tour. (Ship tour)  It was a great way to see Dubrovnik whether you know or like anything about Game of Thrones or not.  (The person who took to tour with me had never watched Game of Thrones but she was the actually the one who told me to take the tour and we both enjoyed it)  However, there was a lot of walking involved so this may not be the best option.

Dubrovnik itself indeed was an interesting historic place to which I would like to return.

https://youtu.be/jKd-lHlbHUo

 

Corfu:  I did a small private tour (3 people) around the island organized by someone on my Roll Call…. I think that this may be a good option especially if your group is mobility prepared.   That way you can cater to the amount of walking you would like to do.  The most walking I did in this tour was at the Achilleion Palace, but those who have limited mobility can enjoy the gardens and maybe have a beverage at the little café.

https://youtu.be/njnWcisA5w8

 

As far as the ship goes, comparing to the QM2 (my opinion of course)    the QV was definitely smaller so I had to get used to that.   I did like, at times, that the Queen’s room was in the middle of the ship so I can watch the dancers while passing by.  However sometimes it did lend difficultly when the through passage way was closed when there were events were going on.

 

I liked the style of the Golden Lion Pub on the QV  (felt more ‘pubby”  J)   The Yacht Club was nice as it overlooked the outdoor area, as a contrast from dance “club”  on the QM2

https://youtu.be/Sdk6-Cs-B94

I missed the Library on the QM2.  I didn’t really use the one Queen Victoria as much just because of the location I think.  I prefer it slight more secluded.  But I did like the spiral staircase.

The ship felt more intimate.  The theatre is smaller and has the theatre boxes which I thought were interesting.  I can see why someone may enjoy them, however it was not my favourite part of the theatre.

The size of the ship definitely helped it feel like a “cruise ship”   I ran into the same people frequently based on the size.  I really liked being able to walk around the promenade deck.

 If you do stay in the Grills you will have the opportunity to watch the sail into Venice from the terrace, which as others have mentioned previously, is very beautiful.

 

I am sure you will have a lovely time.  If you have other questions I can try to answer.

 

tmee

 

[portadown]

Photos:

 

I took the October 2017 version of this trip -- some ports are a bit different. I'd highly recommend it.

 

I've put some photos on line at Flickr if you wanted to take a look.

 

Enjoy.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/armaghus/albums/72157688835847374

 

 

 

[steve1young]

Absoluately stunning pics, portadown. Thank you so much!

[moses0]

great photo's and video folks. thank you