The room layout & lighting felt spacious, and thankfully all the staterooms have flat panel TV's, which allow much more shelf space, and look more in keeping with a quality brand.

There was also a couple of forms asking if we wanted Personalized Notepaper, and our names entered into the Passenger List for the voyage. But we are not sure if this is going to be the norm, or just a one-off.

Afternoon Tea
This was held in the Queens Room, where white gloved waiters serve teas, coffees, and a selection of sandwiches & cakes. Unfortunately the number of tables are very limited, and queues soon formed where the number of passengers outweighed the capacity of the room.

Afternoon Tea was also served in the Queens Grill Lounge, and Lido Buffet, which provided a 24 hour eatery, with the selection & styles of food available changing throughout the day.

Britannia Restaurant - Breakfast
All the standard Cunard options were available, from healthy fruit to cereals, to light options to the full English Breakfast. Service did seem to be a bit stretched at times, but being on the Maiden, this was only to be expected as the crew & management get the feel for the correct balance.

Britannia Restaurant - Lunch
Again the speed of service needed to be addressed, with table waiters working away from their usual area not knowing where things were, but time will resolve this as they become more familiar with their surroundings. The food was well presented, full of taste, and most importantly for me, hot.

After the meal, when asked if you wanted tea or coffee, we always opted for the Cappuccino, which btw is free in the restaurants. These were always piping hot.

Britannia Restaurant - Evening
We had opted for early dining so that we could catch the evening entertainment, and late sailaways. All of your meals are pre-plated & therefore well presented and show off the crew's artistic flair. But if you want extra vegetables, you have to make sure you ask when ordering. There was a very good selection of wines suitable for all tastes with a wide range of prices.

As with the lunchtime service, after dinner hot drinks included tea, coffee, or Cappuccino. Of course you can also get these around the various bars on the ship, but remember there is a charge in these locations.

Todd English - (cover chargeable restaurant)
Although we didn't have the opportunity to try this (cover charge) restaurant as the menu wasn't to our liking, two of our table companions did & enjoyed the experience. But please be aware that it gets booked up very quickly, so if you have a special date in mind, try & book up as soon as you board.

On a later voyage we were entitled to a CWC lunch at Todd English, but were left very disappointed by the quality of the food served. We both had to send our meals back, whilst an elderly gentleman on a nearby table asked for another roll, as "it was, by far, the best part of the meal".

Lido Self Service
The self service Lido was pretty well organised, although for a while the food did need to be kept warmer. There was a good selection & the quality of the food was very good. The Lido provides food, on a self service basis, throughout the day, from breakfasts, pastries, hot & cold lunches, afternoon tea, and late night snacks.

In the evening one side of the Lido was taken out to provide 'speciality' dining, the details of which are below. At various points around the Lido, there are tea/coffee/hot water stations, which meant that there were very few delays. There was also iced water and an ice-cream machine with warm cookies which kept us very happy.

Lido Pizzeria
Every day from Lunchtime until afternoon tea, fresh pasta & pizzas are made to order. They rotate the selection of toppings each day, so there's plenty of choice. Try walking past with the aroma wafting & NOT stopping for a slice !

Lido Evening Specialities
To eat in the speciality section in the evening, you will need to make reservations as thy were very popular. There is NO cover charge for this meal option.

Basically what happens is that when you arrive, you are shown to your table, which has been laid up in keeping with the theme, by equally theme-dressed waiters, the table is your for the evening, so there is no rush. They will bring you the menu and take any drinks orders. When they return with your drinks, they will take you through the menu making recommendations, which we found most useful. They then bring you each course of your meal, and return a couple of times to make certain that everything is to your liking. Once you have finished one course, they will clear away the plates & ask if you are ready for the next course - so you control the speed of the evening.

Once the chefs have finished all their work for the evening, they come out to meet the guests & chat with them, checking that everything was alright, and seeking suggestions & observations. There were 3 different themes during our cruise, each night had 2 of them in operations. They were Indian, an English Carvery, and Swiss Fondue - unfortunately we were too late in discovering these & missed out on the Fondue which looked very interesting, and booked up very quickly.

Golden Lion - Pub Lunch
Again, in a mirror of the usual Cunard offerings, a 'pub-style' lunch is served in the Golden Lion, with such items as Fish & Chips, and Curries. All washed down with a range of draught or bottled beers, ales, and lagers.

Stateroom Service?
Having introduced himself on the first day, we never saw our steward again, the room cleaning & organising itself as if by magic each morning & evening. With fresh fruit and refilled ice bucket also appearing from no-where.

Returning late one day from tour, we tried room service, which offered a very good selection of snacks & meals. The efficiency of the service was excellent, and & quality of the food we ordered was most enjoyable, one other bonus was that unlike many lines, the room service carries no extra charge. When we phoned the order through, we were warned that due to workload it would take about 20 minutes, and some 25 minutes later the waiter knocked on the door with about twice as much food as we'd been expecting.

If you wanted breakfast in your stateroom, you simply filled in a pre-selection form & hung it on your stateroom door in the evening. The food was delivered within the 15 minute band that you also selected.

The Crew & Staff ?
Despite being new to the ship themselves, the crew were eager to ensure that you had everything you wanted to ensure your time on the ship was memorable for all the right reasons. Examples of this were on the first day we discovered the Lido Evenings, having not fancied the main restaurant menu, the Maitre D' advised us that they were fully booked, but if we were able to come back at a given time, he would ensure that a table was set up for us. On another occasion we were unable to make early dining due to a function, but the Restaurant Manager found us a table for 2 for the later sitting, which turned out to be very close to where the harpist (Chiara Capobianco) was playing - a most romantic experience.

The senior officers were very approachable and enjoyed chatting to the guests about the ship, the ports, their experiences, and your own thoughts.

Themed Evenings
Cunard are known for their themed evening, and Queen Victoria maintained this tradition with Masquerade Ball, Victorian and Ascot Evening, which a great effort was made by quite a few passengers with all sorts of hats being worn. Some had been made on board, during the afternoon art classes, but plenty had obviously been carefully packed & brought aboard just for this night.

Royal Theatre Private Box Experience
One of the highlights of the ship for us were the Theatre Boxes which accommodate with 2 or 4 persons with very comfortable chairs & a table for drinks - which could be ordered from the box & delivered to you prior to the shows.

An extension to this feature, and something that we weren't sure would be VFM was the Private Box Experience. For a charge, you were invited to the theatre side seating for champagne & hors d'oeuvres, then just before the show, you were escorted to your box by white gloved, fully suited Bell Boys, where you were served with another half bottle of Champagne, and chocolate truffles. After the show you were presented with a signed photograph of the troupe as a certificate of your experience. A truly unique experience, and worth the money for that special evening.

Café Carinthia
This are overlooked the central atrium, and served speciality coffees, at a price, with cakes & pastries. A very nice are to sit & relax & watch the world go by, but we preferred to be one deck up in the Midships Lounge

Drink Prices ?
With the ship currency being the US Dollar, prices to the Brits & Europeans were very good. There was a good selection of wines, beers and spirits available, including a feature called 'flights' where you can buy a selection of 'sample' glasses of wines.

The soft drink card that many people were use to on the QE2 has been revamped, and basically now only covers drinks available from the soda gun - most of which were flat due to lack of demand.

Library ?
This wonderfully organised haven carries books from every walk of life, along with daily newspapers from the ports of call, and onboard quiz & crossword sheets.

And so to the cruise itself .....

Southampton Sailaway 11th December
Having debarked all visitors to the ship, which included the Hampshire Constabulary Band who had entertained us by playing various classics by the Lido Pool during the afternoon, Queen Victoria slipped her lines at just after 17:15. There was a 20 minute firework spectacular from floating barges accompanied by stirring 'big band' music played over the ship's loudspeakers. Everyone should have had champagne in their staterooms for the sail away, but most of us were still waiting for it's delivery, and therefore enjoyed it later in the voyage.

The evening entertainment in the Royal Court Theatre followed the standard pattern of a short performance by the dance troupe, followed by a British comedian, who was entertaining, but really needs to find some new material.

A brief wander along the Prom Deck (which doesn't wrap all the way) proved it to be functional, but uninspiring, so we dropped back inside & took a rest in our favourite bar - The Midship Lobby, which overlooks the atrium, and was therefore a good place to watch the world go by.

Rotterdam 12th December
The arrival in Rotterdam this morning was very noisy with the Ship sounding her whistles as we passed the QE2, her decks also being full of passengers/guests laden with their cameras. We were escorted to our berth by a fire/tug boat & several small vessels. We moored up quite some way away from the QE2, which was a pity, as many people missed her, and we had hoped to get some photo's of the two liners.

Most people took the organized tour into Amsterdam, but having been there too often, we decided to take the shuttle bus into Rotterdam, where we spent a couple of hours looking around this modern city, it's Town hall, shopping streets, canals, gardens & finally back along the waterfront to view the ship. Upon returning to the ship, we saw the obvious sadness of many of the crew, who had been visited by their colleagues from the QE2, and were now having to say goodbye to their 'family & friends from their old home'

Sailaway that evening was rather delayed, but we were kept entertained by the sound of a local band & it's lively singers, who appeared to be enjoying singing various “sea shanties”.

That evening the Royal Court Theatre held a performance by Welsh singer & entertainer Aled Jones - who was quite entertaining, not only with his singing, but stories of life on the road . Being on first sitting we attended the late show, and upon finding that the Royal Box was free we just had to go for it. We were advised that apart from the first sitting guests we were the only non-celebrities to have used the box. So apart from the Royal couple, Mickey Arison of Carnival and John Prescott (a British politician) we were the next people to use the box.

December 13th - A Day at Sea
Today Cunard were able to show off their 'at sea' entertainment, which apart from the usual pub & team quizzes, board games, and card competitions, featured "try your hand at fencing" - those who took part were given first class tuition in the art of fencing, from stances, to how to hold the epees/foils, to various movements. This looked all the better for the fact it was being held in the Queens Room, which had been decorated with various 'coats of arms' hanging from the upper balcony. It all looked very regal on the flat sea, we're not sure how it would look in heavy seas though.

That evening, was a formal night with the first of the various welcome aboard parties being held in the Queens Room, and hosted by Captain Paul Wright. Dual entrances were being used, the first if you wanted to join the very long queue to meet the Captain & have your photograph taken, the other for those who just want to join the party, and catch a photograph later.

The show for the evening was a performance called 'A Dance Passion' (aka Appassionata). So we tried & were successful in booking the Theatre Box Experience. It only cost $25 per person, and for that you are invited to take champagne & canapés in a wing of the theatre before being shown to your box by a 'dressed' Cunard Bell Boy. In the box, a further half bottle of Veuve Clicquot champagne was on ice, along with 4 Belgian style chocolates. Each box is fitted with a pull cord so that you can call for more service. We ended up with box 12, which we found to be perhaps the best box in the Theatre & returned there, or it's mirror opposite box, for a few 'non-formal' nights, when the boxes are open on a first come first served basis. After the show we were presented with a photograph of the dance troupe. It didn't happen on this voyage, but the plan is to work out how they can incorporate a back stage visit.

Returning to our stateroom that evening, we discovered a limited edition Wedgwood gift bone china dish, printed with the Cunard logo, and the wording - QUEEN VICTORIA - Maiden Voyage December 11th 2007.

Copenhagen 14th & 15th December
Having visited Copenhagen several times, we are now into a well oiled routine. By leaving the ship mid-morning and walking along the waterfront towards Nyhavn, you take in a small yacht harbour, the famous statue of the Little Mermaid, various statues & formal buildings, and arrive at the entrance to Amalienborg Palace where they hold a midday 'changing of the guards' ceremony. On this occasion it turned out to be a public holiday for St Lucia's (or St Lucy's) Day - so the changing of the guards was a bigger affair, with marching bands escorting the troops. However we were somewhat bemused by their arrival to the theme tune to Monty Python's Flying Circus, and later departure to the song 'Let it Snow'.

Later on that day, in a continuation of the St Lucia Day celebrations, a local school (Zahles) choir visited the ship, to sing traditional national songs & carols. As if it wasn't hard enough to perform on the main stage in front of hundreds of people, they sang the last carol in English. They were then treated to be well earned afternoon tea on board.

As this was an overnighter in port, many people remained ashore, so we decided to book ourselves into the Lido Indian Buffet. The Indian 'Buffet' as mentioned is held in a sectioned off area of the Lido which had been transformed with table runners, elegant glass plates, and very unusual condiment set (if they had sold them we would have bought some). The waiters were dressed up in Indian robes, and presented the menus to you describing each of the options & helping you choose your dishes. Basically they filled each table with a good selection of dishes for you to try. At the end of the meal, the chefs came out to talk with everyone & answer any questions.

The comedian appeared in the Theatre again, but upon realising that his show wasn't getting much response in the near empty Theatre, he left the stage & started interacting with the audience. This forced him to ad-lib, or at least rework his show, and it was the best show of his that we had seen in a long time, if only he had to do that every show. He did seem to have a knack of finding the wrong victims, out of the 6 people he picked on with, 3 were teachers, 1 was from the UK tax office, and another was an undertaker. The evening was rounded off with an enjoyable 10 minute firework display off to the seaward side of the ship, followed by a hot drink to thaw out again. Café Carinthia serves lovely hot coffees and hot chocolate (chargeable) throughout the day, along with a selection of Danish pastries & Muffins.

The following day saw Sir Roger Moore visit the ship today to attend a 'Welcome to Copenhagen' Plaque Exchange ceremony. However, we missed all that as we had taken the shuttle bus into the city centre today & enjoyed the Christmas decorations (see photo album) & shop displays as we walked to the City Hall and Tivoli Gardens, then along another waterfront, before winding our way back to the outdoor ice rink which backed onto Nyhavn .

During the afternoon there was a parade along the dockside by the Tivoli Boys Guard band, who performed various marching tunes. Unfortunately one of our external warm air blowers started pouring our clouds of white smoke, so they disappeared into the 'fog' & reappeared on their return march a few minutes later.

We set sail that evening, to more Christmas carols, this time from the Women's Marine Orchestra, and a crowd gathered to cheer us on our way.

The evening saw us in another cocktail party at 19:15, but the timing of it meant that we had to forego our set dining. We tried to book into the Lido Fondue, but it was fully booked, and this was the night that the Britannia Maitre D' (Luca) managed to organize us romantic table for 2 on the late sitting.

This evening's entertainment in the Theatre was provided by The OperaBabes, who were good when singing, but dragged their performance out far too long by padding it out with in depth dialogue of how they got to where they are today.

Oslo 16th December
Oslo reminded us in no uncertain terms that it was winter, the signs read -5C / 23F. Adjacent to the dock is an old fort, which took on a new aspect with all the plants & stonework white with frost. Walking through the town was very quiet, I think all the locals were staying inside in the warm. In the centre of town on the main road up to the Palace, was another large skating rink, where a family were teaching their young children how to keep their balance - well they did better than I could.

In the afternoon we went on a tour to the Viking, Fram & Kon-Tiki Museums. The coach driver took us around the city of Oslo first, and the courier was able to give us a wonderful insight into the life of the locals. On the drive out to the museums, we also passed various other 'living museum' areas, and one of Oslo's Pagoda style churches, which was a delight to see, but seemed really out of place.

The first museum we visited held a Viking burial ship, which still has some 90% of it's original wood. The ship itself had been buried on land as a funeral tomb, and uncovered early in the 20th Century, then transported through the town on specially laid rail tracks to a ship which transported it to it's new home on the other side of the port.

From here we were taken to the Fram museum (which was bitterly cold) to learn the story of, and walk around, the purpose built (ant)arctic ship the Fram. The reason I say (ant)arctic was that the ship was originally funded for a Norwegian Expedition to the North Pole, but by the time the ship was ready, this has already been achieved, so after setting sail Roald Amundsen advised his crew that they were going to take Scott on & try & beat him to the South Pole. The display included a copy of the telegram that Amundsen sent to Scott advising him of the challenge - it was felt that to take him on un-announced would not be sportsman-like We then simply walked across the car park, to get to the much warmer Kon-Tiki Museum, where replica's of the various boats/rafts are on display, along with the history of how & why Thor Heyerdahl set out to prove that such voyages were possible. All the links between the Incan & Egyptian cultures were laid out, leaving little doubt that there must have been trading between these two empires on opposite sides of the earth.

Upon returning to our stateroom, we found an invite to the Art Auction Cocktail Party which was scheduled for 19:45, so we were able to return to our set table - only the 2nd time that all the table companions had turned up, much to the waiter's amusement. The cocktail party was lovely, if somewhat overcrowded as it was held within the confines of the Art Gallery, but it gave everyone a good chance to mingle & chat.

The entertainment that evening was certainly something to behold. It was a true variety Show, starting with twin performers juggling whilst balancing on each other, or with bodies intertwined. They were followed by what was advertised as Vase Balancing, and turned out to be a Chinaman tossing various sized earthenware pots into the air - some VERY LARGE & heavy, and catching & spinning them on his head or arms, back, neck etc. incredible performance. These acts were supported by a couple performing Cirque du Soleil style acrobatics on ribbons from the rafters.

December 17th - 2nd Day at Sea
The trouble with a short voyage is that there are so many functions to attend, and so little time to hold them. Today was the day that became a blur ;-)

The Cunard World Club cocktail party in the Queen's Room started at midday & lasted for well over an hour. It was hosted by the Future Sales team, and attended by the Captain, who made another one of his very amusing speeches, including his response to the enquiries as to why the Prom Deck didn't go all the way round, by offering to look out for any drift wood to finish the job off. At 15:00 there was a Wine Tasting seminar held in the Britannia Restaurant, and despite being very disorganised at the outset, once the numbers thinned down, and they got their process sorted, we all had a good chance to taste several wines & canapés, with very knowledgeable input from the impressive sommeliers.

As this is our 20th year of marriage, we had put our names down for the Renewal of Wedding Vows ceremony. Unfortunately one couple who had signed up had to return home early for a works emergency, but the Father on board was good enough to perform their ceremony before they left the ship. The rest of us enjoyed a shared service, with music on the harp from Chiara Capobianco, and optional champagne & photo shoot. We were all presented with certificates, which we later had signed by Captain Paul Wright in one of his book signing sessions.

Then in the evening was yet another Cocktail party, this one for Platinum and Diamond Tier Guests. Again it was attended by several Senior Officers who happily mingled & chatted with the guests. Being a late function, this messed up our dining sitting, so we opted to try the Lido Carvery, and again visited our table to excuse ourselves once more. As with the Indian night, the table was set especially for the whole night, and the food was served to you, with the head chef visiting each table to ensure that everyone was happy.

The entertainment for the evening was two fold. In the Queens Room, was the Royal Ascot Ball, which wasn't our sort of thing, so we went off to the Theatre once more.

In the Theatre that evening was an Elton John Tribute by an artist called Jonathan Kane. He was very convincing, and was obviously really enjoying his work - as did the very mixed age audience who had come along to 'party in the aisles'. Apparently Jonathan Kane is Elton John's only officially endorsed Tribute Act, and it was obvious why. If you like Elton John & ever see this guy advertised locally, go along for a great night.

Hamburg 18th December
Hamburg, after our well supported all night transit from the North Sea into Hamburg, we moored up & all very quickly learned to wrap

up, another beautiful Winter's day.

All day long, busy tour & private boats sailed up & down the Elbe to view the Queen Victoria, and streams of people came down to the port to take photos & see the ship for themselves. It's just a shame that they couldn't see how good she looks on the inside. We decided to give this evening's show (Mark O'Malley) a miss, and visited the Golden Lion instead where a party atmosphere was growing thanks to the pianist Danny Mills. At 21:45 we ventured out onto deck, armed with cameras for another firework sail away. We weren't disappointed, the display was very powerful & effective, and as we set sail horns & whistles filled the air, we were also escorted for a couple of hours by a paddle steamer and smaller private boats. For several hours every ship or river boat (even large lorries) that we passed, sounded off, and the members of the Bridge Team were more than happy to respond in kind. A night that not many will forget.

Day at Sea 19th December
This morning John & Mary Maxtone-Graham put on a short show recalling crew & passenger experiences onboard ships over the years. From diamond smuggling, to non-tipping guests to ungrateful film stars etc. The biggest applause that John received was when he announced that any proceeds taken during the show would go towards furniture purchases, thus ensuring that no Stateroom would ever need to go without a chest of drawers again. We have heard that all Staterooms are supposed to have new drawers installed in the New Year - but they didn't say which year ;o)

During the afternoon, we finally succumbed & joined the book signing queue. I don't know how many times the Captain put his pen to paper, but he really should have had a collection box on his desk for contributions to Queen Victoria's chosen charity, he would have made a small fortune.

That evening we gave the theatre a miss, as we had already seen the show Victoriana, and found it not to be our thing. The show was a huge success with the elderly clientele, as they basked in the 'Good Old Bad Old Days' format, and enthusiastically waved their hankies & Union Flags when encouraged to do so. Judging by the numbers of flags still being waved as they walked around the ship, it produced a real feel good factor amongst the audience.

Zeebrugge 20th December
This morning we were told that we were moored up in Zeebrugge, and had to take their word for it, as all we could see was dense fog, with a temperature of minus 7C / 19F. The most southerly port of the voyage, and the coldest - the World's gone mad.

We had another tour today - Bruges on your own - that is if we can find our coach, and if the driver can find Bruges ;o) The roads were very quiet, and the journey time was only about 30 minutes, which meant that we had over 5 hours to explore Bruges. We had never seen Bruges in the Winter before, and were very happy with what we found. The rivers were mostly frozen, and the stone bridges, trees, and even cobwebs were all white with frost - very atmospheric. Being on tour, we missed the auction for Ship's Nautical Chart, but understand that it went for several thousand pounds, with the proceeds going to charity.

We returned to the ship & set sail shortly afterwards for home. The entertainment for the evening was provided by the Irish Comedian Adrian Walsh, meanwhile in the Golden Lion, the pianist's performance once more turned into a very cheerful, if unofficial, karaoke, with all having a good time.

Southampton Disembark 21st December
As we both had to get to work by 9am we used the self disembark, which started at around 7:30 and we were both in our offices working hard before 9am. If you use the self disembark you have to remember there are no stewards to assist you and you must carry off all your luggage in one go down the gangway.

And so to the important question
Would we sail on Queen Victoria again? Most definitely, well done Cunard & Carnival, we think you've got it spot on. All the QE2 die-hards thought that she was an admirable replacement for her, whilst the QM2 loyalists seemed to accept that she was better than they had expected.