CUNARD QUEEN VICTORIA
This June I was given the opportunity to travel on a luxury Liner with one of the best in the business, Cunard. Cruises have always had a luxury feel to them in my eyes and being able to experience that luxury whilst travelling between destinations is unique. The Queen Victoria was travelling on a short but sweet journey from Southampton to Amsterdam, Bruges and back again. As many of you know, at the end of last year I moved into blogging full-time so to say that there have been some stressful moments along the journey so far would be an understatement. This cruise was a great chance for me to relax in a no-pressure environment that provided everything i would look for from a short week away. To give you a flavour of the premium nature of Cunard’s Queen Victoria Liner, it has recently gone through a £43million pound refurbishment, I have selected several of my favourite things Cunard Queen Victoria offers however I assure you this is not limited to.
EVENING FASHION ONBOARD
Fashion on board plays a huge roll in the attractions to this luxury liner. Everyone looked effortlessly elegant and stylish each evening weather an informal or formal evening was ahead of us. The Liner offers the opportunity for each and every person sailing to dress how they most felt comfortable by separating sections of the ship with dress codes. The majority of the ship is aimed at a smart appearance creating a glamorous uplifting atmosphere. In my line of work it’s not every day I get to dress up all suited and booted so for me this was a real treat to have a purpose behind my attire. During the day the dress code is completely relaxed and you simply wear what you feel best in and as the evenings approach everyone heads back to their rooms to freshen up for an evening of entertainment and fine food.
LAURENT-PERRIER AFTERNOON TEA
One of my afternoons was spent in the Verandah which was the perfect spot and set-up for an afternoon tea. Like most of the English i love an afternoon tea and as you can see from the images, this was up there with the best, Laurent-Perrier Rose being one of my favourite Champagnes made the tea even more pleasurable. I also had the chance to join a lovely couple from the Champagne region in France, from my experience the clientele on the Queen Victoria where a pleasure to be around and had some fascinating stories.
From here I was able to progress to the cocktails in the Chart room which offer a delightful eight hero cocktails and eight zodiac cocktails throughout the day to evening, take your fancy before enjoying the ambient music and live performances in the Grand lobby.
VISITING DESTINATIONS AROUND THE WORLD
Aside from the endless entertainment and hospitality on the Queen Victoria being able to travel in style between destinations is a huge attraction, I love exploring new countries and cities and on this cruise we managed to stop off in Amsterdam which was my first time visiting, The city is famous for many reasons but an interesting fact that Amsterdam is known to have more bicycles than people, perhaps a habit we should adopt more here in the UK.
We also had the chance to experience the Moon Restaurant which offered a rotating 360 degree view of the city and a pretty epic view of the Queen Victoria docked up.
ENTERTAINMENT ONBOARD THE QV
During our stay in Amsterdam we were hit by some pretty horrific storms which made it impossible to leave for Bruges, Which was a huge shame however it also highlighted the Liners endless offering of on board entertainment. From Morning to evening the activities varied from Deck Quoits to Golf.
An interesting fact I picked up on was the Liner being home to the one of the largest libraries on the sea with over seven thousand books. Their Queen Mary liner hosts the largest collection at ten thousand books.
As the evenings approached you are able to experience a three tier traditional Western theatre known as The Royal Theatre, you don’t even need to reserve a box on informal evening, simply first come first serve. On Formal evenings you can reserve a box for a small fee which is a nice way to spend an evening with bonbon sweets and Laruen Perrier whilst wearing a formal dress code.
I must say one of my favourite times was having a good old detox in the Spa and enjoying a hot stones massage as the Liner sailed across the sea.
EVENINGS AT THE GIN & FIZZ BAR
Each evening this was a hot spot for guests and a favourite of mine, The Gin & Fizz Bar is a new edition to the Queen Victoria and what an edition it is, with a stylish and sleek copper Gin tap and a huge selection of 40 Gins to choice from this on trend Gin bar offered cocktails that would ave you settled all night. Pickering’s have also partnered up with Cunard to create three exclusive Gins under the three Queen Liners, a truly unique experience onboard. If you manage to break away from the Gin & Fizz bar the party continues in the extremely popular Yacht Club until the early hours of the morning.
DINNING IN THE BRITANNIA CLUB
Last but not least the newly refurbished Britannia Club had to be one of my favourite spots to enjoy some food with great company, I enjoyed a Crepe Suzette prepared by the chief and my first ever Chieftain of the clan coffee, a chance to experience new delicious food on board was welcomed each evening thanks to the eclectic menus the Queen Victoria offered.
When i talk to my friends about cruises there is often a lot of stereotyping involved. My experience on the Queen Victoria was far from what some stereotype a cruise as being and my three words to sum up the trip would be luxurious, entertaining and scenic. If you would like any further information on the Cunard Liners please make sure you check out their website HERE .
This post is in collaboration with Cunard however all views are my own.
CUNARD – HERE
Photographer by Chris Ison – HERE