Queen Victoria Baltic Cruise, August 2014 - FOOD & DRINKS

My 22 year old son and I enjoyed a two week cruise on the Queen Victoria in August, visiting the Baltic region including St. Petersburg, Kristiansand, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Tallinn. We were also scheduled to visit Warnemunde, but unfortunately it was too rough for us to dock there, so we gained another sea day.

I have been on a number of cruises, and I think Celebrity is still my favourite, but I must say that we were very pleasantly surprised by our Cunard cruise. We enjoyed it much more than we had expected to, and the ship is indeed lovely. Our cruise may not have been the typical Cunard experience however, as we did have more than 100 children and teens on board, and the age demographic was quite varied.

Rather than write a day-by-day review as I have in the past, I am just going to list some notes I took for a number of categories, with a few photos to hopefully illustrate my points! I’ll post each section separately.

If you’d like to see all of my photos from this cruise, just click on the link in my signature.

I didn’t take a lot of notes in, or about the ports we visited, but I’m happy to answer questions if I can about the places were saw. I will say our favourite port was Copenhagen, and we also loved Norway.

So, off we go!

Food & Drink

• Overall we found the quality of the food and drinks on board to be excellent. All bars and the dining room had a good selection of cocktails and wines by the glass (or by the bottle, in the dining room). I didn’t find a bartender that could make a really good Cosmopolitan, but the dirty vodka martinis I had were very good! However, we did feel some areas could be improved upon…..

• We were rarely offered drinks at lunch (I like to have a glass of wine with lunch on board), although there were always many servers walking around with nothing to do. If we flagged a server down we were able to get a drink, but they would rarely stop and ask us.

• We also found it a bit annoying to have to get our own coffee, tea, water, etc. in the buffet. On every cruise we have taken in the past I think we have been served drinks at our table. I’m reasonably fit and able, so it’s not a problem for me to walk over and get my own drinks, but the area was often very crowded, and as we had a few rough days people were occasionally have trouble hanging on to their steaming cups of coffee and tea! I will say, however, that the serve-yourself coffee was better than I have had on some other cruise ships.

• Sometimes there was a cart being wheeled around the buffet, with coffee and tea, but whoever was pushing usually just walked right by our table and others. On our last night we went to the buffet for dinner, and a cart with wine and beer was being pushed around the mostly empty tables. Again, he walked right past me and didn’t hear me when I tried to call him back. When I finally flagged down a server and asked if I could get a glass of wine, the server said he would have to ask a supervisor. The supervisor came by, and seemed quite annoyed (despite the ads on the table encouraging me to order wine) with my request (this was about 8:30 at night). Eventually, after about 15 minutes, a glass of wine was brought to the table. But really, it all seemed to be a lot of trouble.

• We really found the buffet to be very poorly designed, particularly when compared to the buffets on the Celebrity Solstice class of ships. The very narrow corridors were often crowded and congested and difficult to navigate.

While there was not an enormous array of food options at the buffet, the food available was always very good - tasty and fresh, with enough options to meet most people's tastes or dietary needs I think.

• The food and the service in the dining room was, we thought, very good – MUCH better than on the Regal or Royal Princess. My son is (sadly) a very fussy eater, but our dining room staff – Rosario, Norman, and wine sommelier Dejan (sp?) - were always very accommodating, patient and kind. After the first night, Norman always remembered that I like to have green tea after dinner. My unfinished wine bottle from the previous evening was always waiting for me. And we were very lucky to get, as we had requested, a table for two very close to the window.

• There was a very long line up the first day for those who wanted to change their dining times (we had and wanted late dining)

• We enjoyed lunch in the in the pub at least four times, and it was a very popular spot at lunch time. It’s best to get there early or late to get a table. I really liked the chicken tikka masala, and the chips (fries) were also very good.

• We did go to afternoon tea in the Queen’s Room once, early on in the cruise. The atmosphere, music and view were very nice, and the actual tea was very good, but the food served was also available in the buffet every day. No clotted cream :-(

• We went to the dining room once for breakfast. It was very busy, and again the food was basically the same as what was available in the buffet, but without the view. We never went to the dining room at lunch.

• I was very glad to see very few plastic glasses on board. My first Princess cruise was on the Royal Princess, and I was so disappointed when my first glass of wine in the buffet was served in a thick, cloudy, plastic wine glass :eek: (but it WAS served to me, and my order was taken quickly!)

• Salt and pepper were not provided on the table, and had to be picked up where the cutlery was stored, which we had not seen before on a ship.

• I was born in England, and moved to Canada when I was eight, but I still enjoy a traditional English breakfast – with grilled mushrooms, good sausages, grilled tomato, etc. I had this every day on board and loved it :-) (My usual breakfast every day at home is low fat yoghurt with berries).

• We didn’t realize until the second week of the cruise that sandwiches, and cake were available in the champagne bar, and croissants, pain au chocolat, etc. were available from the coffee café for no additional charge (the coffee at the cafe, however, is not free).

• We had a wonderful dinner in Coriander one night – the portion of the buffet converted into an Indian restaurant. Great food (and lots of it), fantastic service – and wonderful views while dining. We were only sorry we only went once, and that we didn’t try Prime another night.

• Drinks seemed to me to be expensive, for a cruise ship (but less expensive that most bars and restaurants in Toronto).

Next up - Spaces & Places on board the ship.

Great review, love the details!

This is wonderful. Can't wait for more.

Were you on the August 11th sailing from Southampton? We were on that cruise and loved it, but also thought it very odd that the waiters made no attempt to get passengers drinks in the buffet, even when they were standing around doing nothing.

I am enjoying your review.

Hi PunkiC - yes, that's right, we were on the same cruise!

To us, it seemed very strange to have so many staff who appeared to actually be looking for something to do in the buffet, or sometimes in the bars, but who didn't come over to our table to ask if we'd like something. But, I spent a week with my brother and sister and their spouses in England after the cruise, and they didn't find it unusual at all. They said that in England wait staff are often 'in the background' waiting to serve, but it might be considered intrusive to go up to customers to ask if they need or want something.

After a few days we got the hang of it, and would flag someone down (politely of course - we didn't snap our fingers in the air or anything like that) to take our order.

Were you on the August 11th sailing from Southampton? We were on that cruise and loved it, but also thought it very odd that the waiters made no attempt to get passengers drinks in the buffet, even when they were standing around doing nothing.

I realize now that I should not have called this thread ...Food and Drinks, as I do intend to post all segments of my review in one post, but with different sections for each topic. Oh well...

Ship’s Spaces & Places

We loved the look and feel of the Queen Victoria – the plush furniture, wood panelling, tin ceiling (well, probably pretend tin but the effect was real!) in the pub, carpeting, fresh flowers, etc. The ship really had the ambience of a classic, traditional hotel. And unlike some ships, you were rarely far from a window with a view of the ocean (or port). Now, on to some specifics….

• We loved the Commodore Lounge, although we only visited once at night, on our last evening. But we enjoyed hanging out there for a pre-dinner cocktail, a glass of wine while reading in the afternoon, or when arriving to or departing from a port. A very comfortable and cozy space, with panoramic views.

• The theatre was beautiful and comfortable, and we sat in a private box for every lecture and every time we went to an evening show (except on the few nights when there was a fee to use the boxes). There were often boxes empty, and I suspect some believed that they were not entitled to sit in a box, or that there was always an extra charge. It was so nice to have a little privacy, room to stretch out, an area to place our bags (during the day), and a table for our drinks. The glass at the front of the boxes didn’t bother us at all.

• I’m not a jogger, but I was surprised that there was no dedicated jogging/running track on the ship, as we’ve seen on every other cruise ships. Those who wanted to jog did so on the promenade deck, but were then forced to zigzag around deck loungers which had usually been moved into all sorts of bespoke configurations.

• But, the promenade deck was a very pleasant spot to enjoy a beautiful sea day, lounging on teak chair, with a mug of tea or glass of wine beside me. I spent a few hours there, and never had any difficulty finding a chair. I also did enjoy walking briskly around the full promenade ‘circuit’ on several nice days, as did many others.

• Although I go to the gym every day here at home, I didn’t go on the ship. But we certainly heard the gym! (More about that when I talk about our cabin).

• The ship was sold out, but it really never felt full or crowded.

• There were few announcements, which I appreciated.

• There were so many lovely bars in which to enjoy a drink of some sort, and they were always busy in the evening, but also during the day, as they were comfortable spaces to just sit and read, or sleep – particularly on days on which the weather was less than pleasant.

• There were artfully arranged fresh flowers were in many public areas, and they were lovely.

• Furniture in all public spaces was attractive and comfortable.

• The small book store was very well stocked, and we enjoyed poking around there.

• The sundries store is also small, but it had a good selection of items that some may have forgotten to pack.

• The shop that sold Cunard brand products was a great place to pick up last minute gifts or ship souvenirs. I thought the products were good quality, and not outrageously priced (for a gift shop). I picked up a few tea towels for my brother and sister in England, and a coffee mug for my husband (Keep Calm and Sail On).

• As all ships seem to have, there was a ‘sidewalk sale’ type event where I bought two more (like I need two more!) evening purses for $10 each.

• We really enjoyed the shaded area by the Pavilion pool, although at times it was a bit noisy, with over 100 kids and teens on board, and some babies.

• I had read, before our cruise, some negative comments about the Winter Garden area – but we loved it! We often went there for sail-away, when the weather was too cool or windy to be outside. We ate lunch there, from the buffet, at least once. And it was a nice spot in the morning to read while enjoying a coffee, or a glass of wine in the afternoon. BUT, even though we had some very nice days that were quite warm, the roof was never opened, which was a bit puzzling.

• Our cabin was close to the laundry room, but it was quite difficult to get a free washer or dryer.

• The library was really beautiful, and the book selection was impressive and well organized (and I’m a librarian, so I can say that!).

• The card room was also attractive (really, I should stop saying things like that – ALL public areas on the ship were, we thought, very appealing and comfortable). We didn’t play cards there, but did complete a couple of jigsaw puzzles on sea days.

• We really enjoyed the art on board – the old black and white photos, and the paintings of ships.

• The small Cunard museum was fun.

• The Queen’s room area, on the other side of the main walkway, was a very comfortable spot to sit with a book.

• I think we used more of the ship on this cruise than any other – we really made the most of all the public spaces, and as we had an inside cabin, we were thankful to have so many places we could go to just ‘hang out’!

Next episode - our cabin.

Sea Bear,Thanks for a great review.

I'm enjoying your review. We love QV, she is probably our favourite Cunard ship. We will be back . On her in less than eight weeks.

It's lovely to read about her through someone else's eyes. Thank you.

Sharon

SeaCBear - you mentioned Dejan. Just out of interest, was he a really really tall guy from Croatia?

J

Hello Cruachan - no, I would describe him as being an average height, and I believe he was from Serbia. He was quite intense :), and wasn't always happy with my wine selections (I don't like white wine very much, so I always ordered red or rose wine, even though I often had fish for dinner), but he was good-natured about it all (after all, I was paying!).

SeaCBear - you mentioned Dejan. Just out of interest, was he a really really tall guy from Croatia?

 

J

Hello Cruachan - no, I would describe him as being an average height, and I believe he was from Serbia. He was quite intense :), and wasn't always happy with my wine selections (I don't like white wine very much, so I always ordered red or rose wine, even though I often had fish for dinner), but he was good-natured about it all (after all, I was paying!).

Thanks for that - definitely not the Dejan I know. He must be 6' 8" or 6' 9" at least.

:)

J

Well, I’ll start by saying that our cabin was probably the only real disappointment of our Queen Victoria cruise. This was the first (and it will be the last!) time I have ever booked an inside cabin, and I absolutely hated it. My fault of course, but it was budgetary decision. But not having a balcony, or even a window, to enjoy the sea and the views –and fresh air! – was awful for us both. I hated not knowing if it was dark outside, or raining, or even it was actually morning when I woke up. I had the TV tuned into the live webcam view whenever we were in the room (which was curiously turned off while in Russia), which helped a little bit, but our cabin really was the lowlight of our cruise. I am claustrophobic, and I knew I wouldn't love being in a small, windowless space, but I really underestimated how much it would bother me. I do understand that others have no problem at all with inside cabins, and I take my hat off to you!

• At night, it was absolutely pitch black in the stateroom, but we didn’t worry about falling if we got up because there simply wasn’t enough space to fall over. ;-) Our cabin, #8005, was incredibly small, and we were constantly bumping into each other. We spent as little time in there as possible, preferring to be anywhere else on the ship, even napping occasionally on the comfy furniture in bars during the day (and we saw many other dozers – probably all inside cabin people like us!). Other irritants related to our cabin included….

• Fluctuating shower temperatures – the water would vary, quite quickly, from lukewarm to scalding hot many times in one shower.

• While there may have been space to put our suitcases under bed, it was impossible for us to do so as there were drawers at the end of each bed (which were full of linens, so not storage space for us), and the walls on both sides of the beds were so close that we couldn’t manipulate our suitcases into a position to slide them under. So,one suitcase was squeezed into the closet, and another stood by the table for the entire cruise, taking up more of our very limited free space.

• Our cabin was the first passenger cabin at the bow (there were officer and crew areas ahead of us). But our cabin was also right underneath the gym, and the thump-thump-thump noises started each morning at 6:30 a.m. We were usually up quite early anyway, but it was certainly difficult to sleep past 6:30!

• At the end of the cruise I had an enormous pile of paper to dispose of. For a corporation that apparently takes pride in its environmental efforts, I really felt there was far too much junk mail (in my opinion) delivered to our cabin each day, especially spa ads.

So sadly, I don’t have a lot of good things to say about our cabin. The beds were comfortable, and except for having nowhere to put our suitcases, there was quite a bit of storage. The cabin was nicely decorated. But I’ve learned my lesson, and I will never again book an inside cabin!

I took no photos in our cabin, so I’ll throw in a few more shots of the areas we preferred to spend time in rather than be in our room!

Next installment: Entertainment

Entertainment

• We thought the entertainment on the Queen Victoria was very good, and certainly much better than on the two Princess cruises we have been on. We only went to one production show, and it was OK, but not really “our thing”.

• We went to all port lectures, and found them informative and helpful. I was grateful that Matthew (a fellow Canadian!) didn’t spend the entire hour telling us about special stores and shopping opportunities, and while he did talk about available ship excursions, he also provided a lot of information for the independent travelers who would be exploring ports without a guide.

• The fencing lessons in the Queen's Room seemed to be quite popular, and were fun to watch – for about five minutes :-)

• The three lecturers – nature photographer Ian Rumley-Dawson, WWII expert Guy Caplin, and best-selling author and politician (and ex-convict ;-) were all very engaging. Jeffrey Archer was always standing room only, and I know that there are many conflicting opinions about Archer and how he has conducted his life, but he certainly is a very engaging and entertaining speaker. When a sea day was added unexpectedly (as we were not able to dock at Warnemunde), Rumley-Dawson and Caplin both provided another lecture to help fill our day. I guess Archer’s contract did not require any additional lectures in the event of an added sea day!

• We really enjoyed the excellent Motown singer Bruce Parker, and energetic flautist Claire ? The Cirque du Soleil style acrobatic pair were also good, and we enjoyed the Spinettes.

• We both thought that Sally, the entertainment director (that may not be her correct title) was very good – genuine, but also gracious and well spoken, who didn’t “go on and on”.

• BUT, the televised Rise and Shine was informative and worth having on our TV while we were getting ready each morning, but the opening graphics are incredibly cheesy (think 1980’s) and Sally never lets go of her arm!

• The Synergy band was also very good and got the crowd up and dancing in the Queen’s Room, and we enjoyed Dixieland Jazz in the pub one one night.

• Pub quizzes and other trivia contests very popular on board, and we attended two but the questions were a bit British-centric, and we were a bit hopeless!

• Perhaps it’s the librarian in me, but the numerous typos and grammatical errors in so much of lot of written material irritated me.

• Very few participated in the theme nights, other than the Black and White Ball, although there were a number of masks on Masquerade night. My husband and I had picked up hand-made masks in Venice last May, and my son and I wore them that evening, but after a few minutes our faces felt hot and itchy, so off they came!

• I thought the Russian Bazaar was, well, bizarre! It was SO crowded, and prices were a bit high but the tasty snacks and vodka samples were great. I guess this event is provided as most passengers were on organized tours in Russian, with little opportunity to shop.

The last and final installment of my review will cover service and miscellaneous thoughts!

We were on this trip too and absolutely loved it! I'm enjoying reading your review as its brining back lots of memories. Having had an inside cabin last year for a week long trip to Norway we decided to splash put on a balcony room - the thought of 2 weeks inside didn't appeal!! Having said that - it may well have been us that you saw snoozing around the ship. Such a relaxing environment meant lots of napping!!

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but also thought it very odd that the waiters made no attempt to get passengers drinks in the buffet, even when they were standing around doing nothing.

Well it is a "buffet" which I take to mean that you serve yourself.

On QE last month though the waiters were epic. Regularly asked if you wanted coffee or tea and always noticed the elderly and carried trays and brought food.

Did you ask them to serve you?

It's all down to training I think. All ships are different.

David.

Sorry you didn't enjoy your inside cabin. Once on a holiday trip with friends where we were trying to save money (the prices were triple what they normally are) we booked an ocean view and we really missed our balcony. Now we just won't go if we can't get a balcony--we love it that much.

We too very much enjoyed Jeffrey Archer as a speaker, and an author. Earlier this year we had started listening the the Clifton Chronicles driving to and from the mountains for spring skiing. It is about an hour trip each way and we tried to go several times a week so we had a lot of listening time. We didn't realize he would be a guest speaker until after we had booked and it was a pleasant surprise.

I know there were people who judge him for some of his life decisions, but I respect the fact that he has managed to work it out with his wife for 48 years, and the two of them are the only people who really matter in that relationship.

This was our first trip on the Queen Victoria and we loved it. Next month we will be sailing on the Queen Elizabeth and are very much looking forward to that as well.

You mentioned 'Salt and pepper were not provided on the table, and had to be picked up where the cutlery was stored, which we had not seen before on a ship.'

That normally happens on the first few days of a voyage for health reasons. Occasionally during the voyage it has happened for a few days and that's when I realise there must be a few cases onboard of the dreaded norovirus. It's an attempt to stop contamination through shared use of the salt and pepper shakers.

I have travelled on Queen Victoria quite often but I could not recognise some of your locations. I will have to look more closely next time. It seemed that some of the cushions were a different colour from what I remember.

Well it is a "buffet" which I take to mean that you serve yourself.

 

On QE last month though the waiters were epic. Regularly asked if you wanted coffee or tea and always noticed the elderly and carried trays and brought food.

 

Did you ask them to serve you?

 

It's all down to training I think. All ships are different.

 

David.

Yes. One morning, while I was using a cane to walk, I asked a waiter for iced tea and he told me it was over on the other side of the buffet. I was honestly shocked.

On Princess the service in the drink service in the buffet is excellent so I am not used to this attitude.

Haha.. yes, we saw many people snoozing, especially on sea days. We would always joke they must be people who had inside cabins, but really I think the furniture and atmosphere was so comfortable and cozy that I think many just fell asleep after reading a few pages of their eBooks!

I've never seen so many readers on a ship - print books AND ebooks.

We were on this trip too and absolutely loved it! I'm enjoying reading your review as its brining back lots of memories. Having had an inside cabin last year for a week long trip to Norway we decided to splash put on a balcony room - the thought of 2 weeks inside didn't appeal!! Having said that - it may well have been us that you saw snoozing around the ship. Such a relaxing environment meant lots of napping!!

 

 

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Yes, it's a buffet for food and non-alcoholic drinks. But sadly, to get a glass of wine, I couldn't help myself :)

And for tea and coffee I was never asked if I wanted either. It was serve yourself or nothing. I did ask, but that required flagging someone down, and they often seemed a bit oblivious. But, once I did manage to snag a server or waiter, the service was then very good.

Well it is a "buffet" which I take to mean that you serve yourself.

 

On QE last month though the waiters were epic. Regularly asked if you wanted coffee or tea and always noticed the elderly and carried trays and brought food.

 

Did you ask them to serve you?

 

It's all down to training I think. All ships are different.

 

David.

I totally agree. In two weeks no one ever offered to get me a tea or coffee, which I found surprising and very different from Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Viking and Princess.

Yes. One morning, while I was using a cane to walk, I asked a waiter for iced tea and he told me it was over on the other side of the buffet. I was honestly shocked.

 

On Princess the service in the drink service in the buffet is excellent so I am not used to this attitude.

• I thought the Russian Bazaar was, well, bizarre! It was SO crowded, and prices were a bit high but the tasty snacks and vodka samples were great. I guess this event is provided as most passengers were on organized tours in Russian, with little opportunity to shop.

DH did go down to the Bazaar very early and made me a plate of caviar with all of the appropriate accoutrements, except, of course, iced vodka. By the time I got there, the caviar had long since disappeared. :D

SeaCBear writes:

I totally agree. In two weeks no one ever offered to get me a tea or coffee, which I found surprising and very different from Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, Viking and Princess.

The thing that made me the craziest is that they were just standing around, talking, with nothing to do. I was trained as a waitress at Disneyland in the early 60s and for us anticipating and attending to every need of our customers was mandatory, so seeing waiters/waitresses just stand around makes me kind of crazy. I did mention it in my cruise evaluation.

Well, I found the Russian Bazaar to be a bit un-Cunard-like. It began at 10 a.m., and the captain - looking slightly embarrassed - was there with his giant (the size of a five year old) cardboard pretend scissors to open the event which was, basically, just a sale. After the official opening, the masses rushed in and started grabbing armfuls of merchandise. You couldn't really get near the tables laden with Russian knick knacks - chocolate bars, puzzle, dolls of course, Christmas decorations, etc. - and also a few Norwegian items, although we hadn't yet visited Norway. There was also a table from the spa pushing products and services, and a table from the casino, presumably promoting gambling. :)

Anyway, the event was very busy all morning, so obviously many people did enjoy it. I attempted to look at some of the tables, but couldn't get close really. But I DID enjoy the various snacks and goodies. (I like vodka, but it was at room temperature vodka so I passed).

DH did go down to the Bazaar very early and made me a plate of caviar with all of the appropriate accoutrements, except, of course, iced vodka. By the time I got there, the caviar had long since disappeared. :D

 

SeaCBear writes:

 

 

 

The thing that made me the craziest is that they were just standing around, talking, with nothing to do. I was trained as a waitress at Disneyland in the early 60s and for us anticipating and attending to every need of our customers was mandatory, so seeing waiters/waitresses just stand around makes me kind of crazy. I did mention it in my cruise evaluation.