Queen Victoria
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Queen Victoria (QV) is a cruise ship in the Cunard Line fleet, named after British Monarch, Queen Victoria.
The Queen Victoria is of the same basic design as other Vista class passenger vessels, though slightly longer and more in keeping with Cunard's interior style. At 90,000 gross tons, she is the second largest Cunard ship ever built, after the Queen Mary 2. The QV undertook her maiden voyage on December 11, 2007.
Design
The QV's facilities include:
- 7 restaurant
- 13 bars
- 3 swimming pools
- ballroom
- theatre
The Queen Victoria's exterior design closely resembles Vista class ships built for Holland America Line and P&O Cruises, with a wrap-around promenade deck, private balconies, and a retractable glass magrodome over the mid-ship pool.
The ship was not designed primarily for speed, not having a long prow, deep draft, or whaleback on her bow; though, the hull has been built to meet the demands of the Atlantic Ocean, with extra steel added to strengthen key decks and bulkheads, and reinforced, thicker bow plating. Still, the ship has inferior abilities to the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2 to sail through rough waters.
As with most newbuild passenger ships, the Queen Victoria's public rooms are mostly arranged along the lowest public decks of the ship, mainly on 2 Deck and 3 Deck. Unlike the Queen Mary 2, however, there is no central circulation access, the main corridors being to the starboard (right) side, with the public rooms mostly along the port (left).
1 Deck, the lowest passenger deck, holds the lowest level of a three story lobby, as well as of the Royal Court theatre. On 2 Deck can be found the mid-level of the Royal Court theatre, casino, Golden Lion Pub, Queen's Room, Todd English à la carte restaurant, Chart Room bar, and lower level of both the library and Britannia restaurant. The top most level of the theatre, Royal Arcade, Midships Lounge, and upper level of the library and dining room are all on 3 Deck, along with a wrap-around exterior promenade. The decks above these contain mostly passenger cabins until 9 Deck on which is the Cunard health club and spa, Winter Garden lounge, Lido Restaurant, and two outdoor pools. On 10 Deck is the Commodore Club, and Hemispheres night club, and the Queen's Grill and Princess Grill, along with their attached lounge, as well as an open courtyard between, are on 11 Deck.
Though QV is theoretically a classless ship, it has been argued that the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2, both of which follow the same practice of separating passengers into different restaurants based on the price of the cabin they booked (the Britannia as standard for regular cabins, the Princess Grill as middle for those in junior suites, and the Queen's Grill as superior for deluxe suite occupants), are actually ships divided into three classes, despite the fact that all other public rooms are used by all passengers equally. Though this situation is similar on the QE2 and QM2, it is further enhanced on the QV by the fact that Grill Passengers (those dining in the Princess Grill or Queen's Grill) also have a private outdoor deck on 11 Deck with the specific name "Grills Terrace."
Of note is that the QV's theatre is the first at sea to have private boxes. As well, she has a Winter Garden lounge with a retractable glass roof and water fountain, and a two story library with a connecting spiral staircase.