1. Characteristics and naming

2. History
    Concept and construction  Service history  Cunard rendezvous 

3. Design
    Exterior  May 2017 refit  Interior  May 2017 refit 

4. Technical
    Power plant and propulsion system 

5. References
    Notes  Bibliography 

6. External links

MS Queen Victoria (QV) is a Vista-class cruise ship operated by the Cunard Line and is named after the British Monarch Queen Victoria.

Queen Victoria is of the same basic design as other Vista-class cruise ships including Queen Elizabeth. The external and internal designs are more in keeping with Cunard's style, and at {{GT|90,049}} it is the smallest of Cunard's ships in operation.

Characteristics and naming

Unlike many previous Cunard ships, Queen Victoria is not a traditional ocean liner as she does not have the heavy plating throughout the hull. However the bow was constructed with heavier plating to cope with the transatlantic run, and the ship has a high freeboard. The Queen Mary 2 had cost approximately $300,000 US per berth, nearly double that of many contemporary cruise ships, so Cunard made the economical decision to base Queen Victoria on a modified {{sclass2-|Vista|cruise ship|2}}, and Queen Elizabeth retains the same design with some minor changes. Nonetheless, Ian McNaught, who was Queen Victoria's captain in 2009, has asserted that the ship is a liner based on her classic decor.^[4]

History

Concept and construction

Originally destined to be an addition to the Holland America Line fleet, the order for a Vista-class vessel put into Fincantieri was soon transferred by Carnival Corporation & plc (parent company to Holland America, Cunard, and P&O) to Cunard with the intent that the vessel would become the MS Queen Victoria.^[5] The keel was laid down at the Fincantieri ship yard in 2003. However, due to restructuring within Carnival Corp., as well as a later decision by Cunard that modifications should be made to the design to bring in certain aspects which had proved successful on Queen Mary 2 (such as décor, junior suites, dining alternatives, promenades, etc.), the hull was then designated to become the P&O ship MS Arcadia.^[6] A new Queen Victoria was subsequently ordered with Fincantieri in 2004, which was 11 metres longer, 5,000 tons larger, and with an increased passenger capacity of 2,000.^[7]

The keel was laid on 12 May 2006. 80 prefabricated steel "blocks", each complete with interior structure, cabling, and ducts, and each weighing 325 tons, were then added. The completed hull with superstructure was floated out on 15 January 2007, after having a bottle of Prosecco smashed against her side by Maureen Ryan, a Cunard employee who has served on all four Cunard Queens.^[8] The ceremony also saw the traditional placing of coins on the mast – in this case a Euro and a gold Queen Victoria sovereign were welded beneath the radar mast.^[9]

Service history

Captain Paul Wright was appointed as the first master of Queen Victoria in October 2006.^[15] Captain Christopher Rynd became secondary master. Captain Ian McNaught^[16] briefly commanded Queen Victoria before transferring to Seabourn.^[17]

In May 2008, Queen Victoria struck a pier in Malta after her thrusters malfunctioned. However the damage was minimal, allowing the ship to continue operating, but repairs resulted in her missing a port of call in La Goulette.^[21]

On 9 December 2010 Cunard announced its first female captain, Faroese born Inger Klein Olsen,^[23] who would take command of Queen Victoria beginning on 15 December.^[24]

Cunard rendezvous

January 2011:

Two years after the first Cunard Royal Rendezvous, on the same date, {{RMS|Queen Mary 2||2}} met up with both Queen Victoria and {{MS|Queen Elizabeth||2}} for another Royal Rendezvous in New York City on 13 January 2011. Both the Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth made a tandem crossing of the Atlantic for the event. All three ships met in front of the Statue of Liberty at 6:45 pm for a Grucci fireworks display. The Empire State Building was lit up in red to mark the event.^[26]

March 2011: Queen Victoria passed {{RMS|Queen Mary||2}} herself, a former Cunard ship, now permanently docked in Long Beach, California, as a hotel for the first time, along with a fireworks display in Long Beach.^[27]

5 June 2012:

All three Queens met again but this time in Southampton to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II.^[28]

6 May 2014:

All three Queens met up for the first time in Lisbon, Portugal, in preparation for Queen Mary 2s 10th birthday. All three on departure sailed in a one-line formation to Southampton.^[29]

9 May 2014:

Both Queen Elizabeth and Queen Victoria led in single file, Queen Mary 2 up the Southampton channel, with both ships docking in a bow to bow formation performing a birthday salute to Queen Mary 2. Later on, all three sisters gather for a fireworks display in which Queen Mary 2 led both sisters back down the channel.^[30]

25 May 2015:

The three 'Queens' at Liverpool celebrating 175 years of the formation of the Cunard Line, which was formed and based at Liverpool. At low tide, the three ships stopped in line in the middle of the River Mersey, bow to stern, turned 180 degrees in full synchronisation with each other (called a river dance), and then formed an arrow side by side. Queen Mary 2 was in the centre with her bow in line with the Cunard Building at the Pier Head. The RAF Red Arrows performed a flypast in Vic formation, emitting red, white and blue smoke, over the vessels. An estimated 1.3 million people lined the river banks to witness the spectacle.^[31]

Design

Exterior

Queen Victoria{{'}}s exterior design closely resembles that of Vista-class ships built for various cruise companies.

A feature which distinguishes her from her younger fleet mate, {{MS|Queen Elizabeth}}, is the more angled sloping stern, as compared to the newer ship's vertical one. In addition to this she lacks the covered games deck above the bridge, a feature which is present on the Elizabeth.

May 2017 refit

During her 2017 refit, Queen Victoria was fitted with an additional block of cabins at the stern that makes her more similar in appearance to Queen Elizabeth. This addition also made more space available around a newly re-designed aft lido pool area, and reduced the size of aft-facing balconies.

Interior

1 Deck, the lowest passenger deck, holds the lowest level of a three-storey stairwell 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, Verandah à la carte restaurant, Chart Room bar, and lower level of both the library and Britannia Restaurant. The topmost level of the theatre, Royal Arcade, Midships Lounge, and upper level of the library and formal 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 are the Cunard Health Club and spa, Winter Garden lounge, Lido Restaurant, and two outdoor pools. On 10 Deck is the Commodore Club, Churchill Lounge (for smokers) and Yacht Club^[32] nightclub. The Queen's Grill and Princess Grill, with their attached lounge and an open courtyard between, are on 11 Deck.

Though Queen Victoria is theoretically a classless ship, it has been argued{{by who|date=July 2017}} that {{RMS|Queen Mary 2||2}} and {{RMS|Queen Elizabeth 2||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 Queen Elizabeth 2 and Queen Mary 2, it is further enhanced on Queen Victoria by the fact that Grill Passengers (those dining in the Princess Grill or Queen's Grill) also have two private outdoor areas on 10 and 11 Decks with the specific name "Grills Terrace", a feature which also appears on Queen Mary 2 at the aft section of 10 Deck.

Queen Victoria{{'}}s theatre is the first at sea to have private boxes. She also has a Winter Garden lounge with a retractable glass roof and a two-story library with a connecting spiral staircase.

May 2017 refit

In May 2017, Queen Victoria underwent the second major overhaul of her career, which added new cabins aft, as well as refurbishing other spaces and adding new dining facilities.^[34] The modifications saw her passenger capacity increase to 2,081 from 1,988.^[33]

Changes include a new Britannia Club restaurant^[34], updated Chartroom, refreshed Winter Garden, refreshed Yacht Club and new outdoor pool area. ^[35]

Technical

Power plant and propulsion system

Queen Victoria can carry 3,000 tons of heavy fuel and 150 tons of marine gas oil, consuming 12 tons per hour for maximum output.^[2] Although the ship burns heavy fuel, it uses low-sulphur fuel in certain jurisdictions.

References

Notes

Bibliography

• {{cite book|editor-last=Bond|editor-first=Mary|title=Queen Victoria: a classic Cunard liner for the 21st century|date=2007|publisher=Seatrade Communications|location=Colchester, UK|oclc=691276976}}
• {{cite book|last=Dawson|first=Philip|title=Queen Victoria: a celebration of tradition for twenty-first century ocean travel|date=2010|publisher=Lily Publications|location=Ramsey, Isle of Man|isbn=9781906608231}}
• {{cite book|last1=Frame|first1=Chris|last2=Cross|first2=Rachelle|title=Queen Victoria: a photographic journey|date=2010|publisher=The History Press|location=Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK|isbn=9780752452982}}
• {{cite book|last=Miller|first=William H.|title=Cunard's Three Queens: a celebration|date=2009|publisher=Amberley Publications|location=Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK|isbn=9781848683648}}
• {{Plowman-Aust Cruise Ships}}
• {{Saunders-Giants of the Seas}}
• {{cite book|last=Schwerdtner|first=Nils|title=The Cunard Queens: Queen Elizabeth 2, Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria|date=2008|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK|isbn=9781848320109}}
• {{cite book|last=Schwerdtner|first=Nils|title=The New Cunard Queens: Queen Mary 2, Queen Victoria, Queen Elizabeth|date=2011|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|location=Barnsley, South Yorkshire, UK|isbn=9781848321069}}
• {{Smith-Cruise Ships-2010}}

External links

• Cunard Line: Queen Victoria – official site
• "On board Queen Victoria's exclusive cruise" – review in traveller.com.au (Fairfax Media) of a cruise on Queen Victoria
• [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/cruises/cruise-ships/14807/Cunard-Queen-Victoria.html Queen Victoria] – review by Douglas Ward in The Daily Telegraph, London.
• Queen Victoria Pages at Chris' Cunard Page

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