MS Queen Victoria — BrandWiki

MS Queen Victoria

Overview

Queen Victoria

country	Bermuda
namesake	Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom
owner	Carnival Corporation house flag.svg Carnival Corporation & plc‡R1R‡
operator	House flag of the Cunard Line.svg Cunard Line
route	Various
ordered	3 December 2004
builder	Fincantieri Marghera shipyard, Italy
original cost	£270 million (approx.)‡R2R‡
laid down	12 May 2006
launched	15 January 2007 (float-out)
completed	2007
christened	*10 December 2007
acquired	2007
maiden voyage	11 December 2007
in service	2007–present
registry	* Southampton, U.K. (2007–2011) *🇧🇲 Hamilton, Bermuda (2011–present)
identification	Call sign ZCEF3 *
status	In service

MS Queen Victoria (QV) is a Vista-class cruise ship operated by the Cunard Line and is named after the former British monarch Queen Victoria. The vessel is of the same basic design as other Vista-class cruise ships, including MS Queen Elizabeth. At she is the smallest of Cunard's ships in operation.[3]

Characteristics and naming

Unlike many previous Cunard ships, Queen Victoria is not a traditional ocean liner, as she does not have 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 RMS Queen Mary 2 had cost approximately $300,000 US per berth, nearly double that of many contemporary cruise ships, so

History

Concept and construction

An order for a Vista-class vessel was transferred by Carnival Corporation & plc, parent company to Holland America, Cunard and P&O from its Holland America Line to Cunard with the intent that the vessel would become the Queen Victoria[5] Fincantieri laid down the keel in 2003, but Carnival reassigned the hull again to become the P&O ship MV Arcadia (2004).[6]

The new Queen Victoria ordered from Fincantieri in 2004 was 11 m longer, 5,000 tons larger, with an increased passenger capacity of 2,000.[7] and features which had proved successful on Queen Mary 2. The keel was laid on 12 May 2006. Eighty 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]

Queen Victoria departed the Port of Venice on 24 August 2007 to commence her sea trials,[10] and, after handover to Cunard, arrived in Southampton, United Kingdom, to fanfare and media attention on 7 December; much of the coverage was focused on the ship's superlatives, and represented Queen Victoria as "Cunard's most luxurious ship".[11] The same day, the ship was officially named by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, continuing the tradition of Cunard "Queens" being named by royalty.[12] The bottle of champagne failed to break upon impact with Queen Victoria's hull, which according to nautical superstition is a bad omen.[13] However, a backup bottle was immediately successful.[14]

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]

Queen Victoria undertook her maiden voyage, a 10-day cruise to northern Europe, on 11 December 2007. Following this and a cruise to the Canary Islands, Queen Victoria embarked on her first world cruise, circumnavigating the globe in 107 days. (The first ship to have previously done so—also named Victoria—took 1,153 days in 1519 to 1522.) The first leg of this voyage was a tandem crossing of the Atlantic with Queen Elizabeth 2, to New York City, where the two ships met Queen Mary 2 near the Statue of Liberty on 13 January 2008, with a celebratory fireworks display, marking the first time three Cunard "Queens" had been present in the same location.

Cunard rendezvous

In January 2011, two years after the first Cunard Royal Rendezvous, on the same date, Queen Mary 2 met up with both Queen Victoria and Queen Elizabeth 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] In March 2011 Queen Victoria passed the former Cunard retired ocean liner RMS Queen Mary for the first time. The Queen Mary is permanently docked in Long Beach, California and operated as a hotel.[27]

On 5 June 2012 all three Queens met again but this time in Southampton to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II

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, 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 Queen Elizabeth.

Interior

Queen Victoria's public rooms are mainly located on the lower-level public decks of the ship, 2 Deck and 3 Deck. Unlike Queen Mary 2, however, there is no central circulation access, the main corridors being to the port side. The ship does have the similar grand lobby staircase with an artwork feature as on the Queen Mary ships, a relief portrait of the ship situated on the staircase sculpted by British sculptor John McKenna.

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[31] nightclub. The Queen's Grill and Princess Grill, with their attached lounge and an open courtyard between, are on 11 Deck.

The Queen Victoria operates similarly to both the Queen Mary 2 and the former 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 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. There is 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 a second major overhaul, which added new cabins aft, as well as refurbishing other spaces and adding new dining facilities.[32] The modifications saw the passenger capacity increase to 1,988 from 2,081.

Changes included a new Britannia Club restaurant,[33] updated Chartroom, refreshed Winter Garden, refreshed Yacht Club and new outdoor pool area.[34]

May 2017 refit

In May 2017, Queen Victoria underwent a second major overhaul, which added new cabins aft, as well as refurbishing other spaces and adding new dining facilities.[32] The modifications saw the passenger capacity increase to 1,988 from 2,081.

Changes included a new Britannia Club restaurant,[33] updated Chartroom, refreshed Winter Garden, refreshed Yacht Club and new outdoor pool area.[34]