MS Queen Victoria

Characteristics

The Queen Victoria is the running mate to the Queen Mary 2 and, in the future, the new Queen Elizabeth. Until November 2008, she also operated alongside Queen Elizabeth 2. Unlike many previous Cunard Queens, however, Queen Victoria is not an ocean liner as she does not have the heavy plating, high freeboard, and propulsion system of a liner, but is outfitted as a cruise ship. However Ian McNaught, her captain in 2009, has stated that Queen Victoria is a liner based on her classic decor. Queen Victoria does not carry mail and thus will not receive Royal Mail Ship (RMS) status.

Some ship aficionados have criticised Cunard for naming this ship as a Queen; the designation having previously been reserved for the line’s ocean liners and flagships (Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth 2, and Queen Mary 2). It has been suggested that the Queen Victoria should have borne the name of one of Cunard’s previous smaller ships, such as the Mauretania, or Aquitania, as was done with the last Caronia, which served Cunard between 1999 and 2004.

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. 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 proven successful on the Queen Mary 2 (such as decor, junior suites, dining alternatives, promenades, etc.), the hull was then designated to become the P&O ship MS Arcadia. 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.

Her 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 and 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. 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.

The QV left the Port of Venice on 24 August 2007 to commence her sea trials, and, after handover to Cunard, arrived in Southampton to much fanfare and media attention on 7 December; much of the coverage focused on the ship’s superlatives, the QV being touted as “Cunard’s most luxurious ship.” The same day, the ship was officially named by Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, continuing the tradition of Cunard Queens being named by members of the Royal Family. However, the bottle of champagne did not break upon impact with the QV’s hull, though a backup bottle was immediately successful.

Queen Victoria in her home port with QM2 passing her. QE2 can be seen in the dock behind the Victoria.

Service history

Captain Paul Wright was appointed master of the Queen Victoria in October, 2006.

The QV undertook her maiden voyage, a 10 day cruise to northern Europe, on 11 December 2007. Following this, and after a cruise to the Canary Islands, the QV embarked on her first world cruise, circumnavigating the globe in 107 days (the first ship to do so was also called Victoria; in 1,153 days from 1519 to 1522). The first leg of this voyage was a tandem crossing of the Atlantic with the Queen Elizabeth 2, to New York City, where the two ships met the Queen Mary 2 near the Statue of Liberty on 13 January 2008, with a celebratory fireworks display; this marked the first time three Cunard Queens have been present in the same location. Cunard purported this to also be the only time these three particular ships would ever meet, due to the QE2′s impending retirement from service in late 2008, though the ships did meet again in Southampton on 22 April 2008, due to a change in the QE2′s schedule.

In May 2008, the QV hit a pier in Malta after her thrusters failed to work. However, the damage was minimal, allowing the ship to continue operating, but repairs meant she would have to miss a port of call in La Goulette.

Design

Exterior

Queen Victoria at Southampton’s City Cruise Terminal

Queen Victoria at Circular Quay, Sydney

Queen Victoria travelling through Fjord in Norway

The Queen Victoria’s exterior design closely resembles Vista class ships built for Holland America Line and P&O Cruises, like the MS Oosterdam, with a wrap-around promenade deck, private balconies, and a retractable glass magrodome over the mid-ship pool.

A feature which will distinguish her from her new sister, MS Queen Elizabeth is her more angled sloping stern, as compared to the newer ships vertical one.

Interior

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 side, with the public rooms mostly along the port.

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 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 two private outdoor areas on decks 10 and 11 with the specific name “Grills Terrace”, a feature which also appears on the QM2 at the aft section of deck 10.

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.

Technical

Power plant and propulsion system

The 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. Although the ship burns heavy fuel, it uses low-sulphur fuel in certain jurisdictions. In October 2009, Queen Victoria’s captain, Ian McNaught, stormed out of a press conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia when asked about the ship’s environmental standards.

References

^ “Queen Victoria”. cruise-community.com. Seatrade Communications Limited. http://www.cruise-community.com/Search/FL_detail.asp?itemnav=ship_ship_0548. Retrieved 2008-03-06. 

^ a b c “Queen Victoria technical information” (PDF). Cunard Line. 2006-03-09. http://www.cunard.com/queenvictoria/QueenVictoriaTechnical.pdf. Retrieved 2008-05-14. 

^ “Her Royal Highness the Duchess of Cornwall to name Cunard’s new Queen Victoria”. Press releases. Cunard Line. 2007-09-10. http://www.cunard.co.uk/news/default.asp?Cat=&View=ViewArticle&Mode=News&ContentID=6779&Active=News. Retrieved 2008-05-14. 

^ “Queen Victoria sets sail for Australia”. The West Australian. 2007-12-09. http://www.thewest.com.au/aapstory.aspx?StoryName=443381. Retrieved 2008-05-14. 

^ a b Tom Peters, alifax Chronicle Herald, Sat. October 3, 2009

^ “History of Queen Victoria”. http://www.chriscunard.com/history-QV.htm. 

^ “Queen Victoria”. Chris’ Cunard Page. http://www.chriscunard.com/queen_victoria.php. Retrieved 2010-02-16. 

^ “Queen Victoria information”. http://www.ayrshirescotland.com/ships/253queenvictoria.html. Retrieved 2008-05-14. 

^ Hamilton, Keith (2007-01-16). “Victoria – new queen of the sea”. Southern Daily Echo. http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/search/display.var.1125362.0.victoria_new_queen_of_the_sea.php. Retrieved 2008-05-14. 

^ “Ceremonies mark the float out of the world’s newest queen ocean liner”. Press releases. Cunard Line. 2007-01-15. http://www.cunard.co.uk/news/default.asp?Cat=&View=ViewArticle&Mode=News&ContentID=6505&Active=News. Retrieved 2008-05-14. 

^ “Queen Victoria: The Story So Far”. Cunard Line. http://www.cunard.com/OurShips/default.asp?Ship=QV&main=int&sub=his. 

^ “New liner arrives in Southampton”. BBC News. 2007-12-07. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/hampshire/7132211.stm. Retrieved 2008-05-14. 

^ “Her Royal Highness The Duchess Of Cornwall To Name Cunard’s New Queen Victoria”. Press releases. Cunard Line. 2007-09-10. http://www.cunard.com/AboutCunard/NewsReleases.asp?Cat=&View=ViewArticle&Mode=News&ContentID=6779&Active=News. Retrieved 2008-05-14. 

^ Sloan, Gene (2007-12-10). “A royal launch for Cunard’s Queen Victoria”. The Cruise Log. USA Today. http://blogs.usatoday.com/cruiselog/2007/12/a-royal-welcome.html. Retrieved 2008-05-14. 

^ “First Master Appointed for Queen Victoria”. Press releases. Cunard Line. 2006-10-06. http://www.cunard.co.uk/news/default.asp?Cat=&View=ViewArticle&Mode=News&ContentID=6290&Active=News. Retrieved 2008-05-14. 

^ “Royal Rendezvous”. Cunard Line. 2008-02-20. http://www.cunard.com/rendezvous. Retrieved 2008-05-14. 

^ “QE2 To Leave Cunard Fleet And Be Sold To Dubai World To Begin A New Life At The Palm”. Press releases. Cunard Line. 2007-06-18. http://www.cunard.com/AboutCunard/NewsReleases.asp?Cat=&View=ViewArticle&Mode=News&ContentID=6656&Active=News. Retrieved 2007-06-20. 

^ “Three ‘Queens’ in final meeting”. BBC News. 2008-04-22. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hampshire/7360081.stm. Retrieved 2008-05-14. 

^ “Cunard’s Queen Victoria crashes into dock in Malta”. Cruise Log Blog. USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/travel/cruises/item.aspx?type=blog&ak=49846804.blog. Retrieved 2008-05-14. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: MS Queen Victoria

Cunard Line: Queen Victoria – official site

The Queen Victoria Virtual Experience

v  d  e

Cunard ships

Current Fleet

RMS Queen Mary 2 (2004)   MS Queen Victoria (2007)

Planned

MS Queen Elizabeth (2010)

Former Ships

1840-1899

RMS Britannia (1840)   RMS Persia (1856)   SS Abyssinia (1870)   SS Servia (1881)   RMS Etruria (1884)   RMS Umbria (1884)   RMS Campania (1892)   RMS Lucania (1893)   SS Ivernia (1899)

1900-1950

RMS Carpathia (1903)   RMS Carmania (1905)   RMS Caronia (1905)   RMS Lusitania (1907)   RMS Mauretania (1907)   RMS Franconia (1910)   RMS Albania (1911)   RMS Laconia (1912)   RMS Alaunia (1913) (1913)   RMS Aquitania (1913)   SS Orduna (1914)   SS Empire Barracuda (1918)   RMS Antonia (1921)   RMS Ausonia (1921)   RMS Scythia (1921)   RMS Andania (1922)   RMS Berengaria (1922)   RMS Laconia (1922)   RMS Lancastria (1922)   RMS Majestic (1922)   RMS Aurania (1924)   SS Letitia (1924)   RMS Carinthia (1925)   SS Laurentic (1927)   RMS Britannic (1929)   RMS Georgic (1934)   RMS Olympic (1934)   RMS Queen Mary (1936)   RMS Mauretania (1939)   SS Pasteur (1939)  MV Empire Audacity (1939)   RMS Queen Elizabeth (1940)   SS Empire Battleaxe (1943)   SS Empire Broadsword (1943)   Valacia (1943)   RMS Media (1947)   RMS Caronia (1949)

1950-1994

RMS Saxonia (1954)   RMS Ivernia (1955)   RMS Carinthia (1956)   RMS Sylvania (1957)   RMS Queen Elizabeth 2 (1967)   MS Cunard Adventurer (1971)   MS Cunard Ambassador (1972)   MS Cunard Countess (1975)   MS Cunard Princess (1976)   MS Sagafjord (1983)   MS Caronia (1983)   MS Royal Viking Sun (1994)

v  d  e

Vista class cruise ships and derived designs

Original Vista class

Zuiderdam  Oosterdam  Westerdam  Arcadia  Noordam

Enlarged Vista class

Queen Victoria  Queen Elizabeth (2010)

Signature class

Eurodam  Nieuw Amsterdam (2010)

Hybrid Vista/Spirit class

Costa Luminosa  Costa Deliziosa

Holland America Line  P&O Cruises  Cunard Line  Costa Cruises

Categories: Cruise ships | Ships of the Cunard Line | Ships built in Italy | Panamax cruise ships | 2007 ships

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