(Palm Beach Post) “Rule Brittania, Brittania rule the waves!” Preparing to board Queen Victoria, one can almost hear the strains of that classic English anthem. Along with her sister ships, Queen Mary II and the newly-launched Queen Elizabeth, Cunard (pronounced Q-nard) boasts it’s “the oldest cruise line with the youngest fleet of ships.”
Queen Victoria can trace her lineage all the way back to 1840, when founder Samuel Cunard formed the British and North American Packet Steam Company to ferry mail across the Atlantic. In 1998, Cunard was acquired by the Carnival Corporation, but her proud British heritage remains intact.
Built by Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri, the Queen Victoria made her debut in December, 2007. At 90,000 tons, with 12 passenger decks, she has plenty of room to roam and her public spaces are truly elegant without being overpowering. From stem to stern, she exudes “class” at every turn. Some might even call her “stuffy.” But that’s a bit overstated. A better choice would be “prim and proper.”
There’s no question Cunard isn’t aiming for the rock wall climbers or zip liners. From the afternoon tea to the ballroom dancing, this is cruising in the classical sense, and Cunard delivers that experience better than any other passenger line at sea.
Before we cast off, here are some fun facts Cunard has provided regarding Queen Victoria’s “annual consumption figures”:
– 954,681 tea bags (I accounted for at least a dozen myself)
– 59,060 pounds of coffee
– 1,528,707 fresh eggs
– 12,940 pounds of smoked salmon
– 440,310 pounds of potatoes
– 141,600 toothpicks
– 351,900 bottles of wine and champagne (no comment)
– 119,400 bottles of champagne
– 109,000 bottles of red wine
– 119,600 bottles of white wine
– 3,900 bottles of dessert wine
When she needs a fillup, as she did prior to leaving Port Everglades, she holds 3,000 tons of heavy fuel and 150 tons of marine gas oil. Will that be cash or credit? On this particular voyage, she consumed around 1,200 tons of fuel according to the captain, Christopher Rynd. As you might expect, fuel is the biggest expense for running a cruise ship, especially these days. Her top speed is around 24 knots, which is close to 27 MPH. And there were a few times the captain had to “step on it” to meet our schedule.
In coming posts I’ll be taking you behind the scenes, taking a tour of the Galley, the Bridge and the Engine Room. I’ll introduce you to the executive chef, Mark Oldroyd (a Brit now living in Florida), Ronnie Keir, chief engineer, David Hamilton, hotel manager, Andrew Nelder, senior maitre d’hotel, the ship’s doctor, Dr. Susan Dring, performers and dancers and of course, the captain himself.
You’ll also meet some fellow Floridians who were among the 1,000 or so Americans onboard (the ship has capacity for 2,014 passengers and 1,001 crew, and this voyage was sold out). And we’ll tour the ports of call, including the grand finale — passage into the Panama Canal. Wait until you hear how much the toll was!
So put away your life jackets — muster drill is over. It’s time to set sail.