Cruising: A trip aboard Cunard’s sedate Queen Victoria, headed for Los Angeles

A new queen is visiting Los Angeles this winter: The Queen Victoria ocean liner. This sedate and oh-so-British Cunard Line vessel, which called Jan. 30 in L.A., will return Feb. 13 for a four-night round trip to Ensenada, Mexico.

Her other 2011 sailings from here will be longer. Among them is a 14-night round trip to Hawaii that departs Feb. 17; a 15-night Panama Canal cruise that departs March 3 and ends in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; a 42-night cruise that extends the March 3 itinerary to other ports in the Caribbean, Portugal and other destinations, ending in England; and another 14-night round trip to Hawaii, which departs Dec. 21.

Art Sbarsky, a correspondent for Cruise Week, an industry newsletter, who sailed on the the Queen Victoria en route to the West Coast, filed a report this week that said, in part:

“This is a decidedly classy, quiet, elegant ship that attracts an older audience with virtually no kids. Rarely does one hear raised voices; the elevators are a ‘whisper-only’ zone, and even the winners in the casino are muted in their celebrations.

“It’s in incredible contrast to the Disney Dream, which I also sailed
on this month, emphasizing the diversity of the cruise business. The decor and
colors used throughout the ship match the tone --natural with no bright colors.
Even the casino is relatively toned down.

“There were 1,870 pax onboard the segment I was on (New York to Bonaire).
Americans and Brits made up about 37% of the total, with Canadians (10%),
Germans (7%), and Australians (3%) the bulk of the rest.

“It’s a perfect cruise for folks from either side of the pond who want a calm,
safe experience where there are plenty of activities for sea days. During my four days at sea, there were 10 lectures by five terrific speakers...

“I also attended my first ever fencing lesson (not as easy as it looks). The
many dance classes were run by a very competent dance couple and cruise
staff. Even the scarf-tying class was very popular.

“The captain was from the Faroe Islands, much of the senior staff was from
the United Kingdom, with much of the serving and wait staff from Eastern
European countries and about 40% of the crew from the Philippines. Service was polite, helpful, and easygoing, just like the entire experience.”

Last year, Karl Zimmerman also reviewed the Queen Victoria for the Los Angeles Times. He especially liked the elegant Queens Room.

Of course, you can’t expect to pay $400 or $500 a week to cruise on such an elegant ship. Even the four-night Mexico cruise out of Los Angeles starts at nearly $700 per person, double occupancy. The 15-night Panama transit starts at $1,857 per person, and the 14-day Hawaiian cruise at $1,853 person, according to Cunard’s website.

Contact: Cunard Line. Or see a travel agent.