"The Queen is dead, long live The Queen"

Ok, NO - this is not an Elton John tribute! The queen we're discussing today is the Queen Victoria, Cunard Line's latest offering in luxury cruise liners. With the old QE2 being gradually put to pasture, the QV has set sail on it's maiden world tour... and pulled into Sydney's harbour this weekend...


I was a little luckier than the thousands of others that flocked to check her out. My cousin, Edson (seen first from left in pic below), is a chef on board! He'd set it all up so that I could get on, gape at the opulence and even have a nice lunch (yes, he made it himself too)...



My first reaction to seeing the thing was "it's not *that* huge"... 18+ floors (12 passenger decks, plus cabins for the crew below, engine rooms etc) of ship aren't a big deal for me, apparently...


... but it's only when you're inside (as some of us privileged few happen to us), that the size overwhelms you! I guess it has to be that big to house and adequately entertain 2000 filthy rich guests looking forward a good pampering. Edson's tour lasted a good hour and a half... and we were hardly lingering too long in any one area...





The QV has 8 restaurants (one of them with a capacity of up to 1000 people) ranging from a black-tie, fine dining to a regular pub...

...and 13 bars!!! Mmmmm...

On the high seas, you have to grip more than the obvious...

The Chart Room was one of my favourites. There's also a small museum, art gallery, internet center and a huge library with two full-time librarians... and a breath-taking, full-blown 800-seater theatre complete with boxes, red velvet and gilt galore!

Somehow, I don't get the concept of a world cruise. The idea of spending 2 days without land in sight and then spending a few hours trying to take in an entire culture doesn't appeal to me. However,the average of a passenger aboard the QV is 60... which leaves me plenty of time to change my mind. So someday, who knows...