We are first time cruisers and were looking for a good first impression. The Queen Victoria didn't let us down. The cabin was superb (Deck 8 forward balcony), the food also well prepared and presented (the wait staff were excellent) and the overall service was faultless.

We declined the automatic gratuities (tips) and a simple request at the Pursers Office had these taken from our onboard account. In lieu of this, we gave each of the wait staff a personal tip at the end of the voyage, which they kindly accepted. We took the Cunard organised tour of Valletta (our first port), but got off the bus before we got back to the ship and explored the Grand Harbour by foot. Realising that we could probably get better value for money by doing our own thing, we elected to negotiate our way around each port and this was a fantastic experience. It is hard to find fault with this ship, and although we had a table of six in the restaurant each night, we also went to the Lido Restaurant for lunch if we were at sea. The food in the Lido was great. Our breakfast was served in the room each morning and this suited us as we like to start the day at our own pace. Overall a very enjoyable cruise and highly recommended by us. The only downside was the extremely hot weather in the Med and this meant we had to be careful to carry enough water in our backpack. Next time we will go in the shoulder season (Spring or Autumn).