Welcome aboard

I wrote this post shortly after we boarded our ship, the Queen Victoria, just over a week ago, and I began writing it as we were leaving Southampton and sailing down the Solent.  We had arrived early at the Cruise terminal, after our pre-booked taxi picked us up, shortly before 8 am, last Sunday morning. Traffic on the motorways was relatively light, which allowed a speedy, and hassle-free journey down from Kent, but unfortunately meant an hour’s wait before we could drop off our bags.

We then joined the queue for check-in, which whilst relatively straight forward, then left us sat in a large departure area, with dozens of other passengers, all waiting to board. So much for Mrs PBT’s pre-cruise concerns about COVID, which annoyed me somewhat, particularly as I’d been religiously avoiding crowded situations. The irony of the situation seemed lost on my good lady wife, but hey-ho, although I informed her that any rules about being grounded, would go straight out of the window, we when return home.

Despite the queuing, and the airline- style security scanning, we were on board the ship shortly after 2pm. Our bags were ready and waiting, outside the cabin, or “Stateroom,” as the cruise line prefers to call them. After a quick cup of tea, we headed off in search of something to eat, as the two slices of toast and marmalade I’d had for breakfast at 7pm, had long ceased to satisfy my hunger, and Eileen felt pretty much the same. As good, compliant passengers, but also safety-conscious travellers, we popped along to our designated muster station to have our cards scanned, and then after walking just a short distance, we chanced upon the Golden Lion. This is the Queen Victoria’s onboard pub, and as it looked surprisingly empty, we nipped in, grabbed a seat and ordered a beer for me plus a soft drink for Mrs PBT’s. Those readers familiar with previous cruising posts will know the beer I went for, but for the un-initiated, it was a Cunard Black, one of three beers brewed exclusively for the cruise line, by Salisbury Dark Revolution Brewery of Salisbury.

Described as a “breakfast stout,” Cunard Black is much more an Oatmeal Stout, as whilst very enjoyable, I’m not sure that I’d want to be knocking back this 5.7% beer as my first beer of the day! 

Dispensed by what looks like a genuine hand-pump, and served in a pint glass, this tasty and full-bodied jet-black stout represents good value for money at $7.10 a pop (Sterling equivalent (£5.75). Going back to the hand-pump for a minute, whilst I suspect this is the genuine article, I very much doubt that the beer is kept or conditioned in casks.

Battered Atlantic cod, chips and mushy peas was the choice from the menu for the both of us and luckily, we’d obviously picked the right time for lunch as well. It wasn’t long though, before the Golden Lion started to fill up, after more and more people boarded, and presumably were as hungry as we were. Unfortunately for them, these latecomers were to be disappointed, as the pub only serves meals between midday and 3pm. I’ve a feeling that the pair of us will be making frequent use of the Golden Lion, over the next few weeks.

We returned to our cabin afterwards, primarily to unpack, a task which was far quicker for me, than for Eileen who, in deference to Hyacinth Bouquet of “Keeping up Appearances” fame, had brought sufficient outfits for several circumnavigations of the globe! She even used the additional “spare” space present in my suitcase. I jest, but just because there’s no limit on baggage, it still has to be carried, and there is still an airline-style weight limit of 23 Kg per case, as some poor bugger has to carry it!

As well as its own pub, the Queen Victoria has a number of other bars, self-service buffets, restaurants and opportunities for fine dining. All manner of different cuisines is offered, meaning there is something to please everyone. So far, we have made use of the Commodore, and Yacht Clubs, the pool bar, the Lido Buffet self-service restaurant, and the much more formal Britannia Restaurant. Somewhat surprisingly, the latter is a good place for a quiet spot of lunch, or an equally enjoyable breakfast, away from the often-manic Lido Buffet. Kippers feature on the Britannia’s breakfast menu, an attraction I have already experienced for myself.

That’s it for the time being, there will be the occasional other post about cruising, but more importantly, and I’m sure of more interest to readers, reports of the destinations on our itinerary. We have already experienced the delights of the Spanish city of Cadiz, and I look forward to telling you about the parts of Greece, Sardinia and Portugal, that are still to come, as we continue our cruise around the Mediterranean, as well as the Atlantic voyage back to Southampton.