My very first cruise experience was in July 2024 in the steaming Mediterranean. We departed from Barcelona and ended in Civitavecchia, visiting and eating our way through some fabulous port cities.

The Ship & My Room

I sailed on Cunard’s Queen Victoria and managed to score a lovely balcony room through bidding for upgrades. Sitting on that balcony in the warm Mediterranean breeze was magical. We took some fabulous pictures there, and it became a favourite, secluded spot on the ship. The ship was launched in 2007 and has a capacity of 2,061 guests + 913 crew. By today’s standards, it can be considered quite small.

Itinerary

Our Mediterranean route included:

  • Barcelona, Spain (embarkation)
  • Alghero, Sardinia
  • Ajaccio, Corsica
  • Messina, Sicily
  • Naples, Italy
  • Civitavecchia, Italy (disembarkation)

There’s something special about waking up someplace new and stepping off the ship to explore, and it was my first time experiencing it for myself. The weather was super hot - almost too hot - and things were definitely very touristy, but that’s the Mediterranean in July for you.

A Birthday at Sea

One of the highlights was celebrating my birthday on July 20th during the cruise. I received a happy birthday note sent to my stateroom signed by the captain, which was a cute touch.

First Time in Italy

This cruise was also my first time visiting Italy, and I finally got to experience what I hope was authentic Italian food. The canolis were delicious! And I was always on the lookout for new types of raviolis (or whatever the local name for them was - which in Sardinia was ‘Culurgiones’).

The Cunard Experience

The ship had a very distinct demographic - definitely a lot of older people, mostly posh folks having a lovely time in their golden years. The British traditions on board were everywhere, from the activities to the food. There was a flower arrangement workshop that got many British ladies very excited, and of course there was afternoon tea as well as midnight cheese and biscuits available in the buffet. The biscuits were prevalent indeed; we had some left in our stateroom after the daily turn down service. Twice a day room service is also something I experienced for the first time on Cunard.
The ship’s decor was in line with its demographic: I’d call it rustic and vintage. A lot of dark, red undertones. It was convenient to have access to a launderette for ironing and washing clothes. I would only later find out on Norwegian Cruise Line that more commonly, you’re going to be charged for these services, and crew do it for you.

Praise the schedule!

I had a fun time browsing the daily schedule of activities planned on the ship and sitting on the balcony pondering what I may want to enjoy next. I love a good plan, even on vacation, especially if someone else does the planning for me. The first show I attended on board was a musical, which I would argue is one of the best entertainment and art form invented by humanity - how liberating to just burst into song and dance to express emotion ♡.

‘Meh’ Moments

Cunard has its charm, but it’s definitely too formal for me, especially when not being deemed formal enough does not allow you into the main restaurant ᴖ̈. I get it though, for people who actively seek out the experience, they want to feel fully immersed in it, and that includes the other people around them, so I accept that.
And being on board with older, more fragile people, you can’t get too shocked when someone will inevitably have a ‘bathroom’ accident in a public place.
This is an unpopular opinion amongst travelers, but I find the main dining rooms, though lovely to sit in, paled in comparison to the buffet when it came to the quality of the food. I find with cruises in general, people go to the main dining rooms for the feeling of being looked after, while the food itself tends to be as much if not even better in the buffet. One of my favourite things to eat is eggs royal/bennedict. I got some for the breakfast on my birthday in one of the main dining rooms and one of the eggs was missing a yolk ˙◠˙.
A sad bit was my husband getting sick shortly after we started our trip. This meant that while on the ship, he spent most of the time in our room resting, so it’s unfortunate he did not get to fully experience what the ship had to offer. But fear not as he would more than make up for it on the next cruise we did together!

Final Thoughts

I used to hear negative things about cruising in the past, about how it’s overly lavish, unsustainable, etc, etc. But when I finally did it for myself, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it and wanted to come back again. It is impressive how it all functions as a self-contained ecosystem and gets passengers so efficiently from one place to the next. And the quality of the work and care provided by the crew is respectable.