This was our third cruise and we had decided to try what a lot of people consider     to be the best cruise line Cunard.
We booked a twelve day Eastern Mediterranean fly- cruise through Jetline on Queen Victoria starting in the most romantic city in the world, Venice and going to Dubrovnik, Katakolon, Mykonos, Istanbul, Kusadasi, Messina, Civitavecchia, Livorno, Marseille and Barcelona.
As we are from the North East of England we made our own way to Heathrow for the included Cunard flight to Venice. The Cunard representatives met the flight on arrival and we were escorted onto coaches for the journey into Venice Island. The first impression on seeing the Queen Victoria berthed in Venice was an unbelievable experience and our boarding was efficient and effortless.
We had booked an A3 balcony cabin on deck 6 and were very impressed with the layout and standard of the cabin. Robes and slippers had been provided as well as a bottle of champagne and fresh fruit.
We spent the first night on board which gave us a chance to have a few hours in Venice before settling down for the night. The next morning we were up early for a quick look around and to take a pre-booked visit of the Doges Palace which we feel is the most impressive place and a definite must see in Venice.
The start of the voyage on leaving Venice I can only describe as awesome and I can think of no better place to sail out from, it is truly magnificent seeing the whole island as the ship makes it way out to sea.
For the rest of the afternoon we accustomed ourselves to the layout of the ship and where certain bars, shops, restaurants etc were. We ate in the main Britannia restaurant and did so for the entire cruise as we found the service and food absolutely superb. My wife has a nut allergy and she was personally looked after by one of the head waiters Attila for the whole of our cruise with nothing being too much trouble for him and his staff. We also found our table waiters Kishor and Chetan both excellent.
Just a quick word on drink prices, we do enjoy wine with our meals and although we did not have a bottle every night we did on most and found the prices to be reasonable. As mentioned at the start this was our third cruise previously having been on a Celebrity cruise where we found the prices too expensive and then a Fred Olsen Christmas cruise where the prices were even better than Cunard but we feel Cunard prices for wine, spirits and beer to be very fair.
We had our first breakfast in Britannia restaurant but for the rest of the voyage we tended to have breakfast in the Lido on deck 9 as we found it quicker and easier to just pick as and when we wanted rather than sit and wait. Lunches when on aboard were alternated between Britannia and Lido as well as having a couple of ‘pub lunches’ with a beer in the Golden Lion Pub, the steak and mushroom pie being a particular favourite . Again I would emphasize we found the food served superb at all times.
With regard to the ports of call we found the walled city of Dubrovnik quite interesting although a euro to use a toilet is over the top, Katakolon we found rather boring with not a lot to see or do, Mykonos was exceptionally clean,wonderfully white, interesting and beautiful to look at with a lot of small shops and good walking on winding twisting cobblestone roads as well as huge Pelicans wondering around car parks which was very unusual with one in particular being told exactly what to do and where to go in the same manner we would instruct a house pet!.
Istanbul was meant to be the highlight of the cruise for us and we had carefully planned everything we wanted to do although we got off to a bad start by not having the required currency and only Euros. After we left the pier we found ourselves unable to jump on a tram as we needed to pre-purchase a ticket using Turkish Lira, fortunately we met up with two very kind Canadians (David & Heather) who later became good friends and they paid our tickets for the tram. We joined up with David and Heather and got to see Hagia Sophia, The Blue Mosque, Basilica Cistern which is amazing but do not make the mistake I did which was to wear normal leather shoes with leather soles and nearly break my neck several times as it is extremely slippery. We did not get to see the Topkapi Palace as it was closed on the day.
We also wasted quite a bit of time as a couple of the locals told us that we could queue at the Hagia Sophia and pay in Euros but after waiting in line we were told we had to pay in Lira so had to get change from one of the locals who ripped us off on the exchange and then queue up again. Finally we looked around the Grand Bazaar which is huge but can be very tiring because if you stop to look or show any interest in anything the stall holders hound you relentlessly.  All the above mentioned Istanbul attractions are within easy walking distance of each other and then we got a tram back to the ship which was only about four or five stops.
Where Istanbul was expected to be the highlight of our holiday Kusadasi was in fact the best part. I had previously read up, checked on forums and booked a tour to Ephesus for the half day our ship would be in port. I had sent three emails with immediate responses to each and I agreed to take the Ephesus Tour & Terrace Houses with Ephesus Shuttle at a price for my wife and I of $88. After Istanbul the previous day David & Heather had asked if it would be possible to join us on our Ephesus Tour and this was later arranged.
We had been informed by email earlier that the Tour guide from Ephesus Shuttle would meet us at 13.15 once the ship had docked. We docked early and left the ship at 13.10 and the guide was already there and waiting for us. He introduced himself as Erme and after discussion it was agreed our private tour for two could now be for four. He escorted us to a modern air-conditioned minibus with very comfortable leather seats and introduced us to our driver.
Once we were on the way he gave us a complimentary white cap for the sun with Ephesus Travel logo on and also a box of Turkish Delight to share, I thought this was an extra nice touch and was not expected. After chatting with Erme during the drive to Ephesus it became apparent that he was very knowledgeable, enjoyed his work immensely and had a great sense of humour.
On arrival at Ephesus he invited us to use the toilet as we would be inside for a couple of hours and there were no toilet facilities. We found Ephesus awe inspiring and easily the best part of our cruise. Erme was extremely entertaining and also thoughtful in as much as giving us some private time to look at things ourselves as well as pointing out the best places for photographs and giving us ample time to take as many shots as we liked. He also told us about himself and how he had his own company Kusadasi Tours which he had sold to spend more time with his wife and in fact that he had proposed to her in the ‘Grand Arena’ at Ephesus He took us through Ephesus and the Terrace Houses and I cannot recommend him highly enough.
This was by far the best tour my wife and I have ever had. The standard visit to a carpet factory/Leather Store was never mentioned and we were taken back to Kusadasi port after about three and a half hours. If you are ever in the area and wish to take an Ephesus Tour I guarantee that if you use Ephesus Shuttle you will not be disappointed and if you get Erme as your guide you have an added bonus.
Our next port was Messina in Sicily and after walking around the town, having a very expensive lager at 13 Euros for two half pints we settled down for twelve noon to watch the church clock tower, again this is a must see and by far the best clock I have ever seen and very enjoyable. The only downside was that my wife got a little upset about a small blonde girl probably about five years of age who had come up to us and asked for what I thought was her mummy several times. It turned out she was approaching everyone and asking for money and we watched as she returned to her mother who was sat on the church steps with a baby and was sending the girl out to beg amongst the tourists although she looked very clean and well dressed. They later ran off and hid when the police approached.
The next port was Civitavecchia and again rather than a tour we did our own thing by walking out of the pier, turning right and walking along to the train station. We were in Rome centre in just over and hour and saw all the major sites before returning back to the ship by train late afternoon.
At Livorno we decided we would go to Pisa as the previous year we had visited Florence on an organised ship tour, quite a few people said that we would be wasting our time as there was only a tower stuck in the middle of a field but this is not the case and we found the day interesting and the leaning tower of Pisa definitely worth seeing as well as looking around the souvenir shops and getting an ice cream etc. Once you get the train which is an easy walk from where the ship berths it only takes about twenty minutes and then you get a bus which takes you to the Campo Dei Miracoli.
Our final port was changed as there were riots and demonstrations in Marseille so the ship docked at Toulon which did not prove to be very interesting at all. At dinner on our last evening our waiters, Kishor & Chetan presented us with a copy of all menus from the voyage including our selections which we thought was a very nice touch and a good souvenir of our cruise.
Our overall impression of the Queen Victoria was that they had well appointed cabins, superb food, good reasonable priced drinks and the only fault we found was that the entertainment was very poor and only lasted about 40 to 45 minutes. The layout of the ship was spacious well thought out and very comfortable. Our Cabin steward again was first class with nothing a trouble and he was extremely pleasant and polite.
On arrival at Barcelona we found the coaches laid on to return us to the airport but it was a little dis-organised and many elderly people were left to struggle with and load their own luggage onto the coach which I found  a little surprising considering the Cunard service up until that point.
All things considered we had a thoroughly enjoyable cruise and would have no hesitation in recommending or taking another Cunard cruise
David & Helena Wilson, Durham