A huge disappointment

My wife and I were extremely disappointed with the Queen Victoria as we were expecting it to be so much better. Right from the outset we felt let down as we had to wait an age for our suitcases to be delivered to our stateroom. The ship had sailed before they finally arrived leaving us little time to unpack and then get changed for dinner. We were booked on the second sitting on a table of six. Unfortunately, one of our fellow diners had significant dietary constraints which led to delays in our table being served our meals. The food was only average at best, being bland and boring and portion sizes were less than generous. On one occasion my wife had to send her meal back as it was only lukewarm. The service was only satisfactory and I got a strong impression that the waiting staff were working under the pressure of close supervisory scrutiny. There was a noticeable lack of any friendly banter with the diners that we have experienced with other cruise lines. Overall staff morale seemed to be low. There were some good points which should be mentioned. I was impressed with the ship layout and facilities and the port visits were very enjoyable. However, the cruise ended for us on another sour note when on disembarking we discovered that one of our suitcases had been badly damaged (the extendable handle had been snapped clean off) when being delivered to the baggage reclaim position on the jetty although no one did us the courtesy of informing us. We were left to find it for ourselves. Overall Cunard failed to live up to our expectations and we most certainly won’t be cruising with them again. Neither would we recommend them to friends. Finally, I would like to thank Bolsover for swiftly rearranging our flights home from Venice after we were let down by KLM at the last minute.