Cunard's new queen of the ocean is 1st class

Aboard the Queen Victoria — The stock market ricocheted and U.S. presidential candidates bared their knuckles, but aboard Cunard's newest ship in the southern Caribbean, we hardly noticed.

In fact, except for the "programme," which announced the day's activities, it would have been almost possible to forget the date. An eight-page précis of the preceding day's news reassured that the world was still turning.

Tranquil days on calm seas gave way to moonlit nights. "On a cruise," said marine historian Bill Miller, one of the ship's lecturers, "all you have to decide is what to wear and what to eat."

And which cruise line's ship to go on — because they are all different. Cunard's ships are noted for their history, their service standards, their British traditions and their formal evenings.

I boarded the Queen Victoria in Aruba for the second leg of its 105-day world cruise. We were bound for Acapulco, Mexico, via the Panama Canal.

My first impression was of Queen Victoria's bulk. It has 16 decks and carries 2,014 passengers and around 1,000 crew. Though not as large as sister ship the Queen Mary 2, this is not a small ship. But my balcony cabin, which I shared with my aunt, was smaller than I expected, with a tiny bathroom.

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