MS Queen Victoria
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| MS Queen Victoria | ||
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| Career |  |
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|---|---|---|
| Nationality | British | |
| Owner: | Carnival Corporation & plc | |
| Operated By: | Cunard Line | |
| Ordered: | December 3, 2004 | |
| Laid down: | May 12, 2006 | |
| Float out: | ||
| Named: | ||
| Maiden Voyage: | ||
| Status: | under construction | |
| General Characteristics | ||
| Tonnage: | 90,000 gross tons | |
| Displacement: | N/A | |
| Length: | 294 m (964.5 ft) | |
| Beam: | 41 m (135 ft) waterline, 36.6 m (120 ft) extreme (bridge wings) | |
| Draft: | 8 m (26 ft 3 in} | |
| Height: | 62.5 m (205 ft) keel to funnel (includes 12 passenger decks) | |
| Power: | 63.4 MW Sulzer ZA40 diesel plant | |
| Propulsion: | Two 16.7 MW pods: independently azimuthing | |
| Speed: | approximately 24 knots (44 km/h) | |
| Complement: | 2,014 passengers, 900 officers and crew | |
| Cost: | UK£270 million (approx.) | |
The MS Queen Victoria (QV) is a new cruise ship under construction for the Cunard Line at the Fincantieri ship yard near Venice, Italy. She is scheduled to be floated out from her construction drydock in January 2007. Following fitting out and completion, she is due to make her maiden voyage on December 11 of that same year.
The Queen Victoria is of the same basic design as other Vista class passenger vessels, though slightly longer and more in keeping with Cunard's interior style. At 90,000 tons, she will be the second largest Cunard ship ever built, after the Queen Mary 2.
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[edit] Characteristics
The Queen Victoria is to be a running mate to the RMS Queen Mary 2 and RMS Queen Elizabeth 2. As she is a cruise ship and not an ocean liner, she will not carry mail and thus will not receive RMS (or Royal Mail Ship) status after completion.
Some ship aficionados have criticised Cunard for naming this ship as a "Cunard Queen"; the designation having previously been reserved for the line's flagships (Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elizabeth 2, and Queen Mary 2), which were all also ocean liners. In comparison, the Queen Victoria is neither ocean liner, nor flagship, and has an essentially mass-produced hull and superstructure form. It has been opined that the Queen Victoria should have borne the name of any of Cunard's previous smaller ships, such as MS Mauretania, or MS Aquitania, as was done with the last SS Caronia, which served Cunard between 1999 and 2004.
She can carry 3,000 tons of heavy fuel and 150 tons of marine gas oil, consuming 10 tons per hour for maximum output.
[edit] History
[edit] Concept and construction
Originally destined to be an addition to the Holland America Line fleet, the order for a Vista class vessel put into Fincantieri was soon transferred by Carnival Corporation (parent company to Holland America, Cunard, and P&O) to Cunard with the intent that the vessel would become the MS Queen Victoria. The keel was laid down at the Fincantieri ship yard in 2003. However, due to restructuring within Carnival Corp., as well as a later decision by Cunard that modifications should be made to the design to bring in certain aspects which had proven successful on the Queen Mary 2, such as decor, junior suites, dining alternatives, promenades, etc., the hull was then designated to become the P&O ship MV Arcadia. A new Queen Victoria was subsequently ordered with Fincantieri in 2004, which was 11 meters longer, 5,000 tons heavier, and with an increased passenger capacity of 2,000.
Her keel was laid on May 12, 2006.
[edit] Design
[edit] Exterior
The Queen Victoria's exterior design closely resembles other Vista class ships built for the Holland America Line, like the MS Oosterdam, with a wrap-around promenade deck, private balconies, and a retractable glass magrodome over the mid-ship pool.
The hull has been built to meet the demands of the Atlantic Ocean, with extra steel added to strengthen key decks and bulkheads, and reinforced, thicker bow plating.
[edit] Interior
As with most newbuild passenger ships, the Queen Victoria's public rooms are mostly arranged along the lowest public decks of the ship, mainly on 2 Deck and 3 Deck. Unlike the Queen Mary 2, however, there is no central circulation access, the main corridors being to the starboard side, with the public rooms mostly along the port.
1 Deck, the lowest passenger deck, holds the lowest level of a three story lobby, as well as of the Royal Court theatre. On 2 Deck can be found the mid-level of the Royal Court theatre, casino, Golden Lion Pub, Queen's Room, Todd English à la carte restaurant, Chart Room bar, and lower level of both the library and Britannia restaurant. The top most level of the theatre, Royal Arcade, Midships Lounge, and upper level of the library and dining room are all on 3 Deck, along with a wrap-around exterior promenade. The decks above these contain mostly passenger cabins until 9 Deck on which is the Cunard health club and spa, Winter Garden lounge, Lido Restaurant, and two outdoor pools. On 10 Deck is the Commodore Club, and Hemispheres night club, and the Queen's Grill and Princess Grill, along with their attached lounge, as well as an open courtyard between, are on 11 Deck.
Though Queen Victoria is theoretically a "classless" ship, it has been argued that the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2, both of which follow the same practice of separating passengers into different restaurants based on the price of the cabin they booked (the Britannia as "standard" for regular cabins, the Princess Grill as "middle" for those in junior suites, and the Queen's Grill as "superior" for deluxe suite occupants), are actually ships divided into three classes, despite the fact that all other public rooms are used by all passengers equally. Though this situation is similar on the QE2 and QM2, it is further enhanced on the QV by the fact that "Grill Passengers" (those dining in the Princess Grill or Queen's Grill) also have a private outdoor deck on 11 Deck with the specific name "Grills Terrace."
Of note is that the QV's theatre is the first at sea to have private boxes. As well, she has a Winter Garden lounge with a retractable glass roof and water fountain, and a two storey library with a connecting spiral staircase.
