Southampton, England–She's a floating hotel, a floating spa, a floating 6,000-volume library, a floating British pub, a floating five-star restaurant, a floating high-end shopping arcade, a floating casino, a floating art gallery and a floating maritime museum.
Not to mention a floating 800-seat, all-singing, all-dancing theatre complete with private boxes – a first at sea.
This is life aboard the Queen Victoria, Cunard's newest luxury ocean liner. She is also, despite it all, a rather manageable size and easy to navigate – on the inside that is; I'm sure it's quite a talent for Capt. Paul Wright to steer this 90,000-tonne, 294-metre long beast from the bridge.
And the atmosphere is tranquil, despite the capacity 2,013 fellow travellers onboard.
Cunard's newest Queen was launched earlier this month after a couple of days of galas and formal naming ceremonies complete with world-class opera stars and England's future king. Not to mention an endless string of champagne receptions.
As company president Carol Marlow made very clear as she hosted the world's press and some of the travel industry's most influential players, let's not call this baby a cruise ship.
"We are an ocean liner, not a cruise ship. We take voyages, not cruises," she said of the ethos that permeates the Cunard family of three "Queens" – the Queen Mary 2, the Queen Elizabeth 2 and the new Queen Victoria.
Today's Cunard Line is the great-grandchild of Canadian Samuel Cunard's ambitious venture to offer trans-Atlantic mail delivery back in 1839. Armed with a royal charter to deliver the mail, the company set out on a voyage through history that spans mass migration to Canada and the United States and includes a key role in ferrying supplies and soldiers to Europe in both world wars.
Designed in the long Cunard tradition, the Queen Victoria has a reinforced hull and bow capable of sailing seas both calm and rough with an eye to regularly crossing the Atlantic as what must be the most sophisticated shuttle service on Earth.
"Cunarders" are said by those in the know in the cruising world to be ships apart from most things in the floating vacations market.
"Cunard is special, the very name means something to people, it means a different experience, a sense of tradition and an elegance," said Brad Anderson, one of the U.S.'s top cruise travel agents who was among the guests for the ship's christening at its home port last week.
The job of naming the ship with a magnum of Veuve Clicquot was handed to Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, accompanied by her husband, Prince Charles.
Unfortunately, future passengers will not get the royal treatment of a quayside naming ceremony that also featured opera star Katherine Jenkins and the boys' choir from Winchester Cathedral singing Christmas carols. The event included a rousing version of Rule Britannia, several "hip, hip, hoorays" and plenty of Union Jack-waving.
What they will get, however, is the overall style, glamour and intangible "Britishness" that give Cunard its enviable reputation in the cruising world.
These include an old-fashioned sense of occasion, a call to dress up, put on a long gown or a black tie and start the evening with a solid cocktail before sitting down to a multi-course dinner and then heading to the Queen's Room ballroom for a spot of dancing to a live orchestra.
"Not everyone wants to be casual, not everyone wants to be informal. There are still some of us who do still like to dress up," Marlow said of the overall tone of the ship.
She said the success of the Queen Mary 2 since her launch in 2004 is testament to the demand for a return to the more traditional feel of a ship voyage.
"This ship is all about our history and heritage. Our research shows that growing numbers of people want experiences that are authentic and unique."
To that end, passengers will not find a rock-climbing wall or a wave pool on this ship. What they will find is a chance to learn how to yell "en garde" during fencing lessons, play paddle tennis, deck quoits (the maritime equivalent of horseshoes), or perhaps take in an art auction, or attend a lecture by a prominent author.
There is a state-of-the-art gym, two outdoor and one indoor pool and dedicated children's and teenagers' amusement areas complete with an inviting-looking air hockey table.
But the focus, says Marlow, is more on "glamour than glitz" and the ship's more genteel pursuits reflect that theme.
Mary Jean Tully, CEO of Mississauga-based The Cruise Professionals, one of the world's top luxury cruise travel agencies, agrees that there is a market among travellers for a return to formality.
"I think she will appeal to a lot of people out there. North America has become so laid-back and casual so I think there are people who pick a cruise where they can look forward to formal dress," she said.
Tully, who attended a private reception with the royal couple before the naming ceremony, said the public spaces onboard the new vessel are "among the most beautiful I have seen anywhere".
The ship, slightly smaller than the Queen Mary 2, was built near Venice at the Fincantieri shipyards at a cost of $522 million (U.S.).
The décor is a mixture of Victorian and Edwardian elegance with a large measure of 1930s Art Deco – most evident in the two-storey, 900-seat Britannia Restaurant.
The workmanship and attention to detail are evident at every turn, from the marble floors in the three-deck high Grand Lobby to the Italian table linens to the classic teak steamer chairs that dot the decks.
Thoughtful small touches are everywhere. In the Queen's Room ballroom there is an etching by Queen Victoria herself, as well as one by her consort, Prince Albert.
Other custom-sourced pieces dot the ship, including a memorable Art Deco mural by Barry Rowe that depicts the christening of the first Cunard Queen Mary in 1936.
The ship's dedicated Cunardia room is a mini-museum of artifacts from the company and includes footage of famous passengers from Winston Churchill to Cary Grant. The clock in the Royal Arcade shopping area was custom made by Dent & Co, the same firm responsible for Big Ben.
"It gives a little bit of London wherever you go in the world," said Marlow of the addition, complete with the chimes of Westminster.
The Victoria's maiden voyage, now underway, is a unique tour of northern European cities' Christmas markets, including Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Oslo.
Over Christmas and New Year, the Queen Victoria heads south to the Canary Islands before crossing the Atlantic in early January for a one-off rendezvous with her sister ships, the Queen Mary 2 and the QE2.
The three-strong fleet will be temporary; the 40-year-old QE2 is to be retired in late 2008 and turned into a floating hotel based in Dubai.
But Cunard has already announced plans to replace her with a new Queen Elizabeth, set to debut in 2010.
It seems Cunard's knack for the old-fashioned "voyages at sea" is creating a new generation of floating romantics.
