The Cunard ship Queen Victoria is impressive. This was our first actual cruise - we've crossed the Atlantic on the Queen Mary 2 several times, but that run offers nowhere to stop until Southampton. In many way the two ships are similar, but the QM2 is definitely set up for longer sea runs than the Queen Victoria. Both are a little old fashioned in the way we like - no water slides for example. Despite the heavy population of passengers the ship never seemed crowded.