CUNARD LINES' QUEEN VICTORIA VISITS SAN FRANCISCO

27 January 2010 – As a part of her current world voyage, Cunard Lines made her inaugural visit to San Francisco today. Welcoming her to the port was the honourable Mayor Gavin Newsom, along with travel agents, media and local dignitaries – including the British Consul-General of San Francisco. In addition, Mayor Newsom declared today as “Cunard Queen Victoria Day” in San Francisco. Dimensions in Travel consultants were delighted to be among the select travel agents invited to tour the Queen Victoria during her port of call. 

The ship, launched 2 years ago, holds 2,000 passengers. We found the ship's decor to be understated, contemporary, and elegant. She offers gourmet dining with menus created by Todd English, cozy lounges and cafes, spa, fitness centre, conference center, a shopping arcade (with a sweet shoppe), cigar lounge, casino, a lively pub, 11-table card room, a stately two-story library with an ornate spiral staircase and the Royal Court Theatre (the first venue at sea with private viewing boxes) and one of our favorite rooms: the Winter Garden which is a glass-roofed conservatory, filled with sunlight and greenery.

"The City is proud to welcome Queen Victoria to San Francisco’s waterfront as we so warmly welcomed her sister ship, Queen Mary 2, in 2007. Her arrival creates work for our people and business for our hotels, restaurants and shops," said Mayor Newsom. "As part of our commitment to create jobs and economic vitality, the City is working diligently to renovate San Francisco's Pier 27 into an international cruise terminal. We invite Cunard and all the lines to return often to this world-renowned cruise destination."

We watched the sailaway as the Queen Victoria departed San Francisco at 6:00pm, crossing the Pacific en route to her next world cruise port of call: Lahaina, Maui.

She will spend more time on the west coast in winter 2011, sailing her Americas voyages, when she will make two transits through the Panama Canal, two roundtrip voyages from Los Angeles to Hawaii, and her first short Getaway voyage to Mexico.

For more information about Cunard and to book a voyage aboard Queen Victoria or Queen Mary 2, contact Dimensions in Travel at 800-828-2962 or email us at info@dimensionsintravel.com.