The Queen Victoria Britannia Balcony Stateroom measures from 21.2 sq.m. (228 sq.ft.) to 22.6 sq.m. (243 sq.ft.), including balcony. Each Queen Victoria balcony room features an entry hall with wardrobe on one side and bathroom on the other. This leads on to the bedroom and sitting area, beyond which a large private balcony is accessed from floor to ceiling glass doors.
The décor is light but distinctly nautical with soft cream tones highlighted by coloured scatter cushions and tasteful pieces of artwork on the walls.
Stateroom ratings
| Room | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall size | (4.0) |
| Decor | (4.0) |
| Sitting area | (4.0) |
| Veranda | (5.0) |
| Cleanliness | (4.5) |
| Condition | (4.0) |
| Soundproofing | (4.0) |
| Bed comfort | (4.5) |
| Pillow options | (2.5) |
| Blanket options | (3.0) |
| Closet space | (4.5) |
| Bathroom | Rating |
|---|---|
| Bathroom size | (3.5) |
| Storage space | (3.5) |
| Lighting | (3.5) |
| Shower/bath | (2.5) |
| Water pressure | (3.0) |
| Products | (4.5) |
| Towels | (4.0) |
| Cleanliness | (4.5) |
| Condition | (4.5) |
Bedding
Guests in a Queen Victoria Balcony room may choose from either a queen-sized or twin single-bed room configurations. Either way the bedding provides excellent sleep support and is very comfortable. The bed is framed by a smart bed head and there is plenty of space for storage of your personal items in the 3-draw bedside tables at either side of the bed.
Each Queen Victoria Britannia Balcony Stateroom has dedicated storage spaces under the bed. These take the form of deep draws at the foot of the bed. They are a unique and thoughtful feature, especially for those on longer voyages with personal items that require special storage. There is plenty of room to store large pieces of luggage under the bed too.
We noted that soundproofing of the Queen Victoria Balcony room is inadequate when you have even moderately noisy neighbours. If you are a light sleeper we advise you use earplugs to ensure you are not disturbed.
Queen Victoria Balcony room sitting area
The sitting area of the Queen Victoria Balcony room features a comfortable 2-seater lounge and compact coffee table, as well as a writing desk (which doubles as a vanity area) with mirror, small TV and concealed refrigerator. We liked the clever bar shelf located above the writing desk. It’s a great design feature that enables glassware and beverage bottles to be tidily stowed away.
The clever touches continue with the hairdryer stowed in its own powered draw next to the writing desk.
However, we note that there is no clock in the Queen Victoria Britannia Balcony Stateroom. We think the addition of a wall-mounted clock would be most appreciated by guests.
Both UK 3-pin and US 2-pin power sockets are located at the back of the writing desk. The supply onboard is 220v / 110v / 60Hz. Bear in mind that when bringing electrical items aboard they may fall foul of the security screening below decks. Things like travel irons in your luggage will be identified by x-ray and the luggage will be put aside and not delivered to your stateroom. Should this happen you will need to identify your luggage and any offending electrical item before it is released to your stateroom.
The lighting in the living space of the Queen Victoria Balcony room is excellent and adjustable to suit almost any mood, however we found that the lighting in the bathroom was too dim, especially in the shower.
The bathroom
The bathroom in the Queen Victoria Balcony room is small, but well laid out and practical with very nice Quercus bath products. There is adequate storage space on the marble vanity top, the two small glass selves at either side and beneath the vanity. The floor is an imitation tile surface that looks smart. The shower is not so good. It is small, and unsuccessfully uses a shower curtain rather than a glass door to keep the water from spilling out onto the bathroom floor.
Wardrobe space
Out in the hall there is ample hanging space for your closes with a large, three-doored wardrobe setup. One section of the wardrobe is extra deep to accommodate large or bulky items of clothing. However we noted the wardrobe doors were very noisy when closed. Sadly no pads or soft-close mechanisms have been installed.
The balcony
Arguably the best aspect of the Queen Victoria Britannia Balcony Stateroom is the glass-fronted balcony. It is exceptionally deep, making it significantly larger than many others at the same price-point. There is more than enough room to accommodate two comfortable deckchairs and a table without impeding access around the space.
Some balconies are larger than others. These are at points where the profile of the ship pushes slightly outward, creating an even deeper balcony space with a curved rail. There are 28 of these on Queen Victoria (an additional 10 are wheelchair accessible). We recommend booking early to ensure you get one.
It should be noted that the balconies of staterooms 4001-4042 on deck 4 do not have glass fronts, rather they are metal-fronted.
Balcony Stateroom Amenities
Guests in a Queen Victoria Balcony room can order room service at any time of the day from a somewhat limited menu. In the evening guests may also order dinner in their stateroom from the Britannia restaurant menu.
Britannia Balcony Stateroom guests dine at a reserved table in the main Britannia restaurant and may choose from a 6:00pm or 8:30pm sitting. They also have access to the onboard specialty restaurant, The Verandah, for a modest addition charge.
Standard Britannia Balcony Stateroom inclusions:
- 24-hour room service
- Bathrobe and slippers
- Nightly turndown service with pillow chocolate
- Satellite TV with multi-language film and music channels
- Refrigerator, safe, hair dryer
- Daily shipboard newspaper
- Half a bottle of Bon Voyage wine
- Direct-dial telephone
- Fruit basket (on request)
- 220V British 3-pin and 110V 2-pin sockets
Our conclusion
We recommend the Queen Victoria Britannia Balcony Stateroom for its generous size and large balcony.
About the Author: Jason Kerr
