Across the sea in the style of British aristocracy: "News" on one of the four "queens" of the renowned British shipping company

Liveried crew in ceremonial uniforms who serve you in white gloves in a carefully choreographed manner, Twinings Master Fine Leaf Tea British teas made from selected ingredients from all over the world, sandwiches with cucumbers, salmon, cheeses or various elegant pastries with every imaginable sweet and savory filling, cutlery made of prestigious Chinese porcelain, light beats of live music from the piano, cello or harp, and all this in a recognizable traditional British ambiance... Does it sound like something that can only be experienced in an expensive London hotel or, perhaps, a luxurious mansion of an aristocrat in the English countryside?

Not really....

You can experience all of this every day from 3:30 PM to 4:30 PM in New York, Sydney, Southampton, Barcelona, ​​Naples, Marseille or even Kotor.... The same will happen to you every day at that time in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, in the cold and stormy waters of the Drake Passage, in the hot Caribbean Sea or the sunny Mediterranean, in any position where at 3:30 PM, regardless of the prevailing weather conditions, one of the four "queens" - luxury cruise ships of the famous British company Cunard - is found at that moment.

The previously described ritual called “Traditional Afternoon Tea” is one of the unique and recognizable features of Cunard - just like the discreet dark gray hull color of its ships, combined with white superstructure and bright red antifouling on the waterline, and the characteristic red and black chimney (chimney) for Cunard. As soon as you see a large passenger ship with such features at sea, you immediately know that you are in front of one of (currently) four Cunard “queens” - ships named after famous ladies on the British throne in past centuries. One of these ships is the cruiser “Queen Victoria”, which this summer, as part of its Mediterranean cruises, regularly visits Boka Kotorska, or the port of Kotor.

Thanks to the engagement of the first Montenegrin who sailed as an officer on the ships of this prestigious British company in 2006, today he is the chief HVAC engineer - the chief officer for heating, ventilation and air conditioning on the "Queen Victoria" Boris Lukša, “Vijesti” was given an exclusive opportunity to tour this imposing ship. In addition to being able to visit all the public areas of the ship available to passengers, this was also a unique opportunity to “peek behind the scenes”, that is, to walk through parts of the ship that its passengers will never see, and without which the imposing luxury hotel that moves at sea at speeds of up to 24 knots simply cannot function: the engine room, the ship's propulsion control room, massive warehouses and refrigerated food stores, parts of the ship's centralized air conditioning and ventilation system, huge kitchens where food is prepared for more than 2.000 passengers, rooms where over 900 members of the ship's crew live and eat, and finally the bridge of the “Queen Victoria” itself, where we also spoke with her commander, the captain of the long-haul Endrujom Holom.

The "Vijesti" reporter has already had the opportunity to visit many cruise ships that have visited Boka Bay in recent years, but this unusual opportunity to enter the technical and technological areas of the ship, which usually remain far from the public eye, was an extremely interesting and difficult to repeat experience (although photography in most of these areas was prohibited).

At 294 meters long, 36 meters wide and 8 meters deep, the “Queen Victoria” is the smallest of the four ships in the current Cunard fleet, with 90.746 gross tons, built in 2007 in Italy - only slightly smaller than her slightly younger twin, the “Queen Elizabeth”, due to minor differences in the construction of the aft superstructure. Even larger is their “half-sister”, the cruiser “Queen Anne”, while at the top of the Cunard chain is the imposing “Queen Mary 2” of 149.215 gross tons - the only true transatlantic liner in the world.

Transatlantic liners are purpose-built large passenger ships whose primary mission is to maintain regular shipping lines between Europe and the East Coast of America. They had their zenith before World War II, when these powerful machines were a reflection of the luxury, technological power and national prestige of the countries whose companies built them. Ultra-strongly built to withstand the biggest storms in the North Atlantic, one of the most inhospitable sea areas in the world, richly and luxuriously equipped and powered by enormously powerful engine complexes that allowed these ships to sail at speeds exceeding 30 knots, transatlantic liners were very expensive to build and operate, but until the advent of the first jet aircraft that could fly across the Atlantic in the late 1950s, these ships were the mainstay of passenger movements between Europe and America, a source of immeasurable national pride and the ultimate symbols of the countries whose flags they flew.

The Cunard Company has a rich history that began in 1839 when its founder, a British-Canadian shipping magnate Samuel Cunard was awarded a contract by the British Royal Mail to establish a regular passenger-mail steamship service across the Atlantic, connecting Britain and the United States. The following year, in 1840, he and his partners in Glasgow formed the British and North American Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company, which later became the Cunard Line, which was to remain one of the most influential on transatlantic routes for over a hundred years. From their first transatlantic ship, the ship "Britannia" from 1840, until today, Cunard has been recorded in the history of world shipping for some of the largest, most beautiful, fastest and most technically sophisticated ships of their time, such as the famous twins "Mauretania" and "Lusitania" from the beginning of the 20th century, the famous first "Queen Mary" and "Queen Elizabeth" from the thirties of the last century, through the fascinating "Queen Elizabeth 2" from the end of the sixties to the current undeniable queen of the world's seas - the imposing "Queen Mary 2" from 2004, which is a modern reinterpretation of the classic transatlantic liner and is the only such ship still active in the world.

Liners such as the “Queen Mary 2”, due to the enormous stresses of the ship sailing at high speed (in order to maintain the regularity of the sailing schedule) through the heavy seas of the North Atlantic and battling waves whose height exceeds 10 meters, are much more solidly (and more expensively) built than the much more “gentle” ships for tourist round trips (cruisers) that, as a rule, avoid major storms and stormy seas. However, although they are basically cruisers, the “Queen Victoria” and her two sisters “Queen Elizabeth” and “Queen Anne” still retain some of the characteristics of classic liners - primarily in terms of interior design. Therefore, when you step on the “Queen Victoria” you will not get the impression that you are on some impersonal “floating hotel and resort” such as the usual cruisers of other shipowners, because Cunard has made sure that here you still have the impression that you are on a ship whose primary purpose is sailing. The ship has a total of 16 decks, 12 of which are accessible to passengers.

This impression is very decently and unobtrusively, but permanently imposed by the interior design of this cruiser, somewhat darker tones, so characteristic of Victorian England at the end of the 19th century. The ship, which bears the name of the British Queen Victoria (1819-1901), who was on the throne of the British Empire for almost 64 years, in a large part of its classically designed and decorated public spaces, such as the magnificent central lobby with a staircase that extends three decks high, or the Royal Court Theater that continues into this lobby, carries symbolism and direct associations with Victorian Britain. Everything is in massive, full noble wood, heavy brass, granite, marble and richly woven carpets, and the staircase is dominated by a mosaic in wood with the silhouette of the ship itself “Queen Victoria” - a relief created by the famous Scottish sculptor John McKenna.

Almost every detail in the interior of the "Queen Victoria" exudes the tradition and discreet charm of British aristocracy - starting from the numerous works of art that adorn the interior, the luxurious chandeliers hanging over the lobbies and salons, through the discreet decoration of numerous details, the many maritime portraits of famous old Cunard ships from the 186-year history of the company or their large models, to the portrait of the ship's godmother herself - the current British Queen. kamile.

She, as the then Duchess of Cornwall, christened this ship in 2007. Although the bottle of champagne with which Camilla christened the ship did not break on its hull on the first occasion, which is considered an almost-guaranteed accident and bad luck for a new ship in the maritime world, the “Queen Victoria” has been a fairly lucky ship in spite of this superstition, in the past 19 years of her career on the world's seas and oceans, having not experienced any major incidents or serious problems...

Towards the bow of the ship, the richly equipped casino continues, its landmark also being the imaginative staircase with a replica of one of London's old street clocks. It was made by the company "Dent" - the same company that made the clock mechanism of the famous Big Ben.

A special feature of the “Queen Victoria” is its library, one of the largest and richest that sails the oceans. It offers readers a few tens of thousands of titles in several languages ​​and is regularly updated. All in wood, on two levels and with spiral wooden stairs at the foot of which is a large antique globe, the library is one of the most impressive places on the ship and is often full of passengers who really enjoy the unique ambiance, silence and good literature here, which is why some of them often “forget” to go to the numerous theater, film, music and other entertainment programs that are organized daily in several places on the ship - primarily in the large theater at the bow, which is arranged and decorated like a London theater from the beginning of the 20th century, with all the private boxes on the sides of the central auditorium.

Passengers have at their disposal impressive SPA and fitness centers, a shopping center, outdoor pools, numerous restaurants, bars and lounges with different concepts and offerings - from the elegant main Bitannia restaurant, through the Lido Restaurant, Yacht Club, Winter Garden, Comodore Club, the classic British Golden Lion Pub, to a special lounge intended for smokers, which is quite appropriately named the Churchill Lounge after the most famous British Prime Minister and one of the most famous tobacco lovers in the world - Winston Churchill.

Cunard is also unique in that on the "Queen Victoria" and its other ships, it still retains a kind of reminiscence of what used to be the division of passengers by classes, or salary grades, so some of the facilities, such as the prestigious Queen Grill and Princess Grill restaurants with their associated lounges and terraces, are intended only for passengers who pay more expensive tickets to travel in super-luxury penthouses, compared to others who stay in regular cabins on the ship.

"I wouldn't call it a classic division of passengers by class, because it's just the way the food service is organized in the main ship's restaurants, where the largest Britannia is standardly intended for passengers in cabins, the Britannia Club for those in suites, and the Queen Grill and Princess Grill for those in penthouses. All other public spaces on the ship are available to all passengers under equal conditions, and this is just a slight and specific positioning of our offer for various guests who choose the packages and accommodation on the ship that best suit them," says the cruise ship's commander, Captain Andrew Hall.

This 54-year-old from southwest England went to sea as a 19-year-old boy, continuing the family tradition, and took his first steps in seafaring as a cadet and later as an officer on auxiliary ships of the British Navy from the Royal Fleet Auxiliary, later moving to the passenger ships of P&O Cruises and Cunard - both of these companies are owned by the world's largest cruise industry conglomerate, the American Carnival.

Captain Hall has had a successful and eventful career, during which he has sailed as an officer on the famous British liners “Queen Elizabeth 2” and “Canberra”, and later as a master on the impressive “Queen Mary 2”, and now on the “Queen Victoria”. He has been in command of Cunard ships for ten years and says that in this position, the safety of the ship, passengers and crew and their well-being are his main priorities. He points out that it is very challenging to take care of almost all aspects of the flawless functioning of an entire small floating city like the “Queen Victoria” and the fact that he is at the head of an international crew consisting of members of about fifty different nations from all over the world - just as nationally diverse as the passengers who come to enjoy the unique ambience and atmosphere that have survived to this day on Cunard ships.

"Cunard is a premium company that offers an exceptionally high level of service, but does not forget some traditional aspects of this industry, and takes care to respect some old, good traditions and ship customs even today in the 21st century, and it is precisely this specific Cunard "flair" that attracts passengers to our ships," says Captain Hall, who, in accordance with one of these ancient traditions, hosts a special gala dinner on each individual voyage - the Captain's Gala. It also implies an obligation for everyone - both the officers who host the passengers at the tables, and the passengers themselves - to dress especially solemnly, so ceremonial uniforms, i.e. suits with a tie or tuxedos, and evening gowns for ladies, are an indispensable dress code for that special night.

One of the traditions characteristic of Cunard is that this company still has a main service corridor that extends the entire length of the ship from bow to stern at the level of the lower decks, and which serves to allow the crew, from the engine room to the service and so-called white staff, to move quickly throughout the ship and distribute luggage, equipment or food and other supplies, out of the sight of passengers, and is still called The Burma Road on Cunard in popular marine slang. This part of the ship, which “Vijesti” was also able to see exclusively this time, contains all the warehouses, the main infrastructure, the main kitchens and laundries, the crew's catering facilities, as well as the waste collection and treatment facilities.

This hidden part of the Cunard cruise ship got its popular name after World War II because the crew members who worked here compared their constant and often very hard work in this corridor to the grueling conditions in which British prisoners of war built roads in Burma during the Japanese occupation. Due to the extremely fast pace and volume of activity that takes place here for most of each day, special traffic rules apply to the Burma Road shipping corridor to prevent collisions between the numerous forklifts, trolleys or pallet trucks that constantly move here, along with the crowds of people that swarm here like a beehive.

And while the height of the bridge is the "kingdom" of the commander, Captain Hall, and his nautical officers, deep inside the "Queen Victoria" on the lowest decks is the "kingdom" of the chief engineer, the engineer Dear GeorgievaThis Bulgarian marine engineer heads the ship's technical department, which consists of 81 people who take care of everything - from the operation of the ship's engines, through electrical, plumbing and hydraulic installations, to air conditioning, ventilation, the functioning of IT systems, to waste management.

"The heart of the ship is its diesel-electric drive, which consists of a total of six Sulzer Wartsilla medium-speed diesel engines - two with 16 and four with 12 cylinders, with a total power of 86.000 horsepower. These engines work as generators, i.e. they produce electricity that is used to propel the ship, but also for the functioning of all other ship systems from the bowsprit, lighting, fresh water production to air conditioning. The electricity produced by the diesel generators is used primarily to power two ABB azipods with propulsion electric motors with a total power of 33,4 megawatts. The azipods are located at the stern of the ship and are used both for propulsion and for steering or controlling the ship because they can be rotated via hydraulic motors. Each azipod carries a four-bladed propeller located at its front end, directed towards the bow of the ship, in order to more efficiently and unhinderedly "pull" water onto itself - like the propellers on some aircraft do," explains the chief engineer Ljuben Georgiev, citing as a curiosity the data that each azipod weighs 185 tons, the propeller on it is 5,5 meters in diameter, and each of its blades weighs 4,8 tons.

This type of propulsion gives the "Queen Victoria" a maximum cruising speed of 24 knots and an economic speed of 21 knots at maximum load, at which the ship can turn 180 degrees in a circle with a diameter of 544 meters, and from that speed it can come to a complete stop in 6,5 minutes in the event of any emergency need for such an extreme maneuver.

"As for fuel consumption, it depends on how many of the six engines we have in operation and how much load they are under. When we were coming from Corfu to Kotor last night, we were sailing at a reduced speed of 16 knots, so the consumption was slightly lower than usual. In a little over ten hours of sailing, we used about 54 tons of fuel, which means that the daily consumption would be almost 130 tons," says Georgiev, adding that this varies depending on various other needs of the ship - primarily the energy requirements of the hotel and accommodation section, especially when it comes to the necessary daily production of fresh water for technical needs, which is made from seawater by treatment in evaporators and a reverse osmosis plant.

"Now, if you consider that the average family of four uses up to 25 cubic meters of water per month in their home, and that here we produce and consume an average of 400 to 600 cubic meters of water per day, and in extreme situations over 1.200 cubic meters, then you can imagine the strain on that system and the people who service it," says the Bulgarian chief.

In the air-conditioned main control room of the Queen Victoria, officers and engineers are on duty 24 hours a day, monitoring and controlling the operation of all parts of this extremely complex technological system through a series of indicators, sensors, computers and LCD panels. It is only when you go down two decks from the control room to the main engine room, where six large diesel generators are located, and feel the deafening noise, heat, smell and vibrations of the 16-cylinder Sulzer, which "spins" at 514 revolutions per minute and delivers almost 15.500 horsepower, that you become aware of how complex and powerful this machinery really is, and how much experience and knowledge the crew needs to keep it under control and use it properly and safely.