The cruise Ship Queen Victoria (2007). This amazingly detailed 1:1250 scale miniature was built by the CSC workshop and can be seen on deck 9 of the museum.
The MS „Queen Victoria“ was the first „Queen“ of the Cunard Line to be a cruise ship and not a traditional ocean liner. This decision was made for economic reasons, because although a cruise ship lacks the speed and stability for fast crossings, they are about 40 % cheaper to build than ocean liners. The classic ocean liners were built to reach their destination quickly and safely, whereas a cruise ship is built to travel at a more leisurely pace. Since aircraft finally replaced the traditional ocean liners for intercontinental travel in the 1960s, cruising has become the mainstay of long-haul passenger shipping. Today, only one ocean liner is still in service.
For the „Queen Victoria“, Cunard chose the design of the Vista class ships of the Italian shipyard Fincantieri Marghera. The shipyard had already built three successful Panamax cruise ships for the Holland America line according to this design. The fourth hull of this class was then sold to Cunard. However, the shipping company felt that the hull was not suitable to take over certain successful aspects of their „Queen Mary 2“ (the last ocean liner already mentioned). This hull then became the MV „Arcadia“ of P&O Cruises, a company which, like Cunard, belongs to the Carnival Corporation. A new, larger hull was then ordered. The ship was built between 2006 and 2007 and delivered to Cunard in December of the same year. The experience with the ship seems to have been very positive, as the company ordered a new ship of the Vista class, which was put into service in 2010 under the name MS „Queen Elizabeth“. Cunard’s Vista-class ships are not ocean liners, but they do have a reinforced bow, which is helpful for transatlantic crossings.
Meanwhile, Cunard has ordered a new cruise ship from Fincantieri, originally scheduled for delivery in 2022. Construction of the ship, which hull bears the name ‚Fincantieri 6274‘, only began in 2019 and its delivery will be delayed. The design of the ship is inspired by the MS „Koningsdam“ of the Holland America line – a company that also belongs to the Carnival Corporation.