Despite all its marketing, Cunard's 1,007-cabin Victoria is not really an ocean liner (it was built to be small enough to transit the Panama Canal, after all). Yet it is a grand ship that harks back to the romantic era of cruising, and its sober yet elegant design is a welcome departure from the brash interiors that blight modern fleets. It mixes warm brown wood panels and polished chrome handrails with subtly patterned carpets and Art Deco light fixtures that give off an almost golden light. The three-story atrium lobby, which wraps above curved twin staircases, is a remarkable centerpiece, housing a 6,000-book wood-paneled library, a Todd English restaurant, and a champagne bar. A sense of Old Britannia pervades the vessel, from the white-gloved afternoon tea accompanied by a string quartet in the Queens Room, to fencing lessons offered at the gym, to the theater with royal boxes that could have been plucked straight out of London's West End. As on its other Queen ships, Cunard passengers dine at those restaurants designated for their cabin category. Though the top-strata Princess and Queens grills have the most comprehensive menus and the richest ambience, dining is a throwback at all the full-service restaurants—men wear tuxedos on formal nights, jackets for dinner all other nights. In some ways the ship falls short: Neither of its two pools is as grand as the stern pool terrace on sister ship Queen Mary 2, and most cabins have inadequate space for storing clothing. Thankfully, the polite yet assured service—especially in the restaurants, where polished waitstaff perfectly pace the meals-is memorable enough to compensate for any shortcomings.